Tillie chuckled. “She didn’t tell me that.”
I relaxed.
“Hayden did,” Tillie admitted.
“I swear to Christ, Tillie, never, at any time, have I rammed Madison Payne from behind.”
She raised an eyebrow. “From the front?”
“God, no.”
She shrugged. “Bud, she told Hayden that she walked in on you fucking Madison, and Tate doesn’t lie, so were you, maybe, I don’t know, drunk?”
I scrubbed my hand over my face. “I have never been so drunk I didn’t remember shit.”
“Well, I don’t know what to tell you. She was pretty wrecked by it.”
“Jesus, why?”
“Are you serious?” Tillie asked.
I frowned. “I feel like that question’s a trap.”
Tillie rolled her eyes. “That girl’s been in love with you since the day she met you.”
“Bullshit.”
She patted my face, a little harder than she probably needed to. “Sweet, sweet, stupid Parker.”
“Hey,” I snapped, leaning away from her.
“My job here is done,” Tillie said, rising to her feet. “We never spoke. If Tate finds out Hayden told me any of this, she will never forgive her sister and I don’t want that on my conscience.”
“Wait, I need more information.”
“Well, you’re notgettingmore information. You’re smarter than you look, buddy. Time for you to figure some shit out.”
Tillie walked me out, and I dragged myself to my truck, my mind swirling with what felt like bees. None of this shit made sense. Tate had never given me any indication she felt more for me and that pissed me off even more.
Jesus Christ, the woman had no right to keep that from me.
Instead of going home, I went back to my parents’, slamming the front door a little harder than I expected, and squeezed my eyes shut.
“Who the fuck slammed the door?” Dad bellowed.
“Sorry, Pops, it was me.”
He appeared at the top of the stairs. “Garage.”
I waited for him to descend the stairs, then followed him into the garage. “Your mom’s sick, bud, you know this, so there a reason you’re slammin’ the door hard enough to bring the house down?”
I sighed, walking over to his bike, and tapping the seat with my finger. “I think Tate’s in love with me. Or she was.”
“No shit.”
I faced my father. “Seriously?”
Dad chuckled, crossing his arms. “I just lost a bet, Flash, thanks for that.”
