[chapter ten]

Disclaimer: If you've heard of them, I don't own them. Everything else is mine, so no stealing, pretty please. ;-)


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~Jeff's POV~

She's never gonna let me live that down.

She sighs deeply and puts down her sandwich to turn and look me in the eye. "Why do you think you're profoundly fucked up?" She asks seriously, without a hint of joking or malice.

I shrug, taken aback by her question. "I don't know. I just…am. The whole Brooke divorce thing, the changes in the team this year, you…" I ramble before closing my mouth quickly.

"Me?"

"Madelyn…the way I acted…that was…inexcusable." I pause and look down. "I'm sorry."

"I know."

"You do?"

"Yes. But I still wanted to kick your ass."

"I was scared."

"Clearly. So was I. And you sure made me feel better by leaving. Ever think of that?" She asks quietly.

**flashback**

"Stop asking me these leading questions, Madelyn!" I roar, standing up and storming into my coach's kitchen, trying to regain my composure. She just keeps digging…questions about Brooke, questions about what went wrong, the divorce, how it affected me on the track. Everyone else has skirted the issues all season, but Madelyn…she just goes right for the jugular.

And she's pissing me off.

"Stop avoiding them and I'll stop asking them!" She shoots back, following me into the small space and making it difficult for me to breathe with her closeness.

"God, you're persistent!"

"God, you're cagey!"

We shout at each other, our voices rising with each shouted insult. Her eyes are flashing as she faces off with me, her chest heaving with argument and emotion.

And I honestly don't know why I'm slamming her against the refrigerator and kissing her so thoroughly.

I don't know if it's because I'm pissed off, I'm tired of dealing with her questions, or if it's because I've been completely attracted to her since the day I met her. Before Brooke. Before my career really took off. Before I became…me.

But somehow, kissing her and grinding against her and running my hands up and down her body seems like the most logical thing to do in my otherwise fucked up life.

**end flashback**

"I'm sorry."

"You already said that."

"Why do you drive me so crazy?" I ask without thinking of what a loaded question it is.

And maybe I don't want to know the answer.

"Must be my superior wit and charm."

I snort. "Yeah, that must be it."

chapter eleven