Rise Like The Sun

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

MADISON

When Kyle sees her, he lets out a nervous laugh and looks around them, in the empty hall. The lights all around them are soft and glowing lightly, casting dewy lines of gold across the ground and limning across Kyle's face. Madison moves immediately towards the table, where she picks out a bottle.

"Madison?" Kyle says. He rubs the back of his neck, in the same way that Nick sometimes does when he's nervous, but instead of making butterflies flare up in her stomach, Madison simply finds Kyle repugnant. "What is all this?"

Madison forms a swift smile, though it feels physically painful.

"I'm glad you came, Kyle," she tells him, as she pours out the drinks. "I was worried you might not."

"Is this, like, one of those intervention things that you hold for Lula's boyfriends?" Kyle says, and chuckles lowly. "Audrey told me about those. Trust me, you don't have anything to worry about with me."

Madison turns around to face Kyle, smiling sweetly as she offers him his drink.

"That's good to know," she tells him, her voice warm. "But this isn't an intervention, Kyle."

Kyle's gaze drops to the drink that she is offering him and when he takes it, he makes certain to brush his fingers across hers. His eyes linger, like Nick, but Madison feels sick, instead of heated all over.

"Oh," Kyle says, his voice growing deeper. He chuckles again. "See, I knew all that hate against me had to be a front." He leans in, his eyes dark. "In the end, you just wanted me."

She feels sick.

"How's your head?" Madison asks, pulling away quickly.

Looking slightly annoyed, Kyle takes a long drink.

"It's fine. Doctors said I took a pretty big hit," he tells her. "My Dad was pissed. You think he'd be more concerned about me, not the bat, right?"

"Oh, poor you."

"Yeah."

Madison eyes Kyle carefully, watching the way his movements grow slightly languid and slower. The pills must be taking effect, she thinks with some satisfaction. She puts her own untouched glass down on the table, slamming it down with unnecessary force, and clears her throat, shaking back her hair.

"Alright, then, enough chitchat. I need a confession from you, unfortunately," Madison says bluntly. "What did you do to Audrey?"

His forehead creases and Kyle blinks.

"What?"

"Answer quickly, now, Kyle. I haven't the patience for your stupidity today."

"I didn't – Audrey?" Kyle stares at her. "What are you talking about?"

"What did you do to Audrey?" Madison grounds out.

When she sees the faint flicker of realisation in Kyle's eyes, she knows she has him.

"Look," Kyle says, and his words start to slur a little, "we got into a fight. So I might have pushed her away, a bit. Why is it any of your business?"

"It becomes my business when you decided to hit her," Madison says, her voice dripping with scorn. "Why'd you do it, Kyle? Did you feel like a man? Did it make you feel strong?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Kyle says loudly. "She just – she's so annoying, sometimes, and she just won't shut up –,"

Madison breathes hotly, "You bastard."