Page 26 of Tail Me


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Then the security team grabbed him from behind. Mason struggled weakly.

“Hey, he started it!” Mason protested.

The man holding him shook his head. “I don’t care who started it. You’re out, buddy.”

They hurled Mason onto the street. He stood on the curb and shouted obscenities, doing a ridiculous rage dance as he pointed and yelled at nobody in particular.

When he ran out of words, Mason went to check his pocket, only to find his clothes were shredded and hanging off his waist. He must have lost his phone in the fight. Red hot fury rose in him again, but it was quickly swallowed by the despair that had driven him to drink in the first place.

I don’t even know if Ellie replied to me. This is fate teaching me a lesson.

Mason stood there dejectedly for a moment, wondering what to do. He hadn’t had much time to think about it before he heard the brief sound of a siren behind him. He turned around very slowly.

“Why, hello, officers,” Mason said politely. “What can I do for you?”

“You can get in the damn car,” one of the police officers said, getting out and grabbing his arm. “We’re here to arrest you for suspicion of mayhem. Just come along quietly, please.”

“Whatever is the matter?” Mason asked, not moving. “I’m a law-abiding citizen, enjoying my evening. There must be some mistake.”

“Sir,” the officer sighed, gripping Mason’s arm and shoving him toward the car. “You must be aware you are standing in the middle of the street, drunk and indecently exposing yourself in those … clothes?”

Mason looked down at himself and found he couldn’t argue with a single word. Sullenly, he got into the patrol car and let the police take him downtown.

FOURTEEN

ELLIE

It was very late at night when Ellie heard her phone vibrate on the nightstand. Her heart leapt with hope, and she shoved it away, mentally beating herself up for even thinking about Mason.

Who else could it be?

Ellie admonished herself even harder. It didn’t matter. As she reached over to grab her phone, Ellie hardened her heart against the possibility of it being Mason.

Her traitor heart soared with joy when she saw his name on the screen. For one amazing, wonderful second, Ellie felt whole and happy again. She wanted to tap on it and read every word he had to say.

Instead, Ellie flicked straight to settings without even looking at the message. With a vengeful punch of her finger, Ellie blocked his number so she wouldn’t have to see the message.

As she lay there in the dark, Ellie congratulated herself on her good behavior. It would only hurt worse if they tried to talk to each other, and she knew she was doing the right thing.

It’s better if we never see each other again.

As she woke the next morning, Ellie kept telling herself how mature and reasonable she was being. She was the bigger person by rejecting Mason’s text, and she was saving him from pain as well as herself. Leaving the house, Ellie assured herself that she was doing exactly what she had to do for herself and for Mason.

So why do I feel so bad?

Ellie shut her mind off from her emotions. Feelings couldn’t be trusted. They led you astray. Facts were the only things you could count on. Eating healthy food and having a workout didn’t feel as good as bingeing a TV show and slamming snacks, but that didn’t matter. Sometimes, taking care of yourself didn’t feel good.

As Ellie ordered her coffee at the café, she focused on anything except her emotions. She was working so hard on controlling her thoughts that she didn’t notice Gerri until she was right in front of her.

“Hello, Ellie,” Gerri said, laughing. “I’ve been waving at you for the last five minutes. You’re standing here in a total daze.”

Ellie looked up and tried to smile. She begged her brain to make idle chatter, but to her frustration, she couldn’t think of a single socially accepted platitude to respond with.

“So, are you standing there thinking about Mason?” Gerri asked, amused. “He is dreamy, isn’t he? Tell me everything.”

“I, ah, have to get to work,” Ellie said, desperately begging her brain to come back online.

“Don’t be silly!” Gerri cried. “You can spare me a few minutes. Sit down, please.”

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