by Doyle, Dawn
The guys were both staring at me, Josh with an amused grin spreading across his face. “Nice job, Casanova.”
“Gee, it must be hard being so in demand,” Layton said, his sarcasm not lost on me at all. He crossed his arms. “How ever can you cope?”
“I never asked for this,” I replied, thumbing behind me. “It’s not like I encourage this shit.”
“Well, you, young Quinn, are their fucking star, shining bright in the fucking sky.” He waved his hand in the air.
My head tilted to the side, my eyes hard. “What the fuck crawled up your ass?”
Layton blew out a long breath while Josh looked between us, his confusion clear. “You can tell them to fuck off, but it’s not so easy for us when they come looking for you, then turning nasty when Elvis has already left the building, or you won’t give them the time of fucking day.”
He had a point, but I didn’t give a fuck about what they wanted. If it were the other way around, they’d have slapped a restraining order on my ass so fast, I’d be knocked flat on my back.
“So, I’m supposed to just take it? Give in to what they want? Why?” Double standards pissed me off. It’s not even me they wanted; it was the accolade from being seen with me, which made no goddamn sense either. They never wanted to in the past.
He opened his mouth, but it was Josh who spoke first. “Let’s just go,” he said. “There’s no need to get into an argument over this crap.”
I opened the door and jumped out, checking over my shoulder to see him following close behind. We hadn’t gotten far when I heard the crunch of footsteps in the loose dirt.
“If it isn’t Quinn Dexter,” a high-pitched voice said, coming out from behind a parked car a few spots away.
I slammed my jaw shut. “What do you want, Phoebe?” I ground out between my teeth, but I didn’t stop walking. “Leave me the fuck alone.” She wouldn’t be going any time soon, though, I knew that much.
“But you’re the star fighter,” she purred, quickly catching up and keeping pace. “We just want to catch a glimpse of our hero before he sails off into the night, fantasizing that he’s thinking about us, dreaming that he’s going to make all our dreams come true.” She giggled and reached out for me, but I yanked my arm away the second her fingertips touched me. “Don’t be like that, Quinn. I’ve had real-life experience, remember?” I looked down at her devious smile, her lips pursed, and her dark, conniving eyes staring up at me. “Of course you do.”
I stopped and stepped back away from her. “I don’t know why you won’t let go of this, but I’ve got a newsflash for you. I. Don’t. Give. A. Fuck.” I lowered my head, looking her dead in the face. I studied her features, the dark freckles on her nose covered with makeup, heavily lined eyes, and lashes that were obviously fake. Her pout wasn’t even real. “I’ve done some stupid shit when I was drunk, and you just happen to be one of those things. Why do you think I stopped drinking so much? I’m just glad I don’t remember shit about it.”
Her eyes widened, then burned into me with ferocity. “How dare you,” she growled.
I laughed, straightening up. “You know, if you weren’t such a fucking psycho, you could actually pass for somebody I might consider talking to, but…” I shrugged, letting my words trail off. I walked away and left her standing there.
“Harsh,” Josh whispered beside me, but his laugh gave his insincerity away. “She looks pissed, man.”
“She can cry me a fucking river,” I replied. We reached Josh’s SUV, and I got in the second he unlocked the doors. I clicked my seatbelt into place while he got into the driver’s side.
“You really attract them, don’t you?” he asked, pressing the ignition button. “I don’t know what it is, but shit, you’re a magnet for the crazies.”
Fucking shallow, all of them. They avoided me like the plague before I…
I clenched my teeth, memories of my lonely years flashing through my head. The laughter, whispers about the skinny kid with wrinkled clothes. “They need to do what they used to do and leave me the fuck alone.”
“Then you’re gonna have to figure something out, man, cos even I’m starting to get sick of the attention, and it wasn’t me in the circle.”
“Wow, I never thought I’d hear those words coming from the mouth of Josh, the panty melter.”
He threw his back and howled laughing. “I know, me either. I think I just need a break from the crowd.”
We were twenty-two, barely adults. “Yeah, could be,” I agreed, looking down at my reddened and swollen knuckles. “I’ll figure something out.”
As we drove, I let my mind wander, wondering what the hell I was going to do. All I wanted to do right after a fight was to leave. Sticking around to talk or go to after-parties didn’t interest me at all, not while I was developing bruises fuck-knows where.
It didn’t take long for a feisty brunette with green eyes to pop into my mind, her smart mouth making me smile to myself. I’d wondered why she was kicked out of her previous college. Overhearing that conversation had me intrigued.
“What are you smiling for?” Josh asked, warily. “It’s fucking creepy when you do it for nothing.”
“Just thinking,” I replied, leaning back into my seat, my head relaxing against the rest.
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” he asked, side-glancing me. “Because the last time you were ‘just thinking’ turned out to be you making one hell of a goddamn mess.” Yeah, like he didn’t enjoy the outcome as much as I did.
I turned my head to face him. “I might have found a solution.”
“Oh? Wanna share that insight?”
“Not right now.” I smiled again. “I haven’t figured out the intricacies yet, but it might just work.” If I played it right, I might come away without my balls getting detached from my body.
“Well, I hope it’s not something illegal, Quinn, cos I need to keep that shit on lockdown.”
“Not a problem,” I said, my grin stretching wider. “I’ll keep my hands all to myself.” In more ways than one.
Kinsley
Sunlight beamed down, casting a bright glow, almost angelic, through the trees. The freshly cut grass seemed to shimmer as the swaying shadows moved across the crisp blades.
I closed in on the trio of thick, ancient-looking sycamores, inhaling the sweetness of the manicured lawns. A few darkened leaves scattered below, the burned orange color showing the first signs of the new season, even though the temperatures were still almost eighty-five most days.
“This is perfect,” I whispered out loud while feeling for the bag hanging at my left hip. “Just a couple of shots.” I pulled the long navy-blue strap over my head from across my body and unzipped my Canon EOS.
I stooped low, bringing the camera to my face. Looking through the viewer, I adjusted the lens to zoom in on the old leaves. Pressing the button to capture the images, I kept the leaves to the side of the frame, focusing more on how the light brought out the details of the veins zig-zagging, making intricate patterns that made stunning photographs.
I checked the small digital screen. “Nice.”
I stood and opened my bag, ready to stow my camera. I lifted my head and looked around, allowing my eyes to drift over the growing number of students making their way inside the building. I gently shook my head when a gentle breeze blew loose strands of my dark hair across my face.
I lifted my camera again and snapped a few shots, zooming in a little and clicking again, capturing smiling faces, some seemingly bored, and a few others with a look that could only be annoyance.
I stopped when one face stood out from the rest. New, fresh bruises, reddened skin from scrapes or scratches, and two breathtaking blue eyes focused dead ahead… At me.
After I clicked a couple of times, I slowly lowered the camera, the face disappearing, and during that short time, he’d turned away.
What was he looking at?
I didn’t know, or care to know, but I knew there was somethin
g in there that was deeply disturbing, and my insides screamed at me to keep as far away from that guy as possible. Yeah, like I had any intention of getting close—he probably had a girlfriend, or a few—I’d had enough of guys with bad attitudes and superiority complexes. I’d never entertained them before; I wasn’t about to start now.
I made my way down the hall towards my first class of the day, dread bouncing around inside me like a ball of acid, spraying its toxicity with every step.
“Hey, you!” Miley rushed to my side like we’d been friends for years. It was unnerving.
“Hi. How was the beach?” I asked.
She smiled wide, her eyes lighting up. “Oh, Kinsley, it was amazing as usual. You missed out on a good time.” Miley adjusted a silky white scarf tied around her neck, the bow a little fancy for school, even for Crosshall standards.
I laughed dryly but contained the snarkiness trying to escape. “I only know you, Miley,” I said with a shrug. “And even then, we’ve spoken only twice.”
Miley gently touched my forearm, her hand warm through the black fabric. “We can change that. I know how hard it is when you’re somewhere new. New place, new people… I never had someone take me under their wing when I had to change high schools when I was a junior, and it sucked.” Her eyes cast down, and her smile tightened.
“I bet,” I replied, turning the last corner to class.
Her eyes lifted again, the melancholy expression disappearing in an instant. “So, I’d like to be that someone for you.”
I stopped by the door and turned to face her. “You’re sweet.”
Miley flicked her loose hair back, then smoothed down her gray sweater, the top two buttons open with no other top visible underneath. “I know.” She chuckled. “It’s the least I can do. It can get a little… Intimidating here sometimes.”
“Or people stare at you like you have two heads,” I muttered, noticing the double takes of a few people who went past.
“Yes!” she squealed while pointing at me. “Isn’t it awful?” She patted her necktie again as though making sure it was in place.
“I’ll get used to it, I guess.” I looked over my shoulder. “Anyway, this is me.”
Miley’s shoulders relaxed, and she smiled warmly, her pale gloss reflecting the light from the sun shining through the small windows lining the hall. “Of course. I’ll shoot you a text. We can meet for lunch.” She raised her perfectly arched brow, an expectant look in her light-blue eyes.
I hesitated for a split-second, then blew out a resigned breath. “Sure, why not?” I lifted a hand and waved it just as quick.
Miley beamed. “Great! See you later, honey.”
When she walked away, humming to herself, I turned, headed into the room, and paused a couple of seconds later when I saw what greeted me.
Long legs encased in black denim, extended out with black booted feet resting on the seat—my seat!
I headed over, glaring, stopping next to my desk, making sure I wasn’t on the side of the offender. “Do you mind?” I hissed, trying to control myself in a crowded room of people.
Quinn lifted his eyes from the phone in his hands, his lazy gaze finally reaching my face. With my lips still pursed from the audacity of this guy, I added a raised brow for effect. There was no doubt I was pissed at him.
“Actually,” he drew out, his voice deep and rough as though he had to muster up the effort to speak. “I don’t mind at all.” His penetrating eyes, ocean deep, with a hint of green in one, the irises outlined with darker circles, lowered back to his device before he could catch me staring. “I’m quite comfortable.”
I smiled dryly, narrowing my eyes. “Aw, how nice for you,” I said in a sickly sweet tone at the same time I gripped the desk and adjoining chair. My expression dropped, as did my tone. “Too bad.” I yanked them toward me, making Quinn’s feet fall to the floor with a thud. The sound was amplified in the deathly silence that had fallen around me.
Quinn’s eyes widened. Yeah, he never expected that, and I was only too glad to wipe the cocky smirk off of his face.
I kept my desk away from him, then sat in my seat.
“You know,” he said, his voice less arrogant than before, “you could’ve asked nicely.”
I snorted a laugh. “You wouldn’t have moved.” Childish idiots like him acted as such.
I turned to see him smirking, the half-smile pushing up his dark, swollen bruise standing proud under his left eye. “You’re right—I wouldn’t.”
“Excuse me, I’d like to get back to adulting now. This playground behavior has been less than amusing.”
Quinn sat up quickly, tucking his legs under his desk, then leaned his elbows on the top. His infuriating smirk reappeared, cockier than before.
“Why did you transfer?” Josh asked, leaning forward to see past Quinn.
My head snapped in his direction. “None of your business.” I was harsher than I needed to be, but I didn’t want to tell anybody why I’d moved, let alone some strangers that would probably want more details than I was willing to give.
“Come on, Kinsley—we’re curious.”
How the hell did he know my name?
Quinn’s full lips curled, emphasizing the purple marks at the corner.
“Again,” I replied to Josh, taking my things from my backpack and willing the twilight zone episode to be over, “none of your business.”
The weight of somebody’s stare pressed against me, and I turned to the culprit. “Hey, Quasi, could you stop that?” I snipped, my pissy mood still there after being sent to this town over a month ago. “You’re making me uncomfortable.” And he was.
The number of people gawking was one thing, but having Quinn so close, his gaze fixed on me for reasons I didn’t know, had me wanting to leave the room so I could breathe. His scrutiny was more intense than Colby’s, and he’d seen more of me. Quinn could see nothing under my black long-sleeved Tee, yet his eyes made me feel as though I were naked before him.
I side-glanced at him and caught his eyebrows drawn together, and his mouth slightly pursed, the marks appearing to cause him some pain with the movement.
“You got it,” he said, his deep voice so low that I barely caught it.
With my desk a foot further away from him, it did nothing to alleviate the thick tension in the air between us.
Although Quinn said nothing more for the duration of class, I couldn’t help thinking that he was up to something. Every slight move, every sound, had my attention, wondering what the hell he was going to do next. And that, I assumed, was exactly what he intended.
When we’d been dismissed, he stood at the same time as me, held my gaze as he picked up his bag and reached for his leather jacket, then took off like I wasn’t even there.
What an asshole.
Quinn
“What’s gotten you so uptight today?” Josh asked as we headed out to the parking lot. “More than your usual sweet self.”
I took a deep breath to calm my raging temper, but it did fuck all to alleviate the growing knot I usually had in my stomach when that happened. “Nothing,” I replied, pulling the chin strap out of my helmet before putting it on. I flicked the tinted visor up while I was talking to Josh. “Just wound a little tight, that’s all.” I fucking was. The things I’d seen the past few days had made me want to fuck David up all over again.
Josh’s mouth pursed, but his fucking eyes lit up like he was holding back a stupid grin. “Is that all?” he asked, cocking his head to the side. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I am,” I lied, zipping up my jacket and slinging my black backpack over my shoulders. “What the fuck else would it be?”
He opened his palms. “Oh, I don’t know.” He shrugged then looked around. “Could be the fact that Kinsley got you riled this morning.”
I lifted my leg over my bike and gripped the handlebars. “No, she didn’t.” But she fucking did. Something in what she said, how she said it, got my damn back up. “I don’t get ril
ed easily, Josh—you of all people should know that.”
He shook his head while letting out a low chuckle. “Yeah, I do, but the way she didn’t bat an eye at your behavior, that’s gotta sting.”
I jerked back and frowned. “What?” I asked, confused at what the hell he meant by that. “My behavior?” That I knew. I was a prick, I admitted it daily, but what happened in class had nothing to do with it. “I wanted a reaction—I got one. so I don’t know what the fuck you’re getting at.”
He slapped his hand down on my shoulder a couple of times before resting it there. “Sure you do.” He took a step closer. “You keep people at arms’ length, except me because you love me, and maybe Layton, but that’s still up for debate.” He grinned, and I rolled my eyes. “And the only way to do that is to be a huge throbbing dick. Today was no exception, but Kinsley didn’t bite. A person would usually get all offended, but she didn’t give a fuck, and that’s knocked you off your game.”
“My game?” I laughed. Well, as much as I could with my black helmet on. “I don’t play games, Josh. Like I said, what I did was to get a reaction, I got one, and now I’m safe in the knowledge that there’s one more person here that dislikes me.” And it would make no fucking sense to anyone when they saw us together, least of all her.
I’m losing my fucking mind.
“Tell me again why you want people to dislike you,” he said as though it were a question. Searching his face, I saw his thoughtful expression. “That’s just… I don’t know, Quinn, I know you’re not a people person, I had a front-row seat back then, but it’s fucking weird—more than usual.”
“I know,” I ground out, my eyes fixing on a movement over his shoulder. “It is what it is.” I followed the figure to a white Lincoln Continental.
“Well, you’ve always been an oddity, so I guess I’ll fuck off and leave you to ride home.”
