Chapter Twenty-Three
“Hey,” I whisper, leaning over to Madeline’s desk. Accounting is almost over and Professor Thiel has popped down to the teacher’s lounge for a short break. We all know that this means that he’s going to smoke a pipe in peace, but nobody at Trinity Prep is going to stop him.
She glances over at me, her face dark. “What do you want, bitch?” Even if she is pretending, which I still hope that she is, her voice is biting and it hurts to hear it come from her mouth.
“I just wanted to thank you.” I wink at her, feeling a little silly, but at the same time enjoying trying to make a connection with my friend again. I’ve missed her terribly, and knowing that she cares enough to put together a care package for me makes me feel giddy.
She rolls her eyes and looks back down at her work, but I think that I see a spark of interest in her expression. “I promise you, Abigail, that I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, so please go fuck off and leave me alone.”
Fine. That’s enough for me. I saw the little smile on her face, and that’s enough for me to make it through the rest of the day.
But in the hall, Quinn catches up to me. He grabs my upper arm, his fingers digging into my skin. Even though I know that I can’t pull away, I tug my arm from him, which only makes him tighten his grip.
We have a dance, the two of us, and as fucked up as it is, it’s getting more and more familiar to me. I know how to play my part, and as long as he doesn’t change the music or the steps, I’m going to be just fine.
“I saw you trying to buddy up with Madeline back there.” His voice is low, like he’s afraid that someone is going to listen in on us, but nobody’s paying us any attention. I could probably get away with murder because nobody ever looks at me.
Even though I want to turn and fall into his blue eyes, I keep my gaze straight ahead. “I promise you, Quinn, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“The box.” That’s all he says, but it’s also all it takes for me to turn to him. How in the world does he know about the box?
He sees the question on my face and grins at me. “Don’t go thinking that that was from your little friend, Madeline. I don’t think that she’d care if you went the same way as Javier, but other people would.”
I scoff at him. “Sure, I’m totally sure that everyone else in the senior class is secretly rooting for me, Quinn. And I bet that you’re the one in charge of making sure that everyone starts to treat me nicer, am I right?”
He blinks like I slapped him and lets go of my arm. “Listen, Abigail, there are things at work here that you still don’t understand. I know that you think you did the right thing by fucking up my painting, but – ”
I cut him off. “No, Quinn, I know that I did the right thing by fucking up your painting. You’re an asshole and a bully and the only reason you have a chance at the scholarship is because of whatever fucked up deal you have with Mr. Stanfield. You two think that you run the school just because…what? Because he owes your family something? I don’t want any part of whatever shit you’re in, Quinn, I just want to make it through the year alive, get my scholarship, and leave Trinity Prep behind me.”
Pausing for a moment, I consider what I’ve just said, then I add one thing. “And I want you to stop trying to drive a wedge between me and the only friend that I have here.”
That’s when his face goes pale and he shakes his head. “You think that you have it all figured out, Abigail, but you really don’t. Madeline isn’t your friend. You don’t know the truth about her, and you’re not going to be able to find it out if you don’t start paying attention.”
This makes me stop in the hall and jerk my arm from his grasp. His fingers were so warm and I instantly miss his touch, but there’s no way that I’m going to admit that to him.
“Stop,” I hiss at him, leaning forward. Our faces are just inches from each other. It wouldn’t take anything for me to kiss him. The thought runs through my head and I feel myself starting to spiral. Taking a deep breath, I try to put myself back on track. “Stop trying to make this so much worse for me than it already is.”
“You’re the one making things worse.” Quinn leans forward, running his fingers up my arm. I shiver at his touch, but this time, I don’t pull away. God help me, I want to feel his hands all over my body. I want to be the center of his attention and I want him to need me the way I need him. “You’re the one who is putting your trust in the wrong person.” He brushes his lips across my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “You need to make sure that you know who you can trust, Abigail, before you make a big fucking mistake.”
Lightly, he bites my ear, making me break out in goose bumps. I’m stuck there, the sharp edges of his teeth pinning me in place, but I don’t think that I would move even if I could.
When he finally lets go and steps back, I cross my arms, trying to put something physical between the two of us. “I wish
