A look of uncertainly flashes across his face. At least, that’s what I think the look is. I’ve honestly never seen it on Quinn’s face before, so I’m not sure what to do. I’m not sure what to say to him, or who I can trust.
I can trust Madeline, right? If I can’t trust her then I am really and honestly fucked.
“Okay. Okay, Abigail. You want to be left alone like a big girl? You think that you can play the games that Trinity Prep has out for you? That’s fine. Just remember that it wasn’t Madeline who came through for you when you really needed help. When you needed something to eat, I was the one who was there.”
Before I can even think through what he’s said, he turns and stalks off down the hall.
But it doesn’t make sense.
I know that he wasn’t the one who brought me food. He’s the one who has been against me this entire time, so it makes absolutely no sense that he would suddenly change his mind and want to be on my side, right?
He can’t be the one who helped me out.
Quinn is the one person at this school that I know for a fact that I can’t trust. Well, him and Alice. And Carter. And Trae.
Okay, there’s a lot of people that I can’t trust here. But he’s the one who has been openly vocal about his hatred for me. He’s the one who wants me out of the art program so that he won’t have any competition for the internship.
To think that he may have been the person who brought me food is insane. It’s laughable. It makes literally no sense.
But nothing about Quinn makes sense, including the way that I feel about him. Just being around him makes my heart beat faster and makes it difficult for me to make smart decisions. I know this and still I spend time around him.
The bell chimes softly and I realize with a start that I’m about to be late to class. I have to make sure that I’m there on time, but all I want to do is try to figure out what’s going on with Madeline and Quinn. I won’t get to see her until lunch, and this time I’m not leaving her alone until I get some answers.
If she is the person who brought me a box of food then I need to know it. I need to look my friend in the face and thank her.
And if she wasn’t?
Well, that’s too scary for me to think about.
Because if Madeline wasn’t the person who brought me something to eat when I felt like I was starving then I have to accept the fact that it may have been the person who calls me little cunt, and that’s almost too much for me to bear.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The entire cafeteria falls silent when I walk through the double doors. They all know that I’m not supposed to be here. Even though most of them haven’t been downright mean to me, they’ve kept me from eating, called me names in the hall, and looked the other way when I’ve been attacked and tormented.
They’re not my friends.
I’m pretty sure that I only have one friend in here, and as soon as I see her, I make a beeline for her. She’s sitting with Natalie and Vincent, facing me, and her face grows dark as soon as she sees me walking across the cafeteria.
I don’t make it halfway to her when she stands up, planting her palms on the table, and frowns at me. “What are you doing here? You know that you’re not allowed to be here.”
Nobody moves. Everyone is watching the two of us to see what’s going to happen. Searching her face, I look for any sign of compassion. I need her to care for me, but there’s nothing.
Nothing.
“I thought that we had worked things out.” I don’t know what to say without letting everyone in the cafeteria know that someone had brought me a box of food, and I don’t want to get her in trouble for her kindness. “I wanted to thank you.”
Her eyes narrow and she purses her mouth. There’s something about what I’m thinking that doesn’t make sense.
Suddenly it hits me.
In the hall earlier today, Quinn knew that someone had given me something to eat. But there’s no way for him to know that unless…
Unless it really was him.
Madeline wouldn’t have let anyone know that she was doing something to help me. The realization that she really isn’t on my side hits me square in the face and I take a tentative step back, then another.
“Leave.” Her voice is cool and she looks totally in control. When she sits back down by her friends, I scan the cafeteria for Quinn, but I don’t see him.
Where is he?
As much as I’d like to stay and try to figure that out, I know that I need to get out of here before something bad happens. Alice is watching me from a corner of the cafeteria, and Carter and Trae are with her. It doesn’t make sense that Quinn wouldn’t be here, but I shouldn’t stick around to find out where he is.
***
I don’t see him the rest of the day. He skips art class, which is unheard of for him, but Mr. Stanfield doesn’t say anything about it. After he lectures everyone, I walk back to my work area, pleased to see a new stretched canvas waiting on me.
Sucking in a breath, I pull off my wrist brace and give my hand a little wiggle. Everything feels tight and weak, but I think that I can hold a paintbrush if I’m careful. Slowly I pick one up and wave it in the air. Something clicks deep in my wrist, but I’m going to have to work through the pain if I
