Page 30 of Fragile

“I hear you stayed at Quinn’s last night?” He saunters over to my bed, pushing off the mound of laundry that I still need to do and plopping down with no indication that he knows. But I still panic.

Pausing my hands, gripping the edge of the zipper, the metal pinches into my fingertips at the force I’m holding it. My heart stalls like an old, rusty chevvy that’s had its day. RIP me. He knows. He can tell I kissed his sister. Oh, shit.

Looking over to him, with a million apologies and justifications on the tip of my tongue, I open my mouth, and just as I do, he interrupts. “I was with Indie when she texted her last night,” he says before I blurt everything out.

Oh, fucking hell. Everything deflates in my body as I release my grip on the zipper and fight the urge to sag with relief. “Yeah, man,” I force out, clearing my throat. “I passed the fuck out. Lucky it wasn’t on a campus bench.” It’s a lie. I didn’t pass out at all.

He nods. “Quinn is the saint we don’t deserve. She’s always got our backs.”

“Yeah,” I agree, looking down at my bag as nausea swirls in my stomach.

“Did she keep you up all night?”

His question catches me off guard, making me turn to him sharply, my mouth falling open in surprise. “W-what? Why would you ask that?”

My pulse feels as though it’s rushing around my body at warp speed.

“Because she snores like a wooly mammoth?” he says as though I should remember that.

“Oh…” I deflate again, adrenaline ebbing. “I wouldn’t know. I sort of left early. Sobered up pretty fast.” I somehow manage to keep my voice light.

I continue searching my drawers for my hoodie, one that I don’t even need to pack, just to keep myself busy. That was really close. Too fucking close. I hate lying to him, but also, I didn’t think I’d ever need to lie about accidentally kissing his sister. But am I lying if he doesn’t ask?Fuck my warped logic.

“Have you heard from your dad?” Seb asks. His voice is casual, but I can hear the underlying concern. “He gonna watch the game tomorrow?”

A deep sigh escapes me, followed by a casual shrug, finally picking out the hoodie I was looking for but don’t need. “I don’t know. Last time we talked, he was still pissed about me getting thrown out of the game. Got another speech.”

“You didn’t even start the fight.”

“Yeah, well, he’s got his own ideas about how I should play,” I say, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice. “But maybe he’ll watch. Who knows?”Who cares?

“I’m here if you want to talk about anything. But want my advice?”

“Pretty sure you’re going to give it to me anyway.”

“Ignore the bullshit. Focus on the game. Your dad, girls, school, none of that matters on the field.”

I inwardly sigh this time, zipping my duffel closed. Guilt twists and churns in my gut. Seb’s always got my back, and here I am, keeping secrets from him, secrets that could destroy our friendship.

“Let’s go to the gym. You look like you need a workout,” Seb says, getting to his feet and walking to the door.

I need something, alright.

Chapter thirteen

Quinn

“I’m not saying youneed to diversify your glitter gel pens, but your book is a lot of blue, that’s all.” Hudson shrugs with a smirk that’s all trouble as he sticks a bright pink butterfly onto his page. “Any particular reason for that color choice, Jay?”

Jay scowls at him. “No reason, and you aren’t one to talk with your pink book.”

“There’s nothing wrong with pink.”

“I’m not saying there is, but like you said, there are other colors in the rainbow, Hudson.”

“Will you two stop it, please?” I snap, slapping my hands to my knees a little too forcefully with the pencil I’m holding.

Both pairs of eyes swing to me, wide and surprised. “Sorry,” Jay and Hudson mumble.

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