NATEI'd had some killer headaches in my day, thanks to the side effects of medication and other treatments, but this one was a definite contender for the worst one. I lay in my hospital bed, staring at the ceiling tiles and waiting for the dose of painkiller I'd just been given to take effect. "Nate." Quinn's voice was soft and questioning; she wasn't sure if I were truly awake or not. I steeled myself against the pain and turned my head just a little to track her movement toward me."I'm awake." My voice sounded faraway and kind of slurred. Yeah, maybe those meds were kicking in, after all."My mom and I are going to leave in just a minute. Is there anything ...do you need anything before I go?"I managed a smile. "Nah, I'm good." My lips felt dry and numb, and I licked them, wondering idly if Quinn might be turned off by dry lips. Should I ask her? No, I decided. I shouldn't point out any of my deficiencies, on the off chance she might not notice. "Okay. Well ...I guess I'
LEOBy the time I made it back over to the high school and changed, the afternoon light was gray. Everyone was on the field, running drills, but I stopped on the sidelines where Coach Cramer stood, holding a tablet that looked just like the one the doctor had used at the hospital."Taylor." Coach nodded at me. "Mr. Platten filled me in on where you were. What's the news on the kid?"I shrugged. "Far as I know, doing okay. Doctor said he might have a mild concussion, and they're keeping him overnight, probably." I worked hard to keep the worry out of my voice. This entire afternoon had been a mess, from beginning to end. I wouldn't have minded just forgetting the whole damn day. The image of Quinn's eyes, soft and luminous when she'd looked up at after our kiss, filled my head, reminding me that maybe not all of it had been so bad. But no. Kissing Quinn had been a mistake of monumental proportions, and now I had to figure out an exit strategy. I'd seen the expression on her face ju
LEOI finished the last lap, not breaking stride as I jogged onto the field. Matt met me on the thirty-yard line, punching me in the shoulder. "Heard you had to rescue the gimp, dude. What happened?" I glanced over his shoulder. Tim stood about ten feet away, frowning in my direction. I narrowed my eyes, giving him a steely glare, and then turned back to Matt. "Tell you later, man. Hey, Coach says you warmed up with Simmons. What the fuck, dude, you cheating on me now?"Down the line, Dylan Simmons cracked up, shaking his head. "No worries on my part, Taylor. You and Lampert have something special. Something magical. It's a love for the ages, man. I'm not getting in the way of that.""Damn straight!" Lampert wrapped his arms around my middle and tried to haul me up. "We're like Romeo and fucking Juliet." Without pausing for breath, he added, "Dibs on being Romeo.""No problem, Houdini. You keep delivering your balls right into my waiting hands, and I'll be your Juliet every tim
QUINNI hadn't expected to hear from Leo that night after he'd kissed me. Not really. Yes, I'd kept my phone in my pocket and then on my nightstand, and yes, I'd checked the volume and made sure the ringer was turned on about every fifteen minutes or so. But it hadn't surprised me when the phone stayed silent. It hadn't surprised me, but it had hurt. I'd already planned to go to the football game the next day. I went to every game, and I knew my parents wouldn't think twice about me heading there today. I'd texted with Sheri that morning and learned that the doctors wanted to keep Nate one more day, because he was still in a great deal of pain. I could almost feel her anxiety through the phone, even though she assured me that it was nothing to worry about. Go have fun today at the game. Give Leo a hug from me and scream for him like I do, LOL. I'll tell Nate you'll see him later. It felt weird to climb to the upper bleachers on my own, since usually I stuck to the first row, t
QUINNMy eyes rested on Leo's back as he stood in the huddle just before they broke and lined up for the next play. I focused on him and him alone, sending him vibes of support. As though that made a difference, Matt managed to get free long enough to fire off a spiral. We all held our breath as it soared, arcing down into Leo's waiting arms as though there'd never been any doubt that he was going to catch it. Unfortunately, even though the completed pass gave the Eagles at first down, they couldn't push forward into the end zone. We all had to settle for the unsatisfactory second-best of field goal, which Beau made with beautiful precision. The half ended just after the ball went through the uprights, and the Eagles ran into the locker room leading three to zip."Do you want anything from the concession?" Jake stood up, stretching. I watched him, trying to look at him through eyes that didn't only see Leo. Yeah, Jake was cute, in a geeky, hipster sort of way. His reddish-brown ha
QUINNSuddenly, the diner felt much smaller than it had before, and my heart began to pound. The football team in all its post-victory glory came bursting through the glass doors, raising a cheer and shouts from everyone already sitting down. The defensive line appeared first, and then I saw Matt and Leo, laughing as they came into the restaurant."There's our Lion! Hear him ROAR!" The cheerleaders already inside began to chant, and Leo shook his head. I couldn't tell if he was embarrassed or pleased. All I could think about was what would happen when he caught sight of me. Would he stop and say something? Or would he invite me over to sit with the team, the way the players sometimes did? My stomach turned over in anticipation. Someone yelled out Matt's name, and he stopped, bending over a chair to talk to the guy who was punching him in the arm. Leo turned his head, checking out the rest of the diner. I knew the minute he spotted me. He froze, and then with deliberate carelessne
NATEBy mid-morning on Sunday, the pain in my head had subsided enough that it could be controlled with regular over-the-counter meds, and the doctors agreed that I could be released. I'd just gotten dressed and was sitting on the edge of the bed when I heard a noise at the door. "Knock, knock." Dr. Randall stepped into the room. "I hear my favorite patient of all time needed a little staycation at his number one resort this weekend."I snorted. Dr. Randall had been monitoring me and coordinating all of my care since I was four years old. At this point, he was almost like family.Leaning against the door jamb, he skimmed my file on his ever-present tablet. "So the bad news is, that new protocol we introduced last summer? Apparently it doesn't give you the ability to fly." I rolled my eyes. "It also doesn't make your jokes any funnier, either."He clutched his chest as though wounded. "Now that one hurts." He lowered the computer to his side. "Looks like you're going to be okay.
QUINNI'd pictured my first date for years, probably since I was ten or eleven. And ever since that time, every time I'd thought of it, Leo had been the guy across the table from me. The fact that Jake Donavan was in that seat tonight was more than a little disconcerting. Still, if it had to be anyone but Leo, Jake wasn't a bad second choice. He'd been a good friend of mine since we'd met on the newspaper, and I felt comfortable with him. Maybe a little too comfortable; there wasn't the same delicious tension and heat I felt when Leo was near me. Which was crazy, considering how long and how well I'd known Leo. I'd been a little nervous before he picked me up-which wasn't helped by my mother, who was playing it casual even while I was pretty sure she was taking notes to document 'Quinn's First Date' in my baby book-but all the anxiety evaporated as we drove to the restaurant. Jake was low-key and friendly; he didn't act any different than he did when we were together in school. I