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Chapter 18: Dammit, I like her
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Keeping Score Chapter 19: As kisses go ...
QUINN"You've never dated? Why?" She seemed genuinely curious, not at all as though she was about to make fun of me. "I don't know." I let my head thump onto the other armrest. "Or maybe I do. No one ever asked me before. At least, no one I would seriously want to be with.""No way." Sarah held up the beer bottle. "Finish it up, why don't you."I discovered that the third time was the charm when it came to beer, because I actually kind of liked it this time. I killed the bottle and dropped it onto the grass. "So do you like Jake? I mean, he's cute. You two make a nice couple."I lifted one shoulder. "I'm not sure. He's funny, and he's sweet, and he's a good friend. But I don't think he looks at me as anything other than that.""Ah, you're wrong about that. I was picking up a definite vibe. I think he's hot for you."I giggled. "Oh, I highly doubt-" I felt a buzzing in the back pocket of my jeans. "Hold on a second." Pulling it out, I squinted at the screen, frowning when I sa
Keeping Score Chapter 20: And the hits just keep on coming
LEO"Lion! Matt Lampert pounded up behind me in the locker room and gave me a friendly punch in the side. "Dude, you rocked today. We're gonna crush them on Friday night.""Yeah." I pulled my practice jersey off over my head. "I guess.""What's the matter?" Matt opened his own locker and began to undress. "You should be flying high. Coach even said something good about you. That almost never happens.""That's true." I sat down on the bench. "I'm just tired. It's been a long week." It had actually been more like a long month since our game against Franklin Township. We'd ended up playing some of the toughest teams in our conference over the past four weeks, and all those stressful, important games were beginning to take their toll on me. My grades had taken an unusual dip, I'd lost weight, and I wasn't sleeping well."We got a couple of days before the game. Let's chill tonight. Come on over, and we'll eat pizza, slay some zombies and knock back some brews."I rubbed my hand ove
Keeping Score Chapter 21: When you call
QUINN"Let's move Lisa's article to the page two, and then stick the picture from the band competition on the front page." Jake leaned back in his chair, dropped his head and looked at me upside down. "Slow news week."I laughed, and turning back to the computer, focused on dragging the photo onto the right spot on the front page. "Don't worry. If the football team makes it into the playoff games, we'll have pictures and stories for weeks.""Yeah, it's looking good for them." Jake sat up and spun the chair around to face me. "Okay, that's the front page. I think we're just about done. I'll do one final check and send it over to the printer."I sighed and crooked my neck, working out the kinks. "Great. I'll upload it to the email service." We were slowly moving the school newspaper over to a completely paperless format, but in the interim, we released it in both paper and ecopy. "Perfect." Jake stood up, stretching his arms over his head. He leaned over the back of my chair, cagin
Keeping Score Chapter 22: Why should I fight this?
LEOI hadn't been to this playground since middle school, but when I needed a place to meet Quinn, somewhere quiet and private, that was the first spot that came to mind. I got there first and dropped onto one of the rubber swings, wincing a little when my weight forced the sides into my hips. "Want a push?" I hadn't heard Quinn approach; she must've walked to the park. I twisted in the swing to look at her. She stood behind me, her fingers shoved into the back pockets of her faded jeans, and her face was inscrutable. Her hair was pulled up into a messy pony tail, the kind she wore when she was at home in her room, doing homework or reading. She must've dropped whatever she was up to as soon as I'd texted. Something small and pleased stirred in me, a little bit of bright in the sea of downright shitty."I'd say sure, but I think I've outgrown the swing. Damn chains are biting into me." I grasped the links and pulled myself to my feet. "You came."She lifted one shoulder. "You as
Keeping Score Chapter 23: So we're doing this
LEOQuinn opened for me right away, and then my tongue was in her mouth, exploring, teasing and tasting. She was an intoxicating mix of mint and pure Quinn, and I wanted to lap her up. She moaned deep in her throat, and some frantic, insane part of my mind began scrambling, trying to come up with an idea of where we could go. A place where no one would find us and I could keep touching her, possibly forever. "Mia." I slid my fingers through her hair. "God, you're so beautiful. I've been dying to touch you." I ran my hands down her back, gripping her firm, round ass. She made a small noise of surprise, but she didn't squirm away, so I lifted her up. Her legs wound around me, and she rested her arms on my shoulders, never breaking her mouth away from mine. I realized with surprise that she'd taken control of the kiss. Her tongue stroked the inside of my cheek before circling my tongue, sparring with me in an erotic dance I never dreamed she knew. I moved my hips against her, and she
Keeping Score Chapter 24: No one said it would be easy
NATEI knew something was wrong the minute I opened my eyes that Friday morning. Hot. Hurting. Can't breathe.My eyes wouldn't stay open, no matter how hard I fought. I'd just let them drift shut again when I heard my mother's voice, coming as though she was a long way away. She was saying my name, the worry in her voice growing each time she spoke.Nate. Nate, come on, it's time to ...Nate? Baby? Oh, God ...Nate, come on, honey, wake up. Just before I slid into oblivion, I remembered that I was supposed to ride to school with Quinn today. She'd texted me late last night, saying she had the car and asking if I wanted a lift. Quinn. Yes, I want ...Quinn.The tightness in my chest was getting too much to bear, and I let go of my tentative grip on awareness. The last thread of consciousness that slipped through my fingers was her name. Quinn.***QUINN"Well, someone looks bright-eyed this morning." My mother poured her coffee and smiled at me. "I heard you come in last nig
Keeping Score Chapter 25: Just like Romeo and Juliet
QUINNBy lunch time, apparently word about Leo and me had swept over the campus. I might not have noticed if it hadn't been for the cheerleaders being more hostile toward me than usual and more than a few curious looks from other students. Still, nothing really bothered me until we were in the cafeteria. Leo met me at my locker, coming up from behind and startling me with a kiss on my neck as his arms circled my waist. "Hi." He released me, grinning. "Did you have a good morning? How was the math quiz?"I smiled back. "Morning was good, quiz was so-so. I hate math so hard."Leo laughed. "Some things never change, huh?" He slid his hand down my arm to link our fingers. "C'mon, let's eat. I'm starved.""Some things never change," I teased back. "Are you still the guy who's going to take my slice of pizza when my back's turned?""No." He touched the tip of my nose with his index finger. "I'm the guy who's going to buy us each an extra slice so I can eat them." He patted his flat
Keeping Score Chapter 26: Why didn't I give in months ago?
LEOI hated this fucking hospital. We'd been coming to it for way too many years, almost always to see Nate; although I'd had my share of broken bones and mild concussions, none of them had called for a hospital stay. "I hate this place," I muttered to Quinn. "It smells funny and people die here." As soon as I said the words, I could've bitten off my tongue. I knew how worried she was about Nate. But to my relief she only smiled and shook her head. "Tell you what. If you're a good boy, I'll give you a treat when we're finished here." The sideways glance she shot me gave a hint about what that treat might be. Oh, baby. The ICU was on the fifth floor. We were silent in the elevator, although Quinn gripped my hand a little tighter the closer we got to that floor. I could practically feel her nerves. "Baby, remember, I need to use this hand for catching the football tomorrow night. Don't break my fingers, okay?""I'm sorry." She tried to tug her hand free, but I wouldn't let her
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