Grounding Quinn by Steph Campbell

Author:Steph Campbell [Campbell, Steph]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Low Priority
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2012-12-06T05:00:00+00:00

“So, what are you up to tonight?” I ask her once we are in the safe confines of my car.

“Not much. Grant is probably going to come over later on, but I’ve got to get up early for gym. Nationals are coming up in a couple of months, you know?”

I nod. The windows are fogged over from the thick humidity and I can’t see a damn thing. I crank on the defroster full blast, but turn it to the cold setting, trying to cool my burning face.

“What about you? You have any plans?” Before I can answer, she reaches for the temperature control. “Geez, Quinn, it’s freezing in here.”

I swat her hand away, “It’s the defroster, bitch.” It flies out of my mouth before I can think about stopping it. She slumps against the passenger door looking injured like I’ve just physically attacked her.

“I’m sorry,” she says looking at her hands. Sydney is always apologizing, even for things she has no business apologizing for.

“Syd, look.” Her eyes are already welling up. Could I be a bigger monster? “I didn’t mean that. I’m just having a bad week.”

“Ok.”

“Seriously, I’m super sorry.”

“I wish you’d talk to me about it.” She shrugs her shoulders.

I inhale deeply. I wish I could. But where to begin? My mom’s secret alcoholism? My pesky little klepto habit of prescription drugs and Macy’s cards? That I’m scared to death I’m going to turn out like my mom? That my dad is fucking Mena Lombardo? That I cheated on Ben with a twenty-four-year-old?

“I can’t.”

“Quinn, I know how it feels to have a secret. I just wish you would talk to someone, even if it isn’t me.” I think back to last year, and how hurt I was when I found out that her ex, Trevor was hitting her, and that she had never told me. Not until she had to be hospitalized after she broke up with him did I find out. I couldn’t wrap my brain around how she could keep something so major from me, her best friend. Now, I finally understood.

“I just…can’t…” I say, as I pull into the driveway of her house.

“Thanks for the ride.” She starts to get out of the car and I grab her arm, startling her.

“Ben and I…were…we broke up,” I stutter. Each word burns like gasoline.

“Oh Quinny.” She pulls me into a hug “What happened?”

I slept with my dad’s co-worker.

“I um…I screwed up. I mean, I cheated on him.” I should be crying. Any normal person with half a soul would be crying. I want to cry. I can feel the unbearable tightening in my throat that has been there since Ben left that day. I’m trying to will the tears to fall so they might ease the pinching and burning, but they won’t. Why?

“Oh honey, do you want to come in?” she says. Her eyes are full of undeserved sympathy.

“No, I don’t really want to be around people. No offense.”

She nods, “All right. But are you going to be

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