and if you don't love me now,
you will never love me again.
To say that Hawkins was, well, a safe and boring town would be an understatement. The only sort of trouble that takes place is the stray dogs that like to dig into backyard trash cans. And...
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***
BREAKFAST THE next morning was uncharacteristically quiet, and their mother had made her discomfort known from the moment she walked into the room. Most school day mornings were silent. But it was Saturday, and Quinn and Jordan were famous for their bantering—which was currently what the table was missing. Olivia, along with everyone else, had gotten used to it, and at one point, probably found it endearing to hear.
Olivia and her own sister, Sue, Lucas and Erica's mother, had once been conjoined at the hip. Quinn could remember the countless story she'd used to tell about them. How Quinn's relationship with her brother reminded Olivia of how she used to be with Sue. They grew apart with age, as all siblings did, and they'd become especially distant when Olivia moved to New York.
Quinn never really thought that could happen to her and Jordan. Sure, that wedge had been driven between them when he'd met his new friends, and when Quinn's own friends discarded her like she was nothing. But they still talked.
It had never been like this. Sure, it was partially her fault. She had initiated the argument—but Jordan had been the one who pushed her to her limit.
Quinn chewed her cereal without a word. Jordan had a sports magazine open before him as he buttered his toast. Olivia threw her hands up in the air from the kitchen, frustrated.
Approaching footsteps sounded from the hallway, and soon Pharrell turned the corner into the dining room. He stopped short, turning to look at his wife. "What the hell is this?"
"You tell me," Olivia crossed her arms over her chest. "Sixteen years I can't get them to shut up. And now? It's like someone's hit the mute button on the remote, and then lost the batteries. It's driving me nuts."
"What's going on here?" Pharrell demanded, taking the open seat that was separating the two siblings. "Jordan? Quinn?"
"Hi, dad," Jordan greeted without looking up from his magazine, and his tone was a little dry.
"Quinn? What is going on? Everything okay?"
"Yup," Quinn spooned another serving into her mouth. "Just peachy."
"Your father and I are going to the farmers market," Olivia told them, setting a hand onto Pharrell's shoulder, still glancing between them suspiciously. A mother knew her children, after all, but she'd never force them to talk. "We should be back in a couple of hours. Quinn, don't forget that Erica is coming over later. Nobody else is allowed in here, understood?"
"If either of you break our trust again, the consequences will be much worse than community service," Pharrell warned. "Got it?"
"Yes, dad."
"Got it."
Quinn watched her parents gather their things, Olivia swatting away Pharrell when he attempted to grab her purse to hold it for her. It was a subtle detail that most people probably wouldn't have noticed, but once, long ago, Olivia would have let him grab it, she would've smiled gratefully at him while Jordan rushed out the door, excited for the day's adventure. Quinn would be holding her father's free hand, asking to get ice cream on the way.
