Quentin's Way

Chapter 12

            "Quentin Williams," an officer called out as he approached the holding cell me and the three frat brothers were in. "You're free to go." He unlocked the cell door and opened it.

            "Peace out you lame ass fuck niggas," I said to the frat brothers as I exited the cell. While walking to the front with the officer, I asked him, "How come I'm gettin' out and they ain't?"

            "An eyewitness at the scene corroborated your account of what happened." After handing me my backpack, phone, wallet and keys; he told me, "The dean as well as your coaches have been notified of this incident."

            "Yeah, whatever." I rolled my eyes and then headed out of the station to see Demi waiting out there by his car. I smiled as I asked him, "You were the eyewitness, weren't you?"

            He did the hand motion he'd done when I was getting arrested and told me, "I got you. Come on, I'll give you a ride to Kingdom Hall."

            We climbed into his car and I immediately felt better. Some of my best memories were of being with him in that car, talking or kissing, without any worries of anyone seeing us because of his tinted windows. After he drove me to my dorm building, he turned the car off and we just sat there in silence for a few minutes. I was grateful to him for helping me out but he knew that I knew he wasn't out there when the fight first started.

            "Why did you do it?" I asked him. "Why did you lie to them cops like that?"

            "I didn't lie," he replied. "Those boys jumped you, didn't they?"

            "Yeah, but you weren't out there when it started."

            "I heard you tell the cops that those boys attacked you as the cops were putting you in the squad car."

            "I could've just been sayin' that to keep them cops from takin' me in."

            "Q, there's a way that you say certain things that lets me know when you're telling the truth. I can hear it in your voice. When I heard you shout that to those cops, I knew you were telling the truth and that those boys had jumped you. I didn't have to see it with my own eyes." He touched my hand and told me, "And I don't have to see your problems with my own eyes to know they exist. You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

            "I know."

            "Is there anything you need to talk to me about?"

            Finally, I just let my guard down and tilted my head back onto the passenger seat's headrest. I turned and looked into his eyes and admitted, "I feel so lonely sometimes, Demi. Even when I'm in a room full of people or on the practice field with all my teammates, I still feel alone. I get this pain in my stomach from stress and also from the fear that I might never get over you."

            "Quentin..."

            "The fact is I do want to get over you. I want to move on and just be like how I was before I even got to know you. And I know that sounds harsh and I'm sorry for it, but it's the truth. I don't hate you but I also don't think you're good for me right now. The way I feel about you is not good for me right now. When I look at you sometimes, I feel that pain in my stomach. I've tried so much shit to get rid of that pain. I tried to focus only on football. I tried to make this friendship thing with you work. I tried to sex it away. And look at where that got me. I got jumped because of that stupid bitch Latoya. I only fucked her because she was a distraction from you."

            "So, what do you want? Do you want us to stop talking again? Because if you do then I'm okay with that. Quentin, I only want what's best for you."