The Sullivan Sisters

A Rock and a Hard Place

"And you're sure this goes to Ava's apartment?"

Quinn followed Charlie's lead by dunking a French fry into her milkshake. She tossed it into her mouth, not giving the chocolate syrup a chance to drip from the fry's golden-brown shell. An unadorned nod followed.

"That's what the lady said."

It hadn't been more than a few hours after Quinn and Sandra's—less than pleasant—encounter that the teenage couple found themselves at the diner, perplexed quite completely by a simple piece of metal with jagged teeth.

Charlie raised the key up, urging the sunshine to illuminate its body, as he scrutinized it intently. After an extended period of silence, he cut his losses and returned the key to the girl's palm, realizing he was coming up just as empty-handed as she was.

"Why does she still have her old place anyway? She moved in with you guys months ago."

Quinn pocketed the key and sighed, "Her lease had a few more months before it was up so, even though she started living with us, her apartment still belongs to her. At least that's what she said."

Though she was starting to believe that taking Ava's words at face value just might've become dangerous territory.

She traced the outline of her glass and watched as her milkshake melted before her very eyes. Before now, she hadn't thought it'd be possible for her to grow tired of its sugary taste, though, if nothing else, the situation taught her that the right concoction of unease and discontentment had the power to destroy the appetite of a bear fresh out of Winter hibernation.

Charlie didn't offer a response, but Quinn welcomed the brief moment of quiet to think. She watched the condensation-produced droplets as they dripped from her glass and raced to the table, instantly forming a wide, wet ring on its surface.

"Ava wouldn't do that." The girl couldn't mask the uncertainty in her voice if she tried. "...Would she?"

Charlie leaned forward in the booth, attempting to accumulate the words that poured out through the redhead's hushed tone. "Do what?"

"You know," Quinn whined. After twiddling her thumbs, she returned her troubled eyes to his delicate ones. "Don't make me say it."

"Would Ava, the woman that drools every time your sister walks into a room, mess around with someone else?"

Charlie's humorous response nearly made Quinn crack a smile, he made it all seem so easy. A part of her felt ridiculous for even thinking Ava would ever be capable of such a horrible thing, still, the voice in her head wouldn't allow her to put her worries to rest.

"Either way...I gotta tell Paloma."

The boy's dark brows instantly spiked, painting his astonishment. "T-tell Paloma? You really think that's the route to go on this one? You know she'll completely freak out."

Quinn dusted the crumbs from her fingertips and scoffed, "Of course she will! Who wouldn't? But what the hell else am I supposed to do?"

"Return the key to Ava like the woman asked?"

Quinn teetered softly, "You really are the king of bad ideas today, Charles."

"We don't even know this woman. Don't you think it's possible that Ava has other people in her life—friends—that you guys don't know about?"

She dismissed his assumption with the fleeting wave of her hand. "Any time she or Paloma leaves the house unless it's for work or to go shopping, it's to hang out with mutual friends. Mutual," she reiterated. "There's no way Ava has secret friends that my sister doesn't know about. Besides, even if Ava did have others in her life if this woman was just a friend, why hide her?"