{18+ COMPLETED • COLLEGE ROMANCE}
When a college freshman with a learning disability and a reputation collides with a straight-A, straight-laced girl in the dorm kitchen one night, he sees the darkest parts of himself reflected in her. But the two o...
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M A D I E
September Twentieth
Three
Today I said what I needed to say.
And now I feel unburdened by words,
but yet...
I think I'm still burdened by the reaction to them.
—
I popped a fry into my mouth and said, "Quin, can we talk about what happened Thursday night?"
He responded with a deep sigh, a telltale sign that he'd been expecting this conversation.
Before I lost my nerve, I plowed forward. "I was honest with you about Nessa and Bren. You really don't have anything to worry about. Trust me."
He shook his head and took a bite of his cheeseburger. We'd traveled across the bay, and I shivered from the force of the wind coming off the open ocean. The patio at the Ray's Eatery was bright, and Quinton's eyes were masked by his trendy sunglasses, making it hard for me to tell what he was thinking.
"I do trust you, Madie," he finally replied, putting down his burger. "It's other guys that I don't trust, okay?"
"Bren isn't interested in me like that," I insisted, abandoning my food to cross my arms over my chest. But Quinton only snorted, so I raised a brow. "He was actually hooking up with Nessa when I went back to my room that night."
Quinton leaned forward. "Really?"
I nodded and then shrugged. "Yeah. He was probably only talking to me so he could get her attention."
Another bite of his burger and Quinton still didn't seem totally convinced. A neatly dressed waitress came by to refill our water glasses, and an awkward silence settled until she left again, weaving through the patio tables and potted plants that lined the concrete.
Quinton religiously took me out to lunch—a break in the day dedicated to just being together always seemed to make things easier. It was our thing, even in high school.
I hated ruining it with this conversation, but I knew we needed to talk.
"Look," I said. "Just please don't worry about it, okay? He's a nice guy, struggling with classes and stuff like me. Nothing more."
Quinton lifted his hands up, a defeated gesture. "Alright, Mads."
Taking a sip from my water, I peered at him over my glass. His hair rustled in the ocean breeze. "So you're not going to freak out if I say hi to him or something?" I asked.
"I don't freak out," he mumbled.
I couldn't see Quinton's eyes, but I knew they were rolling as far back as possible.
