CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Owen
did not want Quinn to open the door. We were both starving, but I knew once we stepped outside her dorm room, things would change. Inside, we were hidden, it was just the two of us. Inside, there were no other influences on Quinn. It was too hard to see how she was pulled in every direction.
I knew it was because she was young. Not that I was much older, but I had gone through the same thing. The fight between expectations and who I really was. Luckily for me, my family understood. Sienna had not and that was where we had ended. Severing those ties that pulled in the wrong direction hurt, but it was worth it.
I hated that my intuition was right. As soon as we walked downstairs towards the front doors, Quinn spotted her parents.
"We went to the lab to find you," her father said, "and instead, found out you'd made a big scene and run out. Everyone is worried and now we find you with him?"
Quinn straightened her shoulders. "I'm quitting the nursing program. What happened today made me realize I have to stop pretending it is a good fit for me."
"Oh, darling, you can't let a little scare stop you," her mother said. "Of course, it was off-putting and, of course, you're a little more sensitive to it than others, but you're strong. You can do this."
"It’s not just what happened when I saw a cadaver," Quinn said. "I've been feeling this for a while and I'm done forcing myself in the wrong direction."
"What on earth do you know about direction?" her father asked. "You're a spoiled girl who's turned into a lazy college student. You have no direction whatsoever. This program is the only thing keeping you together."
I could see the painful remark hit Quinn hard. "She's keeping herself together and doing an amazing job," I said. "You need to listen to her. It’s her life."
Quinn's father frowned as if I was a bug buzzing. "You really want to be a quitter? All your life you've wanted to flit from one thing to another and it’s gotten you nowhere. Your sister, all of us, tried to push you in the right direction, but it is exhausting."
"Maybe she's tired of being pushed around," I said.
Quinn put a hand on my arm and pushed me back. "I'm quitting the nursing program so I can find my own way. I'm sorry I don't know what that is yet, but I'm trying."
"Is that what you call running off to Vegas to play video games?" her father asked. "Don't think I don't know how many hours you log on that ridiculous game. I bought you that computer for your studies."
I made a mental note to change Quinn's privacy settings right away. I wanted to jump in between her and her father, but all I could do was cross my arms and hope. I hoped she would fight free. She deserved a chance to find her own way.
"Then take the computer," she said. "Stop paying my tuition. Cut me off entirely. That might be the best thing that has ever happened to me."
"Is this his idea?" her mother asked. "Is he convincing you to ruin your life? Oh, Quinn, darling, he is only using you. Can't you see that?"
The anger was too hard to swallow. "I am not using Quinn. I would never stand in the way of anything she wanted to do. I'm supporting her. Maybe you should try it. She's playing a tournament in Vegas this weekend. Watch her play, see how talented she is."
Quinn flashed me a surprised look. We had not discussed the tournament. Then, I saw a gleam in her eyes. It dissipated the worry I felt for her.
"I'm not saying that gaming is my future, either, but I think now is the time to explore my talents," Quinn said. "You always told Sienna she had all the options in the world."
"Because she had always taken advantage of the best ones," her father said. "Sienna never floundered."
"Call it whatever you want, but I'm doing it. It’s my life and I'm going to make my own decisions," Quinn said.
Her father softened his rigid shoulders. He decided to try another tactic. "Fine. If you insist on this ridiculous course of action, you are going to need our support. I will come see this tournament of yours, but only if you come back home with us."
I opened my mouth to protest, but Quinn's father shot me an angry look. He held up his hand as if testifying in front of a court.
"We will not discuss your future plans. We will not put any pressure on you. All I ask is that you come home where we can guarantee you will have some neutral ground to think about all of this on your own."
Quinn's parents glared at me. Clearly, this was all my fault. Dragging Quinn back to their house was the only way to break her free from my influence. "You know their house is never going to be neutral ground," I objected.
"Fine. I will come home. Only if you promise we will not talk about any of this until after the tournament," Quinn said.
I tried to catch her hand, but Quinn's mother opened her arms and hugged her. They started back towards her dorm room to pack. I stood on the steps and flexed my fingers into tight fists. Watching Quinn be sucked back into her old self was too hard to see.
She spun loose and ran back. "We'll meet at your place and drive together to the tournament. Right?" she asked.
"I'll be there," I said. "If you need me, just call."
I headed back to Summerlin and realized my hands had been clenched white-knuckled for the entire drive. I sat in the driveway and rubbed the stiffness from them. Then, I noticed the flash of color in my window. Someone was inside the apartment.
The door was unlocked and Anya was posed in the picture window, the bright sun illuminating her almost transparent sundress. "Your landlord let me in. Nice guy. I told him I wanted to surprise you."
"This is a surprise," I said. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be holed up in another luxury suite in Vegas."
"I thought it'd be more fun to visit an old friend," Anya said. She swept across the room and kissed my cheek. "You know, like old times. We used to have a great time practicing for tournaments, playing all night, snuggling up on the couch for a few hours of sleep."
Her smile was open to much more than snuggling. I peeled her hands off my shoulders and retreated to the kitchen for a beer. "Sorry, but I'm trying to take these things more seriously now."
Anya pouted and leaned across the kitchen island. "I get it. I won't distract you unless you want me to."
"And who is this?" Jasper asked. He left the door open as he strode across the apartment to introduce himself to Anya. "I'm the roommate, Jasper. And you are?"
She tossed her silken black hair. "Anya. Nice to meet you. I didn't know Owen had a roommate. And here I was just begging for a place to crash for the night."
"Well, don't let me stand in your way," Jasper said. "Can I get you something to drink?"
He gave me a look as he came around the kitchen island and opened the refrigerator. I shrugged. If he wanted to make a pass at Anya, I was certainly not going to stand in his way. It would be a relief.
"So, enchanting Anya, what brings you to town?" Jasper asked as he handed her a beer.
"We're heading to a tournament in Vegas tomorrow morning," Anya said. She toasted Jasper but licked her lips at me.
It was going to be a long night.
#
felt as if I had just shut my eyes when my alarm went off. I had set it early so I could spend what little time I had in the morning getting ready for my tournament appearances. When I locked myself in the bathroom, I saw Anya had left her black lace bra hanging provocatively over the shower curtain. I plucked it off and tossed it in the corner.
She and Jasper had flirted all night. In order to maintain my facade of amusement, I had drunk way too many beers. I was exhausted from fending off Anya's many advances. Finally, I had escaped to my room and actually locked the door. I wondered if she had ended up in Jasper's bed.
By the time I was showered and dressed, the blankets and pillow I had left on the couch were neatly folded. Anya was making breakfast and Jasper was nowhere to be seen.
"Sleep well?" I asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know. Poor man, drank a little too much?" Anya asked. "Here. I made you coffee."
Before I could sit down, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see Quinn and her father. "Good morning?" I asked.
"He's just dropping me off on his way to see a client," Quinn said. She said goodbye, but her father followed her inside.
"Oh, how cute! Is your dad driving you to the tournament?" Anya asked.
"Yes. I've been told I need to see her play," Mr. Thomas replied.
"You can meet me there," Quinn said. "I don't want to get in the way of your work."
Her father took out his phone and sent a quick message. "It’s rescheduled. Now, how about you introduce me to your friend?" he asked me.
"Mr. Thomas, this is Anya. She is another player on the gaming scene and one of my oldest friends in the business."
"Friends?" he asked.
Anya laughed. "I'm also one of your daughter's biggest rivals. At the tournament, I mean. I'm the obstacle she's going to have to defeat if she wants to be anything but a newbie the rest of her life."
"You volunteered?" I asked Anya. I ground my teeth as she nodded and tossed her hair.
"Somebody has to put the upstarts in their place, don't you think?" she said.
"Can I use your bathroom?" Quinn asked me.
"Sure," I pretended to show her the way. "I had no idea. She just showed up last night and Jasper invited her to stay."
"Its fine. I just need a minute," Quinn said.
She shut the door in my face. In the main room, Mr. Thomas had taken the coffee Anya gave him and was looking out the picture window. I went to the kitchen to tell her to back off.
"It’s so nice that you are taking Sienna's little sister under your wing," Anya said.
I tried to grab her arm and whisper to make her stop, but Anya spun away.
"I mean, Sienna was so distraught when you broke up with her that it’s no wonder you feel guilty. You have to know it wasn't your fault, Owen. What Sienna did was her choice. It had nothing to do with your break up," Anya said.
I was rigid with anger when Quinn reappeared in the main room. "Should we go?" she asked brightly.
"A go-getter. Now, that's the right attitude," Anya said. She breezed to the door and grabbed her things. "I'm ready when you are."
I grabbed my stuff and headed to the door in a haze. It cleared abruptly when Mr. Thomas grabbed my arm. He waited until the ladies had disappeared down the stairwell.
"You broke up with Sienna? Before she died?" he asked. The white clenched lines around his lips deepened. His grip on my arm was painful. "Does Quinn know?"
"Know what?" I asked.
"That you killed her sister," Mr. Thomas said.