Page 42 of North

“You knew, and you didn’t stop it,” I choked out, tears burning hot pouring down my cheeks. “You let them—” My voice broke, raw and shredded.

“Quinn, please, I didn’t think—”

“Don’t,” I cut her off, shoving the door open. “Just don’t.”

I slammed it shut behind me, my feet unsteady as I stumbled toward the house. How? Why? So many questions flooded my mind, and I couldn’t find an answer to any of them.

Sobs hurt my stomach as I pulled open the front door and slammed it behind me. I wasn’t expecting to bump into someone. The house was empty save for North and me, Mom and Mark were away, but I forgot about the others.

About Liam, and Evie. North’s brother and sister. My step-siblings.

I collided with someone, my breath wooshing out of me as I landed on my ass, a fucked up mess in a fucked up house. And just a few feet away from me was her, Evie. The girl who Mom practically fawned over.

Perfect, perfect Evie with her perfect grades and perfect sleek brown hair.

“Dude, what the fu-” Evie stopped, taking one look at my face, and her entire expression changed. “Quinn? What the hell happened to you?”

“I—I… ” I stammered, confused by the change. Not expecting someone who wanted to know after everything that North and his friends had done.

“Tell me what happened,” she demanded, crouching next to me. “Are you alright? Speak to me, Quinn.”

I couldn’t. I could barely breathe.

“I—I…” My voice wavered, my throat closing up. My chest felt like it was going to cave in. The only word I could manage was the name of the person who ruined me. “North.”

Chapter 15

North

The party was still in full swing, a pulsating beast of sound and energy, but I barely heard it. The bass from the speakers thumped in time with the pounding in my skull. Laughter, cheers, the clinking of bottles—it all blurred into static noise, distant, and unreal.

Victor clapped me on the back, grinning like he’d just fucking won a championship. “You pulled it off, man. Did you see her face? Fucking priceless.”

I downed another shot, the burn of alcohol doing nothing to erase the taste of bile in my throat. My chest felt tight, my jaw clenched so hard it ached. I forced a smirk because that’s what I was supposed to do, right? Play along. Pretend.

“Yeah,” I muttered, my voice hollow. “Priceless.”

But all I saw when I closed my eyes was Quinn’s face. The moment the realization hit her. The tears, the way her lips trembled, the way she turned and ran.

The way I let her.

My stomach twisted, and I threw back another drink as if I could drown the image before it swallowed me whole. Someone passed me a beer, and I took it without thinking. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I ignored it. Then it buzzed again. And again.

Fucking persistent.

Finally, I yanked it out, my grip tight around the damn thing like it was the problem. Evie’s name lit up the screen—along with Summer’s. I swiped, answering without thinking.

“What?” I snapped.

Summer’s voice was shaky, laced with something that made my stomach twist even tighter. Guilt. “You guys went too far, North. You went too fucking far—”

I cut her off, my anger boiling over. “What do you want me to do about it, Summer? She’ll survive.”

The line went dead, and I barely had time to breathe before the rage took over. I threw my phone across the room. It shattered against the wall, the pieces falling in slow motion, scattering across the floor like debris from an explosion.

Silence.

For a moment, the entire room went still before someone let out a low whistle. Victor laughed, shaking his head. “Damn, North. Didn’t know she’d get under your skin like that.”

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