Page 65 of North

Quinn jerked away from me, and I saw our combined releases dripping down her legs as she scrambled for her clothes, her hands shaking as she yanked her shirt back over her head.

My body was still humming, my mind still clouded with the aftermath, but reality was slamming into me at full fucking force. I didn’t give a shit what our parents were doing when Quinn didn’t look at me. Didn’t look at them. Didn’t say a single word. She grabbed her suitcase from the floor and stormed out of the kitchen, her footsteps pounding against the stairs.

A door slammed shut and my father finally exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose like he had a fucking migraine. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Snorting, I told him. “Like you’re the one to judge.”

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, smelling her on my skin as I pulled up my pants. I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I had to get my girl back.

Chapter 24

Quinn

The road stretched ahead of me, an endless black void illuminated only by the faint glow of my headlights. I had been driving for hours, but I barely remembered the last few turns I took. My hands were stiff from gripping the wheel too tightly, my knuckles aching from the pressure.

But I couldn’t stop, because stopping meant thinking. Thinking meant feeling. And I was so fucking done feeling. I just wanted to be gone.

I wanted to be back at school, back in my shitty dorm room, back to the version of myself that existed before him. Before Mark and Mom, before Evie’s world shattered, before I let North sink his claws into me and pull me under. I wanted to pretend like this summer never happened.

But no matter how far I drove, I still felt him.

His touch was burned into my skin, his voice still whispering in my ear, his body still pressing me against that kitchen counter, fucking me like he was trying to destroy me.

I hated him. I hated him so fucking much. But my body didn’t get the memo. Because even now, even as I drove further and further away from the wreckage he left me in, I still ached for him.

And that? That was the worst part. I swallowed hard, forcing my eyes to stay on the road ahead. It didn’t matter. None of it mattered anymore. I was done. Done with him. Done with all of them. I just needed to get back to campus and pretend like this whole summer had been one long, fucked-up fever dream.

The car sputtered beneath me, the dashboard flickering as the engine let out a horrible, choked sound that made my stomach twist. No. Not now. Not when I was almost free.

I gritted my teeth, pushing my foot harder against the gas, but the car groaned in protest before the engine died completely. My heart dropped into my stomach. I barely managed to pull onto the shoulder of the road before the car went still, the only sound left was the low hum of the highway in the distance. I let out a shaky breath, gripping the wheel so hard my fingers shook.

This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening.

For a long moment, I just sat there, my mind buzzing with static. Then, finally, I reached for my phone with stiff fingers.

Evie. I could call her. I knew she’d come, but I hesitated. Because if I called Evie, she’d want to talk. She’d ask me things. Things I wasn’t ready to answer.

I swallowed hard and scrolled further down my contacts list.

I needed a tow truck. I needed someone—anyone—to get me the hell out of here. After a few rings, a gruff voice answered. “Yeah?”

I sucked in a breath, forcing my voice to steady. “My car broke down. I’m stuck about twenty miles outside of town. Can you send a tow?”

The man on the other end sighed, like he had already had a long night. “Yeah. What’s the make and model?”

I rattled off the details, my throat tight.

“Got it,” he said. “I’ll send someone your way. Shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes.”

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “Thanks.”

Then, I hung up and let my head fall against the steering wheel. Thirty minutes. Thirty more minutes in the dark, alone, with nothing but my thoughts. I clenched my jaw. I could handle that. I had survived worse.

***

The tow truck driver didn’t ask many questions. He picked me up, drove me back, and dropped me off near my dorm. I barely said two words the entire ride. I wasn’t sure I could if I wanted to.

By the time I made it inside, I was bone tired. Everything felt heavier now. The moment I stepped through that door, my body finally understood that I didn’t have to keep fighting anymore. That I could finally just… stop.

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