Page 16 of Fast Break
“I can see why that might be challenging for you then.”
“You have no idea,” he says, voice turning grim. “They hate that they can’t control me as much here. They do try though. My dad wouldn’t let me get my driver’s licence when I turned sixteen because I wasn’t ‘responsible enough’. So I saved up all my money and skipped a day of school to take the test myself. But they won’t let me actually drive to get off my learner’s permit so I’m kind of stuck relying on Trey for lifts everywhere.”
“Shit, JT,” I reply, that little something tugging in my stomach. “I know I don’t have a full licence myself but I can give you lessons if you want. It might have to be in a carpark after hours but it’s better than nothing.”
JT says nothing but his eyes are on me, big and green and full of something I can’t read. “Why would you do that for me?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “I just want to help.”
“Yeah. Okay, maybe. That would be great actually,” he finally says.
“Okay,” I reply, that smile tugging at my lips. He smiles back at me and my heart thuds in my chest, and I don’t even try to pretend it doesn’t mean anything anymore. Yeah, I like him. I know it won’t lead to anything but as I told JT earlier, you can’t force attraction, and you certainly can’t deny it when it’s right there in front of you either. He’s surprisingly sweet and kind but there’s a little fire to him too that I can’t help but be drawn to.
I want to know more. I want to know everything. Ineedto know everything, and I can’t for the life of me work out why.
CHAPTER 7
jt
I’m not entirely sure how it happened but the sky is dark outside Quinn’s bedroom window and we are still lying on his bed talking. I honestly hadn’t meant to get so personal with him about what had gone down between me and Chanel, but I also felt like if I didn’t say something I was going to explode.
I also really needed him to know that I hadn’t slept with Chanel or anything like that and I couldn’t quite explain why it mattered so much. Only that it did.
Trey and the rest of the guys all just went along with the story that Chanel and I hooked up even though I’d tried multiple times to correct them. I admittedly didn’t know a whole lot, but I would like to imagine that sex would go for a bit longer than the five minutes I was alone in that bedroom with Chanel.
Quinn is surprisingly open and he is so nice to talk to about everything. I’d all but admitted I had a malfunctioning dick, but he’d just talked to me about it so calmly and reasonably unlike the boys who would have teased me to death about it. I don’t know what it is about him, but I just feel like I can trust him.
Also, Quinn and Jace are apparently not a thing. I can’t help but wonder whether Jace actually knows this, because he seems very possessive of Quinn whenever I see them together. I really wanted to quiz Quinn a lot more on their relationship but he was quick to put an end to that topic so I had to let it slide.
Quinn has started yawning and his dark hair is sticking up from where he has run his hands through it, but it looks good on him. As does the rest of him laid out beside me on his bed where I have admittedly invited myself. He doesn’t seem too upset about me being here though.
Amy knocks on the door a moment later and I sit up straight, only now remembering her rule about doors being open. I’m all too aware I’m about to be caught lying on her son’s bed with him. Not that it’s my fault—Quinn was the one who closed the door in the first place so I don’t think I can be held to blame. But instead of panicking, he just sends a lazy smile at his mum.
“Super hard working up here I see,” she comments, an upwards tilt to her lips.
“What’s the time?” I ask, reality crashing back in on me and this super nice afternoon I have spent here in this bedroom.
“Time for dinner,” Amy informs me.
“Shit,” I let out. “Oops, sorry.”
“That’s quite alright. We don’t take offence to much in this house,” Amy laughs. “Are you staying for dinner, JT?”
I’m a little stumped by her casual invitation, especially as I haven’t given her any earlier warning like I would have to do at home.
“Ah, no,” I say anyway. “I should probably get home.”
“I’ll take you,” Quinn offers, sitting up beside me and looking around for his shoes. I do the same, unaware I had kicked them off at some point as Amy leaves us to it, door now wide open.
“So, it’s probably safe to say we didn’t get a whole lot of our project done tonight,” I hedge, willing my face not to light up like it usually does.
Quinn just snorts as he ties his shoelaces and rises to his feet. He’s still in his grey school pants and I have to tear my eyes away from where they reliably go.
“It wasn’t exactly a success but I’m not complaining either,” he returns.
“I was worried you might think I’m holding you back.”
“That’s definitely not what I’m thinking, JT,” Quinn quirks back at me and I feel myself smiling. “But maybe we better reconvene on Thursday seeing as we still have to plan out our experiment. Is that okay with you?”
