Pretty Dark Nothing (16 page)

“Yeah, I know her,” he replied in an exasperated tone. How was he supposed to forget her if people kept bringing her up?

“Annoyed much? I didn’t mean to hit a nerve.”

“Sorry. Can we change the subject?”

“Is it me, or is it getting chilly?” Jenna shivered and Aaron moved closer.

“Better?”

“Much.”

The bleachers were alive with whispers, now that he knew to listen for them. It was obvious the topic on everyone’s lips was Quinn.

Pain and humiliation knifed through him, and he tasted metal on the back of his tongue. He wasn’t the only one who could hear the whispers. He clenched his jaw and tried to push her out of his mind, determined not to succumb to her psychic emotional blackmail.

Aaron put his arm around Jenna and turned to her as Quinn’s desperation wrapped around him, hot, suffocating. He ran a hand across Jenna’s cheek, the touch dampening the feel of Quinn’s emotions. They locked eyes, and she leaned forward. He brushed his lips against hers. She tasted sweet, like chocolate. The light kiss masked Quinn’s contact. Jenna was aloe on his sunburn, and he relished the relief.

As he pulled away, Quinn’s mental grip tightened around his thoughts, squeezing tighter and tighter, until he thought he would drown in her psychic siren song. He repeated Jenna’s name over and over in his mind as he pulled her closer, ignoring the surprise that stiffened her shoulders. He focused his resistance into a wild kiss, fierce and passionate. Quinn recoiled, and the cord between them broke. Jenna, only Jenna remained. His hands in her hair, down her back, too hot and too heavy.

Kissing Jenna had been a mistake. Her desire changed from joy to nervousness, and then anger. A sharp jolt to the shoulder snapped him back to reality, and Jenna pushed him away. She stared at him, her breath ragged, hair a tangled mess. “I think we should stop now.”

Aaron took her hand and probed her mind. She wanted to pull away but didn’t want to hurt him. Confusion mixed with disappointment swept through her. Would this be the end of their friendship? No, he couldn’t let that happen. “I’m sorry.”

Jenna slowly pulled her hand from his and crossed her arms. “At first it was nice, and then … I don’t know. It got weird. What’s going on with you? You don’t seem like yourself.”

Guilt flooded Aaron. Jenna, insightful and honest to a fault, didn’t deserve to be used. “There’s someone I’m trying to get over. It was wrong. I was wrong. I’m not ready. I’m sorry.”

“That Quinn girl?”

Aaron nodded.

“So you used me,” she said flatly.

“Not intentionally. I wanted … I like you, and I don’t want to feel the way I feel about her. I thought maybe going out with you tonight would help me move on. I should never have asked you here. Please, Jenna. I’m sorry. I don’t want to lose your friendship.”

Jenna looked Quinn up and down as if sizing her up. “Is she really worth getting so worked up about? She looks like every other airhead cheerleader I’ve ever known.”

“She’s not though. I can’t explain it. It’s like she has some hold over me. I can’t get her out of my mind.” Jenna couldn’t have any idea how literally he meant that.

“Figures. I think maybe I should go.”

Aaron nodded. “I’m sorry, Jenna. I truly am.”

“You should be.” Jenna poked him in the chest. “Sorry for bringing me here, sorry for using me, and you should definitely be sorry for that kiss you gave me. If I had wanted to be slobbered on I would have stayed home with my Labrador.” She crossed her arms and cocked her head. “As for our friendship? I’m angry now, but I’ll text you when I’m over it.” Jenna stared out at the field. “Good luck with that one.” She pointed at Quinn. “I have a feeling you’re going to need it.” And with that, Jenna was gone.

Aaron slammed his palm on Jenna’s empty seat. Quinn. It was always Quinn. She ruined everything. He glared at her, head buried in her hands. Pathetic. Why couldn’t she leave him alone? He didn’t need her kind of trouble.

Aaron found Marcus whistling and catcalling at Reese from the bottom row railing.

“Yo! Why the long face? Did Jenna eat all your popcorn? You can always get more, you know.”

“I’m heading home. Things with Jenna didn’t go as planned.”

“Struck out? Man, you should have bought her the nachos. Nothing says I love you like soggy, greasy game nachos. How do you think I got Reese to go out with me?”

“Nachos, yeah. I’ll remember that next time. Later.”

The gloomy underside of the bleachers smelled of imitation butter and rust with a hint of mildew. A few stragglers stood in the concession stand line, waiting for their caffeine and popcorn fix, as the Wildcat band played the opening march. Aaron ducked into the men’s room to wash popcorn butter off his hands and to gather his thoughts. It should have been the one Quinn-free place in the whole stadium, but before he could even turn off the tap, two guys entered, and of course, they had to be talking about her.

“Man, Quinn’s totally lost it. Did you see her yell at everyone and storm out like that?”

“Drugs, man. They can really mess up your mind.”

Aaron dried his hands on his jeans and slipped out the door before he could hear any more. He was sick to death of hearing her name. The rusted entrance gate squeaked as Aaron pushed his way out into the parking lot.

He wanted to put the whole night behind him—Quinn, Jenna—he couldn’t seem to do anything right. It was time to focus on other things. Quinn was a lost cause and Jenna, well, he could never start something with her until he got Quinn out of his system. She was like poison eating at him from the inside out, but he didn’t know what the antidote was.

A raucous laugh exploded somewhere in front of him, followed by the crash of glass hitting the pavement. Probably some underage tailgaters getting drunk. Aaron shook his head and kept walking. Another rough snicker followed a catcall.

“Hey, sweet thing.” Two boys wearing Eastwood t-shirts stumbled after a girl. He could just make out her silhouette a few feet in front of them. She had her arms crossed, head down, trying to ignore them.

Quinn.

What the hell was she doing out here? He balled his hands into fists.

You’ve got to be kidding me!
Why couldn’t he do anything without the universe throwing her right in his path? His head told him to keep walking, that getting involved led to rejection and heartache, but his feet wouldn’t obey, stopping and forcing him to watch as his anger argued with his conscience.

One of the boys caught up with Quinn and stepped in front of her path. “Where ya going, little Filly?” The boy’s speech slurred, and he brandished a half-empty beer bottle in her face. She pushed it out of the way and picked up her pace.

It’s not about Quinn
, he rationalized. He would do it for any girl in the same situation.

“Yeah, tired of watching your team lose? Why don’t you join our party?” The other boy grabbed his crotch and made a lewd gesture. “I’ll give you a taste of a real winner.”

His friend stopped to retch.

No matter how angry he was, he couldn’t just leave her. He would never forgive himself if he walked away and something terrible happened—no matter who the girl was.

The first boy, the bigger of the two, grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop. “Hey, I’m talking to you.” He grabbed her face and forced her to look at him. He smiled as he swayed. “That’s right. You know you want some of this.”

Aaron broke into a run. Quinn stood her ground, and he hoped she didn’t do something stupid before he made it to her. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to kiss an Eastwood boy,” she said and leaned into him. Drunk and stupid, he took the bait. Instead of kissing him, she spat in his face. He wiped at the saliva running down his cheek and looked confused, and she took that moment to knee him in the crotch. Crumpling to the ground, he moaned in pain.

By that time, the other boy had finished retching and grabbed her from behind. Rage worked its way through Aaron, and he barreled toward his target. Quinn screamed as she dragged her nails across her captor’s bare forearms and kicked him in the shin. The boy loosened his grip enough for Quinn to escape.

She bolted as Aaron plowed into him, knocking him to the ground. They rolled across the jagged asphalt, wrestling to come out on top. The pain must have sobered his opponent enough to gain the upper hand. Throwing Aaron off, they both staggered to their feet, but Aaron wasn’t fast enough. The boy took a swing and caught Aaron in the jaw. Pain exploded as his neck snapped back. The bull inside Aaron was fully awake now.

The boy must have sensed it. His eyes widened as Aaron lowered his head and charged, butting him right in the stomach and knocking him to the ground. Air exploded from his opponent’s lips as he curled into a ball, wheezing and gasping for breath. Aaron loomed over him, fists ready, but the fight had gone out of him.

Aaron’s chest heaved. He turned to find Quinn. She’d made it halfway across the parking lot and never looked back. It would take some serious sprinting to catch her. “Quinn!” He called as he ran. “Wait.”

She was fast, but he was faster. “Quinn?” He grabbed her shoulder.

Her jaw tensed, and she pushed him as hard as she could.

“Hey!” He gasped to catch his breath. “What’s your problem? It’s me.”

The tension drained from her body as she doubled over and vomited into the grass.

“Oh god. I’m sorry.” She said between dry heaves. “I thought you were one of them.”

Aaron massaged his temples as he paced. Anger ebbed and flowed through him. He wanted to explode, to tell her how sick he was of coming to her rescue only to have her push him away. Watching her crouched in the grass, shaking and vulnerable, constrained his irritation. She’d just been attacked; maybe he should cut her a little slack. He bent down next to her and tentatively placed a hand on her back as she emptied her stomach. When the spasms finally eased, Aaron pulled a napkin he had stuck in his pocket from the concession stand and handed it to her. “Better?”

Quinn nodded, and then the floodgates opened. Her whole body shook as she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. Caught off guard, he stiffened and patted her shoulder. He didn’t want to encourage her, but he couldn’t exactly turn her away, not after everything she’d just been through. Let her calm down, walk her to safety, and then be on his way.

“I’ve never been so glad to see anyone in my whole life.”

When it was convenient, when she needed something from him. How many times did she have to push him away for him to get the picture? Now it was his chance to push her away, turn around, and keep walking. But his heart betrayed his head as her tears soaked his shirt, each one a bolt of lightning through his veins. She consumed him; her emotions exploded in the back of his head with a flash. He tried to maneuver through the onslaught of feeling, the deep anger, hurt, confusion, and fear, emanating off her in waves.

Their physical touch magnified the telepathic link times a thousand, and Aaron couldn’t seem to sever it. In a desperate attempt to ease the intensity of her emotion, he fed calm, safe thoughts to her, giving her his strength. In return, her hunger for reassurance drew him closer. It was working; her thoughts were evening out, becoming content and less chaotic, but the more he gave, the more tangled their minds became, and he was becoming weaker every second. Jelly replaced his knees as she leeched energy from him. He had to turn off the tap before she drained him dry.

***

Quinn couldn’t stop shaking. The events of the night played over and over in her mind. And Aaron, there he was again, rubbing her back as she puked her guts out, comforting her while she cried. Most guys would have turned their backs, run away from an emotional basket case like her, but not Aaron.

It took everything inside her not to blurt out what she’d seen in the stadium, to tell him everything as he held her close. Her questions and uncertainty about everyone and everything ate at her from the inside out, burning a hole in her so deep she couldn’t imagine being whole again. At this point she wanted to trust someone, anyone. She needed someone to tell her she wasn’t crazy. Doubt crept up on her. If she was going to trust anyone, it should be Reese, not some boy she barely knew. But Reese wasn’t here, and Aaron was. The voices, or whatever they were, had said he didn’t care about her, but if that were the case, why did he always arrive when she needed him most?

Being near him calmed her, restored balance in her head and made the darkness recede. She pulled him tighter, and her racing heart slowed, her thoughts cleared. His arms were the safest place in the world, and she didn’t want him to let her go. She could trust him, tell him everything.

“Quinn.” Her name sounded beautiful coming from his lips. She wanted him to say it again. “Quinn.” This time her name sounded strained on his lips. Cupping her cheek, he raised her eyes to his, and she tilted her head in anticipation of his soft kiss. “I’m sorry.” Stilted words rasped against her waiting mouth, and he gently pushed her away, untangling himself from her grip. She blinked, confused. What happened? Had she done something wrong? Released from the soothing shelter of his embrace, the dark thoughts returned.

Aaron stood several feet away, arms crossed, eyes glazed, cold. Quinn wasn’t special. He would have defended any girl he saw being attacked. Of course he didn’t care about her. How stupid could she be? And to think she almost confided in him. Quinn wrinkled her nose as the memory of Aaron lip locked with that gorgeous brunette flashed across her mind. What an idiot, throwing herself at him when he was with someone else. “You better get back to that girl you were with before she notices you’re gone.”

“What girl?” Aaron looked confused.

“The one with the throat you stuck your tongue down at the game. Or did you forget?” Quinn rummaged in her purse for a stick of gum to erase the bitter taste of bile.

“Jenna?” Aaron’s tone suggested annoyance. “We’re friends.”

Quinn rolled her eyes. “Right.” She had no right to be angry with him, but she couldn’t help herself. The thought of his lips on anyone else drove her crazy. “A friend with benefits.” She ripped the gum from its wrapper and stuffed it in her mouth.