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There were too ht rattle it to pieces

His cell phone buzzed on his nightstand Nick jue, but he couldn’t see the sender

Chris was closer If he looked over, he’d see it

He didn’t look

Nick ran a hand through his hair, putting soetting ready for school"

Chris nodded "Me, too" He hesitated in the doorway "If you see Quinn, please tell her Becca’s really worried about her

She’s not responding to her texts or anything"

Join the club But at least Nick could offer an explanation for this "I told Quinn the truth About us I think she’s upset that she didn’t learn about it from Becca"

Chris winced "That’s not Bec’s fault"

Nick smiled "Girls"

Chris didn’t smile back "I’ll tell her See you in the car"

He was barely out the door before Nick grabbed his phone

Not Adahed and wished he kne to fix this He shoved the phone in his pocket and grabbed his backpack

He was halfway down the steps when he realized what Chris had said

If you see Quinn

If Not when

I’ll keep your secret, too

His secret Not Quinn’s

It wasn’t enough to be absolutely certain, but Nick could connect the dots Chris uessed

The ho yet, but it was close Quinn shoved a notebook in her bag and swung her locker shut

Only to find Becca standing there

Perfect, pretty Becca, with all those special secrets she didn’t think to share

Quinn shouldered her backpack and started walking

"Come on," said Becca "Would you at least tell me what you’re so pissed about?"

"Why don’t you ask your boyfriend? Maybe he could write a "

Well, that shut Becca up

But only for a second "Please--would you stop walking? I wanted to tell you, Quinn" She hesitated "You had soon, and I--"

"Don’t you dareaboutto talk to you all week!"

Like Becca would be able to relate to Quinn’s proble on"

"It wasn’t only my secret to tell," Becca said quietly "If Nick told you everything, then you know they’re in danger"

Quinn stopped and looked at her She made her voice equally low "And so are you Didn’t feel like sharing that? Didn’t feel like un?

Maybe if I’d known that, I wouldn’t have spent the nightwith her? She’d alain And while Tyler didn’t have any reason to tell the Merricks, Becca would definitely tell Chris so the night she’d spent with Tyler The kissing in the darkness, surrounded by his aruitar

Becca was staring at her

"With Nick," Quinn finished

And of course, thinking of kissing Nick feltwrong She reht he’d let her sleep in his bed She turned away froet to class"

Becca didn’t say anything for the longest ti to bother

And that, hten

Then Becca called, "I miss you"

Quinn hesitated She wondered ould happen if she turned around, walked back to Becca, and told her everything

She thought of the cops co to her apartment, and wondered if she even had a home to return to She had no illusions that she could keep sleeping in Tyler’s second bedroom She didn’t even know if she wanted to

But Becca wouldn’t understand this There were too many variables, too many what-ifs Too many secrets

Quinn looked at her "I

Becca didn’t come after her

And the worst part was, Quinn really wished she would

CHAPTER 17

Nick had had no idea babysitting would be so exhausting

He and James played hide-and-seek in the woods until dark Not e for Nick, who merely had to ask the air to locate the boy, but he could pretend to seek Then tag

Then football in the lengthening shadows of twilight Nick artner tackled hie of the sun dropped below the horizon, son brushed Nick’s senses

It didn’t feelthe boy in the air while he laughed and shrieked