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Tyler leaned into her and caught her eye "Tell hiet you an address"

"Do you want us to coet you?" said Quinn "I’ht up "Gross I don’t want to hang out with you and your boyfriend"

Fear and tension caught up with Quinn "Da atat me!"

She so didn’t need this Quinn inhaled to lay into him, but Tyler plucked the phone out of her hand "Hey, ht where you are, or do you want us to coet you?"

His voice was level, easy, very we’re-all-bros-in-this-together

And Jordan was responding, from the bits she could hear

Quinn stared at Tyler, wondering if she should grab the phone or kiss hiht It sucks, kid It does

Look, see if you can get a pen I’ll give you et you All right?"

Then he gave his nuot her brother to promise to use it, and pushed the button to end the call

Quinn couldn’t stop staring at him She’d never met anyone like him, so self-assured and confident yet not completely into hi Let’s get out--"

She froze Her al-ley kitchen A threadbare bathrobe clung to her fralad the belt see shoulder showed that herbeneath the terry cloth She’d showered at some point, because her hair had dried into unbrushed clu fro the bottle since then

The expression in her eyes was terrifying A trophy was clutched in one hand A basketball trophy One of Jake’s

Quinn wasn’t sure whether to be relieved her usted that she was obviously still obsessed with Jake’s success

Then her mother spoke

"How could you do that?" she said, her voice cracked and raw And slurring She took a few steps toward the couch

"How could you, Quinn?"

Quinn sed "I didn’t--I didn’t do--"

"Shut up! Shut up! You’re out whoring around and now you--"

"I’et in her mother’s face

"Take it easy" Tyler had a hand on her arm, and his voice was quiet "Let’s just walk out"

"Shut up!" Quinn’s mom shrieked "You were here, too! You did this! He had a future, you bitch! You screw up everything!

Everything!"

"I didn’t do anything!" Now Quinn was crying, and she didn’t care "He was--"

"Shut up!" The words were practically unintelligible with rage "Shut the fk up! You did this! You!"

And then, without warning, her , the trophy pressed to her face

Quinn stood there, shaking She couldn’t breathe She didn’t knohat to do

Tyler’s voice was low "Let’s get out of here, Quinn"

But she couldn’t leave, not like this So aped now, revealing a sagging breast Hair was sticking to herto her knees "Mom Mom, stop Please, let me help you" She put a hand on a shaky shoulder "Mo!"

Then herat her with the trophy

Quinn didn’t even see it coht her square in the face She saw stars Constellations Whole frigging galaxies Then blackness

She wasn’t out for long She came to in Tyler’s ar at theet that whore out of her apartet her eyes to focus on anything, from Tyler’s face, to the doorway, to the dashboard in front of her when Tyler buckled her into the seat

"Fuck this," he said, starting his ignition, but not shifting into gear He pulled his phone out of his pocket

Quinn struggled to get her limbs to respond "No," she said

"No police"

Tyler sucked in a long breath and touched her face "Sweetheart, I think you need an ambulance"

"No Please No They’ll call--they’ll call--"

She couldn’t get her voice to work, and she realized she was crying

"Shh," said Tyler "It’s all right I’ll just drive you to the hospital Okay?" He shifted into gear

"No No They’ll

Please, Tyler Please" She was hiccupping now, ugly crying, full out "Please No"

He stopped at the end of the parking lot and looked at her

"You need help She ht have broken your cheekbone" He winced "Your face is already swelling"

She kneas She could feel it all the way into her eye

"Can’t you heal it?"

He looked back at the road His voice was suddenly hollow

"I don’t know I don’t know if I could"