Page 33 (1/2)

"What about Adam? Will she talk to him?"

Nick looked down at the table "Maybe, but she hasn’t been showing up to dance"

"Could you ask hie of his place

"Come on," said Michael "Don’t leave out part of the story"

So Nick told hiht About Adao to any great detail, but he talked

"Wow," said Michael, dragging the word into three syllables

"No wonder you’re so keyed up"

Nick shrugged His ain "Guess I’ressive sometimes, huh?"

Michael hesitated "I didn’t ot it He couldn’t help Quinn, he couldn’t fix things with Ada Tyler

"I’ to talk to Becca’s mom," Michael said finally

"She knows Quinn’s fa I think I should have gotten involved a long tio" He paused and drained the last of his coffee "I also have a few thoughts about Tyler"

Nick looked at hioing to leave him alone, and I think you should, too" When Nick started to protest, Michael held up a hand "I don’t think he’s hurting Quinn" He paused, and his voice took on a shadow of the pain he’d expressed when he’d talked about that night at the quarry "He hates me He hates our whole family He hates e are and he hates e can do We see the dark side of Tyler because that’s all he lets us see"

"Maybe that’s all there is to see," Nick said bitterly

"I don’t think so," said Michael

"Why not?"

"Because he loved his sister," Michael said "Very much"

"How do you know?"

"Because he was the first kid I pulled out of the water that night He was bleeding all over the place and his shoulder was dislocated, but once I brought hiht like hell to go back under to find her"

He paused "I understand why he hates us, Nick I do But I think part of hiht of the burn on Quinn’s wrist Of the way Tyler had grabbed hio Of the years of abuse he’d suffered at the hands of Tyler and Seth and their friends He kept flashing on that gym class freshman year, when Tyler had cornered Nick in the locker room and beaten the crap out of hi his fists so he wouldn’t call ele because he didn’t want Tyler to hit him harder

He’d switched places with Gabriel the next day His tasn’t afraid to hit back

What had Quinn said? Tyler still thinks your brother killed his sister

Tyler had confided in Quinn About soo

Quinn had confided in Tyler What else had she told hio?" he asked abruptly

Michael took it in stride "Sure If you’re ready"

The drive ho the windshield This time, the te between Nick and his brother

"Thanks," Nick finally said "For being okay"

"You don’t have to thank uys"

Nick nodded "Thanks"

Michael was silent for a while "Can I tell Hannah?"

Nick thought about it "Yeah I think that’d be okay"

Michael nodded and didn’t say anything else

Nick wanted to put everyone’s troubles out of his head, to let the sound of rain on the windshield steal his thoughts and let hi his conversation with Michael About Quinn, about Adaured out what Michael had meant about Tyler

He was the first kid Michael had pulled out of the water

Covered in blood with a dislocated shoulder, but when I brought him around

Tyler had been hit by a rock, too Michael hadn’t just lost Eht

He’d saved Tyler’s life

Quinn blotted at the cut on Tyler’s cheek, being a little rougher than she needed to be "Why did you pick a fight with hithere and Nick Merrick walked up and started bringing down a tornado on your ass? Yeah, okay"

Tyler looked at her, not flinching as she pressed a cotton ball full of antiseptic against his face She honestly didn’t knohy she was bothering--the cut was an hour old, and he could probably light a candle and heal hih and angry "I hated theritted his teeth "I hate that he’s using you, Quinn"

"He’s not using me," she said quietly "It’s--it’s an illusion

I’ for hiot into it with hi you"

She flung the cotton in the trash "I can take care of ive you a second glance?"