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"Are you kidding?" He glanced over "I’"

"Come on," she said "You don’t have to do that It’s not like you’re getting any action fro to pretend you didn’t just say that I told you before: I thought your dance was pretty good, froether"

"Come on You want to spend a few hours at a dance studio?"

"It’s been a drealanced over and offered a wicked sht my laptop I have a paper due in history"

The dance studio parking lot didn’t sport many cars; no surprise on a Saturday afternoon This was Quinn’s favorite tih the s, and energy fro to the air in the room, and she’d move as if a thousand dancers accoht where she wanted it

At the door she stopped and faced Tyler "Hey," she said quietly "Thanks for bringing ether for a second "No," she said

"All of it Thanks for all of it"

He winced and looked away "Not all of it" He paused and let his eyes find hers "I’linted off his hair Tall and blond and strong--

he looked like the proverbial white knight All he needed was a suit of armor

She kept her voice low, and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek

"You’re special, too, Tyler And brave And definitely not worthless"

His eyes widened fractionally, enough that Quinn knew she’d affected him

"Don’t worry," she whispered "I’ll keep all that a secret"

He rolled his eyes and reached for the door handle

Then they were through the door and face to face with Nick Merrick

Quinn sat on the polished wood floor, stretching beside theAdam to follow his warm-up They didn’t have the studio to themselves yet, so they’d have to wait to use the main area of floor She didn’t ht She folded low, reaching for her ankle, catching sight of Nick and Tyler in the ood six feet apart, not speaking

Waves of hatred radiated from them both

When they’d first walked in, Nick had told Tyler to leave

Tyler had told Nick to go to hell

Adaet out He’d done it in the saot rowdy in the beginner class Half teasing, half serious

Nick had backed off and found a spot on the risers He hadn’t looked happy about it then, and he looked downright furious now

But to her surprise, Tyler had apologized to Ada his own place to sit and watch

Adas and Quinn snapped back to the task at hand Shedo you think we have before they kill each other?" Adam said under his breath

His voice was easy, casual She was glad--a small part of her had worried that he’d hold her recent no-shows against her

"Nick hates him," Quinn said She hadn’t realized Nick would be here at all or she would’ve told Tyler to go elsewhere

She felt like she was straddling this ravine between taking joy in Nick’s disco that she’d caused it

"I can see that" Ada hi? Were they friends? "I don’t knoe’re doing"

Adaether and folded low "Is he being good to you?"

True concern was behind those words, another re away people who could have helped her She nodded, thinking of Tyler’s whispered coave Adaood to you?"

Adaht be a reason behind Nick’s being here "Holy crap Did you guys spend the night together?"

"Shh!" Adam reached out and smacked her on the top of the head

"Did you?!"

He turned it right back around on her "Did you spend the night with Tyler?"

"Yeah, in his guest rooone "He’s being a gentleht"

"Neither did Nick He caot punched in the face"

Quinn sat up straight She glanced at Nick and lost every ounce of vindictive joy Now she wanted to kill his twin brother

"Gabriel hit him?" she whispered "Are you serious?"

"Yeah He didn’t want to go home"

Quinn couldn’t blame him "I wish I’d known," she said "I wish he’d called me"

Then the irony of her oords s the salanced across at where Nick and Tyler were sitting

They didn’t see Had Tyler ry tension

"I think I saw the last text you sent him," said Adam, his voice easy, his words not "I’uilt punched her in the back "Yeah--I’m not--I didn’t--"

New stretch, hands overhead, then lowering to reach for outstretched toes "You don’t have to explain it to me"

She didn’t follow this stretch "I was jealous," she said quietly