Chapter 4

Quinn

Hank and I head into the house and I shower, still annoyed with the way that guy treated Briar. I can't stand when guys act like they own a woman. It's a red freaking flag if I've ever seen one. An obvious sign that a man is predisposed to violence. And yet, he called me weird.

Fucking weird.

How old is that guy? Twelve?

I huff at the thought. I've been called worse things in my life and name calling really doesn't bother me, but the way Briar defended me had my shriveled heart warming for her a little. She's a sweet girl, it turns out, and I hate seeing her with a jerk like that. But it's her choice who she dates, so I'm not going to worry about it. I'll just stay away from her, despite how good she looks in tiny little running shorts.

Hank and I go a whole week without seeing any of the new 'birds' as my mind has started refering to them. But then Saturday night rolls around and our street is inundated with cars and drunken college students.

Fuck me.

Loud music blares from their house and I'm half tempted to call a noise complaint in to the cops. This isn't the campus. I bought a house far enough away not to hear this shit for a reason, but I don't want to be the asshole that ruins their party so I ignore it. Hank acts agitated, pacing around the house and flicking his ears every time the base drops. I feel bad for him. At least I can wear headphones.

Around midnight I lose my shit and stomp over to their front door, pounding on it until Douche Bag Brad opens it.

"What do you want?" He asks, slurring his words and swaying a little.

"Turn down the fucking music. This isn't a frat house, you have neighbors." I shout at him and he just scoffs at me.

"You gonna make me? I don't see how. You don't have your little puppy with you." He mocks.

"I can get him if you need me to." I snarl and am just about to leave when Briar pushes Brad out of the way. Her face lights up when she sees me and she claps a little.

"Oh my God, Quinn! You came! I knew you would." She says with a smile and I roll my eyes.

"I only came to ask you to turn down the music. Hank is freaking out and I'd like to sleep at some point." I say a little more harshly than I intended, but I'm still annoyed with her boyfriend. Her face instantly falls and I feel like an asshole.

"Oh. Sorry, yeah we'll turn it down." She says sadly and I sigh, running my hand through my hair.

"Yeah. Thanks." I say curtly, turning to walk away.

"Come on, babe. Let's go dance." I hear the meathead say. The door shuts behind me before I hear it open again.

"Wait!" Briar's melodic voice calls out. I turn around and she comes jogging up to me, her ankle apparently healed.

"Are you sure you don't want to come in for a drink? It could be fun." She says with a shrug. I chuckle and shake my head.

"This isn't my idea of fun." I say and she curls in on herself a little like she's ashamed she even asked. I reach out and grip her chin until she meets my eyes. "But thank you for inviting me." I say earnestly and she nods as I pull away.

"Is that proper protocol with introverts? Do you like to be invited, even though you don't want to actually go? Or does that just make you more uncomfortable?" She asks, her brows pinching in adorable confusion as she talks herself in tipsy circles. I chuckle a little at the sight and shrug.

"Most people still like to be invited." I say and she looks up at me.

"Are you most people?" She asks.

"No." I respond firmly and she nods in understanding.

"So, what do you do for fun then?" She asks and I sigh again. I'm kind of over this conversation, but I look over her head at the doorway where her boyfriend is brooding, watching us irritably and the sight makes me giddy, so I keep talking.

"I jog, I read, there's a couple of computer games I like to play." I say with a shrug and she gets a thoughtful look.

"You really don't spend time with any other people?" She asks and I take a deep breath before moving closer to her and lowering my voice.

"If I tell you, you promise never to tell another soul?" I ask seriously. She nods, eyes wide as she waits for my next words.

"On Sundays, I go to a comic book store and play Dungeons and Dragons with a few other guys." I say and rather than laughing at me, like I thought she would, she gets a wide smile and looks up at me with her twinkling green eyes.

"Really?" She asks and I nod.

"I really am a nerd, just like your friend said." I say and she shrugs.

"I'm pretty sure Henry Cavill plays that game and he's Superman so if that's what a nerd is, sign me up." She says with a sly grin that has me chuckling.

"You're welcome to join anytime. It would be amusing watching those guys try to adapt to a girl." I say, grinning at the thought.

"What? They don't talk to girls?" She asks and I shrug.

"I'm sure they do, but not in the context of the game. They'd need to censor themselves. They say some nasty shit." I say and she giggles a little. It's a cute sound that I wouldn't mind hearing again.

"Maybe I will." She says.

"Briar!" Douche bag calls from the door and she turns around with a surprised look on her face, like she forgot she had somewhere else to be.

"I better get back in there. But we'll turn the music down. I'm sorry about that." She says and I nod.

"Thanks." I say, turning to walk away when she grabs my arm.

"Oh! I forgot to ask you. The pool is closing down for the season and they're having a 'Doggy Paddle' for dogs. Can we take Hank?" She asks hopefully and I outwardly groan.

A pool full of other dogs and people? Shoot me right the fuck now.

Her face falls as she sees my reluctance and she shrugs sadly.

"It's alright. I just thought it might be fun." She says and I sigh. I don't like seeing this girl disappointed for some reason.

"Sure. We can go." I say and she gives me a bright smile before launching herself into my arms. I barely have time to catch her before she pulls away suddenly, her face heating in a little blush at her display of affection.

"Sorry. I'll uh... look and see when it is and let you know." She says shyly.

"Sure." I say, looking up at Brad again. His face is hard and if looks could kill, there'd be a dagger straight through my heart. "See ya." I add before turning and practically running away before she talks me into anymore outward bound excursions.

"Night!" She yells after me and I wave without looking at her, hurrying into my house and slamming the door. Hank looks at me curiously before whining and I let him out to pee, not following him this time but watching through the window to make sure no drunk college kids mess with him.

I sigh in relief when he gets his furry little butt back into the house. He follows me as if he's worried about me and I sit on my bed, lowering my face into my hands. He whines again and I look up at him.

"I'm glad you made a new friend, but this really isn't working for me. You just wanna go live with her?" I ask him. He cocks his head at me as if he doesn't understand what I'm saying. I chuckle at him and scratch behind his ear before getting ready for bed.

I go to change my shirt and when I pull it off, the delicate notes of whatever perfume Briar wears fills my nose. It's been a long time since I've had the smell of a woman on me and my body instantly reacts, my cock growing hard. I scoff at my own dick, annoyed that it's responding to the most unfortunate source.

Not only is she my neighbor and in a relationship, she's not interested in me. Maybe I need to put in the effort of going to a bar to get laid. I fucking hate those places, but maybe taking the edge off would stop this inappropriate response from happening again. I refuse to beat off to my cute, quirky neighbor so I wait for the hardness to dissipate, thinking about global warming and George Bush.

I throw the shirt in the laundry and take a shower for good measure before climbing into bed. Hank jumps up next to me, curling in a ball by my feet. The music has quieted from next door and I wait for my mind to slow. My body relaxes and melds into the mattress as I listen to the rhythmic sound of Hank's breathing as he settles in for the night.