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Chapter 55: Under the boardwalk
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Keeping Score Chapter 56: Operation Distract Quinn
NATE"It's got to be tough."I was zoning, so when Gia spoke as she dropped into the chair that Leo had just vacated, I was startled. She settled herself down, stretching her legs out in front of her."I'm sorry, what's tough?" I glanced at her sideways. "That. Them." Gia nodded toward Quinn and Leo, who were walking at the edge of the ocean, holding hands and looking like an advertisement for the perfect summer. "Seeing them together. It can't be easy for you.""Why would you say that?" I let my hand trail through the warm sand next to me, drawing designs. "Oh, come on, Nate. I know how you feel about Quinn."That stung a little. I knew Gia and Quinn were friends, and I wasn't dumb; I realized girls talked to other girls, and there was a fairly high likelihood that they talked about boys. But I'd never really considered that Quinn would share anything with Gia about me. About us. As if there were an us, which of course there wasn't. Not beyond the friends us, anyway. "Did
Keeping Score Chapter 57: Sometimes we have to move on
NATELeo left early on Sunday morning. He'd packed up all his stuff for college before we'd come down to the shore, and his dad brought it down on Friday night, so Leo could stay with us until the last minute. And by us, of course, I meant Quinn. The closer we got to Leo's departure time, the more they clung to each other and the more desperate Quinn's smiles became. On that last morning, we all stood outside in the muggy, hazy air, everyone making uncomfortable small talk and stupid jokes as the clock ticked on. Finally, Joe clapped a hand on his son's shoulder. "You better get on the road, bud. Long drive ahead of you. And what time are you supposed to meet Tate?" Leo was sharing the drive with another Carolina freshman football player, this one from Gatbury, the next town over from us. He'd met Tate Durham over the summer, through Leo's friend Matt Lampert, and they'd hit it off. Tate was one of the few decent football guys I'd met, and I noticed he seemed to have a good influe
Keeping Score Chapter 58: New starts
QUINNFRESHMAN YEARAUGUST"Are you sure you don't want me to drive over with you?" My mother gnawed on the corner of her lip, a habit I'd noticed had become more pronounced in the last few months. "It's not that I don't want you to be there, Mom." I rubbed her arm and smiled. "It's just that it doesn't make any sense. You have the meeting with the estate attorney, and there's nothing for you to do at the college. Gia and I are driving over together, Nate's already there, and we're just going to bring in my clothes and stuff. Unpack. You can come over tomorrow, for the parent crap.""Nice language, Quinn." She rolled her eyes, but her voice was mild. "But all the other parents will probably be there. I don't want you to feel like an orphan.""I'm not an orphan. Just fatherless." I tried to keep it light, but my mother winced. "I'm still not sure you're doing the right thing, though. Daddy wanted you to go to Evans. He was so excited about it.""Yeah, well ...that was before.
Keeping Score Chapter 59: Meet Zelda
QUINNWe made it down to the second floor and counted off the numbers until we reached the room I'd been assigned. Unlike Gia's door, mine was ajar, although I didn't hear any noise from inside. I hoped like crazy that I wasn't going to walk in on a happy family, all helping their college freshman to organize her new room. I wasn't sure I could take too much family vibe today.But when I peered inside, there was only one person there, a girl. One side of the room was clearly claimed; one bed was made, one dresser moved and one desk already stacked with books, while on the other side, nothing had been touched.The girl sitting on the edge of the made-up bed was beautiful. Not just your typical, run-of-the-mill college pretty, but catch-your-breath-and-turn-to-stare gorgeous. She was probably about as tall as I was, I thought, although it was hard to be sure before she stood up. One long tanned leg was folded beneath her, while the other was bent, her foot resting on the mattress as s
Keeping Score Chapter 60: An interesting year
QUINNNate was sprawled on a bench outside the front door of our dorm. As we approached him, I tried to see my friend as a stranger might: a typical college guy, long legs stretched out on the pavement, his brown hair a little too long over his eyes. He wasn't muscled or broad the way some of the boys passing us were, and unlike most of them, Nate wore jeans. He was self-conscious about the way his legs looked in shorts and never went out in public with them on. He flipped up his sunglasses when I was within a few feet of him, and the practiced, almost-cool move took me by surprise. Sometimes I forgot that Nate wasn't still the awkward kid I'd known all my life. A knot of girls passing us stared in his direction, and one of them giggled, her eyes going wide. Yeah, Nate was definitely going to have his share of admirers at college. He didn't give them any attention at all, though. His gaze was on me, his eyes searching, checking to make sure I was okay, the same way he'd been doing
Keeping Score Chapter 61: I got plans
LEOFRESHMAN YEARSEPTEMBEROne of the first things I'd discovered about college was that locker rooms were pretty much the same. Oh, the lockers were a little nicer at Carolina, sure-but the smell and the noises were both exactly the same. So was the vibe, the mood and attitudes. "Hey, Taylor. Looked great out there tonight." Thom Wilkens, the QB and team captain, paused behind me and punched me in the arm. "Keep up the good work, and you might see more play time during the games.""Thanks." I grinned. "I know I've got a lot to live up to."Thom shrugged. "Yeah, I hear that. Being the quarterback who comes in after Drake Stamos, the guy who led us to a national championship? Not fun. I'm constantly feeling like those shoes are way too fucking big. We're a young team, and we're all figuring this shit out. So you need anything, you come to me, yeah?""Got it." I nodded as Thom made his way toward his own locker, stopping here and there to drop encouragement to other players. Dud
Keeping Score Chapter 62: Welcome to Carolina U
LEOSomehow, even with all the delays in the locker room, I made it back to the dorm before Quinn and Gia arrived. She'd texted me that they had checked into the motel and were getting changed before coming over. Just knowing she was close drove me out of my mind. I wanted to jump into my car and drive over there, plans be damned. If it weren't for Gia being at the motel with her, I might've done just that. But if I was in motel room with Quinn, I didn't want a third person there with us. My phone buzzed, and I jumped to check it.On our way.
Keeping Score Chapter 63: A fateful meeting
QUINN"Oh, my God, Quinn!" Gia grasped my arm and yelled into my ear as she leaned into the booth where I was sitting. "I can't remember ever having this much fun. Isn't it wild?"I forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah. Wild." I glanced up at Leo, who was in the middle of an intense conversation with one of the football players-I couldn't remember this one's name. As if he felt my eyes on him, Leo tightened his arm around me and brushed his lips over the top of my head. "You okay, Mia?" "Better than okay." I snuggled closer. "Do you need another drink?" He lifted the glass of melting ice in front of me and jiggled it. "I saw the waitress around here somewhere.""I'm good for now. If I drink anymore, I'll have to go brave the rest rooms, and I saw that line earlier. No, thanks."Leo's chest shook a little as he laughed. "You're not wrong. But if you-oh, hey, Durham. I was beginning to think you got lost."The guy who'd just approached our booth was as tall as Leo and built like a
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