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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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Keeping Score Chapter 131: Days of You and Me
QUINNThe party was in full swing, with music blaring and the dance floor crowded. I was sitting on Leo's lap, with his arms circling my waist as we chatted with Zelda and Tucker. "Hey, did you see that?" Zelda nodded toward the crush of dancing couples. On the very edge, Gia was slow dancing with Tate Durham. She stared up into his face as he murmured to her, and I glanced back at Zelda with raised brows. "When did that happen?" I'd spent quite a bit of time lately with Zelda and Gia, who were both my bridesmaids, but Gia hadn't mentioned anything about Tate Durham. I didn't even realize she knew him, although thinking back, they must've met at Carolina, when we used to go see Leo and Matt."Got me. But they look mighty cozy.""She deserves a little happiness. And Tate's a good guy." Leo, who had been talking to Tucker about how brutal mini-camp had been this year, picked up on my last words. He followed my gaze to Gia and Tate and smirked. "Well, it's about time." "Hey.
Keeping Score Chapter 130: The best choice I ever made
QUINNThanks to the security team that we'd hired to keep the media and the curious public at bay, I could only barely see the people lining the perimeter of the roped-off section of the beach. I knew they were there, but it was okay; today of all days, I wanted to share all of my happiness with everyone and anyone. Behind me, the folding chairs that had been arranged on the portable wooden floor-and who knew they had such things!-were filled with our loved ones. We had quite a crowd, for what we'd both termed a small, intimate wedding, but then we were very blessed with both friends and family. My mother sat in the front row, flanked by Joe and Lisa on one side and Mark and Sheri on the other. Leo and I had dispensed with the silly idea of the bride's side and groom's side. We shared so many friends that making them choose which one of us to support would have been crazy. And our parents had decreed early on that they were all going to sit together, forming a united front. The
Keeping Score Chapter 129: We earned this happily ever after
QUINNWe'd been waiting in the empty, echoing corridor outside the locker room for twenty minutes. The guard had kindly but firmly told us that we couldn't go any further, but after Ellie had cajoled him, he'd promised to give us any update he heard and to talk to the trainer about letting us in as soon as it was possible. People swooshed through the hall, to and fro, but none of them showed us the least bit interest. A couple of reporters straggled down, but a non-life-threatening injury to a second year player who was only just beginning to show his strength wasn't exactly breaking news. I tried not to be bitter about that, thinking of all the times the press had hounded us about stupid stuff since Leo had been in college. One of the journalists was live streaming the game on his phone, with the volume pumped. Apparently the Rebels had made the extra point after Leo's touchdown, but New York had come back to score ten points after that-a fast touch down and then a field goal. Th
Keeping Score Chapter 128: Number 22 is down
QUINN"There's my boy!" Joe clapped his hands and whistled as the Rebels took the field for their first possession in the second half. We were up by two field goals, but with a team like New York, that wasn't quite a comfortable margin. "I told him we wanted to see him score today." Lisa nudged me. "Both times, it's happened when we weren't at the game. It's starting to give me a complex."I laughed. "I missed one of them, since it was on the road. So don't take it personally." Down on the field, the center snapped the ball into Gideon's hands. The quarterback stutter-stepped backwards, looking for an open receiver and then fired a pass downfield to a wide receiver, who caught the ball and took off. The crowd jumped to its collective feet, cheering him on. He made it to the twenty-eight-yard line before he was forced out of bounds by a New York player. We sat back down as the chains moved, and Joe patted my back. "This is going to be it, this next play. You watch. I've got a
Keeping Score Chapter 127: Family reunion
QUINN"I never knew it got so cold down south." Lisa Taylor wrapped her scarf a little more securely around her face. "I'm glad I remembered my gloves."On the other side of me, her husband leaned over. "Well, it is December, Lisa. You can't expect beach weather. Virginia isn't that far south."I bit my lip and tried not to laugh. Leo's parents had been down here for the last three days, visiting on what Joe called a 'pre-wedding mini-vacation' and what Lisa referred to as 'Joe's attempt to keep me from killing people'. Although they never really argued, they sniped at each other all the time, which made it less than fun to be around them. Apparently, being the parents of the groom was almost as stressful as being the bride's family. Simon had called us last week, griping about the tensions between Justine's parents and his own."You've got to take them off my hands for a little while, Leo. Please, I'm begging you." Neither of us had ever heard Simon sound so desperate. "All of the
Keeping Score Chapter 126: This is our time
LEOThe past and present jumbled for a moment in my mind. I had a sudden flash of memory, the feel of those legs wrapped around my back as I sank down into her, the weight of her breasts in my hands, the taste of her ...it was all so vivid and so immediate that I gave myself a little pinch to make sure she was really here now, and that I wasn't in the middle of some psychedelic mind trip. Then she smiled at me and spoke, her voice low and teasing, and I knew this was real. "Are you going to say something, or are you going to just lay there gaping at me? You're kind of freaking me out. I'm starting to worry that you're second-guessing the whole forever thing.""Babe. Never." I sat up and crooked my finger. "Come here. I'd go to you, but I seem to have lost the feeling in my legs."Quinn took a few steps closer to me, just beyond my reach. "You know, I realized something while I was getting changed.""Oh, yeah? What's that?" My eyes were glued to her fingers playing with the hem of
Keeping Score Chapter 125: For the rest of our lives
LEOI let her body slide down mine until her feet hit the floor. Looping my arms around her waist, I held her to me. "Mia, I know we've still got things to work out. I want to keep at it. I don't want to bury our shit under a rug or pretend we're perfect. But I want to deal with all of it together. I want us to be together, and not just for now, not until we see if things are good. I want you to live with me here, in this house I picked out because I could see you all over it."Quinn rested her cheek against my chest. I felt her tears soaking into my shirt, and I could only hope and pray that they were the happy kind. Swallowing hard, I went on, laying everything on the line and going for broke. In the back of my mind, I heard the old Eatonboro High Eagles chant: Go big or go home."Mia Quinn." I dropped to my knees and held both of her hands tightly in mine. "I love you beyond my ability to express it. I've loved you for so long that I can't remember when my heart didn't beat for y
Keeping Score Chapter 124: Redux
LEOThe last time Quinn had been in my house, I'd been in agony, wanting her and yet knowing the timing wasn't right yet. So as I led her up the steps and to my front door, I was determined to erase all the bad memories and replace them with only good ones.Before I turned the doorknob, I paused, gazing down at her. "The day I found this townhouse, I'd been looking at places all day. My mom was with me. Everyone had told me not to buy right away, in case I didn't last the season in Richmond or if I got traded or whatever, but I had a hunch. I knew I wanted to buy a place to live and not be just renting. I was ready for something permanent."She nodded, expectant. "I couldn't put my finger on why none of the houses seemed quite right. Then I realized it was because I couldn't see you in any of them. When I stood here for the first time, though, I turned around and looked at the neighborhood, the front lawn ...the view." I steered Quinn by the shoulders, pulling her back against me
Keeping Score Chapter 123: About time
QUINNBy the second half, Leo seemed to have found his rhythm. He caught several more passes and ran for a decent amount of yardage. When the clock hit all zeros, Richmond had won by ten points. I was ready to sprint down to the locker room, but Ellie caught my arm. "There's no rush, honey. Look." She pointed to the field, where the players were still milling around. "They'll be out there for a bit, doing some on-field interviews, and then they'll be in the locker room for a while before the post-game press conference. I doubt either Leo or Corey will be part of that today, but still-we don't want to be hanging out in the hallway until right before they come out. It's a mess. The press is there, and the jock junkies." She wrinkled her nose. "Okay." I sat down again. "So we just ...stay up here?""Yeah." Ellie lifted one shoulder. "Most of the wives take off and wait in the parking lot or meet their husbands at home. Corey and I have a tradition of meeting in the hall, so I don't
