Her eyes flick back toward Luc and Lily laughing, tangled together, claiming a future without hesitation. Then she looks at me again. “Yeah,” she blinks. “You act like you to have to provesomething, even when you don’t.” The words land hard enough that I actually step back.
“Fuck off,” I whisper, but it’s not anger. It’s panic.
“I’m not trying to hurt you,” she rushes out.
“Then stop,” I bite back. “Because you keep seeing things I don’t want you to.”
She doesn’t look away. “Then stop hiding behind them.”
Someone calls my name. Dean. Or Mom. Or Luc. The noise of the party surges back in all at once. I turn toward it, grateful for the interruption. When I look back, Quinn is still there. Calm. Unmoved. Not fooled.
And that’s a problem. Because suddenly, I don’t want to distract her. I want to prove her wrong. I lift the tequila bottle and stop. For the first time all summer, I hesitate. That’s new. I take the drink anyway. Because that’s what I do. Then the grin. Then the mask. “I couldn’t be happier for them.”
Quinn’s mouth curves. Not amused. Not fooled. It’s knowing. “Yeah,” she agrees softly. “Good for them.” Then she steps away, leaving me with the taste of my own bullshit and the unsettling realization that I liked the moment she saw me too clearly.
Because I did like it. The way she saw me. And that? That’s dangerous.
Chapter Four
Quinn
Scott Street
Phoebe Bridgers
Chicago feelsdifferent than a New York City summer day. New York is all hot cement and quiet sidewalks. This city feels softer, less demanding. The kind of place that lets you breathe if you decide to walk it instead of racing through.
The breeze coming off Lake Michigan keeps us cool as Sadie and I stroll lazily on a path against the shore. We’re wandering without a destination, iced coffees in hand, talking about nothing and everything the way sisters do when they don’t get enough time alone.
It’s easy with her. It always has been. We sit on a stone wall near a small park, cicadas buzzing lazily in the trees as the gentle waves of the lake rise and fall. I watch a group of teenagers argue over a soccer ball, their voices loud and unfiltered, and something settles in my chest.
“I think I’m going to take the job and move here,” I say it lightly, but it doesn’t feel light.
Sadie turns slowly, her sunglasses sliding down her nose. “So, you’ve decided?”
“Possibly.” I nod, biting onto my bottom lip to tamp down the nerves I’m feeling. I don’t want her to feel like I’m crowding her.
Her eyes widen, excitement sparking immediately. “Okay, you can’t just say that and not elaborate.”
I take a breath. “The job offer is really good. A private residential facility. Still teens. High-risk cases. But smaller caseloads, better resources.” I pause. “And it’s a big step. Professionally.”
Sadie’s smile softens into something proud. “That’s huge.”
“It is.” I pick at the condensation on my cup. “The salary alone is more than I could ever expect to make in the school system. And the work, it’s exactly what I want to be doing long-term.”
“So, what’s the hesitation?”
“Will it bother you if I move here?” I spit the question out and then shift my eyes away from hers, afraid to see the truth in them. I keep going and just ramble out all my concerns. “I don’t want to crowd you. I mean, I don’t even know if you’re planning on staying with Dean permanently, so maybe it doesn’t matter, but I don’t want to suffocate you, or put a cramp in your style.”
Sadie lets out a bark of laughter, her hand grabbing onto one of mine. “Quinn, I would be ecstatic to have you wherever I am. You have never been, and never will be a cramp for me. I can’t believe you would even think that!” She chuckles softly. “Mom and Dad won’t be thrilled that we’re both here and they’re still there.”
“Exactly.” I glance back at the kids in the park. “It would mean leaving New York. Mom and Dad. Everything I know. And honestly, I love New York, and will miss them like crazy, but I’m ready to do something different. You’ve been traveling the world for years. I’ve never left.”
She studies me. “Are you sad or worried about that?”
“Neither.” I admit. “I’m excited. I’m looking forward to a new adventure.”
Sadie hums thoughtfully. “Does Mikey factor into that new adventure?”
