Page 14 of What We Got Wrong

Yet again…fair.

Quinn and Liv had gone their separate ways at the end of their senior year of college, and Quinn hadn’t exactly taken it well. After graduation, she took her first job, working in the human resources department for an insurance company based not far from where they’d gone to school. She’d basically done nothing but work, that entire first year, but it still wasn’t enough to fill her time, so she found herself volunteering on weekends for the local swim club, and then, when she still wasn’t quite busy enough, she applied for the MBA program back at Livingston, adding classes to her already packed schedule.

At that point, she was finally too busy to think about everything that had happened with her and Liv. She could bury all of it in the back of her mind and try for some semblance of normalcy. It had taken a long time for her to get over everything.

Because she was obviously so completely over it all now.

“That era of Quinn was unpleasant,” Mel said, and Quinn knew she was daring her to disagree. “You were in a terrible place.”

“I was.” She certainly didn’t have an argument on this one.

“You were desperate for a friend,” Mel added.

“You’re not wrong,” Quinn agreed.

“And for a fuck,” Mel added.

“I’m not sure ‘desperate’ is the word I’d use there,” Quinn said, her ears tinged pink.

“I mean, you almost slept with me,” Mel teased, as if either of them could have ever forgotten that night, a story that was terrible and amusing and just plain dumb, all at once.

And so very awkward, at least in the moment. Their first time hanging out outside of class, they were supposed to be studying in Mel’s apartment, but they’d gotten drunk instead, trying desperately to deal with their own respective ghosts, or to ignore them, depending on the moment. They had kissed—Quinn’s first kiss after Liv—but luckily, Quinn had come to her senses enough, just before the tipping point, to pull away, and they both became acutely aware that it wasn’t what either of them needed in that moment.

And not having sex, in a way, solidified their fledgling friendship.

“To be fair, I acknowledge that I was also kind of a mess,” Mel added.

Quinn guffawed, a loud, guttural sound emanating from her belly. “Kind of?”

“I mean, not as bad as you, obviously,” Mel replied, which, frankly, was not remotely close to correct, as far as Quinn was concerned. But it wasn’t exactly the time to argue with her friend, and anyway, her face had turned serious again. “What are you hoping for here, with her?”

Quinn winced. “Nothing? Of course? She’s…married.”

Mel watched her for several quiet moments before she snorted. “My God, dude, you are something else.”

“I know.” Quinn knew it was beyond embarrassing that she’d dragged them into this.

“Did you talk to her? I saw her sitting at the bar last night.”

“I did,” Quinn said. “I apologized.”

Mel made a face of pure disgust. “Okay, I hate that.”

“I was incredibly rude yesterday,” Quinn replied, still feeling guilty.

“Blah blah blah, you’ve never done a thing wrong in your life,” Mel said, before adding, “Other than…you know. This nonsense with not telling me important shit.”

“Right,” Quinn said, but at least Mel was being a bit lighthearted with it.

“So, I don’t know what happened between you two. I know that she’s evil—”

“She’s not,” Quinn said softly.

“As your best friend, it’s my prerogative to hate anyone who has hurt you.”

Quinn grinned at her. “I love you, you big softie.”

“Oh, we are not doing that,” Mel said with a shudder. For her, casual intimacy was one thing. Quinn honestly wasn’t sure how many sexual partners her friend had had, not that it was any of her business one way or the other, but she was aware that the number was not small. Intimacy with people she cared about, however­­­—not an especially large group, though Quinn was proud to be a part of it—was difficult for Mel, in ways she couldn’t, wouldn’t, explain. “I don’t know what happened between you two. And you don’t have to tell me anything. But I do expect you to take care of yourself, or to reach out if that she-witch gets you down.”