Page 9 of What We Got Wrong

Liv had the urge to throw her wine in her cousin’s face.

It was going to be a long week.

Chapter 4

Quinn

October, Freshman Year

Considering how rough their first day together was, Quinn was surprised how easily they settled into their roommate routine: on weekdays, she was usually up and gone to swim practice before Liv rolled out of bed. Classes kept them busy until mid-afternoon, and then Quinn was in the pool or the gym until around 6:00 PM. Sometimes, they would meet up for lunch, but most of their time together, at least during the week, was bringing dinner back to their dorm so that they could eat and study with each other. On Saturdays, Quinn was up almost as early to meet her friend on the swim team for simple laps in the pool, but Liv had also joined the running club on campus, so she was up and about, as well, joining them for Saturday morning runs in addition to the few runs Quinn had noticed they had sprinkled throughout the week.

Sundays were technically supposed to be Quinn’s rest day from working out, but she usually still woke up early and went for a walk across campus, unable to stay still. Most weeks, when she got back to the dorm, Liv was up and getting ready, so Quinn took the time, prior to another study session, to tidy up her area of their living space.

Even with the few boxes Liv’s parents had sent, Quinn’s things still vastly overwhelmed Liv’s, but her roommate seemed fine with it, comfortable with her taking up so much space. Quinn tried her best not to let her things sprawl too much, and she was considering having her parents take a crate full of stuff that she’d already deemed unnecessary when they came up to visit on a Saturday in early October.

On the Thursday before their scheduled visit, Quinn dragged herself back to the dorm and poured herself into her bed after one of the most difficult practices she’d ever attended. Her favorite stroke was the backstroke, which had come easy to her since she started swim lessons at six years old. She’d made the university team for her 200-meter backstroke. It was her best event; she even held her high school record.

But her coach also thought that her butterfly had potential, particularly in the shorter distances, and she wanted Quinn to consider training for the individual medley races, when a single swimmer swims a designated distance for each of the four strokes: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. She appreciated that she was on a team that believed in her, and she didn’t want to rest in her comfort zone, but she was drained.

“Butterfly drills today,” Liv assumed, peering over at Quinn’s form, melted as she was on top of her bedspread.

Okay, well, that brought a smile to Quinn’s face. She knew, of course, that she was diligently collecting facts about Liv. Her roommate had to wear a fresh set of matching pajamas every single night. She only used a special tablet style toothpaste and brushed her teeth at least three times a day. She was absolutely pained at the idea that Quinn didn’t believe that socks, strictly speaking, had to match. But Quinn was still somehow surprised that Liv was paying such close attention to her.

“Exactly,” Quinn confirmed. “I never want to dolphin kick again for the rest of my life.”

“Did you have dinner?” She had a plastic food container on her desk next to her laptop that she was still nibbling out of.

“I guzzled a protein shake on the way over here,” she answered. “I don’t think I can walk to the cafeteria.”

Liv laughed and tossed a blue Gatorade, objectively the best flavor, over to her. When Quinn started to protest, she threw her hands up. “It’s not a gift! It’s just an extra one I didn’t drink after run club!”

“Mmhmm,” was all Quinn said before she opened the drink and took a sip. “You should have shared your Gatorades with Joel. He might propose!”

There was a senior in run club that had walked Liv to the dorm a few times. When Quinn bumped into them, it was abundantly clear that he was trying to make a move on Liv.

Liv’s ears went pink. “I’m not dating here.”

That was all she would say about that. Quinn had tried multiple times to get her to open up. Not prying, per se, but sharing more about her own limited dating history. Liv had mentioned that she was part of a tight friend group, mostly made up of people that were connected to her father’s company in some way, but she was completely tightlipped about other elements of her social history.

“I’m going to shower. Do you want the rest of my dinner?” Liv asked her.

“Yes, please,” Quinn said, reaching out her hands in a grabbing motion. She didn’t want Liv buying her things, sure, but she also wasn’t about to waste food. “I’ll happily be a garbage disposal for your leftovers.”

Liv rolled her eyes again but shot her a smile as she handed over the food and then walked out, toting a shower caddy, a towel, and floral print pajamas.

“Thank you for feeding me,” Quinn said as soon as Liv walked back in the room. “I should’ve stopped on the way, but I almost passed out in the shower. Promise I’ll get you back.”

Again, Liv rolled her eyes, sitting at her desk and turning away. “Whatever.”

“Oh, actually, that reminds me. I wanted to talk to you about Saturday,” Quinn said, sitting up quickly in her bed, though she winced and wrapped her arms around her abs. Liv turned back to her, mildly concerned, but Quinn waved her off. “My parents want to take me out to lunch off campus. We’ll probably just pick whatever chain restaurant is closest, but they told me to ask if you’d like to join?”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Liv said, shifting uncomfortably before she turned away.

“I mean, no pressure at all, but I promised them I’d pass along the invite,” Quinn told her.

“I’m sure you want that time with your family,” Liv said.

“Liv, look at me for a second,” Quinn said, and though it took a moment for Liv to turn her head, she eventually did, meeting Quinn’s gaze. “I would not have invited you if I didn’t want to. You don’t have to come. Like I said, no pressure at all. My family is a lot. But don’t say no because it’s what you think I want.”