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“You know what I hate?” he said evenly. “I hate that you’re too stubborn to ask anyone for help, even though you damn sure need it. I hate when someone tries to help and you do everything you can to make them wash their hands of you. But the absolute worst thing, the thing that I can’t f**king stand, is how you’re this beautiful, talented girl, but for some reason you act like you need to buy a guy’s favor.”
Tears were running down her cheeks now. “I don’t do that. I don’t.”
“You do, Quinn.” His hands softened on her wrists. “You do it with me, and you did it with Merrick.”
“I never did anything with Nick.”
“Are you kidding me? You pretended to be his girlfriend!
You were so desperate to be attached to a guy that you latched on to one who doesn’t even like girls. ”
“I was helping him,” she cried. “Because he was my friend.”
“No, you were afraid to let him go,” said Tyler. “Because you were afraid to give someone a chance to like you for real.”
She needed him to stop talking. She needed to stop crying.
She needed out. To get out. Of here. Right now.
But her limbs felt too weak, like she couldn’t hold herself up.
“I get it,” said Tyler. “I’ve seen your family. The people who should love you, don’t. I just—you’re worth more than that. I wish you could see that.”
“Have you been studying for your Psych one-oh-one final or something?” she said, trying for anger, but her voice came out defeated. “Why don’t you leave me alone.”
He sighed and let her go. Quinn didn’t move.
Tyler ran a hand through his blond hair. “Are you hungry?”
Quinn glanced up at him. After a long minute, she nodded.
“Feel like Chinese?”
“Okay.” Her voice sounded broken.
His cell phone chimed, and he pulled it out of his pocket to glance at the display. He sighed again, heavily. “Damn it. One of the alarms is going off at the strip mall. I need to go check it out.” He hesitated. “Are you going to be okay for half an hour?
I’ll bring food back with me.”
No. She wouldn’t be okay.
But Quinn nodded. What else could she do?
“Come on,” he said. “I can’t just leave you collapsed on the floor of the bathroom.”
She wiped the tears off her face and flopped on the couch instead.
He hesitated at the door. “I’m not going to come home and find you gone, am I?”
She shook her head. Where else would she go?
Then he was gone, and it took everything she had not to call him back.
His voice reverberated through her head.
You’re this beautiful, talented girl, but for some reason you act like you need to buy a guy’s favor.
Did she do that?
