Fallen Crest Forever
Page 55
He frowned, seeming to see me for the first time. His eyebrows pinched together, and he looked at Faith. “That can’t be right.”
“It is.”
I turned to look at her. She was being honest now?
Noticing my look, she shrugged. “What? I mean, there are witnesses to everything. Even if I tried lying, I know at least Raelynn would back you up. Or she would’ve. And you were right. She thought I dropped her friendship.”
My lips parted. That didn’t sound good. “I take it that’s not the case anymore?”
She preened back at me, giving me a close-mouthed smile. “Don’t say I’m not a quick learner. You threatened me, and I read between the lines. I circled the wagons, so to speak, and yes, Raelynn is back to being one of my besties. Thanks for that.”
Well . . . Fuck.
She grinned. “I should thank you again. You’ve made me a better runner, and a better friend.”
It burned. Deep down. There were all sorts of burning going on down there.
“Look, Coach.” Her arms unfolded, and she sat forward. “Samantha has a valid point. I was horrible to her in the beginning, still am actually, so based on our past, you can’t force her to run with me. If she fought you and wrote a claim against you, she’d win eventually. Even public opinion would side with her, so you can let it go. I’m not going to force my teammate to do something against her will.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s so considerate of you.”
“I’m trying, actually.”
I studied her; it seemed she was genuine.
Then she flashed me another smug grin and ruined it. “You’re wrong about one thing, though.” She stood.
I waited.
“I am going to beat you. Eventually. It might not be this year, but it’ll happen. You’re not the only one qualifying for the Olympics.”
She seemed so sure of herself. Her head was high, and she held my gaze steadily. She meant what she said.
Well, fuck. Again.
“Let us both run on our own,” she said to Coach.
He frowned heavily. “I don’t like this.”
“Come on,” she said. “The other girls distract me too. You want us to do better. This is the way.”
“You’ll do your sprints and weights too?” He was asking both of us.
I nodded.
“You know I already do,” Faith answered.
“I lift with my boyfriend.”
He pointed at me. “You do sprints with him too from now on.”
I stood next to Faith. “I will.”
He waited a minute, staring at us, and then he gestured to the door. “Fine. Go. Our next meet is Friday. Check in with me every day with your progress.”
I followed Faith outside and asked, “What are you doing? What was all that about in there?”
She stopped and turned to face me, cocking her head to the side. “Why do you think that was a charade? Maybe I really am grateful to you for making me a better runner and friend. I’m a better person, thanks to you.”
“You have an angle. What is it?”
“Right.” She snorted, starting to walk backward, away from me. “Because that’s a good battle tactic: declare your intent to the enemy.” She rolled her eyes. “I thought you were better than that.”
I was . . . but no. I wasn’t. That was Mason and Logan’s job. They fought the fights. I just followed behind and reaped the benefits.
“You’re right.”
“What?” She stopped, her forehead wrinkling as she frowned at me.
“You’re right. I’ve never been good at this kind of fighting. Mason and Logan have done everything for me—the plotting, the manipulation, the deceit. I have verbal exchanges. That’s my fighting. And the last time I really went against another girl, she and her friends jumped me in a bathroom. They put me in the hospital.”
Fuck you, Kate, and your old clique.
But Faith was right. She was a female Mason. She was the mastermind. I wasn’t. A sudden, different kind of humility swept through me. I’d judged Mason, getting mad that he didn’t include me with his decisions before, but who was I to be upset about that? Everything he did was to protect me. Everything.
Faith was watching me as if I’d grown a second head. “You okay, Strattan? What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing.” But I was distracted. “Thank you, Faith.”
“Me?” Her eyebrows shot up to where her hair met her forehead. “What did I do?”
“You helped me too.”
I wanted to see Mason. He had practice, and he wouldn’t be done till later in the evening. I promised Coach I’d do sprints and weights with Mason, but that would push us back another hour, and we had our dinner with Helen tonight.
I couldn’t do anything now, and for once, I didn’t want to do the one thing I always wanted to do.
I did it anyway. I went on a run.
MASON
“You won.”
Those were two words I normally would’ve loved to hear from Adam Quinn, but as I put my gym bag into the Escalade, the sight of him standing at the end of my vehicle didn’t give me a good feeling. He was pale, bags under his eyes, and looked like he needed a meal or a good night’s sleep.
“When’s the last time you slept, Quinn?”
A broken laugh barked from him, and he shoved two fists into his baggy coat pockets. “That’s your greeting to me? I just told you that you won.”
“I heard. What are you doing here, Quinn?”
He snorted again, still sounding bitter. “At least have the decency to call me by my name. I’m here. I’m conceding defeat. You. Won. You won. You can be happy now. Right? Because that must be why you destroyed my life.” His voice rose, and he was almost spitting out his words. “Right?” His nostrils flared. “I mean, you did what you said you’d do. You ruined me. Becky wants nothing to do with me, and that video—you’re always going to have that over me, aren’t you?”
My phone was in my pocket, not my bag. I shut the Escalade’s door and faced him squarely.
He kept going. “The case against my dad is bad. He’s going to go away, but it doesn’t even matter. His reputation is ruined.” Another hard laugh. “And that’s what you have against me now. You took my girl. You have my reputation, and I can’t even get mad at you. I set myself up. The video I used against you. I broke into your house. It’s perfect.” He looked down at the ground, shaking his head. “It’s just perfect.”
A sad echo.
He wanted me to feel pity for him? Fury lit a flame inside me. He’d tried to take my life away. He tried it again, and that was after a few years of peace. I clenched my jaw. I didn’t feel pity for this guy. He was a feral animal. Wounded, backed into a corner, but he’d come back fighting. I had no doubt about it.
I eyed him. “Why are you wearing a coat?”
“Huh?”
I nodded at him. “This is California, and it’s eighty. Why are you wearing that coat?”
He looked down at it like he hadn’t realized he had it on. “I don’t know.” His voice was strained again, quiet. “I don’t remember putting it on.”
“Why are you here, Adam?”
His eyes flicked to mine at the mention of his name. I saw something lighten, like he was thankful for that. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“I don’t know.” He was almost murmuring to himself. His head hung low. “I think I came to let you know that. You won.” He rolled his eyes up and let his head fall back. “What am I going to do? My dad is furious, but he’s going to prison. He’ll get convicted. The evidence against him is rock solid. Becky won’t talk to me. I have no one anymore.”
The parking lot was almost empty. I had taken longer than usual to get ready because the plan was to meet Sam and Logan at the hotel for Helen’s dinner. I could feel my phone buzzing in my pocket. It was probably Sam or Logan, or both of them, wondering where I was. I could’ve reached in and hit one button to let them listen to the conversation, but then they’d know Quinn was here. They’d come.
“It is.”
I turned to look at her. She was being honest now?
Noticing my look, she shrugged. “What? I mean, there are witnesses to everything. Even if I tried lying, I know at least Raelynn would back you up. Or she would’ve. And you were right. She thought I dropped her friendship.”
My lips parted. That didn’t sound good. “I take it that’s not the case anymore?”
She preened back at me, giving me a close-mouthed smile. “Don’t say I’m not a quick learner. You threatened me, and I read between the lines. I circled the wagons, so to speak, and yes, Raelynn is back to being one of my besties. Thanks for that.”
Well . . . Fuck.
She grinned. “I should thank you again. You’ve made me a better runner, and a better friend.”
It burned. Deep down. There were all sorts of burning going on down there.
“Look, Coach.” Her arms unfolded, and she sat forward. “Samantha has a valid point. I was horrible to her in the beginning, still am actually, so based on our past, you can’t force her to run with me. If she fought you and wrote a claim against you, she’d win eventually. Even public opinion would side with her, so you can let it go. I’m not going to force my teammate to do something against her will.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s so considerate of you.”
“I’m trying, actually.”
I studied her; it seemed she was genuine.
Then she flashed me another smug grin and ruined it. “You’re wrong about one thing, though.” She stood.
I waited.
“I am going to beat you. Eventually. It might not be this year, but it’ll happen. You’re not the only one qualifying for the Olympics.”
She seemed so sure of herself. Her head was high, and she held my gaze steadily. She meant what she said.
Well, fuck. Again.
“Let us both run on our own,” she said to Coach.
He frowned heavily. “I don’t like this.”
“Come on,” she said. “The other girls distract me too. You want us to do better. This is the way.”
“You’ll do your sprints and weights too?” He was asking both of us.
I nodded.
“You know I already do,” Faith answered.
“I lift with my boyfriend.”
He pointed at me. “You do sprints with him too from now on.”
I stood next to Faith. “I will.”
He waited a minute, staring at us, and then he gestured to the door. “Fine. Go. Our next meet is Friday. Check in with me every day with your progress.”
I followed Faith outside and asked, “What are you doing? What was all that about in there?”
She stopped and turned to face me, cocking her head to the side. “Why do you think that was a charade? Maybe I really am grateful to you for making me a better runner and friend. I’m a better person, thanks to you.”
“You have an angle. What is it?”
“Right.” She snorted, starting to walk backward, away from me. “Because that’s a good battle tactic: declare your intent to the enemy.” She rolled her eyes. “I thought you were better than that.”
I was . . . but no. I wasn’t. That was Mason and Logan’s job. They fought the fights. I just followed behind and reaped the benefits.
“You’re right.”
“What?” She stopped, her forehead wrinkling as she frowned at me.
“You’re right. I’ve never been good at this kind of fighting. Mason and Logan have done everything for me—the plotting, the manipulation, the deceit. I have verbal exchanges. That’s my fighting. And the last time I really went against another girl, she and her friends jumped me in a bathroom. They put me in the hospital.”
Fuck you, Kate, and your old clique.
But Faith was right. She was a female Mason. She was the mastermind. I wasn’t. A sudden, different kind of humility swept through me. I’d judged Mason, getting mad that he didn’t include me with his decisions before, but who was I to be upset about that? Everything he did was to protect me. Everything.
Faith was watching me as if I’d grown a second head. “You okay, Strattan? What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing.” But I was distracted. “Thank you, Faith.”
“Me?” Her eyebrows shot up to where her hair met her forehead. “What did I do?”
“You helped me too.”
I wanted to see Mason. He had practice, and he wouldn’t be done till later in the evening. I promised Coach I’d do sprints and weights with Mason, but that would push us back another hour, and we had our dinner with Helen tonight.
I couldn’t do anything now, and for once, I didn’t want to do the one thing I always wanted to do.
I did it anyway. I went on a run.
MASON
“You won.”
Those were two words I normally would’ve loved to hear from Adam Quinn, but as I put my gym bag into the Escalade, the sight of him standing at the end of my vehicle didn’t give me a good feeling. He was pale, bags under his eyes, and looked like he needed a meal or a good night’s sleep.
“When’s the last time you slept, Quinn?”
A broken laugh barked from him, and he shoved two fists into his baggy coat pockets. “That’s your greeting to me? I just told you that you won.”
“I heard. What are you doing here, Quinn?”
He snorted again, still sounding bitter. “At least have the decency to call me by my name. I’m here. I’m conceding defeat. You. Won. You won. You can be happy now. Right? Because that must be why you destroyed my life.” His voice rose, and he was almost spitting out his words. “Right?” His nostrils flared. “I mean, you did what you said you’d do. You ruined me. Becky wants nothing to do with me, and that video—you’re always going to have that over me, aren’t you?”
My phone was in my pocket, not my bag. I shut the Escalade’s door and faced him squarely.
He kept going. “The case against my dad is bad. He’s going to go away, but it doesn’t even matter. His reputation is ruined.” Another hard laugh. “And that’s what you have against me now. You took my girl. You have my reputation, and I can’t even get mad at you. I set myself up. The video I used against you. I broke into your house. It’s perfect.” He looked down at the ground, shaking his head. “It’s just perfect.”
A sad echo.
He wanted me to feel pity for him? Fury lit a flame inside me. He’d tried to take my life away. He tried it again, and that was after a few years of peace. I clenched my jaw. I didn’t feel pity for this guy. He was a feral animal. Wounded, backed into a corner, but he’d come back fighting. I had no doubt about it.
I eyed him. “Why are you wearing a coat?”
“Huh?”
I nodded at him. “This is California, and it’s eighty. Why are you wearing that coat?”
He looked down at it like he hadn’t realized he had it on. “I don’t know.” His voice was strained again, quiet. “I don’t remember putting it on.”
“Why are you here, Adam?”
His eyes flicked to mine at the mention of his name. I saw something lighten, like he was thankful for that. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“I don’t know.” He was almost murmuring to himself. His head hung low. “I think I came to let you know that. You won.” He rolled his eyes up and let his head fall back. “What am I going to do? My dad is furious, but he’s going to prison. He’ll get convicted. The evidence against him is rock solid. Becky won’t talk to me. I have no one anymore.”
The parking lot was almost empty. I had taken longer than usual to get ready because the plan was to meet Sam and Logan at the hotel for Helen’s dinner. I could feel my phone buzzing in my pocket. It was probably Sam or Logan, or both of them, wondering where I was. I could’ve reached in and hit one button to let them listen to the conversation, but then they’d know Quinn was here. They’d come.
