Secret
Page 22
Lunch was pizza. Figured. Not even so much as a plastic fork.
A tray dropped onto the table beside him. Four slices of pizza and a coke. The air told him it was Gabriel before his eyes did.
His twin dropped onto the bench. “What’s with you?”
They hadn’t seen each other all morning, but Gabriel could always read his moods like Nick had a news crawl embedded in his forehead.
“Failed a physics test,” Nick said.
“You know how I solve that problem?” said his twin. “I don’t take physics.”
“Hilarious. Where’s Hunter?”
“Working on a research project. I was starving.” He popped the cap on the soda. “You look like shit.”
“Wow, I’m glad you sat down.”
“Hunter said you snuck Quinn in last night. I’m guessing you didn’t get much sleep.”
Nick shrugged, keeping his eyes on his food, torn between defending Quinn’s honor and keeping his own secrets. Then again, she wasn’t exactly making a strong case for her own chastity.
“She needed a place to crash.” Nick hesitated. “Tyler’s hassling her.” He repeated everything that Quinn had told him last night.
Gabriel listened, stacking two slices of pizza to eat them at the same time. “What was she doing behind the 7-Eleven?”
“She won’t tell me.” Nick kept rolling it around in his head.
Had she been so upset over Tyler? Or had something happened at home?
“Nicky, you need to ditch this girl.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s nothing but drama. You don’t need that.”
Nick glared at him. “I think I can manage.”
“Jesus, don’t bite my head off. I’m just trying to save you the trouble. We have enough drama.”
He didn’t need a reminder of that. Nick picked up his slice of pizza to spare himself the need to say anything.
“Where is the old ball and chain, anyway?” said Gabriel.
“She had some kind of group project for French.”
They sat in silence for a long moment. Nick knew he should say something— anything—but he was so worried he’d open his mouth and tell Gabriel everything.
“It’s not just your test,” said Gabriel. “What else is up?”
I spent half the night with a boy and I can’t stop thinking about him. “I’m just tired.”
Gabriel didn’t respond, but Nick could feel the weight of his eyes.
“You guys are getting serious, huh?” Gabriel said.
“Maybe.” Nick chewed his pizza and fought with his brain as it helpfully supplied him with thoughts of Adam. Adam’s apartment. Adam dancing, driving his body into a powerful routine. Adam touching him, first the light brush of his fingers, then stronger. Adam, Adam, Adam.
“Who are you doing tonight?” said Gabriel.
Nick choked on his pizza. He coughed hard and needed a drink of soda to get it together. “What did you just say?”
“I said, what are you doing tonight? You’re so frigging keyed up. You have plans with Quinn? Want to go out?”
Nick shook his head. “Yes. No. I mean—I don’t want to go out. I’ve got to study.”
Gabriel’s hand closed over his forearm. “Seriously,” he said, his voice a touch lower. “You all right?”
Nick looked at him. For an instant, he felt like six-year-old Nicky, wanting to cry and hide and let his brother fix everything. What had Adam said last night? You admire him. I can hear it in your voice.
He was right. Gabriel had always been the fighter. The defender. Nick could see it now: if he told his twin something was wrong, Gabriel would be on his feet, ready to knock heads.
It made Nick feel immeasurably weak sometimes. Like when Gabriel was sneaking around, rescuing people from burning buildings. Or like last night, when Tyler had gone after Quinn.
Gabriel wouldn’t have picked her up and driven her home.
Gabriel would have tracked down Tyler and beaten the shit out of him.
When Nick thought about telling Gabriel the truth about himself, it felt like admitting one more way he didn’t live up to his identical twin brother.
His appetite vanished. He flung his pizza down and shoved the tray away. “Yeah. Fine. You want that? I’m not hungry.”
Before Gabriel could stop him, he shouldered his bag and walked away from the table.
“Hey!” Gabriel called.
Nick called back over his shoulder. “I’ll see you at home later.”
Almost immediately, his cell phone chimed. Nick grabbed it from his pocket, hoping for a message from Adam.
Michael had sent him a message.
Can you help with a job tonight? Should be done by 7. Too much for me + C.
C was Chris. Nick sighed. He was already behind with school, but he’d be able to study at Adam’s, right? Michael wouldn’t ask if he didn’t need the help.
The exhaustion that had been clinging to Nick’s back all day doubled in weight. For an instant, he was tempted to say no.
But Michael expected a yes. And Nick always did what his brothers expected.
Nick slid his fingers along the face of the phone.
Sure. I’ll be there.
Quinn spent all day dodging Becca, but her best friend—
ahem, former best friend—caught up to her next to her locker after last period.
Quinn didn’t even look at her. Like she needed to see Becca’s straight, shiny dark hair, her perfect little figure, or Chris Merrick’s arm slung over her shoulder.
A tray dropped onto the table beside him. Four slices of pizza and a coke. The air told him it was Gabriel before his eyes did.
His twin dropped onto the bench. “What’s with you?”
They hadn’t seen each other all morning, but Gabriel could always read his moods like Nick had a news crawl embedded in his forehead.
“Failed a physics test,” Nick said.
“You know how I solve that problem?” said his twin. “I don’t take physics.”
“Hilarious. Where’s Hunter?”
“Working on a research project. I was starving.” He popped the cap on the soda. “You look like shit.”
“Wow, I’m glad you sat down.”
“Hunter said you snuck Quinn in last night. I’m guessing you didn’t get much sleep.”
Nick shrugged, keeping his eyes on his food, torn between defending Quinn’s honor and keeping his own secrets. Then again, she wasn’t exactly making a strong case for her own chastity.
“She needed a place to crash.” Nick hesitated. “Tyler’s hassling her.” He repeated everything that Quinn had told him last night.
Gabriel listened, stacking two slices of pizza to eat them at the same time. “What was she doing behind the 7-Eleven?”
“She won’t tell me.” Nick kept rolling it around in his head.
Had she been so upset over Tyler? Or had something happened at home?
“Nicky, you need to ditch this girl.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s nothing but drama. You don’t need that.”
Nick glared at him. “I think I can manage.”
“Jesus, don’t bite my head off. I’m just trying to save you the trouble. We have enough drama.”
He didn’t need a reminder of that. Nick picked up his slice of pizza to spare himself the need to say anything.
“Where is the old ball and chain, anyway?” said Gabriel.
“She had some kind of group project for French.”
They sat in silence for a long moment. Nick knew he should say something— anything—but he was so worried he’d open his mouth and tell Gabriel everything.
“It’s not just your test,” said Gabriel. “What else is up?”
I spent half the night with a boy and I can’t stop thinking about him. “I’m just tired.”
Gabriel didn’t respond, but Nick could feel the weight of his eyes.
“You guys are getting serious, huh?” Gabriel said.
“Maybe.” Nick chewed his pizza and fought with his brain as it helpfully supplied him with thoughts of Adam. Adam’s apartment. Adam dancing, driving his body into a powerful routine. Adam touching him, first the light brush of his fingers, then stronger. Adam, Adam, Adam.
“Who are you doing tonight?” said Gabriel.
Nick choked on his pizza. He coughed hard and needed a drink of soda to get it together. “What did you just say?”
“I said, what are you doing tonight? You’re so frigging keyed up. You have plans with Quinn? Want to go out?”
Nick shook his head. “Yes. No. I mean—I don’t want to go out. I’ve got to study.”
Gabriel’s hand closed over his forearm. “Seriously,” he said, his voice a touch lower. “You all right?”
Nick looked at him. For an instant, he felt like six-year-old Nicky, wanting to cry and hide and let his brother fix everything. What had Adam said last night? You admire him. I can hear it in your voice.
He was right. Gabriel had always been the fighter. The defender. Nick could see it now: if he told his twin something was wrong, Gabriel would be on his feet, ready to knock heads.
It made Nick feel immeasurably weak sometimes. Like when Gabriel was sneaking around, rescuing people from burning buildings. Or like last night, when Tyler had gone after Quinn.
Gabriel wouldn’t have picked her up and driven her home.
Gabriel would have tracked down Tyler and beaten the shit out of him.
When Nick thought about telling Gabriel the truth about himself, it felt like admitting one more way he didn’t live up to his identical twin brother.
His appetite vanished. He flung his pizza down and shoved the tray away. “Yeah. Fine. You want that? I’m not hungry.”
Before Gabriel could stop him, he shouldered his bag and walked away from the table.
“Hey!” Gabriel called.
Nick called back over his shoulder. “I’ll see you at home later.”
Almost immediately, his cell phone chimed. Nick grabbed it from his pocket, hoping for a message from Adam.
Michael had sent him a message.
Can you help with a job tonight? Should be done by 7. Too much for me + C.
C was Chris. Nick sighed. He was already behind with school, but he’d be able to study at Adam’s, right? Michael wouldn’t ask if he didn’t need the help.
The exhaustion that had been clinging to Nick’s back all day doubled in weight. For an instant, he was tempted to say no.
But Michael expected a yes. And Nick always did what his brothers expected.
Nick slid his fingers along the face of the phone.
Sure. I’ll be there.
Quinn spent all day dodging Becca, but her best friend—
ahem, former best friend—caught up to her next to her locker after last period.
Quinn didn’t even look at her. Like she needed to see Becca’s straight, shiny dark hair, her perfect little figure, or Chris Merrick’s arm slung over her shoulder.
