Read Online Thorns of Decision (Dusk Gate Chronicles) by Breeana Puttroff - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Breeana Puttroff
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but he took a small step back. He stared at William, looking intimidating, even to Quinn, but William held his ground, his shoulders back, and his expression calm. Quinn was instantly reminded that he was a prince.
“She’s the one who broke up with me, been lying to me. She’s not the only one going through a hard time.”
“Just because she’s the one who broke it off doesn’t mean it’s easy for her. She cares about you. And she handled things between the two of you in private. Not in the middle of the hallway like you’re doing. Don’t stand there and tell me you actually care about her feelings when you’re trying to have it out with her with a hundred people walking by, all of whom are going to side with you because you’re more popular than she is in the first place, and you’re the one who gets to play the broken-heart card. If you’re even half the man everyone gives you credit for being, you’ll walk away now, go to lunch, and let Quinn have her space.”
Quinn’s eyes were glued to the floor, her cheeks on fire; she could not bring herself to look up at Zander, or even at William. After a long silence, Zander turned and walked away.
* * *
Quinn’s hands were shaking as she and William climbed in the car. She took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself enough to be able to drive.
“I’m sorry,” William said quietly.
She swallowed hard, looking up at him, although she couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I should be saying ‘thank you’ for standing up for me. I can’t believe what a mess I’ve just made of everything. I can’t believe how badly I just hurt Zander.”
William was quiet for a minute, and then he sighed. “Quinn, I know you’re probably not ready to hear this right now, but you didn’t do anything wrong, either.”
She thought about arguing with him, but the only retorts she could come up with involved talking about the kiss, and she wasn’t ready to go there, to explore either of their feelings about what had happened in that basement, so she just turned the key in the ignition and drove off instead.
They’d been at William’s house for only a few minutes when Quinn heard the sound of Nathaniel’s car in the driveway, and a sudden shiver of anxiety tightened her stomach, mixed with a new bout of anger. She hadn’t seen Nathaniel since the other evening at the bridge. If she couldn’t get any answers from her mother, she wanted some from him.
She followed William outside.
Thomas grinned widely when he saw her. “You decided to skip school this afternoon, too?” he asked when she opened the back door of the car. He was lying across both seats, unable to bend his leg with the splint that extended from just below his hip all the way to his toes. He was trying to remove a knitted blanket, but it was challenging to pull it up and over his leg with his one free arm, so she reached in and took it from him.
“I guess so,” she said, folding the blanket and setting it over her arm.
“She’s had kind of a rough week,” William told him, putting his hand on Quinn’s shoulder. “We need to cheer her up.”
“Easy enough,” Thomas said. “As soon as you all help me get into the house.”
Nathaniel appeared just behind her then, and she stiffened. “Hello, Quinn,” he said.
She turned and looked up at him. His face was apologetic, almost sad. Something in his expression made most of her anger dissolve on the spot – her anger towards him, anyway. Another fierce rush directed at her mother filled her chest.
“Are you going to tell me what is going on here?” she asked.
“Quinn, I would tell you everything I could right now, really, I would, but I made a promise that I don’t know how to break. I never imagined that you would find out anything like this. Can you please be patient with me until I can figure out what to do, and until I’ve had a chance to see how
“She’s the one who broke up with me, been lying to me. She’s not the only one going through a hard time.”
“Just because she’s the one who broke it off doesn’t mean it’s easy for her. She cares about you. And she handled things between the two of you in private. Not in the middle of the hallway like you’re doing. Don’t stand there and tell me you actually care about her feelings when you’re trying to have it out with her with a hundred people walking by, all of whom are going to side with you because you’re more popular than she is in the first place, and you’re the one who gets to play the broken-heart card. If you’re even half the man everyone gives you credit for being, you’ll walk away now, go to lunch, and let Quinn have her space.”
Quinn’s eyes were glued to the floor, her cheeks on fire; she could not bring herself to look up at Zander, or even at William. After a long silence, Zander turned and walked away.
* * *
Quinn’s hands were shaking as she and William climbed in the car. She took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself enough to be able to drive.
“I’m sorry,” William said quietly.
She swallowed hard, looking up at him, although she couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I should be saying ‘thank you’ for standing up for me. I can’t believe what a mess I’ve just made of everything. I can’t believe how badly I just hurt Zander.”
William was quiet for a minute, and then he sighed. “Quinn, I know you’re probably not ready to hear this right now, but you didn’t do anything wrong, either.”
She thought about arguing with him, but the only retorts she could come up with involved talking about the kiss, and she wasn’t ready to go there, to explore either of their feelings about what had happened in that basement, so she just turned the key in the ignition and drove off instead.
They’d been at William’s house for only a few minutes when Quinn heard the sound of Nathaniel’s car in the driveway, and a sudden shiver of anxiety tightened her stomach, mixed with a new bout of anger. She hadn’t seen Nathaniel since the other evening at the bridge. If she couldn’t get any answers from her mother, she wanted some from him.
She followed William outside.
Thomas grinned widely when he saw her. “You decided to skip school this afternoon, too?” he asked when she opened the back door of the car. He was lying across both seats, unable to bend his leg with the splint that extended from just below his hip all the way to his toes. He was trying to remove a knitted blanket, but it was challenging to pull it up and over his leg with his one free arm, so she reached in and took it from him.
“I guess so,” she said, folding the blanket and setting it over her arm.
“She’s had kind of a rough week,” William told him, putting his hand on Quinn’s shoulder. “We need to cheer her up.”
“Easy enough,” Thomas said. “As soon as you all help me get into the house.”
Nathaniel appeared just behind her then, and she stiffened. “Hello, Quinn,” he said.
She turned and looked up at him. His face was apologetic, almost sad. Something in his expression made most of her anger dissolve on the spot – her anger towards him, anyway. Another fierce rush directed at her mother filled her chest.
“Are you going to tell me what is going on here?” she asked.
“Quinn, I would tell you everything I could right now, really, I would, but I made a promise that I don’t know how to break. I never imagined that you would find out anything like this. Can you please be patient with me until I can figure out what to do, and until I’ve had a chance to see how
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