Chapter 13
Quinn was at her locker, sorting through her books, when Blaine hesitantly approached. His steps faltered as he saw the way her shoulders stiffened when she noticed him.
“Quinn,” Blaine said softly, keeping his voice low to avoid drawing attention.
She didn’t turn, pretending to focus on the contents of her locker, but he knew she was well aware of his presence. “What do you want, Blaine?”
He glanced around the hallway, where students were bustling about, oblivious to the tension radiating between them. “Can we talk?” he asked, his voice almost pleading.
Quinn’s eyes narrowed. She slammed her locker shut with more force than necessary, finally turning to face him. Her expression was sharp, her lips pressed into a thin line. “Talk? You mean like we did the other day when you and my brother had nothing but excuses for sneaking around behind my back?” Her voice dripped with sarcasm, but there was a clear thread of hurt underneath.
Blaine winced, his guilt only growing. “I’m sorry. I know you’re angry, and you have every right to be. I just… I didn’t want you to find out like that.”
Quinn let out a bitter laugh, crossing her arms. “No? Do you have any idea what this puts me in the middle of?”
Blaine frowned, confused. “I didn’t mean to put you in the middle of anything—”
“But you did!” Quinn snapped, cutting him off. Her tone softened almost immediately, the frustration giving way to something more vulnerable. “You did, Blaine. If things go wrong between you and Sebastian, and let’s face it, things do go wrong sometimes, I’ll be stuck. I’ll be stuck between my brother and my best friend, and I can’t… I can’t choose.”
Blaine’s heart sank. “Quinn…”
“You don’t get it,” she continued, her voice trembling. “If you and Sebastian break up, it won’t just be awkward or messy, it’ll mean I have to pick a side. And I can’t do that, Blaine. I can’t lose you, but I also can’t turn my back on my brother. Do you know how much that terrifies me?”
Her words hung heavy in the air, and Blaine struggled to find something, anything, that would make this better. “I’m so sorry,” he said finally, his voice thick with emotion. “I never wanted to put you in that position, Quinn. I just… I didn’t know how to tell you, and I didn’t think about how this would affect you. That’s on me.”
Quinn’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she shook her head. “I know you didn’t mean for this to happen, Blaine. But it doesn’t make it any easier.”
Blaine stepped closer, his voice gentle. “Nothing’s going to go wrong, Quinn. I care about Sebastian, more than I even realised, and I want to make this work. For both of us. For all of us.”
Quinn let out a bitter laugh. “You can’t promise that, Blaine. No one can.”
“I know,” Blaine admitted. “But I can promise that no matter what happens, I’ll do everything I can to make sure you’re not stuck in the middle. You’re too important to me.”
Quinn stared at him for a long moment before finally looking away, brushing at her eyes. “I just don’t want to lose either of you,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
“You won’t,” Blaine said firmly. “I swear, Quinn. You won’t.”
She didn’t say anything for a moment, just nodded slightly before turning and walking away, leaving Blaine standing there with a sinking feeling in his chest.
-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-
Sebastian and Quinn sat on opposite sides of the couch, the air thick with unspoken tension. Their mom sat in her favorite armchair, flipping through a magazine, oblivious to the icy glances Quinn occasionally shot across the room. The soft hum of the TV in the background did nothing to ease the growing discomfort.
Their mom glanced up, her brow furrowing. “You two are unusually quiet. Everything okay?”
Sebastian shifted, attempting to appear casual. “Yeah. Fine.”
Quinn let out a sharp exhale, leaning back against the couch. “Sure. Everything’s fine.”
Their mom raised an eyebrow, her gaze darting between them. “Okay, that didn’t sound fine. What’s going on?”
Sebastian shot Quinn a warning look, his jaw tightening. “Nothing’s going on,” he said firmly, trying to redirect the conversation.
But Quinn wasn’t having it. She gave a tight, humorless laugh. “Oh, there’s definitely something going on.”
Their mom set the magazine down, clearly concerned now. “Quinn, what’s wrong?”
Quinn hesitated, her arms crossing over her chest. “You really want to know what’s wrong?” she asked, her voice deceptively calm.
“Quinn,” Sebastian cut in, his tone low.
But she ignored him, her eyes locked on their mom. “Ask Sebastian. He’s the one sneaking around with Blaine.”
The words hung in the air for a moment, and their mom blinked, clearly caught off guard. “Wait… our Blaine?”
“Yep,” Quinn replied, her voice sharp, her gaze never leaving Sebastian.
Sebastian closed his eyes briefly, muttering, “Quinn, seriously?”
Their mom looked at him now, confusion etched across her face. “Is this true?”
Sebastian sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. “Yes. Blaine and I are… we’re seeing each other.”
For a moment, the room was silent except for the faint sound of the TV. Their mom leaned back in her chair, processing.
“Well,” she said slowly, “that’s… surprising.” She looked at Quinn, her tone cautious. “But why are you so upset about this?”
Quinn turned to her mom, her voice shaking slightly. “Because he lied to me. They lied to me. For months. And I thought…” She stopped herself, shaking her head. “It doesn’t matter what I thought. It’s the fact that they hid it. Blaine is my best friend. I would’ve been fine with it, eventually. But they didn’t even give me the chance to be.”
Sebastian’s voice softened, a hint of guilt creeping in. “Quinn, it wasn’t about you. It’s just… complicated.”
Quinn’s eyes flashed with anger. “Complicated? That’s your excuse? Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to realize everyone else probably knew before me? I had to see it to figure it out!”
Their mom interjected gently, “Quinn, maybe they weren’t ready to tell anyone yet. Relationships are personal, and sometimes—”
“No, Mom, this isn’t just anyone. This is me. I’m his sister. And Blaine…” Her voice cracked, and she quickly composed herself. “Blaine is supposed to be my best friend.”
Sebastian leaned forward, his tone firm. “Quinn, I’m sorry. I mean it. But you don’t understand what it’s like. Blaine and I didn’t even know how this was going to work, let alone how to tell people. I didn’t want to hurt you.”
Quinn scoffed, her hurt evident in her eyes. “Well, congratulations. You managed to do exactly that.”
Their mom sighed, rubbing her temples. “Okay, this is a lot to unpack. Maybe we should all just take a step back and—”
But Quinn was already standing. “You two figure it out,” she said, her voice cold. “I’m done.”
She walked out of the room, leaving Sebastian sitting there with their mom, who looked at him with a mix of confusion and concern.
“Sebastian,” she said carefully, “what exactly have you gotten yourself into?”
Sebastian sighed, leaning back and running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.