“This strip mall is yours. Seriously. And you have all this money and nothing better to do than wander around dark parking lots pointing guns at petty thieves? Yeah, okay.”
“This strip mall belongs to my parents,” he said, taking another long inhale on his cigarette. Smoke curled away from him into the night sky. “And we’ve been having a problem with vandals, so I’ve been hanging out the last few nights.”
“Gee, I’m so sorry for you.”
“You’ve kinda got a chip on your shoulder, huh?”
Yeah, the size of Rhode Island. Quinn flicked ash from the end of her cigarette and didn’t respond. She hadn’t inhaled again, and it was just burning away between her fingers.
“What were you dancing to?” he asked.
The question took her by surprise, but his voice was challenging again, so she fired up the song on her iPod and held out an earbud.
He listened for a long moment, then nodded and handed the cord back. “Nice.”
This was so bizarre. “Glad it meets with your approval.”
“Why were you dancing in the woods?”
“I’m helping a friend get a scholarship.”
“Oh, yeah? Why aren’t you getting a scholarship?”
“I don’t think that’s really any of your business.”
He shrugged and backed up to lean against the steel beam supporting a roof over the walkway. He took another drag and blew out smoke rings. “My sister was a dancer.”
His sister. Nick had told her Tyler’s sister had died in the rock quarry years ago.
“A singer, too,” said Tyler. “She was always on my parents to let her move to New York after graduation.”
Quinn wanted to snap at him, something like, So she couldn’t wait to get away from you, either? But his voice held this odd note that she couldn’t identify. Not quite sadness, but something close. Resignation, maybe. She didn’t want to mock it.
“Full of piss and vinegar,” Tyler said. “She’d probably laugh her ass off to hear you talk to me now.”
“I’d probably like her.”
“Maybe.” He crushed out the end of his cigarette and glanced down at hers, hanging abandoned in her hand. “You going to let that burn away to nothing?”
She quickly took another draw. Too fast. Smoke flooded her lungs and she choked hard, fighting for air.
“Sit,” said Tyler, plucking the cigarette from her fingers.
“Breathe.”
She sat and tried to inhale while tears streamed from her eyes.
He dropped onto the curb beside her.
“All talk,” he said. “Should’ve guessed.” Then he took up her cigarette and smoked it himself.
Quinn stared at him, confused by this sudden intimacy.
“Seriously,” he said suddenly. “What’s with the lurking behind the 7-Eleven last night?”
She shrugged and looked out at the dark parking lot.
“Homeless?” he asked, his voice matter-of-fact.
“No,” she snapped.
“Do those Merrick morons know you’re out here?”
Those “Merrick morons” probably thought she was out with Nick. “What do you care?”
“So that’s a no.” He snorted, blowing smoke. “Not surprised that one of those idiots can’t take care of a girlfriend.”
Like Tyler could? “I bet they’ll be disappointed they don’t live up to your standards.”
His voice turned dark. “They know what I think of them.”
“No kidding.” She held up her arm. “I got a firsthand demonstration, you ass**le.”
He rounded on her so fast that Quinn almost fell back on the step. He was right in her space. “You think you know what you’re talking about? You don’t know shit. You have no idea what they’ve done to me.”
Quinn punched him in the chest, giving him a solid shove.
“Maybe they did, but I never did anything to you. Back off.”
When he didn’t move, she put her face almost against his and reinforced her voice with steel girders. “Back. Off.”
He held her there, probably trying to use his size or his attitude to intimidate her. Like he had anything on her home life.
She stared back at him, waiting.
He finally shifted forward and put the cigarette to his lips again.
“They killed my sister,” he said quietly.
No way was he buying her pity from a sob story she’d already heard. “Nick told me you chased her and Michael into the quarry.”
“He’s a f**king Earth. How the hell do you think that rockslide started?”
She stared into the face of his obvious fury and gave him the only answer she had. “I don’t know. I wasn’t there.”
Tyler seemed to deflate. He crushed out the rest of his cigarette and looked out at the night, rubbing a hand across the back of his head.
Then he looked over. “You hungry?”
Yes. She was starving. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Why?”
“Because I think you’re a psychopath.”
He laughed softly. “I was going to get some taquitos from 7-Eleven. Want some?”
Quinn thought about it. If she said no, it might be hours before she’d get the chance to eat. And what was the difference between smoking with Tyler and eating with him? At least if she was with him, no one was trying to steal her stuff.
“This strip mall belongs to my parents,” he said, taking another long inhale on his cigarette. Smoke curled away from him into the night sky. “And we’ve been having a problem with vandals, so I’ve been hanging out the last few nights.”
“Gee, I’m so sorry for you.”
“You’ve kinda got a chip on your shoulder, huh?”
Yeah, the size of Rhode Island. Quinn flicked ash from the end of her cigarette and didn’t respond. She hadn’t inhaled again, and it was just burning away between her fingers.
“What were you dancing to?” he asked.
The question took her by surprise, but his voice was challenging again, so she fired up the song on her iPod and held out an earbud.
He listened for a long moment, then nodded and handed the cord back. “Nice.”
This was so bizarre. “Glad it meets with your approval.”
“Why were you dancing in the woods?”
“I’m helping a friend get a scholarship.”
“Oh, yeah? Why aren’t you getting a scholarship?”
“I don’t think that’s really any of your business.”
He shrugged and backed up to lean against the steel beam supporting a roof over the walkway. He took another drag and blew out smoke rings. “My sister was a dancer.”
His sister. Nick had told her Tyler’s sister had died in the rock quarry years ago.
“A singer, too,” said Tyler. “She was always on my parents to let her move to New York after graduation.”
Quinn wanted to snap at him, something like, So she couldn’t wait to get away from you, either? But his voice held this odd note that she couldn’t identify. Not quite sadness, but something close. Resignation, maybe. She didn’t want to mock it.
“Full of piss and vinegar,” Tyler said. “She’d probably laugh her ass off to hear you talk to me now.”
“I’d probably like her.”
“Maybe.” He crushed out the end of his cigarette and glanced down at hers, hanging abandoned in her hand. “You going to let that burn away to nothing?”
She quickly took another draw. Too fast. Smoke flooded her lungs and she choked hard, fighting for air.
“Sit,” said Tyler, plucking the cigarette from her fingers.
“Breathe.”
She sat and tried to inhale while tears streamed from her eyes.
He dropped onto the curb beside her.
“All talk,” he said. “Should’ve guessed.” Then he took up her cigarette and smoked it himself.
Quinn stared at him, confused by this sudden intimacy.
“Seriously,” he said suddenly. “What’s with the lurking behind the 7-Eleven last night?”
She shrugged and looked out at the dark parking lot.
“Homeless?” he asked, his voice matter-of-fact.
“No,” she snapped.
“Do those Merrick morons know you’re out here?”
Those “Merrick morons” probably thought she was out with Nick. “What do you care?”
“So that’s a no.” He snorted, blowing smoke. “Not surprised that one of those idiots can’t take care of a girlfriend.”
Like Tyler could? “I bet they’ll be disappointed they don’t live up to your standards.”
His voice turned dark. “They know what I think of them.”
“No kidding.” She held up her arm. “I got a firsthand demonstration, you ass**le.”
He rounded on her so fast that Quinn almost fell back on the step. He was right in her space. “You think you know what you’re talking about? You don’t know shit. You have no idea what they’ve done to me.”
Quinn punched him in the chest, giving him a solid shove.
“Maybe they did, but I never did anything to you. Back off.”
When he didn’t move, she put her face almost against his and reinforced her voice with steel girders. “Back. Off.”
He held her there, probably trying to use his size or his attitude to intimidate her. Like he had anything on her home life.
She stared back at him, waiting.
He finally shifted forward and put the cigarette to his lips again.
“They killed my sister,” he said quietly.
No way was he buying her pity from a sob story she’d already heard. “Nick told me you chased her and Michael into the quarry.”
“He’s a f**king Earth. How the hell do you think that rockslide started?”
She stared into the face of his obvious fury and gave him the only answer she had. “I don’t know. I wasn’t there.”
Tyler seemed to deflate. He crushed out the rest of his cigarette and looked out at the night, rubbing a hand across the back of his head.
Then he looked over. “You hungry?”
Yes. She was starving. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Why?”
“Because I think you’re a psychopath.”
He laughed softly. “I was going to get some taquitos from 7-Eleven. Want some?”
Quinn thought about it. If she said no, it might be hours before she’d get the chance to eat. And what was the difference between smoking with Tyler and eating with him? At least if she was with him, no one was trying to steal her stuff.
