DISCLAIMER: This is the final chapter of the βExtra Credit Clubβ series. Reading at least the previous chapter will help you enjoy the finale.
*
Tessa and Nicole walked into the apartment's great room. If I'd been attentive of the twin sisters, I'd have noticed just how worried Tessa looked. Though normally perky and cheerful, something had sapped her of her energy.
Unfortunately, I had other things on my mind, like the pre-pubescent brat screeching in my ear.
"Dave? Hey, Dave?" Tessa asked.
"Would you stop singing into your microphone!" I shouted.
"What?"
"Not you! Them!" I said, pointing to my Xbox 360 headset. "Yes, I know they're coming up the left side! You can stopβ Oh fuck, they justβ! ... I'm dead again."
"Dave, could youβ"
"What was that? Well, excuse me if you're too slow to get away from a simple martyr grenade! Maybe if people would stop teabagging me, I'd remove the perk! You ... oh, that's real original! Does your mother know you talk like that?"
"Daaaaaave," Tessa said, stepping in front of the big LCD screen.
I gave her an exasperated look. "You do know I'm in the middle of something, right?"
"This is important."
I sighed, muting the game and my headset. "Okay. What is it? Please make it quick."
"Well ...it's just that ..."
"I think she's over reacting personally," Nicole said, sitting down on the couch next to me.
"No, I am not!"
"Look, is this going to be a real discussion or an argument about whether or not there's a problem?" I asked. "Right now, I have three guys screaming into my left ear, calling me an African American, a homosexual, and a boy who loves his mother too much. And mind you, they're not doing it in a nice way."
Tessa looked at me with moistening eyes. It was so unfair of her. As annoyed as I wanted to be, her look turned my heart to mush. Give me an angry woman over a teary one any day.
"All right. All right. There. The game's off." I pealed the headset off. "Now what seems to be the problem?"
Tessa brushed a lock of blonde hair out of her eyes. She and Nicole had dressed for an evening out in clothes that showcased their tight, slender bodies. They were identical except for Tessa's glasses. That little detail had saved me from more than a few embarrassing mistakes.
"It's about Quinn," Tessa said.
Nicole rolled her eyes.
"Nicole, stop that! Something's really bothering her. She hasn't gone out with us all week, and she hasn't ... you know ... been joining us afterwards."
"Yeah, I noticed that," I said.
Nicole leaned over and whispered, "Honestly, I needed a break from her. That last time, she worked my butt over so hard I had trouble sitting the morning. But I'm better now, so that means more for you!"
"Uhh ... that's nice ..."
"Come on you two, this is serious! Something's wrong and we need to figure out what it is."
Oh boy. Here we go. Well, I knew this was coming.
And you know the worst part of it? I couldn't do anything about it. Quinn had entrusted her secret to me, and I wasn't about to break that trust. I might play fast and loose with white lies, maybe a little more than I should, but when I give my word I keep it, for better or for worse, and this definitely fell into the "worse" category.
Tessa couldn't be more right. Quinn was leaving. She'd transferred to another college and was moving out by the end of the week, and I couldn't say or do anything to stop it.
But really, why would I want to? With Quinn gone, it would be just me and the twins. That was a pretty sweet deal. Sure, Tessa loved Quinn ... but she'd get over her, right? And Nicole had shown her interest in me plenty of times. Take Quinn out of the picture and our tangled relationship got a whole lot simpler.
And even better, we'd still have a place to crash. Quinn planned to pay for the apartment until we all graduated. She was even leaving her Escalade behind. Pretty generous terms, if I do say so.
I should have been happy. Hell, I should have been giddy with joy. A free place to crash and a pair of sexually super-charged twins all to myself? Does it get much better for a college sophomore like me?
I should have been happy ... but I wasn't.
"You sure something's wrong?" I asked.
"She's in the study with the door locked," Tessa said.
"Yeah, that's a good indication something's wrong."
"Go talk to her."
"Go talkβ what, me?"
"I already tried," Tessa said. "She told me to leave her alone. She wouldn't even open the door. Maybe you'll have better luck."
"Err, okay, I guess." I looked over at Nicole.
Nicole shrugged. "It'll make my sister happy if you try."
I sighed. "Okay, okay. I'll see what I can do. Just don't expect any miracles. If Quinn isn't in a mood to talk to Tessa, there's no way she'll talk to me."
Nicole shrugged again. "If you think so."
I stood up and walked over to the study. It was on the other side of Quinn's spacious apartment, so I was confidently out of earshot. Well, as long as I spoke softly.
I knocked on the door. "Quinn? Hey, Quinn, you in there?"
"What do you want, Dave?"
"Got a minute to talk?"
"I'm not in the mood. Just leave me alone."
I tried the door knob. Locked. "Come on, don't be like this. Tessa's all worried about you. Is it ... something other than ... you know ..."
I waited half a minute.
"Quinn?"
I heard the latch unlock. Quinn opened the door. She didn't look anything like the Quinn I knew.
Well, no that's not quite true. Physically, she looked just the same. She'd pulled her vibrant red hair back in a ponytail, and was lounging around in shorts and a t-shirt. Standard Quinn-working-at-home attire, though the shirt was awfully tight.
After I pried my eyes off her ample chest, I noticed just how different she looked. For one, she didn't make eye contact with me. For someone so completely confident, so always-in-control, she looked ... frail. She'd been crying; her eyes were red. I noticed the trash can next to the computer was full of spent tissues.
The computer was on. I thought I recognized the Travelocity website.
"You okay?" I asked.
"I think you know the answer to that."
"Yeah ... I guess so ..."
"Come on in. Have a seat."
"Sure."
Quinn locked the door and we both sat down.