Chapter Fourteen
Owen
I did not want Quinn to open the door. We were both starving, but I knew once we stepped outside her dorm room, things would change. Inside, we were hidden, it was just the two of us. Inside, there were no other influences on Quinn. It was too hard to see how she was pulled in every direction.
I knew it was because she was young. Not that I was much older, but I had gone through the same thing. The fight between expectations and who I really was. Luckily for me, my family understood. Sienna had not, and that was where we had ended. Severing those ties that pulled in the wrong direction hurt, but it was worth it.
I hated that my intuition was right. As soon as we walked downstairs towards the front doors, Quinn spotted her parents.
"We went to the lab to find you," her father said, "and instead, found out you'd made a big scene and run out. Everyone is worried, and now we find you with him?"
Quinn straightened her shoulders. "I'm quitting the nursing program. What happened today made me realize I have to stop pretending it is a good fit for me."
"Oh, darling, you can't let a little scare stop you," her mother said. "Of course, it was off-putting and, of course, you're a little more sensitive to it than others, but you're strong. You can do this."
"It’s not just what happened when I saw a cadaver," Quinn said. "I've been feeling this for a while, and I'm done forcing myself in the wrong direction."
"What on earth do you know about direction?" her father asked. "You're a spoiled girl who's turned into a lazy college student. You have no direction whatsoever. This program is the only thing keeping you together."
I could see the painful remark hit Quinn hard. "She's keeping herself together and doing an amazing job," I said. "You need to listen to her. It’s her life."
Quinn's father frowned as if I was a bug buzzing. "You really want to be a quitter? All your life you've wanted to flit from one thing to another and it’s gotten you nowhere. Your sister, all of us, tried to push you in the right direction, but it is exhausting."
"Maybe she's tired of being pushed around," I said.
Quinn put a hand on my arm and pushed me back. "I'm quitting the nursing program so I can find my own way. I'm sorry I don't know what that is yet, but I'm trying."
"Is that what you call running off to Vegas to play video games?" her father asked. "Don't think I don't know how many hours you log on that ridiculous game. I bought you that computer for your studies."
I made a mental note to change Quinn's privacy settings right away. I wanted to jump in between her and her father, but all I could do was cross my arms and hope. I hoped she would fight free. She deserved a chance to find her own way.
"Then take the computer," she said. "Stop paying my tuition. Cut me off entirely. That might be the best thing that has ever happened to me."
"Is this his idea?" her mother asked. "Is he convincing you to ruin your life? Oh, Quinn, darling, he is only using you. Can't you see that?"
The anger was too hard to swallow. "I am not using Quinn. I would never stand in the way of anything she wanted to do. I'm supporting her. Maybe you should try it. She's playing a tournament in Vegas this weekend. Watch her play, see how talented she is."
Quinn flashed me a surprised look. We had not discussed the tournament. Then, I saw a gleam in her eyes. It dissipated the worry I felt for her.
"I'm not saying that gaming is my future, either, but I think now is the time to explore my talents," Quinn said. "You always told Sienna she had all the options in the world."
"Because she had always taken advantage of the best ones," her father said. "Sienna never floundered."
"Call it whatever you want, but I'm doing it. It’s my life and I'm going to make my own decisions," Quinn said.
Her father softened his rigid shoulders. He decided to try another tactic. "Fine. If you insist on this ridiculous course of action, you are going to need our support. I will come see this tournament of yours, but only if you come back home with us."
I opened my mouth to protest, but Quinn's father shot me an angry look. He held up his hand as if testifying in front of a court.
"We will not discuss your future plans. We will not put any pressure on you. All I ask is that you come home where we can guarantee you will have some neutral ground to think about all of this on your own."
Quinn's parents glared at me. Clearly, this was all my fault. Dragging Quinn back to their house was the only way to break her free from my influence. "You know their house is never going to be neutral ground," I objected.
"Fine. I will come home. Only if you promise we will not talk about any of this until after the tournament," Quinn said.
I tried to catch her hand, but Quinn's mother opened her arms and hugged her. They started back towards her dorm room to pack. I stood on the steps and flexed my fingers into tight fists. Watching Quinn be sucked back into her old self was too hard to see.
She spun loose and ran back. "We'll meet at your place and drive together to the tournament. Right?" she asked.