Sparring Partners [18+]

Chapter Ten: Support System

"Daisy?" Sarah's muffled voice called from the other side of my bedroom door. At my silence, she knocked lightly and called my name again.

I'd been in my room for the last twenty hours. As soon as I'd returned from the house yesterday, I'd gone straight to my room and hadn't emerged since. All I had eaten were whatever snacks I had hidden away in one of my cupboards, and all I drank was the water from my bathroom tap. I felt like absolute shit. Until now, Sarah had left me alone.

"Daisy?" Sarah called again through the wood. "Someone's come to see you. They said they're a friend from home? Someone called Quinn?"

I buried myself deeper into the blankets, hiding beneath them as I tried to block out the sound of her voice. I felt like a piece of shit for doing so; I didn't want to ignore her; I didn't want to be rude, but I couldn't find the energy to do anything else but lay here.

"She might be at work, or a class." I heard Sarah lie for me. A second later, I heard another knock on the door. It was firmer and more insistent than before.

"Daisy!" I tensed, heart racing at the deep voice I recognised. Quinn Taylor. "Daisy, come on. Open up."

I somehow dragged myself to my feet, a fluffy blanket wrapped around my shoulders, and the hood of my oversized hoodie cinched tight around my face by the strings, hiding the mess of greasy blonde hair beneath. When I unlocked my bedroom door, opening it just wide enough for me to peek out and make eye contact with Quinn, I heard Sarah utter a quiet sigh, presumably relieved to see me still alive.

"You gonna' open the door any wider?" Quinn asked with an arched brow.

"Wasn't planning on it," I said dryly.

Quinn cracked a smile at me, recognising my joke for what it was, despite the sombre delivery. I swung the door open and turned away to crawl back into bed, allowing Quinn to follow me.

The door clicked shut once again, and Quinn took a seat on the small gap of free space on my desk, amongst the mess of library books, sheets of paper, and art supplies. They'd cut their dark hair since the last time I'd seen them. It looked good, short and slightly curled around their face, and their jawline seemed sharper because of it. As usual, Quinn had dressed in black, in some kind of large, shapeless dress that came halfway down their thighs, black leather trousers, and heeled patent leather boots that were pointed at the end. The only jewellery they wore was a long dangling silver chain earring and a silver nose ring.

I'd missed their unique outfits and blunt personality.

"I heard you came by the house yesterday. A bit offended you left before I could see you, if I'm honest," Quinn said in that tone of theirs that I knew meant they were only half serious. "Heard you also saw Wraith and your brother yesterday, that you've been hanging around Grim and his lot, and that you haven't been to work today. Pretty busy fucking week for you, 'aint it?"

If I'd ever wondered if Jun and the others kept an eye on me, now I was sure. While I had told Jun and Farah all about my run in with my brother, seeing Wraith, and hanging at the gym, I hadn't spoken to them since. The only way they'd know I'd not left the house was if they were watching me.

"Didn't want to go in," I mumbled, wrapping the blanket tighter around my shoulders. I'd emailed my tutor to say I was ill and wasn't coming in today. I'd consequently received at least five messages from one of my co-workers I was friends with throughout the day asking where I was, but I had ignored them all. I'd also received a collection of messages from Roman asking if I was okay.

"That's all you're gonna' say?"

I shrugged. "What more is there to say? Seems like you know everything."