The Middleman | ongoing

22 | what thing

22 | what thing

Song: Trust Nobody by Cashmere Cat ft. Selena Gomez & Tory Lanez

Depicted Above: Diego Barrueco as Quinn Carter

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It was easy to tell Quinn was avoiding me.

Like the plague.

Which was pretty damn insulting.

I'd like to think my presence and company was at least a little better than catching a disease.

But breaking out into a sprint like Sonic the Hedgehog whenever I was in his near vicinity?

Yeah.

Pretty damn obvious. The boy was clearly keeping away.

For the past few weeks, Quinn and I happened to cross paths multiple times. More than I would have expected. But never more than I liked. 

While the boy was so atrociously stubborn to deal with, I had gotten to know more of him.

So how did we go from being like perpendicular lines that intersected the other's path to parallel ones, always near but never close enough to meeting?

Anytime I was close or tried to get close to him and was on his radar, he'd casually speed walk away.

He'd manage to put enough distance between us that I would give up the thought of even pursuing him, procrastinating 'til the next time I met him to get my dress and shoes back from when I had left them at his place.

Was it something I had said?

Something I had done?

I couldn't recall. Sure, when he discussed his job with me at the cafe, he was extremely uncomfortable, but I didn't think I had said or done anything to keep him away like this.

But thinking was a hell of a lot less certain than knowing.

And I wanted to know.

And also get my precious heels and clothes back in the process.

Inhaling a deep breath, I spotted my opportunity waving at me as I saw Quinn near the fine arts hall. Standing there without a clue I was headed for him, I caught up to him with long strides.

Before he could even process this semi-kidnapping about to take place, I grabbed him by the wrist and shoved him into the nearest and vacant practice room.

"What the fuck?" he spluttered as he realized it was I, Leia Kar, that had abducted him and brought him into the practice room. "What the hell is going on?"

Standing right in front of the door to the small room, I crossed my arms in reply.

Let the interrogation begin.

"Move," he directed at me as he went straight for the door, coming closer to me in only a few steps.

Instinctively, I pressed my back to the door harder and my hand reached for the doorknob. Whoever had their hand on the doorknob would be the one who had power in this situation, and that sure as hell would be me.

"Move, Leia," he grumbled as I smacked his hand away, which was aiming to unlock the door, with my free hand.

The practice room was already one of the smaller ones of its kind, but Quinn was even closer to me than I would have imagined.