Dog Tags

Chapter 57

Quinn's POV

Nick and I pull up into my driveway and he shuts off his car, "Thank you the lovely evening Nick." I open the passenger side car door and step out making sure not to ruin my dress as I head up to the front door. "QUINN!" Nick yells getting out of the car and running behind me, "I was just joking. Why are you upset?" I turn around accidentally slapping Nick in the face with my hair, "Maybe because tonight I realized something that scares the hell out of me." Nick looks at me with a confused look on his face, "Talk to me." Nick says trying to take my hand but I pull away from him,

"Rachel was right when she said that I am nothing more than a cheating, lying,manipulative person." Nick pulls to his chest just in time as I start breaking down in his arms, "Look at me Quinn." Nick says but I shake my head but Nick tilts my head up to look him in his eyes, "You are none of those things Quinn Ariella Callahan. You haven't slept with any guy but Breton, you are not that good of a liar, and I don't think you know how to manipulate people." I wipe away my tears while Nick smile down at me,

"You don't understand Nick, I just now noticed that I can't remember the last time I just thought about Brenton, and I think you are the reason why." Nick looks away from me and down at the ground, "I thought that was what you wanted, to keep your mind off him and all the state of mind it puts you in?" I nod my head as the feeling of guilt overwhelms me, "At first that was true, but now I think that would rather go through the emotions then forgetting about him all together." Nick nods his head without looking up from the ground, "What does that mean for us?" A fresh set of tears fall down my cheek and as Nick raises his head to look at me I think he knows what it means,

"You know what Quinn, I knew that this was a bad idea, I should have never let my guard down with you because you are just like everyone else and in the end, you just toss me aside like yesterday's trash." Nick yells at me snapping at me while I shake my head, "That is not true Nick and you know it." I say trying to get him to look at me but he refuses, "It was nice knowing you Quinn, but I think it is time that I go back to what I know, and that being the arrogant,impulsive, and dark person that I truly I am." Nick looks at me with a disgusted look on face, "I have to thank you Quinn, thank you for reminding me how who I really am." Nick starts walking off but I grab his hand,

"You don't understand Nick, I still want us to be friends, I can't imagine my life without you." Nick rips his hand away has tears fills his eyes, "DON'T YOU GET QUINN! I CAN'T BE JUST FRIENDS WITH YOU BECAUSE I HAVE REAL ROMANTIC FEELINGS FOR YOU, AND I DON'T THINK IT IS FAIR TO ME THAT I HAVE TO KEEP PLAYING SECOND FIDDLE TO SOMEONE WHO ISN'T EVEN HERE!" Nick roars as loud as he can scaring me a little as his blue eyes darken, "Nick you're scaring me." Nick laughs looking like he crazy, "I am not what is scaring you Quinn, what is really scaring you is the fact that you are in love with me and you feel guilty for that." Nick takes deep breaths as his body moves heavily up and down,

"You told me that when you are with me that I make you feel alive, devil-may-care,and hell even a little sexually promiscuous at times. I made you question yourself enough that you finally stopped trying to be prefect and started being the real you." Nick walks up to me until we are only inches apart, "The reason you feel like this is because deep down you don't fully understand what you want your future to look like, you don't know if you want Brenton or you want me there in the end." Nick walks off heading to his car as I stand there feeling like my heart is being ripped into two.

I slowly make my way into the house and slide down the front door, my crying caught the attention of my grandma as she walks into the kitchen and up to me,"My love, why are you crying?" Etta holds out her hands and helps me to my feet and gives me a hug, "My heart feels like it broken grandma and it shouldn't feel that way." Etta tries to sooth me while leading me into the living room and onto the couch, "Does this have anything to do with the young man you went to the party with tonight?" I nod my head unable to talk due to my crying and Etta nods her head, "You fell in love with him, and you finally came to accept it." I look at my grandma in shock while wiping tears from my face,

"How could you have possibly known that grandma? You just met Nick tonight." Grandma places her hand over mine making me feel better a little, "Dear, I have seen this coming over the last couple of months when you thought that you were keeping your friendship with him a secret, and slowly the more time you spent with him the more I could see that you were falling in love him." I can't believe that I didn't see all of this myself. "Every time some mentioned his name you would get the biggest smile on her face, and when he would show up your face would light up like that tree over there, and you just seemed more cheerful and happier since that young man entered your life." I sit there not sure how to explain it other than that somewhere down the line I really did fall in love with Nick.

"But I love Brenton Grandma, and I feel torn between the two of them." Etta nods her head placing her hand on my cheek, "You on own my dear, no one can make this choice for you." I nod my head as I kiss my grandma on her cheek before standing up and head upstairs but I stop a few steps up, "Grandma, can you not tell dad or anyone that we had this talk?" Grandma smiles as she sits down in her chair, "What talk dear? We just talked about the night at the party." I smile at her mouthing thank you before heading to my bedroom to get ready for bed and for work in the afternoon.