Page 33 of Scars Like Wings
“No, we never have the time. We mainly play here when we get bored and only really do covers of our favorite songs for the hell of it.”
I furrowed my eyebrows. “Play here? Are you friends with the owners or their kids?”
Quinn ran her hand through her thick curls, fluffing them even more than they already were. Her smirk widened. “Technically, my cousins and I arekind offriends with the owners. As much as you can be friends with my dad, their uncle.”
My jaw dropped. “Oh my god, is thisyourparty?”
She cringed, but her smile remained. “Please donotcall it that. I told Cody this was too much, and I wanted something more lowkey. I hate crowds. I was kinda hoping I could hide away all night without having to deal with the party.”
“Same. Parties suck eggs,” I said and immediately regretted it.Suck eggs? What am I, a teen in the early aughts?
Quinn’s smile only grew. “They do, actually. Theyreallydo.”
I smiled, unsure if she was amused by my nerves or just ignoring it. Either way, I was grateful. “What was the reason for this dreadful party, anyway?”
“It’s meant to be a celebration. For me and the family, in a way.” Quinn ruffled her curls again, her biceps flexing under her shirt in a way I was trying not to notice. “I finally left my ex-girlfriend of too-many years. She was a bitch that no one liked. So, when I decided to leave her—for good, this time—my cousins wanted to party.”
Ex-girlfriend. She had anex-girlfriend. So, she was into girls. I mean, I shouldn’t be surprised. She very much looked like a masculine lesbian right down to her doing that hair ruffle thing that I’ve seen studs do all the time online. But it was never good to assume, or guess, only based on appearances.
But my heart fluttered at the idea thatmaybeI had a chance.
“She must have been horrible for your cousins to want to throwthisbig of a party to celebrate you leaving her.”
“You have no idea. She was terrible. Not just to me, either, but to everyone I loved or liked.” Quinn’s smirk faltered as her eyes grew a little distant. “She just… She wanted me to be how she wanted me to be and hated when I was just, well,me.”
I stepped down a level to get closer to her. I wanted to grab her hand and bring those hazel eyes back to me and away from this ex-girlfriend who would make her feel anything other than herself. Instead, I only stood close enough to reach out. Quinn seemed to appreciate the effort based on the tiny spark in her eyes.
I continued. “If you don’t mind my asking, why were you with her for so long?”
Quinn shrugged. “Boredom, I think. And convenience, maybe? She was there, so I didn’t have to start all over. It’s easier to stick with the devil you know, sometimes.”
I felt there was something more there, something she was leaving unsaid. But I didn’t want to press it. I had a feeling she would tell me if she thought I needed to know. Plus, we hadjustmet. Even as a lesbian, I didn’t want to movethatfast.
“Well, I heard some wise sage once say that the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else,” I joked.
Quinn’s smirk fully returned as she locked eyes with me. Actually, thatsmolderreturned, making my face heat at its intensity. “Are you offering?”
“Oh, I’m not that type of girl, babe. I need romance and to know you aren’t an idiot before you can get into my bed.”
“Well, I love reading Colleen Hoover, watching those sappy Hallmark movies at Christmas, andHow to Lose a Guy in 10 Daysis my favorite rom-com and thebestrom-com of all time. Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, PEMDAS is that order of operations thingy in math, and I know the difference between their, they’re, and there. What do you think now?”
I laughed. “I think that you liking to read books is definitely a plus, you liking to those Hallmark movies is adorably sweet, and you are a girl with taste because that movie is trulyperfection. The other stuff means that you paid attention in school, which definitely shows you aren’t a total dum-dum. Overall, you are definitely taking strides in the right direction.”
“I’m sure I can win you over before thiswretchedparty ends.”
“Is that a challenge, Queenie Quinn? Because I have to warn you. I can be very competitive, and I’m not easily won over by the weak of heart.”
Quinn’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, I love a good challenge because Ialwayswin. And by the end of the night?—”
She stepped into my space, and I could once again feel that pure fire radiating off her and dancing across my skin. She waslike a bonfire. Then she whispered into my ear, warm breath tickling and teasing me. “You will be a winner, too.”
My breath caught in my throat. I smelled her again as she pulled back, smelling just like s’mores and a campfire with a hint of citrus from her hair. Her words flared a fire in me that I felt blazing everywhere. I felt goosebumps prickle along my arms as she stepped back, but I wasn’t sure how much I could blame on the cold she left in her wake.
The girl had the audacity to smile at me as she left me the definition of flustered. “How about I get you a drink?”
All I could do was nod.
I grabbed my empty red solo cup as we exited the music room together. Quinn turned out the lights and closed the door behind us. Without the soundproofing of the music room, I immediately had to readjust to the loudness of the party music once more. It seemed like it had gotten louder somehow. Quinn and I went down the hallway. The same white guy was still being a stereotype, but his mashup of 2000s hip-hop songs and current hits actually wasn’t too bad.