Bookmarks & Burnouts

Chapter2

Silas's POV

I f*****g hate this place.

The second I step through the front doors of Sable Creek High, the walls feel like they’re closing in. Too many people. Too much noise. Too many idiots who think looking at me for longer than two seconds is a good idea. I keep my head down and my fists in my pockets so I don’t end up suspended again. d**k made it real clear what happens if I don’t graduate. No diploma, no inheritance. No inheritance, no way out.

So I show up. I sit through the bullshit. I leave.

That’s the deal.

I’m halfway to first period when I see her.

Quinn Keller. Same oversized hoodie, same messy bun, same way of walking, like she’s trying to take up less space than she already does. She slips through the crowd without touching anyone, eyes on the floor. Most people don’t notice her. I notice her every damn time, no matter how hard I try not to.

I look away before she can catch me staring.

By lunch I’m in a worse mood than usual. Red and Joker are already waiting by my locker.

“Library,” I say.

Joker raises both eyebrows. “Come again?”

“We’re eating in the library.”

Red crosses her arms. “Since when do you voluntarily go near books?”

I don’t answer. I just start walking. They fall in behind me the way they always do.

The library is quiet enough that the second we push through the doors I spot her. Back corner table. Apple. Carton of milk. Head bent over a notebook like the rest of the world doesn’t exist. Something in my chest pulls tight and annoyed at the same time.

We take a table on the opposite side of the room. Close enough to see her. Far enough that it doesn’t look obvious.

Joker drops into the chair across from me and grins like an asshole. “So. We just happened to need the library today, huh?”

I give him a flat look. “Shut up.”

“Nah, this is gold.” He leans in, voice dropping into a fake whisper. “Havoc’s got a crush on the quiet girl who looks like she’d jump out a window if you said hi.”

Red rolls her eyes and kicks him under the table. “You’re so f*****g annoying.”

“I’m right though.”

She ignores him and looks at me instead. “If you’re that interested, why don’t you just talk to her instead of making us stalk her during lunch?”

I tear the plastic off my sandwich harder than necessary. “I’m not interested.”

“Sure,” she says, completely unconvinced. “And I’m a f*****g ray of sunshine.”

I don’t answer. I take a bite of the sandwich I don’t want and keep my eyes on the table.

Across the room, Quinn turns a page in her notebook. She never looks up.

Good.

It’s better if she doesn’t.

The rest of the day drags like it always does.

I sit through classes I don’t give a s**t about, ignore the people who stare, and count down the minutes until I can get back on my bike and leave this place behind. Red and Joker stick close, the way they have since we were kids. It’s easier that way. Fewer idiots try something when it’s the three of us.

Last period is Harlan’s class. I take the back corner desk like usual. Red drops into the one beside me. Joker sprawls in the last seat, already looking like he’s two seconds from falling asleep.

Quinn comes in a minute later. Same routine — head down, quiet steps, middle of the room. She sits like she’s trying to disappear into the chair. I tell myself not to watch her. I do it anyway.

Then Sloane Whitmore and her little pack walk in.

I know that look on Sloane’s face. Bored rich girl looking for something to chew on. Her eyes land on Quinn and the smile that spreads across her mouth is pure poison.

“Aww, look. The little charity case is already prepared…”

I don’t catch every word, but I don’t need to. The tone is enough. Brie laughs. Kota leans in with some quiet dig. Quinn doesn’t move. Doesn’t speak. Just stares at the blank page in front of her like it’s the most interesting thing in the world.

My jaw tightens.

I’ve never cared about the social food chain in this school. People can be assholes to each other all day long for all I give a s**t. But something about the way Quinn just takes it — shoulders tight, completely still — makes my hands curl into fists under the desk.

Red notices. She always does.

“Don’t,” she murmurs under her breath.

I don’t answer.

The door bangs open and Mr. Harlan walks in carrying a stack of papers. The room settles. Sloane sits back like she wasn’t just being a b***h. Quinn finally breathes.

Class starts. I half-listen, mostly stare at the clock and try not to keep looking at the middle of the room.

Near the end Harlan sets the papers down and clears his throat.

“All right, listen up. We’re starting a major project next week. It’s worth a significant portion of your final grade, so I suggest you take it seriously. You’ll be working in pairs. I’ll be announcing the partnerships and giving out the full guidelines on Monday. Until then, no questions, no complaints, and no trying to switch partners in advance. Clear?”

A few people groan. Joker mutters something stupid under his breath that makes Red snort.

I don’t react.

Pairs.

Great.

Just what I need — some random person I can’t stand glued to me for weeks while I try not to fail this class and lose everything.

The bell rings. I grab my s**t and stand.

Quinn is already gone by the time I look toward her desk. Fast, quiet, like she couldn’t get out of the room quick enough.

I tell myself I don’t care.

I almost believe it.

I don’t wait around.

I’m out the door and halfway across the parking lot before most people have even cleared the hallway. My bike is exactly where I left it. Black, mean, and the only thing at this school that doesn’t piss me off on sight. I throw a leg over, shove the key in, and the engine growls to life like it’s just as ready to leave as I am.

Red and Joker catch up a few seconds later. Red’s bike is a deep cherry red that matches her hair. Joker’s is a loud, obnoxious matte white thing he refuses to shut up about. They fire up on either side of me without needing to be told where we’re going.

Ironhaven Clubhouse.

Home. Or the closest thing I’ve got to one.

The ride is short and the wind does a decent job of clearing the leftover static from school out of my head. By the time we roll through the gates and kill the engines, my shoulders have dropped a fraction.

Cage is out front talking to one of the older members. He gives us a nod as we walk up. I nod back. That’s about as emotional as we get, and it works just fine for both of us.

Inside, the main room smells like motor oil, old leather, and whatever somebody’s cooking in the kitchen. A couple of the guys are playing cards. Someone’s laughing too loud near the bar. Normal.

Joker immediately starts in.

“So. Partners.” He drops onto one of the worn couches and stretches out like he owns it. “You think Harlan’s gonna stick you with the little library mouse?”

I shoot him a look. “Don’t.”

“What? I’m just saying. You already spend lunch staring at her like she kicked your puppy. Might as well get a grade out of it.”

Red smacks the back of his head as she walks past. “You’re the puppy. Shut up.”

She grabs a water from the mini fridge and tosses one at me. I catch it one-handed and lean against the wall.

“I don’t care who I get paired with,” I say. “I just need the grade.”

Red studies me over the top of her bottle. She doesn’t call me on the bullshit, but the look she gives me says she heard it anyway.

Joker, of course, can’t leave it alone. “Sure, sure. Completely unrelated that you’ve been watching her like a creep for weeks.”

I push off the wall and head for the hallway that leads to the rooms before I do something stupid like throw the water bottle at his face.

“I’m taking a shower,” I call over my shoulder. “Try not to be an i***t for five minutes.”

“No promises!” he yells after me.

I ignore him.

In my room, I toss the water bottle on the dresser and scrub a hand over my face. The project is a problem. A big one. I need that grade. Failing isn’t an option — not with the inheritance sitting just out of reach and d**k waiting for any excuse to keep it from me.

I drop onto the edge of the bed and stare at the scuffed floorboards.

Quinn Keller’s quiet face flashes through my head again. The way she just took Sloane’s s**t without saying a word. The way she disappears into that hoodie like she’s trying to erase herself.

I drag a hand through my hair hard enough that it hurts.

This is going to be a long f*****g week.