CHAPTER TWO
–QUINN –
The door of the apartment I share with Aubrielle swings open, and she instantly asks, “Do we have a solution yet?”
I give my best friend a sad smile.“Nothing yet, Bri.”
“Dammit.Maybe we could check with administration, a scholarship, a loan, rob a bank?”Bri growls in frustration and plunks onto the couch next to me.“Your father is an asshole.”
Releasing a deep sigh, I have no other option but to agree.“Yes.”My voice carries a truckload of defeat.
Bri throws her arm around me and leans her head against my shoulder.
After a few minutes I start to unload my frustrations.“I can’t believe he’s doing this.First, he demands I move out of the house, telling me it’s better if I go my own way.Now he demands that I quit my education and refuses to cover the tuition.Which I know he doesn’t pay, it’s my brother who works to get those funds.Then my own father says...and I quote...a woman’s place is at her husband’s side to support him by bearing children and cleaning the house.No man wants a smart woman.”
I’m still seething inside from his crazy outburst over the phone earlier.
“Do you have any clue why he’d have a change of heart?Money problems maybe?”Bri asks.
I pull my shoulders up because I have no freaking clue.“At least I still have two months left to figure it out.”
“We have two months left.You’re not alone, Quinn.We might be able to score a side job to bring in some serious cash.”I know Bri is telling me this in an effort to cheer me up.
Though, I know it’s impossible.“Have you seen me?I’m not the type men pay top dollar for to bang for an hour or two.I’m not some bombshell who can pull off the whole high-class call girl stuff.Hell, I can’t even dance if my life depended on it, so stripping is out of the question as well.”
Bri chuckles.“I was thinking more in the lines of using those fingers of yours along with your brain to program some shit or whatever you do on that laptop.Funny how your mind jumped straight into the gutter to earn money.”
We stare at each other for a few heartbeats before breaking out in laughter.My mind must still be roaming around in the gutter because I instantly think about Fiero Reaux.This private college carries his name because he owns the business.
Seeing him hurt the man who first blocked his limousine, and then apparently wouldn’t take no for an answer when Fiero dismissed him.The guy put his hand on him and Fiero moved extremely quickly, grabbing the knife hidden in his belt and lashing out with it.
My father is a former MMA champion.He owns a gym and organizes fights.He’s taught Micah, my brother, how to fight.My father never taught me or treated me the same way he treats Micah.Maybe it’s because I’m not a boy or have never shown interest in training and fighting.At least my brother treats me differently and he did teach me the basics, which he said could come in handy if I needed to defend myself.
It’s probably why I always observe how people move, it says a lot about a person.The smoothness and expertise Fiero used shows he’s well trained.When he pressed the small knife to the other man’s throat I caught a glimpse of tattoos underneath the sleeve of his suit jacket.The way he spoke to me, his calculating words and gaze?He’s a predator.
“Are you downloading a plan into your brain to hit execute or something?”Bri questions, and I realize she’s staring at me while I was having a silent conversation with myself.
“Sorry,” I mutter.“I was just thinking things through.”
“That’s what I said.”Bri chuckles and then releases a deep sigh.“Like you said, we still have two months to figure it out.I might be able to ask my brother to help out with a loan or something.You’re smart and talented, Quinn.You have one year left and then you’ll have a bachelor's degree that guarantees a great job.It will allow you to pay the money back in no time at all.I’m gonna ask around and we’ll find a solution.”
I bob my head and yet I don’t feel as confident with hoping for things to fall in place as she does.Bri always sees the good while I focus on everything that might go wrong.In my situation?I don’t see any options unless I can create a miracle.I have been working on an app I could try to sell, but it’s nowhere near finished.
