Chapter 9

RPOV

"Hey, Kell'?" Rashel called, glancing at her watch.

"Mmhmm?"

"Don't you have that tutoring-thing with Galen tonight?"

"Mmhmm."

"Shouldn't you go now?"

"Mmhmm."

Rashel rolled her eyes. The only reason Miss Riot was reading was to not look like a fool in front of people – cough, Galen, cough.

"Are you in love with Galen?" Rashel asked, pulling out her phone and setting it to recorder.

"Mmhmm."

Perfect. Blackmail is sweet.

"Then get your ass up and meet him already!"

"What?" Keller snapped, glancing up from her History book.

"Go on, Rebel. Go meet prince charming."

"Rebel? Is that like a new nickname?" Keller asked, amused, "'cause I love it."

"Just get you lazy arse there, Kell'."

"Go with me," Keller pleaded. "I mean, you need help too."

Rashel rolled her eyes, handed Keller the keys and pushed her out.

"See ya! Don't come back until it's at least nine!"

KPOV

"I'm feeling the love, 'Shel!" Keller called, then sighed.

What had she gotten herself into?

The moon was full that night, with only a few cloud floating around. Making it easy for Keller to see the figure walking over to her.

"Quinn?" she blinked.

"Rashel in there?"

"Why?" Keller asked suspiciously. "Do you want her to go into depression? She hates it when I even mention your name! What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you do that?"

"I didn't do it, Keller."

"Yeah, and Lily Redfern is a virgin."

"Well...technically, from what I last heard, she still is."

"Whatever, point is that you're not going in there. Not after what you did," Keller said, glaring at him.

"I need her to believe me, but I need you to believe me too. You're like the sister I never had, Keller. One of the most important people in my life."

The silence was overwhelming.

"Why are you doing this?"

Quinn smiled slightly, "the best things in life are always worth fighting for. Even if it doesn't seem like you can win, you gotta try. Don't forget, Kell'."

Keller stared at him, pondering his words.

"You have somewhere to go," Quinn stated. "Knock 'em dead, Kell'."

QPOV

Ding dong.

"Hold on! I'm coming!"

Through the tinted glass, he could see Rashel hurrying over.

"Can I help you with anythi – oh, it's you," Rashel mumbled, slamming the door shut.

Quinn stuck his foot in front of the door frame before the door closed completely, like in the movies. Except it hurt a lot more in real life.

"Why won't you leave me alone?" Rashel asked, exasperated. "First you ask me out. Then you treat me like a replacement. Then you send Redfern over because you can't bring your ass to tell me you're over me. Now you're back here. What's wrong with you?"

Oh, no. Tears were coming soon. He was sure of it. And like every other guy, tears were his worse phobia.

"I just wanted to...apologize. And to explain."

"Explain what? That you were playing me? How you were playing me? Why you were playing me?"

"Just let me explain. I didn't do it, it was the two – "

"Save it, John Quinn. Just leave, please." Uh oh, tears.

He grabbed her shoulders in panic and shook her – a bit too roughly, he admitted – and whispered, "you're the best goddamned thing to happen to me and I'll be damned if you left without me even trying to fight for you."

GPOV

Aaaaaaargh. That's what James would say.

Yap, yap, yap. Nag, nag, nag. That's what Ash would say.

Please stop. That's what Eric would say.

Oh, for goodness' sake... That's what David would say.

Shut up, lady. That's what Quinn would say.

Leave me alone already. I have my own freedom, you know! That's what Morgead would say.

I demand that you shut up right now. That's what Delos would say.

Thierry would do the same thing Galen had to do: keep quiet while Mr and Mrs Dominick talked about their daughter's life as future Mrs Drache.

Galen felt like being sick.

Even the nice, quiet guy gets mad, sometimes. For Galen, that happens mostly when Mr and Mrs D come over.

Ding dong.

"I'll get it." No way he was gonna sit there and listen to them talk when he had the chance to get away.

"Hi, Galen," Keller murmured in her cool, collected voice. She walked in with a grace that wasn't as delicate as Iliana's, but more like a predator's swiftness.

"Good evening," Galen murmured.

"Who is that, dear?" his mother called from the living room.

"I'd better take you with me," Galen mumbled, smiling sheepishly. "My parents like to meet my friends."

"No problem. They might not like a ruffian like me, though," Keller grinned. "Think they'll kick me out?"

Galen smiled and lead her to the living room, where she was studied by his mother's scrutinizing stare.

"Hello, dear. What's your name?" she asked nicely. Sure, his mother took away all his freedom, made marrying Iliana his duty and make him a loner at heart forever, but she was pretty nice to his friends.

"Keller, ma'am," Keller said in a sugary sweet voice and smiled just as sweetly, which was very un-Keller of her.

"Oh, such a lovely name!" Mrs Dominick gushed. "So modern..."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Hi, Keller!" Iliana chirped brightly, waving from beside her mother. And Keller actually waved back.

"Well, why are you here, girl?" his father, while nice, was very blunt and straight to the point.

"I needed help with my History, and Galen was nice enough to offer to help me, sir."

The politeness was starting to scare Galen. He liked her better for who she was, not this show she was putting on. It was fake...like his life.

"Good for you, girl. Galen's very good with History, aren't you, son?"

Ah, bragging rights. Gotta hate 'em.

"Dad..."

"Alright, then. Use the study, son. And take Iliana with you! The more the merrier."

For the first time since entering the living room, Keller had a real expression on her face. A 'what-the-hell' look, but she quickly composed herself and laughed lightly, "of course, sir."

This was going to be a long night.

RPOV

She stared at him, mouth open, eyes wide, butterflies with upgraded flamethrowers and bazookas in her stomach.

"It was all Lily and Ivan. I swear. I would never do something like that. I wouldn't give you up for the world."

Quinn took a deep breath and continued, "Dove wass sweet, loving, kind, considerate and tame. But you know what?" He continued without waiting for an answer. "She's fake and I...I think I hate her."

Rashel composed her face as best as she could, just staring impassively.

"But most of all, Rashel. She's not you. And guess what?"

She closed her eyes. "What?"

"She sucks for that."

Rashel couldn't help it, she smiled – only slightly, but it was still a smile. It was impossible not to, with Quinn cracking jokes in the middle of something so serious.

"So do you forgive me?"

"What would you do if I said no?" she asked, smiling wider.

"I'll buy you roses everyday, I'll stalk you in deserted alleys, I'll make sure you stay single for the rest of your life and when you're sleeping at night, I'll stare at you like some kind of vampire on your window ledge."

"Oh, the horrors!" Rashel murmured sarcastically – still smiling, though.

"So how about it? Forgive me?"

Rashel pretended to consider it and Quinn growled. "Just kidding! Yeesh! Of course I forgive you."

Quinn smiled happily, "thank you."

But suddenly his face turned serious. "I hope you thought about it thoroughly, Jordan." Rashel raised her eyebrow. Jordan? "You're mine now, forever and ever and ever."

"Wouldn't have it any other way, dear," Rashel said, patting his cheek like she did in the car the other day.

He smiled and hugged her tightly, "thanks for believing in me, Rashel."

If you only cared about the Rashel and Quinn-ship in this FanFict, then this is the last one! But if you're curious about Keller and Galen, it's in the next chappie. So you have a choice here.

Reviews are appreciated. :)

Also, if you still wanna read what I write, tell me what couple you want next and I'll try to do it. If there's more than one person who replies to this, than the couple with the most ... "votes" get written, 'kay?