Disclaimer: I still don't own PCA or Zoey 101 just playing around in them.
Quinn paced restlessly across the room , scrambling to calm herself from the stress and the frustration of being in a secret relationship had began to take heavily a toll on her nerves .
Her ring -Logan's PCA ring was still tucked away from prying eyes should her roommates decide they would want to pry into her personal business .
Or borrow a blouse , as the case might be .
She glanced down at her bare finger , and a soft sigh of sadness escaped her sparing a glance towards its hiding spot, tempting herself.
. She felt bereft without the ring and it had barely been an hour .
Snap out of it , Pensky ! You have more patience and willpower than this !
Quinn told herself she was just erring on the side of caution or else all of their friends would soon find out about her and Logan . She wasn't ready for the judgment from them just yet and oh God, the expression on Logan's face when she had outlined her new plan just cut through to her , making her feel like a terrible girlfriend .
Logan had looked so hurt .
Her poor sweet guy , her Logan !
Once he got over his little temper , he would understand it was just more protection for their relationship . They had just been so carried away with their feelings for each other and now Lisa knew …..Quinn grabbed her cell phone and quickly typed out a message for Logan . She didn't want for them to fight over something silly like this .
If only she could find the strength and the nerve, even some moxie to tell Logan how she felt about him , it would make it easier .
Saying the words to Mark had been easy but then theirs had been a first love .
Her relationship with Logan was so much deeper and so much more real it scared her in ways that she had never thought would be terrifying .
" Yo yo ," Lola swept in the room, tossing her bag on the floor ," I just had the best nap of my life …with my boyfriend ." She grinned , flipping her dark hair over her shoulder and surveyed her best friend ," Vince and I took a nap together , it was so romantic ."
" Nap ," Quinn arched a brow , intrigued ," as in actual sleeping or is this code for something sexy happening between you two ?"
" Nah , no code though that is a really good idea ," said Lola, opening a grape Blix and plopping down on the couch , as she noticed that Quinn hadn't bothered to change her clothes from their movie night ," what have you been doing ? Why are you still wearing Logan's jersey ? I hope you didn't walk around campus or people might get ideas and talk since I'm pretty sure none of those skanky girls he went out with ever got to wear that yet here you are in the shirt ."
Quinn bit the inside of her lip, feeling irritation mix with her already fraying nerves .
" It's a comfortable jersey ," says Quinn, trying to let it go ," I'll give it back to Logan when I see him ..for our study date . Anyway , why would people talk ..I mean, about me wearing this shirt ? It's just a cotton jersey and it was generous of Logan to loan it to me when he could just have easily let me freeze .."
Lola took a drink and flipped on the small TV, looking for some Girly Cow or some mindless romance movie and made a face at her best friend .
Quinn was getting really extra sensitive lately and it was bugging her .
" Probably so he can brag about how even a science geek like you wants him too ' answered Lola ," you know how huge his ego is , Quinn . I know you guys are friendlier or whatever but Logan is still Logan and I wouldn't trust him that much ."
Quinn's center went straight out the window and she crossed her arms over her chest and fixed Lola with an icy stare .
Why wouldn't Lola listen to her ? God, the girl could be dense sometimes !
" Will you stop bashing on Logan when he isn't here to defend himself ," burst out Quinn, playing with her zap watch ," he isn't the same guy that he used to be and honestly I don't know how you cant see that he has changed . I can see it quite clearly ! "
Lola blinked, confused . First Vince and now Quinn, couldn't she have any peace ?
Maybe she should have just hung out in his room all day because she wasn't in the mood to fight with Quinn when she was in her crazy Quinn mode .
" Oh come on, you hate Logan ," dismissed Lola , " you call him stupid way more than me and Zoey ever do . It just doesn't feel right if I go through a day without picking on stupid Logan Reese for entertainment even though I think Vince is getting a tiny bit tired of it . He's a guy though so he isn't supposed to understand ."
" Only when he annoys me and he isn't really stupid " snapped Quinn, playing with her fingers and trying to remind herself that arguing about her boyfriend with her best friend wasn't feasible .
" Oh God " Lola rolled her eyes , bored ," don't tell me Logan has got to you with all of his fake charm ? Quinn , you are supposed to be smarter than that …way smarter ."
Annoyance flickered briefly in Quinn's eyes and she pursed her lips , not wanting to go in the direction that Lola was aiming .but her friend knew how to push the buttons .
Not that Lola even had the slightest clue about her relationship with Logan even though she had dropped giant anvil size clues recently .
" Just what exactly are you suggesting , Lola ? Are you insulting my intelligence or Logan 's charm ? You know he is supposed to be your friend too but do you ever acknowledge the nice things he has done ? Have you ?"
" I'm not suggesting anything ," Lola bounded up, getting her anger on ," why are you getting so worked up over this ? It's just Logan …God, Quinn, I think you really need to date again like pronto too ."
Quinn was too tense , you could practically see the tension washing over her in waves .
Add in some normal stress and how serious her friend was pretty much everyday and it all added up to Quinn having a mental breakdown soon .
Lola was afraid that breakdown might be happening now.
" My dating or the status of my non-existent love life ," Quinn tripped over the lie and felt it burn with shame . It was getting much more difficult to carry the lies and the secrecies ," has nothing to do with this conversation , Lola , nor is it anyone's business ."
She pushed her dark curls over her shoulder ." Would it be so horrible …you know what, I cant believe I almost went there with you so I will not ."
Quinn needed to leave the room before she got angrier herself and accidentally spilled the beans herself about her and Logan ., which she so didn't want to do. She was still so whipped up about her talk and almost fight with Logan , she was clearly taking it out on Lola which she didn't want to continue doing either .
" Are you being serious ? Is this a joke ? "
" Would it make a difference if I was serious ? Never mind , I'm going for a walk " Quinn ignored the confusion across Lola's face and left the dorm , wandering into the hall as Zoey came around the corner sending her a puzzled look ," hi Zoey ."
" Hi ," Zoey stopped , noting that Quinn clearly looked upset ," why are you and Lola fighting ? You were loud , we could all hear you out here ."
Quinn sucked in her cheeks and blew out a breath ." Lola doesn't ever listen to me ," sighed Quinn, quietly ," I don't think I slept very well , you know, at the guys movie night and I'm not in the mood for her Logan hate bash fest , I guess . I'm going to go for a walk or maybe I'll just go work in the science lab for a bit …"
Quinn knew she needed to shake this mood and work always helped with that . If she just centered al of her concentration on a project at hand she would get her focus back instead of acting like a silly , love struck schoolgirl who couldn't even share her thoughts and feelings with her best friend . She and Lola needed to work more on their communication skills and perhaps honesty and being judgmental as well .
It had never been an issue before but then they were older and more mature now .
Not wanting to get stuck with Zoey going into her fix it mode, the scientist strolled away .
" Hmm "
Zoey was used to the randomness of the scientist and actress fighting off and on but this felt different than the usual with the girls . She didn't think it had anything to do with Quinn's latest project or Lola's melodramatic moments .
" Why didn't you stop Quinn ? I swear, I wish I knew what is up with the girl ! "
Zoey sat her backpack in the corner of the room , plopped down on the edge of her bed and fixed the brunette with a cool stare that usually prompted a response .
" We as in this entire floor heard you two fighting so this begs me to ask why ?"
" Don't look at me ," Lola handed her a Blix and crossed her legs , blowing out a deep breath ," Quinn started the fight with me . She got all bent out of shape because I was teasing her about still having on Logan's shirt and she accused me of being a horrible friend because I supposedly hate on him all the time ."
She let out a snort ." This from the girl who fights with Logan like three times a week ! "
" Quinn and Logan do seem a lot more friendlier since the whole tutoring thing ," admitted Zoey, logically ," and you do pick on Logan a lot lately , Lola ."
" Hey , you cant jump on that either , Zoey, because you do it just as much as I do "
Zoey couldn't argue with that . " Logan's an easy target I guess," said Zoey ," but to be fair , we have always picked on each other since I came to PCA in the 8th grade . "
Lola wished she had some doodle cakes because it felt like everyone she cared about was beating up on her over stupid Logan and she couldn't escape that it bothered her .
She usually just let things like this bounce off of her but not this , it bugged her a lot
She and Quinn didn't keep secrets from each other , they talked about what was going on in their lives .
Except for now it seemed .
" Vince is aggravated at me because of how I cant get along with Logan ," Lola made air quotations with her fingers," I think all that male bonding has gone to his head . I still cant get over that my boyfriends best friend is Logan Reese , of all people ."
" You should probably work on getting over it ," advised Zoey, smartly ," you cant tell your boyfriend who he can and cant be friends with ."
Lola rolled her eyes upwards ." I wouldn't …besides I guess Logan is kind of a friend ."
Zoey was forced to reevaluate their current situation otherwise she had the distinct impression that things were only going to get worse between her roommates .not to mention that she was probably just as guilty as Lola when it came to the Logan thing .
" He is our friend ," admitted a wry Zoey, thinking back to numerous events in her life ," he can be stupid and obnoxious but he has done a lot of nice things for us , like inviting all of us to spend spring break at his families mansion ."
That had been the best spring break ever staying at his fancy summer home, the glitzy bedrooms, the delicious feasts , the hot tub, Gender Defenders and free techmates .
" That was cool ," agreed Lola ," and he did pay for the Loganator robot for us ."
" Not to mention the time he took a beating from Chuck Javers to defend me at wrestling which was a sweet thing to do so I guess we haven't been very fair to him lately "
" Maybe not but it still doesn't explain why it made Quinn so freaked out mad about it " said Lola ," and I still refuse to believe that she could be into Logan in a romantic sense . I know Quinn and she wouldn't date a jerk like him if he was the last cute guy here ….."
Zoey bit her lip and deliberated on chiming in to give them another way of looking at things . Things had been on the strange side with Quinn's behavior lately and this just took the cake .
" I don't think so either ," voiced Zoey with a low sigh in her throat ," or maybe we're over thinking it too much. God, I cant believe I am about to admit this but here I go..there was a time , it was a long time ago when I sort of did like Logan in the romantic like way ..so I guess it could maybe happen to Quinn."
Lola just gaped at her , eyes rapidly blinking ." No ! You did not ! When ? How are you just now telling me about this ? "
" I'm not proud of it ," confessed Zoey, honestly ," It was way back in the eighth grade and I auditioned for the lead role in Chase's play . I was playing Zorca and Chase was supposed to play the lifeguard but Logan was so amazing he got the part and ..and I thought I saw this other side of Logan who was actually kind of sweet ."
Lola grabbed a pillow off of the couch and tossed it at her friend as if to shake her .
" EW ! That jerk isn't sweet , that makes me want to vomit ! How could you think that ? Did anything ever happen between you two ?"
" No, nothing happened because I saw Logan for the jerk that he was ," went on Zoey , throwing the pillow back at her friend in retalitiation ," it was a crush that lasted not even a week . Or how about that time last year when Chase and all of you thought that Logan and I were secretly dating ?"
" Well we still did think it was disgusting but it made sense at the time ," interjected Lola , growing thoughtful," okay since we're sharing , you have to promise you cant repeat this to anyone . Not Quinn, not James, not Michael and I mean, no one , Zo ."
She twisted her bracelets around her wrist . " When I first came here , I did think that Logan was good looking ," muttered Lola, wincing at every word ," as girls its natural for us to admit within this room that he is one of the best looking guys at PCA . I..I might have considered dating him ..I did think about it for a while until I realized what a pig he is which is why I never did do more than think it ."
" Oh my God , Lola , when was this ? Before or after you went for Chase ?"
" Man, that Chase thing still drives you nuts ," brought up Lola , as Zoey joined her on the couch ," and I don't know , maybe it was after , but there were no real feelings . It wasn't even quite a crush thing ..it was a thing I thought about which might be why I enjoy picking on the moron like I do ."
" That is big, Lola ," Zoey punched her lightly ," so you still don't have a little thing for him now ?"
Lola stuck her finger in her throat and made gagging sounds . " That is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard ," swore Lola, vehemently ," no . Not to mention that I am in love with Vince and even if I wasn't , it is still no ."
" Which explains why we love to razz Logan but it doesn't help us solve the mystery that is Quinn ," summed up Zoey ," I know they say opposites attract but those two couldn't date for an hour without breaking up and murdering one another . I guess the obvious would be that with her tutoring him all the time , they actually became friends ."
" Good friends I guess or Quinn wouldn't defend his stupidness like she does "
" So we'll just lay off ripping on Logan ," suggested Zoey, wanting to keep the peace and be a good friend ," and maybe if we don't harp on Quinn, she'll feel like she can tell us who she is dating . I know she is dating someone …..she's too happy ."
" Me too ," agreed Lola, determined to be a follow in Zoey's example ," I think whoever the guy is he is on the football team because I just don't believe that Quinn goes out to the field just to cheer on Michael and Logan . She's hated football since I've known her ."
" True ," replied Zoey ," so we just have to be better friends and not push her ."
" I hope Quinn tells us soon ," declared Lola ," because I cant stand this not knowing ."
Logan didn't know what to do and he couldn't stand it so he plopped down outside on the bench that he considered his and Quinn's to think about things . He didn't like fighting with Quinn for real-they did enough fake fighting throughout the week- that he didn't want to waste any of their precious time together fighting .
Even if it was all sexy and a turn on .
He knew what Quinn had said was all true but he was getting sick and tired of hiding their relationship from their friends, most of all .
Yeah, he knew the prospect of abuse could be bad , but his desire and need to be with her all the time was over-riding all of the other crap . He and Quinn were strong ..neither of them were wimpy people, and they could handle anything together .
Three months was huge for him .
He gave up his black book , all the other girls for Quinn , didn't she realize that ?
Hell, he didn't even mind that Lisa knew because he had to catch himself from telling Michael the truth a couple times a day himself .
" Dude, I have been looking all over campus for you ," announced Vince , blocking his sunlight ," why aren't you answering your phone ?"
Logan looked up at his friend and nodded ." Sorry , man, I've been texting Quinn," admitted a glum Logan ," I think we might have had our first fight , I'm not sure and I really don't like it . She took off my ring …said we're being to reckless or whatever ."
" Did she break up with you ?"
Logan looked like he could have hit him for suggesting it ." No, she didn't break up with me ," snapped Logan, on the edge ," Quinn thinks its better if we see each other less so everyone wont get suspicious about us since I guess Lisa knows about us now . Between my sports and Quinn's science, we work hard to make time to spend together, Vince , and now she expects us to ..I don't know …hardly spend time together ."
" Wait , Lisa figured you two out ," Vince couldn't believe the amount of relief that coursed through his body ," finally ! I knew she was smart ! You know I was coming here to tell you to just confront Quinn and put it all out there among our little group because I don't know how much longer I can handle not cracking and confessing all to my girlfriend . Lola is driving me insane about you two and the bad thing is she hasn't a single clue ! It's killing me ! "
" Yeah, Quinn said she put two and two together ," said Logan , his mind still weighing on his relationship ," I've been texting her since I told her I wanted to tell you guys but she isn't answering me back. I don't know why she isn't answering me back yet …she's either still mad at me or maybe she thinks we need space ."
Space was never a good thing .
Logan wasn't an expert on love by any means but he knew from experience that whenever his dad wanted space from one of the current women in his life, it generally signaled the end of their relationship .
God, what if Quinn wanted space ?
What if she was changing her mind about being with him ?
What if she realized he wasn't good enough for her ?
Logan dragged his hands through his curls and tried to steady his panic and felt like his heart was trapped somewhere between his chest and the ground . He loved Quinn so much even though he couldn't tell her yet but the idea of her needing time apart from him ripped through him in the worst possible ways .
He couldn't lose her , he wouldn't lose her !
" Dude , be firm with Lola ," tossed out Logan , distracted and trying to figure out how he could fix the damage between him and his girlfriend ," be the man, be in control . "
Vince stared unbelieving at his friend ." You have met my girlfriend . Haven't you ?"
" Yeah, that's why I'm not dating Lola and you are , man ," told Logan, matter of fact ," maybe you should just tell her you love her . Bet she would forget about me and Quinn all together if you just told her ….."
" Yeah, I'll tell Lola when you tell Quinn ," tossed back Vince ," loook much as I feel the need to yell at you , Logan, I can't kick you when your down like this . Maybe you need to give Quinn a little bit of time to herself and then go talk to her …it could be all the stress of the hiding and the secret is taking its toll on her ."
Logan considered this and brightened , considerably . " You are right , Vince ! Quinn does get stressed out really easily …and who knows what Lisa said to her to freak her out . Quinn did say she cares about me ! I know exactly what I'm gonna do now ."
" Take pity on your friend and throw me a bone " mocked Vince , not kidding .
" I'll see what I can do " added Logan, pulling out his phone to dial his assistant but as luck would have it , the eighth grader happened to be passing by the quad ," Dustin , come here , for a minute ! "
Dustin looked at his friend , jack, shrugged , and veered over to where Logan and Vince were hanging out , talking .
" Hey guys "
" Dustin, you want to make some extra money ? " asked Logan , an idea already forming in his mind . It was at times like these he was glad he had Dustin who was willing to do whatever he asked of him without being too annoying .
The kid was going to grow up to be one hell of an assistant one of these days .
" Sure ," perked up Dustin, immediately ," what do you want me to do ?"
" Go to the florist on campus ," decided Logan , thinking of what simple things he knew would delight Quinn," I want the prettiest bouquet of red tulips they have ."
Dustin frowned ." Not roses ? "
" No, red tulips and bring them to me ," Logan handed him a hundred dollar bill," keep the change . I'll text you later and tell you where to bring them to me and don't tell anybody about this , Dustin . Got it ?"
Dustin stared at the hundred dollar bill in awe . Logan was generous but this was the most he had ever paid him for a errand before .
He had been happy to carry a box back to Maxwell Hall for fifty bucks .
" Sure but who are the flowers for ?" asked a curious Dustin .
" That isn't any of your business , just go get the flowers and make sure they are the best " ordered Logan , " keep your mouth shut and that means don't tell your sister either ."
" Whatever " dismissed Dustin , easily enough ," thanks, Logan , this is great . I can take Jessica out on a real date now with the extra cash .."
" Sure , just go …." urged Logan as the younger Brooks headed towards the campus florist as Vince turned to look dubiously at his friends .
" Red tulips ? Your saying it with flowers , I am assuming "
" Tulips are Quinn's favorite ," explained Logan, " she says it's a happy flower and that is why she loves them . Red tulips mean love just like the red rose does ..I looked it up so this way I'm like saying it without saying it ."
" I'm thinking she'd probably like the words more but she'll love the flowers ," considered a pensive Vince," maybe I should buy Lola flowers too ."
" You want me to call Dustin back ," offered a helpful Logan ," the kid could probably use the extra cash for his date . He'd probably be happy if you like tossed him five bucks ..I've got him going to the flower shop anyhow ."
" No, I need to find out what Lola's favorite flower is first " said Vince , clamping a hand on his shoulder ," and I might go hunt Lisa down to vent about this insaneness of the secret ."
" If she isn't on my side , put in a good word for me " urged Logan ," I'm going to grab a shower and change before I meet up with Quinn ."
" You and Quinn will be fine " stated Vince , knowingly and took off in the opposite direction as his friend . Maybe he and Lisa could put their heads together and come up with a plan to help their friends realize it wouldn't be as horrible as they believed if they came out in the open and just admitted they were dating and a couple .
Logan was heading to grab a Blix when his cell went off and he noticed a text from Quinn and uttered a sigh of relief .
I'm sorry I caught you off guard . I almost lost your ring then I found it then the whole thing with Lisa . I was trying to be practical . You know I care about you, Logan. I don't want to fight -Quinn
He took a moment to let the feeling of relief wash over him .
He and Quinn were still good and the flowers would just show her he cared too .
" Logan , oh Logan " called Stacey Dillsen , recognizing the jocks familiar build , those muscular arms and copper curls a mile away as she jogged to catch up with him .
She had been in love with him since forever and had her mind set that one day she would become Mrs. Stacey Reese , once she convinced him of that .
Logan rolled his eyes and cursed his bad luck. Stacey was a nice girl and her massive crush on him was good for his ego but the cotton swab nutcase drove him nuts .
He turned around and pasted a semi-smile across his face and nodded at the girl .
" Hey , what do you want , Dillsen ?" asked Logan , coolly .
Stacey brightened from his attention . " I just wanted to say that I watched you playing golf and you are looking really good out there . Awfully hot and spicy, Logan ."
" Uh, thanks ," muttered Logan ,hands on his hips ," it was just a pick up game to practice before our game against Norkin . "
" I'll sign up to go watch " said an enthusiastic Stacey , smiling , brightly .
" Whatever , I need to go now " Logan high-tailed it back into Maxwell Hall , planning and scheming on how to make giving Quinn flowers romantic and work on opening her mind more to the idea of them coming clean about their relationship .
As far as he was concerned , he wanted the world to know he was with Quinn .
********************************PCA************************************
Lisa sat cross legged on the floor in her room , slowing down her breathing , eyes closed , letting the calmness wash over her , clearing her mind of the daily stress as a teenager and a student ease away .
She shouldn't have made an issue about the intimacy between her and Michael .
She loved him to death but it seemed they were in some sort of holding pattern and he seemed to be working overtime to make sure they didn't wind up in a rut .
Lisa rolled her neck and let out a breath as Vince rapped lightly on her door .
" Lisa, you got a minute to talk ?" Vince poked his head in the door and frowned when he noticed she was in the middle of yoga ," and I've interrupted your yoga . Sorry about that …we can talk another time ."
Lisa shrugged , rolled her shoulders and stood ." I couldn't focus anyway ," said an amiable Lisa , motioning him inside her room and closing the door ," what brings you to my dorm on this Saturday ? Are you going to prank my boyfriend and want my help ?"
" I've never thought about pranking Michael and probably shouldn't " said Vince , thinning his lips ,"actually I wanted to welcome you to the Quinn and Logan are dating crazy club . I'm the sole member here at PCA …Chase Matthews would be the president and you are now a charter member ."
He managed a relieved sigh and sat down on the couch ." Logan told me you knew so I ran right over to warn you what you are now getting yourself into because keeping this secret isn't for the weak. For being brilliant and all , Quinn and Logan's whole plan mainly consists of their stupid fighting all of the time and then running off at all hours so they can be together . Also neither Quinn or Logan can lie to save a life ."
Lisa wrinkled her nose and settled on the edge of the bed . Quinn hadn't informed her that anyone else knew about the relationship and this seemed to be interesting .
She also had never seen Vince this animated about anything since she met him .
" How did you figure it out ? I never would have thought anything about those two if I hadn't woken up to find Quinn all snuggled up to Logan and him holding her really close " admitted Lisa ," and Quinn was wearing his PCA ring . Big give away ."
" How can you not notice them ? " responded Vince, happy to finally get everything off his chest . If Lisa hadn't found the couple out he would have called Chase next ." all the fighting in the world doesn't amount to a hill of beans when Quinn and Logan look at each other as if they are the only people in a room together ."
" It is weird but Quinn told me that she is in love with him ," sighed Lisa, ever the romantic ," I believe her , too ."
" I can do you one better , Logan is so in love with Quinn he cant see straight "
" Quinn swore me to secrecy ," added Lisa as an afterthought ," I understand that they are afraid of what kids will say if they tell people they are dating but if they love each other it shouldn't matter ."
" Oh that would be too easy , " groaned Vince ," they haven't even told each other yet ."
" So how again is keeping their secret crazy , Vince ?"
" It just is because Quinn wont tell Lola or Zoey she's off with Logan and I have to listen to my girlfriend carry on for hours worrying about the guy Quinn refuses to tell her about ," went on Vince in elaborate detail ," and your boyfriend likes to push Logan's buttons about girls . I'm just waiting until he decides to push the issue on why Logan Reese hasn't been dating in his usual rich boy ways and demand to see this girl he is changing for ….."
Lisa walked over to her cabinet and pulled out a couple Bing Bongs and Doodle cakes and placed them between the space on the couch and handed him the chocolate .
" Vince , your going to give yourself an ulcer ," said a kind Lisa , opening the Doodle cake for herself . One couldn't hurt her diet too bad ," you can relax now and reassure me that Logan wont break Quinn's heart ."
Quinn walked briskly out of Fulton Hall crossing across the campus towards her and Logan's special spot behind the admin building and berated herself for the lack of willpower she had when it came to Logan .
Granted he was equally without it as well which made her feel a little better .
It would be better once they cleared the air and agreed on her new plan without the misunderstandings and the hurt feelings .
" Hey Quinn " called out Dustin, waving at his sisters friend as he made his way back to his own dorm, pocketing the extra money he had made from Logan .
Her smile was bright ." Oh hi Dustin "
He nodded in acknowledgment as Quinn veered into the alcove of trees , tall grasses and a oversized rock where three months ago they had decided they were officially dating .
" Hi beautiful " beamed Logan , holding a bouquet of lush red tulips in his arms .
Quinn couldn't help the delight that came over her from his sweet gesture and felt herself melting like goo .
" Logan, you bought me flowers " sighed Quinn, happily as she took the flowers , burying her face in their sweetness and inhaling the soft scent ," I love them ."
She wanted to add 'And I love you " but couldn't .
He moved the flowers from her to the rock and took her in his arms as his mouth covered hers , taking it in a possessive kiss that took her in and under, and all coherent thought flew from her mind as Quinn wound her arms around his neck, clinging to him , weak .
His kiss , his touch stated 'Mine ' and Quinn conceded easily to him .
Logan 's hands moved over her waist , down her arms then pressing his forehead against hers, gentled the kiss and felt tears against her lashes as he stared at her , confused .
" Baby, what's the matter ?" Concern etched his voice as he brushed the tear away ," Quinn, did I do something ? Talk to me ….please ."
" I'm sorry we fought over hiding us ," gulped Quinn, feeling silly and foolish all at once ," I was so freaking out when I thought I lost your ring , Logan, and then when Lisa said she knew we were together . I don't really want to spend less time with you but I never wanted to..you have to know I would never want to ..I didn't want to hurt your feelings. I was trying to protect us …..I am so stressed out and you are being too sweet ."
Quinn buried her face in the crook of his neck, loving the rugged , spicy scent of his cologne and the warmth and the strength in which he held her against his chest .
Who knew one kiss could set off sparks, fuel the attraction, and tumble into love .
There were so many facets to Logan besides the obvious and with every new discovery , Quinn found herself falling deeper and deeper in love with this complex man .
Chemistry was simple but love was so much more complicated .
" We're both under the same stress, baby ," Logan brushed a palm gently over her cheek and watched her brown eyes go soft on him," guess it makes sense we'd be feeling it . We've been together a while now , Quinn, and I feel really good about us ."
There was a tiny panicky moment in his chest but he ignored it because everything was better because of Quinn . He thought at some point he would regret throwing away his black book but then Logan remembered how lonely he had been with all the chicks who were only into him for his name and his money and knew he wouldn't ever go back .
He and Quinn had something real, something special between them .
Quinn closed her eyes and leaned into him . " I hate lying to Lola and Zoey all of the time too but they aren't ready to hear about us either ."
" I don't want to wait forever to tell our friends we're a couple," confessed Logan, twining their fingers together ," those idiots might never be ready . "
Quinn nestled closer to him, listening to the steady beat of his heart against her ear and found it comforting . She knew he had a point but it didn't make it less worrisome .
Even if the whole school abused them daily that was one thing but if their friends couldn't understand or be happy for them then how could they sustain their relationship ?
" Just a little bit longer , Logan ," murmured Quinn, softly ," then we can tell them about us and face the consequences ."
" Unless Vince has a heart attack and exposes us first "
Quinn turned and stared at him ." Logan , he wouldn't ! "
" Vince is a cool dude and my bud ," explain Logan , tracing his name on her wrist ," but our secret is killing him. He's threatened me a lot and apparently Lola wont shut up with him about you and me ..except the fact she doesn't know we're a me . He's in bad shape ."
Quinn kissed the underside of his jaw ." Poor Vince ."
" Babe , it took something out of me when you told me you couldn't wear my ring ," admitted a vulnerable Logan , weary ," you know I've never given any girl jewelry before and I like you wearing it . It's like a symbol of me and you ."
" Which I love ," soothed Quinn, meeting his gaze with her own ," and is what gave us away to Lisa . Sweetie , I am just trying to be more practical and I've hardly taken off your ring since you gave it to me , I don't like being without it either ."
" Your still afraid Zoey or Lola will notice it ?" Logan tucked a brown curl behind her ear .
" They both love jewelry and I have sometimes forgotten to take it off before I go to bed " says Quinn , pushing her glasses back on the bridge of her nose ," I'm not saying I want us to hide forever . That is the last thing I want, I just need a little more time ."
" Still ashamed to be with me , eh ?"
" Oh Logan, not at all " murmured Quinn, meaning it as his lips captured hers in a shimmering, dazzling kiss that was passion and love rolled seamlessly into one .
Night had fallen across the PCA campus , a sliver of moon and a sprinkling of stars met Stacey Dillsen as she made her way across the quad from the library , taking a moment to appreciate the stillness of the night .
The quad was empty and quiet , a light night breeze caught an empty Blix bottle and sent it rolling across the sidewalk , reminding her that she led a lonely existence .
Saturdays should be spent hanging out watching movies in the lounge with friends or doing couples type dates with that special someone .
Her special someone was Logan Reese but he had yet to fall under her spell but that could be rectified . She was patient and eventually one day he would actually notice her and they would live happily ever after .
" Mrs. . Stacey Reese "
Lost in her musings , Stacey bumped into a chair, dropping her purse and as she bent to pick it up, arms tightened around her waist , startling her and making the air around her suddenly heavy with foreboding .
She gulped in the air , tried to turn her head to look but only caught a glimpse of a dark colored ski mask and shuddered out a uneasy laugh.
" Uh, I think you got the wrong girl ," managed Stacey, a frission of fear snaking up her spine as a hand came up to cup her face and squeeze ," I don't know who you are but it's a little too late for pranks and I would appreciate if you would let me go ."
His breath was hot against her face as he yanked her shirt upwards, grasping the soft skin beneath and felt her gasp as the reality of the situation became clear to her .
She wasn't the most attractive but she was all the same as the others so she would do just fine .
Desperation and obsession provoked him .
It was a heady, reckless feeling and he couldn't resist the temptation .
" No "
Stacey didn't know who had her or what was going on but she was scared .
This was no prank . Whoever had hold of her meant to harm her .
He smiled , coldly , against the mask that concealed him as he gripped the shirt with one hand while the other groped her breast as she twisted in his hold , trying to escape .
" Please , let me go "
Oh God ! Oh God ! Oh god !
He bit down on her ear , enjoying the sounds of her whimpers as he caught her elbow , twisted and then leaned in to whisper ," Don't worry cupcake ."
Stacey opened her mouth to scream for help but darkness overcame her and then nothingness .
A Nothingness she didn't want to wake up from .