Pg. 28 when Lily asks Brody for real

Quince was sitting at one of the lunch tables on the outskirts of the cafeteria when he saw Lily's familiar head of flouncy, blonde curls approaching Bennett's table. The morning had gone by uneventfully and in each class he was left wondering if she was actually going to go through with asking him to the dance. As much as he admired Lily, he knew that she was such a coward when it came to Brody. She'd spent so much time pining after him from afar and letting her anxiety get the best of her. Quince watched as Lily walked right up to the table where he was sitting completely alone, but he knew it couldn't be for long.

At least she was smart enough to do it without an audience, after all.

He watched their conversation play out, but her face was turned away from him. It was brief, and after Lily turned to quickly escape the interaction, Brody reached out to grab her arm. Quince felt a surge of heat in his face, a protective urge coming over him. Something about Lily had always given him such a strong instinct to look out for her, cherishing her. If he hadn't been so quick to admit his own romantic interest in her, he might've tried to pass it off as being a friendly, good natured neighbor. Once their conversation wrapped up, definitely with negative results, she was quick to exit the cafeteria.

Shit, Quince thought to himself, clenching his jaw as he watched her swift exit. He glanced down at the plate of food in front of him on the table, selecting part of it to shovel in his mouth as his only sustenance for the afternoon. He was torn, overall, about being right. Quince just wanted her to not ask him, to accept his help, to let him be the good guy. More than anything, Quince wanted her to be happy. Their connection and banter and all of that, he knew that he felt it. But she didn't. He still never knew if she never, ever would feel what he did, or if there was a possibility of the two of them having a future. Everything that he felt with her, he wanted her to reciprocate. But if she really was truly shallow, and happy, with Brody, then she wasn't the girl he thought she was.

Quince threw the rest of his food away and left the cafeteria in search of Lily, glancing back only briefly at the full table of cheerleaders and groupies gathered around Bennett. Even though Quince understood and felt like he was confident in his feelings, it was all still so complicated. His complete apathy for Bennett as a person, yet his feelings of jealousy were targeted directly at him. Now Quince felt tense, angry for the way he made Lily feel, rejecting her, even if he was thankful that he did.

None of his feelings really mattered right then, though.

As he walked down the hallway, simply picking a direction toward the girl's bathroom. Every instinct told him that's where she was, and he leaned one arm against the wall to wait. It wasn't long before her blonde crown of hair stepped out, nearly colliding with him.

Quince spoke before he could get a good look at her. "Believe me now?"

As soon as Lily looked up at him, his heart sunk in his chest. Her eyes were glimmering and red from tears. Why can't she just look up? How can she be so oblivious?

"Get lost."

She's pissed.

Quince sidestepped to block her path.

"Move!"

Quince set his jaw with determination. This conversation needed to happen, and this was the only way he knew how. "I asked you a question."

"And I choose not to answer."
Once again, Lily tried to step aside and Quince followed each one of them.

"Admit it," Quince prods. Maybe he was just as stubborn as Lily. "I was right."

"No," sniff, "You were wrong," sniff. "I'm just crying-" sniff "-'cause I'm so happy," and with that, Quince's heart completely crumbled in his chest. Tears spilled over her eyes and down her cheeks, quiet sobs choking out as she brought her hands to cover her face.

"Come on, princess," Quince started, his voice softening, realizing just how hurt she was. "You don't need to cry over that loser."

As the tears began to pour harder and Lily sobbed, he stepped forward, muttering, "Shit, Lil," as he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her into a tight hug. His voice lowered to a whisper, his breath close to her ear. "Don't cry. Please."

Acting as a protective barrier, Lily's tears fell even heavier as Quince held her. She let them wipe onto his black t-shirt as Quince felt everything in that moment. The heartbreak. The rejection, the result of three years of pining from afar all building up to this.

"Shhh. He's not worth it."

Lily's sobs continue, her face buried in the protection of her enemy's broad chest. Quince held her there, placing his own face down slightly to hold her. Her soft, frizzy hair smelled like lime and coconut, and then the end of lunch bell rang out throughout the hallways.

"Oh, fuck," he murmured, looking down each way of the hallway as he considered the options. Lily was in no state to go to class right then, and he had planned to propose his plan to her. They hadn't even gotten to that yet. Quince squeezed her briefly to pull him along with her, pushing the bathroom door open and then walking them into one of the bathroom stalls. Once there, Quince stepped back to sit on the toilet, reaching forward to grab onto Lily-maybe a little accidentally pulling her from the waist-and pull her to sit on his thighs. "Lift your feet!" he whispered, his own biker boots braced on the bathroom tile.

"Did you see her run out of the cafeteria?" one rather girlish voice asked, one that Quince immediately recognized as Courtney's.

"I bet he put her in her frizzy-haired place."

Quince winced at that dig, letting a quick breath out through his nose. Lily was normally so fierce and strong on her own, but at a time like this, with a topic like this, he was a little worried that it might be rather delicate. The last thing he'd wanted was for her to be the target of Courtney's mean-spirited jealousy right now.

"As if a freak like her could ever tempt Brody Bennett."

Quince couldn't see Lily's face, but he could see her shoulders raise up by her ears. She was crying again.

"She needs to learn to keep her paws off another girl's guy."

Lily opened her mouth to gasp, beginning to speak, "It's Courtn-"

Fortunately, Quince already started to move his hand the moment she gasped, reaching one hand up to her mouth to cover her lips. Is she trying to call attention to what's happening? He wrapped his other hand around the front of her waist, only barely noticing the curve of her hips beneath her t-shirt as he pulled her closer, her back against his chest. "Shhh," he whispered in her ear.

With Lily so physically close to him, Quince noticed his heart pounding. He was holding her.

"She has the fashion sense of a palm tree."

"Oh, come on. A palm tree at least wears coordinating colors."

Quince couldn't help but roll his eyes at their jealous comments, a smirk on his face. Knowing Courtney made it clear as day to Quince.

"Pink and yellow? What does she think she is? A walking candy shop?"

Quince merely listened to their words passively, maintaining his grip on Lily's waist and over her mouth.

"At least she makes an effort. That's more than you can say about her friend."

"The one whose entire wardrobe consists of jeans and polo shirts? Someone should tell her they sell my castoffs at Goodwill."

When Lily lurched forward, placing her shoes right on the floor and reaching her arm out for the metal latch, Quince moved his arm up higher on her torso. His forearm squished against her chest, reigning her back onto his lap. He lowered his mouth to her ear to speak, again. "Don't. She's not worth it."

Her complete commitment to loyalty was going to get to him. Lily's own protective instincts made him aware of his own heart racing again.

Quince felt something flat over the top of her bra cup-a note? It felt like paper. Quince dismissed the thought and brought his forearm down below her chest, holding her in place below her bust. When Lily grunted from the squeeze, he flinched. Guess I don't know my own strength.

"Ew," Courtney said. After a few more moments, the tardy bell rang throughout the halls. Both girls had a brief exchange about the supposed girl in the restroom wearing such bulky motorcycle boots as they left.

Their comments echoed in Quince's mind for a few moments, momentarily distracting him from the girl on his lap. He looked down to make sure they were the boots he thought they were.

"Your boots aren't that bad," Lily started. "You know she thought you were Em-"

Her comfort made Quince lose it completely, unable to control his laughter as his grip loosened up on Lily. As she squealed out, he felt her thighs start to slide off his jeans. He squeezed his forearm around her again for a brief moment, laughing. It was hysterical. When he released Lily, he briefly held onto her ribs to help her stand from his laugh.

Looking up from his seat on the toilet, he smirked and shook his head. "Sorry, princess. That was just too damn funny."

Now, the entire situation was settling in on him. Hiding in a bathroom stall with his princess on his lap, and now the tight space was making it impossible for her to even turn around in the stall, much less open the inward door. "Well, I'm glad you found humor in your humiliation. I don't happen to enjoy being ridiculed and-"

"Aw, come on," Quince teased, shining a bright grin at her. "Couldn't you see through her?"

She looked at him, puzzled.

She didn't, he realized. Lily was so absorbed in her own problems.

"She's jealous."

"Right, I'm plucking Brody right out from under her perfectly sculpted nose."

Quince stayed seated as Lily tried to squeeze flat against the left wall of the stall, trying to undo the latch and pull the door open. He watched her, until she gave him a command. "Stand up."

Quince took a breath in as he firmly planted his boots and obeyed, however, he stayed directly in front of the toilet, the two of them occupying the tight space together. He wasn't ready for her to escape just yet. "Hard as it is to believe, I won't say 'I told you so' about the dance."

He half-expected her to interrupt, but he continued, now standing with one forearm against the bathroom stall's wall over her head. Quince braced himself over her. "In fact, I'm going to help you out."

"Let me out," Lily says, ignoring the offer. "It stinks in here."

When she gives a look that Quince immediately recognizes; fiercely implying that Quince is the real problem here, he simply smiles down at her. He takes the opportunity to stand even closer to her, their chests nearly touching as he tries to sidestep out of the way to allow Lily to open the door.