One month. Logan couldn't believe he'd been dating Quinn for one month. It'd been a great month. But, it was proving to be harder to hide how he felt about her. A lot of times, he'd catch himself looking at her in class, watching as she worked. He'd see her walking through campus with Zoey and Lola and stop just to watch her go by. In the lounge, when they were hanging out, he'd try to get as close to her as he could without being suspicious so he could smell her perfume or the scent of her shampoo. He had to stop himself from smiling down at his phone when they'd text.

But he could tell it was hard for her, too. That day at the lunch tables had proved it. Lola insulted him, as she normally did, and Quinn came to his rescue. It was sweet. And it was a little hot how she snapped so hard at her roommate. So he had to shake his head, telling her it was okay. The smile on his face didn't leave, though, so he hid it behind his fries. Then, as soon as it was safe, he shot her another look.

It was their let's sneak away and find a place to be alone look.

Before they could, though, Michael launched himself across the table, screaming. They all rushed to his side to make sure he was okay as he uttered words Logan never thought he'd hear. Vince Blake was back. Thankfully, Quinn's hand was resting subtly on his shoulder otherwise, he might have fallen backwards. He leaned back into her naturally, overwhelmed by the development.

The girls had left to go talk to Dean Rivers, and while, at first, Logan tried to have a conversation with Michael, his friend's freaking out was not proving to be productive at all. So, instead, he decided to go to the gym and take a few rounds on the punching bag. It'd help him get his anger out or help to make sure he was ready in case Vince decided to corner him for round two.

After his workout, he met with everyone over at the basketball hoops. Their news was less than stellar. Nothing. Dean Rivers was going to do nothing about it. He wasn't just angry, but he was scared and paranoid. He didn't like those feelings. It felt like his body was going to lose control; he hadn't even realized how he'd snapped at the mention of Mark's name until he saw the look on Quinn's face.

"Well, he's not."

That's what he clung on to. This time around, he had Quinn, right? Even if their idea of simply "ignoring" Vince Blake seemed ridiculous, at least he had her on his side.

When they all decided to go to their rooms that night, Logan texted Quinn to ask if she could sneak out and meet him by the fountains after curfew. He knew it was a lot to ask, as Quinn was pretty much always a rule follower, but he needed her.

And she came.

"What's going on?" she asked as she sat next to him; he was perched on the ledge with his legs crossed underneath him. His eyes were down at the cement as he'd been focusing on the steady bubbling sound of the fountain to keep him steady.

He looked up, "I can't sleep."

She returned a soft smile in his direction, "Did you even try?"

Logan shook his head, "I know I won't be able to."

"Why?"

He gave her a look as if she should already know. She caught the hint and nodded, continuing, "Vince Blake can't hurt you or Michael anymore."

He didn't believe that, "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course. Logan, you can tell me anything."

This was a lot harder than he wanted to admit, but he had to try. "I'm scared."

Quinn bit her lip, "Of Vince?"

Hearing it out loud made him groan, "It's so lame. I know."

"No, no," Quinn scooted closer to him and petted his hair. Her other hand stroked his arm up and down. He shivered, but in a good way, easing into her touch. He was glad she was there. "It's not lame at all. I think it's actually really brave to admit when you're scared."

"But I shouldn't be scared. I'm a man. I should be… be giving Vince his comeuppance or whatever."

Quinn was silent; he couldn't see it, but he knew she rolled her eyes, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Finally, he looked up at her, "I have to do this, baby. I can't let him win this."

He was prepared for her to tell him that it was a bad idea. That it was stupid and immature. Because he knew, deep down, that it was. He couldn't help it, though. That beating had really stuck with him; he'd had dreams about it for days afterward. Not that he could tell her that. He hadn't told anyone.

To his surprise, she cupped his cheek and looked at him with those serious, gorgeous eyes of hers. "Then you do it if that's what you need to do."

He let out an exhale of relief and leaned in to kiss her. This one was gentle. Light. It wasn't fueled by the typical fiery passion that normally flared during their time together, but it still caused heat to fill his face. His fingers were tingly, and his chest felt that fire.

What was that feeling?

Logan pulled away, "You should get back to your room before Zoey or Lola notice you're gone."

She shook her head, "I wouldn't worry about it. This actually allows me to test out my new invention."

"What invention?" He asked with a nervous chuckle; it always amazed him what came out of that big brain of hers, but it was also extremely dangerous sometimes. A lot of the time.

The worry melted away, though, as she smiled so proudly, "The Quinnisonic 2000. It's programmed to sound like me, laugh like me, and I even programmed it to snore like me. Stick that thing under a bunch of blankets, fluff up the pillows, and as long as they don't turn on the lights they'll never know the difference."

There were a lot of things to take away from that story, but one thing stuck out.

He chuckled, "Are you telling me you snore?" Logan raised an eyebrow playfully at her, poking her sides. Her sweet, sweet giggles filled the air, and he was finally smiling ear to ear. He knew she was ticklish there, and he needed to hear her laugh. It was like music to his ears.

She playfully swatted at his chest, "Shut up."

"Nah. I bet it's cute," he said, leaning in to press his forehead to hers. "Everything you do is cute."

Then she kissed him again—his remedy, exactly what he needed to end his night and forget all about Vince Blake.

A few more moments tangled up in her lips, his whole body eased, and then he pulled away, "Go. I'll see you in the morning."

He watched her leave, keeping his eye on the distance, even long after she'd gone before he retreated back to his own room for the evening.

With Quinn's approval, the next day, he and Michael tried their first master plan. Michael showed him the exploding balls that Quinn had given him; Logan smiled. She was so brilliant. And she was helping them. Planning to watch the coffee explode all over his face and finally feel as though he'd gotten his revenge, Logan heaved himself into the bushes beside his best friend and waited. For nothing. Well, not nothing. Watching the coffee explode all over Del Figgalo was a close second.

They were back to the drawing board when they found out that Lola had reached the ultimate betrayal. She had aligned with the enemy. Zoey delivered the bad news as they sat over their launching device, but as soon as she left the room, he couldn't concentrate on it anymore.

Telling Michael he needed a coffee break, he texted Quinn.

Where are you?

It only took her a minute to respond: Off campus getting more bugs for Herman. I'll be back in a bit.

He cringed. If he didn't like her so much, the idea of her having a live spider in her room would have made him vomit.

Did you hear about Lola and Vince?

Once again, she responded with haste. Traitor

That one made him smile. She really was the best.

Hurry back. I miss you.

Although he knew this launching device was necessary, he'd rather have been hanging out with Quinn. He smiled back down at his phone when she replied, You're adorable. I miss you, too.

Walking back into the room, Michael gave him a bewildered look.

"What?" Logan asked, hands on his hips, confused.

His friend, seemingly equally confused, pointed at his hands, "Where's our coffee?"

Oops.