Chapter 34

chapter thirty-four

Quinn

When Gavin left the hospital I begged Remi to follow him, I'd never seen him so upset. As far as everyone knew, Gavin Richardson was an unbothered King, but right now I'd say he's pretty bothered.

Remi dropped Ava and I off at the dorm at 3am but now it's noon and I still haven't heard anything from Gavin. It's unusual because it's Sunday.

Our day.

"Have you heard anything from Remi about Levi?" I ask Ava.

She shakes her head, "No. Remi hasn't texted me since he dropped us off. I'm sure Gavin stayed at the hospital."

"If he made it back there."

Ava grabs me and pulls me into a hug, "I'm sure he did. There's just a lot going on."

"Do you think that rumor was true? About Grayson putting something in Levi's drink?"

Ava winces, "I don't know. I mean we've watched Levi drink plenty of times and not have any heart issues. It does seem like something messed with him."

I can't believe Grayson would do something like that, but at the same time, I didn't think he'd do a lot of the things he's done.

I glance over to my desk at Gavin's jersey hung over my chair. "This is all my fault. This is exactly why I wanted to let things blow over with Grayson before dragging Gavin into this mess."

She sits next to me on my bed, "Stop doing that. Stop taking responsibility for all the shitty things he does. They aren't your problem anymore."

I try Gavin's phone one more time and again, it goes straight to voicemail.

This is Gav, leave a message.

It wasn't actually Gavin but it was reassuring even to hear his voice on his voicemail.

I stare around my room and decide it's better if I don't sit here and worry. My anxiety is already making me feel horrible and shaky, so I get up and grab my keys.

"Where are you going?" Ava questions, pulling my covers over her legs.

I throw my hair up into a bun, and don't bother with any makeup. "It's Sunday. Gavin and I usually volunteer at the animal shelter, so that's where I'm going."

"I doubt he's there," She grumbles, still sleepy.

She's right. He's probably not there, but I need to go. It's like therapy at this point.

I drive to the shelter and, unsurprisingly, I don't see Gavin's truck. I walk in and talk with Wendy before walking back through the kennels. After walking a few dogs, I look at my watch. I should probably head back toward the dorm.

I saved Daisy for last but when I make it to her kennel, she is gone.

"Hey, Wendy!" I yell. "Where's Daisy?"

"Adopted," she says matter of factly. "Earlier today actually."

For some reason, I feel a burn in my throat. A sadness that's hard to pinpoint. Of course I'm glad Daisy was adopted, maybe everything I'm feeling about Gavin is just heightening my emotions. I'm just really worried about him.

We've talked non-stop for a month and I know it's only been like half a day and it shouldn't be a big deal but it is. It's out of character for him. After walking the last dog, I decide to drive by Gavin's apartment for a welfare check.

I'm happy to see his truck in his usual spot, so I park right next to him. I sit in the car for a minute before getting out, unsure of what I'm walking into.

Is this it?

Has he decided that the drama I bring is just too much? Is that why he's not responded to me?

My negative thoughts race through my mind, and I try my best not to listen to them but I can't help it. I've always been a pessimist.

Mustering up every ounce of courage I have left inside my five foot frame, I walk to the door, ring the bell and wait. I hear shuffling around inside followed by a loud groan, and then the door opens. The air escapes my lungs entirely when I lay eyes on him.

There's a small cut above his eye with stitches and some bruising that radiates to his temple. The right side of his ribs are bruised, most likely broken judging by the amount of purple, and a tiny cut on his lip where it's been busted.

He looks awful.

"Jesus Christ, Gavin. Are you okay?" I push through the door, and take him in my arms. "You look awful."

I let go of him and he looks down at me with a sad smile, "You should see the other guy."

I turn my eyes into daggers when I look at him, "I'll kill him."

"You won't," he snaps. "You won't go anywhere near him, do you understand me?"

The words are sharp but they aren't meant as a demand, instead, he's pleading. "You have to promise me, Quinn."

"What happened?" I whisper. "Just talk to me."

He shakes his head, "It's nothing you need to worry about, I just want you to promise me that you won't go after him. I promise you that he won't contact you."

"How can you know that?" I ask. "He does what he wants."

Gavin's jaw clenches, and he looks down at me. "Not anymore."

He's so confident in that statement, I don't question him. The Gavin I'm used to isn't standing in front of me right now. This Gavin isn't awkward, carefree, and kind. He's calculated, confident, and downright lethal looking.

"I'm sorry I didn't call you," he states. "My phone is broken. I'll take it tomorrow and get a new one."

"How is Levi?" I ask.

"Levi is asleep. He's fine. Allie stayed the night here. She just left about an hour ago."

I lift my hand to the bruise on his side, "You need some ice."

He pushes my hand away from the sensitive spot, "I'm fine, Quinn."

His voice is cold, and I rub my hand as if he burned it.

"Shit, I'm sorry… I didn't sleep much."

I stare at him for a second trying to gage how to handle him right now, but the best thing I can come up with is to just leave. "I'll go. You need to rest."

As I turn to walk back out the door, he grabs my wrist tightly. "Wait. Quinn, wait. Just stay here. I'm sorry, pretty girl, I'm sorry. It's been a shitty night but it's not your fault."

He pulls me into his body, and I sob. "I was so worried about you. You weren't answering and I thought something bad happened to you and it did. None of this would've happened if it wasn't for me. He's only fucking with you because of me. It's okay if you want to end things, I understand Gav."

He pushes me from his embrace, his hands on my upper arms respectively. "Listen to me. I'm not going anywhere. The bullshit is over. He's not gonna do anything to anyone I care about ever again."

"You're scaring me," I whisper. "Is he okay? Are you in trouble?"

His voice is gravelly, "He'll live."

Those two words send chills down my spine. It makes me wonder if Grayson is in worse shape than Gavin. Something tells me he definitely is.

A soft rustling noise comes from the direction of Gavin's bedroom and his eyes go wide like he's forgotten something, "Oh shit."

He walks quickly to his room and opens the door.

Daisy walks out with her tail wagging.