Page 39 of The Way We Swing Back

“Can we just stay here to talk?” Tanner jumped in.

“This was going to be a talk for the three of us,” Mr. Quinn said.

“He doesn’t need to talk about this alone,” Tanner said. “He’s going to tell us what happened, anyway.”

“Exactly,” I voiced with more force than I meant. “Sorry. I mean... can they all be here, too?” I looked at Gavin, who was nodding. Tanner and Zach had sat up, too.

The parents looked at each other, and Mrs. Quinn nodded. I sighed quietly, thankful the boys would be around.

They walked in front of the couches and switched off the TV. They started talking as if reading off a script they had written upstairs before approaching me. Their words were picked too carefully, as if they were afraid if they hit the wrong beat, I’d shatter right in front of them.

“How are you feeling about what happened today?” Mr. Quinn asked.

Oh. A feelings talk. I wasn’t sure if that was what I’d expected, but I started to wish I hadn’t agreed to the boys staying.

“I’m fine, I think,” I lied.

“Did you know he was out of jail?” Tanner asked.

“No idea.” An actual truth.

“Right. Well, we kind of saw this coming whenever he got out. We talked to Berry about it, and he’s known to be on the lookout as well,” Mr. Quinn said. He looked at his wife, then back at me. “We want you to stay here for now. We’ll talk to your grandparents, but your dad showing up at a game makes us very nervous. You’ll be able to stay as long as you want and always have somebody around you.”

“I can handle him,” I said. Too quickly.

“It’s not about handling him, sweetie,” Mrs. Quinn said. “We just... don’t want you to be alone.”

“Dude, this would be cool,” Gavin said. “You can stay in my room!”

Zach snorted from his seat.

Gavin was right, though. It would be cool. I basically lived here in the summer anyway, and it’d be nice to know I could almost call this place home. I glanced at Zach, now knowing my being here more would affect him.

“I appreciate you guys offering. Really. But I need to help at my grandparents’ house.” Back to lying.

All the Quinns made side eyes at each other, communicating without talking. Tanner looked at his mom, Zach at his dad. Gavin tried to join in, desperately attempting to find my eyes, knowing if he succeeded, I’d do whatever he asked.

“Fine. It’s your decision, Easton,” Mr. Quinn said finally. “But you’re staying here tonight until we get a chance to talk to your grandparents.”

“I already planned on it,” I said.

“Good. Eat up and don’t stay up too late,” he said.

Gavin, Zach, Tanner, and I stayed up for the next couple of hours. They were cool enough not to bring up my dad again, instead opting to act as if nothing had happened. Time passed at a crawl, but not as slowly as if I had gone to my house.

I had an urge to run home and take a drink. There hadn’t been a day I’d needed one more. My fingers shook, desperate to get ahold of alcohol, and my lips dried like I hadn’t been chugging water for hours. But I didn’t have an escape route from this house. Not tonight.

Mercifully, the night came to a close when Gavin said he was going to bed.

“I’m going to head up, too,” Zach said.

This could have left me and Tanner alone, a repeat of so many times before. Part of me wanted to see where it would lead, and my mind flashed to the memories of being alone with him in this basement: our bodies entangled, the entire world disappearing, the two of us the only things that mattered.

But he had Calvin. And I had a mind that refused to cross the line of friendship.

“I’ll follow you guys up,” I said.

The house had the late-night quiet that I hated. Gavin should have been laughing, or Tanner talking, or Zach grunting.