All Chapters of Keeping Score: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

131 Chapters

Chapter 41: Coming clean

NATEMy last year of high school was my best one.First of all, my health was better than ever. Good old Dr. Randall came through with a new protocol, and while I was on that, my energy and strength were boosted. My immunity was increased, too, so I didn't pick up every bug that came around the school. That was a relief, to me and to my parents.And then there was the fact that we were now at the top of the high school food chain. There was no one older to pick on me, and the guys in my own class had matured enough that they didn't mess with me anymore. Brent Collins had even become almost friendly, out of guilt, I assumed.But best of all, Quinn wasn't with Leo.I'd worried for a while that they might get back together. I was aware, even if she wasn't, that Leo was suffering from their distance as much as Quinn was. When she didn't know it, he'd stare at her, his eyes hungry. He gave her lots of space, but I also heard that the Lion wasn't roaring so much anymore. He partied, yes

Last Updated : 2022-11-24

Chapter 42: Endings

LEO"Leo Robert Taylor." At Mrs. Colby's not-so-gentle nudging, I stumbled across the grass, earning snickers from the row of guys sitting to my right. I shot them the finger as I crossed in front of them, earning a gasp from Mrs. Colby. I glanced back over my shoulder at her and grinned, shrugging. What was she going to do to me now? Sure, she was our history teacher and class advisor, but I was graduating. Like, now. As in, out of here. Forever. And good fucking riddance. Dr. Rider, the superintendent, stood at the podium, watching me approach. He offered me his hand to shake and a black cardboard folder to take. It was supposed to look like it was the diploma, but we all knew the folders were empty; the diplomas would come via mail next week. We might have been high school graduates, sure, but we weren't quite trustworthy yet. "Mr. Taylor." He didn't let go of my hand right away, as he'd done with everyone ahead of me. "Congratulations. We expect great things from you in the

Last Updated : 2022-11-24

Chapter 43: Alone and uncertain

LEO"Leo! Leo Taylor. Give me a hug, you big oaf." Carrie Russell caught up with me and put her words into action, wrapping her arms around me tightly. "Congratulations, sweetie! Can you believe it? You guys are all done . . ." Quinn's mom fumbled in her bag, sniffling as she dug out a tissue. "It doesn't seem possible. I swear it was just yesterday all three of you were playing naked together in your baby pool."An image of Quinn, naked beneath me, flashed across my mind. I gritted my teeth and pushed it aside as Bill Russell joined his wife, clapping a hand on my shoulder."Don't mind her, Leo. She's been crying all week. You'd think she's never going to see all you kids ever again." He gave my arm a quick squeeze. "We're all proud of you, son. I can't wait to see you playing down in Carolina."Carrie brightened. "There's Sheri and Mark. Oh-and Quinn, finally. Come here, honey! Daddy and I've been looking for you." And then she was there, standing in front of me, as her mom hug

Last Updated : 2022-11-24

Chapter 44: Wake-up call

LEOThere was an annoying buzzing somewhere near my head, and still mostly asleep, I frowned. The wrinkling of my forehead sent an ache through my head, and for a moment, I was pretty sure I was going to puke.The buzzing sounded again. I'd thought it was a mosquito, but as awareness seeped in, I realized it was a telephone vibrating somewhere. Close to me? I couldn't tell. A distant part of my brain considered moving my hand so I could grope around for the damn thing, but apparently some of the synapses had been damaged, because my hand didn't do anything. After a few seconds, the buzzing stopped again, and I drifted back into some kind of pseudo-slumber. "Taylor! You in there, dude?" The voice was loud and unfamiliar. I groaned and covered my head with one bent arm."Taylor. Leo. C'mon, man, you gotta wake up." The guy I didn't know sounded upset. And then he shook me, and bile rose in my stomach. "Stop." I ground out the word. "I'm going to fucking hurl on you, whoever the fu

Last Updated : 2022-11-24

Chapter 45: Devastation

QUINN"Hey, honey, your mom just sweet-talked me into picking up dinner from Mandarin Inn tonight. You want your regular garlic chicken?""Hmmmm." I hummed under my breath, setting down the book was reading as my dad leaned through the doorway of my bedroom. "Yes, please. Oh, and can we get a side of fried won ton, please?""Sure. Anything for my high school graduate daughter." He winked. "Mom's calling it in, so by the time I get there, it should be ready. You hungry?"I shrugged. "I guess. It's not like I've done anything today but lay around and read. Hard to work up an appetite doing that.""Depends on what you're reading. For instance, in the book I'm reading, the main character keeps ordering Chinese food. I'm thinking maybe your mom somehow planted subliminal messages in it."I smiled. "I wouldn't put it past her.""Pesky woman." He smirked, because we both knew that my mother had him totally wrapped around her little finger. "Hey, you okay, hon? You know, I didn't want t

Last Updated : 2022-11-24

Chapter 46: Exceleration

LEO"Can't you drive this fucking car any fucking faster?" I hunched over, one hand braced on the dashboard, as though I could move us along the freeway. "No, I can't. Or let me amend that. I won't. I'm going five miles over the speed limit. That's the best I can do." I glowered at the guy behind the steering wheel, wishing like hell there'd been anyone but him sober enough to drive me home. His lips were pressed together and his jaw was tense, probably because I'd been repeating the same words more or less for the past thirty minutes. He glanced in my direction and sighed, his mouth relaxing just a little. "Look, dude, I get it. You need to get home. But me breaking the law so we get stopped for a ticket, or worse, get into an accident, is only going to slow us down. So chill, okay? Put your head back and get some sleep. I got the address in my GPS, and I'll wake you up when we get there.""I'm not going to sleep." I growled the words. "I can't. I-I just need to get to her." S

Last Updated : 2022-11-24

Chapter 47: Angst

LEOThe front hall of the Russells' home led into a formal living room, which I couldn't remember us ever using. But today, everyone was sitting there: my dad was the first person I saw, slumped in a deep green wing chair. On the sofa, my mother and Sheri, Nate's mom, flanked Carrie, who seemed to have shrunk in the less-than-forty-eight hours since I'd seen her last. Quinn's mom wore yoga pants and a huge sweatshirt. As I stepped into the hallway, I recognized the shirt as one of Bill's. Her hands were lost in the sleeves. Her sleek black hair, always so neat and styled, was tousled and held back from her face by a clip. She didn't look up or even react when my mother cried out my name and stood, her arms reaching for me. "Oh, my God, Leo. Thank God you're here. You have no idea-" She bit her lip, casting a glance down at Carrie. "We were worried.""I'm sorry." The response was automatic. I knelt in front of Quinn's mother and laid my hand on hers, which lay loosely in her lap.

Last Updated : 2022-11-24

Chapter 48: Being noble isn't easy

LEOBefore I could figure out what she meant, Quinn kissed me, open-mouthed and hard. There was nothing uncertain about her; on her lips I felt desire and desperation. Her hands tightened on the back of my neck. I knew that a stand-up guy, someone here to comfort his friend, would not take advantage of the fact that said friend was currently thrusting her tongue into his mouth, with her boobs, boobs that he'd been dying to touch again for over a year, teasing against his chest. He would not be getting hard and horny as hell, and he'd just hold her, so that nothing happened that she might regret. I was not that guy.With a sound that was combination groan and growl, I raked my fingers through her hair, holding her head in place. As hard as she'd been pressing her mouth to mine, I kissed her even deeper, angling her body closer against me. "God, I've missed your hands." She covered my fingers, still deep in her hair, with her own hands. "Missed them on me. Missed you touching me.

Last Updated : 2022-11-24

Chapter 49: Someone else's pain

NATEMy stomach growled, and that was what woke me up. I couldn't remember when I'd last eaten. We'd been just about to sit down to dinner the night before, when my mom had gotten the frantic telephone call from Lisa Taylor. I'd been in the kitchen already, pouring a glass of lemonade, and I'd glanced over at my mother's face when I heard her voice. "Oh, my God. No. No. Lisa-what-oh, my God. Okay. Yes, I'll head over now. Yeah. No, I know. I just can't-yes. I'll see you there." My dad had just come inside with a plate of burgers he'd been grilling outside. He was whistling, I remembered now. We'd had a relaxed Saturday after the excitement of graduation and the party over at Quinn's house. That was my parents' usual MO: they worried that too much fuss or out-of-the-ordinary activity would wear me out, make me more susceptible to getting sick. So a busy day was always followed by one at home. My mother had turned around, and my father saw her face. He'd stopped whistling, slid th

Last Updated : 2022-11-24

Chapter 50: Together again

NATEBy the time the sun rose, I could barely keep my dry eyes open. Every time I blinked, it felt like sandpaper scraping over my eyeballs. My mother, who'd been putting away a few things in the kitchen, touched my shoulder. "Nate. You need to go home and get some sleep. Dad'll drive you. He should sleep some, too, in his own bed instead of that chair."I shook my head. "I don't want to leave Quinn." I knew it was idiotic. I wasn't doing her any good, but the idea of not being with her made me panic. "I think maybe if you go get some sleep, she might, too. Just a few hours, honey. C'mon. I can't have you getting sick. I can't deal with it."That was what finally got to me. I nodded reluctantly and stood up. Quinn glanced at me without even a flicker of interest in her eyes. "I'm just going home for a little bit. I'm going to get some sleep, and you should, too." "Nate's right, Quinn. Why don't you go lie down, sweetie?" Lisa rubbed Quinn's back. "I'll get you tucked in. Com

Last Updated : 2022-11-24

...

3 4 5 6 7

...

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP