Thorns of Decision (Dusk Gate Chronicles) by Breeana Puttroff Read Free Book Online Page A

already been trying to figure out a way to get out of picking up Annie today, she might have snapped. She might have driven, right now, to her mother’s work and had the whole thing out with her in the classroom before her students showed up.
    But since it gave her a way to get to Grand Junction without worrying about seeing her family, she stuffed the note in her backpack, and headed to school instead.
    The problem she hadn’t anticipated with the whole trip – and her heart sank as she realized she should have – was Zander. As soon as they’d set their lunch trays down at their usual table in the cafeteria, he turned to her, smiling. “What do you want to do today?”
    She raised her eyebrows.
    “We’re both off work, my dad has to work late, and your mom and my mom are taking all the little kids out to some pizza and play place that just opened in Montrose. I thought you and I could go out somewhere fun together. I could take you out to dinner, and then maybe ice skating?”
    A hot, heavy feeling settled in Quinn’s chest. Honestly, she hadn’t even thought about Zander when she had made certain that her schedule for the evening was free. What was she supposed to do now? After a few seconds of deliberation, she remembered her promise to herself. The truth. She would tell him as much of the truth as she could.
    “That sounds like a lot of fun, Zander. But, um … I kind of already made plans for tonight.”
    He frowned. “What plans?”
    “I told William that I would drive him up to Grand Junction to see his brother in the hospital.”
    “Doesn’t he have his own car?”
    “No, actually. Does that matter?” The tone in his voice irritated her.
    “Can’t Doctor Rose drive him?”
    She swallowed hard, hearing the tone of betrayal in his voice. After their conversation on Monday night, she knew he thought she should be as mad at Nathaniel as she was at her mom for keeping this from her. The two of them had been sharing theories about it over text messages well into the night last night. And, truthfully, she did want to confront Nathaniel, but the trip tonight wasn’t about him. It was about seeing Thomas in the hospital. If she was really honest with herself, she was looking forward to spending the time with William, too.
     “Doctor Rose has to work, Zander. William wants to see his brother, so that Thomas doesn’t have to be there all alone for another whole night. I told him I would do it. Besides, I like his brother. I want to see him, too.”
    The look on his face made her insides twist in knots. He was really upset – more than she would have expected. “Fine, whatever,” he said.
    There was a heavy shadow over the rest of the lunch period. She and Zander sat next to each other as they always did, but neither one of them ate much. Abigail had watched their exchange with interest. When the bell finally rang, he mumbled something about needing to get to his next class a few minutes early. As soon as he was out of the cafeteria, Abigail cornered Quinn.
    “What in the heck is going on with you? You’re turning down a night out with Zander so you can run off with William Rose to see his brother in the hospital when you already spent the entire weekend there?”
    She didn’t know how to answer; she stood there, her face turning red, her insides going wobbly.
    Abigail leaned in close, her blue eyes hard and icy, and her voice low. “Are you cheating on Zander?”
    Quinn’s jaw dropped. Is that what it looked like? “No, Abbie! It’s nothing like that. William and Thomas are just friends.”
    Abigail’s expression didn’t change, her voice stayed low and dark. “Well, I don’t get it, Quinn. Nobody does. First, William Rose is talking to you, when he’s never talked to another person the entire freaking time he’s lived here. Then you’re hugging his cousin who turns out to suddenly be his brother? Where are their parents? What is going on with that? Then you disappear for the whole weekend