Taking a leave

"How am I making her feel less of herself?"

Her cool but cold tone made the two instantly turn to look at her, their expressions a mixture of shock. They hadn't expected her to show up—especially not now.

Amy's body trembled ever so slightly, and Dylan immediately grabbed her, pulling her behind him. The whole time, his gaze remained locked on Quinn.

"Why are you looking at us like that? You're scaring your sister!" he snapped.

Quinn's other hand slowly clenched into a fist. The pain she had felt earlier now seemed insignificant compared to the hurt swelling inside her.

Never had she imagined that the two of them would speak so poorly of her behind her back, as if she were some kind of villain.

But right now, she wouldn't let this slide.

She stepped forward, brushing a few loose strands of hair away from her face, her tone turning icier as she fought to keep her composure. "I asked you a question. How do I make her feel less of herself? You can't just accuse me of something I didn't do, can you?"

Dylan scoffed. "Don't you know what you did?" His voice was thick with indignation. "You lied to your sister, telling her you weren't studying for your exams, when in reality, you were. And the first thing you did after getting your results was flaunt them in her face. If that's not making her feel inferior, then what is?"

Quinn stared at him, disbelief tightening her throat. The sheer righteousness in his tone made her fingers itch to slap the shamelessness right off his face.

She shook her head, her voice trembling slightly, her eyes glistening with unspoken hurt. "I'm so disappointed in you both."

Her red-rimmed eyes, filled with silent accusation, struck something deep within Dylan.

Why was she pretending to be the one who was wronged? She was clearly the one in the wrong!

How could she be so pretentious?

"You disappoint me more!" he spat. "You're so selfish!"

And with that, he grabbed Amy's hand and stormed off, leaving Quinn standing there, her lips trembling as tears welled in her eyes.

She couldn't hold back the tears anymore. The injustice of it all pressed down on her chest like a crushing weight. She hated being accused of things she hadn't done the most.

A quiet voice sounded behind her. "Are you okay?"

She flinched slightly at Aaron's gentle tone and immediately wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.

She couldn't let anyone see her like this.

So, in the end, she forced herself to pretend. She turned around, her lips curving into a faint, almost mechanical smile. "I'm fine. Thank you."

Aaron studied her for a moment before nodding. "Let's go to class."

She nodded and followed him.

But throughout the class, she could barely focus on what the Calculus teacher was saying. The numbers and formulas blurred together, a chaotic mess she couldn't untangle.

Her hands clenched on her desk as frustration bubbled inside her.

She could feel it. That awful sensation building up, threatening to crack her resolve.

Why couldn't she understand this simple shit?!

"I have to keep calm. I need to keep calm. I have to keep calm. I need to keep calm…"

She repeated the mantra over and over in her mind, trying to suppress the rising urge to either slam her chair into the floor or yell at the ceiling in frustration.

Why was today like this?

Why was everything going so wrong?

The moment the class ended, she grabbed her bag without hesitation. She needed to leave. If she stayed for another lecture in her current state, she might actually snap.

Being one of the top students, the teacher didn't question her much before granting her leave.

"I hope you'll have yourself back together by the time you return," Mrs. Jones, the attendance teacher, said while signing her leave form. She was a woman in her early forties with short, light blonde hair.

Quinn gave her a small, polite smile and took the signed slip. As soon as she left the office, she pulled out her phone and contacted their driver.

Though puzzled, the driver arrived promptly, and she was soon on her way home.

The mansion wasn't as quiet as usual. The moment she stepped out of the car, crisp laughter drifted down from the second floor.

Quinn looked up and saw three heads leaning over the balcony railing. One of them, the one with blonde hair, belonged to Olenna. The other two were her friends.

One of the girls covered her mouth as she laughed gently, but her gaze soon shifted downward, locking onto Quinn.

A slow smile spread across the girl's lips before she turned to Olenna. "Your stepdaughter skips classes now?"

Olenna's smile faltered slightly, but she quickly recovered, turning around to glance at Quinn. Her eyes flickered as she took in her bandaged hand, but she quickly masked her expression and returned her attention to her friend. "She must have taken a leave. Something probably came up."

Quinn didn't need to hear them to understand what they were saying. She knew lip-reading.

But she didn't care.

They could assume whatever they wanted.

She stepped into the mansion, her school bag still slung over her shoulder as she made her way toward her father's study.

Before she could however reached the study, she heard some footsteps behind her, followed by Olenna's familiar voice.

"Quinn!"