Page 4 of Die for You

Quinn shakes her head, a begrudgingly amused smile sneaking across her lips.You need another hobby. Get a damn girlfriend already.

I snort. Right. Find a girl who could possibly love a guy who hates every second he has to speak. A girl who could somehow be okay with a life of silence.

Quinn will never understand because she makes friends everywhere she goes. She’s had boyfriends since seventh grade, much to my horror. She’s easy to love. Me? Not so much.

A heavy hand lands on my shoulder. “And who’s this?”

Knox lifts his mask and grins down at Quinn. She bats her lashes at him. Oh,hellno.

I shake off his hand. “Sister.”

His brows shoot up to his hairline. “You have a sister?”

“Quinn,” she offers with a bright smile.

“Quinn? Quinn and Finn?” He flashes me a taunting grin. “Rhyming names. So cute.”

Quinn’s working theory is that our mother decided to give us rhyming names so they’d be easy for her to remember when she wasn’t sober. Which was most of the time.

“I’m Knox,” he tells her before raising a brow at me. “Were you two using sign language?” When I nod, his eyes brighten. “How have we lived together this long and I’m just now finding out you have asisterand knowsign language?”

Don’t know. Surprised it took your nosy ass this long to find out.

Quinn giggles. Even though Knox has no clue what my hand movements mean, he grins and claps me on the back. He’s always been a good sport. Wish I could be as happy as he always seems to be.

Other than Quinn, Knox and Damien are the only two people in the world who accept me the way I am. They don’t ask why I’d rather stay silent. They don’t mock me for how deep my voice is, even when my own mother did. I’d look at my father standing silently beside her like I was looking at myself years into the future, silent and miserable.

“You want a drink?” Knox asks Quinn.

“She’s seventeen.” Off by a year, but it doesn’t matter. She’s still in high school. She’ll drink at a frat party over my dead body.

“Oh shit.” Knox laughs. “You’re definitely not drinking then.” He nods to the exit. “You better get your ass home safe.”

Before Quinn can object, someone calls out Knox’s name. His gaze lands on a girl I don’t know, and his expression changes to something unrecognizable. The smile drops and his shoulders stiffen before he mumbles, “Gotta go,” and disappears into the crowd without so much as a goodbye to my sister.

To Quinn, I sign,Seriously. Go home.

Relax. My boyfriend’s on his way.She smirks.Then we’re going to crash another party and hook up.

She’s trying to provoke me. And it’s working.Give me his address.

Quinn laughs before throwing her arms around my middle, squeezing tight. When she pulls back, her smile is soft, gentle.I’m happy. I wish you would let yourself be happy too.

Some tight, hard knot in my chest softens.You deserve to be happy.

That’s all I’ve ever wanted since I was a kid—for my little sister to be happy, safe. For her to smile more than she cries.

A text lights up her phone. The boyfriend’s here to pick her up. Little shit won’t even walk in the house. No way I’m letting him stick around.

Quinn backs away from me as she signs,You do too, Finn.

But I’m not sure I do.

Text me when you’re home, I sign to her.If he doesn’t get you back safe, I’ll kill him.

Chapter 3

Knox