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"It's too bad, really," Liam continued, the smug grin still plastered to his face. "You can have anyone you want except her. It must just kill you. All those years being her friend and she can't see you as anything more than that."

Chris and Jett had flanked themselves on either side of Quinn and the six of them were now standing across from each other, squared up and ready for one side to break first. The rest of the small weight training class had positioned themselves on the outside to watch.

"Your time's almost up, by the looks of it anyway," said Chris. He and Jett must have been watching Quinn and Rae's interaction in the hallway a little closer than they'd let on.

"After tonight, I'm not really worried about it," Liam said with a shrug. "We've got a romantic little night planned and I'll finally pop that million-dollar cherry. I'd say you can have her after that, but that'll never happen."

Swallowing hard, Quinn clenched his hands into fists, and clenched his jaw even harder.

He'd be lucky if he didn't break a goddamn tooth.

There was no way this douchebag was going to have sex with Rae.

Not if he could help it. Quinn refused to believe she would let this guy just do whatever he wanted to her.

He imagined that's exactly how it would be with Liam; he'd just take what he wanted without any regard to how it was for her.

She deserved a hell of a lot better than this jackass.

"I'd actually be embarrassed if I were you," Liam continued, "between your crack-whore mother and being some rich family's charity case." At this, Quinn's expression must have faltered. "Oh yeah, Raelyn told me all about it. "

"You don't know what you're talking about," Quinn said, and though his voice sounded sure, his insides were twisting. Rae wouldn't have told Liam about any of that, would she?

"Don't I?" Liam goaded, taking a step closer.

As though flipping a switch, his voice went from goading to sweetly concerned, "'Come on, hun, you can tell me about it.

He's an important person in your life, and that means he's important to me, too'.

" The malicious smirk returned to his face.

"She'll never respect you as a man, Quinn.

Her family took you in like a fucking stray dog. "

Quinn felt himself take a step closer, closing the gap between him and Liam. They were nearly eye-to-eye, though Quinn was a fraction of an inch taller.

The part of him holding onto his and Rae's friendship was telling him Liam was just taking a good guess- it wouldn't be hard to figure out.

But another part of him was absolutely furious that she would even talk about him, say anything to this asshole, that had to do with him.

She knew how important it was to keep his home life a secret.

She knew how much he wished he could refuse her family's help, and how much he wanted to make something of himself so he could pay them back one day.

That she would talk about him, especially to this guy, felt like a stab in the back. It felt like an unforgivable betrayal.

"I know you think you wanna hit me, but think again," said Liam. "One hit, and I can have my lawyer take you for everything you own- which, I suppose, probably isn't much."

"You fuckin' rich kids," Quinn’s steely glare bore into Liam, "with your lawyers and your parents' money always there to bail you out. I'd be embarrassed not being man enough to fight my own battles."

A spark flickered in Liam's eyes as his expression grew more delighted. "Go ahead, Case . Spend your weekend buried in legal fees, and I'll spend mine buried in balls deep in your girl."

And his blood boileth over.

There was a flash of red that flooded his vision before he threw his first punch.

His fist connected with flesh, and there was a satisfying crunch.

Next to him, Chris and Jett had begun their brawl Wes and Nick.

Fists were flying, bodies were falling to the floor.

Quinn grabbed Liam's shirt and pulled him back up, shoving him against the lockers and throwing another punch to his already bloodied face.

Liam grunted, then bent low, sending his shoulder into Quinn's ribs and throwing him backwards.

He should've guessed the offensive lineman would use his football-tackle skills to his advantage.

The two were sent over a bench and wrestled on the floor.

Liam was pinning Quinn down. He pulled his fist back to wind up for the punch, but Jett wrapped an arm around Liam's neck before he could take his swing, pulling him off of Quinn in a chokehold.

As Quinn stood back up, a fist caught his jaw, sending him staggering sideways.

Nick was shorter and stocky with a baby face, but fuck, he had a solid punch.

Squaring up with his new opponent, Quinn attempted to blink the dizziness away before sending an uppercut to Nick's gut.

With Nick doubled over, Quinn placed a hand on the back of his head and drove his knee into his face, then shoved him over, moving back to his original target.

Liam was throwing punches at Chris, who was dodging them like a champion boxer.

Quinn prepared himself with a deep breath in, and quick out, setting his sights on Liam and charging.

The side tackle sent Liam crashing through the crowd of onlookers and onto the locker room floor near the entrance.

Quinn managed to get a few good shots at Liam's face, and when Liam held his arms up to block the blows, Quinn started on his abdomen.

An elbow flew up and caught the bottom of Quinn's chin, then a fist met his cheekbone, making him sway slightly, but he didn't lose his superior position.

A whistle echoed through the locker room, piercing ears, but not halting the fight between Quinn and Liam.

Two sets of arms wrapped around Quinn, pulling him away and off of Liam, who hadn't seemed to register the presence of the gym teacher and football coach, along with various other coaches.

With Quinn's weight off of him, Liam heaved himself back up and charged back at Quinn.

Coach Andrews and Coach Landon rushed forward to stop Liam before he could make contact and pulled him back several feet .

"What the hell is going on in here?" The football coach-slash-gym teacher's forehead vein was pulsing as he shouted and glared back and forth between the two students who were being held back.

Both Quinn and Liam were covered in blood, both their own and each other's, and were glaring intently at the other, not speaking.

"Would anyone else who witnessed this like to give me an idea?" Coach Barlow shouted into the room.

There was an awkward shuffle as the boys in the room looked from one to another, waiting to see if someone was going to speak up.

Chris and Jett stepped up next to Quinn and the coaches registered their injuries for the first time.

Nick was leaning against a locker, covering his gushing bloody nose, and Wes was wiping at his lip which was both swollen and bleeding.

"Case, why don't you come with me and tell me your side of things?" the baseball coach's familiar voice suggested, and Quinn realized Coach Garcia was one of the men holding him back.

"Fine," Quinn answered gruffly. His arms were slowly released, though the two coaches still kept a hand on either shoulder as they escorted him past Liam and out of the locker room.

Quinn was not in the mood to talk. His adrenaline was still pumping, and his anger was still at the forefront of his mind.

Not only had Rae chosen that fucking pig over him, but she'd confided in the guy.

She'd told Liam things about him that he didn't want anyone else to know. What the hell had she been thinking?

He was sure their romantic date was likely off for the evening, so he wasn't going to bother rushing to tell her everything that had been aired out in the open for the whole locker room to hear, or that Liam was totally playing her.

No, he needed time to cool off before he talked to her.

He wanted to know why she was running her mouth about him to people who have no fucking right to know anything.

Even more, he wanted to know if what Liam had said was true.

Is that really why she couldn't see him as more than a friend?

Did she really see him as some charity case to help her rich family feel better about having more money than God ?

Fuck that.

He didn't need anyone feeling sorry for him.

What he needed was something, someone to get that thought off his mind.

Someone who understood him. Someone he could bitch to about all these entitled bastards strutting around their school like they're a damn gift to the planet.

He just wanted to escape. He thought this must be how drug addicts felt when they're dying for a hit of something.

But no, drugs were off the table for him. He would have to find some other high.

Dark brown curls, olive skin, and coffee brown eyes flickered in his mind.

That sassy fuck 'em all attitude, and her way of delivering a hard-to-swallow dose of reality.

Once he was discharged from the nurse and no doubt sent to collect his things to go home with a suspension, he would find Alaina Costello and they would get the fuck out of this place.