Face It - Chapter 6: Misunderstanding

That night, Quinn had a dream about Summer. They were back at the party, and she was getting attacked. Then, her screams of protest in his dream were all too real, and he heard them coming from the front part of the bus.

“Stop it!” Summer squealed.

Quinn ran from the bunks, through the door, and burst into the room just in time… to hear her giggle.

“What the hell are you two doing?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“Matt is trying to make Cocoa Puffs down my shirt,” Summer said, tossing a few pieces back at Matt. Matt laughed and then looked to Quinn.

“Gonna sit down and eat with us?” Matt asked. Quinn just looked from Summer to Matt and back again. They were sure acting friendly towards each other.

“Yeah, sure,” Quinn said slowly. He sat down and they passed an empty bowl over.

“So why are you up so early, Matt?” he asked.

“I had to pee,” he said through a mouthful of cereal. Summer shook her head.

“What a gentleman, right?” Summer laughed.

“Then I was hungry,” he said.

“And he woke me up with his loud crunching,” she said. Matt reached for more cereal but Summer stopped him.

“Three bowls is enough,” Summer told him. Quinn noticed that their hands touched.

Quinn crunched his cereal and watched the two interact for the rest of the morning. Maybe it was because Matt had saved her that Summer had taken such a liking to him, but then again, Quinn was the one who sang her to sleep. Wait, why do I care in the first place? he wondered.

Eventually, Joe and Ryan appeared, looking very sleepy. They fought over the last bit of cereal, but in the middle of arguing, Matt poured himself a fourth bowl of cereal and ate.

Summer took the chance while the other three were distracted to tap Quinn on the shoulder. “Come with me for a second?” she asked, and he hesitated for just a moment before following. She led him back to the bunks and picked up the guitar.

After a deep breath, she turned to face him. “Thank you for singing me to sleep last night, that was really sweet.” Quinn just nodded once. His arms were crossed and he was leaning against the door, looking uninterested. Summer bit into her lip, wondering if she should continue. His demeanor was far from encouraging, but she’d come this far, so she better go through with it.

“I was just wondering if maybe you could help me,” she said. She inclined her head towards the guitar. He’d been so helpful when he walked in on her playing, and even though she got mad at him, he still was nice enough to play her to sleep, so she was sure that he would help her. He casually pushed himself away from the door, holding her gaze as she held her breath, waiting for his answer.

“Why don’t you get Matt to help you,” he said, venom dripping down. He opened the door and walked out.

Things had settled down between the three, and Quinn passed them to sit on the couch. Matt noticed his sour expression and also noticed that Summer hadn’t come back. He joined Quinn on the couch.

“What’s wrong, Quinn?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Quinn said dismissively. “So, you and Summer have a thing now?” he asked. He’d said it casually, and looked to the bassist. Matt’s face was very confused.

“Um, no. I mean, she’s nice and all, but we don’t have a thing,” Matt told him. Quinn‘s eyes went wide. “Don’t get me wrong! She’s cool, but maybe in a little sister sort of way, you know?” Quinn groaned and ran his hands through his hair. “What is wrong?”

“I‘m an asshole,” Quinn said simply.