A Final Conversation

Kenny left Juliet's room and immediately headed up the hallway, bypassing the elevator, and heading towards the far side. A quick jog up a flight of stairs and he was back on the Ellie's dorm room floor. He wasn't certain where the blonde went, but he was hopeful that she went back to her room. Kenny knew he could explain everything, he could win Ellie over again, remind her that all they needed was each other in the end. Juliet apologized, he never wavered, nothing needed to change.

He reached Ellie's door and let himself inside, "Elle? You here?" Kenny called out as he entered the room, giving a few quick glances finding it empty, "Ellie?" The teen lowly called again as he opened the door to the small private bathroom and found it empty as well, "Dammit Elle, where did you go?" Kenny groaned, thinking for a few moments before it clicked in his head, "Shit, don't tell me you drove home!" Kenny spun around and jogged back to the exit, "If I'm fast hopefully I can at least catch her at her car."

Kenny pulled open the door but grew instantly numb as standing on the other side with a sharpness in her mismatched eyes, was Quinn. "We need to talk. Now." Quinn demanded in an eerily, emotionless voice as he put a hand on Kenny's chest and walked forward, backing him into Ellie's room. With a kick of her foot, Ellie's door shut leaving to two utterly alone, "You owe me a fucking explanation Kenny."

Kenny's eyes drooped sympathetically, "Quinn...please, this isn't going to go anywhere good."

"We're already no where good, Kenny. But I want some fucking answer," Quinn hissed back, "I want to know what it was that was so fucking wrong with me. What didn't I do for you? Where did I let you down? Why is it that Ellie is so much fucking better than me, huh? What does she fucking have that I lack? Tell me,"

"Quinn, come on, this isn't --"

"No fucking tell me!" Quinn finally shouted out,

"I don't know, okay?!" Kenny honestly replied, "I don't know what it is that makes me want Ellie most. I don't know why I have these feelings, Quinn. It's not a choice! It's...who I am!" Kenny exclaimed with a toss of his hands, "It wasn't deliberate. I wasn't sitting there measuring each one of you the entire time saying, 'Oh that's so much better', or 'That definitely drops her down on the list' I just made my choice, I followed what my body, mind, and heart told me, and it all ended with Ellie."

"So that's it? Nothing to tell me? I lose, Ellie wins, everyone just needs to accept it and move on?" Quinn spat back, "I gave you everything I had, Kenny! And you were, what? Lying to me? Stringing me along? Pretending to fucking care when you knew your heart always belonged to her?"

"No! It wasn't like that, Quinn! I wasn't lying to you ever!" Kenny immediately exclaimed,

"Oh yeah? You weren't lying, huh?" Quinn sarcastically retorted, "Then that makes it even fucking worse!" The redhead was starting to breathe heavier, her face was turning bright red and her eyes started to grow wet, "Why did you have to give me fucking hope for it? Why take me out on the dates?! Why pick Bella over me?! Why make me think you cared?!"

"Because I did!" Kenny stepped closer to Quinn, resting his hands on her shoulders, "Quinn I did and still do care about you; but I care about you like a sister. Like I do Julie. I never wanted to hurt you, I loved all the time we spent together, and I'll miss it. But I...needed to be with Ellie. I can't explain it, I don't know why, but I just knew I needed to be with her." Quinn pursed her trembling lips, doing everything she could to fight off her emotions, "But listen to me. That doesn't make you any less than her. You're amazing Quinn, and you deserve the best. You deserve better than me."

"But I want you, Kenny." Quinn croaked back, "I can -- I'll wait! I'll do --"

"Don't do that," Kenny softly cut her off, "Don't do that to yourself. Don't bring yourself down to a level thinking you need to wait for someone. Quinn, you're amazing, you as so much fun, so honest, so fucking real. Any guy would be fucking lucky to have you! Don't wait for a guy like me, go out there and find someone who is going to be there for you, and you only. It won't take long, I can promise you that,"

Quinn tightened her jaw a few times, giving her eyes a wipe and nose a sniff, "You -- I'm still mad at you..." Quinn murmured back after a few moments,

"You have every right be," Kenny accepted, "I hope you can forgive me for what I did."

"We'll...see," Quinn blew out a long exhale, stepping away from Kenny and wiping her eyes one final time, "Only fucking you can figure out a way to reject me and make it sound like a good thing," She halfheartedly joked, "Ugh, made me start crying a shit again,"

Kenny let out a tension releasing breathy laugh and rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry about that,"

"It's whatever," Quinn turned around, opening the door to Ellie's room, "I...saw Ellie earlier, she went down to the courtyard..."

Kenny's eyes lit up and he quickly headed out the open door, "Thanks Quinn. Really..." Quinn gave a tiny, tight lipped smile and nodded as Kenny ran off. The redhead gave him one final longing look before she too headed out of the room, shutting the door behind her and headed the other way.

Kenny ran to the stairs and charged down them in twos, if he could have survived the jump, he might have leapt over them all together. He reached the first floor in mere minutes and sprinted out the front door into the courtyard, reaching the center, and slowly spinning around as he looked for Ellie. "Kenny!" He looked over his shoulder, and rushing up from the parking lot was the wide smiling blonde.

"Elle!" Kenny returned with a cheek aching smile as he ran to her, closing the gap between them. Slamming into one another with a ferocious embrace, Kenny lifted Ellie off the ground and twirled her around, "I'm so fucking sorry for what happened; you have to know none of what she said mattered to me. I never even flinched. You're everything I want, Ellie, I promise,"

Ellie pressed her face into Kenny's neck, squeezing him tight, "No, I'm sorry for being such an idiot! I don't care what they say about me! I don't care what they say about us! The entire world can go fuck themselves!" Ellie exclaimed as she pulled back, lovingly looking Kenny in the eye, "I love you! That's all I know, and all that matters. I love you, Kenny. I want us to be together. All I can think about is how much I want you to be apart of everything I do. Whenever something good, or bad, or insane happens, you're the first one I want to tell! I don't give a shit if Juliet doesn't like it or if Quinn and Will want to spit on me for the rest of my life. I. Love. You."

Kenny felt tingles all throughout his body, "Elle...I -- I love you too..." A breathy exhale of disbelief followed the words, "I do. I didn't know -- I mean I feel like -- I just love you! I know it!" Ellie let out a bursting cry and the two pressed forward at once locking lips. Ellie wrapped her arms around Kenny's neck, keeping him pulled in while Kenny's arms squeezed around her lower back. The two never wanted this moment to end; it felt perfect, for once, everything just felt absolutely right.