Sand, a "Zoey 101" fanfiction

by l-NonToxic-l

04.20.2008

Disclaimer: I don't own "Zoey 101" or the characters.

Pairings: Quinn/Logan, as usual.

"You're all I want.

You're all I need.

You're everything.

And how can I stand here with you,

And not be moved by you?

Would you tell me,

How could it be any better than this?

-- "Everything" by Lifehouse

Quinn sat up, hearing the light whisper of the sand as it fell from her hair back to the beach.

"What is it?"

She ignored him, pulling her legs close to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She rested her chin on her knees and gazed out at the waves, constantly ebbing and flowing.

She thought briefly about eternity – The one concept her genius brain couldn't fully comprehend.

"Quinn?" He asked, sitting up.

She turned her head to the right. "Are you ashamed of me?" She asked bluntly.

"What?" She just looked at him. She knew he'd heard her, there was no reason to repeat herself. He ran his right hand through his hair, his left digging lightly into the sand behind her. "No."

"'Ashamed' is defined as, 'embarrassed or feeling guilt because of something one has done or a characteristic one has.' You are embarrassed of a characteristic I have. How is that not being ashamed?"

"So you're ashamed of me, then?"

She shook her head.

"You just defined it! How are you not ashamed?"

"I answered your question. Now answer mine. How are you not ashamed of me?"

He glanced back at the setting sun, the colors in the sky changing quickly. "Because I'm not embarrassed of you." He looked back at her and saw the confused expression on her face. "I mean, I was. But I'm not now."

"You're not?" She asked, curiously.

"No. Why would I be?"

She extended a hand. "Hi, I'm Quinn Pensky, you must be amnesia."

He took her hand and raised it to his lips before lacing his fingers through hers. "No, actually, I'm Logan Reese…" He replied, slightly confused. Who was 'amnesia?'

She shoved him lightly with their joined hands. "Will you explain already?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I'm just not."

"Then why are we still a secret?"

He removed his hand from the beach behind her and lightly toyed with the ends of her hair. "Because I want to protect you."

"From what?"

"From other people."

She smiled at him. "I think I can handle it, Logan…"

He shook his head. "No, not just our friends or even strangers… I mean the people you've been trying to impress for years."

"I've never tried to impress anyone."

"I saw how much it affected you when Firewire and his friends made fun of you for being a girl... I mean, I was the one who bought you those tulips. I knew they were your favorite…" He pulled his feet closer to him, sitting Indian-style, her hand still in his. "I hated thinking that I'd hurt you so badly. But it was worse knowing that they'd hurt you, too. I just don't want you to get made fun of any worse by the people you worked so hard to prove yourself to. I stopped being embarrassed a long time ago, I just knew you'd get abuse from them for dating me."

She scooted closer to him, and smirked lightly. "That long?"

His head snapped toward her. "Huh?"

"The tulips… That was freshman year. That long?"

He wrapped his left hand around her shoulders and pulled her tightly to him, her head resting comfortably in the crook of his neck. "Baby, I've liked you since you bumped my shoulder when you walked off the basketball court your first week at PCA. It just took me a while to admit it."

She kissed his neck lightly before curling up to him. "I'm not embarrassed, either. Not even when it comes to Firewire."

"Really?" He asked, facing the shore.

"Mmhmm."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Logan spoke. "I think I stopped being embarrassed of you when I realized that I'm in love with you."

She sighed contentedly. "I love you, too, Logan."

He lifted her chin lightly before pressing his lips to hers.

When he pulled away a moment later, he noticed that mischievous sparkle in her eye. "So are we gonna tell people tomorrow?"

"Whatever you want, Quinn."

She glanced up at him and briefly remembered how Zoey complained that she and James couldn't get any alone time. "Maybe we should keep this a secret a little bit longer."

He smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that."

She tucked her head back onto his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Hey, baby?"

"Yeah?"

"Who's 'amnesia?'"

She laughed lightly and shook her head before watching the edge of the sun mold into the horizon. Eternity was an odd concept and though she didn't quite grasp it, she knew it would be spent with the cocky and adorably clueless boy next to her on the beach.