Chapter 9 #2
It was almost as if Morgan summoned him, because not even a second later, Hudson appeared.
He walked down the hallway from Cafeteria B holding a blue tray of food.
He sauntered through the path students made for him easily, almost as if he didn’t even notice that they were there.
He looked zoned out, thoughts elsewhere.
Jaden and Morgan were chatting, but I was too focused on Hudson, on how he drew nearer and nearer. He was about to walk past us.
Except before he got to us, he took a left down a hallway, away from both cafeterias.
I turned to Morgan, acting like something just occurred to me. “I, uh—I have to talk to Principal Oliphant about something.”
“About what?” she asked, frowning. “Does it have to be now?”
We got to the hallway that Hudson ducked down, and thankfully he was still walking down it, still in sight. I nodded to the two of them. “It does. I’ll, uh—I’ll catch you guys later?”
They both looked confused, but Jaden at least waved goodbye before I turned, and thankfully, they didn’t look farther down the hallway to see what had caught my eye. I turned on my heel and zeroed in on the black shoulders striding away.
Where is he going? I didn’t know why I was so curious, but I couldn’t help it.
Hudson didn’t really strike me as the kind of guy to eat in the cafeteria, surrounded by everyone else, but where was he going?
A part of me wanted to raise my voice and grab his attention, but instead, I picked up the hem of my skirt and hurried after him.
He took a right down the main corridor, disappearing. By the time I got to the corner, the hallway was empty.
I turned in a circle, as if expecting to find him standing behind me.
He wasn’t, of course. I now stood in the hallway alone.
The main office door had glass, so from a quick peek, I found that he wasn’t in there.
The only other door that would open to non-staff was Ms. Murphy’s office, but she didn’t have a window for me to peer through.
I sighed a little, hooking my thumbs around my backpack straps, ready to start my walk back to Cafeteria A.
And that was when Ms. Murphy came out of her office, a smile on her face. “You’re too funny. Don’t forget to shut the door when you leave, okay?”
The reply was faint, but I recognized it easily. “Aye-aye.”
Once she shut the door, Ms. Murphy turned, and that was when she spotted me. “Oh, Gemma. Are you here to see me? I was about to go on my lunch break.”
“I was just walking through,” I told her as nonchalantly as I could. It probably wasn’t a big deal, me seeking Hudson out even though this wasn’t our buddy time, but I didn’t want to admit that I was seeking him out. “Enjoy your lunch.”
“You too, dear.” She patted my shoulder as she brushed past me, heading for the teachers’ lounge, leaving me alone once more in the hallway.
For some reason, my heart picked up its pace as I stepped up to her door, studying her name plaque. There wasn’t a single sound from the other side of the door, but I’d heard him. He was in there.
Placing my hand on the doorknob, I gave it a twist, but it didn’t turn. Locked.
Right. It automatically locked when the door was shut. I drew in another breath, one that steeled me, and knocked.
A noise came from inside the room, sounding like a chair pushing back.
And then, right before the door opened, a voice sounded.
“Jeez, that was fast—” Hudson pulled the door open and found me standing on the other side, his expression going from amused to shocked in a fraction of an instant. “Gemma?”
“Were you expecting someone else?”
Hudson leaned his arm against the jamb, regarding me in the way that always made me want to squirm. “Yeah. I was.”
I grazed my teeth along my lower lip and looked underneath his arm at the small space beyond. The table we’d been sitting at for the past few sessions was pushed up against the far wall of the room, and on top of it sat Hudson’s blue lunch tray. “Are you eating in here?”
“Ah, look at your deductive reasoning skills.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes, and without waiting for him to move, I ducked underneath his arm.
“I’ll eat with you.” There was another chair brought up to the table, making it clear that he was expecting company.
Who would’ve agreed to eat with the Grim Reaper alone, though?
“Got anything you want to swap? Jaden and I do that sometimes.”
Hudson hadn’t moved from the doorway, but simply watched me take my pastel pink lunchbox out of my backpack. I started unpacking it across from his tray, hoping that my trembling fingers weren’t obvious.
With a sigh that could’ve passed for a groan, Hudson closed the door, but didn’t come closer. “Can’t we meet after school?”
This is just his prickly side, I reminded myself. Don’t let it get to you. “I’ll split my brownie with you.”
His eyes narrowed. “Is it the kind with the little chocolate chips on top?”
“Of course.” I held the cellophane package up as proof.
Hook, line, and sinker. The way to Hudson Bishop’s heart, apparently, was dessert. Without a word, he walked over to the table and sank into his chair, offering his palm out.
I broke the brownie in half and gave him the bigger one.
It was clear that Hudson would rather eat lunch with whoever was coming, and he was annoyed I’d butted in.
I couldn’t help but wonder if the person he’d been expecting was a girl or a boy…
a romantic interest or not. I shouldn’t be curious. Definitely shouldn’t.
“So, who was coming to eat with you?” I asked, trying to seem nonchalant. “A friend?”
Hudson picked up one of his grilled cheese slices. “I do have them, you know.”
“You do?” I couldn’t have sounded more shocked if I’d tried, and in response to his raised eyebrow, I hunched my shoulders up toward my ears. “I mean, right. Of course you do.”
I truly hadn’t known Hudson had friends. Wait, did that mean his friend knew the Bridge Boy side of him?
As I thought long and hard, Hudson interrupted me. “Is that the name of the guy who sits by you on the bus every day? Jaden?”
I nodded. “Jaden Morris.”
“A friend?”
He mimicked what I’d said, but the question still rang oddly in my ears. Maybe it was because Morgan had just asked about Jaden and homecoming, but my spine prickled. “Why do you ask?”
Hudson let out a little breath through his nose. “Trying to make conversation, since you’re apparently not leaving. You were the one who said we should get to know each other.”
“And then you said to buzz off.” With words that were much harsher.
He set his spoon down and folded his arms on top of the table, the sudden weight making it wobble a little. “Then you told me to be all in with this buddy thing. We’re like friends now, aren’t we? Friends tell each other things about themselves, right?”
I had said that. And maybe that was why I’d been so curious about where he was going to eat lunch to begin with.
Right now, though, with the way he was looking at me, I was ready to rescind my offer.
Friends. Was that even possible? “Let’s start with you, then,” I breathed out, straightening my spine.
My stomach still growled, but I was fighting to win his attention, to get him to relax. “What do you do for fun?”
“My cousin and I are fixing up this old van,” he answered without missing a beat. “One of those vans people go traveling around the country in.”
“Is that what you want to do? Travel in a van?” I wasn’t sure I’d want to be stuck in a car for a cross-country road trip, but the thought of traveling was fun.
The farthest the Settlers ever went on vacation was to the beachfront an hour away, mostly because it was rare to find a time where my parents’ vacations lined up with our school schedule and Landon’s sports schedule.
“Not really,” Hudson replied, turning back to his tray. Aside from his soup, his grilled cheese, and the brownie, the only other thing he had was his mini water. “It’s more her dream than mine. But it gives me something to do, I guess.”
I hummed a little under my breath and picked up my brownie, about to take a bite.
At least until Hudson stopped me. “You’re not going to save the brownie for dessert?”
“It’s my favorite thing. Why wouldn’t I eat it first?”
He looked at me like I was crazy. “If it’s your favorite thing, why not save it for last?”
With his attention fully on me, I gracefully shoved the entire brownie into my mouth, attempting to smile as I chewed.
“All in one bite, too,” he said in a voice that was dripping with disappointment, shaking his head sadly.
I laughed a little, savoring the chocolatey taste. I had to admit, even though he was as deadpan as could be, teasing with him was fun. Trying to get him to open up was fun. I knew there was another side to him—I knew Bridge Boy was in there. I just had to keep digging to get him out.
We were quiet for a bit as we ate, me munching on my chicken tenders while he nursed his soup and grilled cheese.
It was weird to be eating in such quiet, since I was so used to the noisy lunchroom.
Despite the fact that it was the Grim Reaper sitting across from me, this was the most relaxing lunch I’d had in a long time.
Hudson glanced at the door for the third time in under a minute, giving a little frown. “Where is the person you were supposed to have lunch with?”
“Apparently, she’s not coming.”
I hesitated in biting my chicken tender.
So, it was a she. Now the only question remaining was whether or not this was supposed to be a romantic lunch period.
Hopefully not, because Ms. Murphy’s room didn’t provide much in the way of amorous ambiance.
“Why do you eat in here, anyway? Why not in the lunchroom?”
“I have to eat in here this year,” he said. “I guess they’re afraid I’ll do something crazy, like start a food fight or shove a freshman in the trash can.”