Chapter 14 #2
“Yeah, he’s—well, he’s pretty cool—”
“Do you like, like him?”
“No!” The answer came out as a sharp shriek, and it echoed down the road. “I mean—I mean, I like him as a person, but I don’t—I don’t like, like—”
“Uh-huh,” she murmured, giving me the gapped grin. Despite feeling thoroughly embarrassed, it felt like I passed a test.
Paisley stopped at a bright yellow house along the side of the road, shrugging off her backpack and letting it drag on the cobblestone walkway that led to the narrow porch.
The house was small, longer than it was wide.
She led me up the steps, holding the screen door out for me.
“Wait here,” she ordered, kicking off her little sneakers as we stepped inside. “Hudson! I’m home!”
“Already? Your bus isn’t supposed to get here for ten more minutes! Did you at least walk with the other kids, Pais?”
As she bounded off toward a hallway, she left me taking in the mobile home behind her.
I had a straight shot view of the couch against the far wall, and there was a pillow on one of the seats that looked like it belonged on a bed.
Almost like someone had taken a nap there.
There was a small table in the middle of the room with a few chairs around it, and a bouquet of flowers on the top of it.
From the small snapshot view, it looked homey.
I could hear Hudson’s voice from the hallway Paisley disappeared down. “Why do you have this out? Wait, did you take this to school?”
“You said it was for protection.”
“Not at school, Paisley! Good God, have you been taking this with you every day? No, I’m not giving it back—privileges revoked. You’re really trying to get me in trouble with Dad, aren’t you?” His voice got closer. “I swear to God, if you’d been caught with it, I’d never have heard the end—”
Hudson appeared at the mouth of the hallway, stopping dead in his tracks as we locked eyes. Behind his black-framed glasses, he blinked once, twice, almost like he expected me to disappear. For a blissful moment, he only seemed surprised, stunned.
And then when he took a step closer, that emotion morphed into something else, something perfectly clear: anger. “What are you doing here?”
He was barefoot, and the gray sweatpants he had on looked well worn and well loved. His black tank was snug enough to hug his sides, showcasing his lean frame but highlighting the muscles in his arms. He wasn’t as muscular as Landon or the other football players, but he was definitely fit.
Not that I was noticing.
“Gemma.” Hudson’s voice snapped my attention back to the moment, back to his livid face. Each word was an enunciated curse. “What are you doing here?”
“You weren’t at school today,” I said lamely. In all the scenarios in my head, Hudson’s irritation hadn’t been in any of them. “I thought I’d check on you.”
Paisley ducked out from behind Hudson and eyed the two of us, clearly picking up on the tension. “I’m going to ride my bike,” she told him. “See you later, Gemma.” She added the last bit with a small wave.
I had my arms tucked close to my body and couldn’t bring myself to wave back, but I did give her an uncertain smile. She let the screen door slam shut behind her, the cracking sound pinching my nerves.
“This isn’t okay,” Hudson said in a voice that didn’t sound like him.
Even though he wore his glasses, he was the Grim Reaper version, all low and sharp and harsh.
It sent a chill through me, and if my feet weren’t firmly planted, I might’ve backed up a step.
“There’s a thing called privacy, Gemma, and you’re really butting into mine. ”
“I thought we were friends. Don’t friends check on each other?”
“Oh, we’re friends now,” he retorted, and though my words had been awkward and nervous, his reply came out strong. “Only when no one can see, right? Because heaven forbid your good girl image get ruined by Brentwood’s bad boy.”
I frowned up at him. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about Saturday. Afraid your boyfriend’ll think you’re being swayed by the Grim Reaper?”
A moment ago, I’d wanted to retreat out onto the porch to give myself space from his severity. Now, even though the space was narrow, I stepped closer, squaring my jaw. “It hurt your feelings, didn’t it? Me not acknowledging you. Acknowledging our friendship. That’s why you’re being like this.”
Hudson leaned down to bring his eyes level with mine, and they were darker than normal, pinning me in place. One corner of his mouth tugged up, the smile as bitter as could be. “What feelings?”
“You were the one to ruin the conversation first. You were the one who got all mocking and mean with him. Was that you not fighting your role?” Despite the way he rolled his eyes, I knew that was it.
Him leaning into the image that was tied to him.
There hadn’t even been any hesitation. “You could fight a little. You could care a little.”
“Why? I should care because you want me to?” He took a step toward me, the floorboards creaking beneath his weight. His eyes were a flame of blue. “Is that what this is? You’re trying to change me? You’re trying to take a rock and wash all the dirt off? Guess what, Gemma—I like the dirt.”
I began shaking my head even as he spoke. “You don’t.”
He stopped within a few feet from me, leaning forward as though we were sharing a secret. “Wanna bet?”
“You don’t scare me,” I told him, because I knew that was the reaction he was looking for.
Hudson took a step closer, entering dangerous territory with a foot of space between us. “No?” The word was a soft lilt, almost teasing. Another step forward, and six inches disappeared. “What about now?”
If I was bolder, I would’ve demanded to know how his nearness could be so scary. Except I was a coward, and six inches was way too close. “No.” Voice still steady. Good.
Hudson didn’t stop there, though. Instead of taking another step, he leaned his forearm onto the wall above my head.
His other arm reached out so that his palm pressed against the wall, boxing me into the cage that was the Grim Reaper.
The warm citrus scent of him was strong, enough for my head to swim with it.
When he spoke, the words were practically a whisper. “What about now?”
I tilted my head to look up at him, brought nearly nose to nose with Grim Reaper, who didn’t even flinch.
His eyes were so electric blue that I could never stop being startled by them, rendering me speechless each time.
His rosy lips were twisted up into a half smirk, one filled with condescension to the brim.
I swallowed the uneasiness that came with being in his sights, forcing myself not to waver. If I did, it was game over. “No.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not.” My heart was thumping fast, and my body was hot, like I was standing under the glare of the sun instead.
My veins hummed with the moment, almost energized.
“You’re forgetting that I’ve seen who you are.
I heard you laughing with your friends. I saw you smile.
That’s who you are, not some bully. You’re trying to convince me otherwise, but it’s not going to work. You’re not going to scare me off.”
The electricity in his gaze faltered, but even though it dulled, I knew it could still sting. His words whispered against my neck as he repeated them, causing my skin to shiver. “Wanna bet?”
My lips curved into a small smile on their own accord, because this was what he did. Hudson pushed and pushed and pushed, but then he’d give openings like this—a chance for me to cling onto. “Sure, I’ll bet you on it.”
Hudson shook his head a little, and even with his glasses on, he was the perfect appearance of antagonistic. There was no warmth to draw from. “You’re delusional.”
The thrill began to recede as I felt my cheeks warm, and this time—for the first time—it did feel like embarrassment. There was no thrill present now, not with the way he looked at me. Like I was a solicitor knocking on his door. Unwanted. Annoying.
I drew in a breath as I regarded him, squaring my shoulders.
“I didn’t act like that on Saturday because of my good girl image.
But I did do it for myself. If Jaden knew that we were friends, he would’ve told my parents.
If my parents knew, that’d be it. It’d be over.
After sixteen years of never stepping out of place, of keeping my head down and my mouth shut, scrounging as much freedom as I could, I’d lose it all.
I’d go right back to doing everything everyone tells me to.
” I scoffed out a laugh, the sound bubbling up even though this situation wasn’t even remotely funny.
“Come on, Hudson. I’ve never even said a swear word. ”
Hudson’s gaze turned transparent for a fraction of a moment, expression turning into something uncertain.
“I thought you could relate to that, I guess. I thought we were both in the same boat. So, yeah. I pretended like I didn’t know you. But despite being delusional,” I repeated the word with the same amount of severity he’d used, “I am sorry it hurt your feelings.”
The mocking expression slid off of Hudson’s lips, leaving a frown line between his eyebrows.
He dropped his hands from the wall but didn’t take a step back.
Still, though, I knew it was my cue to leave.
If I knew anything about Hudson, it was that he’d never reply when something was as serious as this.
Without another word, I pushed open the screen door, walking outside. I hurried the rest of the way down the steps and shouldered my backpack higher up, stalking out from underneath the carport and toward the main road. I refused to look around to see if he watched me go.
I got to the main road in time to see the handlebars of Paisley’s bike jerk sharply as she tried to turn around, and the tires slid crookedly on the gravel, giving way and depositing her onto the street.