He takes off after that and I head into the house. What the fuck just happened? What’s even worse is what I find once I enter the house. Both Chloe and Jax are sitting in the living room, a little too close for comfort for me. They seem to be deep in conversation about something but stop when I come in. “Hey! Jax just told me the good news.” My face must show confusion because she continues. “That the judge awarded Jude his emancipation.”
With the conversation that just happened, I forgot about going to the courthouse and Jude’s emancipation. I shove the conversation I had with Dad to the back of my mind and plaster a smile on my face. “Yeah, isn’t it great? Did Jax tell you Flynn, Jude, Ashtyn, and Abbie are coming over?”
Her smile falters, but she quickly puts it back up. “Yeah, this calls for a celebration.” She brings her hand up and it appears the celebration has already started. There’s a half-empty bottle of rum sitting on the coffee table. It’s going to be one of those nights. Just what I want.
Fuck it.
I grab the bottle off the table and chug directly from it. If we’re celebrating tonight, then I’m joining in the celebration. Screw being responsible for once. Chloe cheers, and with each additional chug I forget about the conversation I had with Dad. Tonight is all about Jude and celebration. “Hey, let’s take this celebration downstairs. What better way to celebrate tonight than drinking and playing some kickass music.”
Jax raises an eyebrow. “Sounds good, bro. What’s going on with you?”
I shake off his inquisition. “What? I can’t be happy for Jude? I can let loose every once in a while.”
“If that’s all it is, then let’s go. I’ll shoot a quick text to the guys and let them know where to find us.”
I don’t wait for either Jax or Chloe to follow me. I start heading out and turn around. “This bottle’s going to be empty soon. Make sure to bring some extras down with you.” I don’t wait for a response, and I continue on my path downstairs. I’m feeling better and better. My body feels lighter and it’s tingling all over. Reaching for my drumsticks, I get the adrenaline coursing through my body that only they can bring me. Sitting down, I start just whacking the shit out of them and slowly get a good beat going.
The energy around me feels amazing, and I close my eyes and feel the music flowing out of me. I’m not even paying attention to what I’m playing; I’m just going with it. I always second-guess myself and try to perfect my beats, but right now I don’t care about any of that. It’s like I’m a different person right now and it’s exhilarating. All of the shit and stress in my life is gone, and all that’s left are the drums in front of me.
Sweat is dripping down my body and my arms are screaming at me, but I don’t stop. I can’t stop. The beat vibrates up my arm and my heartbeat matches itself to every hit to the drum. My breathing becomes labored, but I push myself through it. It’s like I’m running a marathon and I can’t stop until I reach the finish line. The burn coursing through my body only propels me to continue.
Don’t stop.
Don’t stop.
Don’t stop.
With one final hit to the drum, my stick shatters in my hand and goes flying. At some point you have to stop and can’t keep going on. My arms continue shaking as if they’re still moving, and my heart is pounding so hard. I take a deep breath and then another. Opening my eyes, I see that everyone has arrived. They all have varying expressions of the same face—eyes wide, mouths hanging open, standing there staring at me head-on. Taking my shirt off, I wipe away the sweat on my face and neck. “Well, don’t just stand there. Let’s do this.” I get up to grab a new set of sticks and take a chug from one of the many bottles they brought down here. Situating myself back down at my drum set, I continue beating away everything I don’t want to think about right now.
Slowly, everyone starts picking up their instruments, and we start an epic jam session. Ashtyn and Abbie sit on a sofa against the far wall, and Chloe is sitting across the room from them on the floor. She’s nursing a new bottle of rum and ignoring them. Rather than think about that drama, I close my eyes and let myself feel the music again. This is Jude’s night. No drama tonight of any kind.
Chapter 7
Chloe
October used to always be my favorite month. School is in full swing with homecoming and Halloween just around the corner. But this year it’s just another month. Even if I had a date to homecoming, I wouldn’t go. The only thing I feel like dressing up as this year for Halloween is myself when I was happier and had parents.
So there’s that.
Or maybe I should dress up. Be somebody else for a day. Somebody happier and more carefree. Someone who doesn’t care and doesn’t have any drama in her life. Particularly drama from crazy bitches. I shook off that first interaction with Brooke, but of course she couldn’t leave it at that. It didn’t take long for me to realize that she’s threatened by me not because I could “dethrone” her, but because she likes Hudson. He’s oblivious and it’s one hundred percent one-sided. And that has nothing to do with me.
She gives me the stink eye any chance she gets, and it’s gotten to the point of being hilarious. Even if I weren’t in the picture, he still wouldn’t want her, but instead she’s putting that rejection blame all on my shoulders. Not like it matters to me, but I’m having a whole lot of fun rubbing it in her face. For example, Hudson and I are sitting in the cafeteria right now—his doing, not mine. Being Mr. Popular, we’re sitting at the “popular” table, which means Brooke and her bitches are sitting right here with us along with some jocks and theater geeks. I don’t get the hierarchy here, but whatever. That’s not the point.
I’m half listening to her complain about some party getting canceled for Halloween this weekend. How her life is ruined and it’s so unfair because it’s her senior year. Blah, blah, blah. Just a bunch of whiny bullshit. I start to get up and walk away when Hudson wraps his arm around me and tightens his hold. When I catch sight of Brooke’s scowl, I squeeze myself tighter into his embrace. “I just…I don’t know what we’re going to do, you guys. We can’t not have a Halloween party. It wouldn’t be right.”
I don’t know what compels me to do it, but before I can catch myself, I say, “I can throw it.” Everyone looks in my direction and I see a variation of mouths open and eyes wide. I guess I don’t talk much around these people, or anyone at school for that matter. Her lips tighten into a flat line before a smile breaks out on her face. “Oh, thanks so much for offering, hun. We need a big party house, though, and I’m sure you can’t provide that. Maybe next time.” She turns her back to me like I’ve been dismissed.
Not so quick, little bitch.
“Actually, sweetie, I live with Hudson. I’m sure his house is more than adequate.” His body stiffens when I look up at him. “You don’t mind throwing a party, do you, babe?” He cocks an eyebrow, but his body relaxes into mine.
“Sure, babe. Whatever you want.” I turn back to the shocked crowd and I’m met with daggers from Brooke. “Well then, it’s settled. Hudson and I would be more than happy to host the party. Plus his parents won’t even be there. So it’s perfect.” I flash a saccharine smile and go back to my lackluster salad.
I’ve spent most of lunch just pushing it around my plate. Who wants to eat wilted lettuce, half-frozen carrots, soggy cucumbers, and ranch that I can only assume came from a bag. My entire body shudders. Not me, that’s for sure. I could seriously go for an In-N-Out Burger right about now. I start to get up, and this time Hudson releases me. Just for Brooke’s benefit, I lean down and kiss Hudson on the lips and put my all into it. Running my fingers through his hair, I lose my concentration on what I was doing and put all of my focus into this kiss instead. Tingles spread throughout my body, and I gently caress Hudson’s bottom lip with my tongue. I moan as he grants me access, and the clearing of somebody’s throat brings me back to reality. Opening my eyes, I say, “I’m heading out to my locker. I’ll see you later?”
He nods, and out of the corner of my
eye, I watch as not one but four sets of murderous eyes bore into me. Well, at least the minions are loyal. Shaking himself out of his daze, Hudson stands up. “I’ll come with you.” I start to wave him off but see the determination in his eyes and stop myself. He’s pissed about the party, but I know if I bring it up to Jax, I can easily get him on my side. He’s always up for a party. We’re kindred spirits. After tossing our trash and heading out of the cafeteria, Hudson leads the way to my locker. We walk there in complete silence, which is normally fine but somehow feels awkward right now.
As I shuffle around the books and notebooks in my locker, I pretend I’m doing something. Anything to prevent the conversation that is starting to build. Is he pissed at me? With nothing else to do, I slam the locker shut and face Hudson square on. “So…what’s up?”
The tension builds between us as he steps forward. With a grin plastered on his face, he clears his throat and says, “Why don’t you tell me. What was that about back there?”
I’d rather not step into any kind of trap, so I simply ask, “Which part?”
“I don’t know, babe?”
“Oh, that. I can’t stand Brooke.”
“You want to clarify that a little bit more?” he asks.
“It should be obvious. She has a thing for you.” He chuckles and I continue. “No, seriously. She and her posse shoot eye bullets in my head any chance they get. She likes you and they think I’m the reason you’re not together.”
“That’s ridiculous. I don’t think of her that way, and you’re not standing in the way of anything.”
I laugh and reply, “You don’t have to tell me that. If you wanted to be with her, you would have been way before I got here. Doesn’t change how she feels.”
“So, back there?” He pauses before continuing. “That was you throwing whatever this is—” he motions between us “—in her face?”
My cheeks heat up slightly and I turn my focus to my feet. “Well, when you put it like that.”
With a harsh tone, Hudson says, “The next time you feel like doing mean-girl shit, don’t use me to get back at anyone.”
I watch as his back retreats away from me. Looks like Hudson got a little peek into the old Chloe. It felt great in the moment, but now I feel nothing but guilt. Sure, Brooke is a bitch. That doesn’t mean I have to go around acting the same way she does. It also doesn’t mean I should be using Hudson and throwing it in her face. He’s been nothing but nice to me, and I’m pretty sure I know how he feels about me. As my thanks, I turned around and did that. The bell rings for class and I start heading in that direction, contemplating what I’m going to do to make it up to him.
***
On the way home from school, Hudson starts going on about canceling the party and having someone else host it. There’s no way that can happen, especially because after all of my brainstorming, I came up with the perfect costume idea.
When we get home, I go off in a search of Jax, and it doesn’t take me very long to find him. He’s sitting, still in his superhero pajama pants, at the breakfast bar eating a bowl of cereal. His hair is disheveled, and if I had to guess, he just woke up not too long ago. Wish I could sleep in until three in the afternoon.
“Jax, please tell your brother that a Halloween party is a genius idea.”
With a mouth full of cereal, he says, “Why would I do that?”
“Girls dressed in lingerie and throwing on animal ears as a costume.” For emphasis, I run my hands down my body. His eyes light up and I know I’ve got him hook, line, and sinker.
“Dude, we have to have a Halloween party.”
“We don’t need to have anything,” Hudson says with a scowl.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I say, “I’m pretty sure you were just outvoted. Two against one means majority rules.”
With a huff, he turns and walks away. Over his shoulder, he says, “Whatever. When it comes to parties, you two always gang up on me and get what you want. Doesn’t matter what I have to say anyway.”
I start to go after him but think better of it. He’s in a mood right now and I’d rather not deal with that. Instead, I grab a bowl and park myself next to Jax. I pour myself whatever he’s eating and start chomping down. I can’t remember the last time I had a bowl of cereal. After a few bites, I look over at Jax and find him staring back at me. “So, what did you do today?”
He chuckles slightly and motions down to his clothes. “What do you think?”
“Yeah. Must be nice.”
“So what’s the deal with the Halloween party?” he asks.
“Okay, so you know who Brooke is, right?”
He laughs. “How could I not? That chick tried to attach herself to me, but Erin stopped that shit real quick. What does she have to do with this?”
“Not to mention she was one of your body shot girls, but that’s beside the point. She’s after Hudson. Like hardcore after him and seems to think I’m the reason they aren’t together. Anyway, she’s been giving me shit about it.” Jax’s nostrils start flaring and I throw my hands up. “Hold up, I can take care of myself, no big deal. She was whining about her Halloween party getting canceled, so of course I couldn’t let that happen. I swooped in and saved the day. While mentioning that Hudson and I would gladly host since we live together.”
“Shit, you don’t mess around. I would have loved to see the look on her face.”
Nodding my head, I say, “Oh, you should have seen it. It was priceless. While she and her bitches were scowling and staring daggers at me, I had to plant a kiss on Hudson before walking away. And trust me, it was hot.”
I look up to a scowling Jax, and I’m not sure what just happened. “What’s your problem, Chloe?”
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, that’s the problem.” He gets up and storms out of the room without even cleaning up his mess first.
What the fuck just happened? Standing up, I clear up the cereal mess and contemplate my next move. Upstairs, both Hartley boys are pissed at me for some reason or another. I could go up there and try to fix whatever is going on with either one of them. Or I could go find a bottle of something and light up the fire pit. Drama or no drama? Yeah, I think I’ll go with the latter.
After hunting, I find a bottle of rum. I grab a can of Coke and a glass. I’m okay with it just being a party of one this evening. Screw boys and their confusing drama. I’m just fine being by myself, and that is precisely what I’m going to do.
Chapter 8
Hudson
I don’t know how the two of them constantly talk me into this. The last thing Chloe should be doing is drinking away her problems, yet here we are at yet another party being thrown at my house. Somehow Chloe convinced both Jax and me that Halloween is reason enough for a party and we can’t not have one. Although, it didn’t take much convincing on Jax’s part. All Chloe had to do was mention girls in lingerie and glide her hands down her damn body for him to be all for it. It was like he’d spent all day at Warped Tour without a drop of water. He was salivating at the damn mouth for her.
It doesn’t help that Chloe came waltzing down the stairs in a Black Canary costume. Talk about a fucking fantasy come to life. I’m not sure who she was trying to impress with that: me or Jax. Either way we were both ready to drag her back upstairs. Good thing neither one of us made a move, because that would have been pretty awkward. Jax dressed up as The Flash, which only makes me think that after our conversation last month, he started planning his costume. I guess I should be happy Chloe didn’t come dressed as Iris.
Flynn and Ashtyn showed up as Han Solo and Princess Leia, gold bikini and all. How he got her to agree to that costume, I’ll never know. But they look good. I don’t know how everyone found the time to get a costume. The stupid party is at my house and I didn’t have enough time to find something. They all picked out stuff weeks ago. Even Jude and Abbie look awesome. I’m not sure who’s doing it was, but they showed up like Link and Zelda.
Their costumes are totally kickass. I just threw on some faded destroyed jeans, boots, and a flannel. My hair isn’t super long, but it’s shaggyish. I used Chloe’s straightener and made it a little longer. Then I threw some of her gunk in my hair to make it look messy and greasy. Everyone keeps calling me Kurt Cobain, so it works.
This whole house is jam packed with people, and I can guarantee you I don’t know most of the people here. But Chloe was right about one thing. All of the girls here are wearing variations of the same costume: lingerie and accessories to make their costume legit. I’m not sure how someone could fight fires in six-inch heels and garters. And wearing a plaid mini-skirt and rhinestone bra doesn’t qualify you as a teacher, even if you carry a ruler around. Jax got what he wanted though. He’s in Halloween-slut heaven.
I peek over at Chloe for the millionth time and watch her dance. She’s just been swaying her body to the music and hasn’t had a single drink yet. I’m surprised but relieved at the same time. Usually she starts out these parties already a few drinks in. Maybe tonight will be different and she’ll actually go to bed sober tonight. I, on the other hand, have been chugging waters all night. I search the room for Jax and finally find him standing in the middle of his admirers and head over to him.
“Dude, I’m going to the bathroom. Can you keep an eye on Chloe while I’m gone?”
He rolls his eyes and turns his attention back to the brunette standing in front of him. She’s shameless with her costume choice for the evening. She’s legit dressed up like a Playboy bunny. I guess there had to be at least one in the mix. “She’s fine.”
I clench my hands into fists and spit out, “I don’t care if she’s fine. Will you keep an eye on her?”
“Yeah. Calm it down. I’ll watch out for her,” he says as he brings his hand up to pat me on the back.
“Thanks.” I turn away and head downstairs. Outside our practice room, I grab the key out of my pocket and unlock my door. One thing we agreed on a long time ago when we started having these parties was to get deadbolts on our bedroom doors and our practice room. I would never be okay with finding some random couple hooking up in my bed, and we have way too much expensive equipment in here to let just anyone come in. Gross. Shutting and locking the door behind me, I head into the attached bathroom.
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