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12. Selfish
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Loving Jude 13. Telepathy
"Eli?" Isaac's voice floats into the room. "Eli?" Simon echoes him, giving me a bewildered look. There's no time to think, so I hurry over to the door. "Let's talk outside," I tell him, stepping up beside Isaac.Isaac gives me a worried look before retreating into the living room.Eli looks at me, his eyebrows drawing together. "I'm sorry. I had no idea she would do something like that."I shrug and cast a worried look over my shoulder. Thankfully, Jude is out of sight. If we leave now, everything will be fine. "It's fine. Let's talk outside," I repeat."Oh, ok..." he trails off, and I realise his gaze has shifted from me to somewhere behind me. My stomach twists. The look on his face is enough. I don't need to turn to see that he's looking at Jude. "What is he doing here?" Eli asks, his face morphing into a tense expression. Then his eyes come back to me, and the hurt I see in them is too much. "Are you here with him?"I shake my head instantly and wave my hands in denial. "No!"
Loving Jude 14. I'm Fine
'I'm sorry. I didn't know he would be at Simon's.'I send the text a few minutes into the ride, hoping to clear everything up before we get to Trey. I've sneaked a peek at Eli a couple of times in the rearview mirror, and the faraway look on his face unsettles me.A few seconds later, my phone beeps with a text notification.Eli ♥: It's fine. I believe you.This time, when I look in the rearview mirror, I find him looking back at me. He gives me a tight-lipped smile, and I reciprocate it. Still, it doesn't make me feel better because I'm worrying that he took Jude's words to heart.Also, I never would have expected him to lash out the way he did. For the two years I've known him, he has never fought with anyone or reacted violently. So, after what just happened, it's hard for that smile to be reassuring in any way.All my calls to Trey's phone go unanswered, but a few minutes before we can get to his school, Grace calls me on her phone.She lets me know that he's not at his dorm. Inst
Loving Jude 15. Late...?
"He needs to get into surgery right away, but the substances he took might interfere with anaesthesia, so we have to carry out some tests to find out what he took first. While we wait for that, we'll try to stabilise him from the drug effect and take measures against infection and further blood loss. It might be a while before we are done with him. But don't worry, his outlook is good."I nod, relieved to hear that. "Okay.""Just hang around the waiting area, and I'll come to you when we are ready to proceed," the doctor instructs."Okay, thank you," I say as he walks away.With a deep inhale, I walk back to the others. They all gather around me."What did he say?" Eli asks."They need to carry out some tests to find out what he took before they can operate on him. But he said he's going to be okay.""That's good," Simon mumbles.We all settle around the waiting room, waiting. It's crazy how this night has turned out. It feels like so long ago when my biggest worry was Eli and Jude fi
Loving Jude 16. Sister
It's half-past two when we are finally able to see Trey. He came out of surgery a while back, but they kept him in the recovery room for about half an hour. The doctor lets me know that he can leave later in the day if he remains stable.I go in to see him first while the others wait outside."You didn't tell Mum, right?" is the first thing he asks when I walk into the room.I scoff. "If this happens again, you'll have no energy to worry about Mum once I'm done with you."He rolls his eyes and sighs. "I guess that's a no."I'm glad he has enough energy to roll his eyes. I go to his side and feel his forehead. "Your fever is gone," I note."Yeah.""Are you sober now?""Yeah.""Are you in pain?"He lifts his arm, where an IV line is stuck. "Painkillers.""Oh."I jerk my thumb towards the door. "Can I let the others in now? Doc said we have to let you rest up, so they have to go soon.""Wait, I..." His eyes become downcast as he stares at the bedcover. "I'm sorry.""It's fine. We can tal
Loving Jude 17. Of Little Accidents
"That was the end of our friendship," Eli continues. "I haven't talked to him in years. Then tonight happened." He shoots to his feet and paces in front of the bench. "I almost forgot about him. The thought of him made me so angry, that I would instantly shut him out of my mind as soon as my thoughts went in his direction. It's been a while since I thought about him." "It must have been hard seeing him tonight," I say. "Yeah, well, yeah. Especially because I can't even be angry at him anymore." He sits back down. "When he followed me outside earlier, he broke down." "Why?" "He told me why he fought with your brother. Will got suspended from the school's football team a few weeks ago, and your brother took his place. When he saw Trey getting high last night, he got mad. He couldn't stand it that the guy who had taken his spot was getting away with the same thing that ruined his life." He scrubs a hand down his face. "And then he started crying, saying how he has lost everything a
Loving Jude 18. Torn Half-Way
I frown as a blue sports car comes to a stop at the curb.That's Jude's car.Trey and I are outside the hospital, waiting for Isaac to pick us up. It's about three in the afternoon and the doctor said Trey could leave, but he should rest up and avoid any activities that strain his wound. He's scheduled to come back for an appointment a week later.Earlier on, I went by his dorm room and packed up some of his clothes. He's going to be staying with Isaac and Simon for the next few days until his wound has healed enough that nobody will notice when he goes home.Trey stares at the blue car, eyes squinting. "What a sweet ride..." he trails off and rises from the bench we are sitting on. "Is that Jude?"Jude appears from the driver's side and looks over at us."Are you guys coming or not?"Trey walks over, one hand clasping the side where his wound is. "Wow. Nice car, Jude.""Thanks," Jude says, opening the back door for him. "Hop in."Trey gets into the car and leans back into the plush l
Loving Jude 19. False Alarm
I groan inwardly when I get back to my apartment and Tori is already there, making something in the kitchen. I was hoping she wouldn’t be back yet and I could get some time to myself without worrying about her saying or doing something that will ruin my mood further. But no worries. All I have to do is stay in my room and avoid all sorts of contact with her. My hope for a peaceful evening goes down the drain seconds later as I cross the living area, headed for my room. “You’re here to pack, right?” she asks. I’m of half a mind to ignore her, but I can’t resist the urge to disappoint her. “No,” I reply, retrieving my room key from my bag. “You have three days to move,” she says. I stick my key into my lock. “I don’t have to go anywhere. This is my apartment too. You can move if you want.” The sound of her scoff fills the room. “Did you forget that it’s my name on the lease?” Damn, she’s right. When I agreed to move in with her from the school dorms, she had already found the ap
Loving Jude 20. Alone Time
“That’s everything, right?” Simon asks, piling the last of my boxes in one corner of his room. “Yeah,” I nod, looking at all my belongings, now piled nicely in the corner. There wasn’t much to move, so we were able to get everything from my apartment in one trip using Isaac’s truck. Tori will be pleased to get back in the evening to find me gone. The last three days have been unpleasant. While the month is not over yet, I decided to move out early as she had demanded for the sake of my sanity. Simon’s place is already fully occupied with Trey and Jude around, but he insisted we’ll find a way. “When you told Eli you are staying here while looking for a new place, did you mention that Jude is still here?” Simon asks, leading the way back to the living room. I follow after him. “Yes.” “And he had no problem with it?” “Yeah,” I reply, heading for the kitchen and filling a glass with water at the sink. Taking a sip, I shrug, “He said it was fine.” “I think that’s a sign,” Simon muses
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