Knowing Jude
Chapter 32

I'm almost convinced that this last half of the term is going to be weird when I'm treated to the joyful sight of Simon and Nicki walking through the school gates, coming up the walkway towards the front doors. Together.

I stop looking through my bag and stare, a smile breaking across my face.

I was thinking I would have to play some reconciliatory role, but it appears I was wrong. I stop looking for my Math exercise book that I suspect I've left at home and wait for my two friends to get to me.

The crowd of students going past me is decked out in warm clothing consisting of jackets, jumpers, and beanies. The sun hasn't graced the day with its presence yet, dark gloomy clouds spanning the sky instead. It's as if the weather itself is predicting the sort of trouble I'm going to replace myself in if I turn up with no homework in Math.

"Oh my God, I love this one, how come I've never seen it before?" Nicki gushes the moment she gets to me, pulling on my white hoodie.

"It's Trey's," I reply, looking between her and Simon.

"I want it," she announces, gracing me with a wide smile.

"Continue wanting," I reply and smile at Simon. "Hey, Simon."

He replies at the same time Nicki hits my arm and moans about my rudeness.

I ignore her and zip up my bag. "I see you two are all fine, now?"

She pulls away from my clothes and flashes a grin. "Yeah, he finally admitted he was being a jerk."

"I... What?" Simon sputters, giving her a bewildered look. "I... I mean... Yeah," he admits, at last, looking extremely sheepish.

I grin and punch him lightly in his arm. "Good to hear."

"I'm okay with being just friends if the other option is nothing at all," he says with a shrug, his eyes flickering to some point away from me and Nicki. I catch the sad note in his voice but before I can react to it someone pushes against him from behind, making him stumble forward.

"Get out of the way," Jen's voice, full of snark, breaks through our little group.

Simon turns on her immediately, practically growling. "Watch your step."

Jen has come to a stop as if she's deliberately looking for a fight. I'm about to say a very feeble 'Hi' when she sneers at him. "No, I think it's your mother who needs to watch her legs."

"Stop it, Jen," I order immediately.

She faces me. "Am I supposed to listen to you or something? Just because Jax does, doesn't mean everybody else will."

"What are you talking about?" I ask, slightly confused. Yet, a part of my brain is sure what this is about.

As I always suspected, she thinks I had a say in Jax breaking off things with her.

"Let's just go," Bethany, who's right beside her says, sneering at us... at me.

"That's right, go deal with your father and leave me out of this, but one more word about Mum and you won't know what hits you," Simon retorts.

Jen cackles and throws her head back. "And what could you possibly do to me, Simon? I mean, oh god, you're so scary!" she mocks.

Another girl steps from behind her and takes hold of Jen's arm. It's Katherine Johnson, the cheerleader who I had caught staring at Simon several times. "Enough, Jen. Let's go."

And she steers her away, all the other girls following.

Nicki lets out a long heavy sigh. "What a way to start a day."

The day doesn't get any better because when I go to the girls' washroom in the middle of Math class-excused myself right when Ms. Fernandez started checking homework, and me being her best student, she didn't smell a rat-one other girl is there, and guess who. My one and only estranged best friend.

I'm not really in need of the loo at the moment, so I don't rush into a stall. Instead, I stand frozen just inside the door. This is a chance I've not gotten since she stopped talking to me, and I'd better use it fast.

"Jen, can we talk?" I go straight to the point, stepping further into the room.

I think I startle her because her hands jerk away from her face fast, where she was dabbing a tissue to her eyes, most probably fixing smudged makeup.

"What?" she snaps, quickly snapping her purse shut.

"I don't know why you stopped talking to me, but I..."

"Do you think I don't know you were with him that entire day? He probably listens to you because you were Angie's best friend, right?"

"I didn't tell Jax to do anything, okay? I—"

"You know what? I don't care anymore," she interrupts me, waving her hand in dismissal. "I have worse problems to deal with right now without having to deal with people who never cared."

She comes towards the door, and I grab the little chance I have left. "That's not true, Jen. I—"

"Always thought about Angeline, that's what you did. I get it, you two were best friends, big deal. But even after she was gone, you never really took the time to see what was going on with me. No, you were busy thinking about Angeline to care what's going on with everyone else around you. We were friends because of her and now she's gone so we're over, got it? Bye."

A blast of perfume hits me as she sashays past me, her heels clicking against the terrazzo floor.

I stand there for at least a minute, going over what she just said.

Did I only care about my late best friend?

Was I too invested in the past that I was taking the present for granted?

When I finally walk out of the washroom, it's not with a smile for having skipped a teacher's wrath but a heavy heart, which I think will only lighten until I've had a chance to really talk to Jennifer... Again..

It's said to never judge a book by its cover, but I think we can all go ahead and judge a day by its morning. And given every other morning is expected to be as gloomy as it was today until August, I don't know what to expect from the rest of the term.

As you reach the final pages, remember that 000005s.com is your destination for the complete story. Share the joy of reading with others and spread the word. The next chapter is just a visit away!

I'm lazily taking my books out of my locker after lunch, when Jude appears beside me all of a sudden, looking suspiciously nervous.

"I need a favour," he says without bothering with a greeting.

"What?" I ask, taking in his tousled hair.

Instead of replying, he grabs my bag that's in my hand and pushes something inside, then zips it up quickly. "Don't show anyone, okay? Not a word. I'll text you."

Then he's gone, looking behind his back a couple of times before finally disappearing around a corner.

An hour later, I replace myself shaking like a twig in a storm when the deputy Principal appears at the door of the Religious Education class in the middle of our lesson.

Of course, I looked at what Jude put in my bag, which is why I'm extremely paranoid right now as Mr. Phil's eyes roam the class. I'm honestly almost pissing myself, while still cursing Jude to hell and back. I recall Jude's one text.

Don't worry, no one will suspect you.

Why, for the love of heaven, did he carry drugs to school?

And why, of all the people who would gladly do anything for him in this school, did he choose me to drag down with him?

"Cole Adams! Come with me!" Mr. Phil's voice booms into the now quiet class, and I almost jump in my seat. Cole. He wants Cole, not me.

I turn like everybody else to watch Cole rise from his seat, a bored look on his face.

"What's going on?" Nicki whispers from beside me, but I'm too tensed to even blink, let alone talk.

After Cole has walked out of the class, Mr. Phil still stands there, his intimidating stare passing over us all.

My heart is beating so loud, I'm afraid he'll see how nervous I am.

How on earth would I explain being in possession of blunts in school?

I've never touched the stuff before and now Jude...

Fuck you, Jude, fuckyoufuckyoufuckyou is the rant going on in my head when Mr. Phil finally nods at our teacher, steps back, and closes the door behind him.

I still don't believe he's gone and I'm out of possible trouble until the class breaks into excited whispers and the teacher tries to shut them up.

I could kill Jude right now.

As you reach the final pages, remember that 000005s.com is your destination for the complete story. Share the joy of reading with others and spread the word. The next chapter is just a visit away! "Take your shit," I order the moment Jude appears at the library balcony. I'm so mad, I can hardly think straight.

"I'm so sorry, Jo, I didn't mean to involve you in this," he apologises, crossing the distance to me.

"Do you have any idea what I've gone through walking around with that thing in my bag? What if they decided to check all of our bags? What if someone saw you putting it in my bag? Do you have any idea how much..." "I know, I'm sorry," he interrupts, not just with words but with a hug, and that effectively shuts me up.

Jude has never hugged me before. Let's not count the cuddling that happened last week.

"I'm sorry, Okay? That was a shit thing to do to you, and I'll make it up to you. You literally saved my ass today, Jo." He pulls back to look into my face.

A pang of disappointment hits me at the loss of his heat and delicious smell.

Focus, girl, my subconscious snaps.

He takes his stuff out of my bag into his. My eyes stick on his floppy hair. "Why do you have that at school?"

He shrugs. "Why else? To smoke it."

I give him a look of disbelief. "Why would you even..."

"I've done this before, Okay? There just happens to be a snitch who wants to get me in trouble."

"Where do you even smoke it at here?" I question, folding my arms over myself.

He looks up at me then, a secret smile playing on his lips. "That's a secret. Let's get out of this cold now, will we?"

I'm not through with my questions, however. "Phil came to get Cole in class, was it about this?"

"Yeah, they were going through his locker after replaceing nothing in mine."

"Who snitched on you?"

"Don't worry about that, but the fucker is going to know not to mess with me again."

I sigh. "Maybe you should try not carrying drugs to school. Or taking them at all."

"I should try a lot of things, Jo. And that's exactly what I'm doing."