Knowing Jude
Chapter 36

I can't remember the last time I slept undisturbed all the way to morning. There are always sleepless breaks in between, either due to waking up from dreams and nightmares or as an effect of my irregular sleeping patterns. I wake up from the former, a dream that makes no sense at all. I don't get to really think about it, however, because my mind registers two things instantly.

The lights are off and I'm on my bed.

There's warm breath hitting my face, breath that smells sweet.

There are arms around me.

Before I can despair, I hear Jude's low voice. "Are you awake?"

I try to move my hands that are trapped beneath his. He moves and I free them, but that's all the movement he makes.

"Sorry about the lights, couldn't sleep with them on," he explains, the same sweet scent hitting my face.

Weird, because before I fell asleep on the floor, he was reeking of alcohol.

"Couldn't let you sleep on the floor either," he adds.

His face is close to the side of mine, his nose pressed to my cheek.

It's as if he is suddenly playing a game. Even with all the dirty sentences he has been throwing around all these months, all the unfiltered flirting, today-yesterday, and tonight-he has been unnervingly physical. I blame it on the alcohol and refuse to let my lonely mind take me on wild rides.

I lift my hands and place them on his arm. "Let me go, Jude."

He gives a grunt. "It's warm, isn't it?"

"Jude"

He lets go of me, faster than I had expected. "You're not going to distance yourself on account of whatever shit I confessed to you, Jo. Do you get me? I can't and I won't take it."

Oh, so he does remember his little speech from earlier on. I reach for my phone and check the time, it's ten past five. I switch on the bedside lamp. "You should leave now before my parents wake up."

I get jerked back onto my back. He glares at me. "Busy judging me?"

I glare back and shrug. "I don't know, Jude. You admitted... No. Boasted about sleeping with your father's girlfriends. That's disgusting."

He rolls his eyes as if I'm being dramatic. He drops onto his back. "Oh please. I can think of a few disgusting things I've done, and that doesn't come close."

I lay there, silent. I now know what that sweet smell is. It's candy.

Of course.

"Did your parents divorce?" I ask almost forcefully.

"I wish," he says after a heavy silence. "You know what? I think I'll leave now."

He starts getting off the bed but I grab his hand. "You said Maria saw you. Were you for real?"

One hand lifts to scratch his hairline. "Yup. Forgive me for saying this, Jo, but I can't think of any nicer way of putting it. Your sister is a little slut. The things I have on her..." he pauses and shakes his head. "She wouldn't dare say a bad word about you to your parents."

I sit up immediately. "What do you mean?"

He shrugs and reaches towards the foot of the bed to pick up his...

His T-shirt.

Bloody hell.

I'm only now consciously noticing that he's shirtless. My eyes roam his tight stomach muscles unabashedly, my breath catching. I notice he has stilled.

"You know, Jo, sometimes I wonder if you're as innocent as you look."

"Totally," I mutter airily, taking my eyes elsewhere. My throat's so dry, I have no idea how I managed to get that word out.

"Yeah, right. You were clinging to me in your sleep, I had to sneak into the bathroom in the middle of the night because you couldn't keep your legs to yourself."

"First of all, I... Wait, what? What bathroom?"

He gives yet another infuriating shrug. He pushes his hands through the shirt's armholes. "The one down the hall "

"Why on earth would you do that?" I ask, panic taking over. "What the fuck were you thinking? Anybody could have seen you. My parents are right down the hall on the "

This time he interrupts me, placing his index finger on my lips. "It doesn't matter. Nobody saw me."

"You're unbelievable!" I seethe after he has taken his hand down.

He winks, pulling his shirt down over his torso. "I know."

"I'm never letting you into my room again, I swear!"

"Oh, you will. And soon."

I huff. "We'll see."

"We will."

I lean back into the headboard and glare.

He smiles lazily, picking his hoodie. "Don't pout, Jo. It's attractive." "I'm not pouting."

"Fine, it's not like I mind. Makes me want to get it off your face."

"You could try."

His eyes lift to me, but he doesn't dare make a move towards me. "Not when you're looking all scary like that, I don't want to lose my tongue." "Clever boy."

He chuckles, fully dressed now. "Jokes aside, thanks for homing my drunk ass last night. It was not my intention to appear here drunk." But you did...

"Why didn't you go to Cole's?" I ask.

"Because last night the Adams had an important dinner party at home and I wasn't going to ruin that for them, was I?"

But poor Jo's night...

"So, are you going to the pre-wedding?"

"What pre-wedding?" he asks with a sneer. "I have a shoot to get to, five hours ride from here."

"Okay."

He leaves the bed to look around for his boots. "Twenty-one questions over?"

"For now."

"Can I go now?"

I'm unable to sleep after Jude leaves. I have a lot to think about and try to puzzle out.

Because if Jude thinks bedding his father's women is not disgusting, I think it's depraved.

No wonder there's no love lost between them.

Maybe that's why his siblings-other than Jade, as it seems-hate him. His disrespect to their father.

The main question here though is why?

Why would he do something like that?

Because he's bad?

That brings on another why.

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! Why's he bad?

Because he just is, my ever insightful inner voice offers.

I shake my head. Then he wouldn't have broken down a few hours ago. He's clearly remorseful for something, and if someone is plain old evil they don't waste breath regretting their doings.

My brain moves from Jude to the real issue right now.

Maria.

I really hope Jude was right and she won't rat me out. I'm not entirely confident however because if there's one thing the girl can do perfectly, it's lie. If she found a way to throw me under the bus without getting herself in trouble, she'd do it in a bit.

I wasn't doing anything wrong, however.

You think.

I take my phone and raid her social media, looking for any clue into her secret dealings. Nothing, just shots of her and her friends, mostly from school. I'll have to dig elsewhere. I really hope Jude was just being colourful with his language when he described her the way he did because no matter how unpleasant her personality is, it's hard to think of her like the girls who won't stop throwing themselves at Jude in the school hallways.

The minutes drag on and before long I hear the sounds of my parents moving around. Everything is relatively quiet until there's a loud bang upstairs then the sound of footsteps descending the stairs. "DAD? MUM? IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!"

And that's how Sam successfully wakes up the entire household. And possibly...the neighbourhood.

I drag my feet out of my room minutes later, decked out in warm sweats with my feet shoved in fuzzy socks.

"I made a list. Look, look!" Sam is pushing a piece of paper towards Mum as she stands in the kitchen, trying to get started on breakfast.

"It's not your birthday, Samuel," I mutter drily and sit on a stool at the island.

He turns on me, grey eyes narrowed. "It is! Ten and a half."

"People don't celebrate half birthdays."

"Maria does. So will I. Mum, will we have the party, then?"

Mum lets a light laugh and smiles at him. "You know, I'm more impressed you're aware you're halfway through your year. Many kids wouldn't remember their birthdays."

"Hey, let me have a look at that list."

He gladly lets me have it. Hopeful I'll help him push it with Mum, no doubt.

It's not a lot of names. I count to seven. Liam tops the list, obviously. Sam here appears to be very choosy. I'd think he would invite his entire class.

Not that I think any party is going to be happening...

"Who's Willow West?" I ask, looking back up at my brother. Willow is the only girl on the list.

He grabs the list from my hands, tearing it halfway. "Nobody."

"Oh, Willow? You don't know who Willow is, Jo? What sort of sister are you?" Trey's sleepy voice originates from the doorway. I turn to look at him. The sight of him on a weekend morning is always funny, his curls all over the place, a few stragglers hanging in his face.

"Shut up, Trey!" Sam orders.

"I did warn you to never wake me up early on a Saturday morning, and look what you did," Trey tells him.

"I didn't wake you up!"

Trey nods indulgently. "No you didn't, you just yelled then slammed the door on your way out, so yeah, you totally didn't wake me up."

Sam huffs and folds his hands over his chest. "Well then don't tell her about Willow, that's not bro code."

I stare at Sam in disbelief, not believing the serious expression on his face. Bewildered, I look back at Trey, who in turn throws a wink at him. "I won't."

"What the..." I hold that line, feeling Mum's sharp look in the side of my head. "Trey, what on earth do you talk about with him?"

"I'm honestly concerned too," Mum admits.

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"The earlier they learn, the better," he muses, stepping towards the island. He drops in a stool and folds over the table.

"If he turns bad, I blame you," I tell him.

Trey raises a brow. "This one? The worst he can become is a heartbreaker. Oh wait, he's already one."

My brow mirrors his.

"Well then!" Sam interrupts. "Mummy? We'll have a party, right?" I receive a kick to my shin. "Tell her, Jo!"

"Ask your bro to defend you."

"We'll have a party on your eleventh birthday, Samuel. We can go out for dinner tonight, though. Dinner and movie, all of us. How about that?"

He pouts instantly. "But-"

"You can bring Liam along. And Willow?"

His cheeks redden.

"And I have a surprise for you."

Pout drops, eyes widen. "What? You got me something?"

"We'll see. So, dinner and movie, right? We'll go wherever you want."

"Stop spoiling him," I joke. I'm not about to ruin dinner and movie plans. And I'm mighty set on seeing this Willow character.

"Okay, yes, but there has to be a cake," he negotiates.

"Fine, a cake," Mum gives in easily.

Trey lifts his head from his arms to give him a fist bump.

It's almost noon and I'm in the kitchen preparing lunch when Maria finally makes an appearance downstairs. I wear my blankest face as she comes into the kitchen. It's no surprise she's all dolled up, ready to go out.

I pretend to concentrate on the carrots I'm dicing up. I end up almost cutting my finger when she clears her throat and I realise she's now standing in front of me on the other side of the counter.

She speaks up the moment I look up. "Here, I believe this belongs to Jude."

I look down from her heavily made-up face and drop my eyes to her hand. She's holding a small red square packet, dangling from between the tips of two fingers.

I take in the packet in confusion, and when I realise what it is, my brow scrunches up in more confusion. A condom?

"He dropped it last night. I helped him through your window, you know. He was so drunk."

I look back at her, my defences pulling up at the condescending smile on her face. She waves the packet, pushing it towards me.

"I hope he had more? We all know he goes around quite a lot; protection would be paramount with him," she carries in a patronising tone.

I drop the knife and point at the red packet. "I have no idea where you got that, and whatever you're trying to insinuate is wrong."

"You're such a pretentious prude, you know. The perfect daughter, huh! Sneaking boys into her room in the middle of the night to do God knows what." She flaps the packet in the air. "I have an idea, however."

"Jude and I were not doing anything!" I defend, my anger rising. I shouldn't even be explaining myself to her, she's the one sneaking out to meet men.

She twists her blood-red lips. "Okay. Then I guess I'll show this to Mum and tell her where I found it."

I want to tell her to go ahead and do it, and then we'll see what Mum has to say about her sneaking out. She'll probably get a grounding to last a year, but then Mum might believe her about me and Jude. She has nothing to lose, I have everything to lose.

I reach forward and snatch the packet, glaring.

Her devious smile turns into a sneer. "Not so good after all, are we."

Then she turns and struts out of the kitchen, her god-awful skirt leaving nothing to the imagination. Dad would probably have a heart attack if he saw her.

I glare at the packet in my hand, feeling rage build up in me.

Jude's so dead.