Knowing Jude

"Sam! Sammy! Samuel! Get back here you little..."

I stand in the front doorway for a second, surprised as to why Nicki's loud voice is booming throughout my house, and what exactly is going on between her and my brother. I knew she was going to show up with Simon, but I didn't think they were going to show up this early.

I take off my shoes and walk into the living room.

Nicki and Sam are going circles around one of the couches, with Nicki trying to get hold of him. Paces away another little boy is sitting, quiet but with a grin on his face as he watches the two.

"Hi, Liam," I call out, waving and smiling at him.

He waves back, a shy smile on his face. He is usually quiet when in people's company, but you wouldn't recognise him when he is with Sam. He might be sitting there right now all innocent and silent, but wait until Sam gets tired of bothering Nicki and they get together.

I probably shouldn't refer to them as a duo from hell since they are just kids.

"God help me, Jo, I'm going to chew this little monster alive," Nicki huffs as Sam dodges her again.

Sam doubles over laughing, hiding behind the couch. I'm about to ask what's going on when I see the sketch pad on the coffee table and the scattered drawing supplies. I look back at Sam who's clutching a pencil in one hand and a pouch in the other.

"The children still playing?" Another voice asks, and Simon emerges from the kitchen. His nose is in his phone, not even looking at us.

"How do you expect your eyes to get better if your face is buried in your phone all day?" Nicki shoots at him.

Simon doesn't bother looking up, but I can bet he does an eye roll. "My eyes are perfectly fine, dimwit. And it's not even that bright. Besides, my glasses protect me from the brightness."

"Lucky you," Nicki mutters drily and slumps down on the couch. She looks at Sam tiredly. "Give me back my stuff and I'll help you with your homework."

Sam's nose wrinkles up. "I don't need help with my homework."

"Fine, give me back my stuff or I'm going to...to...dammit, once they grow up you can't scare them with non-existent monsters!" she groans, her face twisting in frustration. Sam laughs, and Liam's quiet giggle surfaces.

"Give Nicki her things back," I tell Sam.

His shoulders drop as if he's now tired of the game. He doesn't linger. He gives back the stuff and grabs Liam's hand. The other boy jumps up excitedly and they start off for the stairs. "Don't even think about it," Trey yells from inside the kitchen. "Go play outside."

Sam's face immediately scrunches up in protest. "But-"

"No buts," Trey yells again.

"It's my room too," Sam argues.

"Go play outside," Trey insists.

Sam huffs, but turns and heads for the back door, Liam in tag.

Simon finally puts his phone away and looks at me. "You're going to be in shit tomorrow."

I finally drop my bag on the couch and head to the kitchen. He moves to let me pass, then follows. "Why?"

"Why? Because you skipped class, that's why. Your parents most probably got a call," he replies.

I shrug. "I don't care."

I'm bluffing, but he doesn't need to know that. I'm in trouble if my parents find out. I'll probably say I was not feeling well, which I'm sure they'll understand, but then why didn't I use the right avenues to leave school? Which reminds me... "What do you know about that new school guard, the youngish one?" I ask Simon, turning around to face him.

"Other than the fact that half the...not half. Most. Most of the female population at school have the hots for him? Nothing."

I roll my eyes. "Don't give me that. He's apparently Jon's friend, and you're Jon's friend."

"Jon?" he asks, eyes widening behind his glasses.

"You're not about to start a discussion about your crush, are you?" Trey asks from his spot at the island.

"What are you doing here, skipped practice?" I ask him, raising an eyebrow. It's Thursday, they have practice.

He shares a certain look with Simon, then stares back at the cup in front of him. I wait for an answer but get none. Okay...

Simon perches on the counter. He takes off his glasses and starts fidgeting with the frames.

Nervous habit.

"So, Finn? Know about him?" I push, giving him a curious look.

He shrugs but doesn't look at me. "He's Jon's friend is all, they know each other outside school. Why?"

"Nothing," I mutter. I get behind the counter and pour a cup of tea from a flask. "Want some?" I ask Simon.

He shakes his head. "What happened with Jen?"

"Have you talked to her today?" I ask back.

"No," he says.

"Me neither," I reply.

He doesn't say anything and I head back to the living room. Nicki is kneeling on the floor beside the coffee table, brow scrunched up as she strikes her pencil across her pad. She's muttering under her breath; I can't make out what she's saying. I'm about to say something when there's a loud knock on the front door as if someone is kicking the door, not actually knocking on it. Nicki stops muttering and looks up, appearing startled. I laugh at her expression and place my tea on the table, then go to open the door.

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Behind it is Mum, several shopping bags in her arms. I instantly grab two of them that seem to be on the verge of falling.

"What's all this?" I ask, trying to peek into one.

"I called Simon's Mum to pick up Sam when she went to pick Liam up from their school because I was running late at work. When they got to her house Simon said he was coming over for a sleepover and Liam didn't want to be left alone so I understand I need to cater for you all kids tonight? Who else is here?"

"Nicki."

"Okay. Jen?"

I shake my head.

She nods. "Okay. How was school?"

"Fine," I reply. I wait for her to mention me skipping, but she doesn't.

Instead, she nudges me with one of the bags in her hands. "Lead the way in, my arms are falling off."

I lead the way back into the house.

"Evening Nicole!" My mother calls out when we get to the living room.

"Evening, Mrs. Hansen," Nicki greets back, being all mature and proper.

I disappear into the kitchen as Mum gets into a conversation with Nicki, asking about the parents and whatnot. Trey is still looking forlorn in his seat, while Simon has already jumped down from the counter, likely at the sound of Mum. Good for him.

Right now my room looks like a campsite. Even Trey is here, sprawled on the spare mattress on the floor beside Simon. Sam refused to spend the night in their room alone, which resulted in him and Liam being set up on another mattress on the floor. Mum made sure to stuff them in thick sweaters over their pyjamas and proceeded to dump a thousand blankets over them.

Nicki is peacefully asleep beside me. Thankfully she is not a restless sleeper, which means she has stuck to her side since she fell asleep. I need the space right now because after them keeping the mood lively throughout the evening, it's now all quiet which means I can think and loneliness I can't explain is creeping in, even though I'm surrounded by people I love. I don't want to wake her up in case I start shaking in tears and sniffing.

I have always hated how emotional I get sometimes. When I think I'm dealing with a situation alright, I go and overthink and everything goes to dust. But then again maybe I'm okay, and it's still too soon to be over the loss.

"You guys make me want to have even more kids, I love it when you are all here," my mother says in the morning as the entire hoard of us crowd the island for breakfast.

"Please, Mum, no, we already have enough trouble with the bathrooms in the mornings," Maria complains.

Trey rolls his eyes because he just can't keep quiet and has to rile her up. "It's just the three of us, don't sound spoilt," he mutters. "It's no one's fault you feel the need to take forever in there."

"I wasn't talking to you," Maria retorts back.

"Not this early, you two," Mum says, shaking her head.

"I'm the last born," Sam tells her. I laugh because it sounds as if he's making it clear that's his spot and no one else is allowed into the family.

"Yes, you are," she humours him.

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!

"Morning kids," Dad's voice says from the kitchen doorway. He's fixing his tie and Mum immediately goes around to help him fix it. We reply in unison, and it feels like we are a bunch of school kids at assembly.

Exodus towards school commences a while later. It's a nice change from my usual solo treks, today there are four of us; Me, Trey, Nicki and Simon. Maria, of course, has her own gang and doesn't get along with Trey so she doesn't stick with us. We break a few paces from the school, however, when the boys join up with a bunch of their friends. Going past the gate my eyes search out Finn, but he's nowhere to be seen.

"I think I forgot to do my history homework," Nicki says from beside me, chewing on her nails.

"You never bother with your history homework," I remind her. We have a pretty carefree history teacher who is all fun and games and doesn't check homework half the time. When he remembers to give us homework, anyway.

She nods, brow scrunched up as if she's thinking hard about something. "Yeah..." she murmurs.

I nudge her with my elbow. "You okay?"

Her brow clears and she looks at me. "Yeah, why?"

"You're quiet."

She simply rolls her eyes. A cloud of perfume assaults my senses at that instant. I can see it's the same for her as she wiggles her nose. It's a familiar scent, and I look back to find Bethany Hill with two other girls in tow plus Jennifer. I take a double-take at the sight of Jen. Not because she's with Bethany, because she does hang out with her.

It's just that it looks as if she has gone through an overnight makeover. She's always looking gorgeous, and stunning, but now...

"Holy shit," Nicki whispers beside me.

"New level, yeah," I Mumble.

We are also not the only ones staring.

"Did she do something to her hair?" Nicki whispers.

Her blonde hair looks like spun gold, looks longer, has more volume, and bouncier waves. Her makeup is flawless. Her skirt is shorter than usual, I'm actually worried she might get in trouble. Paired off with heels and a tight top, which is thankfully under a black leather jacket.

I can hear whistles from all around me and harsh whispers. She doesn't seem bothered, though. She doesn't even look like she's aware of the attention, keeping her head high and laughing with her girls as if the rest of the school body is not staring.

She gets closer to us, and I don't know whether to say something or not. She didn't exactly brush me off yesterday, she was just busy with something, I guess.

"Jen...," I start when she's within hearing distance, but the glare she sends my way makes me blink because it's so hateful.

My throat goes dry as I watch her walk by with her friends.

"What the fuck?" Nicki mutters.

Why does it feel as if I've just been ditched?