“Yeah, we’ve got it,” Zach said.
“See you in the morning,” Neil said with a knowing smile.
Jude led me through the house, and even though I wanted to take the time to look around and take it all in, I also knew I was way too tired to do that. Between school, cheering at the pep rally and the game, and the campfire, I was ready to sleep for about ten hours straight. He led me upstairs, where his room was located at the end of the hall. Inside, his queen-sized bed was neatly made with navy blue sheets that stood out against the white walls. On one side of his desk sat a guitar and amp, while on the other, there were stacks of books about music theory and composition. The wall behind the door had shelves filled with all sorts of knick-knacks like a vintage typewriter and some worn books. The wall across from his bed was covered in pictures fromhome and posters of concerts they had gone to, as well articles that had been written about them as they began their rise to fame. It was as if he liked to spend his nights remembering his accomplishments before he went to bed.
I had already made so many sacrifices to get there and it seemed like a damn waste to throw them away now.
I walked over to the wall of photos and looked at each of them slowly, appreciating them for what they were: moments of his life that he wanted to carry with him wherever he went.
“Are those your siblings?” I asked, pointing to one of the photos. There were four people in the photo--Jude, one older boy, and two younger girls, along with a dog all piled on a couch. All of them looked the same, with dark hair and eyes and big happy smiles. They seemed to be laughing at something off-camera. Jude looked so young in the photo, but I could see that same mischievous glint in his eye that I had seen tonight around the campfire.
He stepped up right behind me and leaned his chin on my shoulder while wrapping his arms around my waist.
“That’s Asa,” he said, pointing at the boy. His finger slid to the girl closest to him. “That’s Nina. And the youngest there is Lilah.”
“You all look so happy.”
“Yeah, my dad was trying to make us laugh from behind the camera.” His voice was wistful. “I miss them so much. I hope they can come visit sometime soon.”
We stood there for a few moments longer, just enjoying being together.
“Hey,” I said. Looking at the photos of him and his siblings reminded me of something he’d said to me a while ago. “You never told me how your name actually matches your siblings.”
Jude was silent for a second before he laughed. “Oh, right! I totally forgot. The short version of it is that Jude’s not my first name.”
“It isn’t?” I turned my head so I could look at him as much as possible without having to pull away. “But why do you go by it then?”
Jude sighed. “Basically, when I first auditioned forThe Next Great Boyband, I was nervous I was going to be rejected. Tons of people audition, you know, and I didn’t think I could handle it if I had to see my name up on TV when they told me to go home.”
“So you went with a different name instead?”
“My middle name,” he said. “I told everyone on the show, but we didn’t see any reason I really needed to tell the fans, especially in those early weeks. I guess, in a way, I didn’t really want to tell them because there was still a chance of getting sent home. And the longer it went on, the more I felt like I couldn’t tell anyone because they would feel betrayed or something from me hiding it for so long. So I kept it a secret, and then more time passed, and now, it’s just too late. I’ll be known as Jude Turner forever.”
“So, what is your real name, then?” I asked. “If you’re willing to tell me.”
Jude smiled at me. “Luca,” he said. “My real name is Luca.”
“Luca,” I repeated. I liked the sound of it. “I like that. Luca. I think it suits you better.”
“Really?”
I nodded. “Definitely. Luca Jude Turner.”
“Sloane… I don’t know your middle name… Evans.”
“That’s my new name,” I said. “Forget my current middle name, I’m legally changing it to ‘I don’t know your middle name’.”
“Now, will that be hyphenated or…”
“Oh, definitely hyphenated. I don’t need six middle names.”
Jude laughed. He finally let go of me and stepped back. I felt oddly empty without his arms around me.
“So, um, I’m guessing you want to change out of your cheer uniform, right? I’m sure I have something you could wear.”
“Oh, you don’t have to...”
“I don't mind,” he said. He opened his closet and dug around for a minute. Finally, he reappeared with a pair of sweatpants and an oversized shirt from their tour.
