She grins back. “Get drunk with me, and you won’t have to worry about that,” she suggests. “Besides, I tend to come up with my best ideas when I’m drunk.”
Another laugh escapes me. Some things never change with her. “I’m scared,” I joke.
“I’m serious,” she insists with an eye roll.
“Me too,” I say, arching a brow “Did you forget the night we almost ended up in jail?” I remind her, the memory still vivid in my mind.
She tuts, shaking her head. “That, Hudson, is what I like to call…inspiration.”
Chapter 11
A little high, very pissed
Age Sixteen
“Here.”
Gabi holds the joint toward me, and I grab it, taking a drag. The smoke enters my throat and I hold it before taking another drag.
The sound of a can cracking grabs my attention, and I turn my head, seeing the beers in Gabi’s hands before she hands one to me.
We sit in silence as we watch over the city, just the noise of the cars and people surrounding us. It’s quieter than normal since it’s later in the evening, and I kind of like it. It’s not the usual quiet that’s deafening and consumes my brain, but the kind that feels almost peaceful.
Gabi loves this spot. We usually come here on nights when her dad is drunk, and loud, and hates the sight of me, which is more often than not these days.
At this point, sneaking around with her is all I’m used to. Whether it’s sneaking into her bed in the middle of the night, or sneaking out of her house. My house is off-fucking-limits, so here it is.
Pouring the can back, I gulp down the alcohol, seeing Gabi shiver from the side. I glance at her. “Are you cold?” She’s wearing denim shorts, and a baggy sweatshirt, and her skin is covered in little bumps. She has to be cold.
Gabi blinks, pulling her knees up. “Would you give me your jacket if I was?”
“You know I would,” I say without an ounce of hesitation. I’d take the clothes off my body and give them to her, if she needed.
Gabi’s lips twitch into a smile, but it disappears when she sighs, and looks out below us. “Nate wouldn’t.”
My jaw ticks. I hate the sound of his name, especially coming from her. “No?” I ask, although I wish we could stop talking about him for good.
“No,” she admits, wrapping her arms around her legs. “I told him I was cold when we were at the bonfire, and he looked at me like I was crazy. Didn’t even offer his jacket.” She looks at me, and swallows. “But you did.”
My teeth grind together. Fucking hate that guy. Hate when she talks about him. Hate seeing them together. Hate how he makes her feel. “Of course I did. He’s an idiot for not jumping at the opportunity to see you in his clothes,” I admit, because seeingher in my hoodie last week made my heart thump so loudly in my chest I almost called the ambulance.
“Really?” she glances at me with those bright blue eyes that feel like a stab to my throat. The wind blows in her hair, and she looks so beautiful I can’t stand it.
I swallow, breathing out a laugh. “You’re my best friend. I have to be nice you,” I say instead, nudging her on the arm.
She laughs along with me. “Like you wouldn’t be lost without me.”
That’s definitely true.
Without a second thought, I pull off my jacket, and wrap it around her shoulders. The cold air hits my skin, but I couldn’t give a fuck right now. Seeing her smile up at me, grateful, like she can’t believe anyone would ever do something like that for her makes it all worth it.
I get lost in her eyes, the shape of her lips, the way her dimples pop when she smiles, but Gabi turns her head at the sound of a car pulling up below us. Her face contorts into a frown, and I follow her gaze.
The black Honda Civic I’m used to seeing Gabi in makes me narrow my eyes. “Isn’t that—”
“Nate’s car,” she affirms. “Yeah.”
We watch in silence as he puts the car in park, right outside the movie theatre, and steps out of the driver’s seat. Yeah, that’s him. Same douchey haircut, same ugly ass clothes. Who the fuck wears a button down to the movies?
