Dad had also spoken to Ma Sawyer and the hospital.
Late on Sunday, my father gave me my phone back, stating that I wasn’t to post anything on social media. I called Hudson immediately.
He had been worried about me, but explained he had stuff to deal with. They had all been to see Micah, but he wasn’t awake. The Doctors had given him a good prognosis, and I felt a huge whoosh of relief.
We spoke about the drugs he had taken, and he said he was going to get rid of them. I suggested he turn them into the police, but he explained that he was worried about any repercussions. Although misguided and breaking the law, Xander was just a pawn in his father’s business. He explained that he had made a mistake and that he hadn’t realized the drugs were class A. His friend Tommo had been the one to take them. I asked where the drugs were, and Hudson confirmed they were hidden in the storage cupboard in the guy’s locker room at school, but he would get them moved.
A full school assembly was arranged for Monday morning so my father could address the students about what had happened.
Social media was suggesting that someone from St Andrew’s had something to do with the stabbing, and there appeared to be an appetite to hit back at them. You could tell from the messages that it was mostly hot air.
I knew in my gut that it was something to do with the drugs. I didn’t say anything about my suspicions to Hudson, as I knew he would then blame himself. Hudson thought someone from St Andrew’s was responsible, and I thought it was better for him to continue to believe that until we had more information.
The boy who had helped Micah was also from St Andrew’s. Through Facebook, I found out his full name was Fletcher Lewis.
When we got to school, my father left for his office and said he’d see me in assembly. I was dressed in my school uniform with my hair in a ponytail and felt fresher than I had over the last two days.
Waiting for Hudson to arrive outside the entrance, I fired off a few replies to Storm and Harper. They had both been messaging me over the weekend.
As Hudson pulled into the car park, butterflies fluttered in my stomach. He looked tired, and I noticed he wasn’t in uniform.
His expression lifted when he saw me, and I raced over and threw my arms around him.
“Any news?” I said as he squeezed me against his chest.
As he released me, he washed a hand across his face. “Yeah. He’s awake.”
The pent-up worry, confusion, and despair drained out of my system, and I exhaled noisily. “Oh, thank God. So, he’s going to be OK?”
Hudson was chewing the inside of his cheek. He stopped and then swallowed before replying. “Yeah. They say he’s going to be fine. But they are keeping him in for a few days.”
“You don’t look very relieved,” I said, running my hand down his cheek. His face was still clouded, and his mouth pulled into a thin line.
“I just feel so fucking guilty, Molly.” His voice cracked in the middle of that sentence. From his comment, I assumed he’d changed his opinion as to who the perpetrator could be. To me, it was more plausible that the stabbing would be connected to the drugs, especially considering Micah was the victim.
I questioned him anyway. “Why?”
“Because I wasn’t there for him,” he explained, clenching his fists by his sides. So, his guilt was due to not being there. Not because he’d taken the drugs. Hudson still suspected St Andrew’s, and I wondered why.
“It isn’t your fault. You can’t be there all the time.”
“If he’d died, that would have been on me. I wasn’t there for him, just like I wasn’t there for my mother,” Hudson growled and started pacing. He looked like a caged tiger, and I could see his temper bubbling beneath the surface.
“No, Hudson. We’ve talked about this. You are not to blame yourself,” I stated in a firm tone as I placed a hand against his chest.
I watched as he started to calm down before he laced his fingers through mine.
“Thank you for being there for Micah, Molly,” he rasped. “Your beautiful face was the last thing he remembered before passing out, and it gave him some comfort.”
The bell went, breaking into that moment.
I smiled. “He’s the brother of my boyfriend, what else would I have done?”
Hudson drew me towards him and kissed me. It was gentle and sweet, full of affection, and I sank into it.
As he drew back, he looked into my eyes and whispered. “I think I’m falling in love with you, Molly.”
His admission of that swept through me like a tsunami of joy.
