I have stuff I need to sort, so you’re off the hook for tomorrow, kitten. Enjoy a day of peace.
Friday night must have been some party, if you’re still hungover?She replied.
Taking a swig from the bottle, I thumbed inNo. I didn’t go to the party.After a brief pause, I added.And you didn’t either, or you would have known I wasn’t there.
No. I had an early night and today I’ve been boning up for our session tomorrow.Molly messaged back with an eyerolling emoji. Should I have felt guilty about that? Probably, but I wasn’t.
Yeah.Sorry about that.I thumbed back anyway.
There was a pause before she replied, and then those three words. The ones that no one outside of my familyeverasked me.
Are you OK?
A sliver of hope surfaced, and a lump appeared in my throat. I attempted to chug it down with my Bud Light. When that failed, I lit up a blunt, taking the smoke into my lungs, trying to relax.
She doesn’t care about you. You don’t even know each other.
Molly was probably being sarcastic after I said sorry. I never apologized for anything.
Dropping my phone onto my nightstand, I pushed myself against the headboard of my bed and attempted to concentrate on the joint I held. I usually opened the window as Ma would be pissed if she found out I was smoking in the house again.
My phone sounded to say I hadanothermessage, and I glanced at it.
Hudson. Are you OK?Molly had repeated.
I ignored it, focusing on that dead feeling inside of me and turning my back on the one girl who had started to bring me back to life.
TWELVE
MOLLY
Hudson’s mind-blowing kiss had tortured my mind day and night. He took my shock as an invitation to carry on, and I am so glad he did.
I knew he had only done it to show me up as the hussy he’d painted me as, but it didn’t stop me reliving it. God, his mouth had felt so good. I can honestly say I had never been kissed like that by any other boy. I had felt so turned on, so much so that I had touched myself in bed that night, something I hadn’t done since my mother died.
My initial attraction had intensified, now that I knew the suspected chemistry between us was real. I had lit up like a match, strike that,bonfireand my body now appeared to be pining for his. I decided to label that kiss as my first. The one I had shared with Teddy Granger at Lisa’s party had felt more like he was trying to swallow my face. I’d also kissed Cassius a couple of times, but that had been for practice.
The only way to deal with my insane infatuation with Hudson was to push him out of my thoughts with a project.
So, my father and I had spent the weekend in the backyard. I had decided to make it my mission to improve the area and make it more garden-like. Martha also joined us and brought some bedding plants over from her house, which was nice.
Late on Friday, I received an invitation from Laura and Lily to a party taking place the following weekend. And then the text from Hudson had arrived calling off our session for Sunday. His crying off had planted a seed of worry in my tummy that I just couldn’t shift. I’d asked if he was OK and he’d blanked me.
That feeling that something was wrong built momentum each day when Hudson wasn’t at school the following week. I even considered speaking to one of his brothers to check he was alright, but the way Phoenix watched me as I approached him had me turning around. I was such a wimp. The biggest of the Sawyer brothers was the most intimidating.
The school felt empty without Hudson, and it was all a bit quiet,tooquiet. I was also left alone with no one whispering behind my back or putting rude notes on my locker.
News of the kiss would have spread. Maybe they thought Hudson was interested in me romantically, like we were together for real.
That’s why they are leaving you alone. They see you as some type of Queen to their King.
Then the shit got even crazier as Storm Summers approached me one lunchtime. I had been reading a string of messages that Cassius had sent, and quickly lowered my phone, slipping it into my bag.
“Let me guess? You have a boyfriend pining for you in England?” Storm said with narrowed eyes at the way I quickly hid my screen. “Does Hudson know?”
I toyed with how to answer. Was she luring me into a trap?
“No, he’s just a friend and as for Hudson. Why would he care who I message?” I replied with a shrug.
