He Took Jude's Money, Ken Won His Heart novel · Chapter 2 of 40
Chapter 2: Four Thousand Views
His parents are furious and his campus mocks him; Jude refuses to ruin George's family and signs up for the senior trek on his own, only to learn George's friends are in his group.
William Parker was standing in the front hall of the villa with his phone in his fist when Jude came through the door.
He was still in his work suit, and his tie hung loose around his neck.
"I watched it four times," William said.
"Dad."
"I watched it four times, and the fourth time I counted the seconds before he stopped smiling."
July came out of the living room in her silk robe and did not say a word.
She crossed the marble floor, took her son's face in both hands, and held it until Jude's eyes burned.
"You walked out," she said. "You walked out with your head up."
"I walked out with the keys," Jude said, and his voice cracked on the last word.
"That too." She wiped his cheek with her thumb.
William was already dialing.
"I'm calling the bank. By Friday, George's father will not have a line of credit left. By Monday, his company will be asking me for a loan, and I'll say no in person."
"No," Jude said.
"I'm sorry?"
"No. Please don't."
William lowered the phone. "Jude, he used you. He laughed at you, with an audience."
"I know. I was there." Jude sat down on the bottom stair because his legs had decided to. "I want him gone, Dad. I want him to feel it. But if you do it, it's one more thing you fixed for me."
July sat beside him, and William stayed on his feet.
"The car was your fix," Jude said. "The apartment was your fix. Every time I wanted something, one of you handed it over before I finished saying it, and George saw that. He saw a man who couldn't tell the difference between being loved and being paid for."
"That's unfair to us," William said quietly.
"It's unfair to everyone. It's just true."
Nobody spoke for a while.
Somewhere in the house the dishwasher started a new cycle.
"What do you want to do, then?" July asked.
"One thing," Jude said. "One thing that I do myself, from the start, with nobody following behind me to clean it up."
The doorbell rang at ten past midnight.
William frowned at the door. "Nobody rings that bell at midnight."
It was Freddy, in a rumpled work shirt, carrying a gym bag and a paper sack of Chinese takeout.
"Uncle William. Aunt July." He looked past them. "Where's my favorite disaster?"
"Here," Jude said from the stairs.
"I saw the video at the office. I left a meeting. I told my boss it was a family emergency, and then I told him which family." Freddy dropped the bag on the hall table and spread his arms. "Come here, you absolute legend."
Jude hugged his cousin and, for the first time that night, laughed.
"Four thousand views and rising," Freddy said into his shoulder. "You know what the comments say? They're mostly about George's shirt. Who wears that much cologne in a living room?"
"It was a Milan shirt," Jude said. "I bought it."
"Then it deserves better. I brought you the green hoodie. The big one, with the hood. Wear it tomorrow and keep the hood up. Nobody on campus will know it's you."
"They'll know it's me, Freddy. I'm the size of a refrigerator."
"A very stylish refrigerator." Freddy turned to William with his best smile. "Uncle, I can handle campus security and the PR people for you, so nobody else has to. Let me take all of it off your plate."
"We'll see," William said.
The hoodie smelled like laundry soap.
Jude slept in it that night, wide awake until three.
The next morning, he wore it with the hood down.
Eastgate's main quad had three hundred students on it at eight-fifteen, and Jude felt every one of them turn.
Someone near the fountain made a long, soft whining noise, the sound a dog makes at a donut.
Someone else held a phone up and filmed his walk.
A boy he'd never met slid a paper bag onto the stone bench next to him as he passed.
Inside was a single plain donut and a note: Anniversary leftovers. Love, George.
Jude picked it up with two fingers and dropped it in the trash can.
Then he kept walking, past the library, past the cafeteria, and straight to the long folding table outside the registrar's office.
A banner over it read SENIOR TREK: THREE DAYS IN THE NORTH WOODS.
A tired woman behind the table was handing out waivers.
"It's optional," she said. "Most seniors skip it. It's a lot of walking."
"I'll take one," Jude said.
She looked at him over her glasses, then at the hoodie, then back at his face.
"There's a hike every day, and you carry your own pack," she said, not unkindly. "You're sure?"
"I've never carried my own anything," Jude said. "That's why I'm sure."
She slid the waiver across, and he signed it with his full name, big and slow.
Behind him a voice said, "Jude Parker. Seriously? You're coming on the trek?"
He turned.
Three of George's friends from the apartment stood there in matching fleece jackets, and the tallest one had a bright, helpful grin.
"We're in your group," the tall one said. "Great news, right? Don't worry about anything. We'll be your buddies the whole way."
They had all just put their names on the list.
Jude could see it, in the registrar's ink, from where he stood.
He could also see the tall one's friend, behind him, already typing on a phone.
Every cell in Jude's body said to put the waiver back on the table.
He remembered his own voice in the hall the night before, saying one thing, from the start, by myself.
"Great," Jude said, and he smiled at all three of them. "I'd hate to walk alone."
← Chapter 1 · All chapters · Chapter 3 →
Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend