War Paint | Jonnor

Chapter 19

Jude's POV
The only thing keeping me content and under control was hanging out with Mariana. She always seemed to know how to do the trick when it came to calming down someone - perhaps it was because of her kind words of advice that left you feeling satisfied or maybe it was because of her lengthy, sassy rants that could never find an ending point - either way, it helped distract me from marching up to Mr. Stevens and confronting him my undeniable love for Connor.

Mariana had just finished explaining to me about her boyfriend, Mat, and how things weren't going too well for their relationship. Apparently, he didn't want Mariana to tag along with them (Someone's Little Sister) during their tour this summer. I wasn't exactly paying attention to every detail only because I was more worried about Connor. Leaving my train of thought, I was brought back to reality by the snapping of Mariana's fingers.

"Jude? Are you listening?"

I nodded, and simply said, "Yeah."

"Seriously, what's really on your mind?" Mariana didn't buy it. She stared deep into my eyes, offering to hear what I needed to say.

"It's Connor." I started. "He's outside in the backyard with his dad and it's just-" The words couldn't escape from my mouth; I let out a short breath. "I'm scared for him."

Mariana grabbed my shoulders, drawing me in for a hug. She held me tightly against her chest while rubbing her hand along my back. It was moments like this where I felt absolutely grateful to be a part of such a wonderful family. Unlike the past foster homes Callie and I had been put in, this was different. Not only did they care about us, but there was also enough love to go around for everyone.

I opened my eyes to find Mariana disengaging herself from our hug. She extended out the palm of her hand, setting it on top of my shoulder. Other than Callie, I was truly thankful to have a sister like Mariana who could comfort me at times where I needed them the most.

"Whatever happens after tonight, just know that you have us. You got that?" she promised.

"Okay." I said. "And thanks, for always being there for me."

"No problem. I never get tired of seeing my baby Judicorn."

"Neither do I, Miss Thang."

We both laughed, obviously amused by each other's response. The tension that was once built up inside of me diminished and soon became a feeling of delight. Although I found it highly annoying hearing the sound of my nickname, it would never get old if Mariana mentioned it. After all, she did come up with the name.

There was a repeating tap on the door, forcing me to turn my head. Mariana called out, "Come in." and a familiar face appeared at the entryway. It was Mama. She set foot into the room, positioning herself right beside me on Mariana's bed. I wandered my eyes to meet her face and began searching for a sign of assurance. All I could read though was nothing.

Mama attached her hand on top of mine, clasping it lightly. She released a breath of air before speaking. "Jude, I know how hard this must be for you. I can't agree with you more of how you feel towards Mr. Stevens. He is a very complicated man. With all that judgment being given in the house, I can see why Connor lives in fear of his father. My point is, don't let him or anyone get to your head. The thing about society is that they're afraid of what's different. It scares them to think of the unknown. But you, you're special." Mama smiled. "No one should stop you from being yourself, so don't ever allow their words to put you down. You hear me?"

"Understood."

A wave of confidence consumed inside of me, pouring nothing but fearlessness into my body. I felt more positive about who I was as a person and my relationship with the boy outside our house. We were destined to be together. I was awoken out of my thoughts when Mama enfolded her arms around me. Mariana joined in too, linking arms with her. In a visual perspective, I guess you could say that I was in a sandwich - one that involved being squeezed and compacted by the people I love.