Jude's POV
"So, is school open today?" I ask Lena, while eating lunch.
"Not yet. But tomorrow though." she says.
"That's gonna be fun. Only two more days until the weekend!" says Connor.
"I'm also excited to see Mariana and Jesus tomorrow." I say.
"I can't imagine how much you miss them. Do you want to visit Taylor today?" says Connor.
"Yeah. Mom? When can we visit her?"
"I think you guys can go right now."
"Can you bring us?" I ask.
"Sure. Just let me wash your plates."
"Oh, we can take care of that." says Connor.
"Well thank you Connor. Jude? Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Sure."
"I'll get started." says Connor.
We walk out of the kitchen and into the living room. We sit down on the couch.
"So... What's the deal with you and Connor?"
"Um... Well since you know what we did in the tent, you probably figured it out already. But just to make sure... Can Connor and I start dating?"
"I'm glad you know how you feel sweetheart. And of course. Connor's a great guy and after everything you've been through to finally get here, you two deserve each other."
I nod. "Thank you. Brandon and Callie are the only ones that know. Taylor knows too, and I'm planning to tell the rest of the family tomorrow. When Jesus and Mariana comes back home."
"That's great. Did Connor agreed to that too?"
"Yes. I'm scared though."
"Scared of what?"
"That they might not accept us."
"Oh honey. Don't worry they will. Remember what I told you? That if you're gay or not, it really doesn't matter to us."
"Okay. I'll go help Connor with the dishes now."
I get up and reach Connor to the sink.
"Hey."
"Hey. You clean I dry?" ask Connor.
"Sure." I pick up a sponge and start cleaning plates. "I want to keep our relationship private at school."
"I thought you wanted to-"
"I know. But since the shooting, I feel like I'm not ready. Not yet."
"Okay. Just letting you know that I'm with you no matter what you decide."
"Okay. Hey you're really slow at drying plates!"
"Sorry."
"It's fine. It's just that I'm done with cleaning so I guess I'll just sit here and watch you." I say in a jocking way.
Connor takes some bubbles in his hand and throws them at me, on my shirt.
"Hey!" I say, laughing. I take the bubbles that are still on me in my hand. I get up and grab Connor from the back and shake my hand in his hair.
"Oh sorry! Didn't notice I had bubbles in my hand!"
"Oh yeah?" He wipes the water out of his hair and shakes his hand at me.
"Oh my god stop! We should really stop cause we'll have more than just the dishes to clean!" I say between laughs.
"Okay. Help me then."
I walk beside Connor and I grab a small towel. We also clean the floor, which is full of water. When we finish our work, Lena tells us to come in the car and we drive to the hospital.
*
Taylor immediatly smile when she sees us walk into the the room.
"Hey!"
"Hey." Connor and I both say at the same time. "How's your shoulder?" I ask.
"It hurts. A lot."
"I know how it feels." says Connor, looking at his crutches.
"When are you getting rid of those?" she asks.
"Friday. I barely need them now. But I still have to wait until then."
"So you'll be fine for the Masquerade Dance next week."
"The what?" I ask.
"The Masquerade Dance. It's a school dance for the whole school, well 7th grade and up. You dress up and put a mask on your face."
"Oh. I didn't know about that." says Connor.
"Are you going together?" she asks.
"I don't know. We decided to stay private for now so..."
"Oh... Well okay."
Someone opens the door. "10 more minutes guys." says Lena.
"Okay." I say.
"Daria didn't even come visit me yet. I think she's mad."
"Why would she be mad?" I ask.
"Well, when you broke up with her, Connor, she called me right away. We talked and I ended up saying that I knew something was going on. She started yelling at me for not saying anything and I hung up before she could finish."
"That's not your fault, Taylor, it's mine. If she really is your friend, she would've forgot you by now."
She nods.
"So, this might sound harsh, but how come you're not dead?" I ask.
"That sounds really harsh."
"What I meant is how come the man let you go. He probably knew he only shot your shoulder."
"Well when he shot me, the world went black. My eyes were still open and I saw him walkin towards me. So I played dead, hoping that he wouldn't waist a bullet on a dead person."
"You're smart and lucky." says Connor.
"Yeah."
"Guys, it's time to go now." says Lena through the door.
"We better go." I say.
"We'll come again, promise." says Connor.
"Thanks for coming. See you guys later."
We wave goodbye.
"She could've died, you know. We could've died." I say, realizing how serious the shooting was.
Connor put his hands on both my shoulders.
"Don't worry. We're alive, she's alive. That's all that matter okay? It's part of our past now."
"In a way, I don't want to forget that day."
"Why?"
"It's the day you said you loved me for the first time. It's kinda special, right?"
"Yeah. Well let's only remember that part then."
I smile and nod. "Let's go home now."
