Beautiful Storms

chapter three | jude

"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out."

- walter winchell

☆

beautiful storms | chapter three

Jude groans loudly, hitting his head on his desk and his hood follows covering his dirt brown hair. Stupid English teacher, why'd you have to give us this stupid book to read. This is bullshit. Someone taps him on the shoulder and he glances up seeing his teacher smiling down at him. Suddenly, she lightly yanks his hoodie and lightly taps on the book in front of him.

"No hoods, Amberg." Then she walks away and Jude flicks her off as she turns her back. There's laughter behind him that stops him from mouthing some other words his mother wouldn't approve of. and he turns around meeting those soft brown eyes again. You again.

"She has a strict rule on 'no hoods'." Cara points towards the front of the room and Jude follows where she's pointing at. He rolls his eyes when he sees it. 1. NO HOODS

"What high school teacher still makes a list of rules?"

" For students like you, I'm guessing."

Jude moves his eyes away from the rules and narrows his eyes at Cara. So she's a smartass, noted it. She throws him a mischievous smile and pulls her eyes down to her book.

"She'll like you once you start following the rules?" She informs him.

Jude rolls his eyes.

"Do you have anyone to sit with at lunch?" Cara asks.

Jude pauses from packing up and he turns to glance at Cara.

"Now you're nice?"

He throws his book bag over his shoulder. Still looking at her and he shakes his head, his hair flopping to the side, covering the scar on his eyebrow. Cara picks up her binder and pulls it to her chest, she takes a small step forward. Sadie reaches her hand out and lightly pushes the strand of his hair away from his eyebrow. Jude holds in a breath and Cara smiles.

"I like it, don't cover it. I'll walk with you to lunch."

"I'm nice when I want to be."

Jude smiles as she pulls away her hand and returns it to her binder.

Cara nods and she motions for him to go with her hand. Jude takes one more peek at her and he runs a hand through his hair pushing it back. They quietly walk out of the classroom together.

Laughter and chatter fill the lunchroom and Jude stares across the room before turning and seeing Cara already sitting down.

Jude sits down across from Cara at the lunch table. He stares down at his plate of food. How are they allowed to feed this to children? He uses his spork to poke at the single slice of cheese pizza. The disrespect is real. He takes a peek over to Cara who stares at her phone and she furrows her brows, sighing. He watches as she mouths something but he could barely understand her.

'Idiot.' She mouths.

"Hey, dipshit."

Jude feels a poke at the back of his head and he scoots over before turning around. "Nice to see you too, dipshit." He stares up at Sadie who sits next to him. Sadie places her tray right next to Jude's and she examines Cara before looking at Jude. She points at Cara before saying,

"Who's she?"

Jude sighs. "Cara, this is my sister Sadie."

Cara glances up from her phone and meets Sadie's eyes.

She smiles.

"Nice to meet you."

Sadie picks up her slice of pizza before taking a large bite of it. Jude looks at her with a look of disgust before picking up his and placing it on her tray. She glances up at him with a full mouth before struggling to smile because of the pizza stuffing her small cheeks.

"Thanks." She manages to say.

Jude nods.

"You worry me sometimes." He pokes at the pizza on her tray and she slaps his hand away. Jude turns when he hears Cara snicker.

"Do you have any little shi-," Sadie elbows Jude in his side and he holds his stomach in pain before glaring at her. "I mean siblings. Ow."

Cara places her phone face down and glances at the two siblings with admiration in her eyes.

"Yeah, I have a sister, her name is Jess, I think she might be in the same grade as Sadie, actually." She points out.

"Do you know Jess?"

Sadie coughs almost choking on her pizza and Jude pats her back, trying to hold in a laugh. Sadie smiles before clearing her throat.

"Yeah," She rubs her throat and stares down at her half-eaten pizza. Jude looks down at her warily then to Cara who looks worried.

"I'm okay." She reassures them, knowing she wasn't.

Jude gently places bread crumbs on his window as he tries to lure Albert near his window. He wipes the piece of white bread and he smiles when he sees him. Albert flies near the window but he doesn't come in. "I brought you some food." Jude gently pushes it towards the bird. Albert stares at Jude before flying to the tree branch. Jude sighs.

There's a knock on his door and he turns seeking a teary-eyed Sadie. He immediately gets off the floor and she sits on his bed. He looks down at her lap seeing her soaked journal in her hands. He sits next to her and she lays her head on his shoulder. "I accidentally spilled water on it and now it's ruined." He reaches for it and flips through the pages, ink soaks through the pages.

Then Jude smiles. "I have an idea."

He hands the journal back to her and he takes out his phone, he taps a few a times before locking it and throwing it on his bed.

"What's the idea?"

"It's a surprise. You'll have to wait."

"Why is there a bird on your window?"

Jude turns away from his sister towards the window, seeing Albert eating the bread he gave him.

"His name is Albert."

"You are glad I love you, you fucking weirdo."

Jude whips his head, looking at Sadie with a shocked face. He holds a hand to his heart and he falls back on to his bed.

"Weirdo?-- I'm no such thing. I just like animals. Can a man like animals without being called a weirdo?-- At least animals like me unlike you."

Sadie lays down next to him and she lightly punches his shoulder. "That was one time, That dog was out to get me!"

As the sun goes down to the day and let the moon take its place, Jude's room fills with the laughter of the Amberg siblings. Neither of them knew how long the moment would last, so they soaked it in.