Chapter 34

JUDE

○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●

After Oliver left the room for breakfast, I stood there in his room until the floor felt colder than it should.

By the time Oliver’s mom was calling my name for the fourth time from downstairs, the sun’s rays had brightened up so much that I didn’t see the point of eating breakfast at all.

That… and the realisation of the fact that what I had just felt after Oliver yapped his heart out had made my appetite vanish. I couldn’t stand to be anywhere near him at the moment – not out of hate or anything. I didn’t feel that. However, my palms felt clammy and my chest tightened with every thought about what just happened.

It was making me want to bolt out of their house and never look back again.

Guilt tightened my ribs at that thought. She’d sounded so caring and gentle when she offered me breakfast that I couldn’t possibly say no to her. Plus, she’d let me sleep here when I was drunk as hell and offered me a place to shower…

Without thinking, my legs jumpstarted on their own and I was soon out of Oliver’s room, down the stairs… and finally to their dining room. It had an ornate circular wooden table with three seats, which was so peculiar – like they were expecting me all along. I wanted to believe it was convenient and just pure coincidence.

Three plates were on the table; one with a half finished beignet and a cup of tea drunk nearly halfway. The other plate had nothing but crumbs and the last one had almost a dozen beignets.

My stomach rumbled.

Coach’s words rang in my head: You need to cut back on your diet Adams. You’re gaining a few pounds and I won’t have you looking like a balloon while trying to run the tracks.

I looked at my arms before feeling my stomach. They didn’t look any different but a stretch of flabby skin was beginning to form over my stomach. I wasn’t becoming fat, was I? I didn’t want to admit it but my recent indulgence on Alcohol and overall laziness – if you could call grieving your dad so much you stop taking care of your body ahead of an important sports event – was starting to make me lose my form.

The state championships were like a month away.

Shit. I had to be serious about my body but when things like these juicy, fat beignets presented themselves to me, I didn’t have a choice.

I peeped around. Oliver was nowhere to be seen. Neither was his mom. I could vaguely hear someone in the kitchen and I assumed it was her, but at this point, my focus was lasered on the beignets.

My hand inched towards one beignet before I stopped myself. I was about to turn back and leave when a waft of the beignet’s warm, oily and powdered smell hit my nose.

My fingers found a beignet. I told myself one wouldn’t matter. One melted under my teeth and then there was a second, and then the whole plate was gone. I didn’t even realise Oliver’s Mom had appeared and was standing next to me until she cleared her throat. “You seem to be enjoying those beignets so much.”

It took all my willpower not to flinch. “I… ” I wiped my mouth and shook my head. “These are great, Ms Branson. How did you make them?”

She flashed me a wink. “That’s for me to know and for you to find out.”

She stared at my plate, a look of awe crossing her face. “Well, you’re not as picky of an eater as Oliver. He never used to eat so much, even when he started puberty. Do you play sports?”

“I’m a track athlete.”

Ms. Branson’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s a niche sport. I’m wondering what you and my son have in common… ” Her voice faltered, but the look on her face said: but nothing apparently.

She rolled her eyes. “I’ve been trying to get Oliver to join some extra-curricular activity in college instead of sitting here at home doing nothing because I’m kind of worried he’s not getting productive.”

“What is he good in?”

She opened her mouth, about to say something when a sound outside the house interrupted us. It sounded so soft at first that it reminded me of a pair of canaries.

I almost turned to ask Ms Branson if she kept singing birds as pets until the singing got closer and I realised no bird could sing in that manner. The melody was still soft but the tone of the voice was wrapped in a slightly rough edge. I was also pretty sure a bird couldn’t word the entire first verse of ‘Roses are red’ by Jon Caryl.

The voice was so heavenly, so unbelievably warm and soft that it reminded me of the days my dad was still alive; when he used to watch me run as fast as I could on the track and cheer for me during sixth Grade. The melody was his bright smile and his favourite nickname of me: Little runner.

My heart fluttered.

The voice abruptly stopped at the front door before it clicked open, and Oliver walked in. “Mom, I got the sugar but they didn’t have russelsprouts, so I settled for…” He stopped in his tracks, noticing that the house was dead silent and we were both staring at him.

He took a small step back, looking at his clothes. “Do I – do I look weird?”

I looked up to see Ms. Branson already smirking down at me. I was pretty sure I had a dumb look on my face, and if I tried to talk, nothing coherent would come from my mouth.

“No pumpkin,” she said. “Everything’s fine.”

Pumpkin?

I would have broken out into a chuckle if Oliver’s voice wasn’t replaying itself in my mind.

Oliver let out a frustrated groan. “The name mom.” He signalled with his eyes that I was here.

The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. “You should join the Glee Club at school.”

Shit.

Oliver frowned. “What?”

Ms Branson’s eyes gleamed. “See? I’m not the only one who thinks you sing well.”

“You heard me?” Oliver’s expression looked like he wanted to dig a hole right then with his bare hands and bury himself. “Oh my gosh. You weren’t supposed to… ” He buried his face in his hands, his ears turning red.

The air became as tense and taut as a wire. Oliver dropped the brown bag he had been holding and sprinted up the stairs to his room.

After a few minutes, I stood. “Thanks for the breakfast, Ms. Branson, but I’ll be heading home.”

She had a small frown, her gaze on the stairs before she sighed and snapped her head at me, as if remembering I was still here. “Sure, Judah. Greet your brother for me.”

I nodded before heading for the front door, opening it and leaving. My hand lingered on the doorknob for a moment before I turned without another glance at the house.

○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●

This is a short chapter compared to how long I haven’t published but Law school is being such a bitch right now. I have two tests on Tuesday and I have barely studied for them. I just didn’t want to leave y’all hanging for so long lol.

Anywayssss, what did you think of this chapter? Give me your thoughts.

Love ya. 💕