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NOTE:
I hope you enjoy the edited version of chapter eight. Don't forget to vote, comment, and share if so. Also a new chapter of HFWG will be up sometimes this week.
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0 8 | Until There Was You

Jude wasn't particularly fond of the idea of another mysterious destination. Maybe, it was the look on Waverly's face or the horrendous notions he had in mind from the previous events.

It was the urgency in the way Waverly forced him down empty roads that followed city lights while she tugged on his wrist onto an unfamiliar rooftop. The town below them stretched for an eternity; a town engulfed by constant cycles. It was where lives were deemed the same in an eerie place in which no one really mattered until they did.

Jude's irises matched the streaks that surrounded them. It forced him to recall how short life really was. He pictured that idle town filled with scattered dreams. He conjured up the theory that in the end they all suffered the same miserable fate. A fate in which Beverly wouldn't matter. Seth wouldn't matter. His parents wouldn't matter. Lincoln wouldn't matter. Waverly wouldn't matter. High school wouldn't matter.

He saw Waverly looking at him, but he refused to tear his gaze from the strenuous reality below. And suddenly that call didn't matter anymore, and the heartbreak didn't seem as bad.

"I come here all the time to think," Waverly admitted with her arms crossed over the concrete slab that separated them from a lethal fall. She stood next to Jude with their shoulders brushing. Waverly's eyes were as wide as saucers, and as fascinated as a child keen on grasping the universe that unfolded in her eyes—eager to explore what the world had to offer. Jude skipped a lulled glance at Waverly and at her frazzled, wild hair as random strands blew with the wind, and for a moment he envied the way she got lost in her own world.

"To think about what?" Jude wondered, forgetting how the forested curiosity killed the daring cat. Despite this belated thought, he didn't hesitate or regret asking, because Waverly's mind seemed to be as wild as she was and something about that made Jude want to feel as carefree as possible; he wanted to leave his love for Beverly in the past.

"Everything. Sometimes nothing at all," she replied, spitting out devoted fates and silent prophecies. Her brown eyes lit up with the sky and Jude found himself sighing, looking down at the town that drowned him in metaphors. He ran an exasperated hand through his locks, peering over the edge. "Everything's so much smaller up here. It makes me want to do something bigger than myself and this town."

"Like what?" Jude found himself asking.

Her eyebrows furrowed and she tucked her lip in between her teeth, contemplating on that idea as a whole. It was as if she had thought about it several times in her bedroom with the creaky ceiling fan. "Travel, I guess. Figure who the hell Waverly Clarke is. Find my dad," she said.

"You're doing this after graduation? What about college?"

"Obviously I'm not the college type. Plus, my mom and I don't have the money," she said so nonchalantly, shrugging as her features softened. Then, "what about you, what's your plan after graduation, golden boy?"

Jude cringed at the nickname and she laughed. "It suits you."

"I'm anything but golden right now," he admitted. "I'm a mess."

"We're all a little bit ruined," she shrugged.

Jude didn't contemplate on her reply too long and instead mentioned his already planned future.

"College and then I have to take over my parent's business."

"What do you want to do after high school? Not what your parents want. Big difference."

Jude thought about it longer than what was necessary and finally replied, "I don't know. I've always stuck with that plan."

Waverly blinked with her head tilted at Jude. "You're telling me you've never been asked that?"

He shook his head casually. "I've always known my fate since the day I was born."

Thinking about that made Jude more open about it in a way. He felt out of control when it came to his own life decisions.

"Living like that is fucking crazy. Your parents suck," Waverly insulted, but Jude found himself agreeing over and over again. "You have control over your fate, you know."

"I know," he uttered, lowering his head to stare at his fingers and the way his nails were crafted to look like squares. "We should get going before someone figures out we're up here," Jude suggested, straightening his slouched posture.

"Alright," she said. "Give me a minute. I'll meet you down there."

Jude sighed, rolling his shoulders. "I'm not leaving you up here, Waverly."

"I'm a big girl. I can handle myself," she retorted, tightening her hoodie so that it hugged her torso more.

"I know you can," Jude agreed. "It's just safer if we stick together."

"Aw, you're worried about me," she cooed, feigning interest.

"I'm worried about getting caught," he admitted and Waverly rolled her eyes.

"Sometimes it's better to break the rules," she looked up, then, "To live by the rules is to not live at all."

Her mind was in a trance, then, "Fuck this city."

Her gaze went out to the sky, then Jude watched as she said it louder with her hands clasped around her mouth. Repeatedly, she shouted fuck this city into the void until she laughed like a maniac. Jude was staring intensely at the way she stepped on her toes, cursing at the moon and the little people in the little town they existed in. There was no depth to where they lived—only a single dimension filled with endless cycles. Eventually, Jude found himself saying the correspondence to what Waverly had been saying. Fuck this town. This city. His family. His friends.

It was the most relief he had experienced since Beverly—an entire different level of euphoria as he smiled and Waverly draped an arm over his shoulder. He had been saying it now, but he would have to enter reality again and that sucked more than anything. When they left, Waverly tossed a destination in Jude's direction and they got lost several times before he finally parked a few houses down from Bridget's house.

"Last house of the night," she smiled. "Wanna do the honors?"

"Gladly," Jude abided and left Waverly in the car as he performed the previous tasks that were executed at Beverly's and Seth's house. Then, he was darting down the driveway when a familiar car pulled up where Jude was running from and the lights were nearly shining on his face if he hadn't dipped his head and dashed down the street. There was a possibility that it was Bridget. There was also a possibility that whoever it was had recognized him.

He cursed under his breath the entire time he was running to his car. When he returned Waverly was on her phone, looking at something. Jude brushed that off, breathing heavily. "Pretty sure whoever was in that car recognized me."

"You'll live," she replied as they drove in the direction of Waverly's house with an eerie quietness to the shrill of their thoughts. Jude continued to think about their previous conversation and his mind continued to create plot holes and emptiness. Was that really all there was to his life? Could he ever be happy again?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Waverly asked.

"I'm thinking what will happen next."

"It's your life you choose what happens next. Whatever you're referring to."

Jude knew that wasn't the case when it came to his life. In fact, his life was limited to what he wanted and what everyone else did. Frankly, he didn't have control, or a choice. Waverly's house came into view and Jude parked the car so she could get out. "You tell anyone about this, I will cut your fingers off."

"I'm used to your threats by now," Jude admitted and Waverly smiled as she left the car.

"Good."

Jude watched as she quietly opened the door to her house. The screen door first then the actual door and then she turned around, passed him a wink, and disappeared. Waverly was definitely something. He was already missing the thrill of this night, but knew that eventually it would all have to end at some point. He drove home with it all pinging in his head. It was all so fresh and recent. He loved it. The adrenaline. The freedom. All of it.

When he finally made it home his parents were present when he opened the door. A humongous lump grew in his throat and his chest tightened. Jude didn't smoke cigarettes, but at that moment he needed one to deal with them—to ease his worries, straddling them in a jar and throwing them away.

"Where the hell have you been?" His mother hissed and Jude wanted to roll his eyes. As if they cared where he went.

"I was at Beverly's house," he lied and it sounded believable. His parent's probably bought it.

"At this time of night?" His father questioned.

"She's going through some stuff right now."

That sounded believable to his own ears.

"That poor girl," his mother sympathized. Yeah, poor girl.

"I'm going to bed, I had a long day," he muttered, trailing in the direction of the stairs. That was the end of the conversation. To say the least, when Jude landed in his bed against the soft fabric he realized that it had been the best sleep he received in weeks. Soundless and tranquil.

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The next day went by in flying colors and Jude couldn't help but recall the previous conversation with Waverly. At school she wasn't present and it made him wonder if she was okay. Jude stood at his locker with his head stuffed in it. It was like he had a hangover that was ten times more painful than what it actually was. There was this deafening ping chaining through his skull, but it buzzed away at the sight of Lincoln walking in his direction.

"Hey man, you alright?" he asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Yeah. I'm good," Jude muttered. "I'm just thinking about the football game tomorrow."

"Bro, you got it. It's like any other game."

"I wasn't mad at Seth at any other game. It's the first game since..." he trailed off and his lips suddenly felt battered and chapped. Lincoln understood so he didn't press him after the pause. "I'm probably gonna fuck up and let my anger get to me. God, he's such a fucking dick. He refers to Beverly like she's an object and she just...she prefers him."

"If it helps we can go to the gym after school so you can blow off some steam."

"I'm not mad at them anymore. I'm still pissed at their actions, but I'm not mad. I'm just mad at myself for expecting more out of them."

Lincoln looked at the students in the hallway, barely listening to what Jude had to say. Of course that was the case. Lincoln wasn't Waverly. "None of this will matter, though. When we graduate and go our separate ways this will all be for nothing."

Still, Lincoln dismissed his profound realization, winking at a girl who batted her eyelashes at Lincoln. It definitely wasn't at Jude because he was the latest gossip topic and everyone favored the opposing side. The girl couldn't have been any older than a freshman. Desperation was dripping from Lincoln like a waterfall and Jude would have pointed it out if it wasn't for Lincoln being so engrossed in the involvement and exchange with the girl.

"Like I said," Lincoln started again. "If you want to come to the gym and let off some steam I'm available. You and Seth are both my friends and I think you should make up already."

At the toll of Lincoln's words something in Jude flipped. His eyes narrowed at Jude's words and it was as if we had been hearing them for the first time. It felt like rebirth and he was wide awake. "Fuck you, Lincoln," he spat. "What's your issue with me forgiving Seth. He was wrong, not me."

"Who pissed in your cereal this morning?" Lincoln questioned with a questionable look."I'm just trying to be the adult in this situation because neither of you will grow the hell up."

"I did grow up, and apparently Seth did too because if he really were my friend he never would have thought about doing what he did if he valued our friendship," Jude said. He was trying his best to control his anger. To control his words and not scoop down to Seth's level to get under Lincoln's skin. He wasn't worth it.

"Look, Jude, if you guys don't make up we'll lose the game tomorrow, and you don't understand how bad I need us to win this for my Pops and for a scholarship. I have a lot riding on this and football is all I got," he admitted. "Can you at least listen to what he's got to say? Maybe you can find some closure."

The sound of that seemed reasonable, but it was hard to speak with Seth anymore. Jude believed closure wasn't worth it when both of their actions were as clear as day. Despite his deliberations he didn't tell Lincoln that. He stayed silent as Lincoln clamped a hand on his shoulder as a gesture, then walked away. Sometimes Jude wondered why he was friends with Lincoln again. It wasn't hard to remind himself why—even when Lincoln was an asshole at times.

When the bell rang Jude went to his first period class and zoomed by the rest halfheartedly. In the class he shared with Beverly she tried several times to catch his attention, but he ignored it like the plague. During detention, Jude couldn't help but notice that Beverly had been sitting in a different spot than usual—she was closer than usual. Jude cursed under his breath when he collected his usual seat. He tried to dismiss the fact that Beverly had wanted something.

"I see you're not hanging around that girl anymore—"

"Her name's Waverly," he corrected. Then sighed before asking, "what do you want?"

"Bridget told me she saw you at the store with Waverly," Beverly said softly. Jude laughed. She didn't even know her best friend actually worked at the store. Another part of him had been relieved that Bridget didn't rat him out last night, but that was luck really. She just couldn't recognize him fast enough.

"Really now?" He wondered, clearly amused at the lie Bridget had told. All this school was filled with was lies. Lies here. Lies there. Lies fucking everywhere.

"What were you guys doing?" She asked as if they were still a couple and it was any of her concern. The nerve of her.

"That's none of your business and I don't have to tell you," he replied.

"Yeah," she said, then laughed. "Right. I guess I'm getting ahead of myself."

Jude stayed silent and he assumed that she would tell her that she wasn't. How naive was it that a few weeks ago Jude probably would have done exactly that, falling into her trap. Then, Beverly was explaining how her yard had been filled with toilet paper and her grass dead, then she mentioned Seth and Bridget's house. Jude bit the inside of his cheek, holding back a breathy laugh that would probably increase her suspicions.

"My parents were going to call the cops, but I told them it was probably one of the students from the team we play tomorrow," she tried explaining.

Yeah, someone from another team.

"Probably," Jude shrugged off, trying not to sound guilty. If she had any common sense it wouldn't be remotely hard to put the pieces together and figure out who it actually was. Jude looked in Seth's direction to find him doing homework and brushing the conversation off seats away from him. Detention couldn't have gone by any slower, and then it was time to go and Jude found himself trailing to the football field with his heart booming in his chest. It was their last full practice before their game tomorrow. It would be the only chance to make amends for the game. Was it really worth it? Was one football game worth going against what he promised himself.

At one point he promised himself he wouldn't cry because it made him weak, but that failed. At one point in time he cried and although it was wrong, it was also relieving. He didn't want to stand against his statements and at the end of the practice he chose not to fess up when he saw Beverly sitting in the stands for the first time in a while. Bridget was there too as well as a few other people, glancing at the football players sweating and running through plays for an hour and twenty minutes.

There was no chance in hell Jude was going to make up with Seth now. Or ever. Especially as Seth glared at him under his helmet when they went their separate ways. Bullshit was written on his face—similar to the expression he was making in detention. When Jude was alone in his car, instead of driving home he found himself looking at the address Waverly scrawled down for him days before. And without thinking he found himself driving in the direction of her house, despite his stench filling up the car even after he changed. The air conditioner clearly made the smell far more unbearable, but Jude was used to it by now. While Jude cruised down the road in that old neighborhood she lived in he realized he enjoyed being around Waverly sometimes. Maybe even more than sometimes. She was the only person who didn't judge him.

He would never tell her that, though, because he knew that he would never hear the end of it, and she would probably go through with her open threats. Jude smiled at the thought. Waverly was definitely growing on him and somehow, Jude didn't seem to mind.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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