Jude cleared his throat as his eyes fell onto his Aunt Terry, where she usually had been, sitting in the living room. Her blonde hair was getting strikes of grey in it, her face starting to age, but all around beautiful. She still could have such a life, filled with love and adventure, yet she'd been stuck right where she'd always been.

"She's excited for you to come back." Becky spoke up awkwardly, sensing Jude's discomfort. His eyes looked toward his mom in disbelief, "She's sorry for what happened, you know?"

"Did she tell you that?" Jude asked out loud, not stopping to think about what he said. It was cruel with no remorse, a bad habit he picked up on from back when his dad was a bad guy. Russell wasn't always a good dad, not like how he was for Jude now. When him and Becky got a divorce when Jude was just eleven, he got his shit together after that. Quite drinking, went to AA meetings, got a job at the local diner, pulled rent, and ended up getting custody of Jude.

It was a close call, but Russell seemed a better fit them Becky, who had a sister who nearly killed Jude attacking him, thinking he'd been the daughter she miscarried.

"Sorry." Jude mumbled after a moment, holding his bags, "I'm gonna go put these.."

He trialed off, not finishing his sentence as he went to his room. Jude fell onto the squeaky bed, finding a bit of comfort in it. He's lived here, in this room, for the first eleven years of his life. It meant a lot to him, but all his things were still at the trailer park, and he liked it there a lot more. They had one of their neighbors break in a few months ago when Jude and Russell went out to hang flyers, searching for extra change in exchange of mowing lawns. Nothing of theirs was stolen, considering all Russell had was cigarettes and Jude only having books.

Turns out the robbers weren't big fans of Jane Austen or Marvelous'.

The boy sat up, reaching into one of his bags and tossing his book onto the bed. He'd read most of it on his free period and at lunch today, only having about sixty pages left. But what he was really in search for was his walkie, pulling it from his bag and peaking down the hall to make sure his mom hadn't been too close to hear.

"Mike, you there?" Jude spoke through the speaker, "Over."

A second passed, "I'm here, over."

Jude paused before Mike's voice rung again, "How's it going over there?"

"Really weird." Jude said back, standing up to close his door, just in case, "My moms trying to act super proper just to prove that i'm not gonna get attacked again."

Jude crawled back onto his bed as Mike came through, "Has your aunt tried anything?"

"No, she looks out of it again." Jude said honestly, kicking one of his legs slightly off the bed, "I know my moms trying, I don't know why I keep being so rude to her."

"You kinda have a right to be angry." Mike spoke honestly to Jude, they laid back on their own beds in sync, "She's the one that left you alone with her, she knew she wasn't stable."

Jude knew Mike had a point, he usually always did, "I guess it just makes me mad that she hasn't said sorry to me, just tries to apologize for Aunt Terry. It's like she doesn't think she did any wrong."

A second went by, "I think you should just come here."

"I should be okay tonight, I probably will tomorrow though." Jude said honestly, shaking his hand that was holding the walkie, feeling it start to cramp up.

"I know, but, what if you get hurt again? What if you actually break your neck this time?" Mike voiced his worry over the speaker. For someone who thought Jude was dramatic for saying it, he clearly had similar feelings.

"Will you sign my neck cast then?" Jude smirked.

Mike huffed, "I'm serious."

"I was, like, three pounds back then, I can take her now." Jude said confidently, sitting up as he peaked out the window.

"It was four months ago." Mike rolled his eyes.

"And i've out grown all my good pants because I eat at the diner everyday. Aunt Terry is the one that will break her neck if it comes down to it, not me." Jude hummed, doing a roll on his bed as he heard the timer go off in the kitchen, "I gotta go, my moms gonna come back here soon."

"Basement doors open if you need it." Mike reassured him.

"Thanks, Mike. Over and out." Jude nodded, despite him not seeing, pushing the button off.

"Jude! You look like a booger!" Dustin yelled as Jude got out of his moms car, her work shift not starting until later so she could drop him off. Jude gave her a goodbye, a small wave as he walked over to the four ghost busters. By default, Jude pulled the short straw and ended up going as Slimmer, "How do you feel?"

"Like i'm gonna get an entire star constellation of pimples on my face." Jude said honestly as he met with the four, "You guys look fabulous."

"Oh my god, Jude Mackenzie just said I look fabulous, i'm gonna die." Dustin mocked an extremely over the top girly voice, Jude gave him a stupid look, "Not looking like a lady killer now."

"More like a Dustin killer." Mike gave a snort before his eyes fell to Lucas' costume, "Woah, woah."

"What?" he questioned.

"Why are you Venkman?" Mike gave him a crazy look.

"Because i'm Venkman." Lucas agreed in disbelief.

"No, i'm Venkman." Mike shook his head at him.

"Why can't there just be two Venkmans ?" Will suggested.

"If there was gonna be two Venkmans, why didn't any of you walkie me and tell me so I could be Winston?" Jude rolled his eyes.

"There isn't suppose to be two Venkmans. We planned this months ago." Mike ranted on before looking to each of them , "I'm Venkman, Dustin's Stantz, Jude's Slimmer, you're Egon, and you're Winston."

"I specifically didn't agree to Winston." Lucas agreed.

"Yes, you did!" Mike shot back.

"I don't think he did." Will agreed with Lucas.

"Mike, you can't just assume." Jude gave him a crazy look, "It looks like you're acting like Troy and James."

"I'm not! I'm just saying, we agreed." Mike shook his head quickly.

"No one wants to be Winston, man." Lucas gave the boy a look of disbelief.

"What's wrong with Winston?" Mike asked defensively.

"What's wrong with Winston? He joined the team super late, he's not funny, and he's not even a scientist!" Lucas listed on quickly, seemingly though he already had it planned.

"Yeah, but he's still cool." Mike pointed out.

"If he's so cool, then you be Winston." Lucas pointed a finger at him.

"I can't." Mike shook his head.

"Why not?" Lucas crossed his arms.

"Oh god." Jude shook his green head.

"Be-because-" Mike stumbled over his words.

"Be-Be-Because you're not black?" Lucas mocked him. Jude's eyes widened, raising a finger in saying Lucas won that point, Mike did not.

"I didn't say that!" Mike defended himself.

"You thought it." Lucas rolled his eyes.

"Oh my god, that isn't Jude Mackenzie." a passing girl spoke as she stared at Jude.

"Look at those curls, it's definitely him." her friend agreed as they laughed slightly, "What happened?"

Jude's face fell when he noticed they weren't the only two not in costumes.

"Guys, guys, guys!" Dustin yelled to get everyone attention, "Why is no one else wearing costumes?"

•

kylie speaks

smh, i'd still take
jude, looking like a
booger and all.