Page 73 of The Sweetest Cruelty: Hudson
I realised this was my moment to find out more about Hudson and his history. Storm appeared to be the opposite of bottled up and regularly indulged in gossip. Maybe I could use that to my advantage?
“Didn’t you and Hudson date?”
Storm placed the apple back on her tray and took a sip of water. “We almost fucked once. It was at a party, and we were both drunk. But no, we were never together.”
After briefly glancing behind her at the table where Hudson’s brothers sat, she leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table.
The Sawyer brothers were watching us. They were all wearing that same cocksure expression. Apart from Reed, he appeared to be shooting daggers at the back of Storm’s head. His arms were folded over his huge chest and he looked pissed. I noticed he hadn’t touched his lunch, which was a surprise. The guy usually ate like a horse.
Storm turned to glance at the table where Hudson should have been sitting. I noticed Reed raise an eyebrow at her, and she spun back towards me.
“Fucking Reed Prescott,” she said under her breath. “Look, between us, Hudson’s never been interested in me, and he’s not my type either. He can be such a jerk. Any girl who takes that on will have a tough time, and I’m just too lazy. Plus, Daddy would threaten to cut me off if I dated thatparticularfoster boy. He’s such a snob.”
Pot calling the kettle black jumped to mind, but I went with. “But you’re always so touchy-feely with him.”
“I only do that to make someone else jealous. Not that it’s working,” Storm confessed with another glance towards the Sawyer boys.
Interesting.
“Who?” I shot back, suddenly wanting to be fed gossip that wasn’t about me.
She lowered her elbows and raised her fork. “You may not be as much of a loser as I first thought, but we’re not girlfriends yet.”
“Fair enough,” I said, and she rolled her eyes.
“I don’t share much anyway. Especially not my secrets. I’ve confided in people before only to have them stab me in the back.” On cue, Tate Parker and the rest of the cheer squad strolled into the cafeteria. I saw Storm’s shoulders stiffen and wondered if they had fallen out—maybe after the pool incident? They all went to the front of the lunch queue, clearly pushing in.
The tall blonde’s eyes narrowed as she saw us together, but Storm didn’t move. She just continued to push the salad around her plate.
I lowered my gaze towards my pasta; my appetite had left me, as thoughts of Hudson swam around my head. Did everyone think I was his girlfriend now?
Pushing away the thought, I watched Storm. She’d had bad friendships and been hurt in the past; that was clear to me now. That’s why she had thatfrosty, I-put-up-barriers vibe. Storm Summers hadseveretrust issues.
“Well, for what it’s worth. I’m loyal to my friends.”
“But we’re not friends, are we?” Storm muttered in an unsure voice, her eyes scanning my face with hope. Could I be friends with a girl I couldn’t trust?
Chewing on the side of my cheek, I digested her words before saying. “No.” Her face dropped, and so I added. “Maybe not yet. But we could be.”
Relief flooded her body language, and she looked less uptight. Leaning back in her seat, Storm tilted her chin, now looking serene. “Even though I could have killed you?”
I paused briefly before responding. “Yes. You’ve said sorry, and there’s only one person I bear a grudge against.” That person was the man who had killed my mother.
“Who?” she blurted, mirroring my words from earlier when she half confessed her crush.
I arched an eyebrow. “We’re not girlfriends, remember?”
And then the mean girl smiled. Arealone. Not that fake kind where there were too many teeth on display.
“Touché.”
A line in the sand was drawn between us. It felt good. The tide was finally turning. Yes, I was the principal’s daughter but I wasn’t a suck up. Hopefully, people would start to appreciate that. I was also about as far away from a slut as you could get. Another message I hoped would eventually sink in. I decided my reaction to Hudson was one of those crazy moments.
And then the verbal diarrhoea started. My goodness, it was like the girl had never had a conversation. Pent-up banter camespewingout. Storm didn’t even come up forair when Tate and her followers walked past our table, giving her the sharpest stink eye I had ever seen.
“The team and I have decided to practice after school tonight. Meet you at the bleachers at four?” Tate said, folding her arms across her ample chest. I kept my head down.
“OK. I’ll see you guys there.”
