I knock on the door, expecting Hudson to answer. Instead, an older Hudson answers, a bit out of breath and a pack of cigarettes clenched tightly in his hand.
“Are you here to hang out with Hudson?” he asks, leaning against the doorframe and smiling at me. I nod and move my phone from my back pocket to my front.
“I am. Can I come in?”
“Of course!” Older Hudson moves aside, gesturing towards a staircase. “His room’s upstairs, all the way at the end of the hall to the left.”
“Thank you.” I wave at Older Hudson and jog up the stairs. Hey, I’ve never been in Hudson’s house before. It’s pretty nice.
“Jack’s here!” Jaxon pokes his head out of a room and sticks his tongue out at me before getting yanked back.
“Play nice.”
“But-”
“I will throw you out this window.”
“Fine.”
I walk into a very clean room. It’s very Hudson.
“Even if your dad hadn’t told me where your room was I still would’ve thought this one,” I comment. Hudson pauses the noogie he’s giving Jaxon to correct me.
“Older brother, not dad.” He resumes the noogie as Jaxon continues to struggle to escape the loose chokehold Hudson’s trapped him in.
“Get off of me!” Jaxon grabs wildly at Hudson’s arms. I take a seat right inside the door and watch silently as they wrestle for a few moments.
Hudson ends up pinning Jaxon to the ground, sitting on his back and holding Jaxon’s hands above his head.
“You do realize that I have more experience fighting than you do, right?”
“Let me go!”
“Poking a bear.” Hudson releases Jaxon’s hands and moves to get off of the boy. Jaxon reaches back and grabs Hudson, rolling them over so Jaxon is straddling Hudson’s hips and Hudson is laying on his back.
“Ha.” Jaxon sticks his tongue at Hudson. Hudson reaches up for Jaxon but Jaxon grabs his hands and pins them above his head. “Whatcha tryin’ to do there, buddy boy?”
“You really want to be in this position right now?”
“What do you mean?”
Hudson gestures towards where Jaxon is sitting.
“He means the fact that if you two didn’t have clothes on you’d be-”
“Don’t finish that sentence,” Jaxon warns. He falls off of Hudson, letting their legs tangle together. “I have socks on, it’s fine.”
“But you both-”
“It’s fine!”
“Jesus, alright.” I slam my mouth shut and watch Jaxon and Hudson bat at each other, quiet ows sounding every few slaps.
“Wait, you’re here for help.” Hudson grabs Jaxon’s wrists and looks over at me. “Sorry about this dick.”
“It’s fine.”
“Oi, dumbass!” Hudson moves so he’s laying across Jaxon’s chest. “Knock it off so I can help Jack.”
“Fine.” Jaxon moves his hands to rest behind his head. “We still haven’t talked about you-know-what yet though.”
“Well, now that I’m here you can kill two birds with one stone,” I suggest. “Explain what everyone else knows about you and talk about the thing you need to talk about.”
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“Yeah, I’d rather not talk about that right now.” Hudson pulls his phone out and checks it quickly before sliding it across the room. “Jaxon, by later I meant later later.”
“You meant never. I’m aware of what you meant. We’re talking about it today anyways.”
“You need to be home by ten, so no. We won’t.”
“Well it sucks to be you then because I got permission to sleep over.” Jaxon lifts his head and smiles wickedly at Hudson. “We’re having the conversation.”
“Fine,” Hudson spits.
“Do you want me to step outside so you guys can talk, or?” I point over my shoulder at the doorway.
“No, you can stay,” Jaxon answers. “I’ll talk with Hudson later.”
“Are you sure?”
“Jack, just drop it.” Hudson lifts his head and glares at me. “Seriously.”
“Hudson.” Jaxon rests a hand over Hudson’s mouth and smiles at me. “So, you wanted help with Elisica?”
“You’re gonna help me?” I eye Jaxon, suspicious. He shrugs in response.
“I’m throwing in the towel. I won’t win so I might as well help you win.”
“I feel like there’s a different reason behind you giving up.”
“There isn’t. Why would there be?”
“Did you get a girlfriend?”
Jaxon chokes with laughter. Hudson joins in half a second later.
“What?”
“This man is going to be single for life.” Hudson pokes Jaxon’s cheek, still laughing. “Life I tell you!”
“I’ll find someone to make me happy someday,” Jaxon replies, grabbing Hudson’s hand. “You’ll see!”
“Yeah, sure, sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Hudson pats Jaxon’s head, grinning at him. “How about we help Jack now and not get distracted again?”
“You and I enter the same room and there’s suddenly a total of one-fourth a brain cell.” Jaxon rests a hand over Hudson’s face. “I don’t know how much help we’ll be.”
“Well with Jack here I think the brain cell total goes up to like three-fourths.”
“I’m not sure whether I should consider that a compliment or an insult,” I remark. Jaxon shrugs, patting Hudson’s face.
“Either one works for me. What’s your plan with Elisica?”
“Don’t have one.” I shrug. Hudson reaches a hand up and rubs his palm against random parts of Jaxon’s face.
“Knock it off.”
“Get your hand off of my face.”
“Get your hand off of my face.”
“I’ll do it when you do.”
“Then I guess we’ll be here for a while, won’t we?”
“Seriously, do you want me to leave?” I move to stand up when Jaxon and Hudson hold a hand out, assuring me it’s fine.
“You can stay. I’ll kick this douchebag out.” Jaxon stands and pulls Hudson off of his feet, tossing him over his shoulder with surprising ease.
“This is my house!” Hudson hits Jaxon’s back, kicking his stomach at the same time.
“I’m going to help Jack. You’re not helping me do that.”
“You’re a dick.”
“I do have one, yes. Thank you for noticing.”
“I’m going to kick it if you don’t set me down.”
Jaxon’s hands fly off of Hudson, who rolls off of Jaxon’s shoulder laughing his ass off.
“Jack, I swear we can help you,” Hudson wheezes. “Just give me- give me a moment to catch my breath.”
“He threatened me!”
“You deserved it,” I respond, sitting back down.
Jaxon gasps and presses a hand to his chest. “You-”
“This is like the third chapter someone’s done that. Stop it.” Hudson throws a stray pencil at Jaxon, who frowns and moves his hand off his chest.
“But it’s fun!” Jaxon whines. Hudson rolls his eyes as Jaxon walks over to Hudson’s bed and collapses onto it. “Your bed is comfortable.”
Hudson stands up and sprints over to the bed, falling on top of Jaxon who grunts in response.
“Get off of me.”
“No.”
“Hey, Hudson, do your- what are you doing?”
I turn my head and see Hudson’s older brother leaning against the doorframe.
“No, we don’t want any snacks. Thanks though.” Hudson’s feet hit the floor and he walks over to rest an arm on top of my head.
“Yeah. Sure.” Hudson’s older brother walks away.
“Hudson.”
I turn and watch Jaxon walk over to us, wrapping an arm around Hudson’s trembling shoulders.
“You’re okay,” he murmurs. “It’s okay. I’m here. He’s gone.”
“Shit,” Hudson gasps. He grabs at Jaxon’s shirt, his entire body beginning to shake.
“Hey. I’m here. You’re with me.”
“I- I can’t-”
“You’re safe.”