Jude's POV:
I felt a burst of grief so hard that it made me turn the car around wildly and speed-drive to Dylan's house. I jumped out of the car and ran up the steps, bursting through the door and running to Dylan's crumpled form. Her aunt was just standing there, not sure what to do. My heart broke. By pure instinct I walked over to her and hugged her to my chest, burying my face into her hair. "I'm so, so sorry. I'll never act like that again. I'm sorry." I murmered.
She sniffed and used my shirt to wipe her face. We stood like that for long time. "He's gay, if you must know." She said after a while. I smiled a little. "And you just made me feel like an even bigger douche."
"You should." She said, stepping back and frowning at me. "You hurt me."
"I'm sorry." I looked down.
She tilted my chin up. And then she slapped me as hard as she could. "You are NEVER going to talk to me or treat me like that again, or your body will end up six feet under, you got it?"
Dylan's POV:
He looked at me in shock before nodding. "I promise. And just to make sure that I don't go back on it, I'm going to give you this." He reached into his shirt and lifted a thin chain with a cross on it over his head, putting it over mine and pulling my hair over it. "It was my dad's. He said to give it someone special." He gave me a sheepish grin. I smiled and hugged him. "All right. You're forgiven."
"Good." He pecked me on the head. My aunt had left the room hen he came. I fingered the necklace around my neck. "Hey Jude."
"Yeah?" He murmured.
"What's a mate?"
Jude's POV:
I tensed. "Where'd you hear that word?"
"Tony and Molly's dad were talking about it. I just thought you'd know what it meant since you're her cousin. Maybe it's a family thing, I don't know." Curse Tony and his lovestruck ass. Though I can hardly blame him since I'm in the same situation...
"Dylan...I have to tell you something."
"Okay. What is it?"
"Not here though." I said, looking over her head to the kitchen where her aunt was cutting up tomatoes. I took her hand and led her out the door. She looked uncertain, but I smiled encouragingly, even though my stomach was going into knots.
Was she gonna run screaming?
Kick me in the nuts and call the cops so I could be put in a crazy house?
I had no idea. But, she had to know. I had already waited WAY too long. I opened the door for her and she got in, raising her eyebrows at me in that adorable way. "Jude..."
"It'll be fine, I promise."
"Okay. But do keep in mind that I know how to kick ass, and that I have anger problems."
I stifled a laugh. "I will." I shut the door and walked around to the driver's side, swinging my arms. I got into my truck and cranked it up, then drove to the nearby park. It was empty, because parents feared that their kids would get heatstrokes in the current hot weather. I smelled rain on the wind. When I parked, she jumped out of the car and ran over to the swings, jumping on one and pushing off with her feet. I watched her.
