The second floor landing opened into a small sitting area. Loveseat facing a window bench. Low table in the center. Blanket draped over one arm. Stack of volleyball magazines on the floor. Router blinking green in the corner.
Chloe deposited Judah on the loveseat and immediately dropped onto the window bench, pulling her knees up to her chest. "So! Tell us everything. What's Philly like? Is it actually always sunny there? Do you like cheesesteaks? What position do you play again? Mom said quarterback but I want to hear it from you."
Solange took the other end of the loveseat. Not next to him. Diagonal. Maximum distance while remaining technically seated on the same furniture.
Her posture could teach masterclasses. Spine straight. Shoulders back. Legs crossed at the ankle. Hands folded in her lap.
She looked at Judah like he was a problem she was working out how to solve.
Evelyn appeared with a tray. Four glasses of lemonade, condensation already forming on the sides. Plate of cookies that smelled like butter and brown sugar. She set everything on the low table and settled into the window bench next to Chloe.
"I should have warned you someone might use the bathroom," Evelyn said softly. "I'm sorry. I thought you'd have more time before the girls got home."
"It's fine." Judah reached for a glass of lemonade. "My fault for not locking the door."
"The lock's broken actually," Chloe supplied helpfully. "Has been for like three months. We keep forgetting to tell Dad to fix it."
Great.
Perfect.
So that whole disaster was completely unavoidable.
He took a long drink. The lemonade was good. Real lemons. Not the powder mix his mom used to make.
Mom would've liked this.
The thought landed heavy in his chest. He set the glass down before his hand could shake.
Solange spoke for the first time since they'd left the bathroom. "How long are you staying?"
Direct. No preamble.
Judah met her stare. "Permanently."
"Permanently."
"That's what Arthur said."
Her eye twitched at the name. "You don't call him Dad?"
"I call him Arthur." Judah leaned back against the loveseat. "That's his name."
"He's your father."
"Biologically."
The temperature in the room dropped about fifteen degrees.
Chloe grabbed a cookie and bit into it with enough force to shatter the silence. "Okay! New topic! Judah, do you have a girlfriend back in Philly?"
"Chloe—" Evelyn started.
"What? I'm just asking!" Chloe turned back to Judah, chewing. "Do you?"
"No."
"Did you have one?"
"Nothing serious."
"Really? You're like objectively hot and you play quarterback. I thought that was a guaranteed girlfriend situation."
Solange made a sound that might have been a cough or might have been choking on her own judgment.
Judah raised an eyebrow at Chloe. "Objectively hot?"
"I mean yeah." She gestured at him with the cookie. "You have good bone structure and your eyes are like really pretty and you're tall and athletic. That's literally the recipe. Half the girls at Westlake are going to lose their minds when you show up."
"Chloe." Evelyn's voice carried a warning now.
"I'm stating facts!"
"You're making him uncomfortable."
"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Chloe asked Judah directly.
Judah considered. "Little bit."
"See? Only a little bit! That's fine." She finished the cookie. "Anyway, since you don't have a girlfriend that means you're available which is good because like I said, the Westlake girls are going to be all over you and it would be super awkward if you had someone back home."
Footsteps on the stairs cut off whatever response Judah might have made.
Noel appeared at the top of the second floor landing.
She'd changed into an oversized black hoodie and shorts that barely showed beneath the hem.
She looked younger like this. Less like the girl who'd screamed at him in the bathroom and more like someone who might actually be nineteen.
She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "Are we doing introductions now or later?"
"Now works," Solange said.
Noel's red eyes found Judah. "I'm Noel. I'm taking a gap year. I stream sometimes. Don't come into the bathroom without knocking."
"The lock's broken," Judah said.
"Then knock louder."
"Noted."
Silence.
Chloe looked between them like she was watching a tennis match. "Okay! Solange's turn!"
Solange's expression didn't change. "I'm Solange. I attend UCLA. I major in Business and Communications." She paused. "And I don't appreciate surprises."
The emphasis on the last word made it clear exactly what kind of surprise she meant.
Judah nodded slowly. "I'll try to schedule my arrivals better next time."
"See that you do."
Another pause.
Evelyn cleared her throat. "Why don't you tell us about yourself, Judah? What do you like to do besides football?"
Besides football.
His brain came up empty. Football had been everything. Practice. Games. Film study. Training. The QB1 position. The recruitment. The future.
Everything else had orbited around the sport.
"I like movies," he said finally. "And music."
"What kind of music?" Chloe asked immediately.
"Hip hop mostly. Some R&B."
"Oh that's cool! I listen to everything but I've been really into this one K-pop group lately and their choreography is insane." She pulled out her phone. "Want to see?"
"Sure."
Chloe scooted closer on the window bench, angling her phone so Judah could see the screen. Some music video started playing. Bright colors. Synchronized dancing. A beat that actually went hard.
Judah watched. Nodded along.
Chloe's knee pressed against his leg where she'd moved closer.
He noticed.
Tried not to notice that he'd noticed.
Failed.
She smells like sunscreen and sweat. Gym sweat. The good kind.
The video ended. Chloe looked up at him, eyes bright. "Right? Their main dancer is incredible. I've been trying to learn some of the moves but volleyball conditioning is different from dance conditioning."
"Makes sense."
"Do you dance?"
"No."
"You should learn! It's good for footwork." She was still close. Still had her knee against his leg. "I could teach you some basics if you want."
Solange stood abruptly. "I need to make a phone call."
She walked out without waiting for a response.
The room felt bigger without her in it.
Noel pushed off the wall. "I should stream tonight. Got some comments to answer." She looked at Judah one more time. "Try not to flash anyone else today."
"I'll do my best."
She disappeared up the stairs to the third floor.
Which left Judah, Chloe, and Evelyn in the sitting area with half a plate of cookies and three glasses of lemonade.
Chloe grabbed another cookie. "So! Want to see your school? I can drive you around campus tomorrow if you want. Show you where everything is and maybe meet the team before school starts."
"Classes start end of August," Evelyn added. "Arthur enrolled you last week."
So in about two months.
Judah reached for his lemonade again. "Yeah. That sounds good."
===
A/N:
Welcome to the end of the chapter.
You want to watch Jude take the quarterback position. You want to see him conquer the Fitzgerald women.
Feed the algorithm to unlock the next play.
Add this book to your library today to secure your spot on the active roster. Drop those Power Stones to keep the chapters arriving.
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