Loving Storm

14. Birthday Girl

Song ^

Today was Storm's 17th Birthday, a day she wished would never come. Birthdays were a day closer to old age and another year closer to death. They reminded her of how far she was from being 10 and how close she was to adulthood. If only she could pause time and live forever as a carefree 17 year old girl.

Despite this sentiment, she looked forward to spending the day with the only boys in her life that never disappointed her—Jack and Hudson. They didn't know it, but they were the luckiest bastards in town. There were no other boys in Broadhollow with a chance to get close to her other than the harmless whistles and minor flirtation other boys threw her way. She didn't trust any boys, not since her father left, planting the never ending fear of abandonment in her psyche. But Jack and Hudson were different, they kept her heart in one piece—hurting her was the last thing she believed they could ever do. 

At the end of the day, Mr. Lavallo slapped on her desk a piece of paper with the number 71 in red ink at the corner of the page. Her eyes lit up at the number above complicated calculus equations her brain never thought she could solve, but she had somehow figured it out after sleepless nights of studying, and all thanks to Hudson for believing in her. Although it wasn't a grade to be proud of, it was a passing grade and that's more than she could ask for.

The bell rung prompting her to grab the sheet of paper and dart out of the classroom. Running down the first floor hall, she caught Jack and Hudson in conversation by the lockers.

"I passed my calculus exam!!!" She waved the piece of paper with a mediocre 71 in the air. It was her first time passing a Calculus test and for the first time she felt worthy although she knew it would only last those five minutes of glory.

"I knew you would," Hudson said proudly as he caught her jumping in his arms.

Leah and the rest of the girls on the cheerleading team were passing by now eyeing the hem of Storm's jean shorts in disapproval. They were ripped and seamless, and quite revealing with her legs wrapped around him. Hudson noticed their stare downs and quickly helped her settle back to her own two feet.

"Calculus?" Jack questioned. "I took that freshman year."

"Of course you did," Hudson and Storm said in unison. They were very much aware of the anomaly Jack Foster was, the town rebel with a genius IQ.

"Shit! I almost forgot I have practice today. I'll see you guys later!" With a quick kiss on her cheek and a wave, Hudson took off running down the hall.

Jack shut his locker and slid his bag on his right shoulder. "I can help you nail the next exam, if you want," he said. The words came out with a more sexual insinuation than intended. The natural seduction in his raspy voice didn't help either.

Storm breathed in the sudden tension as she gazed up into Jack's dark eyes. His hand tightened on the strap of his brown book bag, unable to look away from her.

"Hey Jack."

Leah interrupted the moment showing up in her Broadhollow High Wolverines uniform and her book bag clipped to death with button pins of boy bands like NSYNC and 98 degrees—another copy of every other teenage girl breed in Broadhollow.

Storm rolled her eyes at the preppy strawberry blonde. The girl was everything she wasn't—honor roll student, loved by all of Broadhollow, and the co-captain of the cheerleading team. But there were two things Storm always had over the other girls— sex appeal and a free spirit. And this was precisely why they hated her.

"Hi-yah Leah," Jack greeted dryly.

"I didn't see you at the party the other night." Leah pursed her lips into something inhuman, something Storm never had to do.