Loving Storm

7: First Strike

- Photo of Hudson - ^

The bell rung, crowding the halls with students and chatter. After leaving the Dean's office Storm roamed the halls in deep thought. The last period of the day had not ended and it was too late to go back to class. Besides, if she did go to last period late she was afraid of getting another detention slip.

What was she going to tell Hudson? He had been so proud of her for cleaning up her conduct record the last four years.

Hudson's hand suddenly found hers, startling her. When she realized it was him, everything inside her went calm, calmer than before. Somehow when he was with her all those impulsive thoughts she fought with every day disappeared. With Jack, it was the opposite.

"Are you coming to practice?" he asked.

Storm's smile vanished. She looked away hoping to find an explanation other than the fact that she had just gotten her first detention in four years. Then she realized, there was no way of keeping this from him. The on-call roster was purposely displayed in the main hall for all to see. The dean of faculty thought of the idea, hoping the embarrassment of having your name on a public detention list might hinder students from behaving badly. She debated lying to him until the thought of lying to trustworthy and honest Hudson Walker burned through her indifference right down to the bottom where the guilt faintly burned.

"Storm, what's wrong?" he asked, now stopping by a row of grey lockers. His tender green eyes now analyzed at her.

She looked down both halls while fiddling with her fingers before looking him in the eye.  "I can't go," she said.

"Why not?" he asked, his brows furrowed and a nervous smile broke on his lips. Storm never missed his football practices.

She curled a strand of wavy hair behind her ear looking down at the marble floor.

"I sort of have detention."

"You what?" Hudson stammered. "You got detention?"

"Me and Jack," she said with now rosy pink cheeks. Immediately there was clear disappointment written all over his angelic face.

Hudson ran a hand through his soft blonde hair and sighed. Once again she was in trouble because of Jack. Always because of Jack. What happened to the promise he made him?

"But it wasn't Jack's fault!" Stormed jumped a little beside him, her energetic nature overcoming the shame. "I swear it wasn't. I...I-"

Storm struggled to explain the reason why it happened. This all started because it made her sick to her stomach seeing Leah and the ditz sisters all over Jack. But she couldn't admit that to Hudson. For a reason she herself did not understand, she couldn't tell him.

Hudson looked down the hall, still seeing a swarm of students taking their time at their lockers making plans for the weekend before exiting the building. He couldn't make a scene, not here. No one could know about Storm Pierce getting detention. Their immediate response would be to start a rumor, Storm Pierce, already labeled the town floozy's daughter has gone back to her old ways. He would never let that happen. He took a deep breath and returned his eyes to her, now smiling.

"I'm sure there's a logical reason why this happened," he said as he held out his hand for her. Storm smiled, in relief and held back from jumping in his arms and kissing him right there in the middle of the school hall. Instead, she accepted his hand and walked with him towards the football field. She still had 15 minutes before detention started.

Suddenly their hands had been split apart by Jack as he walked in-between them with an arm around their necks.

"I was thinking," he started, looking straight ahead down the hall. "How about we break into Mr. Rowsky's house?"