Beautiful Storms

chapter twenty-six | jude

Listen to the song.

"There is nothing more beautiful than when you prove to yourself just how strong you are."

☆

beautiful storms | chapter twenty-six

With the school year coming to an end, Jude starts to miss the small moments he had while he was in St. Clair. He cleans out his locker and throws everything in a cardboard box. Then it finally hit him that the year was finally over and he finally could move on.

"Hey." Someone taps Jude's shoulder and he peeks over it, seeing Cara who has a box of her own in her hands.

"Ready to go?" She asks and he glances at his empty locker and he nods.

Jude smiles brightly at her. "Do you want me to carry that for you?"

"You can barely carry yours let alone both of ours." She laughs.

Jude rolls his eyes and he walks out of the school with her.

"It's summer, what are your plans?"

"Nothing really."

Jude sits in his box of all of the things that were in his locker on his bed. He already returned his textbooks and that horrendous book he was forced to read in English, that Cara seemed to love.

There's a knock on his door and he turns, seeing his grandmother. He glances at the thing in her hands and it's a guitar and a spiral notebook. She lays it on his bed and she smiles down at it.

"It was your grandfather's and I wanted to give it to you before you go."

Jude runs his fingers over the strings and he gently pulls some of the strings. A tiny sound plays on the guitar and his grandmother hands him the notebook and he flips through the pages seeing a variety of different songs.

"Thank you." He picks up the guitar and he sits down on his bed.

"It might take you a while to learn but your grandfather would know how long. Music was more of his thing, not mine." She laughs.

She smiles lovingly at him as she watches him try to read the sheet of music.

"I'm sure you can find a class at your college." She says, patting his shoulder.

"Thank you again and I'll sign up from classes." He says Enthusiastically before closing the notebook.

Sadie sits in the waiting room of her second therapy appointment of the week, she was starting to like it. Her therapist and her decided on a good two day plan that she will try to follow. She kicks her feet against the carpet and she listens to the music in her headphones.

She's always been a fan of soft music that wouldn't give her a headache, she hates fast pace music. She hums to music and she feels a light smile come on her lips and this time she doesn't let it fall, she lets it grow.

"Someone's happy today." Dr. Jones peeks her head through her office door and Sadie pulls her headphones out and she stuffs them in her bookbag.

After school, sessions seem to fit into both of their schedules.

"How are you feeling today?- did you do the homework I assigned?"

Dr. Jones shuts her office door and she moves to sit down at her desk. Sadie pulls her book bag off of her shoulders and she throws it in the chair next to her.

"I did, uh- Let me look for it. Ah, here it is." She pulls out her notebook and she hands it to Dr. Jones.

Sadie watches as Dr. Jones flips through the pages until she's at the end. "So you've been writing in here for the past few months, yes?"

Sadie nods but then she realizes she couldn't see her so she responds with a yes.

"Is he in here?"

They decided not to mention Hayes by name to put ease on Sadie so she can start the process of moving on even though the memories will still haunt her but she would grow from them and him.

"He is." Sadie picks at the fabric of the cushion chair and Dr. Jones watches her.

"How about we take a break from him today? And talk about something less bothersome."

"Like what?"

"Jude."

Sadie smiles as she thinks of her brother and she starts to speak about how he has a big obsession with pizza and he doesn't have manners.

They take a break from talking and Dr. Jones decides to read Sadie's first entry in her journal. Her features are neutral as she scans through the pages and she taps her fingers on her desk. There was a slight tear that wanted to be set free as she read the heartbreaking words that left the girl's broken heart. She was quite the case for someone so young.

"Tell me about the name of your journal?- Jude and Sadie's Gems?"

"Jude bought it for me for my birthday because I ruined my old one my mother got me before she died."

"Your mother got you into journaling?"

Sadie nods and Dr. Jones shuts her journal and slides it to her. Sadie sits it on her lap.

"He also did it to her." Sadie whispers after a few minutes of silence and Dr. Jones nods, understanding.

"So Jude is my half brother or cousin, I overheard him and my grandmother talking about it a week ago but they don't know I know."

"So he's Hayes's son?" She questions and Sadie nods.

"Does that not bother you?"

"He's still my brother, nonetheless."

"So it hurts you that Jude didn't tell you?"

"Jude hasn't really gotten over that fact yet so, him not telling me is fine. I'll wait until he's ready to talk to me about it."

Growth and you need to keep growing, there's always room for more.

"Looks like our sessions did something." Sadie laughs and she shows her teeth as she grins.

"How was your session today?"

Jude says as Sadie opens the passenger seat and she shuts the door as she seats down.

"It was nice." She says vaguely and Jude nods starting up the car.

He didn't want to push her so he didn't press on it more than it needed to be.

"We talked about you today." She says after minutes pass of them driving.

"Why'd you talk about me?"

"Because you're my brother."

"Is that so?"

"Jude."

"What?"

"Will you call when you go to college?"

"Of course, I will. Why wouldn't I not want to annoy you?"

He laughs and she smiles over at him.

"Thank you."

"Why are you thanking me?"

"For being a good brother."