All In | ✓

Seventeen

"So when are you going to ask out Elisica?" Jaxon collapses backwards onto my bed, Hudson following close behind him.

"I don't know, when are you going to ask out Hudson?"

"I don't like him like that!" Jaxon holds his arms out and Hudson crawls on top of him. "See? Totally platonic."

"You're cuddling."

"Platonically." Jaxon points a finger gun at me and smirks. "So your plan to ask out Elisica? What is it?"

"I don't have one, if you must know." I sit down in my desk chair and start spinning around in it. "Not that it's any of your business."

"We're your friends, your nonexistent love life is indeed our business."

"How about we talk about your love life instead?"

"I'd rather not today, sorry." Jaxon shrugs and rests a hand on the back of Hudson's head. "Not that there's anything to talk about."

"Didn't you tell me yesterday that you figured out you like someone?" Hudson props his head up. "Let's talk about that."

"Let's not."

"Hey, Jack?" Mom knocks on my open door, drawing our attention. "You need to come upstairs."

"It's Drake, isn't it." Hudson sits up, letting Jaxon's arms slip off of him. "Isn't it?"

"Yeah." Mom nods. "Jaxon, you stay down here with Hudson. Jack and I can take care of it."

"Here." I toss a pair of headphones over to Jaxon. He nods and sets them on Hudson's head, nestling the earpieces over Hudson's ears. "Good?"

Hudson blinks at me. I flash a thumbs up and he gives me one back.

"Go," Jaxon orders, pulling Hudson back into his arms. "The faster you get this over with the faster Hudson can relax. The faster we can all relax."

"I'll be right back," I promise, walking backwards out the door. I close it behind me before running up the stairs to the front door.

"Where's Hudson?" Drake spits.

"He's not here."

Mom comes up behind me and presses something into my hand. A voice recorder.

"Only Jaxon and my son are here," Mom says, resting a hand on my shoulder. "We don't know where Hudson is."

"You're lying to me."

"They're not." Jaxon comes up and leans over my shoulder, glaring at Drake. "He's not here."

"And here I thought I could get my baby brother back."

"Don't act like you care about him."

"But I do!" Drake takes a step back and spreads his hands. "I care greatly for my little brother. That's why I use the tough love technique on him, to make sure he's successful in life."

"You've never loved him!" Jaxon shouts. I reach and arm out and press it against the opposite side of the doorframe, keeping Jaxon inside. "You know who took care of him when he fell and scraped his knees? When he was getting picked on? When he didn't want to be fucking alive? Me! I took care of Hudson!"

"You didn't do anything-"

"There are people in this world that love and cherish Hudson," Jaxon announces. "But you aren't one of them."

"You don't get to tell me-"

"What're you going to do, threaten me?" Jaxon scoffs and grins. "You aren't going to do anything to me, especially not here."