Curious, I open the door, and my heart nearly leaps out of my chest when I see Jude.
I crack a smile. “Fancy meeting you here, stranger,” I tease.
They say nothing. No snarky reply, no chuckle, not even a smile.
Only then do Ireallylook at them. They’re in a worn, oversized black hoodie, purple sweatpants, and gray slides. Their hair lies flat against their head—a far cry from their usual pristine, voluminous style. Their eyes are puffy and bloodshot behind their octagonal glasses, and patches of pink highlight their fair features.
Oh, fuck.
They’ve been crying.
My smile vanishes at once, concern consuming everything else. “Oh, shit. Jude, are you okay?”
Jude remains motionless, their sea glass eyes fixed on the ground beneath me. After an agonizing second, they shake their head.
My heart sinks to my stomach. “Hey, it’s okay,” I say gently, my fingers itching to hold them, but I resist. “Come on, let’s get you some chili.”
Jude hesitates. “Chili?”
“Yeah, I’m trying a new chili recipe. I mean, it might be gross, but I’ve got good leftovers I can reheat if we need to.”
A moment later, Jude nods, steps through the doorway, and heads straight into the living room, where I’ve been playing Halloween-themed music on the TV. I slide into the kitchen, grab two bowls and two spoons, and ladle out some chili. “Do you want sour cream?” I ask.
“I’m good,” Jude replies, their voice flat. “It’s not made with pork, is it?”
“Nope,” I say. “Ground turkey, actually.”
“Cool.”
Before bringing Jude their bowl, I decide to take a tiny taste of the slop first—just in case it’s actually terrible. To my surprise, it’s not bad. Excitedly, I deliver the chili to Jude and anxiously await their reaction.
“Huh,” they say after a moment. “It’s weird, but, like a good weird. I like it.”
I beam. “Yes! Another good one for the books.”
Jude narrows their eyes at me. “Since when do you cook?”
“Since Max gave me permission to use his crockpot when he’s not using it!” I reply. “It’s so easy! I mean, this one wasn’t as easy as some others I’ve made because I had to use a skillet first, but in general, it’s great!”
Jude manages a weak smile. “I’m proud of you, Mr. Undeclared.”
“Thank you, Mx. Second Row.”
The two of us enjoy our chili to the tune of “Please Don’t Go” by KC & The Sunshine Band. Jude gives me a quizzical look, and I explain. “It’s Halloween, so this is my spooky playlist.”
“Yeah, I got that,” they say. “But this song isn’t spooky at all.”
“Oh, you didn’t watch Ryan Murphy’sDahmer?”
Jude furrows their brow. “The one where Evan Peters plays Jeffrey Dahmer? I mean, sure, I watched it when it came out, but what does that–”
“This was Dahmer’s favorite song, and he often played it when he was killing people or thinking about killing them. His whole thing was that he didn’t want people to leave him.”
Jude’s eyes widen, then widen even more as another chorus plays. “Oh. Oh,god,why did Ryan Murphy have to ruin this song?”
I laugh. “That’s what I’m saying!”
“Well, now you ruined it for me!”
