Hadley sees where my eyes have roamed, her hand flying up to cover the evidence of her own extracurricular activities. Her cheeks turn pink, then she spins on her heel, disappearing into the dancing crowd.
“Hickeys are tacky, dude,” Matt claims, frowning.
Hud comes back from the bathroom and takes my drink from my hand, downing a large gulp.
“That’s just because you can’t get a chick to give you one,” Hud teases, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Right,” Matt grumbles, snagging a beer bottle from the counter and walking away.
“Geez, who pissed in his cereal?” I ask Archer.
He shrugs. “Dunno. I think Katie turned him down earlier or something.” Archer downs his drink and motions for us to follow him.
“Alright fuckers. Two on Two beer pong. Who wants to be my partner and help me bury Achilles and Patroclus over here?” He tosses a thumb at Hud and me, laughing.
“Who?” I ask at the same time Hud says, “Oh, you’re on asswipe.”
“Read a book sometime, dude,” Archer says, rolling his eyes and chuckling.
Hud grabs a ping pong ball and bounces it on the table. I rack up our cups while Archer and Maggie set up their side.
“Ready to win?” Hudson puts an arm around my waist and kisses my cheek, my attention going to his blue eyes.
“With you? Always.”
Hud winks at me, then sinks his ball into the first cup. “Drink up, fuckers.”
Chapter twenty-nine
Hudson
The ding of my community college application being submitted is both exciting and infuriating. I held out as long as I could, but the submission deadline is next week, and I don’t foresee a miracle happening where I get reaccepted into Ashbridge for this semester, if at all.
My parents said that maybe it was a blessing in disguise, that I could take the next few months off to continue my healing journey. And while I appreciate where they are coming from, I don’t want to stop life from happening.
I tried that once.
Worst mistake of my life.
Now I just want to focus on the future I can create for myself.
I open a new tab on my laptop and search different grants and loans that I could be eligible for. Although my parents can manage Hadley’s tuition and the minimal cost of community college, I don’t want to put that strain on them.
Losing my scholarship hurt so much because of how hard I worked for it. Getting into my first-choice school was the easy part because, even though I used my good grades to take something off my parents’ plate, I truly enjoyed my classes. A’s came easily. So while my spot at Ashbridge was earned, I didn’t have to fight for it like I did that scholarship.
It’s the most prestigious monetary award in the state. I had to do multiple interviews, submit references from teachers and coaches, show I was well-rounded in school clubs and activities… There were over two thousand applicants, and they only chose two winners.
I put my heart and soul into getting that damn scholarship.
And it was all ripped away.
My eyes close as I take a deep breath. I can’t dwell on what was or else I could spiral, and that’s the very last thing I’m going to allow myself to do.
After researching for about an hour and five loan applications pending, I log off my laptop and go downstairs.
Everyone is out of the house today, and for the first time in a long time, I feel lonely. Mom and Hadley are out shopping for her dorm room while Dad is off playing golf with Dr. Anderson.
It just makes me more eager to get out of the house and go hang with the guys.
