Jude
come on, come dance with me
Jude feels similarly. Tears and all, he has made a new friend, and considering his only other friend is his brother who has no choice, she could have rubbed her snot all over his shirt and he would have ended the day feeling like a winner. She scoots closer, and Jude goes still like a startled fawn as she lays her head on his shoulder. If he moved even a little would she stop? Think he was rejecting her? But after a few moments where she remains still, he leans into her in turn, resting his cheek on her cradled head. Their hands remain clasped over their squished together thighs, and Jude squeezes right back when he feels her do it again, like some neverending game.
"Well that's kinda dumb," he whispers, like saying something mean in a quieter tone makes it less so. "I mean - well, uh - that came out rude." His cheeks flush pink, tongue thick with embarrassment and hoping he hadn't unintentionally insulted a family friend or something. "I just mean, why can't you do both? Celebrate when you're happy, and grieve when you're sad?" Running with the idea now that he'd built up a bit of steam, Jude's free hand fell to the grass beside him, twirling a bit between his fingers without pulling it up. "Like telling me about them, and their Outlander friends. That way they're not forgotten, even if I never met them. But also crying when you're sad, because you do miss them. It's a balance." Plucking the grass now that he'd eyed it and bringing it up to his eyes enough to determine it's what he thinks it is, Jude offers it to Soh.
"Um, it's sweet grass. You can chew it, it'll make you feel better." Unless she hates sweets somehow. Oh gods, what if she does? "Anyway. I still practice my French because it was what Maman spoke, and I want to keep that going for her. But sometimes, I sleep on her side of the bed with my dad, because I miss her so much I don't even want to get up for school." He suspects it helps his dad too, even though Maeve's scent no longer lingers. Privately, Jude knows both he and Harper sometimes spray her perfume on the sheets on the particularly bad nights. "My dad lets me stay home those days. He's really good at this kinda stuff." Jude isn't sure he's as good with sharing those lessons but at least Sohalia isn't running away screaming.
"Well that's kinda dumb," he whispers, like saying something mean in a quieter tone makes it less so. "I mean - well, uh - that came out rude." His cheeks flush pink, tongue thick with embarrassment and hoping he hadn't unintentionally insulted a family friend or something. "I just mean, why can't you do both? Celebrate when you're happy, and grieve when you're sad?" Running with the idea now that he'd built up a bit of steam, Jude's free hand fell to the grass beside him, twirling a bit between his fingers without pulling it up. "Like telling me about them, and their Outlander friends. That way they're not forgotten, even if I never met them. But also crying when you're sad, because you do miss them. It's a balance." Plucking the grass now that he'd eyed it and bringing it up to his eyes enough to determine it's what he thinks it is, Jude offers it to Soh.
"Um, it's sweet grass. You can chew it, it'll make you feel better." Unless she hates sweets somehow. Oh gods, what if she does? "Anyway. I still practice my French because it was what Maman spoke, and I want to keep that going for her. But sometimes, I sleep on her side of the bed with my dad, because I miss her so much I don't even want to get up for school." He suspects it helps his dad too, even though Maeve's scent no longer lingers. Privately, Jude knows both he and Harper sometimes spray her perfume on the sheets on the particularly bad nights. "My dad lets me stay home those days. He's really good at this kinda stuff." Jude isn't sure he's as good with sharing those lessons but at least Sohalia isn't running away screaming.
the earth is spinning, we can't just stand
