XXIV. Crushcrushcrush.

Jude might be steadily losing her mind. That's if she hadn't already. After the whole debacle with Rufus, Jordan, and Marie she sent them off to what she knew would be a mind fuck of an interrogation with Tek. She of course later on decided to skip the class that he was sharing with Dean Shetty because, for one, she wasn't in the mood to deal with whatever cards he might pull from underneath his sleeves, and two, Tek's an asshole.

After spending the majority of the class session in her room thinking back on what of a mind fuck her day has been, she found herself waiting outside the crime-fighting building. She refused to enter that building because she knew that she would eventually just let everything fall through. And while she spent most of her time thinking, she came to the realization. Realizing something so severe that it might make her want to rip her eyes out.

Jude likes Marie.

Not in an "I like you as a friend and want to keep you in my circle forever" not that kind of thing. It's more so of an "I like you and secretly want to make out with you" kind of like. She knew that there was an undeniable attraction between them it's just that she never put two and two together until now.

That's the reason she felt like she was losing her mind because she wondered how Marie felt I mean they've never spoken about it, about their friendship and how it might excel to a higher level. Also with Jordan. The two had made it explicitly clear that they weren't willing to finally see common ground just yet and Jude was this close to banging their heads together because she cared about them both and all this fighting wasn't leading to anything. It's obvious that there's an attraction on their side but how did they all feel about it together?

Lost in her trivial thoughts, Jude suddenly felt the wind brush up against her bare neck. Looking up she sees that the sky was turning completely dark with clouds soon pooling in. But what caught her attention was that no students were walking by. She just saw many of them walking past her but all of a sudden they were now gone.

Shaking the weird feeling that soon came over her, Jude tried to bring her attention to another topic. Thinking about cute things like puppies, kittens, and flowers but none of it seemed to work. Clearing her throat, Jude looked to see if Marie and Jordan were about done but hadn't seen them yet.

The eerie silence brought chills down her spine as she felt as though something was completely off. She felt the very same eeriness that she felt when her darkest thoughts came to life. Trying to keep her thoughts clear, Jude could only feel what was happening drawing nearer and nearer.

What is happening?

Breathing ultimately becomes a chore when she feels as though her lungs closing more and more by the minute. A gasp escaped her lips as she clawed at her throat. Slowly, static-like specs of deep red floated like lightning as the feeling of chill grew stronger.

Her fingers began to crackle as flecks of red light came out but soon faded away. Looking up the very same color bled from her eyes but there was nothing in front of her.

"Liar." The voice whispered in her left ear, the masculine undertone sending shivers down her spine. Looking around, Jude sees nothing and steps back momentarily. "You tried to kill me."

"Fuck off," Jude mutters just in time as she felt someone grab her shoulder. Jumping back her mind easily went into fight mode, raising a fist to notice that it was only Jordan. Jordan alongside Marie looked at her with concern.

"...Are you okay?" Asks Jordan with their brow raised.

Marie who remained a great distance from Jordan steps towards Jude with a great amount of concern, "You good? 'Cause you appeared out of it. We tried calling out for you but you just stared out into space."

Jude clears her throat with a shrug, "I'm good. Just got a little bit winded that's all." Putting up a front like she always did, she then takes note of the animosity that reigned between them.

"What's wrong? D—Did Tek try anything?" Jude was more than willing to blow his head off and she swore to herself that if he tried anything towards them, she'd do more than bruise his ego.

"No!—No." Marie steps up raising her hands to calm Jude down before she does anything drastic. Glancing at Jordan for a moment with a sense of annoyance, Marie continues, "But this asshole here finally got what they wanted."

"He got you to tell?"

"Yeah and now that you've got what you wanted Jordan maybe you can stop acting like a dick."

Jordan turns around scoffing, "You were a complete idiot about it so it's not even worth it at this point."

"Idiot? The fucker came swinging at me I had no choice."

"You came about it wrong like you always do with things. First with Rufus now with Tek. Be fucking smart because I can't always be there to save your ass."

"I never begged you to! I am sick and tired of you coming at me like I've done the most evil towards you. What is it that you want from me?" Marie shouts stepping directly toward Jordan who remains full-blown eye contact.

"Are you kidding me?" Grabbing both Marie and Jordan's hands, Jude angrily pulls them away from the crime-fighting building and transports them to the dorm area. Dragging them both to Marie's dorm, Jude continued to ignore their ongoing shouts of protest.

Jude was tired of what was the never-ending catty bickering between the two. It was beyond childish and they had bigger things to deal with now. So if she didn't lock them in a room to give them the time to get all their feelings out, it'll never happen.

If neither Jordan nor Marie were mature enough to discuss the matters like adults then she'll have no choice but to make them. The door opens with the pass of her eyes, noticing that Emma had yet to come back and seeing that it was empty, the dorm would be a great place for them to talk. Pushing them inside she slams the door behind her.

Breathing out, Jude remains firm, "Look, I've had enough of the childish bickering, so now either you both get your shit together or I will gladly ignore you guys for the rest of the school year."

"But—"

"Why can't I—"

Giving them one more final look, Jude leaves the room to give them the space they need without her being there to change their opinions.

Resting her palms against the cold wall, she looks up at the ceiling letting out the bubble of air that was hidden in her throat. Deep down inside she hoped that they wouldn't kill each other now that she wasn't in their presence.

Pulling out her phone, Jude couldn't help but look at her feed. It was nothing too serious really, most posts being about Luke and the updated ranking system. Still at number two. She didn't even feel as though she deserved it, nonetheless desired it. At the end of the day, all it brought was unwanted attention and the constant need to be perfect. Something Jude was not and something she wasn't willing to stress herself out in the process while doing so. Noticing how the notifications seemed to never stop pouring in, Jude with one swipe, turned it off. Just for a day. She needed a break. The constant dings became a bother.

What felt like minutes went by with Jude realizing that it was extremely quiet. With furrowed brows, Jude opens the dorm doors only to witness something she was never expecting.

Jordan had Marie pressed against the wall as they kissed her. Marie who usually held a glimpse of resistance was kissing Jordan back and more so pulling their body closer to hers.

So much for getting along. With a flick of her finger, the door closes behind her with Jude looking at them with amusement.

"Hot." That was all she said.

In one swift motion, Marie pushes Jordan off of her. Growing utterly flustered and somewhat embarrassed, Marie attempts to clarify what just happened, "I—"

"Aww, look she's blushing. Don't worry I'm not mad just a little jealous that you guys started without me." Jude chuckles while Marie who was doing everything in her power to not meet her gaze.

Jude walks over to them her eyes trailing over Jordan. Brushing a finger just briefly over their left cheek, she thinks to herself. Cute. Turning her head she stood in front of Marie.

Marie suddenly meets Jude's gaze. Taking the bold leap and chance she speaks up confidently, "Why be jealous when you can join?"

"Can I?" Jude asks with such gentleness, cupping Marie's cheek with her left hand as the other holds onto hers and shakes slightly. Nervous. Marie searches Jude's eyes possibly searching for it to not be some kind of cruel joke that was being played around her. But once she saw that it wasn't, the teen found herself soundlessly nodding in response to Jude's question.

Time seems to slow, so excruciatingly and the world around eventually fades into the background becoming nothing. Just Marie and Jude at the moment. Jordan.

Marie whose heart quickened by the minute takes the brave step and pulls Jude closer to her leaning so slightly. It causes the girl in front of her to be taken aback but keeps her composure still. As they lean in, their lips inch closer together, unhurried and all so deliberate. The anticipation electrifies the air as their lips finally meet.

The kiss is slow and gentle like a baby taking its first steps. Like jumping into the deep part of the pool after being so afraid. The leap is what makes it all too exciting.

Then Marie pulls away, their eyes wide and searching Jude's. Jude whose lips formed into a small smile asks, "Was this your first kiss? With a girl?"

"Yes actually," Marie nods shyly.

"That was fucking hot actually," Jordan adds which only causes them to laugh slightly.

Marie's face grew warm with slight embarrassment and then the shyness suddenly dissipated as she leaned close, just so to brush her lips against Jude, "Kiss me again."

Jude wastes no time in closing the gap between them, the kiss deepening. Savoring the feeling Jude cradles her face in her hands, before her hands move on their own, fingers tracing the contours of her jaw and the curve of their neck. Marie's hands found their way to her waist, the feeling alone causing shivers to brew. Like a puzzle, their bodies matched one another's movements.

With a free hand, Jude uses her powers to lead Jordan towards them both. Pulling away from the kiss in one short moment, Jude looks at Jordan with a wink before kissing them deeply. Sooner than later they all indulged in one heated makeout.

Jude found herself dealing with the aftermath, her skin tingling like a thousand ghost peppers when it landed on a person's tongue. With every point of touching it felt as though she was in a drunken daze from the start. Was this what she's been missing out this entire time? Could it have been fear and desire that was hindering her?

And just as things are about to escalate, into more self-revealing matters, the door to Marie's dorm swings open revealing an unlikely person.

Standing in their normal form was none other than Emma. Dressed in an oversized T-shirt then went down to her knees, the blonde looked at the trio—her eyes widening by the minute, "Holy shit! I think I just interrupted an orgy. A really—hot and surprising orgy. Emma focus."

Marie, Jude, and Jordan immediately pull away from each other, chests heaving with excitement and a great amount of embarrassment.

In the doorway stands Emma, frozen in place, his eyes wide with surprise.

"A lot is happening."

"Uh...Hi?" Jordan addresses her awkwardly with a slight wave.

"Emma? Holy shit." Jude attempts to get herself in order which only fails.

"Oh my god Emma." Marie rushes over to where her best friend stood pulling her into a hug.

"Sorry, Sam is going after Dr. Cardosa we have to stop him." Emma began, her voice reaching an immediate state of panic.

"Who?"

"Luke's brother. He's actually kinda hot."

"No, who's Cardosa?"

"Dr. Cardosa. He used to work with Brink. I know where he lives."

"Oh shit."

"Fuck um. I've heard that name before." Jude walks over to them her voice growing shaky by the minute, "I overheard my mom mentioning him during one of her meetings with Brink. He's some sort of scientist."

"Well, whatever he is we have to go now."