Four Letter Word (Love Logic #2) - K.M. Neuhold Page 0,74

kept you from mailing the application.”

Hudson’s jaw ticks, and he rolls his shoulders back like he’s preparing for a fight. “Trevor Franks.”

Of all the things he might’ve said that one just doesn’t compute. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Trevor Franks,” he repeats. “He was the linebacker on the football team, big fucking guy, hot as all hell?”

“I kind of remember him. But what the fuck does he have to do with my application?”

“You don’t remember that I had a huge crush on him? He was the first guy I admitted to liking, and you and Bishop were so happy I was finally not pretending to be straight anymore, at least with you guys.”

“Okay, yes, that sounds familiar,” I agree, getting impatient. “Can we hurry this along to the part where you ruin my life?”

“You gave me the application and then you ran off to football practice because you were about to be late,” he says. “On my way out to my car, I ran into Trevor. He was pacing near my car, and he looked all intense. I thought he was going to punch me or something, and I had no clue why. But when I got over to him, he…” Hudson trails off and looks away.

Panic claws at my throat, a thousand horrible scenarios flashing through my mind in an instant.

“He what? Did he hurt you? Why didn’t you tell me back then if that fucking asshole did something to you?”

“He kissed me,” Hudson confesses, cutting off the panic that his unfinished statement sparked in me.

“He kissed you?” I repeat.

“Yes.”

“Your crush kissed you, and that’s why you didn’t mail my application for a scholarship that I desperately needed?” I clarify.

“Yes,” he answers again.

“Your crush kissed you, and now I’m buried under so many student loans I can hardly see straight?”

“Yes,” he says a third time.

It’s not even a conscious decision. I feel like I’m outside of my body looking in, rage swirling through my chest and bubbling in my veins like molten lava. I curl my fist and cock my arm. Hudson’s eyes widen, but he doesn’t make any move to dodge or block my first before it connects with his jaw with a satisfying thwack. His head snaps back, and he stumbles as I shake out my hand, my knuckles smarting from the blow.

Memories come rushing back to me of sitting in front of the computer in the school library, checking my scholarship status on the college website and finding out that my application was never received. I was sure there had to be a mistake because whatever faults Hudson had, I trusted him. I called the school and complained. I threw a fit, telling the person on the phone that there had clearly been a mistake on their end, all the while anxiety was building in my chest as I mentally calculated the cost of going to school in New York without the academic scholarship.

I had been in the middle of ripping the woman in admissions a new one when Hudson walked up. I tried to hand him the phone, telling him to tell the woman that my application had been sent on time. I can still remember how pale his face went, and that’s when I knew. My stomach dropped, and it was all I could do to apologize to her for my outburst and hang up. Hudson had barely stuttered out a half apology, telling me that he’d forgotten to mail it for me. I hardly even heard his words as my world felt like it was crashing down around me.

“Fuck! That hurt,” he groans, pulling me back to the present. Hudson puts a hand over his nose and fixes me with a glare.

“Good.”

“Do you feel better now that you’ve punched me? Can we finally end this fucking feud?” Hudson asks, using the back of his hand to wipe away a trickle of blood coming from his nostril. I don’t think I broke his nose, but if I did, he deserves it.

“I don’t know,” I admit. I know it’s what Bishop wants, but I’m just not sure if I can ever forgive Hudson.

“Goddammit,” he snaps. “You can’t be pissed at me for the rest of our lives over a stupid mistake I made when I was fucking eighteen years old. I’ll pay off your student loans if you want. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“What I want is for you to stop thinking that problems can be solved by throwing money at them. What I want is for you