Chapter 6: Bugs

“How’s everybody doing tonight?” Juda half-shouted into the microphone, which was met with a chorus of cheers from the crowd. “Thanks for coming out tonight! We are Chaos in Calamity.” Right after he finished speaking, the girl on the drums started playing, followed by the rest of the band.

The whole band had such good stage presence. Damn, it was like they were professionals. They played what I assumed to be an original that had similar vibes to All Time Low, and I had to admit, they were really fucking good.

I felt a chill in the room, which was crazy because it was filled with people, but I’m from L.A., so what do I know? I slipped on my hoodie and immediately noticed that it was baggier than I remembered. Had I lost weight since I wore it last? I mean, I hadn't worn it in a few months because, again, L.A. It was that exact moment that Juda’s eyes landed on me. He smiled widely and almost laughed into the microphone. Oh shit. I looked down at my hoodie and quickly realized it wasn't actually mine. It looked like a made-to-look-vintage Looney Toons sweatshirt. What was he, four years old? That bitch.

I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted slightly at him. He just shook his head and shrugged, the smile never leaving his face as he continued to play and sing. Once he returned his attention back to the rest of the crowd, I’ll admit, I couldn't help but smile a bit. Okay, he got me. Plus, his hoodie was actually really soft and comfortable without being suffocatingly hot. I adjusted where my hair was against my shoulders, brushing my face with the sleeves of the hoodie. Wow. His hoodie smelled really good, so by default, so did he.

Elodie, shut the fuck up.

No, I couldn't do this. He might be hot and a really good musician and have good hair and also smell really good, but I didn't need a boyfriend. I just needed to get into Harvard. I could find a boyfriend at Harvard, easy. Sure, they may not be Juda, but they would do. I sighed, hugging myself and trying to distract myself from the fact that Juda was shooting me another smile from onstage.

After their set, the band had to spend some time for tear-down to put away all their instruments and equipment, giving me plenty of time to answer questions from his friends about why I was wearing his hoodie.

“I can't believe this! He doesn't let anyone wear his clothes,” Lula told Caleb.

“I know! He might really like her,” Caleb replied. Neither of them were acknowledging my presence at this point, which I was more than happy with.

“He might like her OR he knows that she’s too smart to fall for his usual shit.”

“What’s his usual shit?” I finally chimed in. I seemed to have startled Lula a little.She probably forgot I was there entirely.

“Oh, you know, taking girls places he says he’s never shown anybody, spontaneous gifts, nicknames, that sort of thing,” Caleb explained. I’ll have to watch out for that. I knew it. He’s just a fuckboy who thinks he can get in anyone’s pants just because he looks like a Greek god and can sing. That’s not gonna work on me.

“Hey, El!” Juda called to me as he made his way through people complimenting him and congratulating him for a good show. Wait, what did Caleb say about nicknames? I turned to Caleb, not realizing he had already left to go see his boyfriend. “How’d you like the show?” he asked when he finally got over to us.

“Eh,” I shrugged. He just laughed, shaking out his sweaty hair.

“You guys were amazing, as usual,” Lula smiled. Oh, I get it now. She has a thing for Juda. That makes sense why she seemed a little territorial. Well, territorial and frustrated with how much of a man-whore I guess he is.

“Nice sweatshirt, Bugs,” he smiled.

“Bugs?” I was confused.

“Bugs Bunny.” Oh wow. Again with the nicknames. I rolled my eyes at him, which I’ve noticed is starting to become a habit. Glancing over at Lula, I noticed she had kind of a sad look in her eyes. Well, I wasn't gonna steal him away from her, so I decided to give them a few minutes alone to talk.

“I’m gonna run to the bathroom before we leave,” I told Juda, trying to speak louder to the pounding music from the band that was playing after them. He nodded, not giving it a second thought before turning back to Lula and starting up a conversation. That was how I knew for sure that Anna didn't tell him, or anyone else for that matter, why I was actually here for the summer. I was relieved, to be completely honest. Now I could finally take a breath behind a closed door.