A Newfound Home - Adopted by Josh Dun

Thirty-øne

J Ø S H U A
Jenna and Tyler dropped us off at my parents and Tori stopped, staring at the house.

"Josh, are you sure they're gonna like me?" I grabbed her hands and smiled.

"They love you. I promise." She followed me down the path and I pushed the front door open, yelling our arrival.

Mom immediately wandered in from the kitchen and gave me a tight hug as Tori pushed the door shut.

"Oh, how I've missed you!" Mom let go and looked up at me with a big grin, her gaze then moving to Tori.

I moved out of the way as Tori held out her hands for a hug and Mom graciously accepted it. It was the first time I watched Tori meet someone and she initiated the hug.

"It's so nice to finally see you in person, Tori! You are such a beautiful young lady!" Mom let go and let us walk out of the front entry.

Jordan and Dad were sitting on the couch, watching a random game on the TV.

"Bill, Jordan! Get your butts off the couch and come greet them!" Mom scolded the two and I held back my laughter, Tori smacking me in the arm.

Dad hugged me, then hugged Tori, and Jordan greeted her with a fist bump. "Nice hair. Did you and Josh purposely match?"

Her hair was still pretty pink, but mine was fading a lot.

"Yeah, he and," I put my hand over her mouth and shot her a look. "And what?" Jordan was confused.

"Her friend helped color her hair." I finished for Tori and she nodded. Jordan gave us a weird look and went to sit back down.

"I set up an air mattress in your room so that Tori can bunk with you if that's okay?" I thanked Mom and led Tori to my childhood bedroom.

I still had posters up from high school and knick-knacks sitting on my desk and dresser.

Tori set her stuff on the air mattress and I peeled off my sweatshirt and threw it onto my bed. "Do you only have your brother?" I shook my head.

"No, I have two sisters. Ashley's arriving tomorrow and Abigail said she was out with friends until later tonight."

Tori nodded and I unzipped my suitcase, looking through it to find my charger.

She was looking at her phone and smiling, typing something. "Max?" She looked up and frowned.

"Stop it, we're just friends." I sat on my bed and smirked, "Just friends don't smile at their phones every time they text each other."

She picked up her pillow from her bag and tossed it at me.

"Hey! I'm just spitting out facts." she laughed and sat on the air mattress, bouncing a couple of times on it.

"This is a nice air mattress." Mom bought it last Christmas when Jordan and I broke his bed.

I wonder if she replaced it?

Tori's phone went off and she glanced at it before throwing it onto her suitcase. "Okay, I'm asking for real. Do you like Max?" She looked at her hands and messed with her sleeves.

"I think I do. I don't think he likes me, though." I nudged her with my foot and she looked up. "Why would you think that?" She shrugged.

"He talks with other girls and I'm not popular like he and his friends are." She pulled at a string on the blanket, looking back down.

"That doesn't mean anything, Tori. He gave you a Christmas present. What even was it?" She smiled and looked up.

"It was just a collage of pictures from homecoming of the two of us." She's so clueless.

"Why would you think he doesn't like you even after he gave you that?" She shrugged and our conversation ended when Jordan walked in.