My Brother's Best Friend: a Josh Richards FanFiction -complete-

Part 3: Scandal

Before I went back to sleep, I sent Josh a text.

The next morning, I woke to a soft knock on my door. "It's open!" I called out, sitting up in my bed.
Josh walked in. "What's up?" he said, shutting the door softly behind him.
"Bryce told me that he talked to you."
"Oh, yeah? What did he say?" he asked, sitting next to me on the bed.
"Rumor has it, you're interested in me," I said, avoiding eye contact for the first time since he walked in the room.
Josh gasped. "He told you?"
I nodded. "Only after I told him that I've got feelings for you too."
"I told him not to say anything. He promised me he wouldn't. I can't believe- wait. What did you just say?"

I laughed at him. "I've thought you were cute since I first saw you post content with Bryce. When I met you in Maryland, I knew for sure. I didn't know that you and Nessa broke up back then, or maybe I would've made a move sooner."
Josh tilted my chin so I was looking at him. "I've waited for this, Bailey, but I want to take it slow. I mean, I did just break up with Nessa yesterday."
I nodded. "I get it. I'm completely okay with it."

Kio ran into the room suddenly. "Um, you're on tiktokroom, Bailey! Oh, hey, Josh."
"What am I on tiktokroom for?" I asked, grabbing his phone out of his hand. "Moved on quickly after breakup? Are you serious?"

"Shit! Nessa's gonna call me and fucking scream," Josh said, standing up. "We gotta get ahead of this. I'm gonna call my manager."
He left the room, and Kio sat down on the bed. "So you guys are a thing, then?" he asked.
I shook my head. "I like him. He likes me. We're taking it slow. Neither of us want to jump into this, especially since he just broke up with Nessa."

Kio nodded. "Come downstairs with me. As the most problematic content house in LA, we've spent our fair share of time on tiktokroom. We'll help you through it." He left the room, and I got dressed quickly before heading downstairs.
"Good morning! It's the new problematic Hall!" Bryce yelled when he spotted me.
"Bryce, this is her first time on tiktokroom. Have some compassion," Addison defended me.

Noah was sitting at the table, lost deep in thought. "I know exactly what we have to do. You've got to post TikToks with the rest of us. Make the caption of one of them something about dancing with someone doesn't automatically mean you're dating. Dixie and I used to post TikToks with 'besties' as the caption when people would assume we were dating."
"But you were dating," Jaden said.
"Yeah, but Josh and Bailey aren't," Noah replied.
Addison sighed. "That's all fun and games until you end up on tiktokroom again. Bails, we're just gonna ignore it right now. Josh said he was calling his manager, and they'll get this all sorted out."

I let out a sigh of relief and sat down at the table with Noah and Kio.
"What's the plan for today?" I asked the room. No one even got the chance to speak before the front door swung open.

"Where is he? You!" she screamed as she spotted me. "He left me for you! You tore apart my entire relationship!"
"Nessa, you need to calm down," Jaden said softly, grabbing her wrist.
She yanked it from him. "Don't you for a second tell me what I need to do. You knew, didn't you? How could you look me in my face and not even tell me?" she asked, clearly hurt.
"Nessa, he didn't leave you for me. We aren't together," I said, standing up.
She turned back to face me. "The yet is silent, huh? Don't think I don't know what kind of girl you are. You swoop in on newly single people like a vulture. You're just like your brother."

It was as if I left my body. I felt my hand connect with her face, but I couldn't control it. I looked at her as she held her cheek. "Did you just fucking hit me?" she asked.
"Nessa, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."
She looked around the room at the people that still remained in the kitchen. "Unbelievable. You just met her! How can you be on her side already?"
Bryce stepped between us, shoving me behind him protectively. "I think that it's time for you to leave, Nessa. If you would like to speak with Josh, you can try calling him. If he doesn't answer, I don't know what to tell you. I trust that you know where the door is, yes?"
Nessa scoffed and looked past Bryce at me. "This isn't over. Trust me." She turned on her heel and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

"Looks like we need to move the spare key," Bryce said, turning to face me. "Can you not go around making enemies please? I can't protect you from everything."
"Bryce, it was just a TikTok. None of this was supposed to happen," I replied as Josh came down the stairs.

"What the hell was all the yelling about? I told you guys I was gonna be on the phone."
Everyone turned to look at him.
"You missed quite a show," Addison said sarcastically, rubbing my shoulder as she walked past me into the living room.
Noah shook his head. "You need to talk to Nessa, man. While you've got her on the phone, remind her that it's not cool to come into people's homes uninvited."

Josh looked confused, and I relayed the events that had just occurred to him. "You hit her? She could have you arrested," he said.
"Oh my, God! Let her have me arrested. I won't have someone come into the place where I live, armed with misinformation, and speak poorly on my family. I will stand up for myself and my family until the very end of time. If that gets me arrested and really puts me at the spot of most problematic Hall, then so be it. It disgusts me that out of all of what I just told you, that's what you focused on. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go make a TikTok with one of the other boys that live in this house to clear that I didn't get with you mere hours after you broke up with your girlfriend."

"Bailey, wait. I-" Josh started.
I cut him off. "Save it. I don't want to hear it right now. Everything about this situation makes me wish that I never left Maryland."
I walked upstairs, tears in my eyes. I've really lived in LA for two days and already gotten myself into a scandal.