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

Part 13: Filming, Dinner, Drama

I finished up my salad, thanking them again before heading back upstairs to edit. As I sat down to work, there was a knock on my door. "It's open!" Josh came in, sitting on the bed.
"Hey, mamas. What are you working on?"
"Just the video. I'm almost done. I think I'm going to post it tomorrow."
He nodded. "What's your video about?"
I cringed slightly as I debated telling him. "I, um, I read out my hate tweets."
Josh laughed. "You did not."
It was my turn to laugh. "Yes, I did. I've gotten some pretty good ones since I moved out here."
"Really? Read me some."
"Not a chance, buddy. You're gonna have to watch the video like everybody else." I turned to see Josh fake pouting. "Oh, stop it. Where are we going for dinner tonight?"
"Saddle Ranch or BOA, those are literally the only places that any of us ever go," he replied, laughing at me softly. 
"Well, go then. I need to get ready. I'm almost finished up here."
Josh got up, kissing the top of my head before heading out of the room, slowly shutting the door softly behind him. 

When I finished up, I headed into the bathroom, adding a little bit more makeup to my understated filming look. I let my hair down out my messy ponytail, braiding my bangs back and putting the rest of my hair into a loose, low, messy bun. I dug through my closet, secretly wishing to myself that Mads had been there to plan the perfect outfit for me. I finally settled on some distressed jeans and a PAU hoodie that Bryce would be dropping the next week. 
"You guys ready to go?" I asked, coming down the stairs. Josh stared at me with his jaw dropped. "You're ridiculous. This is the least sexy outfit I've worn since I got here."
Bryce walked out of the kitchen. "Yes! I love the merch. Josh, close your mouth. Are you guys ready to go?" Blake and Amelie got up from the couch, and Addison came out of the kitchen. Bryce looked at us all. "Good, because the Uber's here." Addison laughed at him, taking his hand in hers. 

The ride to Saddle Ranch was almost silent. Blake and Amelie whispered amongst themselves. Addison rested her head on Bryce's shoulder, tracing the tattoo on his forearm with her index finger. "Guys, it's Fletcher. Be prepared," Blake said as we pulled up at Saddle Ranch.
"Bryce! Addison! Fans wanna know about Braddison. What can you tell us?"
"Braddison? Nah, this girl is like my sister," Bryce said, elbowing Addison gently. 
Fletcher nodded. "Sure. Noah said something similar about Dixie."
Bryce laughed. "I'm not Noah, man. I would tell you if there was something going on."
He and Addison went inside, and Fletcher turned his attention to Amelie and Blake. "You guys made it official recently, huh? How have things been for you guys?"
Blake made it a point to take Amelie's hand in his own. "We're doing great, Fletch. How are you?"
"I'm doing great, man," Fletcher replied. "Thanks for asking. Enjoy your dinner. Bailey, Josh, what's going on with the two of you?"
Josh and I looked at each other. "We're homies," Josh said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. 
"Yeah, this kid is like my brother," I added. "We do have to get inside, though, before the rest of them leave us. We'll see you around, Fletcher. Take care."
Josh and I headed inside before Fletcher could ask any more questions. 

"So, how have you been adjusting to LA?" Amelie asked, picking at the appetizer that we had ordered.
I shrugged. "I never really leave the house, so I haven't many friends aside from you guys. I met a couple of people at the Hype House the other day when I went to apologize to Tayler, but I didn't stay long enough to really get to know anyone."
"Well, we should change that! Avani lives there, and I used to. We could definitely introduce you to some people. You've met Dixie, and you would probably like Charli," Addison said, letting go on Bryce's arm. "What are you doing tomorrow? It will get you a little bit more exposure, and you can meet more people at the same time."
I looked at her in almost shock. "You would do all that for me? I know you have a crazy schedule."
Addison nodded. "I make time for the people that I love, girlie."

As the dinner went on, I looked around the table at the people that I had begun to love more than I loved myself. We talked and laughed for what felt like hours. When we got up to leave, Fletcher was still waiting outside for us. 
"Let's talk about the drama with Chase, Josh."
"There's nothing to talk about, Fletcher. We got it figured out."
"Okay," Fletcher said. "What about the drama with you, Bailey? There's been a lot of tweets recently. I saw that Nessa liked one about you being a homewrecker."
Oh, lord. What the hell was I supposed to say? I had probably used that very tweet in my video this morning. "I don't know what you're talking about, Fletch. Do you have a screenshot?"
Ever prepared, Fletcher held up his phone with the tweet pulled up. Sure enough, it was the exact same one that I had laughed at that morning. "Have you seen this, Bailey?"
I shook my head yes. "I've seen it, but I didn't know that Nessa liked it. Um, I don't even know what to say, Fletcher. We've got to go now, but it was nice to talk to you."

We got into our Uber, and I immediately started asking questions. "Did anyone else see this, or am I just going to continue to be blindsided every time I talk to Fletcher?"
"What are you talking about?" Blake asked, turning around to look at me. 
"Fletcher just told me that Nessa liked a tweet that called me a homewrecker," I replied, tears filling my eyes. "God, is there gonna be a single day that I live here, and I don't cry?"
Bryce looked at me. "Was that one of the tweets that you used this morning?"
I nodded. "Yeah. The very same one. When I screenshotted it this morning, not a single influencer had liked it. Less than twelve hours later, and the person that gave me permission to pursue her ex boyfriend is liking it? I don't understand."
Josh took my hand in his. "Don't stress about it. We'll figure it all out, babe." I didn't turn to look at him as he caressed my thumb with his.
"Thank you," I whispered, settling in next to him. 

Jaden was waiting in the kitchen when we got home. "Bailey, can you sit out here with me for a minute?"
I nodded, a little nervous at what he was about to say. "What's up, Jay?" I asked, sitting down at the table next to him. 
"Mads talked to Nessa a little bit ago."
I sighed. "What about?"
It was Jaden's turn to sigh. "The tweet."
Tears filled my eyes again. "About the tweet in general, or about Nessa liking it?"
Jaden patted my back. "She said that she knows that she gave you the go ahead, but that it hurts to see Josh moving on and happy with someone else."
I nodded. "I get it. I ruined her relationship, and she tried to give it to me to save herself from the pain of it ending, but it didn't save her from the pain, it just made it come from a different source."
"Bailey, I'm sorry."
I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. I was apparently meant to be the most problematic sibling."