It was currently 3 a.m., and I still hadn't fallen asleep. Josh, on the other hand, was snuggled up beside me and was now snoring peacefully. He had decided to crash at my place, too tired to even care about how much trouble he would probably be in in the morning .
It wasn't because of his snoring that I couldn't sleep, but the thought of everything that has happened in the past twenty four-hours was just too much .
One, I'm pretty sure I caught Josh in the middle of a panic attack, It was a good thing I had decided to follow my mind to hear him out, even if it was with the intentions of.... breaking up.
Two, How could that bitch call himself a friend and do that to Josh? Even if he was drunk, that's no excuse . I felt so bad for Josh; he was suffering all alone. Who knows what could've happened if I didn't go to meet him .
Glancing over at Josh once more , I wrapped my arms around him, sliding into his touch.
7:00 a.m
" Happy birthday Roryyy " someone sang .
My eyes fluttered open to see Josh , Dad, and Mrs. Lucy towering over my bed . Josh held a cake while Dad and Mrs. Lucy clapped .
I was still tired but seeing all of them together in one room made my heart feel warm and I couldn't help the smile that blossomed on my face .
" Happy birthday dear Rory , Happy birthday to youuuu " they finished .
" Blow the candles out " Josh stepped forward , his smile bright as though nothing had happened yesterday .
Blowing it out I made my wish .
" Get ready for school and come downstairs " Mrs. Lucy buzzed .
" And please don't take an eternity " Josh joined in to which I just simply rolled my eyes .
" Happy birthday Bud " Dad smiled ruffling my hair and with that they all left .
It didn't take me long to get ready, and within thirty minutes, I was now heading downstairs .
The kitchen was decorated with streamers and had a big eighteen balloon in the center of the counter , around the balloon were multiple dishes I immediately recognized .
To one side were all of my favorite Italian dishes that my dad obviously prepared and on the left were all of my favorite dishes that Mrs. Lucy would make. To finally top it all off, place in the center In front of the balloon was the cake Josh had earlier .
" Wow ",I breathed, scanning all the different contents .
" Try it ",Josh said sneaking up behind me .
" I baked it ",he boasted, "... with the help of my mom but it was still mostly me"
I had just noticed he was wearing his school uniform .
" I woke up and went home earlier," he smiled, as if reading my mind .
"I told my mom what happened , leaving out a few details... but yeah, I've been grounded for like a week, but I'm free today, soo it doesn't really matter ".
I hugged him, not caring if Dad Or Mrs. Lucy could see us.
" But how did you explain to Mrs Lucy and my Dad? "
" I told them I was your bestfriend, and they didn't question anything , I mean it wasn't a complete lie" he shrugged.
" Anyways enough of that , cut the cake, I wanna see your reaction " he buzzed .
" Ok ,Chef " I laughed, walking over to the cake .
" ...Want to cut it with me? " I paused .
" Adorable " he smiled at me so much that I felt my heart do a skip, he smiled at me as if I were the only thing that mattered to him .
" Three...two...one " placing his hands on top of mine, we both sliced the cake .
" I don't know It tastes kinda... " I paused making a questionable face " Too good , are you sure you made this? " I smiled at him .
He let out a breath I'm pretty sure he didn't know he was holding .
" I hate,you " he smiled back .
" The feelings are reciprocated " I teased.
Just at that moment, we heard the front door unlock "Come outside for a minute Rory!" my dad yelled .
I gave Josh a confused look but followed anyways .
When we went outside, Mrs Lucy had a ribbon in her hand .
" Come here " she called me over , blind folding me out of nowhere .
" Just follow us " she instructed , I could feel her hand on my left and Josh on the right .
I could tell we had left through the gates but after walking for a bit I was now confused as we stopped .
" Ready? " I heard her announce excitedly .
" As long as there isn't a pet tiger waiting to meet his new dinner then yes "
" TADAA " I heard all of three of them cheer in unison .
When the blindfold fell It revealed a very proud Dad standing infront of a house with a red bow on the door .
Wait, A HOUSE?!
My Jaw was on the floor " A house?! " I turned around, looking for answers . It wasn't as big as our house but it was still quite modern-looking, which made it just as impressive.
Mrs Lucy simply laughed and at the same time, Dad motioned for me to come inside .
I gasped as we went inside, Was this really mine? I had expected something great but I certainly was not prepared for a house .
" Your eighteen now , I figured you'd need your own space and It's just two houses down from ours so if you ever feel it's too lonely, you can just come over." My dad exclaimed, ruffling my hair
" This is crazy," I breathed out. " Thanks you," I said, hugging both dad and Mrs Lucy.
" Well, that's enough for one morning; if we continue, you two will reach school by ten." My dad announced bringing me back to reality; I still had school and that meant facing Kile and Maleek .
Glancing over at Josh, I could tell he was thinking the same thing by the slight drop in his smile.
" We can talk more when you come back home later, ok? I'm late. My dad spoke, leaving a kiss on my forehead .
" I'll put the food away until you come home," Mrs Lucy also chimed in .
" Hurry on to school now," she added, leaving me a kiss on the cheek and Josh a hug .
"Many rich kids are on another level," Josh broke the silence .
" Want to skip? " I suddenly spoke up
"Wow, there... did I just hear the class president suggest skipping? " he dramatically took a step back .
"Yes, you did. Now what's your answer? "
He paused as if seriously thinking it over. " Hmmm , We should probably go. We can't avoid them forever."
Sighing I agreed and we left .
8:08 a.m
" Do you want to go in for first or should I? " I questioned Josh as we were both seated in my car at the entrance of the school . It might've looked weird for both of us to walk in at the same time or maybe that was just my paranoia but just in case I couldn't deal with anymore drama, just not today .
He looked at me hesitantly. " Is it ok If I go in first then? "
I don't know why I felt hurt when I was the one who suggested it but I agreed nonetheless and followed pursuit ten minutes after he had left .
When I walked into the class , my eyes instantly drifted towards Josh; his head was down as if it would hide himself from the rest of the world .
Taking a seat, I found myself looking for another person—Maleek . His head was also down but he was sleeping , Nobody would notice at first glance but he didn't look his usual self . There were some pretty long dark eye bags shadowing his eyes, and he looked a lot less lifeless than his usual self. I felt sorry for him. After all, he hadn't done anything wrong, and he even tried to stop Kile from hitting Josh.
Looking back over at Josh, he was already looking at Maleek, and I could tell he missed his best friend as well. I devised a plan and wrote it down on paper, explaining it to Josh. He agreed and got up to leave a note on Maleek's table saying to meet us at the library at lunchtime.
When lunch time rolled around, Josh and I found ourselves anxiously waiting at the library. We sat a good distance from each other this time, as if it would help prove something that was non-existent.
" Hey," we heard a voice, causing both of us to simultaneously look up .
" Hey," Josh answered back while I just simply waved .
" You guys asked to meet me? " he tried to smile but it was obvious it wasn't working .
Josh and I both looked at each other and said, "Yeah, we should talk." I spoke up.
" About yesterday," Josh started but was cut off .
" You guys are dating, aren't you? "
Josh and I both froze , neither of us expecting it .
"You guys are dating," he stated, more of a whisper than anything
" Do you... like Rory? " Josh suddenly asked beside me , a serious but gentle look playing on his face .
" Huh," I croaked out .
Was Josh trying to make this worse?
" I don't know," he confessed , his eyes now focusing on the floor .
" Just know I'm not mad or disgusted at you guys or anything . I mean, I kind of figured it out back at the expo ... at the party, I kind of saw when you guys kissed, " he paused, "but even before that, I just kind of knew ... I just didn't want to accept it, I think. "
I felt bad for him, and that was possibly the only thing I would ever feel for him but I had a feeling he already knew that.
" Maleek... " Josh tried to speak but was cut off once more .
" Look , I'm sorry, Josh I still think of you as my best friend , I just need some time to myself and Rory." he finally looked at me and said, " I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable ... I'm just going to go now," he smiled and with that, he was gone , neither stopping nor stopping him .
" Well , out of every possible outcome I had imagined, that certainly was not one of them," I sighed, placing my head down on the table .
" Can I still take you up on that skipping offer? " Josh also sighed beside me .
"Yes, please " .
So before lunch time was up, we quickly packed our things and went straight to my car , It was a good thing seniors could leave the school compound during lunch .
I still haven't gotten my license but that hasn't been stopping me .
" Where are we going to go? " I asked as we drove through the school gates .
" Let's go to the beach-each , let's go get away," he sang beside me .
I smiled , happy he was acting like himself again. It was as if school was draining what little life force we had right out of us and if that was the case, I secretly hoped Maleek would've gone home too .
" Ha ha ha , now hurry up and actually think of something."
"No, I'm serious , I actually know a beach not too far from here . I went there with my family last year," he stated .
" A beach? " I asked, glancing over at him and he simply nodded confidently in his suggestion .
" We're in our uniforms," I reminded him .
" So? " he quickly replied .
" Alright then , the beach is here.".
Besides Josh occasionally giving me directions, the drive was peaceful; we didn't try or feel the need to talk . With the wind blowing in our faces, we sat in comfortable silence .
" Josh , this is crazy," I said, pulling into the parking spot located right infront of the beach . " We don't even have towels."
" What do you think humans did before towels, Rory? Air dry," he deadly stated . on , " now let's go ! " he cheered, opening the car door and running excitedly towards the beach .
" Slow down! " I yelled as I closed the car and was now following behind him like he was some out-of-control puppy .
As expected, we were the only ones at the beach. Well, besides an old couple who were sitting almost at the other end of the beach , they probably couldn't see us from that far even if they tried, so we were basically alone, and that made me happy .
" Could you be any slower? " Josh yelled , already reaching in the sea .
" I think I'll just stay here! " I yelled back .
To be honest, I kind of hated the beach but I wasn't going to ruin his fun .
"No, your not! " he said, suddenly making his way out of the water .
Oh no , he had that smile.
Taking off faster than I had ever run in my life, I was now being chased by him .
" Leave me alone, Josh! " I pleaded, dodging and sprinting away from him as best I could but It wasn't long before I was out of breath and he caught up .
" Gotcha! " He laughed as he picked me up and flung me over his shoulder as if it were the easiest thing in the world .
" Put me down! Or I'll leave you stranded here, you hear me? " I threatened wiggling, trying to get free, but to no avail, it did it work and we were now already in the water .
" Hold your breath! " he warned before dropping me in the water .
I couldn't breathe... Was I going to die?
" I CAN'T SWIM ! " I yelled as I started panicking, going up and down under the water.
"Rory, calm down. You can stand up! " he let out a loud laugh as held me back up .
" Right ... " I could feel my ears turn red and ontop of that, we were both now soaking wet but atleast he was happy.
" Get on " he slightly kneeled in front of me .
" What are you doing? " I questioned suspiciously .
" Do you trust me? "
"-No ."
" Just get on."
Sighing , I reluctantly climbed on his back but instantly regretted it as he started to make his way deeper and deeper into the sea .
" Carry me back ! " I yelled, hitting his back .
" I swear to God, Josh , put me down! "
" Put you down? " He agreed to drop his arms from my support but I was already wrapping my hands and feet as tight around him as possible . I wasn't going to die today .
" Your really are a scardy cat, Rory Bianchi." He laughed. " Fine, I'll carry you back."
Once we reached closer to the shore, I dropped myself from his back .
"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Before he could finish his sentence, I grabbed the back of his neck and used all my body might to push him under the water .
" Your right , this is kind fun! " I laughed as he struggled to try and get up; unfortunately, it wasn't long before he regained his footing and now we were wrestling to keep each other underwater .
" Alright, I give up. I give up." I surrendered as I made my way to the sand and plopped my self down , Josh following .
I was tired but felt happier than I had ever been in years . That was what Josh was to me. He was my happiness and as long as he was beside me and smiling, I felt as if there was nothing else in the world that mattered .
"I wish every day was like this," he said, looking up at the sky.
"Me too." I stared at him.
"Happy birthday, Rory," he smiled, returning my gaze.
"Thanks, Josh," I smiled back.