Hi friends! New chapter yay! I promised I'd update yesterday but I couldn't bc I was gone all day and had a concert! I'm sorry 🥺 but I'm back now with a new chapter!
If I get enough votes I'll upload the next one tomorrow!
I hope you'll enjoy this one and I can't wait to hear your opinions! Some stuff will be ~revealed~ in this one and I'm really curious to hear your thoughts.
Thank you for being here, reading, voting, commenting! Makes my day every time ♥️ please enjoy. All my love!
Word count: 3526
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Fred wasn't too excited about Josh going to talk to Dustin, but he also couldn't stop him from doing so. Technically, he and Josh hadn't broken up yet. Technically they were still together. And that meant that Josh had to break up with him... which also meant that Josh had to face Dustin again. Fred hated that thought.
"I'm gonna be right outside okay", Fred said. Josh nodded. "I'll- I'll stay in the doorway", he said. "Please promise me you will", Fred asked softly. "I promise", Josh replied. He looked at the box of antibiotics in his hand, that they'd picked up from the pharmacy, sighing softly. He opened the glove box and put them inside, so no one would see them, and he didn't have to bring them with him.
"Okay, let's go", Josh said. Fred pressed a kiss on Josh's forehead, before they got out of Fred's car and they walked towards Dustin's building. Josh's heart rate was going a million times per second, but having Fred right there was making it easier for Josh to push himself to face Dustin. He would've turned around and ran away if it hadn't been for Fred, and he had to do this. Josh had to talk to Dustin.
They went inside and Josh was happy to see the common room was empty. The guys were either out or in their own dorms, and Josh turned to Fred. "I'll wait here", he said. "Be careful. Just... just yell, okay? If you need me? Don't... don't hesitate", Fred said. "Just yell and I'll be there. And... and stay in the doorway", he said.
"I promise. I will", Josh said. "I'll be right back."
He gave Fred a tight hug, before he let go and he took a deep breath. Then he approached Dustin's dorm room.
He knocked on the door, waited, before Dustin opened the door. "Get in", he said. "N-no thank you", Josh said. "I... I'd rather stay here."
"Oh you really think you can keep messing with me huh", Dustin said, and he wanted to reach out to Josh, but Josh stepped back into the hallway.
"I- I can either be in the- the doorway or I- I leave", he said. It was scary, standing up for himself, standing up to Dustin. But he had to do it; everything had gone way too far. There was no other option than to finally get the hell out of this mess that he'd gotten himself in.
"Fine, pussy", Dustin said as he walked further into the dorm, and Josh stood back in the doorway. He crossed his arms as he looked down, then back up at Dustin. "...how... how are you?" He asked him. "Oh just cut to the fucking chase, Josh", Dustin said, and still, it hurt Josh's heart. Even though Dustin had treated him so terribly, even though he wanted to get away from him so badly, it still hurt his heart. Somehow, a part of him still cared for him; the part of him that seemed to actually have empathy and the part that seemed to actually care about Josh. The part that made him feel special and arranged surprises for him and made him feel lucky. He still felt love for him, in a way, but he felt love for the person that Josh had wished Dustin was, or would be. The person he'd wished Dustin could be. Instead, he treated Josh horribly, and no matter what Josh felt, he needed to end this.
"Okay", Josh softly said. "I uh..." he trailed. He didn't know how to say it.
"I wanna- wanna break up with you", he softly said. When he heard Dustin laugh, his stomach turned. "I- I'm serious", Josh said, voice vulnerable. "You- you hurt me too much, you made me- me feel like I was- I was worthless, you... you've made me f-feel unsafe", Josh said; he could feel the tears. "You... used me and- and forced me into- into sexual things that I never wanted and was not ready for, you- you made m-me feel lonely and you- you tried to boss me around and- and tell me what I could and couldn't do and you- you tried to tell me I- I couldn't be friends with F-Fred anymore. You- you punched him, and my best f-friend, you- you were awful to Kit and Joe and I- I still gave you a m-million chances because I- I hoped they were wrong about you but- but they were not, because I was the one who- who was wrong, I didn't- didn't see it as a dealbreaker when I should have", Josh said. He wiped his cheeks to get rid of his tears.
"You- you always made me f-feel like everything was my own f-fault and I deserved it all", Josh cried. "You- you gave m-me a goddamn STD because you- you always p-pushed me to have unsafe sex w-with you, and on t-top of all that, last n-night..." Josh trailed. "L-last night you raped me", Josh cried. "A-and I'm done. I'm done. I- you m-make me wanna f-fucking kill myself, you- you've ruined my f-first year in college and- and you're ruining the b-beginning of my s-second, and I can't let you do that anymore, I- I can't", he said. "For me, you- you ruined everything. You ruined me", Josh said. "You- you've h-hurt me so much. M-mentally and physically", he said, showing Dustin the bruises that were now much darker on his arm.
"Oh boo hoo, little Joshua got his feelings hurt", Dustin pouted sarcastically. Josh felt the pang in his heart; Dustin didn't care. He didn't care about him or what he'd done to him. Not even a little bit.
"Don't be such a fucking drama queen, you weak fuck", he rolled his eyes. "I- I'm n-not", Josh stuttered; he felt so weak, exactly like what Dustin said. But he tried to stand up for himself. "You- you b-broke up with me b-because of your jealousy b-but then tried to- to tell me I m-made it up and it- it wasn't true. You've b-been manipulative the whole t-time", Josh said. "I- I should've never said yes w-when you asked m-me to be your boy-boyfriend, no- no matter how drunk I- I was", Josh stuttered. That made Dustin laugh.
"You think I asked you to be my boyfriend?" he laughed. "Of course not! You think you don't remember because you were drunk? You don't remember because it never happened. But you're so fucking gullible that it was so easy to make you believe you did. I just told you, and you just went with it! It's laughable. Hilarious, really", Dustin said.
Josh's jaw had dropped. He'd been with Dustin this whole time, but he never even asked him to be? He never even said yes to the relationship? Dustin just... pretended that he did? He just lied to him, making him think he'd said yes to a relationship when he didn't? He'd made him feel bad for considering not giving Dustin a chance and breaking it off, but there had never been something to break off 'cause he had never even said yes. That's exactly why Josh never remembered it. Because it didn't happen.
He felt dizzy, he felt as if he had to throw up. "Y-you lied to me t-this whole time?" Josh asked. Dustin simply just shrugged with a chuckle. Josh felt disgusting.
"W-why would you- why- what did I- I do to deserve this?" Josh cried. "I- I never wronged you, I- I didn't- didn't do anything t-to deserve this", he sniffled. "Why did- did you h-have to do this to me", Josh asked, vision cloudy. Dustin shrugged. "You looked like a good fuck."
That just made Josh even more nauseous than he already was. He wanted to tear his skin off. "Should've just stuck to Bethany only. She's not a fucking crybaby like you", he said. "Or maybe I should finally give Mindy her lucky day. She's been begging me to fuck her and asking me to dump you and Bethany for months now."
Josh frowned. "W-what do- do you mean m-me and Bethany? What- you- you've been f-fucking her too?!" Josh asked. Dustin scoffed. "Duh", he chuckled. Josh couldn't believe it. "You- you've b-been cheating on m-me? How- when- when did y-you s-start f-fucking Bethany?" Josh asked. Dustin shrugged. "A while before I met you", he said.
"Oh y-you sick f-fuck", Josh's breath hitched. "You d-disgusting piece of shit", he cried. "This w-whole time?! I- I- I trusted you! I-" he stopped himself from going with what he was starting, shaking his head softly.
"I'm d-done with you", Josh said softly. "Don't- don't even try to p-pretend that this didn't h-happen. I know it h-happened. You, we- we're done. I'm done with you. We're over. Y-you know what t-that means? H-how clear do I- I have to be before y-you leave me alone? I'm leaving, I'm breaking up with you. G-got it? F-fuck you", Josh told him.
"Bye bye Joshie! I'll be right here for when you're gonna be crawling back to me!" Dustin said, and Josh slammed the door shut as he left, running down the hallway.
Fred immediately jumped up when he heard and saw Josh, who ran into his arms. He cried, and he cried more, and it felt like he couldn't stop. He clung on to his roommate so incredibly tight.
Josh still wasn't ready to talk, still way too upset for that, so Fred lead Josh out of the building and quickly to their own. He got Josh inside and sitting on the bed, where he hugged him again. Josh was so incredibly visibly upset, as if he was having a panic attack mixed in with the rest of the emotions, and Fred just waited patiently for Josh to calm down.
"H-he cheated on m-me this- this w-whole time", Josh then stuttered. "The whole t-time."
Fred's heart shattered once again.
//
"Here, c'mon. You have to eat something", Fred said gently. "Or you can't take the antibiotics. Not on an empty stomach", he said. Josh sighed softly, but he nodded. He took the small plate from Fred, putting a few bites in his mouth, before he swallowed the first pill with some water. His breathing stuttered as he inhaled and exhaled again.
"Do you wanna tell them tonight? Are you sure you're gonna be okay with that, you're sure you can handle it? We can reschedule, or not tell all of them at once but talk to them separately", Fred offered. Josh shook his head no. "I- I need to- to tell all of them. I- I can't- I don't wanna t-tell everything over and over again. I- I just wanna tell them n-now and- and that's it", he said. "I- I wanna get it over with."
"Okay. Alright", Fred nodded. "If you need me to help you at any point at all just let me know okay? Just... squeeze my thigh or something", Fred said. "Then I'll help." "Thank you", Josh nodded softly.
//
Fred and Josh walked to the tree where they were meeting up with their friends. From a distance, they saw the lights to light up the area that they always put in the low branches of the tree, hearing their voices as they talked. There were some laughs, which felt comforting to Josh. His friends were finding joy in many things, and that made him feel at ease. It made him happy.
As they got closer, Gracie was the first to notice them. "Joshie! Oh baby", she jumped up as she saw how sad and hurt Josh was still looking, giving him a tight hug. "Hi baby. How are you", she asked. "Could be better", Josh said, softly smiling for a second, but it fell quickly. "Oh sweetie. Sit down with us yeah? We're here for you", she said and Josh thanked her.
"Josh..." Colin then trailed; he'd also gotten up. Josh didn't reply, he just walked into him, hugging him tightly.
"Hi", he said softly. "Hi", Colin replied as he held Josh close. "Got a lot to tell you", Josh replied. "I- I know you've been asking for months... I'm sorry it- it took me so long", he whispered. "Don't, don't be", Colin said. "I'm just happy you made the decision to tell us now, no matter how long ago I've asked you to talk to me. You're here now, that's all that matters", he told Josh.
"I missed you", Josh softly said. "I... I missed you so much." "I missed you too", Colin whispered. "You're my best friend, Joshie. I love you so much", he told him. "Gosh I love you too. So freaking much", Josh sighed softly.
He didn't let go of Colin very quickly; he held on for quite a while. He needed that moment to connect with Colin again, before he'd tell them all.
When they let go, they sat down on the huge blanket, and Josh said hi to his other friends. Kit seemed nervous for what Josh was about to tell them, as he looked over at his boyfriend with worry in his eyes, and Joe grabbed his hand to comfort him. Gracie seemed eager to hear what Josh wanted to say, especially after what happened that afternoon. She'd seen a side of Dustin that she'd never seen before. Fred sat next to Josh, Colin was close, Michelle gave Colin space to be with Josh right now, so she sat next to Gracie. They were all listening, all worried, and all wanted to know what was going on.
"So..." Josh started.
And then, he told them all. He told them everything, from the information he'd learned that afternoon, all the way back to when Dustin had manipulated Josh into thinking he'd said yes to their relationship. He told them everything.
Everything, except two things; the STD that Dustin had given him, and that he had slept with Fred that weekend in Muncie, because they loved each other. Josh kept that to himself.
By the end, pretty much everyone was either crying or had silent tears rolling down their cheeks; learning what Josh had suffered through, all on his own when they didn't know how bad it was, was hard. They blamed themselves for not noticing sooner, they were angry at Dustin for doing what he did, they were heartbroken and so sad about what Josh had to endure with him. Kit was the first to hug Josh as he cried, and Josh cried with him. It hurt, but it also made Josh feel loved and cared for. He felt safe with his friends; they were family.
They all told Josh how sorry they were, how they were there for him, and how they would keep him safe. He loved each and every one of them for it, so so much. Josh loved his friends so incredibly much; no one said I told you so. Josh was so grateful for that. Because they did tell him that Dustin was bad news. But Josh still gave him a chance. If they'd tell him I told you so, Josh would agree with them. Still, he was glad they didn't actually say it.
"That's him", he heard Colin say softly then. "W-what? Where?" Josh asked as he looked around and he spotted Dustin from a distance. His heart rate sped up just by the look of him, and only when he looked back, he realized Colin had gotten up and he was now going towards Dustin.
"C-Colin, Colin no-" Josh tried as he scrambled to his feet, when he saw Colin run. He pushed himself to run too, legs weak, but he had to, as he ran after him.
When Colin reached Dustin - because he was quicker than Josh and had a head start - Josh couldn't hear what was said, but he saw Colin barely show down as he punched him in the face, then he kicked him between his legs, followed by another punch.
"You rapist! You fucking waste of space, piece of shit! Worthless motherfucker!" Colin was yelling as he punched him once more, then twice; he wasn't done yet.
"Colin no! Stop!" Josh yelled as he ran, finally reaching his best friend. "Stop! Don't!" He yelled, trying to grab on to Colin's arm to make him stop but he wasn't letting Josh stop him.
"Please, please stop!" Josh begged, and then he heard the running footsteps of his friends reach him. "Colin, don't do it, it's not worth it", Fred told him, being stronger than Josh as he grabbed Colin's arm, preventing him from punching again.
"Let me beat that motherfucking rapist up!" Colin yelled. "No, no!" Josh said. "He's not worth it, he's not! I can't lose you! I need you here with me, I can't do it without you!" Josh pleaded, and finally he felt like Colin was starting to listen. Josh grabbed his arm, pulling him away and Colin finally let go of Dustin as he stepped back.
"I- I got you for one more year before you're done, I need you to stay here with me", Josh told Colin. "Don't let him take you from me, don't risk it, please. I- I don't know what to do if- if they'll suspend or- or expel you. Please, please choose for us", Josh cried. "He's not worth it."
Colin nodded, and he hugged Josh. "I'm sorry", he whispered. "I'm sorry."
"C'mon, come with me, please", Josh said as he grabbed Colin's hand, gently tugging at it. "Let's walk away, yeah?" He asked and Colin nodded.
He and Josh started to leave, and Gracie being the sweet girl she is, she crouched down next to Dustin, who was on the ground. She checked his face, to see if there was something severe; there was some blood, there were gonna be some swellings and bruises, but nothing dangerous or too severe, because Josh managed to stop Colin in time.
"You'll be fine", Gracie said to him. "But if you wanna get patched up... you're on your own. I won't do that for you", she said. "You disgust me, Dustin. Fuck you", she told him as she got up. Fred walked closer, looking at Dustin who was in pain and bleeding, and he felt a sense of satisfaction in his body. He spat right next to him on the floor, telling him exactly how much he disgusts them without words, before he also walked away.
"Let's give them a moment", Fred said as he gestured at Josh and Colin. The others agreed. They went back to their spot and helped each other pack up when they noticed that Colin and Josh had kept walking, past their tree. They said goodbye, hugging each other tightly. "Be safe yeah?" Kit said. "And... let's- lets talk to each other", he said. "'Cause we can't risk something like what happened to Josh happen again... to none of us", he said. "And let's keep supporting Josh... let's do everything that we can for him", Kit added. They all nodded, agreeing. They loved Josh; they loved each other. They were all so close, it truly felt like a tight-knit family.
As Fred left, he looked back to see Dustin still there; sitting up now, instead of laying on the ground, but he hadn't gotten up yet. Fred softly shook his head as he kept walking. Dustin got what he deserved.
~~
👀👀
Colin cares so much about Joshie
What did you think? I'd love to hear! Dustin turned out to be an even bigger asshole than we thought huh 😌 from the first moment he and Josh met I was planning on Dustin never actually asking the question but him convincing Josh that he said yes when that never even happened. That's why Josh was always stressing about not remembering; because it never happened.
And Joshie's friends all care about him so much, he's got the best support system 🥺 I love them.
I'd love to hear what you thought of this one! Thank you for reading and being here. I'll see you at the next one, hopefully tomorrow! ♥️