Hard To Love (a Josh Hutcherson Fan Fiction)

Chapter 11

Stella's POV

Today is the day that I have to meet all of Josh's family and friends. How am I going to pull this off? I have no idea... Never in my life have I been in this situation where I have to introduce myself to people who may potentionally matter to my life and actually make myself look good. Josh keeps telling me not to worry about it, but how can I not? I mean, I have to plaster a smile on my face for hours, even if its a fake smile.. I suck at first impressions, but I guess it worked with Josh, so maybe his family will be just as easy. 

"Josh will you and Stella please go downstairs and wrap these gifts for everyone? I could really use your help." Michelle yells to Josh. 

"Sure mom," Josh replies. "C'mon," he smiles at me and takes me downstairs. 

"Who are all of these for?" I ask. 

"Just the family members coming she always makes me do this, even thought I am terrible at it.." he says, tearing off wrapping paper from a roll. 

"you can't be that bad!!" I say encouragingly. 

I watch him struggle with the paper for a good bit and then shake my head. 

"What?" he says, smiling and laughing at me.

I laugh, "You really are bad at this.." I joke. 

"Wow thanks Stell." he laughs, "why doesn't 'the master' show me how its done?" 

"Don't mind if I do!" I say jokingly. I wrap the medium sized box slowly and carefully, Josh's eyes watching my every move. I top off the present with a delicately crafted bow and i reach out my hand for Josh to hand me another one. 

"I don't mean to sound like an asshole with this, but how did you teach yourself to wrap gifts like that when you never really gave any to anyone? I mean, no that sounds harsh-"  

I cut him off, "no, its okay, I know exactly what you mean.. um well, I used to help with nursing homes and wrapping thier presents in New York with Ted, the cafe owner, and his family. They invited me to go one year and I loved it, so I kept going back and I guess I just got really good at it." I smile at the gift I just wrapped and hand it back to Josh, "Next." I say. 

As he hands me the unwrapped box, he smiles to himself, "You know Stella, when I met you, I thought you were some straight up bitch, like seriously, but now and from the moment we were playing Never Have I Ever that night, I see that it was all an act. You really are one of the most kind-hearted people I have ever met." he leans back onto the wall and takes a deep breath, "You know I was actually thinking about that night the other day.." he says.

"What night?" I say, finishing the next package. 

"The night we met.. I remember looking over at you whenever something was said about being cheated on, and I watched you take a sip from your drink... I wasn't going to drink, but I did whenever I saw you did because I knew I wasn't the only one.. What happened when you were cheated on?" he says. 

"Boy you sure are curious.. Its a really long story.." I sigh. 

"I have all the time in the world... C'mon Stell.. don't shut me out again.." 

I close my eyes and think for a minute on how to word what i am about to explain.. "Fine, well, you see I was about 15 when it all started. You know the whole "15 and in love" thing, well yeah, that was me. Stupid 15 year old thinking I was in love." I let out a sharp laugh, "Boy was I wrong. Well we dated for maybe 5 months, by that time I had turned 16. I thought he liked me as much as I liked him and I gave him what he wanted," I can feel my eyes start to sting, "I had sex with him and I wasn't ready.. I wish I never did that, but I can't stay stuck on that forever.. but after I gave him what he wanted, he became so distant with me. We wouldn't talk for days on end, he would walk right past me in the hallways, then he came back to me one day, and he was acting all normal like he used to. I thought it was so strange.. but anyways the day after that, a kid in my gym class that I was moderately close to came up to me and told me he saw him with another girl, the same girl who spread all the stuff around about me last year. Turns out he was getting the same thing from her as he was from me. Unfortunately I was the second choice, not the first. And there you have it, the pathetic story about Stella Foster, the orphan dumpee." After I finished, Josh just looked at me, he noticed the tear on my cheek that I didn't even notice was there and wiped it off with his thumb, "but like you said, I seem to remember you drinking from your glass that night too."