The Boy I Used To Know ( A Josh Hutcherson FanFic)

Chapter 14

Annie's POV

"Connor." I say when he opens his front door I've been pounding on. "Annie." He replies in the same gravely tone. I smile and pushed him past him. "Shouldn't you be throwing a tantrum elsewhere?" He asks with a half smirk.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. And I also need to see Josh."

"We all want something we can't easily get." He tells me matter of factly. I blinked, confused. Connor rolled his eyes but before he looked away, I caught a glimpse of sadness behind his hazel irises.

"I just want to see Josh. It's not an impossibly hard wish to fulfil." I snapped back but he doesn't even blink. "No, you don't. You want to see him in hopes that your presence will heal him. It won't, Annie." Connor flops down onto the couch. What is with Connor today? He isn't himself at all.

"No..." I said slowly, standing in front of him. "I really want to see how he's doing." Connor ignores me, instead he turned the TV on and began to scan through the channel like I wasn't just talking to him a second ago. "Connor."

"Connor!" I snatched the remote control. "Gosh, why are you being such a prick today? What is the matter with you?" I shouted in exasperation. He propped his feet up on the arm rest of the couch and motioned for me sit next to him.

"Don't you think Josh has had it good? Eventhough he is the one battling for his life, I'm pretty sure that's a bit more exciting than being me. I'm like the toy you play with when your favourite robot is in repair. Once Josh got sick, everything began to revolve around him. I'm just thrown over the shoulder, expected to live being second prority and not once has anybody asked me how I feel about this, about him, about anything! Josh being the eldest, he's already doted on by everyone. Now he has you to worry for him. Who do I have, huh? My friends aren't even my friends anymore and since it's summer break, they'd probably thought I ceased existing." He paused, pulling his head back to lay on the arm rest and shut his eyes.

"You don't know how hard this is for me. Nobody does because they expect me to stand strong, stay afloat. But I'm not what they think I am." He almost whispers, soft enough for only my ears, even when no one is in the room. He opens his eyes. "I'm sorry I took it out on you, Annie. You're the closes thing I have to a friend." He sighs.

I could've told him I'd be here for him, that he could always talk to me or we could go through this together. But I don't. Instead, I leaned down and wrapped my arms around him. "Courage." I tell him before I let go.

____

2 weeks later...

Josh's POV

I flinched as the needle stabbed into the inner part of my left wrist. Well, not literally stabbed but pierced. Yes, pierced is better. "What's that for?" I looked up at the nurse who was administering another dose of something into the second needle. She says something inaudible, muffled behind her surgeon mask. I just nod. A knock from the door pulled my attention away from the other needle being inserted to my body. My father is peeping through the crack with a wide grin.

"You didn't bring me Mockingjay." I say, accusingly. He only ever grins when he forgets something he knew he should've remembered. "Nope. But I brought you something better." Then Annie steps out from behind him. "H-Hey, Josh." She says, a bit of uncertainty in her tone. "Annie!" I exclaimed, a rush of happiness and, surprisingly, longing coursed through my body. I'm pretty sure it wasn't the effects of the interjection. She runs toward me and wrapped me in a bear hug. "I'm already dying. You here to finish me off, sweetheart?" I quoted Peeta Mellark. She smiles because it's her favourite line in The Hunger Games."Mhhmm, too bad I haven't got my arrows, which I was supposed to get for my birthday 2 years ago. I wonder why..." Her lips pulled into a sly smile.