With You (Fransykes)

Chapter 9

Chapter 9- Josh

Oli, I'm worried. Text me. Or text someone else. We're worried.

Oli! Seriously what the fuck.

Oliver Scott Sykes, pick up your fucking phone!!!

I hope everything's okay xx

Oli

Please

Fucking

Respond

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Josh stared at his phone and all the messages with Oli. He hadn't turned up for band practice on Friday night, after he'd fucking told Josh he would see him soon at Mat's. And then there had been nothing from him all weekend.

On Sunday morning, Jordan had come around to Josh's and the two of them had gone to Oli's house, only for his mum to tell them that Oli was fine and that they should go. It was Monday now, and Josh was sitting at his desk for morning registration.

He's not here, Mat Nicholls sent to the group chat.

Josh replied with a few emojis and then switched his phone off. Where was Oli?

"What's the latest?" Jordan asked as he slid into the seat next to Josh's. By a stroke of luck, the two of them were in the same form group.

"Mat and Lee haven't seen him at school for registration," Josh informed him. "Do you think- Fuck, do you think he's okay?"

"Josh, I have no fucking clue," Jordan scowled, "Literally, nothing new has happened since you texted me at midnight last night."

"Sorry," Josh sighed, "Just-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

Their form tutor, a bloke called Mr Cox, walked into the classroom. As per usual, he began to take the register, but inside, Josh knew that today would be far from the norm. Since the start of his schooling in Barnsley College, the only time a member of Bring Me The Horizon hadn't shown up to school was because they were too hungover (Mat Nicholls), smoked weed before the day began because they thought it was a Saturday (Jordan Fish) or because they genuinely had a cold (Lee Malia). And each time, a rundown of events had ended up on the groupchat.

It was so strange that Oli hadn't said anything.

"Joshua?"

"G'morning, sir," Josh answered automatically, not bothering to ask to be called 'Josh' again. (Teachers never remembered.)

"Jordan?"

"Yeah," Jordan replied, distractedly.

Back in Surrey, you would've got in trouble for responding like that in registration. But none of the teachers here seemed to give a shit; whether that was usual in the north, or this school was an exception, Josh didn't really care.

"I do enjoy how you call Cockers 'sir'," Jordan said quietly.

"'Cockers'?" Josh frowned.

"Mr Cox? Come on mate, that one was obvious. Did you never make fun of teachers back home?"

Josh shook his head, remembering how scared he'd been of getting told off.

"Jordan, it doesn't matter- we have to find Oli!"

"He'll be fine, Josh," Jordan sighed, "He's always fine in the end. His mum would have told us if something was seriously wrong."

"She would?"

"Of course."

//

"Where's Oli?" a voice complained somewhere off to Josh's left. "He's not answering my DMs."

Josh looked up to see Violet, Oli's ex, staring down at him. He was sitting on one of the benches outside school just to clear his head before afternoon lessons, flicking between Oli's Instagram and his text messages.

"Does Oli usually answer your DMs?" Josh asked, not having the energy to play nice.

"No," Violet answered in a small voice, sitting herself next to Josh, staring down at her hands. "I tried so hard to make him love me. And he never did."

"So stop trying," Josh said, still concentrating on his phone.

"But I really do love him, so, so much," Violet sighed, "We have to be together. I don't know how I can live the rest of my life knowing that Oli will never love me."

"The same way that I live knowing that Tony Adams doesn't know I exist," Josh replied.

"Who?"

"He's a footballer."

"Oh."

"Look, Violet, don't you have any friends you can go hang out with?" Josh questioned, exasperated. "Or did you want something?"

"All my friends ditched me after I started going out with Oli," Violet said, "Because everyone used to hate Oli. A lot."

"What, like when he was getting bullied?" Josh asked, suddenly curious, putting his phone away to look at Violet.

Violet nodded. She looked close to tears but kept talking.

"Everyone was scared of the people bullying him. They still lurk around town, but since that boy got stabbed-"

"What?!"

"Oh, did Oli not tell you? One of the boys he was friends with died. The police got involved, but no one pressed charges cos of the whole scary gang thing. The gang backed off Oli after his mate died."

"Shit," Josh commented, eyes wide.

"Yeah, it was pretty horrific. But it's all better now."

Josh wondered with a sickening feeling if Oli would be upset that Josh knew all this now. Surely he had a reason for not telling Josh? Maybe Oli didn't feel like they were close enough friends yet, which was upsetting to Josh, but it had only been a month or two since they met.

"I'm gonna..." he vaguely gestured towards the school and got up from the bench, leaving Violet behind.

He felt light-headed, and sank down to the ground in the school's reception room, causing one of the women working there to look concerned.

"Are you okay, love?" she asked.

"Yeah," Josh nodded, gasping slightly. He put his head between his legs as his mum had taught him to when he felt like fainting. And he was surprised to realise that he was crying.

He couldn't help but feel like this was all his fault. He saw Oli last. He hugged Oli. He fucking hugged Oli.

//

Violet's only purpose as a character is so that I can feel like I've passed the Bechdel test. Female representation!!! Yeah. Anyone watching the Euros? England vs Scotland right now lol.