BF(F?): A Josh Richards Fanfiction *completed*

2

Jaden met me at my locker at the end of the day. "Are you catching a ride home with Josh tonight?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't talked to him since we got in the little fight at lunch. Maybe I was just being dramatic, but I was really upset."
"You have every right to be, babe," he assured me, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me on the top of the head. "I think that you should talk to him about it. I'm sure that he had a reason for it. I'll call you tonight."

When I walked up to Josh's locker, he was leaning against it, presumably waiting for me. "Hey, Hales. Are we good?" he asked.
"We need to talk about this, bubs. This is important to me," I replied.
We walked in silence to the car, and no one spoke until the key was turned in the ignition.
"I don't understand what the problem is, Haley."
"I know. I might have just been dramatic, but you're my best friend, Josh. I want to know about the things that happen in your life. You don't have to tell me every detail about you and Nessa, but the first that I've heard about it shouldn't have been today, especially if this has been going on for months," I explained, avoiding eye contact.
He sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to get my hopes up. I wasn't sure if anything was going to come of it. What if it was just one time?"
"But when it wasn't, I wish that you would've told me," I replied. "You're a guy, so you don't really think about it the way that I do, but that bothers me."

Josh pulled into his driveway, and we looked at each other. After a few minutes of silence, we both burst into a fit of laughter. "God, I can't believe that we're juniors in high school and still get into these stupid little arguments all the time," I chuckled.
"We've done it for years, and we'll probably do it for years to come," Josh said. "Are you coming over to do homework tonight?"
"I've come over to do homework every night since kindergarten. I'm not changing that now. Let me drop some stuff off and change, and I'll be right over, okay?"

"Hey, Mom! I'm home!" I called out, running up the stairs. I tossed my backpack onto the chair next to my bed and changing into a pair of running shorts and an old t-shirt of Josh's.
"Where are you going?" Mom asked from the doorway.
I chuckled. "Where do I always go after school, Mom?"
"You know, you and Josh could come over here and do homework every once in a while," she suggested, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Mom, I know, but we've just gotten so used to it. I'm gonna head over there. Love you," I said, hugging her.

Josh and I hadn't come over to my house to do homework since my parents had gotten divorced. Fourth grade had been rough, and I had found a second home right next door. The constant arguing had been too much for ten-year-old me.
I knew that it upset her, but it had become my routine. I wasn't going to throw that away, and she and I both knew that.
"Hey, Haley! Can I get you a snack?" Josh's mom asked as I closed their front door behind me.
I shook my head. "No thanks, Mrs. Richards. I'm alright," I responded.

Josh and I sat down at his kitchen table, and I pulled out my Algebra homework. "Gross. You know that you don't have to take a math class after sophomore year, right?" Josh asked.
"Oh, stop," I laughed. "I happen to like math."
"That makes one of us," Josh chuckled in response.

We did our homework in silence for about an hour before Josh slammed his textbook shut, sighing loudly.
"I'm as bad as you, but I really need to hear about what's going on with you and Jaden," he blurted out.
I laughed again. "You, sir, are dramatic. I don't really know what's happening with Jaden. We hang out all the time, and he FaceTimes me, like, every night. He might make things official soon, but with my luck, it won't work out."
"You better stop that!" Josh's mom called out. "You're a beautiful girl, and any silly little boy would be lucky to have you."
"You have to say that!" I called back. "You're practically my second mom."

"She's right, you know?" Josh said, reopening his textbook.
That was an interesting thing to say. "About which part?"
"All of it."
"You have to say that; you're practically my brother," I chuckled, shaking my head softly.
He didn't speak, but I saw his face drop, and I sort of regretted saying that.

My cell phone rang, and I answered it quickly. "Hey, Mom. What's up?"
"I was just calling to see if you were coming home for dinner, sweetie," she replied.
I had created tension in Josh's house, so it was definitely time for me to go. "Yeah. I'll be home soon. Just let me pack my stuff back up."
"Okay, sweetie. You can ask Josh if he'd like to come as well."

She hung up, and I started putting my books away in my backpack. "I'm gonna head home for dinner. I'll see you tomorrow morning, okay?"
"I'll make you two something to take for breakfast tomorrow, okay?" Josh's mom interjected. "Sleep well, okay?"
"Thanks, Mrs. Richards. See you tomorrow, Josh."
Josh nodded. "Sleep tight, sis."

Jaden called me as I stepped through my front door. "Hey, Jay."
"Hey, babe. Did you and Josh make up?" he asked.
"Of course we did," I laughed. "You know that I have trouble staying mad for long. That's why we work out so well." His chuckle made my heart swell. That was a sound that I was really starting to love. Suddenly, I felt the urge to make a rash decision. "Hey, do you want to come over for dinner tonight?"