In The Dark - {joshler au}

2. Lunch / Josh

When lunch rolled around, Tyler was one of the last students to stroll into the cafeteria, slipping his backpack off his shoulders and around his chair before sitting next to Brendon, who looked at him confused. "Aren't you going to get a tray?"

Tyler shook his head, grimacing a bit. "Nah, I'm not really hungry," he said as he pulled his phone from his pocket and began reading texts he'd missed while in gym.

Brendon rolled his eyes and gave Tyler the extra sleeve of chicken fingers he purposely bought for him. "Yes you are," he started with a laugh, "I could hear your loud ass stomach all the way from the art room."

Tyler scoffed back a laugh, swiping the food from his friend as he kicked his leg under the table. "Thanks, Bren."

Brendon smiled and pulled out his phone as well, simultaneously texting and carrying on a conversation with the other friends at their table.

Tyler looked up from his phone just in time to see the mass of brown curls he'd run into earlier take a seat at a corner table by himself. He watched as the boy smiled softly to himself as he pulled a lunch sack and a book from his backpack, sliding the lunch out of the way and opening his book to continue his reading position.

Tyler reached over and hit Brendon's shoulder slightly. "We got a new kid, by the way" he said pointing over to where the boy was sitting.

Brendon looked over, humming to himself. "Wonder why he's sitting alone," he pondered. "He's had to have talked to someone today."

Tyler shrugged, popping a chicken finger into his mouth. "'M not sure," he said. "I accidentally bumped into him earlier today. Knocked both of us on our asses."

Brendon responded with a smack to Tyler's shoulder. "Go ask him to sit with us!"

Tyler looked at his friend with wide eyes as he rubbed his shoulder. "Why me?"

"Because you almost killed him," he answered. "The least you can do is offer him a seat."

Tyler rolled his eyes dramatically. "If I invite him over, will it make you shut up?"

Brendon shook his head. "Absolutely not."

The younger boy grumbled to himself before pushing his chair back and standing up, taking one last look at his friend before heading over to the new boy. As he made it to the table, he was met with dark chocolate eyes as the boy raised his head and smiled at him. "So we meet again," he said with a light laugh.

Tyler laughed as he leaned on the table slightly. "Yeah, so we do," he said. "Um, my friends and I were wondering if you wanted to come have lunch with us. We're just a couple of tables over."

The boy followed Tyler's hand as he pointed to the table and he smiled softly. "Sure," he said, grabbing his things and closing his book. "Thanks."

Tyler nodded as the two of them walked back over to the table where a circle of teens waited anxiously to meet their new schoolmate. Once they reached the table, Tyler pulled an empty chair from the table next to them and placed it in the open space on the side of Brendon for the new boy while he took his original seat on his other side. "So," he started, motioning to himself, "I'm Tyler. This is Brendon, that's Ashley, Hayley, Dallon, Patty, and Ryan."

The boy nodded at everyone, slipping off his backpack and smiling brightly. "I'm Josh," he said. "I just moved here about a week ago."

Everyone nodded, saying their hellos before going back to their original conversations, doing their best to include Josh. Brendon finished sending texts and immediately turned to the curly haired boy. "So," he started, a mischievous grin on his face, "Tyler told me he almost killed you today!"

Tyler threw his hands up, exclaiming with a laugh. "Dude!"

Josh laughed back, his straight teeth and deep dimples on display as he did so. "Yeah, he did," he answered, much to Tyler's dismay. "I saw my whole life flash before my eyes."

Brendon laughed like a wild animal, watching with amused eyes as Tyler tried - and failed - to hide a smile. "Man," Tyler said as he picked a chicken finger from the sleeve Brendon gave him, "I thought we were gonna be friends and then you go and sell me out to Mr. Forehead over here."

Josh laughed loudly as Brendon silenced his laughter to look at Tyler with an offended glance. "Dude! Too far, man!"

"Not far enough," Tyler answered with a light flick to Brendon's forehead.

Brendon rubbed his forehead with a pout as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I sure do feel the love at this table."

Tyler rolled his eyes as he wrapped an arm around his older friend's shoulders, who leaned his head against his chest. "Ah, you know I love you, B."

Josh laughed gently, watching the two boys with amused eyes. "Are you guys together? I don't mean to assume..."

Tyler and Brendon both shook their heads, but made no move to separate. "Nah, Bren's got himself a side piece."

"And Tyler's got himself a few of them," Brendon said with a smirk as Tyler shoved him off.

"Shut up," he said with a fake scowl. "For your information, I'm not sleeping with anyone right now."

"Shocker," Brendon mumbled with a laugh.

"Fuck you, Bren," Tyler said, throwing the empty chicken finger sleeve at his friend's head. "I'm a child of God."

"Hey, I don't judge," Josh said, eating pieces of his sandwich from his lunch sack. "Sleep with who you please and, well, who pleases you."

Tyler felt himself grin slightly as he reached across the table to fist bump Josh before turning back to Brendon. "See? Josh gets it."

"I bet he gets a lot of other things, too," Hayley spoke up, wiggling her eyebrows comically. "The glasses really make your look, dude."

Josh blushed, ducking his head. "Thanks," he said softly. "Hayley right? You have your nose pierced, so I'm assuming piercings are okay here?"

"Yeah, it's Hayley," she nodded in confirmation. "And yeah, as long as it's not a 'distraction' or whatever, but they don't allow much other than nose piercings."

Josh nodded back, smiling. "Sick," he said, crumpling up his empty lunch sack. "I have both sides of my nose done but I didn't wear them because I thought they wouldn't be allowed."

"Nah, you're good!"

"Sick," he mumbled again, smiling to himself.

The bell rang loudly, echoing across the cafeteria as everyone started rising from their seats. "So, Josh," Tyler said, shrugging his bag on his shoulders, "what class do you have next?"

"Uh," he started, pulling his schedule from his pocket. "I have Economics with Mr..."

"Gaskarth," all of the friends echoed as Tyler laughed and continued speaking. "Yeah, not the easiest name to pronounce if you didn't already know it. I actually have that class right now, too. Wanna walk with me?"

Josh nodded rapidly, smiling brightly. "Yeah, definitely."

"Catch you later, guys," Tyler called to his friends, them bidding their own goodbyes back to him as they headed down the hall to their classroom. "So, what's your last name?"

"Dun," Josh replied with a smile. "Only one 'n' though. Yours?"

"Joseph," he responded. "Your locker isn't that far from mine, then. We don't have that many people in our grade with close last names."

Josh nodded as they walked into their economics class and headed straight to the back row and took two empty seats. "Don't worry, my friends definitely already like you," Tyler said, pulling out his textbook. "I think you're gonna fit in great with us."

Josh flashed him a smile as he sat his backpack on the ground at his feet. "I sure hope so."