just like before | maddie ziegler & josh hyland

one

[ MADDIE ]

Paige and I are immediately met with the wonderfully, grinning face of Joshua Dale Hyland.

"Josh," Paige exclaims wrapping her arms tightly around her brother. I just stand there taking in the essence of the boy in front of me.

I have not seen Josh in over a year. Ever since he left Pittsburgh and came to California for university we just have not encountered.

I know he came to visit Pittsburgh over Christmas break and I would have loved to see him, but my family decided to spend Christmas at my aunt's house in Florida like we do most Christmases. Of course he had already headed back home by the time we returned

"Maddie? is your brain functioning?" I hear Josh ask me. I look up at him to see his bright blue eyes staring at mine with his signature Josh Hyland smile displayed on his face.

"Oh sorry," I reply snapping back into reality. I do that a lot. I'm a very distracted human.

"You really haven't changed, Ziegs," he chuckles. I shrug and head into his open arms for a hug. I feel the smile on my face still formed from when he called me 'Ziegs' about 2 seconds ago. That was one of his 3 nicknames for me when we younger.

Josh refused to call me anything except Ziegs, Maddog, and Moo and I was the only person on Earth he let call him Joshua... not even his mom could. It was cute. We were cute.

But with the separation of the Zieglers and the Hylands, due to the wretched Abby Lee Dance Company, I didn't see Josh for 3 years.

When our friendship rekindled it was just Maddie and Josh. Nothing more. We didn't have the same click we used to. I just felt that click.

"Guys...you've been hugging for like 10 years, let's move it along," Paige whines in annoyance. I blush when I realize I've been hugging Josh for over 2 minutes.

Josh helps Paige and I bring our stuff into the house. Well mostly Paige.

I only have 2 medium sized suitcases because they were able to contain all my belongings but Paige filled 5 giant suitcases somehow and needed all the help she could get.

"This is house is amazing," Paige enthuses as we finally enter the house and are able to get a good look of it. Josh smirks at her reaction before turning to me.

"Whatta bout you Moo?" he questions turning over to me.

"I love it, you did good Josh" I commend him in awe smiling really widely. He smiles proudly at my response.

I have to admit Josh did decorate this house amazingly. I know he had all 3 of us in mind when he bought this house a year ago but still this place is beyond perfect.

Josh has always been extremely messy so I did not expect this from him. When he was 12, no one was able to even enter his room because of the possible bacteria and diseases that resided inside.

Josh was giving us the tour of the house and every room I saw just increased my liking of this house.

After we saw the whole downstairs, the 3 of us headed upstairs so Josh could show us our room.

"So this is your room, I gave you guys the master bedroom since there's 2 of you," Josh explains taking me and Paige into one of two bedrooms. It was really big but hasn't been decorated much yet. Josh wanted us to do that so we would like it more.

My stomach begins making some inhuman noises, and I clench it due to the mild pain that comes with the odd sounds.

"Okay, I don't know about you guys but I'm fucking starving and need food ASAP," I declare firmly.

"Maddie we had lunch 2 hours ago!" Paige accuses giving me a disapproving look.

I wouldn't necessarily call that lunch. A big mac combo cannot be called lunch, like seriously who's that tiny ass sandwich gonna fill. Definitely not me, that's for sure.

"I kind of don't get to decide when I need food, my stomach's got a mind of its own," I shrug. Isn't that how everyone's stomach works, or is it just me?

"Typical Maddog," Josh chuckles," Tiny body, big appetite,"