A Dare

6

Josh's POV

I guess this is it then, huh? The truth finally gets out in the end. But then a realisation bomb exploded in my brain; how did Maya know about Melanie?
"Ok I'll tell you everything, but who told you about Melanie?" I ask
"If you're going to be honest, I guess I should too, it was Riley."
"Oh," I say, "did Riley say anything else about me?"
"Ok well.... She told me not to trust you because of all of this Melanie bullcrap and I want to trust you. I really do, but Riles tells me not to."
"Oh.." I repeat, this time a little hurt, "what did she tell you about Melanie then? What do you already 'know'?" I say putting air quotation marks whilst saying "know"
"Oh my godddd all I wanted was to know was who Melanie is, I didn't want to get asked 100 questions." She dramatically sighs, "but, she said that Melanie caught you sleeping with another girl and then after that you slowly then completely cut out the Matthews, and that's when she stopped trusting you." I didn't reply, I didn't know what to say. I looked down at my feet and was fighting back tears. That's not even what happened between me and that stuck up bitch. She's the one who did this. And I never meant to hurt my family, especially Riley.
"Josh?" Maya puts her hand over mine, snapping me back into reality, "are you ok?"
"Well, to be honest, not really" I laugh
"Josh, like you told me, everything will be alright." She almost whispers as she rubs her thumb against mine.
"Ok so this is what happened... Me, Jake, Luke and Logan, my best friends-"
"Aww lil Joshy has lil best fwends, awwwww"
We laugh at her fail attempt to try and make me feel better
"Anyways, we're at this party"
"Ooh Joshua, you party animal!-"
"We're not gonna get anywhere if you keep interrupting me with your terrible jokes" we both laugh
"Sorry" she continues to laugh
"Do you wanna know or not?"
"Ok ok sorry, mom" and she pretends to zips her mouth
"So we're at this party, you know, because we're 'party animals' and I'm not much or a party person-" Maya raises her hand like she's in school
"Yes?" I loudly groan
"I'm not a party person either!!"
"Good to know(!)" I laugh, "just kidding cool, but now SHUT. UP!"
"And Melanie said she was coming her own way so she didn't want me to pick her up and I let her. But I didn't see who she came with. I got a little drunk I'm not gonna lie and I remember a tall brunette coming up to me and offering me a drink. I said no but before I could finish my reply, she pulls me to this secret corner and pushes me hard against the wall and kissed me. I was trying to get her off of me but I was too weak because of all the alcohol, I don't exactly go well with it, as you can see, and then she pulls me off the wall and she slams her body onto the wall and pulls me by my collar and was trying to take my clothes off, as she did that I managed to finally push myself off of her. When I turned around I saw Melanie and I kew she only saw the bit where it looked like I was kissing the brunette. And she walks away in tears." Maya gasps at this and I carry on "I tried calling and texting for over a week or so but nothing. Melanie meant everything to me. She was rich and insanely popular but that wasn't why I loved her, it was because of they way she smiled and laughed and told me her funny family holiday moments. She was my everything. And after, everyone started calling me a player and a douchebag and understood why and I didn't fight it at all but then Logan told me that I fucked another girl and Melanie caught me. Which, as you now know, is NOT true. But no one believed the "cheater". Jake, THEN decided to tell me that he remembered seeing Melanie leave the party with the brunette and get in the same car. Talk about bad timing though, right? I mean Jake, seriously. And he then said that apparently Melanie and Chloe- the brunette -were old family friends and Chloe's family had spent the holiday at Melanie for that one summer, so no one knew who she was. And then we all found out that Melanie set this all up so there then was a reason for her to break up with me."
"Oh my god, Josh." Maya let out, she had tears filling her eyes, "but didn't you tell everyone the truth? Didn't she get called out for being a lying stinkin bitch?"
"We told as many people as we could, some believed us but some thought I was making it all up."
"Oh my god.." She cries, ".. And Riles.. " she looks down to her lap as tears stream down her face. Oh my god. She cares that much about me? "Maya.." I say as I get up and sit in her seat as I gently lift her so she's on my lap, "don't cry, don't cry over me. Shhhh, everything will be alright, remember?"
She lifts her head up, "it's just, I can sort of relate. Why would she do all that. To just leave? She could've easily left but that fact that she made up that whole thing makes me upset. Why would anyone work so hard in breaking someone else? Or why couldn't she just try and sort things out and see if it'll all go right again? Why do people just leave, Josh?" She cries back into my chest
"It's fine, Maya. I got over it, and whoever left you is stupid and doesn't deserve you anyway. They just missed out on one of the best people in the world."
She looks up at me, again, "you really mean that?" She wipes her tears with her sleeve
"I sure as hell do" I reply as I lean in a kiss her, it was a short kiss, but perfect, nevertheless. "Come on," I stand up, "let's go watch the rest of the film."
"But wait," she stands up too "what about Riley and her family, what happened?"
"I'll explain it on the way home, let's just enjoy the movie.. Please?"
"Ok. " she wraps her arms around me and hugs me and I do the same "thank you for telling me Josh." she says into my jacket
"No problem, let's go." I say as I take her hand and take her back to our seats and finish the film. Maya got into a much better mood after 5 minutes of the film. She was so emotional throughout it too. She'd laugh her head off, she'd cry, she'd sit in silence, she'd sing along, and just continue. I didn't even watch the movie to be honest, I just watched her. She was so cute and adorable. At one really sad point when one of the main characters "died" she cried and I held her hand and put me arm around her and she looked away from the screen down to me lap, not wanting to see the rest because she loved the character. I told her to look quickly to reveal that they didn't actually die and her smile brightened up the whole theatre. More than the movie was. Her smile was so beautiful, she got up and cheered and some people looked at her, questioning her life choices but everyone else just clapped along and cried with her. She was so beautiful and adorable. Wait a minute. What was I doing? What was I saying?! I can't fall for her, she's 3 years younger, Josh!