Silence (Dance Moms Fanfic)

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Josh was a troublemaker.  He couldn’t help it. The Hyland’s were only four weeks into the school year and Josh had already been in three fights. He had ISS just about every day, and had nearly been suspended twice. Josh never did anything wrong. At least he thought he didn’t. Sometimes he’d egg things on a bit too far, and the other person would start the fight. He was just a freshman boy going through freshman things. It was normal at Franklin Regional. Kelly wasn’t surprised, Paige was just annoyed, and Brooke was embarrassed. Randy, on the other hand, he was furious. Randy taught Josh how to be a proper young man, and the fact that Josh was involved in high school crap like that infuriated Randy. Randy and Kelly sat down with Brooke at the beginning of the school year and told her to keep an eye on him. Lucky for Brooke, she didn’t ever see him except for a few minutes in the morning when they were walking in together and when they had to meet up at the end of the day.

That morning, Brooke had an important cheerleading meeting down by the football field regarding the first home game of the season. Brooke walked one way and Josh walked the other. He climbed the front staircase by himself, overhearing conversations. Mostly by accident. He couldn’t tune people out the way Paige and Brooke could. Yet, they were used to being around big groups of people calling and cheering their names. They were famous. Josh wasn’t jealous at all. He was the one seeing everything that no one else did. He saw the girls break down. He heard them cry themselves to sleep. He heard them complain about the cameras and he saw how everything affected them. He hated it. Those were his sisters, Paige on the younger side and Brooke on the older. Being the middle child wasn’t necessarily the worst for Josh. He liked being in the middle of Brooke and Paige.  He could protect both of them.

“Yes, Brooke, she’s such a spoiled little brat. I can’t even stand it.” Tori, Brooke’s ‘best friend’, said to Ben, another one of Brooke’s close friends. Josh walked a little bit slower, to hear more of the conversation. “I mean, she gets toted around from New York to LA, recording songs, and filming…I bet she bought her way into the varsity cheer team, too.”

“Shut up, Tori. Damn…” Josh turned and looked at her. Everyone in the stairwell, looking at them. Josh looking at Tori and Tori looking straight ahead. Bright red face. Ben laughed at her. Josh shook his head. “Tori, you’re supposed to be her friend. Her best friend, and here you go talking shit behind her back? Brooke’s my sister and one of my best friends. And if you think that she’s not gonna find out about what you just said, you’re wrong.” Josh paused for a moment, “God, Tori, will you look at me when I’m speaking?”

Tori turned slowly. The hallway was still. Everyone watching. Some kids had their phones out, recording it. Tweeting about it. Gossiping. People were already talking. Teachers hadn’t been alarmed yet, and boy, they should have because as Tori turned and looked at him, she stood up slowly and walked over to Josh, punching him right in the face.

“If you weren’t girl.” Josh said, taking a step closer, getting in Tori’s face. Josh held back the tears he felt rising in his face. He’d always been a sensitive kid. After every fight he got in at school, he’d go home and cry. Apologizing a thousand times, trying to convince himself that he was alright, and hiding from the embarrassment. That’s just the way he was, and he wasn’t sure if he’d ever not be sensitive.

“Josh?” Brooke called from just up the stairs. “What are you doing?”

“Standing up for you.” Josh said, turning and looking at his big sister, nodding at Vinny, who stood behind her. “Tori was just saying how much of a brat you are. Which isn’t true. And how you bought your way onto the varsity cheer team, which isn’t true either.”

Brooke stood with her bottom lip trembling and her shoulders shaking. Vinny touched Brooke’s waist, unsure of what to do. The school bell rang, and Brooke turned and ran up the few stairs that were left, tripping and falling over the last step. Brooke got back up and continued to run, holding her World History book in her arms. She pushed by groups of people, her straight hair bouncing behind her. Vinny  and Josh screaming and running after her. Brooke’s feet hit the tile and a zap of pain shot through Brooke’s legs and up into her back, cringing with every step she took, Brooke slowed down. Vinny finally caught up to her, shortly followed by Josh. Vinny went to hug Brooke but she pushed him away, not saying a word. She threw her arms around Josh’s neck and buried her head in the crook of his neck. Vinny touched the small of Brooke’s back as Josh wrapped his arms around Brooke’s torso.

“Boys, girls, get to class.” An older teacher hollered.

“I’m gonna go talk to her,” Vinny said, excusing himself from the two oldest Hyland kids.

“Did she hurt you?” Brooke said, looking up to the red mark near Josh’s eye. Even though Josh was Brooke’s younger brother, he was still taller than her. By a good eight inches.

“Kids get to class!”

“I’ll see you at home.” Josh said, blinking at his older sister. Brooke nodded and turned back to where Vinny was standing, just a few feet away. She slid her hand in his. They walked hand in hand to first period. Brooke limping and Vinny quiet.