PLATONIC🌺⌠J.T⌡

ix

thanks for sticking around; i still can't believe the stats this book has in the short three or four months it's existed. i mean, 3.4k reads and over 300 votes? that's crazy! i love you all so much.

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peach 🍑💕
ryan is driving me to school today

JOSH FELT SICK. He felt sick and confused and angry and upset and fucking numb.

He sat silently on his bed, staring at his phone blankly. This is it, he thought. He's finally done with me. The boy heard his mother call to him from downstairs.

"Joshua? If y'don't hurry up you and Tyler are gonna be late!"

Josh felt vaguely aware of his body descending the stairs. He felt pretty sure he muttered the words, "I'm not pickin' him up t'day," as he dragged himself out the door, armed with his bookbag and car keys. He wasn't sure when exactly he had turned the key and started driving, but he felt sure that his autopilot was taking him to the one place he didn't want to go.

He recognized the street almost instantly.

A sickening feeling washed over Josh as he drove past the Joseph household that morning, white-knuckling the steering wheel to keep himself grounded, and that feeling was going nowhere.

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"Josh, it's not a big deal..."

"Not a big deal? Not a big deal?! Deb, this is a fuckin' huge deal! I've been drivin' Tyler t'school since... well since I got my license! How am I supposed t'look at this like it don't matter?" The brunette ran shaking fingers through his unruly curls.

Debby frowned. Josh still cared far too much about Tyler for her to make her move.

"Maybe this is a good thing. Now, you can move on to bigger and better things, bigger and better... people," she suggested, Josh completely missing her scheming undertone.

"Y-yeah... I guess... but—"

"Listen. Tyler and I have next period together, right? I'll talk to him for you." Josh breathed a sigh of relief, pulling Debby in for a tight hug.

"Thanks, Debs; you're a lifesaver!" he exclaimed. She hummed contently and breathed in Josh's musky scent, acquainting herself with it, for she was sure it would soon be the smell of her boyfriend.

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"He did what?!"

"I as-asked him why he was ignoring y-you, and he j-just..." Debby stopped to wipe away more fake tears, Josh rubbing her back comfortingly. She made her bottom lip wobble and muffled artificial sobs into the brunette's muscled shoulder.

"H-he started yelling at me, saying that I was never to say your name in front of him ag-again, and dug his p-pretty nails into my-into my a-arm-m."

Josh's jaw dropped, surprised by Debby's claim. However, if Josh had any weakness (besides Tyler, of course) it would be his poor judgment in character. He was simply too sweet, too caring, too much of a gentle soul to truly believe that someone could ever lie to him in order to shatter his bond with his peach.