keep it up ↠ joshler ✔

7

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"tyler, you're home sooner than i expected." jenna exclaimed as tyler walked through the door, a few boxes of his things struggling to be held by shaky arms. "everything okay, babe?"

tyler shook his head and smiled slightly as he set down the stuff. "it was great, you should have seen her."

"she wasn't mad?"

"nah, she was furious."

"then why do you seem so happy?"

"we got into a raging argument, i'm pretty sure if her face was any redder it would become a new color all together. i walked in, and right away she was mad. she screamed and screamed about how i should have shown up yesterday and that she didn't even want to let me get my stuff but the smell of moldy taco bell was too unbearable-"

"moldy taco bell?"

"shut up. but it was just like, every time she would yell at me, i just grew happier. it was probably just spite. at least i hope it was."

jenna smiled, glad it didn't go too badly. tyler finished shoving the few boxes of stuff into the guest room when his phone buzzed.

he smiled after seeing who it was.

josh: found somewhere to stay ?

tyler: yea, with my fren. y ?

josh: i would be willing to help you look for another place if you wanted your own

tyler: what ? y ?

josh: i want to help you, man

tyler: but i feel bad ab0ut leaving yesterday

josh: dont worry about it

tyler: k

"who's that making you smile?" jenna asked, a grin on her lips.

"nobody..." tyler mumbled, although he was still unable to stop smiling. he would get to see josh again.

before he knew it, tyler had dressed and was waiting for josh to stop by.

he still couldn't stop asking himself why josh would even agree to meet up again?

tyler knew he acted weirder than normal (thanks to josh's aunt and his brain making a bigger deal out of her words than necessary,) and whenever he did that nobody ever wanted to talk to him anymore, let alone offer to go apartment hunting.

a single text notified tyler that josh was out front. shoving his cigarettes in his back pocket, he closed the door behind him and made his way outside.

josh was sat in the driver's seat of the rust bucket he called a car, looking down as the screen from his phone illuminated his face. tyler approached the car slowly, then knocked on the window.

"hey dude!" josh perked up, putting away his phone. "c'mon, get in,"

tyler nodded as he made his way around the car and took his place in the passenger's seat. it was oddly quiet for a moment as tyler contemplated admitting seeing him at the movies the previous night, until josh spoke again, cutting off his thoughts.

"sorry about yesterday, i'm guessing not my aunt's?"

tyler nodded sheepishly.

"alrighty then, that's cool, know anywhere else?"

"um," he began, "hidden forest apartments? it's like, a complex, i passed it a few times before and i guess it looks nice?"

"sure, if you want."

the car was filled with an awkwardness that hung in the air as josh drove, neither boy speaking for a few minutes.

"you're a strange kid, ty."

"hm?"

"when i met you, like, four days ago, you were strutting around like a badass and insulting people's hair dye. now you're quiet and depressed..."

tyler laughed dryly. "well, you know what they say. fake it 'til you make it."

"but faking it isn't gonna help, man."

"well, what else am i supposed to do? walk around sulking about how horrible my life is all of the time? no. i'm doing my best, okay?"

"okay, whatever. just keep doing it. as long as you're happy. did you find something to appreciate today?"

tyler scoffed.

luckily, they had reached the complex, putting an end to their conversation which was failing drastically.

the apartments were a series of brick buildings, where rather than all being in the same structure, where strategically placed besides each other. they were covered by trees, giving the name "hidden forest apartments" it's meaning.

as josh parked the car, the two hopped out and began making their way to the main office, tyler's oversized boots clicking against the pavement as they walked.

a small ring of a bell signified the clerk that they had entered, and she pivoted around to face them, a far too wide smile on her face.

"hi!" she greeted them, making tyler scoff. "are you two looking to buy or rent today?"

they nodded.

"great! im ms. martinez, but you can call me melanie."

melanie seemed to be much cooler than any regular apartment complex clerk. her hair was dyed, half black and half pink, and her eyebrows were a vibrant blue. she had multiple tattoos decorating her skin and a septum piercing. her breath smelled of bubblegum as she chewed, talking to them simultaneously.

josh spoke up, saving tyler from his awkward state, "my friend is looking for a small place, um, what are the prices?"

melanie raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly, showing off the gap between her front teeth. "you two have no idea how to do this, do you?"

they nodded simultaneously.

after talking for a while about how to rent an apartment and the necessary documents needed, melanie showed them a tiny space. there was only a bathroom, bedroom, then a combined kitchen and living room, but tyler liked it. he labeled it 'minimalistic'.

shortly after, with a few helpful calls by his dad, the apartment was tyler's.

"just ring me if you need anything, lobby's number is right next to the phone, dearie." melanie commented before slipping out the door, leaving the two alone.

"well," josh said, placing his hands on his hips, "there's that."