DROWN » JOSHLER

øne

"good morning, josh." mrs. dun smiled as the pink-haired boy entered the kitchen. his face brightened up with a smile. 

"good morning to you too, mom." he beamed as she pulled him in for a short hug. "what are we having today?" he asked, peering at the contents on the kitchen counter.

"bacon and eggs, sounds nice?" laura asked, and josh nodded almost immediately. she smiled, "alright, just wait for a minute. are you ready for school?" 

"yeah. we have a maths test today." he groaned, pulling out one of the chairs and sitting. laura raised a brow, eyes still on the pan. 

"well?" 

"i didn't really get time to prepare." he muttered, ashamed. laura pursed her lips and he added quickly, "but it's after recess so i'll practise then!" 

"how didn't you get time?" she shook her head, grabbing a plate. before josh could say anything she continued, "you're not using your phone for a week." 

"wha- mom, we had a lot of homework yesterday. i even stayed up late! you know how strict mr. bloomer is abou- " 

"well, homework is not more important than a class test, is it?" laura cut him off, and josh looked at his lap, he never liked it when he disappoints his mother. laura sighed, "i don't want your grades to start slipping because of your carelessness, joshua." 

there was a voice inside josh telling him to protest as he wasn't being careless, but being the good, mama's boy he was, he kept his mouth shut. 

"do you understand that, honey?" laura's voice was soft as she slid the plate with the delicious goodness in front of the pink-haired boy. 

"yes, mom, i understand. it won't happen again. i'm sorry." josh apologized, and laura smiled. 

"no, baby, it's okay. i just care about you, that's all." she said and walked to the living room, his dark eyes following her moves. he watched as she fixed her hair, and it was only then he noticed that she was already in her work clothes. she was a therapist. 

"josh? do you have plans for today? it's friday, afterall." laura asked, fixing her hair into a bun. 

josh shook his head, "not really." 

"you can go visit some friends if you want. i'll be home late today." laura said, grabbing her coat. josh swallowed the food, trying his best not to let his disappointment show. 

after she and his dad broke up, josh had been living with his mother. his father came to visit occasionally, but his mother was always working so he was left alone. he did understand that she helped a lot of people everyday, but asking for a bit of family time wasn't too much, was it? 

"sure. i'll .. i'll visit patrick or someone." he nodded. 

"okay. but not that brendon guy. i don't like him." laura said and looked at josh who furrowed his brows. "he's a bad influence. and i don't want you anywhere around him. alright, josh?" 

brendon might be loud and all, but he was a really great guy, and josh knew that. but still he forced the food down his throat and nodded, "yes, mother." 

laura smiled, "that's my good boy." she glanced at her watch before exclaiming, "i'm getting late. remember, use your phone only for calling and for important messages. i'll see you at night. take care, love you." the door slammed behind her as she exited. 

her words were rushed, and josh doubted if they held any meaning at all. 

he shook his head, she cares for me, she's my mother. josh could make out the faint sound of engine roaring to life and the sound of tyres against the road before disappearing. 

 he glanced at the clock. 7 : 19. it usually took him about ten minutes to get to school on foot, and the school started at 7 : 30. "i should get going." he said to himself and finished the remaining of his food. 

he placed the plate in the sink and went upstairs into his room to get his backpack as he had forgotten to bring it down earlier and grabbed his phone which was at 98 % since he'd changed it last night. at the door, he slipped on a pair of worn-out vans,  and after locking the front door, he was off to school.

*~*

hi. new joshler story. i'm vv for this one bc it's been in my drafts for a while. the first chapter a filler (but important ok) but the next chapters will be good!

please note that i do know that laura is an amazing mother but in this book she'll be different to fit the story. i hope you all understand. :) 

i'm planning weekly updates on this one but i don't stick to schedules so idk 

IMPORTANT: if you haven't read the "before you read" part then i suggest you to go and do it because this book will talk about matters that might be triggering for some of you. if you see something you are uncomfortable with, please leave as your well-being matters more than the reads on this book. :) 

have a great day/night ahead! 

- a