hooked ↣ joshler ✓

15. Skipping

"Josh," Tyler approached the mentioned boy who was with Dallon at Josh's locker. "Pal, buddy, chum, history partner. I need your help finalizing this paper, will you come to the library with me?"

"Y-yeah, sure," Josh complied quietly, waving goodbye to a confused Dallon and following the other brunette.

The two walked towards the library but when Josh began to turn, Tyler grabbed his arm and steered him away from it. "We're not going to the library," he informed simply.

"Wait, where are we going then?" Josh asked, worry in his voice. "Class starts in five minutes and I don't wanna be late, because when you walk in late everyone stares at you and-"

"Lemme guess," Tyler interrupted his rambling, walking through the side doors of the school. "You don't like being the center of attention?"

"No, not really," Josh replied meekly.

"Well," Tyler led the other towards the back of the school. "You're not gonna be late."

"We can get back to the other side of school in five minutes?"

"No. You're just not going to class at all."

"What?"

"I said," Tyler walked over to the bleachers on the football field and slipped through the bars, approaching the two people sitting on crates underneath them. "You're not going to class. You're gonna hang out with Hayley, Brendon, and I."

"Um," Tyler watched Josh swallow nervously. Brendon smirked and Hayley stifle a laugh. "I have this test in Calculus though and I really can't miss-"

"Oh well," Tyler shrugged and patted the spot next to him on the crate. "Pop a squat."

"Okay," Josh obliged with a slight sigh.

"So..." Brendon began, looking at Josh with bloodshot eyes. Tyler could tell he was the highest one here. "How're you doing, Dun?"

"Oh, I'm alright," Josh dismissed. "You?"

"How do I look?" he humorlessly laughed. "Never mind, don't answer that," he quickly added, looking down at his lap and taking a drag from the joint that Hayley probably gave him.

It was quiet for a moment until Tyler broke the silence by digging in his jacket pocket, grabbing out his pack of cigarettes. He noticed Josh staring at him and he offered him one, to which Josh declined by shaking his head.

"Is this what you guys do? When you're not in class?"

"Sometimes," Hayley replied, grabbing the water bottle that was next to her and taking a sip from it, leaving the rim slightly pink from her lipstick. "Other times we're at Ryan's–"

"Were," Brendon cut in sadly. "Were at Ryan's."

"–were at Ryan's, sometimes we go to places around town, sometimes Tyler's in the janitor's closet with a girl fucki–"

"Okay," Josh interrupted, scrunching his face in disgust. "I get it."

Hayley laughed a little and then it went silent again. She passed the joint back and forth with Brendon a couple times and Tyler stuck to his cigarette. A couple seconds later, Josh started coughing and waving his hand in front of his face, trying to get rid of the smoke that was clouding his face.