Death Pact ~ Joshler

Thirteen

So imma alter Halsey's (Ashley) age a bit considering that they're like 6 years apart in age difference irl.

Did anyone notice how Josh ate cereal in front of Tyler even tho he hates being watched while eating or...?

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WARNING: talk of rape. Please don't read this is you're easily triggered. Ily and you can message me anytime.

"You Tyler?" A girl asked, stopping at his table and waiting for him to nod before she continued. "M Ashley." She announced, sitting in the booth across from him.

"How's Josh?" She asked, trying to keep her calm composure but her her nimble fingers tapped against the table top as she anxiously waited Tyler's response.

The boy bit down harshly on his bottom lip, mentally debating on whether to tell her the truth or not. Josh was oh so very far from fine, in fact, he planned on killing himself; they both did. He couldn't tell her that obviously, for she might do something like try and convince them otherwise and all that would do is stall the inevitable. At the same time, he couldn't completely lie and tell her that Josh was doing great, for there's no way that she would believe that as he's already mentioned Josh's nightmares.

"He's... okay. Off and on. I-I honestly can't say too much about it, I mean I've only known him a week. But he-he's been having these awful nightmares, I mean once he even tried to choke himself in his sleep, I'm just- I'm scared for him and I don't know what to do about it." Tyler started, shaking his head. "And no one seems to care. His parents barely notice that he's there, his siblings are sweet but oblivious, and his friends- well, fuck, honestly he doesn't seem to have any but you and me and I have no fucking idea how to make it okay."

"You... care an awful lot about a person you've only known a week." Ashley pointed out, leaning her chin against the palm of her hand. "I guess he has that affect on people, it's kinda hard not to care about him, he's just so... so Josh."

Tyler nodded, and that's when he noticed that he had tears brewing at his eyes. "I just want to help him." He said, which in all honesty was a bit ironic as how he originally just wanted someone to help him commit suicide. Now he just wanted to make Josh okay again. He didn't want him to die.

Sure Tyler had every intention to kill himself but... he didn't want Josh to endure the same fate. Josh is such an amazing person, it would just be awful to see him pass away. Him on the other hand, no one would miss. I'm just a waste of space. He thought, but then he mentally cursed himself for feeling sorry for himself when he was supposed to be here to help Josh.

Ashley let out a heavy breath, dark eyes looking down at her blue painted nails. "Has he been taking his medicine?"

"I-I don't know..." Tyler admitted. "I mean, every time I've been to his house, his mother gives it to him but I've honestly never actually seen him take it."

Ashley nodded. "Figures. Sometimes he goes on a sudden streak of defiance where he refuses to take his medicine. He has one for depression, one for anxiety, and one for his night terrors."

"I-I'll make sure he takes them from now on." He promised, thanking the kind waitress when she brought him a glass of water.

The two were silent for a moment before Tyler spoke up again, almost afraid of the explanation he was going to get. "I want to know who Pete is."

"I'm really not sure I'm the person you should be asking about this--"

"Please." Tyler said, his voice cracking. He was desperate. "I can't help him if I don't know and he won't talk to me about it."

"He..." Ashley paused, trying to decide where to start. "About three years ago Josh would often go up and visit his siblings at his dad's house. Well, once, on a bus ride up there, he met me -I was on my way home from visiting a cousin of mine. We became friends rather quickly and I invited him over to hang out with my small group of friends. That's where he met Patrick and Pete.

"He and Patrick instantly hit it off and started dating not even a week after they met. The two were inseparable for their seven months together until... Well, until Pete happened." She said, avoiding eye contact. She felt like she was betraying Josh by telling this boy about what happened to him, but she knew that Tyler just wanted to help, and so did she. "Pete had been Patrick's best friend ever since they were in kindergarten and they shared everything, and, well, Pete was tired of not being able to share Josh. So... he took him.

"One night when they got together, all three of them got drunk and Patrick, being a lightweight, passed out on the couch. Somehow Pete convinced Josh to do some more shots with him and then Pete brought him downstairs to the basement and..." Ashley stopped, her hands curling into fists and her facial expression changing into one of anger as her voice grew stronger. "He was too drunk to do anything about it, he couldn't fight against him, he was- he was so fucking helpless and Pete took advantage of it."

Tears slipped down Tyler's cheeks. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. No wonder Josh was so broken, he had been violated and hurt. He had been damaged by his boyfriend's best friend.

"Josh didn't tell anyone at first, he was young and scared. He was terrified that no one would believe him and, well, he was right. After keeping quiet about it for a few months, Patrick got upset about Josh not wanting to have sex with him and it just slipped out. When Pat confronted Pete about it, Pete lied and claimed it was consensual, like the scum he is. Patrick sided with Pete, believing every word he said as they had always been best friends so why would he lie?

"Pat broke up with Josh because he thought he had been cheated on and... Josh lost everything. He lost his boyfriend, his friends, his-his fucking happiness, everything." Ashley growled, growing angrier and angrier. "And I didn't help him."

"What?" Tyler looked up at her, wiping tears from his eyes. "Wh-at do you mean?"

"I cut him off. I didn't know who to believe. I had known Josh for nearly a year but I'd known Pete for much longer than that and I just... I fucked up. It wasn't until Pete's friend Andy showed us a photo of Josh that Pete had taken and sent to him that we all realized that Josh hadn't been lying. But it was too late.

"He stopped taking the bus. He stopped visiting his family. He stopped answering my calls and texts. He stopped doing anything. I tried to come down and visit his mother told me that it was best to leave him alone. She told me that he hadn't left his bed in over a week, hadn't eaten, wasn't sleeping, hadn't moved at all and she had the audacity to tell me to leave him alone?!" Ashley growled, shaking her head. "His mother is a piece of shit and..." she huffed, shaking her head. "I'm not any better."

"Ashley, you can't believe that... It's not your fault." Tyler said, reaching out and taking her hand. "You didn't know what to believe. Surely he forgives you."

"He does... Or at least that's what he says, but- it's just not the same anymore. We rarely see each other and... that spark is gone from his eyes." The girl used her free hand to push a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "You should've met him before Pete happened, he was so lively. He loved his life, he was always energetic, he was almost never seen without a smile on his face and now... I haven't seen a real smile from him since then."

Tyler nodded in agreement. "They're fake. But-but what do I do about it?"

"Help him. In any way you can. Make him happy. Make him smile." She replied as if it were really that simple, although from the tone in her voice he could tell that it was going to be a challenge.

Ashley got up to leave but stopped after taking a single step. She didn't turn around to face him, just spoke as if she were too afraid to even look at him. "And Tyler?"

"Yeah?"

"Promise me that you won't abandoned him. Don't make the same foolish mistake I made."

"I promise."

And with that, they went their separate ways.

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Ik ik, I'm still dragging this out but I swear more drama is to come soon.