SMITTEN🌹⌠J.T⌡

x

you might want to skim the last chapter over again before reading this. i know it's been a while, and i'm sorry. school is sapping my energy and free time.

y'all: give us relationship development

me: lol

⚜🌹⚜

JOSHUA.

Josh had been tracing the loopy lettering on his notecards since he and Tyler had finished their presentation. Something about the way the brunette had looped the J and carried it into the O, just the simple fact that Tyler's words were light, almost like he had barely touched the graphite to the paper had Josh in awe.

His callous finger brushed over the lettering that spelled his name, and he sighed softly to himself.

"Last time you had a look like that on your face you were drunk and crying about the Olsen twins."

Josh looked up with a scowl, meeting eyes with Ashley who had an eyebrow raised. She sat down next to him and looked over his shoulder at the note card. "What's that?"

Ignoring the question, Josh pointed to his name, printed neatly in the top, right-hand corner of the notecard, as it had been with all of the notecards Tyler had given him first period.

"Don't you think it's weird how neat his writing is? It's like he calculated the loop of the J perfectly. Like, look at the other cards; it looks exactly the same. How do you think he does that?"

"Y'know, something I don't get is why you're suddenly all flirty with him again after yesterday."

Josh sighed looking away and picking at his lunch. "I guess Hayley told you then?"

"Yeah, she was telling me as you fucking pulled that bitch on your lap and started puckering your lips like some—"

"Don't call him that," Josh snapped, eyes narrowed.

Ashley looked taken aback before she was narrowing her eyes.

"What the fuck is up with you? If anyone else had talked to you the way he did yesterday, you would've punched them square in the face! Josh, you would've beaten them to a pulp and then beaten them up again every time you passed them in the halls!

He's different, Josh wanted to say. He doesn't get it. He's not trying to do it on purpose; anyone else would have used a tone like that to mock me, but he just...

He wanted to help.

Josh went with the safer answer.

"He apologized."

Ashley looked skeptical, raising an eyebrow. "He apologized... to you."

"Yeah, that's why he approached me during bio in the first place," he said, as though it was obvious. "And that's why I pulled him on my lap. I wanted to get as much out of his vulnerability as I could," Josh shrugged, only slightly lying.

Ashley still looked unconvinced, but before she could open her mouth to argue again, she was interrupted by Hayley rushing over and slamming her hands down on the table.