_Isle of Flightless Birds_ (Joshler)

Alone Together

(a/n sorry i havent published in a while. i was...extremely blocked up....pls forgive me😣)

(tyler's' pov)

It was around lunch that I decided to just ignore the nagging feeling in the back of my head to go talk to the boy I saw the other day. We hadn't had anymore classes since first period and I didn't see him in the hallways when we did switch classes. Ugh, why am I so worried about this? It's not like we're best friends or anything. I make my way to study hall, away from all the people and the noise...the judgement....the name-calling...I shake my head and go into the building. I walk over to my usual seat, expecting it to be empty; But, of course, it's the boy from homeroom. What the hell?!, I swear in my mind. I audibly gasp in surprise; No one ever comes here except me, let alone sit in my seat.

The boy, seemingly named Josh, looks up and is immediately as shocked as I am. Oh, fuck. I bite my lip and shake my head. I look to the seat across from him. Might as well, I sigh and look back at the boy-...Josh.

"U-Um...C-Can I?" I say, gesturing towards the open seat. He blinks, composes himself, and clears his throat.

"Oh, y-yeah. Sure." He let out a soft chuckle. I mutter a quick thanks and sit across from him. I look down and twiddle my thumbs in pure agony of not knowing what to do or say next. Usually, I don't have this problem. You know, because I'm a loner and all that. I don't really talk to people other than my family. Even then, it's not much. I look up and realize that he has a book in his hands. Away, I subconsciously read the cover to myself. I tilt my head in curiosity. Huh. Didn't take you for a reader.

Josh must've felt me looking. He looked up at me and said "Oh, uh, it's a poetic type of novel...Kind of like a poetry book but....All of the poems are linked together and you kind of have to figure out how they are connected.", he smiled.

"O-Oh.", I say, looking down in embarrassment. "Neat." I look back up and try to redeem myself. We both try to introduce ourselves at the same time and we nervously laugh at ourselves before Josh tells me to go first.

"I'm Tyler."I perked up and tried to smile. He nodded and smiled back.

"I'm Josh..." He said shyly. "I know." I said unknowingly to how weird that sounded. Oh, my goodness. I'm so bad at this. I shook my head and stuttered. "I-I mean, um, I know from like...I uh...Y-You were in homeroom with me. I noticed you...in there..." I flash back to when I was staring at him in class. Oh my fucking God, I'm ruined, I thought. I sigh in exasperation and sink into my seat a little.

He giggles and grins at me. "Yeah....I noticed you noticing me." Holy fuck, he just giggled. That was too fucking adorable. I have got to keep talking to him. I scratched my head and let out a breathy laugh. "Ha...Yeah, sorry about that...I uh....yeah....So, you're new here, right?" I say, trying to save myself from embarrassment by changing the subject.

"Yeah.", Josh says, "I just moved here with my mom. I think we're neighbors, actually." I furrow my brows, confused. Neighbors? What? What even...I look at Josh. He adds, "Yeah, man. Isn't your address....it would be...2213 March Street, wouldn't it?"

I bit my lip, subconsciously. "How the fuck did I not notice...." I mutter. Josh leans closer. "What?" He says, looking at me, expectantly. "Uh....Nothing....Hey, you're sitting in my seat by the way. No one usually comes in here so, I find solace in all the chaos that is this place...And I usually come here to wind down; That's my seat. That's why I was caught off guard when I first came in." I point out. He looks dumb-founded at my statement and I can't help but smile at him. "O-Oh. The bell rings, indicating the end of the lunch period. I gather my things and begin to head to my next class.

"See you later, Josh!"I call over my shoulder. I paused, surprised by how automatic that came out. It's almost as if we've done this a billion times before. I waved it off in my head. "See ya, Tyler." Josh called out. Gosh, he was cute....I've got to get to know him better.