The other half of Josh

chapter 2- I wasn't checking you out!

BEEP.... BEEP.... BEEP.... groaning, I slowly open my eyes and reach my arm across to my white bedside table, flailing my arm about, trying to find the alarm. When I realize I have no chance of hitting it from this position, I swing my legs out from under the soft, comfortable covers that had cocooned my lifeless body last night, and hit the annoying alarm with all the force I can muster at this time in the morning (which isn't a lot). 

Reluctantly I rise onto my feet and open the cupboard across from the main door, I sigh in despair, all that hangs in there are some baggy jeans and my favorite turquoise hoodie. I wrap an old tattered dressing gown around me and make my way downstairs to the tumble dryer. There I find some skinny jeans and a plain orange T-shirt, good enough. I walk lethargically back up the stairs and get changed, slinging my hoodie on top of the mix and match outfit. I pull a brush through my hair and go to the kitchen to make myself breakfast. 

Such an interesting life I have. Not.

Suddenly my phone buzzes beside me, I glance at the screen to see I have a message from an unknown number.

Hey, it's Josh, I found your bag. Meet me at the main entrance.

Before I have any chance to reply it buzzes again.

You do go to PFA right?

This time I reply hastily Yeah I do, okay meet you there. Does he even know my name?

I finish my rice krispies and grab five pounds from the counter, my mum left it before she went to work early this morning. I leave the house and lock the door behind me, today feels like a good day. 

But I wouldn't count on it, something always seems to go wrong in the life of April Hall.

I've been waiting at the gates outside school for about 20 minutes now, 5 minutes before the bell will ring, Josh still hasn't made an appearance. I need that bag! It has my iPod in, and trust me, I can't live without music. Even thinking about more than 12 hours without it gives me a headache. Where the hell is he?

Vicky even gave me a lift today so I wouldn't miss this meeting! Usually I walk but I'm very rarely on time, most days I have to run to tutor time, and I get there either on the bell or just after. This is the earliest I've ever come to school, and Josh Clarke doesn't even show. What a jerk. 

With annoyance I turn around and start to walk to tutor. That dickhead! 

"Wait!" I hear someone shouting and swivel my head around to the face behind me, I turn my whole body when I see someone in a Parker Fields football uniform is jogging towards me. As he gets closer I realize it's a very sweaty, very muddy version of Josh Clarke, but him being Josh Clarke, he can make anything look hot, and whoa... even wearing wet, dirty football gear, he just looks... amazing. His hair is swept away from his face towards his right and his chocolate brown eyes shine with amusement. "Do all our conversations always have to start with me asking you to stop checking me out?" He says with a classic bad boy smirk.

I flush red "What? No, I wasn't checking you out!" I say, and I wasn't checking him out anyway, I just don't do that, that jerk.

"Of course you weren't. Anyway, your bag's in my locker." He says and walks past me, I guess he wants me to go after him, so I follow. I keep my head down and ignore the questioning looks people throw at us. Why would the captain of the football team, someone from "the 3" be associating themselves with someone like me? To be honest, that's also the question I want answering.

He stops in front of a row of lockers next to the boys bathroom, nearly every one is painted in different wild colours and designs that most people would call "graffiti" personally I call it art. Josh picks a locker three rows from the bathroom, it's covered in immaculate drawings, it's easily the most creative locker here. The background is an explosion of ice blue and fire-like red, coming together like you see battles of magic in movies. In front are small coal black stencil drawings of anything I can think of really. Cars, motor bikes, a broken heart, trees, flowers, light bulbs. Anything and everything has been painted onto his locker in the most artistic way, overlapping but not hiding the full image, black on black is hard to achieve but this is carried out perfectly.

"Whoa, that's amazing!" I say, still marvelling at the artwork. 

"Huh? Oh, the graffiti, thanks." He says and opens the locker. Inside is a jumbled up mess, books buried under clothes, and random bits of revision paper lying about in every corner. I see that on top of all the mess is my small blue and cream bag. Josh reaches up to get it, flexing the muscles in his arm as he does so. "Here you are." He says with a smile. Where did this nice guy come from? So far he's just been an idiot. 

"Thanks so much. I'm April by the way, I don't think I told you my name." I reply, smirking slightly, I don't really expect he knows who I am, I mean, I didn't even know he went to this school until Vicky started screaming at me. 

"Nice to meet you April. See you around." He says and walks off down the hall, I realise I do know who he is, he's Ethan Mole's best friend! I just never really took notice of that, but now I see it! I shake my head slightly and walk to my first class. Maths, yay.

The day goes by as normal, and by normal I mean boring and dull. Nothing interesting ever actually happens here. There isn't even that much of a status. Yes, there are obvious popular and unpopular people, but we don't really label them any further. For example, I'm a geek, and Vickys a party animal who wears short-shorts at Christmas. Yet we're best friends. Josh Clarke is a football player and part of "the 5" his best friend Ethan Mole, is the best singer and actor of the school, he doesn't even audition for parts anymore, the teachers just ask him to take part. 

So yeah, life at Parker Fields isn't great. But I guess it's better than some other places, where status is everything.

I get home from school and dump my school bag and my other bag (nicknamed "Josh Clarke" bag from now on) on my bed. I start by getting out the mountain of homework I received today, fun. At least 4 pieces need doing for tomorrow and I don't really have that long. I start on my English homework, complete a book review on Dracula, a book I haven't even read.

After poorly finishing every piece given I lie down on my bed and open my "josh Clarke" bag to retrieve my regular phone to text Vicky. Inside I find my purse, iPod and phone (as expected) but also a piece of paper folded to the smallest size it could go. 

Slowly and carefully I unfold the note, for some strange reason I'm nervous. What the hell could it be? When it's completely unfolded I glance at it and see that in short messy handwriting it reads;

Party next Friday, you can come if you want. - Josh. P.S wear something pretty.

I grab my phone and ring Vicky, she picks up on the 2nd ring.

"Vicky!" I say "I've got an emergency."

**********

3rd chapter done!!

Point out any mistakes, give feedback if you want :)

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Ellie xx

(p.s. i kind of imagine Vicky a bit like the picture to the side, it's certainly not perfect but it's something, she's kind of that slightly disliked girl that somehow gets invited to partys. She's a little bit annoying and gets around a bit.)