BFF (A Josh Hutcherson Fanfiction)

3 - Come Again?

On my first trip to California, the first thing I did was go to the Griffith Observatory at the crack of dawn. I sat on a picnic table and looked out at the Hollywood Sign until they announced that the last bus down was leaving and I had no choice but to get on it.

I wonder if you’ve seen the sign yet. I’m sure you have. It’s visible from so much of the city. But have you really seen it? If not, you should go. Take a hike. Take a bus. Whatever will get you there, go.

I swear you won’t regret it, Jolene. Take some time to think. I’ve made all my major life decisions upon that hill. Maybe it’ll help you to think some things through.

“What are you staring at?”                                   

I jump. Not like a tiny startled jump, but an actual full forced jump that could have won a medal in the Olympic high jump.

I grab my chest, certain I’m having a heart attack, and Josh laughs at me as if the near death experience he just caused was the funniest thing that has ever happened. When my heart rate slows to a normal enough pace, I glare at him. He only laughs harder.

“I’m sorry, Jo, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he laughs. “I didn’t realize how concentrated you were. What’s in your hand?”

Realizing I’ve been gripping the almost brown piece of fancy paper so tightly that it’s become a crumpled ball inside my fist, I release it so it falls to the table. Josh snatches it up quickly and reads the words out loud, then looks at me. “Told you he’d write again.”

“What’s it matter,” I sigh, pulling the paper from his hand. “It’s still not signed.”

He shakes his head. “So what, Jo? Don’t you think it’s kind of cool to have some guy secretly pining for you?”

I laugh. “No, actually, I think it’s creepy!”

“You’re hopeless!”

“You’re a hopeless romantic,” I say. “You just want this to end with some fairytale wedding, but it’s not going to.”

“You never know what might happen,” he says, his face serious. “This guy could end up being the love of your life.”

“Or he could be a total creep who rapes me and then murders me!”

Josh sighs. “Come on, Jolene, you’ve got three weeks before school starts. It could be fun.”

“What are you saying? I should actually go to the Hollywood Sign? What if he’s there waiting to axe murder me?”

There’s that imagination again. Josh rolls his eyes and moves so he’s closer to me, staring right into my eyes. “I’m saying that you wanted a new life here, right? So why not do something you’d never have done in Kentucky?”

“This is absurd, Josh, you know that, right? I don’t remember making an impression on any guy who would want to write me really sweet letters like this.”

“I’ll do it with you.”

My eyes widen. “What?”

“We’ll follow what the note says together. That way if he is a murderer, he’ll have to get through me first.”

“I don’t know…”

He takes my hand in both of his and tilts my forehead up so I have to meet his eyes, which I’ve been avoiding. “You’ll regret not giving it a shot, Jo.”

Sighing, I remove my hand from his, but no matter how loudly my head is screaming “Don’t do this, it’s a stupid idea,” seeing Josh’s eyes light up at the prospect of me finding love, and the idea that maybe there is a guy out there for me, leads my heart to convince my head that I want to give it a shot. “Fine,” I say. “But if I get murdered, I am so coming back to haunt you.”