The other half of Josh

chapter 5- You're a cocky smartass with an ego bigger than life

I watch the longest hand on the clock in my history class, slowly ticking away the seconds it takes for the bell to ring. Each times the hand makes another shift clockwise (obviously) I feel as if it should have made two, although the class is only an hour long it seems at least double that, if not triple. Whats more, it's only first period. 

I can't concentrate on the teacher, my mind is whirring as it analyses every detail I picked up from the encounter with Harry and Josh less than 45 minutes ago, desperately trying to come up with an answer. Nothing. No matter how many times I go over it in my head I can't come up with anything, not even a tiny little clue that could suggest any reason for the attack. 

And it's killing me. I hate not knowing something like this! I mean it involves my best friend and the most popular guy in the school! I should be able to talk to Harry at lunch I guess, but will he tell me? I thought he told me everything, but clearly not. I wonder if I even know half of what he does, what else could he be keeping from me? 

I could ask Josh tomorrow, I'm not sure a party's the perfect setting for a conversation like this but it's all I've got. I have to at least try. 

Finally the shrill sound of the bell echoes through the corridor, and before anyone else has even got their things in their bags I'm out of the door and on my way to science. 

I plonk my bag down at the back of the class and reach for a pen. I sigh as I remember I left them all in my locker. I raise my hand to ask if I can borrow one when suddenly the door crashes open and none other than Josh Clarke bounds through the door. How cliché can this get? 

"Hello, Miss Goodwin! How lovely to see you this fine day!" He almost sings sarcastically. We all have a small dislike for Miss Goodwin, actually small is a slight under statement, so is slight. Okay, we actually all hate her guts to the point where some people have moved schools solely due to her bad teaching. Even geeks like me hate her, and she likes me!

"Get out! This isn't your class!" she screeches in a high pitch tone, it took a few times to learn how to tune out her voice, until she raises it above the class's chatter and rioting. Then it's completely impossible.

"Actually Miss, I've been moved to this class." Josh says simply, a slightly childish sound in his voice. I realize what he said and audibly groan. Miss Goodwin's head snaps up and she scans the class with her eyes narrowed. 

"Who did that?" she squeaks, I wince, probably too noticeably but luckily she was staring at Ben Cook, who she openly dislikes. No one speaks for a while until Josh breaks the silence with a obviously fake cough.

"Um... Miss? I need a seat you know?" he says with a authoritative tone, Miss Goodwin looks a little taken aback, Josh smirks and glances at me. Before I know what I'm doing, I smile back.

"Er... Yes, um... S-sit at the back?" She replys as a question, I almost laugh, she's so pathetic. 

Although in some ways I don't blame her, she couldn't even be 5 foot in heels, no wonder Josh could scare her, he must be 6 foot at least. 

"Sure!" He gaits to the back of the room, and guess what? He plops down in the spare space right next to me. "Hello, my dearest friend April!" 

I snort, "Well aren't we being sarcastic today?" I ask, "Dearest friend?"

"Of course sarcasm is my life, but dearest friend was not sarcasm, it was just bending the truth a little." He beams at me.

I roll my eyes and face the front of the classroom, but I soon find myself looking at Josh again. Miss Goodwin is far too annoying and Josh far too interesting. He catches my eye and smirks.