BFF (A Josh Hutcherson Fanfiction)

7 - To All Who Come to This Happy Place: Welcome

I woke up at 9am.

I don’t wake up at 9am, ever. But we got in around 1am last night and I fell asleep right away. There was no alcohol to sleep off, so I guess eight hours was plenty. Or maybe I was just distracted.

Did I meet my mystery man last night?

A few of the same guys from my first day in California were at the bar with us, but I didn’t feel a spark with any of them. I was completely sober this time and I remember every little detail about the night. Nothing stands out for me. A small part of me hopes that I didn’t see him last night, because that would mean this whole charade is for nothing. Who cares if I fall for the mystery if I don’t fall for the real thing?

Josh comes into my room at 930. Apparently he couldn’t sleep either. He throws an envelope at me. “Open it!” he says excitedly. I move over on my bed so there’s room for the both of us, but Josh sits closer to me than is necessary. I don’t mind.

I read the note out loud. I’m just going to let Josh read it after I’m done anyway, so I may as well. It’s more efficient this way.

You’re going to hate me for this one, but I promise it’s a once and done kind of thing. Unless of course you don’t want it to be.

I want you to go to Disneyland.

Take a picture with your favorite princess. My guess is you’re a Tiana gal, but who knows? Maybe mermaids are your thing.

Oh, and snap a selfie with Mickey. Why? The real question is why NOT.

You’re never too old for Disneyland, Jolene. It’s one of those things that you have to do at least once. So why not today?

I groan. Disneyland? Seriously? Is my mystery guy twelve? If he is that would totally make this whole thing really awkward.

Before Josh made it big, the Hutcherson’s took a trip to Disney World in Florida and invited me to come along, but I said no. Even then I hated being a burden, or at least feeling like one. Just knowing that your presence might be in the way of someone else’s happiness. I’m always aware of the shifts in mood when I enter the room, and how you can always tell when you’re not welcome. That’s not always how it felt with Josh’s family. Most of the time they were loving and welcoming, but spending a week with them would not have made Disney the happiest place on Earth for them.

Still, a part of me wanted to go on the trip. I wished that I could quiet that voice in my head that said they didn’t really want me there so I could climb into the back seat next to Josh and sleep on his shoulder the whole way there. I knew my mom would never be able to afford to take me on a trip like that, and even if she could afford it she wouldn’t want to. She was never exactly the kind of mother who brings her daughter on vacations. She was the kind of mother who went on vacations with her flavor of the week and left her daughter home alone, even if the daughter wasn’t old enough to take care of herself.

I learned how to use a microwave at a very young age.

Now that I’m older, I want to say the desire to go to Disney has disappeared, but that’s a total lie. I’m as intrigued now as I was back then. But I don’t want to admit that to anyone. I want to be blasé about the whole thing.

Unfortunately, Josh knows me too well to be fooled by my I Don’t Care Attitude. He laughs. “Did you really just groan? Don’t you still have the Disney World park maps I brought home for you from that trip when we were little?”

I roll my eyes. “No.” Actually yes, I do. I keep them in an unlabeled box that’s filled with all of my best memories. There’s only one or two thing in that box that doesn’t involve Josh in some way or another.