BFF (A Josh Hutcherson Fanfiction)

8 - It's a New Day

I set the black Mickey ears on the top of my dresser, next to my First Time button. Beside my Disneyland souvenirs are souvenirs from all the other adventures the notes have taken me on. A post card of the Hollywood sign. A keychain of Dolly Parton’s star on the walk of fame. The foam finger Josh bought me at the Dodger’s game. The betting slips from Santa Anita. All these little things that hold the biggest memories for me.

As I look back over each and every object and think about the week I’ve had, my mystery guy isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.

It’s Josh.

Josh is the one that has been next to me all week, helping me with these silly adventures. Not once has he complained or said that it’s stupid to follow the notes. He just grabs the keys and drives.

He’s amazing, really. I’ve always known it. But it’s different now, after yesterday. Yesterday changed things.

I trace the cursive stitching on the back of my mouse ears. Josh insisted I get my name on the hat, he said it’s a tradition, something I have to do. So I did it.

The door opens slowly after two light knocks. “Jolene, you up?”

I turn to face Josh and smile. “Yup.”

“A note came for you.”

“Okay,” I say, reaching for it. We’re just barely too far apart so I have to reach extra far, almost toppling over. Josh rubs the back of his neck.

“About yesterday,” he starts, but I cut him off.

“Forget it,” I say with a fake smile. “It’s a new day.”

He sighs like he wants to say more, but he just flops down on the bed instead and I climb next to him, pretending there isn’t an invisible wall between us now. An awkwardness we can both feel but don’t want to admit.

I open the envelope and unfold the letter.

It’s been a week and you’re still following my clues, which means you don’t know who I am. Good. I’m not ready for you to know me. Well, you already know me, but you don’t, like, know me. Does that make sense?

Anyway, I’ve made you a reservation for two at Sunset & Vine for two pm this afternoon. Other than that, you’re on your own.

You probably have stuff to get for school, right? You should get that done now. I have a full two weeks planned out for you.

That is, if you’re still willing to play.

I sure hope you are, Jolene. I sure do hope.

“So, it’s only ten now. Do you want to go do some school shopping and then we can meet at the restaurant at two?”

“Oh, yeah,” I say. “You don’t, um, you don’t want to come with me?”

He flushes. “Oh, I didn’t, um, I didn’t realize you’d…”

“Josh, we kissed. Okay, it happened. It won’t happen again. We were caught up in the moment, enjoying the fireworks, and we kissed. We shouldn’t be acting like kids about it. Grown adults kiss all the time. Hell, that wasn’t even the first time we’ve kissed.”

Josh laughs. “Remember that day?”

I smile. “Of course. You were all high and mighty because you got your first kiss before I did, except I said it didn’t count because it was for a movie. And then I kissed you just to get you to shut up and said there, now we’ve both had our first kiss.”

“Those were the days,” he says. “I really am sorry, Jo. I didn’t mean to make things awkward or anything. It was like you said, I was caught up in the moment. You know I’m a sucker for romance…”

My stomach flutters, but I remind it that he’s admitting that I had nothing to do with him kissing me. He would have kissed anyone at that moment, it just happened to be me standing next to him, tucked into his side like we were one person and not two.

So what if that kiss actually meant something to me? So what if I touch my lips without even realizing what I’m doing just so I can try to remember what it felt like when they touched his?

He’s Josh for God’s sake! He knows too much about me to love me. I have to remember that.

“So we agree to forgive and forget?” I say with a forced finality, forced happiness. “And to move on?”

“Deal,” he says, holding out his hand for me to shake. “So, what kinds of stuff do you need for school?”

“I don’t really know,” I admit. “I’ve never gone to college before.”

“Well neither have I!”

I laugh. “I guess I should get notebooks and stuff. And a new backpack because mine is toast.”

“And some new clothes,” Josh points out, gesturing towards my half empty closet.

“Hey, what’s wrong with my clothes?”

He holds up his hands in surrender.

“Fine,” I say. “I need some new clothes too.”

Josh sits up. “Let’s have Andre come! You loved the dress he got you.”

“Oh, I’m sure he won’t want to come…”

Josh rolls his eyes. “He’s going to love it. He’s been dying to get you new clothes, he just didn’t know how you would react. But since you loved the dress so much, now he’s going to go all out.”

I smile, nervous. I’ve worn the same thrift shop creations since I was a baby. I don’t think I’ve ever paid full price for a piece of clothing. I bite the inside of my lip.

“Will you let me pay?” Josh asks, obviously reading my mind.

“No, I…”

“Please. It’ll be like a Christmas present for all the years I wasn’t home to put something under the tree.”

Mom and Aunt Megan never had enough money to buy much in terms of gifts, but they both had a thing about always having a Christmas tree, even when there were only one or two small things underneath it. When Josh was home, he would come over on Christmas Eve and we would make cookies and sing badly to Christmas carols. When I would go to my room to get something or use the bathroom, Josh would slip a box from his backpack and put it under the tree. I always knew they were from him, but it was fun to pretend on Christmas morning that Santa really had come and left me something special.

When he moved away for good and stopped coming home every Christmas, our tradition stopped too. Every once in a while he sent me a present and I would put it under the tree on Christmas Eve, but most years he was too busy or forgot. I don’t mind or blame him. I saved every single gift he ever gave. They mean more to me than anything else.

“Please, Jo. Let me buy you some new outfits. After this I’ll never buy you anything ever again.”

I laugh because we both know it’s not true, he’s always trying to spend his money on me. Not because he feels bad for me, but because he’ll see something and say it reminded him of me. It’s sweet, really.

“Fine,” I say finally. “Just this once.”

He jumps off the bed, excited, and runs to grab Andre. To my surprise, Andre is up and ready to go in ten minutes flat. “Thank God,” he says when I walk towards the door so we can all leave. “I was hoping you’d change up your look before you start school. You need to reinvent yourself!”

I want to be offended by all of these judgments on my clothes, but I have to face the fact that Josh and Andre are right. I’ve been saying all along that I want to be a new me. It’s about time I actually start making that happen.