Theatre Is A Lie ~ Joshua Burrage

Chapter 17

When the bus pulled up to the hotel, Ami was sleeping soundlessly on Josh's shoulder. He shoved her off, joking around, but she jumped up and screamed in terror. She began crying, leaving Josh and the few straggling cast members completely confused. Josh tried to comfort her but when he reached to comfort her she sobbed harder. He didn't want to make her more upset but it was clear she wasn't moving and he needed to get her off the bus and into the hotel some how so he picked her up and carried her inside. When they reached her hotel room she stopped, completely normal.

Josh was confused, asking her what had happened and if she had had a nightmare or something. She laughed, "Haha nah I just knew if I cried and didn't move you'd eventually carry me and I really did not feel like walking." Josh huffed in frustration, hugging her from behind as she pulled her PJs out of her suitcase, "You really worried me there for a second, Ames." She snorted, "What? You expect me to have some sort of emotional baggage so you can play mister super hero and come to save my day?" Josh laughed nervously, "Yes?"

Ami looked up at him, rolling her eyes, "Me? Emotional baggage? Really. " Josh sighed, "Well you do have some emotional baggage. You know, the whole deal with douchebag of yee haw cowboy land." Ami scoffed, "Yee haw cowboy land? I'm very offended of your name calling toward my home state. And he's a thing of the past, we mustn't speak of the 'douchebag of yee haw cowboy land' anymore." Josh laughed at her use of his spontaneous nickname for the state of Texas. She continued to unpack, Josh resting his chin on her shoulder, "Why do you have so many clothes..." Ami snorted again, "They make me feel pretty."

Josh picked her up, interrupting her unpacking and twirling her around in the air like a princess, "But you're already so pretty in sweatpants, my love!" Ami squeaked, wiggling in his grasp causing him to fake drop her. She let out a shriek as she began to fall, but Josh quickly caught her again, smiling sheepishly. He hugged her close, "Awww come on you know I'd never actually drop you. You're my erster!"

Ami looked up at him, confused, "Your what?" Josh looked down at her, offended that she didn't understand his clear reference, "My erster," he put on his newsie accent, joking around as he scooped her up again, "Ya know ya fancy clam with da poil inside." Ami rolled her eyes, "You mean your oyster?" Josh smiled, "But of course my beautiful Katherine." Ami scoffed, "I may be your Katherine but you certainly are not my Jack Kelly." Josh looked at her, sad, "What do you mean?" Ami looked up at him, "You're too cute to be a scrawny teenage boy newsie my bacon lover."

Stephanie, who was across the room, started to make excessive gagging noises and ran to the restroom, yelling, "Get a room!" Ami yelled after her, slightly irritated, "We are indeed in a room!" Josh laughed and pecked her on the cheek, "Okay well I am off now, my pretty pretty princess!" Ami paused, a memory flashing in her head.

Erric grabbed his portable hole puncher as they sat in their computer programming class during the second semester of their Junior year of highschool. He hole punched a ton of holes in a piece of paper and grabbed the little circular cut outs from inside the hole puncher. Ami grabbed a handful as well and threw them at him, causing him to spit some out and distracting him from his original task. When he finally got the pieces of paper out of his mouth he sprinkled the circular pieces of paper in the girl's hair, "There! Now you're a pretty pretty princess, my love!" Ami snorted, shaking the paper out of her thick hair, "You douche how could you! I'm gunna have paper falling out all day people are going to think I'm insane!" Erric merely laughed, "At least you're prettyyyyyy."

Ami shook her head, trying to get the memory out. She still felt so heartbroken and tainted from the abusive week with Erric. She couldn't help but think of when they were happy together but she knew she really shouldn't latch on so long. It was unhealthy for her to keep thinking about him. She knew that being with Josh would make her a whole lot happier than being with someone who was merely a fake and a fraud. She turned to Josh, "Wait, Josh before you go?" Josh turned, confused as she smiled at him gently, "I-I love you."

HOLY BOLOGNA SO MUCH LIGHTNING OUTSIDE SCARY SCARY SCARY