JOSH DUN VS THE WORLD ✓

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: THAT SOUNDS LIKE A YOU PROBLEM

YOU'VE DECIDED TO:
GO BACK TO JOSH'S APARTMENT

+1 emotional breakdown
-1 apartment
+3 fist fights
+20 dollars worth of ice cream

tw: mention of rape

By the time Tyler's done changing, Josh's last fuck has left his body. He knows that he can't keep running from his problems, and if he leaves this issue to fester, more shit will occur.

"It's now or never," he sighs, grabbing his coat off the rack.

"I'm proud of you." Tyler smiles and takes one of his hands in his own. "Really, I am. Don't give me that face, this is a big deal for you."

"Yeah, I know, but-" Josh fiddles with the top buttons on his coat. "What do I even say? I don't want to see Jon, but I know he'll be there. And if Young Ryan's there too, I don't want him to get caught up in drama he's not involved in."

"Just take a breath and relax. You can do this. I know you can. Everything will fall into place soon enough," Tyler says.

With that, they're off towards Josh's apartment.

When they get there, Josh can hear the yelling through the door. He freezes when he starts to reach for the handle, now regretting his decision.

"I can't do this. I feel like I'm going to be sick," eh groans, stepping off the front steps and turning back to the street.

Tyler lets out and exasperated sigh and spins his back around, knocking on the door. "Don't turn into a wuss now."

"Nah, I'm going to stay wusssy. I don't even know why I'm here. They should apologize to me for keeping that from me."

"I know that, but you've got to be the bigger man here-"

The door swings open midway though Tyler's sentence, making the rest of what he had to say die slowly. He smiles up at Hayley and elbows Josh until he smiles too.

"I told you you'd need someone to drag your chickenshit ass here," she grins, waving them inside.

Max is sitting on the couch, playing his guitar without an amp. He doesn't initially see Josh when he walks in, and keeps his eyes focused on his fingers on the strings.

"Hey, Mad Max, stop playing that and apologize to Josh," Hayley says, shoving Josh forward.

He accidentally pulls Tyler with him since their hands are still together, and when Max looks up, Josh drops it without meaning to.

"You here to yell at me?" Max says, unfazed.

"What? No. I'm here to- I don't know, fix this shit so we don't get into a fight like our last gig." Josh waves his hands in the air. "Plus, it'd be nice if I could sleep in my own house for once instead of being afraid of losing my cool because you guys did something really stupid."

"Oh, you're not over that yet?"

Jon stands in the bathroom doorway, alcohol bottle in hand. Hayley makes a small growly noise behind in Josh. Tyler tenses and grabs his hand again, holding Josh back leaping and throttling Jon right then and there.

"Over it? No, Jonathan, I'm not going to get over it any time soon," Josh scowls.

"Shame. I'm getting real tired of your shit."

"Of my- you know what? You owe me an apology."

Jon makes a surprised noise. "I owe you? For what? Consenting?"

"For not telling me that I cheated!"

"That sounds like a you problem." He scoffs, looking to Max for support.

Max just stares at Josh with tired eyes. "What we did was massively fucked up. We thought we were protecting you and Halsey by not telling you, and now I see we just prolonged the inevitable."

"You should've told us, Max," Josh says quietly, his anger giving into hurt. "I get why you didn't, but you should've at least told Halsey. That shit hurts."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Hayley gestures to Josh. "Now, was that so hard, Max?"

"Excruciating."

"Okay, now you, Jon."

Jon points the neck of the bottle at Tyler. "I did nothing wrong. You've become such a little bitch since being with this twink, it's almost pathetic."

The tug of Tyler's hand tells Josh it's time to leave, but he needs closure one way or another, or else he'll never come back.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asks, keeping Jon's gaze with his chin held high.

"Why should I?" Jon takes a long swig of the bottle and takes a stumbling step back. "It wasn't my mistake. You're the one who cheated."

"It takes two to fuck, Jon!" Josh shouts, getting riled up again by Jon's blatant refusal to apologize. "In case you didn't realize it, I don't remember. What I did fucking terrible, but you should've told me so I could've been honest with Halsey."

"How's that my fault? I didn't make you get drunk and have sex with me. I'm not obligated to do anything."

Tyler tugs on Josh's hand again. "Josh, we should go," he mumbles.

"No, not until either he apologizes or I get my stuff and you can look for a new roommate."

"You're threatening to move out now?"

"No, I'm telling you that I've had it with your bullshit." Josh snatches his hand swag from Tyler's and steps into Jon's space. He's taller enough to seem threatening, which makes Jon press into the wall. "You've been this way since high school. Petty, uncaring, selfish. I'm through with being your own personal sex doll because you can't hold down a stable relationship. I'm fucking done."

He pushes past him, taking a duffel bag from the closet and stuffing as much as his stuff as he can into it. Josh grabs his guitar off the wall and zips it up into its case, throwing it over his shoulder.

"Josh, think this through," Max begs from the doorway. "Where are you going to stay?"

"Somewhere where I won't be lied to every time something happens," he snaps back.

"It was one time-"

"Was it, though? What about every time I got drunk and couldn't remember? What about when you hid Hayley's rape from me for months until the court date? Or- or how about when you 'forgot' to tell me that my baby sister became a stripper to cover for her college costs?"

"But what about the band?" Max asks.

Josh sighs and turns around to face him. "I'm still in Sex Bob-Omb. It's just- I can't be around Jon or I'll punch his face in."

"Okay." Max nods, sniffing softly. "I get it. I'm really sorry about not telling you, I hope you know that."

"I do, but it helps to hear."