control ↣ joshler ✓

6. ÊXH ÃÜŚTĖD

Hi some people didn't get the notification for five and only got the one for the signs. Please make sure to read five if you haven't it is crucial

Josh hummed to himself as he got ready for the day, slipping his oversized T-shirt over the striped shirt he was wearing.

He slipped on his skinny jeans and Vans before putting his necklace on and grabbing his bag. He played with his nose ring and continued to hum as he skipped down the stairs.

Entering the kitchen, he saw his dad making coffee and his mom sitting at the table eating breakfast. "Morning, guys," he greeted.

"Josh, what have we said about painting your nails?" His mom asked, giving him a look.

Josh kept humming as he opened the cupboard and grabbed a bag of Goldfish out to eat during class. "That if I'm going to paint them I should at least make them colorful because I wear a lot of black."

"Try to work on that," she replied. "Are you going to Tyler's after school?"

Josh shrugged. "Maybe. I gotta talk to him. I'll let you know."

"And you know he's always welcome here," his dad piped up, taking his mug away from the coffee maker.

"I know," Josh smiled.

The three were cut off by a loud bark and Josh saw his mom get up to take her dishes to the sink and let their dog in.

The dog barked once more when he saw Josh and ran over, panting excitedly. "Morning, Jim," he grinned, petting the mentioned. Jim licked his hand and Josh chuckled.

"You might want to get going if you don't want to make Tyler or yourself late," his mom suggested.

Josh pet Jim one last time before letting his mom kiss his forehead and his dad pat his back encouragingly. "See you, son."

"Bye honey!"

"Bye guys!" He responded, grabbing his car keys and slinging his bag over his shoulder.

Tyler used to live just a three minute drive from him. That's how they met in middle school. They lived so close together they rode the same bus. But now since Tyler's new house is on the very edge of town, Tyler lives a little over ten so Josh has to leave earlier to get to him and the school on time. He doesn't mind it though. He'd do anything for his boyfriend.

Josh plugged his aux in and hummed to himself as he put on the playlist Tyler made for him. It was a good mixture of both their favorite songs and artists and his heart almost melted when he found out Tyler had made it.

God, was he so in love with that boy.

He turned the radio down as he pulled into Tyler's driveway. Josh decided to gently drum his fingers against the steering wheel as he waited.

Josh saw Jay peek out the window and wave to him, causing Josh to grin and wave back. He watched Jay turn to the stairs and yell something, most likely calling for Tyler.

Moments later, Tyler was walking out of the house with an emotionless look on his face. October was just a few days away so it was getting colder out in the mornings. It took a lot for Josh to get cold and even he was wearing a long sleeved shirt so when Tyler walked out in a t-shirt and skinny jeans Josh became confused. Especially since Tyler loved fall because he could finally wear sweaters.

Tyler opened the door and got in, letting out a sigh and setting his bag on the floor in front of him. "Morning!" Josh greeted.

Tyler gave him a look. "What's got you so happy?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I get to see my beautiful boyfriend," Josh grinned, pulling out of the driveway.

Tyler blinked and looked forward. "Okay..."

"Did you sleep alright last night? Any nightmares?"

"Yeah it was fine."

Josh frowned at Tyler's short tone. "Are you sure? You look kinda tired."

"Yes! I'm sure!" Tyler snapped, sitting back into his seat more.

Josh didn't say anything for a second. The morning before, Tyler looked so guilty when he snapped at Josh. Now? He looked like he didn't have a care in the world. And not in a good way.

Not wanting to worsen Tyler's mood, he just turned the music back up. It played for about a minute before Tyler spoke up.

"Can you turn that off? It's annoying," he said in a rude tone.

"Yeah," Josh sighed, pressing the volume to turn it off. "I can."

The rest of the car ride was quiet and as soon as they got to the school, Tyler got out and crossed his arms as he impatiently waited.

Once Josh was out and the two were walking inside, he heard a voice.

"Lesbos!"

He turned to see Lina getting out of a car. He saw who was driving it and Josh waved when he saw her mom. Lina's mom waved back and he watched her kiss Lina's cheek before she walked off.

"No skateboard?" He laughed.

Lina rolled her eyes. "Carlos took it outside and fucked with it and then left it in the rain so I'm hoping it'll dry alright and not break. Fucking pendejo."

Josh frowned. "I have my extra one if you need it. I know your family can't afford one if it does break so you can have it."

Lina smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thanks, dude," she paused and looked at Tyler. She made a face. "Damn, Ty. Sleep okay? You look exhausted."

Tyler scowled. "I slept fine," he tightened his grip on his backpack straps. "I'm going to the bathroom," he told them bitterly before walking off.

"What crawled up his ass and died?" Lina asked.

Josh shrugged. "No clue. He's been like that since I picked him up this morning."

"Is he mad at you?"

"I don't think so. Even when he is mad at me he ignores me for five minutes before crying because he feels bad for ignoring me."

"Huh," Lina responded in confusion. "Maybe it's because his parents split. When my tía and tío divorced my cousin got into a fight at school because he was dealing with all this pent up anger."

"That could be it..."

Lina pat his shoulder. "I'm sure whatever it is will pass. It's Tyler. He always looks at the positive side of things. He'll be fine."

She began walking into the school and Josh followed behind. He let her words play over and over in his head.

He just sure hoped she was right.