Love from the streets (A Josh Hutcherson FanFic)

Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Later in the day, at night, Josh and I look out over the landscape. I hold my knees to my chest and rest my chin on top, and Josh lays back in the grass with his knees bent and his arms under his head. The stars show a little bit, and I cannot stop staring at them. A little gust of wind blows, making me shiver.

            “Cold?” Josh asks me.

            “A little,” I respond.

            Josh makes a little gesture to get me to lie down next to him so he can wrap me in his arm, but I don’t move. “Come on,” he begs with a smile.

            I lie down next to him, and he puts his jacket on top of me. “Thanks,” I say, and wrap it around me better.

            Josh puts his arm around me too. He brings me closer, and I rest my head on his shoulder blade. “Pretty night,” he says.

            “It’s perfect,” I say.

            Josh smiles a little more, and laughs slightly. “What?” I say, laughing a little too.

            Josh looks at me, and shifts to face me better. “Sing,” he says.

            “What?...”

            “Sing! If you can whistle like you did earlier, then you can probably sing.”

            I scoff. “No. I’m not singing.”

            “Pleasssseeee?” Josh gives me puppy eyes. I laugh, and look back up at the stars.

            “What would I sing anyway?”

            “Anything.”

            There is this one song. My mother used to sing this to me when I couldn’t sleep. It’s kind of a lullaby she wrote. I think she wrote it.

“Wait, do I have to?!” I ask Josh.

“Yes!”

“Nooo.”

Josh gives me puppy eyes again. “Stooppp.” I beg, but laugh. He keeps it up. “Josh!” Josh kisses my cheek quickly, and then resumes giving me the eyes. “You are such an evil…”

“Singgg!!” he begs.

“Fine!!” I say, because I probably can’t get out of it.

I sit up a little, and get Josh to look away. I decide to sing the first part of that lullaby.

            Sleep tight; be warm

            Don’t be a afraid; we’ll get through another day

            Don’t be scared; you won’t be in any harm

            Here you’ll be loved; and here you’ll be happy

            One day you will rise

            All the days that pass; all the ones that were bad

            Will be forgotten in everyone’s eyes.

            Don’t be afraid; We will conquer another day.

I stop, and wanting to stop. I don’t want to continue. Every time the song plays out in my head I want to cry, and I just think of all those times I didn’t sleep because I was afraid. I was scared. I did have tons of bad days. I did happen to survive and barely survive lots of days. But I’ve been so afraid through nearly all of them. Surprisingly the ones I was with Josh even. Even now, I suddenly feel afraid. I suddenly feel like crying. But I don’t. I don’t care what Josh asks me to do, I’m not crying. I’m going to be strong for him. Just this once…

I catch Josh looking at me surprised. “That was so… amazing,” He says.

“I guess…,” I say, hiding the pain.

“What’s wrong?” Josh asks.

“Nothing. I’m just tired.”

“Wanna go home?”

I nod, and Josh packs up everything just as it starts raining. We run to the car, trying not to get soaked. Josh drives us back to the house, and I go to bed right away.