UPDATED: 03/08/18
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It takes me three times of rereading to process Rylie's letter. Surely it can't be true, right? Thinking back to our last summer as friends, I realize it could definitely be true. Not only was her dad never out of the house, he hardly even left his room. There were points where her mom would be asleep on the couch, most likely to not contract anything. Obviously there was a problem but I never thought something severe was going on. Was I not paying enough attention? Tears begin rolling down my cheek, my mind overwhelmed with thoughts of how I should've made sure she was okay, made sure she wasn't isolating herself for no good reason. I really wasn't there for her.

Suddenly there's an extremely loud sound interrupting my thoughts and signaling the end of free period. Unlocking the stall and walking out I look into the mirror covering the far wall. My face doesn't seem too puffy so I start the walk to my last class of the day.

Sitting in English I realize that the single missing chair belongs to Rylie. My heart hurts for her and her family. Used to, I was practically her sibling, another part of her family, yet now I barely know who she is.

Forcing myself to pay attention is extremely difficult but I manage to do it. About halfway through the class the door opens and a kid walks in carrying a backpack. There's only a half hour left of the day so I don't see why you wouldn't just skip, plus I don't recognize him. He mumbles something to the teacher, who in response looks around before pointing to the empty desk that sits besides me.

"Class, we have a new student," the teacher explains, "meet Josh Maryter."

Josh, while he may seem like a stereotypical high school jock, right off the bat I could tell there was more to him than that description. With blonde hair and blue eyes, standing at around six feet tall, he definitely had the looks going for him. He was skinny and for once in my lifetime I didn't feel like that needed to be a competition. Comparing myself to others was something I did extensively and it had definitely had a negative impact on me, yet when I looked at him I didn't do that, instead I just looked him over. Before I can process what's actually happening, he extends a hand. The polite gesture isn't a common greeting between two high school students.

"Hi I'm Josh, I may not know your name yet but maybe I should skip to the part where I ask for your number first."

Word for word, that's how he starts a conversation. Even if it's bold and kind of creepy, I smile. Before I know it were talk the entire hour, which with me being who I am, that's surprising. When the bell rings signaling the end of the school day, I'm honestly a little upset. After a quick goodbye to a new friend I start walking towards my car.

I had compared schedules with Josh and found out we have three classes together, plus lunch. Two of those classes were ones I also shared with Rylie. The feeling in my gut told me that things were about to get a whole lot more interesting, the only problem was that I couldn't tell if it'd be in a good way or a bad way.

As soon as I get home I call Rylie. One... two... three rings later it goes to voicemail and I leave a short message apologizing for the past three years. Not long after I hang up, my phone buzzes. Odd, seeing as I never get any texts since everyone knows I don't care about their pathetic drama. Looking at the notification, I'm a little shocked.

"Unknown: hey, it's Josh Maryter from your English class"

No idea how he got my number I quickly respond in confusion. My initial thought is that he's just the kind of person to come off as flirty with everyone. Ten minutes later though he's asking if I want to go to a party with him that one of his friends from his old school is throwing. Even offering to give me a ride, I know it's specifically with me, he can't have multiple girls hiding in his car for him to flirt with, right?

After getting it allowed by my mom, I decide I'll go with him. Sliding on my favorite oversized hoodie and comfy leggings, I sit in the living room to wait for him. At exactly seven o'clock my doorbell rings, the door opens to a complete different Josh than I had seen earlier. His jeans and Vans sneakers had been replaced by sweats and Jordan's. Earlier his hair was neat, all pushed to one side, yet now it was messed up and going in every direction. It's hard to even describe but while he still looked attractive, he seemed so much messier than he had been earlier. My first impression had been that he'd be the popular jock yet that's not how he had seemed at school, the Josh standing in my doorway though might fit that description perfectly.

Opening my door for me to get into his car before getting in on the other side, he smiles at me and explains just how happy he is to have me coming along. Apparently his old friends got pretty concerned that he wouldn't fit in or make friends at a new school, so it meant a lot that he could already prove them wrong. Our conversations naturally flow and I almost forget that there's a destination to be reached at the end of the ride.

"That hoodie looks a little big on you, what's his name?'

The question throws me off before I realize that Josh has assumed that I have a boyfriend. As I explain to him that I purposely bought it big and I don't actually have a boyfriend, I can see that perfect smile growing across his face. After about another twenty minutes or so we arrive at a humongous house. Just from the outside there's three stories worth of windows and it looks like there could be even more than that. For the first time today I realize that the only person I'm going to know at this place is the person I met earlier today. Quickly praying that Josh is nice enough to not leave me alone, I get out and join him in walking up the long driveway. Once we enter the house I automatically regret this decision. Everyone is standing around with food, drinks, obviously some alcohol, and a few are even smoking. So many calories, so many plates and cups, so many bad choices. Josh senses my discomfort and suddenly intertwines his hand with mine. My immediate reaction is to of course pull away, yet he had a calming effect on me. Before I know it were back to a conversation, still holding hands and swaying to the music.

"Ann Niton, I think you and I are gonna get along well"

Even though I know he's sober, he sounds like a drunk girl loving up on a random guy. Our conversation leads to an awkward place, his flirty comments become more common and I don't know what to do. Before anything else can happen though, my phone rings. The caller ID reads Rylie, a picture from years ago going along with it. Looking around for a quiet place I answer, trying to signal what's happening to Josh.

Rylie tries to talk to me for a bit but soon realizes it's extremely difficult to hear me. After questioning where I am and being surprised when the answer is a party, she tells me to call her back in the morning. I agree and begin walking back over to Josh, noticing a red solo cup in his hand. Now he actually is drunk and doesn't just seem like it. In my mind I just think of how great that is, now I'm stuck here with the drunk person as my ride. Approaching him, a smile sparkles on his face, his speech is getting slurred and his walking gets thrown off. As I reach out to steady him I hear the one sentence I never imagined hearing in high school, and definitely not tonight.

"Wanna go back to my place cutie?"
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NEXT UPDATE: 03/16/18