TRIGGER WARNING: Anxiety and panic attacks are still featured, though less so than in the last two chapters. Please read safely |-/

When I didn't answer him, Josh spoke again. "It's okay. I've had them before, too."

Surprise made me lift my head.

"I used to, when I was younger," Josh said through the door. I could hear him move, getting to his knees to sit with his back to the door. Wanting to be close to Josh, but afraid to be at the same time, I moved over to the door, sitting with my back to it as well. It felt like we were close, but less scary.

"Why did you have panic attacks?" I whispered.

"I was afraid of teenagers," Josh replied honestly.

I blinked. "Teenagers?"

"I know, weird, right? They just scared the living shit out of me. I don't even know why, they just did. THey looked so big and menacing, like they would chop my head off if I said the wrong thing. I couldn't imagine ever becoming one." Josh chuckled. "Thankfully, now that I've actually been a teenager, I'm over it."

I smiled slightly. "That's a little weird, Josh."

"You're weird too, Tyler. But I like weird."

We sat quietly for a few minutes before Josh spoke again.

"Do you feel any better?"

I realized that I did. Talking with somebody had distracted me from my fears. "Yeah, I do."

"Are you ready to come out?"

I felt a little bit nervous again at the thought, and hesitated with my response.

"You can sit next to me, if you want," he suggested. "If you start to feel nervous, you could, like, give me a signal, and we could take a break to get something from the vending machines down the hall."

"What kind of signal?"

"I don't know, winking?"

"Winking is the biggest giveaway to something suspicious in human history."

Josh laughed. "Well, you could pat me on the shoulder or something. That's subtle enough."

"I guess."

"Okay?"

"Okay."

I stood up, brushed myself off, hearing Josh do the same on the other side of the door. "We're still not Hazel and Augustus, you know." 

I unlocked the door, opening it to reveal a smiling Josh. "Nah, we're better."

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Art credit to pikabella