Joshua Suit

hannah--parks-deactivated201609

Well, it's been pretty quiet lately...

Aw, poor Josh. You’ve got some bad luck, it seems.

Looks like it, huh? I went from having a ton of friends to not being able to find... well, any of them. Weird how things change.

Well, it's been pretty quiet lately...

Figures Coach lets up on practice when everyone else is out doing other stuff, I guess...

nicolegardener

I've never been so bored..

Anyways, hello.

Aw, boredom. That's a shame. What's up, Nic?

Smiling and perky as always, I see.

Decided against going to classes today.

You’re so sensitive, my god. Off campus just about every weekend, yupp. Is that bad? Everything’s fine with Jack and I. Why? What’s got you so concerned?

Sensitive or...obersvant?

Your claws have been out for weeks, Ash. That's why I'm concerned. You sure everything's good? You used to like... trust me or something, remember that?

Decided against going to classes today.

Ah, the whole point of me not going to class is not learning. I don’t want to learn. That’s because I’ve either been off campus or hiding, to be honest. Nothing’s up though.

Ohp. Ouch. Going to crawl back to the rock I'd been hiding under.

Off campus though? Is everything good with you and Daniels? I know I'm not one of your galpals or anything, but I'm just...concerned.

Decided against going to classes today.

Not even sorry.

Lucky for you, I took notes and can provide them for a small price.

Kidding, kidding. But what's been up, Ash? I feel like I haven't seen you in ages.

I'm Looking For My Cat.... || Joshie

Watching a grin spread across Josh’s face, Josie couldn’t help but let her features mirror his. Her fake pout soon turned into a smile that made her cheeks ache, but Josie found herself not caring. The feeling she got around Josh made her so indescribably happy. Then, Josh’s laugh broke the silent air in the library, and Josie nearly jumped at the sound. She had never heard him sound so…. happy, before. Genuinely happy. In that moment, Josh seemed so carefree and so calm, like he didn’t have anything to worry about.

The laugh soon infected Josie, and she let a laugh also cross her lips. She could feel her walls finally crumple, and she gave into the feelings she got around Josh. The happiness, the joy, how all her worries just seemed to fade away. He had finally broken her walls, and Josie surprised even herself with the realization. But it was Josh, and she had trusted him with everything. “Well then, I might have to get a few tips from her. Maybe then, I can get the whole football team wrapped around my finger.” She said, jokingly.

“Of course it doesn’t bother me.” Josie said, shaking her head. She was glad that it didn’t bother Josh. It was the one thing that made her feel special at the school. It made her feel like maybe someone actually was watching out for her. Watching him turn his eyes away, Josie wondered what he had implied with the question, and if it could actually mean something deeper, for both of them.

Josie couldn’t find the words to answer his next question. More than friends? Why would Josh want to be more than friends? I didn’t think he actually…. Josie found her thoughts become jumbled and confused. Looking at him with a confused look, she noticed that Josh’s face was red, and she could feel her own face turning the same color. Listening to him stumble over his words, Josie found herself smiling once again. The Valentine’s Dance, as she knew, was coming up, and she didn’t have a date yet. Although she was planning to let Cupid pick a date, she would much rather go with Josh. “Of course Joshie. Why would I say no?” She said, grinning. Acting on a whim, she leaned forward and pecked his cheek softly, her own cheeks turning red. “I’d love to go with you.”

I'd love to go with you.

The words were still echoing in Josh's head as a slow smile crept upon his face. Still momentarily stunned, Josh was abruptly brought out of his stupor when he felt the light pressure of Josie's lips against the skin on his cheek. His lips pressed together as he attempted (in vain) to suppress his smile. "I... I'm glad," he said, his voice a bit hoarse. He cleared his throat before continuing, "I just, I don't know. Someone else could've asked you or you could've had plans to go with friends or something " he mumbled, making excuses for himself. The amount of relief he was feeling was overwhelming and, as if to get the point across, he let out a large sigh.

"I've, uh, never been to a school dance before," he admitted, a bit uneasily, as he gave her a sheepish smile. "I might have fancy footwork on the field, but I don't know if I'll be so graceful on a dance floor," he said with a laugh. Aside from the occasional family wedding where his mom would drag him onto the dance floor in attempts to make him more cultured, Josh was pretty clueless when it came to dancing. But, he reasoned, slow dancing seemed easy enough. If the night even works out, he thought with a nervous shake of his head.

His realization of being completely unprepared for it hit him hard. "My mom can, uh, send up something nice for me to wear," he said, a pleased smile fighting for dominance with the insecurity and nervousness he felt. "Do I, uh, match what you're wearing or something?" His hand went to scratch the back of his neck and he hoped she found his confusion...endearing rather than off-putting. "If I'm over thinking this whole thing, just let me know," he laughed, this one coming easier. "I just want to make sure that I... I do this right," he said with a smile. On a whim, he leaned forward like she had and reached out gently with his hand. In one small motion, he guided her head closer to his and pressed his lips lightly on her forehead. "I'm just...so glad you said yes," he said, his voice coming out as a whisper.

nicolegardener

Of course,

I was exhausted until I got to my dorm.

Wait... what? You're confusing me, Nic.

I'm Looking For My Cat.... || Joshie

As Josh mentioned he was glad to hear she was better, Josie couldn’t help but let a grin spread across her features. She knew that Josh was there with whatever, and it was nice to have him. He was like her anchor, he kept her rooted to the ground, and never let her drift away. Josie found herself always going to him for help, and she found herself trusting him more and more each minute she spent with him. There was just something about him that made Josie feel like she could trust him.

Josie couldn’t help but let her smile continue as Josh spoke highly of the boys on his team. She knew what it was like, to have that feeling of family within a group like that. Obviously, if Josh was practicing that much, he must be good. “Oh come on Joshie.” She said, giving him a grin. “I know you would’ve made the team, even if you weren’t as awesome as you are. You’d just bat those eyelashes and everyone would get hypnotized by those eyes of yours.” She said, opening her eyes wide, putting on a a frown, and batting her eyelashes.

When Josh mentioned Aaron, Josie wondered if she should tell him about what Aaron had really said to her. Apparently, all the guys had been giving Josh crap about calling her Kitten, and Josie felt kind of bad. But, Aaron had continued to say that Josh liked her, or at least from what he could tell. The thought unsettled Josie a bit. Not because Josie didn’t like Josh, but because she thought it strange that he would like her. She was the quiet one, the one who never got noticed. Why would Josh, the popular football player take a special interest in her.

“Oh, well, he told me that if you ever acted out of line, that he’d teach you a lesson. But, between us, I don’t think he could ever take you.” Josie said, letting a smile and a laugh loose. “Other than that, not much. He just told me you catch a lot of crap in the locker room about calling me Kitten. I told him you didn’t mean it in a ‘boyfriend-girlfriend’ way, but that it was from a TV show. I mean, if they’re really bothering you, you can just call me Josie. That’d probably get them to shut up.” Josie said, shrugging, then, she remembered another thing Aaron had told her. “Oh yeah, and apparently, word got out around the football team that I know the game….” She said, winking at Josh. “I wonder how that happened…”

bckybarnesmoved-deactivated2013

Batting his eyes in the same teasing way Josie did, Josh did his best impression of puppy dog eyes, unaware if he was pulling it off or just looking ridiculous. "Like this?" he asked with a grin before switching to an exaggerated pout. With a trembling bottom lip and his eyes opened wide, he gazed over at Josie, mirroring her expression until a wide grin made its way back on his face. "You're too good at that," he said with a laugh and a shake of his head, waving his arm at her. "I know 'Kitten eyes' isn't a term like 'puppy dog eyes' are, but you better be careful. I don't think I could say no to that face." He said it with a small laugh before turning his gaze away, his reddening cheeks embarrassing him.

When Josie said Josh could take Aaron in a fight, Josh let out a loud, deep laugh. The sound of it surprised him for a moment, causing him to laugh even harder. It was a bit disorienting for him to be opening up like this with someone--especially someone he hadn't known for very long. But he was so...calm. So comfortable. The sound of an unrestricted laugh resonated within him long after the sound had stopped. "I think the only person that can take on Bowen is Vicky," he said with an amused shake of his head. "And he probably wouldn't even want to admit to that." He gave Josie a sideways glance and added, "No one wants to admit that their biggest weakness is a girl," he added with a small smile.

Josh's smile slowly faded when Josie started talking about the nickname he'd given her and a slight frown took its place. "It's not bothering me," he said honestly, his face open. He was a bit taken back and couldn't stop himself from asking, "...does it bother you?" The nickname, he thought, had been something fun between them but second thoughts started pulling at him. "The guys would find one thing or another to tease me about," he said with a small shrug. His gaze travelled to the floor then back up at Josie.

With a deep steadying breath, he awkwardly continued. "W-would it bother you if it was?" he asked, wincing when he realized he didn't make any sense. His gaze remained glued to the ground. "If it was something like... m-more than just friends?" His cheeks burned with embarrassment as he trampled clumsily into new territory and he snuck a very small glance up at Josie to try and gage her reaction. "I-I mean, there's, uh... there's that Valentine's dance and I-I..." He paused to collect himself and cleared his throat. "I'm pretty sure Haley would sign me up for the matching thing but I kind of... wanted to pick for myself, you know?" He was floundering through this but kept going, despite the crash-and-burn situation. "And, I was wondering if you would go. Uh, with me. If you want to." He let out a small laugh at his own expense and peeked up at her again. "And it's totally fine if you say no," he stammered quickly, "I just thought that... I don't know. It might be fun with you..." Positive that his face couldn't turn any redder, Josh decided to shut up at risk of saying anything dumb and, instead, waited for Josie's reaction.

#tehehehe

Well guys... I "slept through" my alarm this morning.

AKA: I woke up but then decided--fuck it.

No morning run for this kid today. So...now what?

#starter

So lets just say theoretically that something was going to happen to Josie, Nikki or Alina. Who would you protect?

All of them. Because I won't let anything happen to any of them.

I can't play this game.

I'm Looking For My Cat.... || Joshie

Josie gasped a bit as Josh grabbed her hands and wrapped them around himself. Although he caught her by surprise, Josie found herself not caring. She didn’t know exactly what spurred her newfound closeness with Josh, but she didn’t want to question it, and she found herself liking it. Her chin easily found Josh’s shoulder, so Josie rested it there. Josie hoped that no one saw their closeness, as Josh had been catching a lot of crap about her lately. Josie felt bad about it, but Josh always shook it off.

When he released her arms, Josie took a second before she stepped back from Josh, and immediately occupied the seat next to him. She placed the strap of her bag over the back of the chair, and turned to face Josh, her legs crossed. When Josh noted her coat and scarf, Josie laughed. “Hey, I don’t have enough hair to keep me warm.” She said, reaching out and rumpling his thick, dark hair. “So I have to use other means.”

Watching Josh take his books and push them back into his bag, Josie realized that he had been studying, and that she had interrupted. She could only imagine the time that football took up, and how little time he must have to study. Listening to his joking tone though, Josie smiled over at him. When he stretched and yawned, Josie covered her mouth as to not let out a laugh. Shrugging, Josie ran her fingers through her loose curls.

“I’ve been getting better.” She said, giving him a smile. It was true. Josie was rarely haunted during the day, night was still the problem. She found herself working through the problem though, hoping that she could figure it out one day. “How about you Joshie? Coach still kicking your ass?” She asked, leaning closer so she could nudge his shoulder and then retreating back to her original position. “By the way, I talked to Aaron. He said he’d kick your butt for me if you did anything wrong.” Josie snickered, remembering Aaron’s offer.

Josh pretended to scowl when Josie ruffled his hair and made a face as he patted his messy hair back down into place. "Don't be jealous of my dashing good looks," he countered easily, a smirk still spreading across his face. "I guess my ego just keeps me warm." As soon as he said it, a bark of laughter pierced the air as Josh failed to keep a straight face through his own joke.

The two settled easily in their chairs and Josh slowly but surely felt the neverending pressures from school and football slowly, and momentarily, sliding off of his shoulders. He let out a genuine smile when Josie said she was getting better, but he reminded himself that 'better' wasn't the same as doing well. It was a comparison, not a level. "Glad to hear, Kitten," he said with a firm nod. "Glad to hear." He wanted to offer his help again but, by this point, he was pretty sure Josie knew that the offer and the option was always there

When she turned the question to him, he rolled his eyes. "Coach is always kicking my ass," he said with a shake of his head, returning her slight shoulder bump with one of his own. As a running back, Coach kept a close eye on Josh, always timing him and critiquing his speed and his positioning. "I don't know if you know Archie, our quarterback, but Coach has me and him practicing constantly. We'll run the same plays over and over while Coach shouts about muscle memory and quick thinking." Despite how tiring the memories were, Josh spoke with a slight smile. "It's ridiculous, but the guys are the best. I'm definitely lucky I made the team here."

As Josie mentioned Aaron, Josh's cheeks flushed and he turned his head, embarrassed. "Bowen mentioned he'd talked to you," Josh said, avoiding Josie's gaze. He let out a groan as his head rested on the back of the chair. The guys had often given him crap in the locker room about the girls he hung out with, Alina and Josie in particular. Aaron was pretty vocal about his preference and gave Josh crap about it...but Josh didn't think he'd actually say something to her. "W-what did he say?" he asked hesitantly, unsure if he wanted the answer. "He'd kick my ass if I did what, exactly?"

I'm Looking For My Cat.... || Joshie

As of late, Josie had been getting better with her rekindled fear. Although sleep was a rare thing, she was no longer afraid to go outside her dorm other than classes. Her daily routine was usually to get out of bed, go to classes, and then come right back and not leave her dorm. Her weakness scared her, but the fear of him scared her even more. Luckily, for her, the fearful thoughts were slowly leaving her conscience, and she was ready to go out.

When Josh asked her to meet him in the student center, Josie figured that she might as well join him. Glad for the excuse to leave her dorm, she bundled up to leave. Slipping her coat on, she wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck before heading out. When she crossed through the girl’s dorm lobby, she got a few strange looks as to why she would be headed out in the cold weather. Most people, on days like this, stayed in their dorm rooms, or in the lobby.

Walking briskly across campus, Josie noticed the lack of students walking about. The cold nipped at her nose, and that propelled her across the campus. The handle to the student center was cold, but Josie was greeted with the warmness of the inside. Unwrapping her scarf and shrugging off her coat, she placed them in her bag, and scanned the room for Josh.

She spotted him at a table in the far end of the center, and Josie tried to stealthily sneak up on him. When she arrived, she snuck up behind Josh, his dark hair filling her vision. Debating for a moment whether to do it or not, her actions jumped ahead of her brain anyways. Reaching out, she covered Josh’s eyes with her hands, and leaned forward to whisper in his ear. “Guess who?” She said, trying to eliminate the signs of laughter in her voice.