Kiss and Tell

Chapter 02 - A Guilt-Ridden Kiss

♥Picture on the Multimedia: Daren Kagasoff for Joshua Nicholas Lennox

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~Josh's Point of View~

Ugh.

“Do I really have to go to school? I mean, I finished trimming your lawn and it’s just my first official day here in LA, can’t I ditch school just one day?” I groaned as I finished my breakfast.

I'm officially living in the state of California with my Aunt Kris and Uncle Henry since yesterday evening. They welcomed me so "warmly" last night—well it was supposed to be earlier than that but I guess I just had another itch to go on a detour and get a drink or two. Well hey, what can I say? I was lonely.

But on the bright side, I'm sure that I'm not hangover right now. Last night wasn't that wild. Although come to think of it, the fact that I'm going to that public high school with strangers makes me want to rather have one for three straight days—a hangover I mean.

“Joshua, you’re seventeen, and in a few months you’ll be eighteen," Aunt Kris sighed exasperatedly. "Can't you grasp the fact that if it weren't for your recurring misdemeanors to your former highschool, you should be a senior by now, getting  ready for college and all. It's not exactly our fault that you have been expelled and have to repeat the drill of being a junior in high school all over again!” Aunt Kris babbled as she stood up from her chair angrily, putting her plate on the sink.

"But I never wanted to go to high school, I never wanted to actually finish highschool. I just want to go back to New York and go on with my life," I rolled my eyes and grunted impatiently.

I saw from the corner of my eye that Aunt Kris furiously threw her hands up in the air in surrender.

Well, it wasn't my fault that they have to forcedly live with a wreck like me.

Uncle Henry took this argument more calmly though. He sighed and peered at me, looking away from the newspaper he was reading, "Joshua, like your sister, your aunt and I had agreed on, we think it's best for you to have a new environment, have a new circle of friends. To forget your life back then and start a new one here with us."

Now that had me boiling mad, "What if I don't even want that? I think it's not up to you or even Juliette to have a say in the way I choose to live my life."

Uncle Henry, composed as ever, tapped on his wrist watch before saying, "If you keep on with this sensless argument, you're going to be late for your first day. Now, you wouldn't want that, would you Josh? That would cause you more trouble."

"I just don't get it why I can't skip class for just one freakin' day! I already mowed the lawn for you! That's supposed to be your job!" I felt my jaws tremble and my temples harden with pain.

Uncle Henry's patience is beginning to dissipate by the minute, "That's your punishment for yesterday's events, young man." His calm expression suddenly changed into lethal, his eyes piercing my soul like a dagger, "And for the record Joshua Nicholas, you have lost all freedom to choose for your life ever since you wasted it away for this 'coke, booze and rock'n'roll' bullshit. Don't you think we don't know."

I don't know which had taken me more by surprise, the fact that I heard saintly, old Uncle Henry swear or the fact that they knew what was actually happening to me back in New York. Maybe it was the latter, because I found my lips, in their own accord, saying, "How did you find that out?"

Uncle Henry's deadly scowl never left his face though. He put his newspaper down with a loud thud, left the table and went upstairs without a single word.