All I Wanted: A Joshayley Fanfic

Chapter 9 - The Only Exception

*HAYLEY'S POV*

"I don't like it, Hayley."

"Are you sure about this?"

"I just don't know if it's a good idea. You two haven't spoken in years..."

"Okay, okay, that's enough!" I exploded.

Jeremy and Taylor stopped talking at once. I exhaled slowly and pinched the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger. "Look, guys, I know what you're saying. I do. But Josh and I have agreed to be friends, and we're just going to take it slowly, alright?"

Taylor smirked. "Well, it looked like a little more than friendship when we walked in on you two with your arms around each other."

"Don't be stupid," I said, flushing scarlet. They guffawed at my mortification. "I told you, Jenna just had a huge go at me and Josh felt sorry about it, that's all. And besides, we didn't have our arms around each other!"

"Yeah, I know, I'm just messing with you, Hayles. I know you're with Chad. I get it."

Jeremy looked thoughtful. "I wonder what Jenna's problem is, anyway."

I sighed. "I don't know, Jerm."

Right then, I heard the sound of Jeremy's doorbell and Kat's voice. Jeremy looked round his shoulder at then back at the webcam, apologetic. "Sorry guys, Kat's back. I'll catch you later, yeah?"

"Okay. See you Jerm. Bye, Taylor."

"Bye!"

Both their screens went dark and a message popped up declaring: 'Call disconnected'. I shut down Skype and closed the my laptop, feeling deflated.

I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my head on my knees. I was sat on my bed: the covers strewn across the mattress and draping onto the floor; my old teddy bears still sitting placidly at the bedstead; a small green handmade cushion lying there that a fan had given me at a meet and greet, with the Paramore bars on it in red paint. My room looked exactly like a teenager's: dirty laundry piled everywhere, worn band posters taped to the walls, and crumpled up pieces of paper with lyrics written on them spilling out of the waste paper basket. The only thing that was kept pristine was the set of framed Paramore vinyl by the doorway.

I knew I shouldn't be letting what Jenna Farro had said yesterday get to me, but it was unavoidable. I couldn't care less about most of it - the cheap dig about my bangs, for example - but there were a few things that had a ring of truth in them, and they were the ones that hurt the most. Like what she had said about Josh not talking about me in years, and that I should leave him alone. That I was just interfering and making everything worse. Was I? Should I leave Josh Farro alone? Was that the right thing to do?

I didn't know if it was I should do, but I did know for certain that it wasn't what I wanted. Leaving Josh alone was going to take some serious willpower. I loved the feeling of having my old friend back and, though I had brushed it off in front of Taylor and Jeremy, did I feel other things for him too?

The thought of never seeing him again was unbearable. I just couldn't do it.

Just then the instantly recognisable sound of the Skype ringtone started pumping out of my sleeping laptop; I grabbed it from where I had put it on the floor, quickly logged on and saw who the incoming call was from.

Josh Farro.

"Holy crow,"' I croaked, and accepted the call.

A window popped up and Josh's voice blared out of the speakers: "Hello?"