A Newfound Home - Adopted by Josh Dun

Seventeen

V I C T Ø R I A
"Victoria!" I sat up straight and remembered I was in class.

Some of the kids snickered and I grew red, mumbling out an apology. "I'd rather you not fall asleep in my class, Victoria." Mrs. Reyes went back to teaching and I mentally screamed.

Leaving class, I heard someone call my name and I saw Tony walking towards me. "Hey. Did you not sleep well last night?"

Try getting forty-five minutes of sleep.

I fell asleep in the truck on the way back and Josh carried me into the house, where I slept for half an hour before I had to get up.

"Yeah, I just had a late night." He nodded and didn't question it anymore.

"So, another question," I motioned for him to ask. "Why does Mrs. Reyes call you by your first name? She calls everyone by their last name."

When Josh enrolled me, he told them my last name was Dun, even though he hadn't gotten the papers back yet.

I was also surprised Mrs. Reyes didn't use my last name, too.

"Maybe it's because I'm in the middle of changing my last name and she's not sure which one to use?" I wasn't fully sure what the reason was.

"Are either of your last names difficult to pronounce?" I shook my head.

"My old last name was Jones. It's pretty easy to remember and pronounce. And my new last name.." I stopped.

What if he was a fan and put two and two together?

"Is?" He was helping roll the question along. I pulled him away from the crowd and made sure no one was paying attention to us.

"It's Dun." He took a second to process that and started laughing. "Hey, just like Josh Dun- wait a minute."

His laugh turned to shock and I pursed my lips. "Are you?" He spoke in a hushed tone. I nodded.

"He, umm, he adopted me. I didn't want to say anything because I didn't know if any of you liked their music."

He smiled and put his hand on my shoulder. "Dude, it's okay. Yeah, most of us are big fans, but you can trust us."

I smiled and we walked back into the crowd to our next classes.

♡

Tony and I grabbed lunch and walked towards the table, passing Max's. He looked up and touched my elbow, grabbing my attention.

"Hey, do you wanna eat lunch with us?" I glanced at Tony and back at Max. "Sorry, I'm gonna eat lunch with them." Max nodded and we went to the table.

Joey grinned as soon as I sat down. "Tori! Friday night we're doing a movie night at my house. You should come."

I glanced back at Max and then turned around. "Can I invite Max?" His grin immediately turned into a scowl.

"Hell no. We don't like that douche-bag." I pursed my lips and looked down. Lily cleared her throat and I looked up at her.

"So, you and Tony?" I shot her a look.

"Uhh, what? What are you talking about?" She smirked. "I saw you two in the hallway earlier. You looked pretty cozy. Got something to tell us?"

Tony rolled his eyes and threw his scrunched-up napkin at her, making her shriek. "We were just talking and she was telling me something."

Lily recovered from the napkin attack, "And what is that?"

Tony and I shared a look. "Look, it's none of your business, Lil. Why are you barging in?"

She shot a glare at Tony. "We don"t keep secrets in our group!" Then shot one at me, "So spill, or leave!"

I smiled slightly. "I don't know, don't you have a big secret?" If looks could kill, she would've killed me five minutes ago.

"Shut your big mouth and leave our table, bitch. You don't belong here." My smile faltered and I grabbed my tray, doing what she asked.

"Vic, wait." Tony got up and followed me, grabbing my arm. "Don't listen to her. You do belong." I shook my head.

"I'm not doing this anymore. It's either me or her. I can't do this battle anymore." I went to leave again, but he grabbed my arm.

"At least come to the movie night?" I shrugged and he left me alone. I hurried to throw my lunch away when I heard someone calling my name.

I turned around to see Max coming up. "You're done eating? Come sit with us!" I looked behind him at his friends and back up at him.

"I don't think it's a good idea." I went to the garbage and threw the stuff away, setting my tray on top and leaving the cafeteria.

"Wait for me," Max called and I saw him running towards me, slowing his pace to match mine.

"Go sit with your friends. I'll be fine." He smiled and continued walking with me. "No, I wanna walk with you."

We walked around the halls, asking each other questions and getting to know each other.