Us | A Stardew Valley FanFiction

Chapter 12 - Fall 16

My ears began to ring as Lewis announced first place, my mind barely registering that we had won the contest. The screams of Haley, Sam, and Alex sounded like white noise, the weight of Josh's presence dizzying me. Josh is a huge, vexing ceiling, Alex.

I could feel plaster beginning to build itself above me, my vision growing darker as the once sunny, fall day transformed into the same box I'd always been stuck in. "Oh my god," I breathed out, my stomach in knots.

"Right!" Haley screeched, grabbing my hands and spinning me in a circle. "Can you believe it? It's like a dream come true!"

Words weren't enough for my thoughts; the million different things dancing on the tip of my tongue remained unspoken.

"Sadie?" Alex called from behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders and giving them a little rattle. "Sade, are you okay?"

"The—the Joja exhibit," I choked out, my eyes glued to the pavement beneath us.

"Yeah, they thought they had us, didn't they! Jokes on them!" Sam chimed in.

"No," I croaked, burying my head in my hands. "The guy...the representative."

"Oh, him? Who cares," Haley said, her thumb running circles over my hand. "He's just some Joja corporate drone. I've seen his sorry ass before."

"What?" I snapped, the trance I was in quickly disappearing. "Like on the posters in Joja Mart or something?"

She glanced in his direction, probably trying to figure out the root of my reaction. I could feel his eyes boring into us from his position across the Square. "No, not on the posters...Why would I have—he's, like, staring at you...Sade? Is something going on?"

"That's Josh," I blurted out, almost inaudibly.

"I'm sorry, what?" Sam asked, now staring in his direction. "That's Josh? The hell is he doing here?"

"I don't know," I sighed, shaking my head. "Where have you seen him?" I said, directing my attention to Haley.

"Just around, I can't remember," she said worriedly, rubbing her temples. "It was only a few times, like, forever ago."

Wait...He hasn't been in Pelican Town since I've moved here—I definitely would've seen him. That means...No way. We never visited while we were together, and why would he have come without me? My grandpa had been dead for years, and Morris seems to be running a tight ship as far as the store is concerned. He never mentioned a business trip to Pelican Town, only to Joja Headquarters—wherever the hell that is.

"This doesn't make any sense," I said, my voice bitter. "This must be some mistake...Haley, are you sure it was him? I mean, he looks like every other guy on the face of the planet. How can you be sure?"

"I don't know, Sade, I just recognize him," she whispered, her fingers tightening around mine. "But even if I'm wrong, and he's truly never been here before...Why is he here now?"

I took a deep breath, trying to settle my now soaring heart rate. A terrible feeling welled up inside of me, traveling quickly through the entirety of my body. She's right. Joja is the richest company in the world; surely they don't need to win a small town contest to gain publicity.

"Okay, let's think about this," Alex said, the shakiness in his voice masked by the confidence of his words. "Maybe he is just on the posters. I mean, isn't he some hot shot CEO or something? If I were the CEO of Joja, I'd want my face everywhere."

"Vice President of Operations," I mumbled. He doesn't deserve to be called the CEO.

"Alright, my bad," Alex said, his hands flying upwards in surrender. "Vice President of Operations. You knew what I meant."