Worth Fighting For | Book #1

Chapter 28

Comfortable was the word I'd used to describe how I now felt as I sat down in the cafeteria after a long weekend of thinking constantly about mine and Josh's conversation.

There was no longer an overwhelming feeling of isolation that I had been experiencing recently. Everyone was enjoying each other's company until Isabella finally made her usual appearance, her eyes flashing the unfamiliarity of seeing me across the table again.

"Changed seats, have we?"

Sarcasm was obvious in the tone of her voice as I sat back, now opposite her and Josh with a spare seat I had taken from another table as to avoid the confrontation. "You had so much to say the other day, what happened? Lost your voice?"

I dug my nails tightly into my palms in order to prevent myself from snapping at her. She wasn't worth raising my voice over or even arguing with again. She was a waste of energy around me.

She hit the table suddenly, silencing almost everyone around us. "When I ask you a question, you reply. It's common fücking curtesy." I continued to let her bite as I stared at her, unwilling to let her rattle me. "I don't even know why any of these people like you."

Her footsteps grew closer as she neared my side of the table, an obvious distaste written across her features. "You can't be one person last week and this person another week, I can't begin to understand what Ryan ever saw in you."

"Shut the fück up, Isabella!" Mine and pretty much everyone else's heart stopped beating with the sheer volume and anger behind Josh's words. Isabella stared at him with a blank expression, unsure as to what to say.

"Josh, you can't be serious—"

"Nobody wants to hear your shit. Just leave her alone."

I'd never had Josh defend me in front of Isabella, and the fact that he was saying it to her face made it all that much better. She was still in shock as she hastily grabbed her bag and saved herself the embarrassment by storming out of the cafeteria.

Josh threw himself back into his seat and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I thought we'd never get rid of her." Tyler spoke up, causing all of us to attempt to hide our laughing for the sake of an angry looking Josh.

*

My body was in much more control than my mind as I climbed into my car after school and drove straight towards Josh's house. The private gate was closed when I'd arrived so I parked my car outside and stepped through the small opened gate and stood at the front door.

Josh had still been angry when he'd left school, causing my now stupid decision to see him. I'd secretly hoped that he'd opted for going anywhere else but home, giving me an excuse to never think about it again. But there were things Josh and I needed to speak about, and it was impossible to do at school.

As soon as my hand wrapped against the door and I had knocked, I knew that there was no turning back.

Before I was able to make the last ditch effort of running away from my problems, the door was pulled open with slight struggle, causing my eyes to make their way down a little lower to where a small girl was reaching up to the door handle.

Her blue eyes were almost enchanting as a nervous smile took over her features. Her chocolate brown hair was tied into two small pig tails, falling down either side of her shoulders. She visibly swallowed and stared up at me, unsure as to what to say.

"Sorry, I was just—"

"Are you Joshua's girlfriend?" Even her voice was adorable as she turned her head to the side, looking me up and down with a questioning look.