Delinquent •Joshler•

Chapter 9: Choices

"Oh my God Tyler what happened to you?!" Jenna said running up to Tyler in the school hallway and hugging him tightly. Josh sighed and rolled his eyes. "What did you do?" Jenna spat glaring at Josh. The first bell rang.

"Jenna relax I'm fine. Just a few stitches and a sprained ankle. It wasn't Josh's fault." Tyler sighed and placed a hand on Jenna's shoulder. "I swear I'm fine."

"This is the kind of things I was talking about Tyler. I find it hard to believe if Josh wasn't here this wouldn't have happened.." Jenna said angrily, still staring at Josh directly in the eyes. Josh gritted his teeth and glared back at her.

"Stop Jenna please." Tyler said with tired eyes.

Jenna sighed and stepped back nodding. "I'm sorry Tyler. Just please take care of yourself. If you ever need help don't hesitate to call me. Last year-"

"Things have changed since last year Jenna. I would like it if you stopped bringing that up. I know you're worried but I just don't like talking about it." Tyler grimaced. Josh glanced at him curiously as Tyler began walking away. Josh glared at Jenna before following behind. Jenna just stood in the hallway clutching her books.

"Too bad you can't play basketball for the rest of season." Josh said sitting in front of Tyler in class. People were staring at the bruises and stitches that littered both of the boys' bodies.

"Yeah I guess. It got kind of boring playing basketball really. I don't really think it's my thing." Tyler sighed and chewed on his pencil eraser. Nick walked over and his eyes widened as he saw the boot on Tyler's foot.

"Jesus Christ man what happened to you?" Nick said putting his books on his desk across from them.

"Why don't you mind your own business?" Josh glared at him and Tyler grabbed Josh's arm and shook his head. Josh turned around in his seat.

"It's nothing serious Nick. Just a sprained ankle." Tyler sighed seeing this becoming a habit of anybody who asked him about his injuries.

"Coach is gonna be pissed, you're one of our best players." Nick said sitting in his desk.

"I know. I'm not really thrilled at the idea of telling him." Tyler said slumping in his seat and propping his hurt foot on the rack under Josh's desk in front of him. "I wish I could just call but he's going to want proof that I'm injured."

"Good luck man." Nick said as the bell rang and the teacher quieted his class and began the lesson.

"I'm pretty sure you could just have your mom call him Tyler." Josh said standing with Tyler in the front of the coach's door. He could see the anxiety written all over the tan boys face.

"I'm already here let's just get this over with." Tyler said determinedly as he opened the coach's door. Josh followed behind him.

"Joseph what the hell happened to you?" Tyler's coach said as he saw the giant black boot and the stitches on his face.

"I got a sprained ankle. The doctor said I can't play the rest of the season." Tyler said anxiously. He felt Josh's shoulder brush up against his and he immediately felt better knowing he was there with him.

"Did Joshua have anything to do with this?" The coach said eyeing Josh's stitched eyebrow and bruises.

"No sir." Tyler said adamantly. He was getting pretty irritated at how everyone assumed that it was Josh's fault that he was in this state. "He had absolutely nothing to do with it."

"Well...I can't say I'm not disappointed cause I am, but your doctor said you can't play and obviously you can't." The coach sighed and typed a few things on his computer. "You still coming to the games to cheer your teammates on?"