Worth Fighting For | Book #1

Chapter 41

Since the plane journey, Josh and I had remained apart. I managed to keep a distance between us, emotionally and physically, not knowing what to do with the information that he told me. To most people, it would just sound like Josh was telling me about his break up. But to me, it was very different. He was telling me as if I was right about something, as if he needed to prove something to me.

Which is why I stayed away from him as much as I could over the course of the first day. There was an obvious tension in the air that nobody dared to address or even tempt to question. Josh seemed to be talking to and getting along with everyone like usual, except for me.

"Harvey told me why Claire didn't come." Valentina was lightly applying make up to her face as I straightened parts of my hair that I knew would become frizzy with the heat anyway. "She and Josh broke up two days ago. But Josh won't tell anyone why."

"I bet she broke up with him." April was already changed and ready, patiently waiting for the both of us. "Probably couldn't sit through his anger issues anymore."

"He doesn't have anger issues." I was always finding myself defending the one person that would no longer defend me.

"You get the most of it from him, Savannah."

"He doesn't have anger issues."

Sure, Josh was easily riled up, like most people our age. But I knew what he was like and I knew who he was. "You still like him, don't you?" Valentina stopped her make up momentarily to ask, looking at me through the mirror in front of her.

I shook my head, not granting the spoken answer as a lie and turned around to continue my hair, without the eyes of Valentina and April, scrutinising my features.

Once we were all finally ready for our first night, there was still an unreadable silence between Josh and I.

I'd attempted to drown out the uncertainty with alcohol, but even I knew that it was probably a bad idea with my established track record. "Don't get too far ahead of yourself." Tyler mentioned as he brought our drinks together and winked towards me.

He was stood beside me at the bar we'd found close to our hotel, while Josh sat with Harvey and Valentina, and Henry, April and Tom gathered by the pool table. "I think I need it."

"And why is that?"

I raised my eyebrows to Tyler, hoping he'd understand exactly why. But then I realised that I hadn't told him a thing about me and Josh, and something was telling me that Josh hadn't told him either. He was completely in the dark since I'd somewhat abandoned our friendship.

But it was still the last thing I wanted to talk about, even with the alcohol I was now consuming to somehow blur it all. "It doesn't matter." I rested my chin onto my palm before turning back to Tyler again. "I think I'm just very ready to finish high school now."

"Now that, I can agree with."

Our conversation felt forced, as if Tyler was keeping something from me. But I knew that it was probably my mind playing tricks on me, making me think that everyone was going to treat me the same way Josh was managing to.

However, despite this, I was still determined to speak to Josh again tonight. I knew I was only hitting the surface of the walls I had been attempting to break through since our first words spoken to each other.

We soon moved on from the quieter bar to a place a little louder, allowing for people to dance as well as drink.

April's vow of sobriety had ended rather quickly as I watched her dance with Henry, holding onto him for support. I'd be rather surprised if there wasn't a drunken mistake made by either one of them this week, and I knew that I'd be the last to stand in their way.