The Poetry Journal

Josh

Josh's POV

"Who is she." Josh thought.  He'd done a ton of research, and even tried to hack into the school's  database like on those television shows, but that epically failed. He did, find out her last name but the girl had no online presence and no one at school knows her.

"Who is who?" Asked a tall boy with huge biceps, Joshes brother Carter. Carter was the more handsome of the brothers with his sandy blond hair and mischievous smile, he was was a playboy all around, while Josh on the other hand had brown hair and thick rimed glasses, was not. 

If you didn't know better you would claim that the two of them weren't brothers at all. "Let me guess, you have a crush on a girl and are trying to find out more about her. Josh you need to just go ask her." Carter said. Carter was your typical high school quarterback.  He was a good six feet tall and a total womanizer.  

"What?! No. I don't have a crush on Anne!" Josh immediately regretted his words.  

"So that's her name. Okay I want to meet her." Carter said with a smile.

 "Absolutely not. I don't even know her that well." Josh said panicking. 

"Fine. Get to know her better and when you do I'll meet her and decide if she's good enough for you or if she should get with me."  Carter was convinced that every girl in the school was head over heels for him and had no manners whatsoever.

 "Carter!" 

"Well. What can you do about it? Girls love me." Josh sighed. Josh used to have a girlfriend but his brother decided that she was  hot and convinced her to dump Josh for him.  They barely lasted a week.

"Anne is not going to be my girlfriend." Josh said. 

"Well if she's hot then she'll be mine."

 "She's not that type of girl. Anne's different."  

"we'll see little bro, we'll see." Carter got up and left the room.

 "Anne's different." Josh told himself "She's different."

***

"Anne! Hey Anne. Please don't kill me! I've got to tell you something important." Josh called. "What do you want?" Anne asked 

"Do you know my brother? Carter?" 

"Carter. You mean that horrible oaf?" Anne asked. "Yes." Josh breathed a sigh of relief, she was different. "He wants to know if he could talk to you." 

"Why?"

 "No clue. Anyway could you meet him in the art room after school?" 

"Yeah. Sure. If it means he won't hit you." Nobody ever suspected that Carter beat up Josh, but it happened time and time again.  Carter was sometimes the loving older brother that everyone wanted and other times he was an abusive bully.

"Wait how did you know what he was going to do if I didn't get you.  and why do you care if he does?" Anne felt her face go bright red. "I don't. I'm just curious about what your brother wants from me. And you have a bruise on your collar bone.  I figured from the way he always bosses you around, he beat you up.  My mom used to be a nurse,  I could get her to look at it for you." Josh looked at his collar bone, and sure enough, there was a purple mark.  He buttoned the uniform all the way up so the ugly mark was out of sight.

 "Oh. I'm fine, but thank you.  Carter just gets a little violent on occasion.  Really only when he doesn't get what he wants."

"Are you sure you're okay?"  Her eyebrows furrowed in concern. 

"Yeah.  I'm sure.  Bye Anne."

"Bye Josh."

***

Anne's POV

"Hello." Anne called into the dark room. Maybe I'm early she thought.  She looked around the room and saw someone huddled in the back. But when she came closer she realized it was just the dummy used for sewing. Footsteps echoed  in the hallway. Anne hid behind a chair and listened. Carter  and Josh entered the room.

 "I told you she wouldn't show up!" Carter shouted. He pulled his arm back prepared to punch Josh but Anne stood up first.

 "I'm here." she said. Carter pushed Josh to the floor and ran his hand through his hair.   Josh scrambled away.

 "You must be Anne. Josh talks about you a lot."

 "He dose?" Anne felt her face go red. "So Anne, I invited you here today to talk."

 "About what?" She came out from her hiding place.

"About you and Josh." 

"Me and Josh?"

 "Yes. Are you a couple?" 

"Me and Josh a couple? No!" Although she didn't say it aloud, Anne kinda liked the idea of her and Josh. Ugh. What was she thinking! 

"So your available?" Carter asked with a mischievous smile on his face. He took a few steps closer to Anne. She backed away but bumped into a desk. Carter came closer and closer until they were separated by a breath. As Carter leaned in to kiss her Anne kneed him in the stomach, pushing him back.  She punched him across the face and bolted out of the room. She ran three blocks north, through the park and into the graveyard where she finally stopped to catch her breath. "Hey Anne." said Josh as he sheepishly came out from behind a massive gravestone shaped like a church. "So you are  stalking me! Wait. Are you going to try and kiss me to?"

 "He tried to kiss you?!"  Josh exclaimed "Yes." 

"Anne I'm sorry. I should have never let you go meet him. I should have known." 

"It's fine Josh, just as long as he doesn't come after me." Anne looked around. "I should get home. Tell your brother that if wants girls to kiss him, he should  make sure they like him first." 

"Will do. See ya Anne"