𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑊𝑒 𝑀𝑒𝑡 • • •𝐽𝑜𝑠ℎ 𝑅𝑖𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠

🌸𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕 5: 𝑺𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔🌸

       María awoke to the sound of her alarm going off, it's Monday. She shook Josh who was right next to her, "Josh! Wake up! I need to go to school!" "Oh crap, what time is it?" Josh said groggy. "It's 6:30, I need to get ready for school! Will you drive me?" María said to him in a calm voice. "Sure babe. Is your school close?" Josh replied smiling and sat up to hug María. "Kinda, it's ten minutes away, is that ok?" "Yeah totally! When does it start?" He kindly responded. "It starts at 7:30. I need to get ready!" María started to get out of bed, but Josh clung onto her. "Nooo, five more minutes please!" Josh said to her. "Josh I'd love to, but I need to get ready." "Oh ok." Josh said to her while she got out of bed and headed into the bathroom. Meanwhile, María picked out a cute outfit that consisted of a plain white, v neck T-shirt, medium wash ripped jeans, a Tommy Hilfiger jacket, a black belt, and some white Nike AirForce shoes. She put on light makeup and styled her hair in soft, beach waves. After brushing her teeth, she went to get her backpack from her room and saw that Josh was sitting on the edge of her bed on his phone waiting for her. "Alright Josh, I'm ready!" María smiled and exclaimed. "Took you long enough! You look beautiful." Josh stood up and gave María a kiss and a hug. They went downstairs to find María's mom and siblings eating breakfast. "Mamá, Josh is going to drive me to school, is that ok?" María asked her mom. "Of course! Make sure to take something with you two to eat!" María and Josh agreed and both took a granola bar. "Have a good day! Josh, are you coming back here after you drop her off?" Her mom asked. Josh went closer to her and said quietly "After I pick up a little gift for María." María's mom smiled and patted his shoulder. "Ok. María, have a good day!" María looked back at her mom. "I'll try mom, I'm not making any promises." María replied, sounding very sad. Josh walked next to her and took her hand as they went in the garage. "Josh, I'll tell you in the car." María almost whispered to Josh. "Ok, beautiful."

       Josh and María got into her charcoal Volkswagen Jetta. María gave him the key and turned the car on. "Let's play some music." Josh said as he turned on 'Come on Eileen' by Dexy's Midnight Runners. "So, basically at school I get bullied a lot by a group of girls; almost harassment. They pick on me for the clothes I wear, the music I listen to, how I look, my personality, almost everything. My mom says they're just jealous, but I don't think so. I'm lucky to still have friends after a rumor they spread around the whole school about me..." Josh looked at her with pity. "Is it okay if I ask what the rumor was about?" "Yeah, basically one of the girls, her name is Emma, said that I was a prostitute and sold drugs. Nobody talked to me, except my friends. I kept my head down and wore the same black hoodie and sweatpants, well, until today. Now that I'm with you, I feel more confident and free to be myself without anyone judging me." Josh looked at her with the saddest, loving, most pitiful expression anyone could have. He smiled at her and said, "I'm glad that I've helped you, I love you, even though we've only known each other for 4 days, I love you. Nobody should treat you that way, not on my watch. The next time somebody says something to you like that, ignore it, think of us, together like we were yesterday and Saturday." He said to her with so much love and happiness. "Ok, Josh. I love you too." María said, smiled, then held his hand. The song 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' by Elton John and Kiki Dee came on. Josh sang Elton's part and María sang Kiki's part. Right before the song ended, Josh pulled up to María's school. "Love you! Try to have a good day." Josh told her before she got out of the car. "I'll try, mi amor." María replied as she kissed him on the lips before getting out of the car. "I'll text you. Love you!" She said before she closed the car door. Josh smiled and pulled away. Leaving María to try and get to her friends without being seen by the mean girls. Unfortunately, she was heard by them and they walked over to her. A blonde, skinny girl wearing a tacky hot pink crop top and a matching plastic mini skirt called Amy eyed her up and scowled at her along with her "friends" Crystal, Jessica, Emma, and Brittany. "So, whore, who were you yelling to? Huh? Your new sugar daddy?" Amy sneered and laughed with her disciples. María was thinking about what Josh said to her a little bit ago. She rolled her eyes and tried to walk past them, but Crystal and Jessica blocked her from trying to leave. "Where do you think you're going? Slut." Emma shouted at her and pushed her back. "It's really hold of you to wear something like that today. Did your sugar daddy get you those shoes? 'Cause you surely couldn't pay for them yourself. And your jeans, Jesus, you sure are a slut." María was getting so mad at them 'How DARE they talk about Josh like that!' She thought. "Leave me alone! I have no idea why you're even concerned with me? Just stop wasting your time." She snapped back. "Well we're, first of all, we don't even care about you; second of all you've got a sugar daddy that's probably twice your age; and third, we like picking on sluts just like you who think they're all that." María was seeing red now. She pushed between them and walked off to class. The mean girls muttered curse words under their breath and pulled out their juuls and starting juuling. María immediately started texting Josh what happened. To which he replied "I'll make sure you get an extra amount of hugs and kisses when you get home! Love you!" María smiled to herself and responded with. "Thanks mi amor, love you too!" And she headed off to class.

       She had no morning classes with her friends, and used that to her advantage. Her friends were very, if one would say, talkative and tried to start a conversation with her any chance they could. María loved this but, she thought it was kinda disruptive. She made sure to pay attention in her classes and get straight A's. She finished her morning classes and headed to lunch. She sat with her friends and they asked her all about Josh. Chelsea checked her phone and saw that Josh had posted another picture; the first slide was of him walking on a sidewalk in a city, the second one was of him and María in the elevator at the hotel where the meet and greet was. The caption was "Going to buy something special for mi amor." and he tagged María. The girls squealed and almost jumped out of their seats. "Omg! How did you get so lucky María! He's perfect!" Lavender yelled, almost so the whole lunch room could hear.

       Meanwhile; the mean girls were looking at their Instagram and saw Josh's new post. They instantly got jealous and Amy clicked on the user tagged. She gasped and showed it to her minions. They gasped too; "Ladies, we need to talk to someone." They agreed and went to ring María.

         María called Josh and tried to get some info on her surprise gift. She put him on speaker so her friends could listen and talk to him. They were so immersed in the conversation they didn't even hear the mean girls walk up to them. "So, he's your new sugar daddy huh slut?" Amy sneered. "Josh I need to call you back, love you." María said to Josh quietly. "No, beautiful, let me talk some sense into them, can I?" Josh asked, clearly enraged. He was pissed already that she called María a slut. 'How dare she have the AUDACITY to call my princess a slut!?!' Josh thought. "He wants to talk to you." María said shyly to Amy. "Whatever, slut, he probably wants to ditch you after he saw me." Amy snarled and flicked her over-hairsprayed blonde hair. "Hi Josh! It's so great to meet you! Do you want my number?" Amy said in a high pitched fake voice. "Yeah yeah, cut the crap. Why would I want your number after you called mi amor a slut?! You should be ashamed of yourself! Putting other people down to make you feel better about yourself; that is the most immature and terrible thing to do. I never want either of you to talk to me, María, or her friends ever again! If I ever hear of you talking crap about anyone ever again I will make sure you won't. You hear me?!" The girls' face grew pale as everyone around them heard what Josh had said to them. They turned a dark shade of red as everyone started to laugh at them. "Everything alright love?" Josh said sweetly to María. "Yeah, thanks mi amor. I need to get to class. See you later, love you!" María responded. "Love you more! Bye" Josh said then hung up. In that moment, she knew Josh really loved her. It wasn't in his personality to yell at someone.

     María finished all of her classes. During the rest of the day, people who heard them were asking if it was really Josh Richards, she sweetly replied by "Yes, check his Instagram!"

       Josh was standing by María's car in the parking lot, waiting for her to get out of school. As soon as María saw him, she ran to him and gave him a huge hug and kiss. "Thank you, I love you so much!" María said to him. "Of course, I needed to do what was necessary. I have a little surprise for you too!" María and Josh got in the car and he handed her two beautifully wrapped boxes. In the first box, was a box of chocolates. "After the incident, I would figure that you might want those!" "Thank you Josh, you're right." María opened the second box. Inside was a ring, encrusted with tons of diamonds, it was a promise ring. "Josh, omg, you really shouldn't have!" "Do you promise to never leave me, to stay by my side through thick and thin? Because I never will!" "Of course Josh!" María said and kissed him deeply.
———————————————————————
Wow, another chapter? That is so unlikely lmao. I hope you've enjoyed this story so far! Have a great day! (Word count: 1844) 🌸