My Brother's Best Friend: a Josh Richards FanFiction -complete-

Part 17: Official?

"Tell me a little bit more about the friends that you've made since moving here."
"Yeah, absolutely. I met Addison Rae, Josh Richards, and Tayler Holder when they came to visit Maryland with Bryce on a few different occasions, and we all reconnected when I moved here. I've also been spending a lot of time with the other boys in the house, Blake Gray and Jaden Hossler the most. We had dinner on the night that I moved in, and there, I met Avani, Amelie, Cynthia Parker, Dixie, Mads, and Nessa. We all spend a lot of time together. I also met quite a few members of the Hype House last week."
"You mentioned Nessa," Jennifer began. "Our researcher discovered that there was some drama that went on between the two of you not too long ago. Can you explain that to me?"
I could feel my face get hot. I felt like I was going to be sick. "That was all pushed way out of proportion. Social media makes things look crazy. You know how it is."

Jennifer looked disappointed in my answer. "That's a fair answer. What can you tell us about Josh Richards? I saw an interview with Bryce where he was asked if you two were official."
I sighed. "Josh and I are just close friends."
Jennifer switched the topic, asking me about my different social media accounts. Shortly after, the interview was over, but the pit in my stomach remained. I thanked her again before heading back to the dressing room where Josh was waiting for me.

"That was so awkward!" I said, flopping down into a chair.
Josh shook his head. "You're being dramatic. That went really well."
"She asked me about Nessa. And you."
"It's okay. You answered perfectly. Let's get you home, okay?" I resisted the urge to slip my hand into his as we walked out of the studio. When we got back in the car, Josh turned to look at me. "Hungry?"
"Starving," I answered. Jaden had made breakfast, but I hadn't actually eaten any of it. 

We pulled into the McDonald's drive-through. "Hi, yeah, can I get a ten-piece McNuggets meal? Honey mustard, please. Sprite, please," he said, reciting my order. The fact that he even remembered gave me butterflies. 
When we pulled up to the window, the cashier stopped in her tracks. "Josh Richards?" she asked.
He chuckled lightly. "That's me."
She leaned out of the window, spotting me in the passenger seat. "Oh my God. Bailey Hall. I'm a huge fan."
Josh faked a pout. "She likes you more than she likes me."
I laughed. "Can you blame her?"
The cashier laughed at both of us. "Your meal is on me. Go ahead to the next window."
Josh shook his head. "You don't have to do that for us. We're just regular people, too."
The cashier had a stern look on her face. "Sir, your meal has been taken care of. Please drive up to the next window."
Josh sighed. "Fine, but at least let me pay for the car behind us."
The cashier sighed and took his debit card. 

When we drove up to the next window, the employee there had a similar reaction. "Josh Richards?"
"That's me."
"Can I get you anything else with your order? A few McChickens, some extra fries, anything?"
Josh shook his head. "No, thank you. You guys have been so kind to us already."
Finally, we got our order and headed back to the house. "Does that happen to you a lot?" I asked. 
He shrugged. "Sometimes. It's nice, but it can also get kind of old. The fans sometimes forget that we're just like them."
"I've never had anyone recognize me in public before."
Josh looked shocked. "How? You're Bailey Hall."
"I am? Wow."
"You know what I mean. Not only are you insanely beautiful, but you're also related to Bryce. Your content is hilarious. I've seen your fans freak out over you in the comments."
It was my turn to shrug. "I think that they just remember that I'm just like them."

We walked into the house together. "We're home!" Josh yelled. Bryce came running. 
"How did it go?" he asked, panting. 
"It was pretty good," I answered. "She asked a question about Nessa that made me uncomfortable, and one about Josh, too, but I think it went pretty okay."
"It went great," Josh interjected. "Your sister is a freaking natural."
"What can I say?" Bryce replied. "I taught her well."
"Oh, hush. You didn't even prep me for my first interview."
"It's in our blood, baby," he joked. 
I shook my head, shoving past him to sit in the kitchen. "My nuggets are getting cold."
"And he bought you lunch? What a gentleman."
"Shut up, Bryce," I said, dipping a nugget in my honey mustard. "You're gonna scare him off before we even get a chance to have anything."
Josh sat down next to me. "If you think that Bryce is gonna scare me off, you have another thing coming."

Addison walked into the kitchen. "Oh my gosh! How did it go?" I relayed the story to her quickly. "I'm sure it was great, girl. When are they putting it up?"
"It goes up tomorrow at noon."
"Um, we have to have a watch party. This is your first big interview since moving here. We have to watch it together."
Jaden entered the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge. "Watch what together?" he asked, taking a long sip of the protein shake that he had decided on. 
"Bailey's interview! It comes out tomorrow at noon."
"Guys, we really don't have to do that. I don't want you to watch me talk about you guys while I'm sitting right next to you."
"Wait, you talked about us?" Bryce asked.
"Well, yeah. A lot of her early questions were about you, Bryce, so I couldn't exactly avoid talking about you," I said, shrugging. 
"Wait, did you talk about me, too?" Jaden asked, sitting at the table with us.
I nodded. "Of course I did. You've become one of my best friends since I moved here."
Jaden wrapped me in a side hug. "That's sweet, kiddo. I appreciate that."