Chapter Twenty- six, Halloween Parade, Part 1

"I haven't been feeling very inspired, lately..." Cassie muttered with a sigh.

"Really? I'm not sure if it's the leaves finally fully turning color now, but I've been super inspired," Josh retorted as he took another picture of the yellow-gold foliage in Central Park. "It's all so beautiful," He murmured as he observed the pictures he had taken.

Cassie smiled. "You're also very driven, Josh. When it's gotta get done, you get it done. You don't waste time moping around and saying you need inspiration."

Josh chuckled. "No, I have my off days. It's not every day I feel like taking pictures. There are some days where…I just feel 'off' because of whatever's going on in my life I suppose... but I'm also trying to play a bigger role next year in the club so I gotta deliver no matter how I'm feeling, you know what I'm saying?"

Cassie grinned. "True." She snapped a few pictures of a couple of birds flying overhead in the afternoon bluish sky. "Not surprised you're trying to take over the ship. With you as our captain, I'm sure the NYU Photo Journal is going to be even bigger than ever."

"Woah. I'm not trying to be president, Cass," Josh retorted. "Slow your roll, girl. I would just like to have a bigger say in some of the creative decisions we make that's all. I have a lot on my plate next year...I'll have to take the MCATS...so, maybe my Senior year, I can try for President...we'll see."

"The MCATS...that's for med school, right?" Cassie asked him.

"Yeah..." Josh muttered with a weary sigh as he knelt down and snapped a picture of a couple squirrels that were scurrying across a patch of broken, yellow leaves on the grass. "Sometimes, I wonder if I'm doing too much..." His voice trailed off.

"You ever rest? You know, take breaks?"

Josh chuckled. "I do."

"Tomorrow's Halloween! You doing anything? If not, I'm going to a party if you wanna join?" Cassie suggested.

Josh smiled. "Thanks Cass, but my Halloween is booked. My friend, Andrew, got a lot of parties lined up already...and then there's my nephew who wants me to take him trick o' treating so that's definitely happening..."

"Aww. That's so cute. How old is your nephew?" Cassie crooned.

"He's six," Josh informed her.

"Aw. Cute age."

"Yeah, he's great. His birthday is coming up soon. Anyway, then I also gotta find out what my girlfriend and her buddies are up to. So, yeah, that's my Halloween! Think I can be in three places at once?" He joked.

Cassie giggled. "Wow. Everyone wants a piece of ya, Matthews."

"No kidding," Josh mumbled.

"Well if any of those plans don't work out, you can always give me a call. I won't be offended that I'll literally be your last option for hanging out," Cassie stated.

Josh laughed. "Alright. Will let you know Cass. Wanna sit here for a sec?" He pointed to an empty bench in-front of a small playground in the park.

"Sure," Cassie responded as she snapped a photograph of a few kids that were running around in the playground.

"This is the first time I've heard you mention a girlfriend, Josh. Does this mean I get to ask about your love life, partner?" Cassie gave him a teasing grin.

Josh chuckled lightly as he fidgeted with his camera. "Depends. Does this mean I get to ask about yours?"

Cassie shrugged. "Sure. There's not much to tell. My boyfriend and I broke up Senior year of high school. We had been dating for two years at that point. It was very stereotypical. He was a football player...I was a cheerleader...that sort of thing. We broke up cos we got into different colleges...as much as we cared about each other, we knew it wasn't going to work out. So fast forward a few months since then, and here I am! Single and ready to mingle!"

"Have you tried dating at NYU?" Josh asked her curiously.

"I tried...it's hard...a lot of the guys here...they just wanna hook up," Cassie sighed. "Nobody wants a serious relationship. At least, not in Freshman year I guess..."

Josh nodded. "That is a problem," He murmured. "And it's not just Freshman boys that are like that. Trust me. You actually have to be aware of the upperclassmen. Some of them might want to take advantage just cos they know you're a naive Freshman."

"I know," Cassie muttered. "I almost got..." Her voice trailed off.

"Somebody tried to do something to you?" Josh asked her in concerned tone.

"He tried..."Cassie retorted. "I was able to fight him off...thank God..."

"Oh my God…I'm so sorry, Cass," Josh responded.

"It's ok," Cassie smiled. "Anyway, ever since that experience, I've been focusing on just making it through my Freshman year. No boys...no drama..."

"Focus on your friends and on your studies. I think that's a good way to start. There are some solid guys out there...unfortunately, it might take a while to find 'em...but you will...no need to rush..." Josh advised her.

"Or you can find 'em, but they are already taken...darnit," Cassie gazed at him.

Josh grinned. "Yeah well, there's also that," He retorted.

"So, how you met your girl?" Cassie asked him. "Told you my story, now it's your turn, buddy."

Josh smiled. "We knew each other as kids. She knew my family...I was older than her but she was-she still is-best friends with my niece so she was always around. That's how we got to know each other."

"Oh nice. So romantic!" Cassie gushed.

Josh chuckled. "It's so weird though," He muttered. "If you had told me back then that she and I would be together one day, I would have been like 'heck no. She's too young!'"

Cassie giggled. "How old is she?" She asked curiously.

"She's in high school now. A Sophomore. So do the Math," Josh informed her.

"Holy crap!" Cassie yelled. "That's insane! You're dating a high-schooler?!"

"Yep," Josh nodded.

"Wow..." Cassie murmured in disbelief. "No wonder I can't get a date. All the good guys here are dating high-schoolers. Go figure."

Josh chuckled. "How do you know I'm a 'good' guy?" He asked her with a teasing grin.

"Oh give me a break, Matthews. It's written all over your face," Cassie retorted. "You haven't tried to get into my pants yet, and we've been working on this project for almost a month now. That's pretty much how I knew."

"Oh wow," Josh retorted. "That's your definition of a good guy?"

"Pretty much, at this point," Cassie responded. "College has made me very cynical."

Josh sighed. "I'm sorry, Cass. Don't let it get to you too much. Like I said, try to focus on yourself- you know? Taking care of yourself...don't rush into anything...things will happen at the right time..."

"You really believe that?" Cassie asked him.

"Yeah, I do," Josh retorted. "Like I told you, if you had told me a year back that I would be with my girlfriend right now, I would have laughed. I wouldn't have believed it. And now...here I am..." His voice trailed off. "Life is weird like that," He muttered. "It surprises when you least expect it."

Cassie gazed at him quietly for a few seconds before she spoke.

"This girl- she's lucky to have you, Matthews. A lot of single college girls are not going to like her very much for taking you away from us," She stated with an amused smile.

Josh shook his head. "I'm not that great, Cass. You should ask my ex," He responded. "And I'm the one who's lucky to have Maya…trust me…"

Josh dropped his camera on the kitchen counter and headed over to the fridge. It was a bit early for a beer, so he grabbed the diet Coke instead. He drank half of it before checking his emails.

Dear Josh,
It was a pleasure meeting you and interviewing with you! I just wanted to let you know that we have chosen you as a finalist! Congratulations! We think you'll make a great candidate for our program. Per your request, we are willing to defer your participation for a year. So, you'll be entering the program in Spring 2018 (Spring semester, Junior year). We look forward to seeing you then in Barcelona! And should your plans change within the year, please let us know. Wishing you all the best with the rest of your Sophomore year at NYU. Ciao!

Sincerely,

Lucy Collins, NYU '10
Alumni interviewer and Recruiter, Campus Abroad, Spain.

P.S. Josh, please feel free to reach out to me personally to discuss financial aid options since the program will no longer be free because of your deferment. I want to help make this as affordable for you as possible! Talk to you soon!

Josh smiled before he quickly sent a thank you email response. He was glad he could wait a year now before studying abroad in Spain. It gave him enough time to be there for his loved ones and to accompany them through whatever problems or unexpected challenges that Life threw in their way.

He grabbed his phone and called his niece. His call went straight to voicemail.

"Hey Riles, it's Josh...just wanted to check in on you and see how you're doing...I'm ready to go out for more ice-cream whenever you are, ok? Next time we won't invite Maya, though. She ate way too much ice-cream last time and I paid like a ton of money. I love you. Call me, ok? Bye Riley."

He ended the call and immediately dialed his girlfriend's number. She picked up right away.

"Boing."

"Hey. How's it going?"

Maya sighed. "I'm ok...you?"

"Fine," Josh responded. "Where are you now? Home? School?"

"With Riles...at home..." She responded. "She's taking a shower now...and I'm just getting settled at the bay window..."

"Oh...ok. I just called her..."

"Oh really? I think her phone's dead..."

"Oh, ok. That explains it..." Josh murmured. "How is she, Maya? Like, really? Cory, Topanga and I...we're all really wondering how she is doing because we feel like she tries to put on a brave face for us, you know?"

Maya sighed. "She tries to do it for me too...but you know me...I can see through it...she cries everyday...it's been two weeks now and she's still...she tries to hide it but I see it...I don't blame Lucas for leaving...he did it for his best friend...if I were him and it was Riley who had..." Her voice trailed off. "I would do anything for her...I would go anywhere with her...so I get what Lucas did...but I'm still mad at him...I can't help it..."

"Of course," Josh muttered as he nodded his head in understanding.

"It doesn't help too that he still keeps texting her just to 'check in'..." Maya whispered bitterly. Josh could tell that she was crying by the way her voice sounded. "That was just making things worse so I messaged him and told him to cut it off...I tried to be nice about it but I just told him it wasn't helping...him still trying to reach out...so he said he would stop until she was ready to reach out to him..."

"Yeah, I think that's a great idea," Josh retorted. "For now, Riley needs to heal...to get over him...and that's going to take time...and maybe, eventually, they can re-establish a long-distance friendship of some sorts...but definitely not now..."

"I don't even know if that's even possible..." Maya stated passionately. "If anything happened between us Josh- God forbid, knock on wood- I don't think I'll be able to still be friends with you. It just wouldn't work."

Josh felt his heart racing. This was the first time she had admitted this to him.

"Why not?" He asked her in a shaky tone. He would always want her in his life...no matter what. Now that he had gotten to know her so well, he couldn't imagine his existence without her. He would miss her too much. His life simply wouldn't be the same.

"Because I would always want more," She stated softly. "I wouldn't just be able to be friends with you, Josh. I would want more...so I wouldn't be able to move on...no matter how much time passed...and if I saw you move on...it would kill me...you know?"

Josh felt his heart pounding. "Yeah, I get it," He whispered.

"I think Riley loved Lucas like that...but I don't think Lucas loved her like that...so he still thinks they can be friends..." Maya sighed.

"How's Zay? Did you ask Lucas how he's doing?" Josh asked curiously.

"Yeah. Um...he said he's getting help over there...they have him in this program...and he and Lucas have started school...so, so far he's fine..."

"Ok," Josh retorted as he sat down on the couch. "And you? How are you doing, Lil Ferret?" He asked her softly.

There was a slight pause before Maya responded. "I'm ok...thanks for asking Josh...I...um...I just want her to get better..." She was crying again. Josh could feel it. "I want her to be happy again...all of this happened so suddenly...it sucks because if anyone deserves to be happy...it's...it's Riley...you know?"

Josh bit his lip. "Yeah, I know," He muttered. "Are you guys doing anything for Halloween tomorrow? I can take you out for ice cream again..."

"I'll ask her. She doesn't want to do anything, though. She says she just wants to stay home...so we'll all be in her room...do you want to stop by?"

"Of course. I have to take Auggie out for trick o' treating anyway. And then I'll just hang with you guys after?"

"Yeah that sounds good."

"Ok. I'll cancel my late-night party plans with Andrew. I'm sure he will be ok."

Maya laughed. "Ok. I'm not sure why I have to keep saying this, but Andrew has a girlfriend. He really needs to hang out with her more. Jasmine is awesome."

Josh grinned. "Well, he likes me better. Can you blame him? Soulmates. What can we say?"

"Shut up."

Josh laughed.

"I'll see you tomorrow Ferret. Tell Riles I left her a message. She can call me back whenever she wants another ice cream date with her uncle. Ok?"

"Awwww. Ok Uncle Josh. I'll let her know, Uncle Josh," Maya responded in a sweet, high-pitched tone.

Josh grinned widely in amusement. "Bye Ferret. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye Josh."

"Dude...if we're not hanging out late tomorrow, then at least you gotta come with me to the Halloween parade," Andrew suggested as they sat playing video games in the living room.

"What time is the parade?" Josh asked as he remained focused on the game.

"It starts at 5."

"Ok. I gotta go get Auggie at 7 for trick o' treating. So, we can hang out for like an hour and a half or so," Josh stated.

"Alright, sounds good," Andrew retorted. "You can bring Maya. Jas is coming. We could make it a double date."

Josh shook his head. "She's gonna be with my niece. Remember what I told you-"

"Oh yeah," Andrew cut him off. "Her boy left to go back to Texas, right?"

Josh nodded solemnly.

"How's the Zay guy? His friend? He's doing better?"

"Not sure," Josh responded. "When I spoke to Maya today, she said he was in some sort of program...so he's getting help at least..."

"Well, good. It's a tough world out there," Andrew sighed. "I feel real bad for Riley though...it sucks...the whole thing..."

"Yeah," Josh murmured. He was just as conflicted as Maya about Lucas' decision to move back to Texas with his best friend. On the one hand, he understood why Lucas made the decision. His grandfather, Pappy Joe, still lived in Texas with his father. And his depressed best friend had almost died from an intentional drug overdose. When Zay's Mom made the desperate decision to return home with her son, Josh could understand why Lucas decided to leave too. He wanted to be there for his friend...he didn't want to stay in New York and get a call one day that his best friend was gone...he also wanted to spend time with his Pappy Joe who wasn't getting any younger...Josh understood...but like Maya, he too was immensely frustrated with Lucas' decision...because his niece was devastated...and he didn't know how to fix it. Cory and Topanga were panicking.

"I feel helpless Josh," Cory confided to him one Saturday afternoon when they had met up for coffee. "I knew her very first breakup would probably be devastating because she's so young...but I wasn't prepared...I didn't realize it would be so soon, and happen so suddenly and be this complicated...like I wanna hate the cowboy...but I can't...you know? Because I feel for him too...I care about him...poor Lucas...poor Zay...poor Riley...I mean, it's just a mess all around..." He sighed. "Topanga and I keep telling ourselves that it will get better...we are just hoping that it gets better soon..."

Josh nodded understandably as he gave his brother a tight hug. For as long as he could remember, Cory had always been there for him during his difficult times. He was there for him during his messy break-up with Anna more than two years ago. So now, he would do everything in his power to be there for him and for his niece.

"You wearing a costume tomorrow?" Andrew asked him.

Josh shook his head. "No. Not really in the mood," He responded.

Andrew nodded. "Understood. I'll get you some glasses...and maybe the scar. You can be Harry Potter. Problem solved."

Josh glanced at him in amusement. "It's funny you say that. You know who loves Harry Potter? Like she hates reading, but she's read all of the Harry Potter books and seen the movies like a billion times..."

"Who? Maya?" Andrew retorted.

"Yep," Josh nodded.

Andrew grinned widely. "Well look at that. Imagine her reaction when she sees you as Harry Potter tomorrow...I swear, Matthews, one day when you getting married to Blondie, if you don't credit me as the person who kept your romance with Blondie alive during all the moments when you f'ed up, I'mma storm out of that wedding and we'll never be friends again. You better have my name all over the place."

Josh rolled his eyes at his best friend. "Chill man. I could say the same for you and Jas. Last time I checked, I'm the one who's always keeping her from killing you most of the time."

Andrew grinned. "Whatever, man," He mumbled.

Josh was getting ready for bed. He had just spoken with Riley and Maya and wished them both goodnight.

My two girls...he thought fondly as he gazed up at the ceiling. He said a prayer for Riley...for peace and healing for her...for Lucas...and for Zay...he thought of what his girlfriend's reaction would be the next day when she saw him in his surprise Harry Potter costume...he smiled as he envisioned her excitement.

He was scrolling through his emails when he received an unexpected text message.

Anna: Hi Josh! How is it going? I went back home this past weekend, and cruised around Adams and of course I thought of you (for a very brief moment) lol. Not sure if I asked you this, but are you still playing ball at NYU or did you stop? I was just curious so thought I will just text you and ask haha. Anyway, just wanted to know how you're doing. Happy almost Halloween! :)

Josh felt his heart racing as he read the message. He immediately responded.

Josh: Hey Anna, I see that my spirit at Adams still lives on lol. I was just such an influential person hehe. Anyways, Im good. Trying to make it through the semester. How about you? No, I don't play ball anymore :( At least not for school. I play for fun in the Spring with my nephew. They have some sports clubs here in the city though so I might check them out next Spring so I can play more. I do miss playing it competitively though... Those were the days.

Anna: Yeah! You were really good at it! Hope you still keep playing! I joined the girls' golf team here so that's been keeping me pretty busy. Plus classes. How's your family? Everyone's good?

Josh: Wow. Congrats on getting into the golf team! Not surprised. You were pretty good. My family's fine. Thanks for asking. How about yours? How's Lucy?

Anna: She's good! She's getting sassier every day! Driving my poor Mom crazy lol. Anyways, what are you doing for Halloween tmr? Anything fun?

Josh: Im taking my nephew trick o' treating. They live here in the city. And my friend is also dragging me to the Halloween parade lol.

Anna: Omg! Im going to the parade! My friends and I decided to check it out! I'm excited cos this will be my first time. I've heard it gets pretty crazy tho...

Josh: Yeah it does. People are drinking etc. But it's pretty fun though. I'm only going to be there for an hour and a half or so...then I gotta go get my nephew.

Anna: Oh ok. Would you like to meet up for a sec and say hi? Since we're both gonna be there? Lol...or, if you can't...that's fine too...

Josh: Sure. I don't see that being a problem. I'm gonna be with two friends. I'll see you then. Just let me know where you'll be standing.

Anna: Sure. Will do! See u tmr Josh!

Josh: See ya.

He made a mental note to inform Maya about his conversation with Anna...and to ask her if she would be fine with him meeting up with Anna briefly at the Halloween parade. If Maya wasn't comfortable with it, there was no way he was going to do it. Shutting off the lights, he quickly drifted off into a restless sleep.