Chapter Twenty- Eight, Halloween Parade, Part 3
"So, you're Harry Potter?" Anna giggled as she observed him amusedly.
"Yeah, I'm trying to be, Ms. Wonder Woman," Josh retorted as he observed her Wonder Woman costume. "It's nice," He commended her.
"Thank you," Anna retorted with a warm smile. "Your costume is not doing so well though. Sorry Matthews, but I gotta be honest. I've seen little kids in better costumes than this," She teased him.
Josh laughed.
"Yeah...my girlfriend felt the same way. Took off my scar cos apparently it was falling off," He told her as he pointed to his forehead.
They were standing in the midst of the robust crowd who had gathered to see the annual Halloween parade in downtown Manhattan. All around them, there were vibrant costumes, boisterous laughter, inebriated revelers- mostly young students and adults from the area- and festive music as the parade ensued.
"HAPPY HALLOWEEN SUCKAS! BOTTOMS UP!" One guy screeched nearby them as he drank from an unknown liquid covered in a brown paper bag. He was dressed as "The Hulk." Josh glanced at Anna in amusement and they both burst out laughing as they observed "The Hulk" for a few seconds.
Josh drank leisurely from his own "unknown liquid" wrapped in a brown paper bag as he glanced at his two best friends, Andrew and Jasmine. They were busy observing the parade and pointing out interesting costumes as they also sipped from their covered drinks. Anna's friends from Columbia, Shelley and Jackie, whom Josh had met just a few minutes ago were also chatting with each other whilst observing the festivities. They had all given Josh and Anna some space so the two could chat privately.
"Sorry, I know this might be awkward but since you mentioned her..." Anna muttered as she drank heavily from her brown paper bag before she continued her train of thought. "I was just wondering...um...your girlfriend...is it the same girl I met back in Philly...during the summer?"
"Yeah," Josh nodded as he felt himself growing uncomfortable with the direction of their conversation. He drank again and tried to focus his attention on the festivities around them.
"Oh..." Anna retorted before her voice trailed off. After a few awkward seconds of silence, she spoke again. "You guys been together for a while?"
Josh hesitated for a moment before he answered her. "Um...four months now...officially..." He simply stated. Their four-month anniversary had been a few days ago on October 25. Josh had wanted to celebrate by taking her out to engage in a fun and adventurous activity she had never done before. He had asked her once to make a "bucket list" of all the things she wanted to do before graduating from high school.
"High school is short, Ferret. So, you gotta make it count!" He urged her excitedly.
"Ok fine, Boing. I'll make the damn list since you keep bugging me. But don't laugh when you see it. There's a lotta things I haven't done, ok? Believe it or not, I'm pretty boring. My idea of fun is hanging out at your niece's bay window and gossiping about you."
Josh laughed. "I see. What about your whole thing with wanting adventure?!"
"Yeah, of course I want adventure! If you've been sitting in a bay window gossiping all your life, wouldn't you want adventure too?!"
Josh chuckled. "To be honest, I have no idea how you guys entertain yourself that way, everyday."
Maya shrugged. "It's a girl thing. You wouldn't have a clue. Ok, here's my list Boing! First thing is climbing Mount Everest. You gonna make it happen?!"
Josh grinned in amusement as he skimmed it. "I said a list of things you wanna do before graduating high school, Maya...climbing Mount Everest before high school is not really realistic..."
"Says who?! You made me write this darn thing, you better make it happen, Boing...or else!" She threatened him playfully.
Josh simply shook his head at her before reading the rest of the list. "You wanna dance in the rain?" He asked her with a teasing grin.
Maya blushed. "Yeah. I know it's super cheesy, but my best friend is Riley Matthews, okay? She's infected me with her sappy romantic desires...don't blame me for this..."
Josh chuckled. "Alright, Ferret. That we can definitely make happen before you graduate..."
"Alright, cool. After Everest though...right? Cos I gotta climb Everest first, Boing. I'm trying to set a record here. Youngest climber ever! I'll be famous and everyone will finally know me! Ta-daaaaa!" She waved her arms triumphantly in the air.
Josh couldn't help smiling as he thought fondly of the memory.
"I'm happy for you Josh... you seem happy," Anna stated as she observed him keenly. Josh smiled warmly at her.
"Thanks Anna. How about you? It's time to put you in the hot seat, Winthrop. Any dashing prospects at Columbia? I imagine they're all geniuses over there, cos you know, the dumb ones are all at NYU...we weren't good enough for Columbia..."
Anna burst out laughing as she took another sip of her drink. "They are all smart...that's true...but there's book smart and then there's street smart...you know what I mean?"
Josh nodded.
"A lotta the guys in the engineering program...they're all book smart but that's pretty much where it ends..." Anna stated. "Basically, what I'm trying to say is they're boring as heck."
Josh laughed. "Wow. That's uh a pretty harsh and very judgmental assessment, Ms. Winthrop. How dare you diss the esteemed gentlemen of the Ivy league? Who the hell d'you think you is, Missy Uppity? I know you're Wonder Woman and all, but you gotta get off your high horse, gurl, if you wanna find a man...jeez...just so bitter..."
"Shut up!" Anna retorted with an amused chuckle as she shoved his arm playfully.
Josh chuckled as he took a sip of his drink. "Seriously though, Anna, I know you have high standards...just like me...I think it's one of those things we had in common...we were both very picky..."
"Yeah..." Anna nodded with a fond smile. "Remember when we went to Chubbie's and they got your smoothie order wrong? I think they added like one fruit that you hadn't asked for?"
"Yeah..." Josh retorted as he grinned at the memory.
"You were freaking out..."
"It didn't taste right!" Josh protested. "It had to taste exactly like it always tasted. I mean, I paid for it."
Anna shook her head at him as she giggled in amusement. "You actually went up and asked, politely of course like the gentleman you are, if they could change it...remember that?"
"Mmhmm," Josh retorted. "And the guy said no. He was so rude."
"Yeah," Anna burst out laughing. "And you were shocked. You were like, 'Excuse me? I come here like everyday. I'm just asking for the correct order here.' And I was sitting there the whole time, completely mortified, and I was just like, 'oh my God, Josh, just let it go...'"
"I mean, I wasn't being rude...it's not like I was gonna start a fight over a freaking smoothie...I just wanted the right smoothie! That's all," Josh retorted.
"Yeah, but he like wasn't gonna make it for you, and you weren't gonna give up so it just became this really awkward and tense moment..." Anna pointed out.
"I mean, like I said, I paid for it," Josh shrugged. "So it had to be the right one. Just saying. He was being a jerk about it though, and there was no way I was gonna let that go."
Anna giggled.
"I always admired that about you," Anna told him. "Never giving up on anything...not in baseball...not in school...not in getting the right order at Chubbie's...not in your friendships...you were always so positive...no matter what was happening...the freaking world would be ending and you'd be like 'calm down folks! Let's figure out a solution here! Let's not panic...'"
Josh grinned. "I try..." He muttered. "I'm not always successful though...I just don't show it too much when I'm panicking...you know?"
Anna nodded solemnly. "I don't think you ever showed me that side of yourself," She stated bluntly.
Josh felt his heart pounding as he gazed back at her for a few quiet seconds and thought of her statement. "I did," He finally responded. "Remember when Thelma died?"
"Oh my God...yeah," Anna whispered as she immediately recalled that life-changing, vulnerable moment in his young life.
"You took me to your church...we prayed together...you were there for me...I'll never forget that..." Josh told her.
Anna beamed at him before she took in a deep breath and glanced around. She noticed her friends staring back at her. She could tell they were starting to grow restless waiting for her. It was time for her to leave...to move on...the past was the past and she had to let it go...but it was difficult...it was easier said than done...it was painful...because the person she would have to leave behind was the first...and only one...to ever have her heart...
She took a moment to finish her drink before saying her final words to him. "Josh, I know we can't really be friends anymore like we used to, but...it'd still be nice to stay in touch...if you don't mind..." Her voice trailed off as she thought carefully of her next words. "I hope it's not a problem if I text you occasionally to see how you're doing but if it is...please, tell me, and I'll stop..." She took in a deep breath as she felt her eyes filling with tears. "I care about you Josh...and I know you've been going through a lot with your Dad and everything...I mean, how could you not..." She sighed. "So If I reach out...it's just to check in on you...nothing more than that...and nothing less than that either...because you were my best friend, Josh...that still means a lot to me..." She wiped away her tears and stared down at her long black boots for a few seconds before she resumed speaking.
"You are the one who got away, Josh," She blurted out as she gazed at him solemnly. Josh felt his heart pounding as he gazed back at her. "Sometimes you don't always get what you want...I learned that the hard way..." She muttered as she took in another deep breath. "I really am happy for you Josh...I really just want you to be happy...and I just hope that, especially now that we're both in the same place, we don't shut each other out...completely...like I did to you for two years...even if it's just as a distant acquaintance...it'll still be nice to have you around, Slugger..." She smiled warmly at him before she turned around to head back towards her friends.
Josh was shocked, and frozen in place, as he watched her walk away. His head was reeling from everything she had just confessed to him. You are the one who got away, Josh...her words echoed as the image of her tears and the pain in her voice reverberated in his consciousness. It was de ja vu all over again...For a brief moment, he was transported to the bleachers in the large football field where he broke up with her more than two years ago...he could see her tears...he could feel her pain...he could hear her words...all over again...
I loved you Josh...I loved you so much...and in my own, make-believe world, I convinced myself that you loved me too...
"Damn it," He muttered to himself in frustration as he felt his eyes filling with tears. He took in a deep breath to calm himself down, before wiping his tears away. He needed another beer. One was certainly not going to be enough for the rest of the night...
"Yo, you okay?" Andrew asked him in a concerned tone as he and Jasmine approached him.
"Um...yeah," Josh cleared his throat loudly as he finished his beer. "Dude, do you have another one?"
Andrew eyed him curiously before he dug into his backpack and handed his friend another bottle. He and Jasmine glanced at each other knowingly before refocusing their attention on their best friend.
"You and her...ya'll finished your lil chat?" Andrew asked.
"Um...yeah," Josh nodded as he gulped his beer.
"Yo...this whole catching up with the ex thing...I think it was a terrible idea...you looking messed up right now, man..."
"Andrew, not now..." Jasmine admonished her boyfriend gently.
"I'm fine...I'm ok...really..." Josh murmured as he flashed them a forced smile. "Let's celebrate. Happy Halloween, suckas! Bottoms up!" He drank again.
Andrew simply shook his head in amusement as he watched him. "I don't believe a word that's coming out of your mouth right now, Matthews. We gonna have a serious chat later about all this."
"Let it go, Andrew. You ever heard of personal space?" Jasmine stated. "Come on Josh. Let's go have some fun and leave Mr. Nosy alone."
Josh chuckled. "Yeah, let's do that. I'm glad I have you around, Jas." He placed his arm tenderly around her shoulder as they walked back into the crowd.
"Losers! Who needs ya anyway?!" Andrew called out after them with an amused grin as he stayed behind to finish the rest of his beer. He casually glanced around as he drank. As he surveyed the throng, he couldn't help but notice a young girl with long blonde hair who was standing off to the side just a short distance from him. She wasn't watching the parade like everyone else...she had her gaze fixed on someone it seemed...she was the only one not wearing a costume...and she looked awfully familiar...
Nah...it can't be...but her hair though...Andrew thought as he kept looking at her. He decided to approach her...to get closer...just to see if it was her...
He moved a few steps towards her...she glanced at him...and their eyes met...
Andrew was frozen in slight shock as he gazed into her familiar, blue eyes. He could recognize those fiery eyes and that innocent, beautiful, heart-shaped face anywhere...
She looked shocked as well as she gazed back at him. He could sense her panic as she quickly glanced back at the person she was originally observing. Andrew traced her gaze. She was looking at Joshua Matthews...
Holy crap! It really is her! Andrew thought as his mind raced. What the hell is she doing here? Does Matthews know she's here?!
He moved closer to her. He wanted to talk to her. She started walking away.
"Maya wait!"
She started running.
Before Andrew could say another word, she was gone.