Author's Note: Couldn't resist posting the rest tonight, haha.
To the first and second Guest Reviewers, Thank you so much! I'll try to write more Joshaya stories.
To the third Guest Reviewer, Thank you for your input. It was subtly mentioned, but I decided to add some more dialog in this chapter after reading your review.
Maya woke up to a headache.
"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Josh said. She sat up and sat on the side of the bed. "Here." He handed her some Tylenol and water.
"Thanks," she said. She took the Tylenol. "What time is it?"
"11," he answered.
"Wow."
"What do you remember from last night?" He asked her.
"Well, I remember calling you, but nothing after that," she said.
Disappointment showed in his eyes, but he hid it well.
"What about before that?" He questioned.
"Ummm," she said, trying to think. "I had a sleepover at Riley's. We got in a huge fight. And when I say huge fight, I mean we were even screaming at each other."
"Her parents didn't hear it?"
"They were out of town taking Auggie and Ava somewhere," she informed him. "I left her place and was walking down the sidewalk for a bit. Then some girls I used to know started talking to me. Somehow they convinced me to go to the bar with them. They got something in bottles and got me some kind of tea."
"Are you talking about Long Island Tea?" He questioned.
"Yeah," she confirmed.
"That's not actually tea," he informed her, "it's a mix of different alcohol."
"Why is it called tea?"
"I don't know," he said.
"I took a drink and it made me cough, and I guess that makes sense," she said. "I was going to go home, but one of the girls got mad because her boyfriend bought the drinks. They said to drink it fast to beat the taste."
"Oh my God," Josh said. "Your first time drinking and they tricked you into drinking one of the most alcoholic drinks you can even get at a bar. How fast did you drink it?"
"Carla made me finish it, so I chugged it so she'd let me go home," she said. "They called me a Lightweight and left me there."
"Drinking alcohol that fast makes it go to the bloodstream faster," he informed her, "meaning you got drunk extremely fast. That's why you were so bad off. I'm surprised you don't have alcohol poisoning."
"How do you know?"
"My parents let me have a drink with them on my 18th birthday," he said. "Andrew drank his beer kind of fast and got tipsy pretty fast."
"I'm sorry," she said. "I feel really stupid."
"You just trusted the wrong people," he said. "Anyways, Riley told me she covered for you not being at her place, already. I didn't tell her about what happened, so she pretty much just thinks you came here to see me."
"She covered for me?"
"Yeah, of course," he told her, "she's your best friend."
"What did she tell her parents?"
"She actually told them that you need a mental health day and that you went for a walk," he said. "They were actually really understanding of it and were sure your parents would be too when they tell them that."
"Thanks, Josh," she said.
"No problem," he said. "Now I'm going to get to the classes I haven't already missed. Stay here in the apartment and do whatever you want."
"Okay," she said.
"Once you feel better, I'll take you home," he told her. "See you in a few hours."
"Thanks," she said.
He left for his classes.
When he came back, she was sitting on his couch eating pizza and watching TV. The TV brightness was turned down and the sound was low.
"Feeling better?" He asked.
"Yeah," she said. "I made one of your pizzas. There's still a couple of slices left."
"Good to know," he said. He went and grabbed the pizza then sat next to her. "What are you watching?"
"Watching a show about people going to school on a boat," she said. "There's a really bratty prince on this episode. He kind of looks like you."
He looked at the kid.
"That doesn't look like me," he counted her.
"Whatever you say," Maya laughed. "Anyway," she muted the TV, "I remembered something from last night."
"What's that?"
"You said that you love me," she said.
"I thought you wouldn't remember," he said. "I thought you didn't."
"Did I do something that prompted it?"
"You kissed me," he admitted.
"We didn't…?" She questioned, worriedly.
"No," he told her. "You tried to kiss me again but I stopped you and told you that I knew what it could lead to and that I didn't want you to give that up when you're drunk and I would never take advantage of you that way."
"Because you love me," she said.
"Yeah."
"No matter what the alcohol was saying," Maya said, "I definitely wouldn't be ready for that."
"Neither would I," he told her. "I'm saving myself for the right person and the right time."
"Me too," she said. She looked at her hands. "There were some guys at the bar that were trying to buy me a drink and…take me home. That's why I hid out in the bathroom. I don't think they were going to leave me alone if I didn't…Not everyone is like you. Last night could have been so much worse."
"At least you got to somewhere that was relatively safe for you and you called me," Josh told her. "Those were smart decisions."
After a few seconds of silence, Maya said, "Josh."
"Yeah?"
"I love you, too," she said.
He smiled at her. He let her cuddle up to him while they watched TV.
"I'll take you home after we finish this," he said.
"How about Topanga's instead?"
"Sure."
After they finished the episode they went to Topanga's. Josh had her wear sunglasses he bought her.
"Hey, Baby Girl," Katy greeted her daughter. "How are you doing with your mental health day?"
"I'm feeling a lot better," Maya replied.
They got smoothies and sat down. Maya's eyes diverted to her mom. She started feeling bad.
"You okay?" Josh asked her.
"I'll be right back," she told him. She walked up to Katy. "Can we talk?"
"Sure, everything okay?"
"Not completely," she admitted.
They went to the back.
"What's up?" Katy asked her daughter. "Is it why you needed a mental health day?"
"Mom," Maya started, "I got drunk last night."
"What?" Katy crossed her arms. "Explain."
"Riley and I got in a fight and I left," Maya told her. "I ran into Carla and Renee."
"Now I'm not completely surprised," Katy said. "This is exactly why I made you stop hanging out with them."
"I know," she said. "They convinced me to go to a bar with them to calm down. They didn't even let me pick my drink. I should have bounced then, but I trusted them, like an idiot. I didn't even know what the drink actually was until Josh told me. They told me that I had to drink it fast to beat the harsh taste and said I had to finish it because I wasn't wasting Carla's boyfriend's money…so I chugged it. It hit me fast, so I had to sit down again. They called me a Lightweight and left me there. I hid out in the bathroom after I stumbled in there." She looked away from Katy. "I was gonna call you, but I called Josh instead. I didn't want you to know."
"What drink was it?"
"Long Island Tea," Maya answered. "Josh watched me all night to make sure I didn't get alcohol poisoning. I don't think he even slept."
"Well, he's a college student, so he's probably used to losing sleep," Katy pointed out. She looked over. "I'm disappointed that you used the wrong judgement listening to them and drinking, but I'm more upset at them and that bar. Letting minors in and serving alcohol to minors is illegal. That could have killed you. You're lucky you were competent enough to call someone."
"I'm sorry, mom," she said. "I'll take any punishment you give. I know I screwed up."
"Well, the hangover you have today is probably punishment enough," she said. "You have good people around you, Maya. Trust them, not people like those girls. You're 17 now, you can make your own decisions, I just want you to make the right ones."
"I know," she said. She looked toward the door. "I kissed Josh last night. He said that he didn't let it go further than that one kiss because he didn't want me giving up my virginity when I was drunk and that he'd never use me like that. He said that he knew that it could lead to that."
"It very well could have," Katy agreed. "His parents raised him right."
"There were some guys that were trying to get me to drink more and wanted to take me home. I rejected them and excused myself to the bathroom, where I hid out…and threw up."
"Well, at least you got someone that you can trust to go get you," Katy told her. "You should never go to a bar alone, but you should also never go with people you know you can't trust, no matter how convincing they seemed. And you shouldn't go when you're not old enough."
"I was really stupid last night," she said. "I'm so glad I called Josh."
"So am I," she said. "I'm glad you can trust him."
"I didn't even remember that I kissed him," she said, "all I remembered is that he said he loves me." Katy looked at her, surprised. "He had told me that he loves me too much to have let that happen."
"Did you say it back?"
"Before we came here," she confirmed.
"I think you should get back to him," she said. "Is this a date?"
"No, he was going to take me home, but I wanted to come here."
"Well, it's your decision," she said, "just make the right one."
She gave her daughter a small smile and went back into the diner. Maya followed after. She sat down next to Josh.
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah," she told him. "I told her."
"Oh, okay," he said. "How much trouble are you in?"
"She said that the hangover was probably enough with the actual punishment," she said. He nodded and started drinking his smoothie. "Do you want to go out sometime?"
He stopped drinking.
"Sure," he said. "Probably sometime after you're completely recovered from your hangover."
"Could this be one?"
"You really want our first date to be in front of your mom?" Josh questioned.
"That's mean…" Katy said, "but completely understandable."
"By the way, I reported that bar, anonymously," he said.
"I kind of wish I had hit them with that brick and hammer," Maya commented.
"You would be in jail," Katy said. "They'll get what's coming to them."
"Hopefully," she said, "especially because they double-crossed me."
"Thank you for taking care of her and making sure she didn't have alcohol poisoning," Katy said.
"No problem," Josh said. "I would have taken her to the hospital if there were any signs."
"And I am grateful for that," she said. "When you decide when your first date is, let me know. I'm helping Maya pick out an outfit or dress."
"Will do, Mrs. Hunter," he said.
"Call me Katy," she said.
"Will do, Katy."
She watched as they talked about school and what they each did during the day. She thanked God that nothing worse had happened to her daughter and that she was safe because of Josh.
