that was then*
chapter 08
At around 1:30 that afternoon, Josh stepped out of the bathroom completely refreshed from the hot shower he had just taken. He was adorned in a white short-sleeved shirt and khaki shorts that stretched to below his knees. His summer attire seemed strange for fall, but since Florida's September weather was oddly similar to its May forecast, he didn't think twice about it.
Ever since he awoke nearly an hour before, the only topic he could think about was whether or not he should invite Dora to that night's festivities.
Unfortunately, he hadn't thought to ask Bryce if Tiffany and her herd of conformist sheep were to be attending the party also. Based on Tiffany's reaction to Dora's presence the other day, Josh wasn't quite sure how she would respond to seeing her in a non-school situation.
After a fair amount of thinking time had passed, Josh drew the conclusion that he would in fact extend a party invitation to his new friend. At this point, he really didn't care what his ex would think or do.
Without further ado, he tossed on a pair of sneakers, and set off down the block. He opened his front door to find Heather and one of her many friends sitting outside.
"Where are you going?" Heather asked, hardly leaving Josh any time to even step out of the house.
"I'll be right back." He proceeded to trot down the front steps.
"Mom says you have to watch me until her and Dad get home," she noted, looking immediately to his face for a reaction.
"Calm down, I'm only going down the block for like 2 seconds," he replied with a roll of his crystal blue eyes.
"Oh, to her house?" she inquired rather smugly.
He stopped. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, nothing," Heather giggled to herself before continuing with her conversation with her friend.
Josh brushed off his sister's strange behavior, and continued on his quest. As he neared the house, he could feel his heart begin to beat a tiny bit faster. He tried to keep his pulse under control by taking in a long breath of air, but it had no effect.
He paraded up the steps to Dora's front door, and knocked timidly. Within seconds, a vaguely familiar face appeared.
"Hi," Lisa said cheerfully as she held open the door, signaling for Josh to enter.
He obliged and stepped up into the house. Moving boxes where everywhere, and Dora's father could be seen going through some papers at the dining room table while sipping on a large mug of coffee.
"Josh, right?" Dora's mom questioned.
"Yeah," he replied with a smile.
"I'm guessing your here to see Dora. She's upstairs in her room. It's the door at the end of the hallway."
Josh nodded. "Thanks."
"No problem, dear." With that, Lisa turned around, and headed back to her previous work.
Josh cautiously ascended the steps. When he reached the top, he was greeted by the sounds of brassy guitar riffs. He stopped to listen to the rhythm she was strumming for a minute before knocking on her door.
"What?!" Dora yelled, twisting down the volume on her amplifier.
"Uh, it's Josh."
Dora's eyes widened. "Hold on a second!" She scrambled to fix her hair and check the mirror to see if she was at least presentable. After a few seconds, she threw her door open. "Hey."
"Hi," he said with a lopsided smile. "Was that you playing the guitar?"
"Uh," she glanced back at the black Fender guitar that was laid across her unmade bed, "yeah, that was me."
"You're really good."
"Thanks. I used to play in a band back in California." She ushered him into her room, and lightly closed the door.
"What was the name of your band?"
"'The Heaters'," she noted. "My ex-boyfriend was the drummer."
Josh nodded, and glanced over the sea of pictures that covered the top of her desk. He came across a photo of Dora sitting on the lap of a muscular gentleman. It had to have been during a recent summer because she looked exactly the same and she was clad in shorts and a tank top. "That him?" he asked, swinging his head around to look at her.
Dora walked over and looked at the frame Josh motioned to. "Yeah, that's Danny."
Josh's eyes wandered over the guy's features. He was wearing a white tee-shirt, making his trade mark California tan all the more visible. He had dark brown eyes and hair to match. But most of all, they looked happy together. "Do you still talk to him?" Josh stated, ending the silence.
"Sometimes. Not as much as I'd like to, though. My parents keep going on and on about the phone bill whenever I call him."
"I'd think they would."
They stood smiling at one another for a few seconds before Dora zapped herself back to reality. "Did you need something or....?"
"Oh, yeah, I wanted to know if you were free tonight," he said casually. "Cause my friend's having this party, and I figured it'd be a good way for you to get out and meet the people."
Dora grinned. "No, I'm not busy tonight."
"OK, good. So I'll swing by here around 9 and pick you up. Is that OK?"
"Yeah, that's fine."
"OK. I hate to just leave like this, but I'm supposed to be 'watching' my sister, so--"
"I'm so glad I'm the youngest," she said with a laugh.
"Nobody likes a bragger," he cautioned playfully.
"Yeah, like you could stop me," she shot back.
He smiled widely at her. "I'll see you later."