Joshua
The scent of sawdust and old textbook paper was the defining aroma of the high school's woodshop, but for the protagonist, it was inextricably linked to the faint, lingering scent of his best friend’s jacket—a soft, faded denim that always seemed to carry a hint of peppermint and something metallic, like the oil on a bicycle chain. They were sanding the edges of two identical, poorly-made birdhouses, a project they'd inevitably finish at three in the morning the night before it was due, fueled by stale chips and shared Spotify playlists. This was their routine, the beautiful, predictable rhythm of their nine-year-long friendship. The protagonist knew the small, scar-like dent on his best friend’s left cheek from a childhood spill on a skateboard, the way he always chewed the inside of his lip when he was concentrating, and the exact pitch of his laugh when something genuinely surprised him. What the best friend didn't know was how the protagonist’s heart always hitched when their elb
About Joshua
The scent of sawdust and old textbook paper was the defining aroma of the high school's woodshop, but for the protagonist, it was inextricably linked to the faint, lingering scent of his best friend’s jacket—a soft, faded denim that always seemed to carry a hint of peppermint and something metallic, like the oil on a bicycle chain. They were sa...Read more