I thought I was going to have a panic attack. Waiting for Josh's response to my message seemed like an eternity, but once I read his reply, it was as if the entire Universe had been lifted off of my shoulders.

Telling Josh he couldn't visit me at school anymore was unbearable. I thought he might get mad at me for caring about what others think. What if he didn't understand? What if it would end our friendship? What if he wouldn't want anything to do with me anymore? What if--?

Before my raging thoughts could get the best of me, my phone buzzed. After an hour of agonizing suspense, Josh had finally replied.

His text read, "Dont worry. I kno it's not u. If ppl wanna b dumb and mean, that's their prob. Ur my BFF no matter what. We can hang out other places. C u 2moro for ice cream :) -Josh."

I could finally breathe again.

The next day, Josh and I went out for ice cream. Peyton said she couldn't come because she had too much homework, but I knew that that was just code for, "I'll give you guys some alone time." Peyton never does her homework.

After we sat down with our usuals: blue cotton candy with sour gummy worms in a sprinkle cone for me, and strawberry with chocolate chips in a paper cup for him, we caught each other up on our days.

"So today I got my grade for my math test. I got a 100!" Josh exclaimed. I was so happy for him!

"That's awesome!" I squealed. I gave him a high-five and then went around the table for a hug. His hugs have always felt...right.

"Thanks! Anyways, how was your d-" before he could finish his sentence, a tall, skinny boy walked up to Josh. The boy gave me a mean look as he put his arm around Josh's neck. I was starting to get jealous.

"Hey babe. I was thinking about you today. How'd you do on your test?" the boy asked him.

Babe?! He called my Josh babe?!

"I got a 100, just like you!" They gave each other a congratulating hug, and then the boy kiss Josh on the lips!

Josh must have noticed the look on my face because he quickly broke free of the boy's kiss.

"Rylie, this is Adam. He's my first boyfriend. We started dating a few weeks ago."

I didn't say "nice to meet you." I didn't shake his hand. I swallowed the giant lump in my throat the size of a baseball and told Josh that I had to leave. I made up an excuse that my moms wanted me home early to talk about our summer vacation.

As soon as I got home, I didn't say hi to either of my moms. I ran upstairs, into my room and slammed the door behind me. I was hoping they wouldn't come and ask me what was wrong. Of course, they did.

Elena could tell I was crying when she walked in, and said, "I've seen this before. You must be going through your first heartbreak."

I nodded with my head laid down on my bed.

"I know it hurts now, but trust me when I say this: There will be other girls. You just have to find the right one," she said. Then they both walked out, closing the door behind them.

She's right. There will be other girls, but none of them will ever be Josh.