Always You | Tyler Joseph

Chapter Seven

"I'll be the dangerous ledge, you be the parachute."

June 2002

Lennon sat in her bed, knees drawn to her chest, as she tried to block out the storm that was raging outside of her bedroom window.

She could feel the panic starting to rise in her stomach, as her body shook relentlessly.

Normally, she would go to her parents when a thunderstorm struck; but, ever since her mother has been sick, she's been afraid to bother them with anything that seemed so trivial in comparison. So, she tried to convince herself that she could tough it out alone.

She was nearly fourteen, and would be starting high school in just a few months. She was far too old to still cower at a bit of thunder and lightning. At least, that's what she reprimanded herself for. She had to learn how to take care of herself. She had to learn how to grow up.

She put on a brave face, attempting to convince herself that there was nothing to be afraid of. All efforts failed as another clap of thunder struck overhead and a scared whimper escaped her lips.

Not knowing of what else to do, she reached over to her bedside table and grabbed her flip phone.

She dialed Tyler's number and waited anxiously as she listened to the sound of the ringing.

"Lenny?"

Tyler's voice was groggy from sleep, but Lennon was instantly calmed as she heard it.

"It's three in the morning, Lenny," Tyler told her. "Are you okay?"

She took a shaky breath and swallowed her pride.

"I'm really scared of thunderstorms; and I know that's stupid and childish, but I can't ever calm myself down during them. I usually go to my parents but, with everything going on with mom, I feel really stupid bothering them because of this. Realistically I know the chances of something bad happening are very small, but I still can't help but think about the 'what ifs'. Like, what if there's a tornado and I can't get to the basement fast enough, or what if lighting hits the house and somehow electrocutes me, or what if a tree falls and crushes me, or-"

"Lenny, hey, take a breath for me," Tyler instructed softly, interrupting her panicked ramble.

Her voice was quieter as she said, "I didn't know what else to do."

"I'm glad you called me," he reassured her. "It's okay to be afraid of things, sometimes. I'm really scared of spiders. I'll scream like a little girl if one gets near me."

Lennon giggled in response, thankful that he never made her feel stupid for needing him. Tyler always managed to know exactly what to say to help bring her back to reality when her head was spinning with anxious thoughts. He never criticized her or made fun of her. He always made everything better.

"Did you know that you can tell how far away a storm is from you? It's actually really cool," he told her.

"No," she responded. "I didn't know that."

"I can show you how, if you want," he offered. "That way you can always know where the storm is going."

"Okay," she quietly agreed.

"The next time lightning flashes, we can start counting. We will stop when we hear the thunder that follows it. Whatever number we get to is how many miles away the storm is," he explained.

She furrowed her brows, asking him, "really?"

"Really," he confirmed. "If we both watch our windows, we will see the lightning at the same time, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed, intently looking out of her window at the street they both lived on.

The sight of the wind and rain sent a spike of anxiety through her stomach, but knowing Tyler was still on the line with her made it easier to calm down. She watched until she saw a bright flash of lightning illuminate the dark, clouded sky.

"Okay, now," he told her.

They counted together.

"One, two, three, four, five-"

A roll of thunder stopped them there.

"We got to five, so that means the storm is five miles away," Tyler said.

Lennon waited for the next one, jumping slightly when the light shot through the sky once more.

They counted again.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven-"

The thunder rumbled quieter this time.

"Now it's seven miles away, so that means it's leaving," he told her, calming her nerves.

"So that means it'll be over soon?"

He laughed, softly, telling her, "yeah, Lenny, that means it'll be over soon. See? It's not so bad when you know where it's moving."

"I guess you're right,"she whispered, letting out a small sigh of relief. "Thank you for helping me."

"If you want, you can always call me whenever there's a storm. That way you'll never have to be alone."

She smiled at his words, comforted by the fact that he was always there to protect her. He was the one thing that she knew would never change. He was her constant; her rock.

"Can you stay on the phone with me? Just until the storm stops," she asked him.

"Of course, Lenny," he agreed.

She swore she could hear the smile in his voice.

She finally laid back down, holding her phone tightly to her ear. The steady sound of his breathing on the other line helped her body relax. As the storm faded into the background, her eyelids became heavier.

Finally, she fell asleep to the soft sound of Tyler humming; and only one thing was on her mind.

She felt completely and utterly safe.