Falling Too (Tyler Joseph)

Chapter 37

The air felt as if it had vanished from the room at the sight and the understanding of what this man intended to do. I slowly turned to face him fully, barely feeling Tyler's hands trying to keep me in place.

Chase's father shifted his glare to me long enough to order, "Get out of the way."

A sob breaks through the murmurs of distress that I immediately recognize as Kelly's, and out of the corner of my eye, I find my mother in a similar state. Even with my heart pounding in my ears, a strange sort of calm overcame me. Whether or not it was adrenaline keeping me in this state, I knew I needed to use it to my advantage.

I had noticed in the first moments of chaos that several people had run out of the chapel, so hopefully, that meant they were calling for help. Until then, I at least had to keep either of us from being shot or anyone else here.

"This won't solve anything," I say in a small voice, unsure how he'd react.

His grip on the gun tightens, but his focus remains on Tyler. "None of this has anything to do with you, so I suggest you stay out of it and move before I have to hurt you."

"Ashley, just do what he says," Tyler pleads softly in my ear; the slight tremble in his voice is enough to keep me rooted to the spot.

I shake my head as an answer to both of them and then continue, "It doesn't have anything to do with Tyler either. Chase made his decision on his own, and even if Tyler gave him the idea just by example, that doesn't mean he had any hand in it."

"How would you know?" He challenged, the rage in his eyes burning like an inferno, seeking out someone else to scald.

"Because I did the very same thing to Tyler," I explain, taking advantage of the question. I just needed him to keep talking and pay attention to me, not the weapon in his hands. "I merely pointed out something he was capable of. That he could make his own choices despite what those around him believed. And even if they thought it was wrong, if he felt otherwise, he had a right to go find out."

"What does that have to do with my son?"

"Chase has the same right. Whether or not he's a basketball player, you still want him to succeed, feel proud, and be happy, right? The need to seek out another path for himself was stronger than his feeling nervous about what you might think. Part of him probably trusted that you would understand eventually. He wouldn't want this. He wouldn't want to see you kill anyone."

"And how do you know so much?" He demanded, inching closer to us, and I could feel my false bravado falter slightly.

Tyler's blunt nails dug into the sides of my wrists as he attempted to gingerly push me away, but with clawing fingers, I latched onto the front of his shirt. Our silent arguing had to be evident to everyone watching us. He wanted me to get to safety, and I wouldn't move an inch until he was too.

"Because Chase came here several minutes before you did to warn Tyler. He was looking for some way to prevent this. It's easy to see that he was doing what he could to protect the both of you."

Several voices called out their nervous confirmations that Chase had just been here. Chase's father glanced around at the people backed up against the walls who were clearly too frightened to escape; he was becoming aware of all the witnesses surrounding him. This seemed to lessen his resolve as he lowered the gun slightly.

I risked a glimpse around the room, discovering I couldn't find Josh or Carly. Did that mean they were among the people getting help? I could only hope. Then again, this man seemed to be out for Tyler's blood alone, which wasn't all that reassuring; he still intended to kill.

"Then why did he run off if he was so concerned? You don't know anything! You don't know how important it was for him to stay on the team! It guaranteed him a free ride through the rest of his life! We would've been set! It wouldn't have mattered that his bitch of a mother left us to drown!" He roared, and his trigger finger tightened, and I knew it was all over.

His booming voice was suddenly overshadowed by the sound of pounding footsteps and the sight of several police officers storming the room. Without a second of hesitation, two of them tackled him to the floor and knocked the weapon out of his hand.

To my astonishment, Chase's father began to cry, and when his eyes lifted to seek out Tyler and me, he said, "I'm so sorry, you have no idea what it's been like since she left. My only source of pride after she left was that Chase was on his college basketball team. After that, it was the only way to look others in the eye."

But I did have an idea of what it was like. I knew the shame a person faced after a family member left them for seemingly no good reason. The judgment, the rumors, the heartbreak, and the rage. Those emotions all felt like close friends to me, but I knew this man wasn't in any state to hear that truth. Or to even fathom accepting it. 

As the police escorted him out of the church, I felt somewhat bad for him. It made me realize how lucky I'd been that my mother hadn't strayed down a similar path after my father stepped out. She had managed to pick up her life and find something better where Chase's father hadn't. The thought made me hurt for him and Chase in a way that I wouldn't have thought possible, especially considering what had just happened.

Out of nowhere, I was being yanked against two other people, returning me to reality. Tyler was pressed snugly to my side as his mother held us to her in a tight grip.