The One I'm Not (Twenty One Pilots)

To Meet Tyler

"Hello?"

Josh turned around to see the same guy from the record store. Confused, he didn't say much of anything. He scratched his drumstick against his head and said 

"Are you Tyler Joseph?" 

The guy responded "Yeah." 

Josh stuck his hand out and said "I'm Joshua. Josh for short and thanks for the five dollars back at the record store, I really appreciate it. Those drums were amazing." 

Tyler shook Josh's hand and said "No problem, I don't know what came over me when I did that." He laughed nervously. 

Tyler looked less confused and lost than he did at the record store. He looked kinda nervous or anxious though. Is he as scared as me? Josh thought.

Josh then concernedly asked "Do you mind if I drum some more? It's kinda a thing I gotta do..." 

Tyler nodded and said "No go ahead. I understand what you mean by that." 

Josh thanked him and sat back down to drum some more. He began slow and anxiously not wanting Tyler to judge or criticize him. He began a simple beat and made it sicker. He heard Tyler behind him began to unpack so he began picking it up and then just going at it.

You're not good enough.

All you do is hit things.

That's not anything.

You're going to disappoint your parents.

Just give up already.

Josh began hitting harder and harder until one of his drumsticks cracked and flew back behind him. He heard a soft "Ouch" come from behind and he turned around to see that his drumstick hit Tyler. 

"Dude I'm so sorry! Are you alright?!" Josh said. 

Tyler responded "Yeah I'm good. Your drum skills are mad though. Like in a good way." He chuckled. 

"Thanks. Do you play anything?" Josh said. There was a look of doubt in Tyler's eyes when Josh asked that. Tyler then proceeded to get the keyboard from the foot of his bed and said

"I play a little, I'm not so good."

"I'm sure you're good, you should show me sometime. We are roommates aren't we?" Josh smiled.

"Yeah, we are." Tyler smiled back.

It was weird, there was something about Tyler. Like he knew him in a past life or something. Why did it feel easier to talk to him?

"Well then, are you hungry?" Josh asked.

"Uh yeah sure." Tyler mumbled.

"Okay then let's go to Taco Bell. I've been craving it since I got here. I go there a lot it's my favorite place, next to home."

Tyler's eyes lit up. "Dude, me too!"

"What!? Let's go now!"

The two then agreed to take Josh's car and drove to the nearest Taco Bell where they stayed for a while just getting to know each other.

"How long have you been playing drums?" asked Tyler.

"Since like, I don't know. I would always go to my local record store at home and play their drums until they kicked me out, and I never really had drums of my own. So maybe since seventh grade or so? I didn't get my drum pads until junior year of high school, so it was hard to like uh. So how long have you been playing piano or keyboard or whatever?"

Josh had to switch the conversation over to Tyler. He didn't so much like talking about himself and almost revealing why he actually drums, to fight the voice in his head? He didn't want to weird out his new friend.

"Well my mom got me a keyboard for me one year and I had it stashed away in my closet, but one night I just decided to take it out and play it. I figured it all out on my own and yeah so maybe about since sophomore year of high school or whatever."

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The conversations went just like that and continued on when they got back to their dorm. They talked to the dead of night. Josh learned that Tyler also wrote songs and that he lived in the same city his grandpa lives in. They talked about music and how much drumming meant to him, though not diving into the deeper part of it. Then Josh brought up the idea,

"We should play music together!"

"Like my piano and your drums?"

"And your writing! I'm sure it would be sick!"

"I don't know Josh. That's crazy."

"Well maybe just a jam session one day?"

"That can work."

The duo smiled and after realizing it was after two o'clock AM they both agreed to hit the hay and go to sleep. 

This was the first time in a while that Josh had an actual good night's sleep, and he was happy to wake with a new friend by his side.