The One I'm Not (Twenty One Pilots)

A Start

The best friends went off from there. It was a repetitive cycle of morning classes then going to Mark's to work on a song. It went like that for weeks. It was now the week before Christmas break and Tyler, Josh and Mark were all working on a new song called "Trees." Their songs were coming along good, they were already to half an album. With completed songs called "Kitchen Sink", "Anathema", "Forrest", "Clear", "Glowing Eyes", and "Lovely." The duo were excited that this was actually working. Though they've never performed anywhere yet, they were practicing songs in their dorm room like they were going to. They were in the middle of working on "Trees" when they all decided to take a break. They were sitting there scrolling through their phones when Josh said

"I'm thinking about dropping out of college."

Mark and Tyler looked up at him.

"Explain?" Tyler asked.

"I just don't feel the need for it. This seems to be going well and I don't want to keep on wasting my parent's money."

"What do you think your parents will do?" Tyler asked.

"I don't really know. They may be disappointed but they were both really supportive of my music during Thanksgiving. I'm sure they'll understand."

They won't understand.

They were only lying.

You're a disappointment, Josh.

Josh shook his head, trying to shake the thoughts away.

"Josh, then you'll have to move out of the dorm. I'll have to live there by myself."

"You should drop too!"

"Josh, really? My parents would kill me. I promised them one year."

"Oh, well I can find some place to live maybe."

"You can live here." Mark said.

"Are you being serious?!"  

"I'm actually dropping too... so yeah, it gets lonely here anyway. I have two extra bedrooms. Tyler, why don't you live here too?"

"Dude, wait what? Can I? I wouldn't survive in a dorm by myself."

"Yeah, of course. I need help paying rent anyway and it'll give us more time to work on songs too!"

"It's settled then!" Josh said.

"Mark, why are you dropping, though?" Tyler asked.

"I didn't feel the need for college anymore, and this is really what I want to do and you guys are giving me that opportunity."

"Mark, you're totally part of this band now, you know?" Tyler said.

"Single tear, man. That means a lot, thanks. Group hug!"

Mark gathered Tyler and Josh in his arms and they hugged. 

When they broke from the hug, they heard the doorbell ring.

"I'll get it." Mark said.

Tyler and Josh followed behind anyway.

Mark opened it and it was Jenna.

"Jenna! Come in!"

"Hey Mark! Tyler, Josh! You guys are here too, cool!"

"Hey Jenna!" They both said.

"Jenna what brings you here?" Mark asked as they all sat in the living room.

"Well, since you know all the happenings around here. I wanted to ask you a favor."

"Ask away."

"So at my church, we're hosting a little event and we're looking for a band to come play at it! I don't know of any but I remembered at the party a while back ago, Josh and Tyler here were in a band, so I was just gonna come to ask if you knew where they lived so I could ask them if they would play at it! But here they are now!"

They all laughed.

"Well Jenna, we actually weren't in a band together at that party, but we are now!" Josh explained.

"Oh really? Did I make that happen, because that'd be really cool." Jenna asked.

"Sorta, you did influence it though." Tyler said.

"So, will you guys play at it?"

"When is it?"

"It's the day before New Years Eve!"

"Oh really? Well-"

"Group huddle!" Mark called.

The three guys huddled.

"That's in more than a week." Mark explained.

"I think we can do it!" Josh said.

"We can play our songs, we'd have at least seven songs songs completed by then. We could possibly get another one done by then." Tyler explained.

"But would that song be well rehearsed?"

"Hmm, good point. But we've rehearsed all the other songs. I'm sure an eighth one will be fine!" 

"Okay so we in?" Mark asked.

"Let's do it!"

"Okay, I'm in."

"Break!" Mark yelled.

"I think we'll be able to do it!" Tyler said excitedly.

"You know I was able to hear everything you were saying, right?" Jenna said, smirking.

"Oh, well... we're still in!" Tyler said.

"Yay! Thank you guys so much! It's going to be so fun! I gotta run but thanks again!"

Jenna was about to leave when she said "Oh Tyler. I still have your jacket, it's actually in my car if you wanna come get it." 

"Oh right." Tyler followed Jenna to her car and she gave him his jacket back.

"Thanks."

"No problem, it's warm."

"Yeah, it's a nice jacket."

Stop talking about the jacket, Tyler.

"So, are you in college?" Tyler asked.

"Oh, no. I work at my church as an intern."

"How do you know Mark then?"

"His parents are friends with my parents sorta deal. We've been friends for a while now."

"Oh, that's cool. Mark's pretty cool. I'm actually going to live with him."

"Oh, you are? Looks like I'll be seeing more of you then."

"Yeah, you will."

"I think I'll like that."

"Me too."

"I'll see you around Tyler." Jenna got into her car and drove off and Tyler went inside the house.

__________________________________________________

"Why did Jenna have your jacket?" Josh asked nudging him in the elbow.

"Calm down, I gave it to her cause she was cold."

"Oh yeah, what's this then?" Josh said pointing at the paper sticking out from the jacket pocket. Tyler pulled it out. It was a note. 

"Tyler, call me sometime. Jenna." It was Jenna's phone number.

"Ooooooooooooo." Mark and Josh said simultaneously.

"Oh shush." Tyler said blushing as he put the note back in his pocket.

"Well anyways. We finally have our first gig! I'm so excited and nervous I could throw up!" Josh said excitedly.

"Actually... it's not." Mark said. 

"What do you mean, Mark?" Josh asked.

"I actually booked a gig over at the record store I work at."

"Mark what!? When were you going to tell us!?"

"I was going to tell you before Jenna came over actually!"

"This is so good, I'm so stoked and still now really nervous." Josh said sitting down.

"It's this weekend at seven."

"Okay, I think we can do it." Tyler said sitting next to Josh.

"This is finally our chance to show people, complete strangers our songs. Whether there be two people or fifty, we have to make it a great show." Tyler said.

"Let's do it!" Josh said.

"Come on, let's go work on the eighth song." Tyler said standing up and heading back for the basement.

Tyler knew exactly what song to work on next, he actually didn't have a title for this one yet but it definitely was his favorite one right now. This was a song he had wrote in his old journal that Josh picked up at his house a while ago. He had written some lyrics in his new journal that were going to be perfect with the old lyrics in his new journal, and he was excited to finish it.