Avenir // tyler joseph

twenty // i truly will surrender

--Tyler's P.O.V--

"I can't believe you don't like any holidays!" I exclaimed at Courtney, who was sitting across from me at the lunch table. Billie snickered, stuffing a cheeseburger into his mouth.

"It's not that I have any problems against them, Tyler," Courtney said, softly. "It's just that- I don't know - I haven't celebrated them in years. I usually stay in my room here when the hospital celebrates anything."

Billie burped. "I live for Halloween and Christmas. Those are the best holidays ever. I haven't been able to do anything for Halloween in years, but that's beside the point."

I gestured to the boy beside me. "See, Courtney? Even Billie still likes holidays even if he doesn't celebrate them."

Billie rubbed his tired eyes. "Why don't you like Halloween? It's your birthday."

"I haven't had a pleasant birthday in years, Billie. That's why," she replied, propping her head up on her elbow. "I've been in this place for years and only my friend, Tanner, comes and wishes me happy birthday in person. Everybody else is always busy."

A pang of misery hit my heart as I studied Courtney's features. She looked almost as tired as Billie and I noticed that Mr. Baker had been scheduling more sessions with her, which definitely concerned me. She seemed to be distancing herself a lot more lately and I wanted her to understand that she didn't need to do that. Whenever she needed someone, she needed to know that she could come to me no matter what.

"You know what?" I said, leaning against the lunch table. "Halloween is coming up in the next week and a half and you will be turning sixteen. Sixteen's a big deal, right? You deserve to have a party."

"I promise you, Billie and I will throw you the best birthday party ever. We will even get Mr. Baker involved. I'm sure he would like to help."

Billie nodded, swallowing another mouthful of cheeseburger. "Yeah, we will throw you a party. You deserve one. You guys threw me a birthday party back in February so, I want to throw each of you one too."

Courtney shook her head. "No, no, no. I absolutely do not want you guys to do anything for my birthday. It's not that important. You guys just enjoy Halloween, not my birthday."

"You are not going to talk us out of this, Chocolate," I remarked. "You are important to both of us and we are going to show you that you are."

"Tyler has already shown you how important you are to him," Billie snickered.

Courtney's cheeks turned bright red and I kicked Billie under the table, causing him to groan. "What? Sorry that you guys are my otp!"

I rolled my eyes, reaching my hand out towards Courtney's. "Just let us do this for you. You'll have a good time, I promise."

She sighed, wrapping my hand around mine. "Fine, whatever, Tyler. You are lucky I love you."

I wish I could hear those words leave Courtney's mouth once again. Back in the mental hospital, the three words rolled off her tongue without any problems. I had been replaying those words in my head over and over for the least seven years, hoping that same day she would say them once again. I needed her to say them once again.

"So when's Pierre and everybody else supposed to get back from the horse trip thing?" I asked, quietly, stretching my legs out on the long couch as Courtney and I watched season four of Boy Meets World, the only DVD that was in the cabin.

Courtney shrugged her shoulders as she sat on the hardwood floor in front of the couch, her eyes trained on the TV as Shawn Hunter started yelling at his best friend. "Pierre told me that he would be back by three or four. Afterwards, everyone wants to get around the bonfire again and just play guitar and stuff." She smiled, turning her head to look at me. "Jeff's been begging me to sing Misery Business for months."