I love the forest, how you can scream and no one will hear you. How you can sing and shout and no one can tell you otherwise. I love the fact that it's silent, the trees don't talk they are just silent. Trees are better than people, they don't judge or make fun of you.
Josh and I meet up in the forest between our houses every weekend. We just sit, leaning against the trees singing. It's peaceful. Singing songs that everybody's heard. Usually the top hits at that moment. Sometimes singing songs that nobody has wrote and I write them spur of the moment. I only do that when Josh asks. "What now?" I ask while he taps a beat I recognise onto the floor. He shrugs, "Y'know you should write songs. You're really good." He says to me. I look down at the floor and blush. "Thanks, but I don't think that it'll work out for me."
"Why not? You're amazing at it!" I shrug afterwards. I climb into our treehouse and start writing. I only did it for him, make him feel proud. I only ever wanted to please Josh.
The next week we met back up in our treehouse. The floor covered in screwed up paper balls. Josh kicked one with his foot and went through my legs. "Oh yes! I got you Tyler!" He laughed. I laughed with him. Then gestured for him to sit down opposite from me. I unfolded one of the paper squares in my pocket. I set it down on the floor and pushed it towards him. He started reading it, I could tell he liked it because he was tapping a beat along with his foot. "What did I say, Tyler? I said you were good!" I just shrugged and folded it back up and put it in my pocket. "How do you do it?"
He asks. "Do what?"
"Write, like you're crazily good at it!"
"I don't know. You know like the stomach of your brain. It just throws up onto the page. And I like organise it to make sense. It just flows out." Josh nodded.
"We could start a band y'know. You and me, together!" I shrugged at this idea. I laid down and he then copied. Josh turned his head to look at me and then he got a crazy look in his eyes. "Imagine if we set fire to this place, right now. And we just sat inside here." I saw what he was getting at. I stared at the ceiling. "I don't know. I doubt the fire would stop, unless someone saw it and called the Firemen or it was a really rainy day. How would you do it anyway? Set it on fire I mean."
"Not sure, gasoline maybe. An effective way to set it on fire, I'm sure." I nod and I lean into his side and he wraps his arms around me. "You always smell like the sea." He laughed, cocked an eyebrow. "What!? Why'd you say that?"
"I don't know. I like the sea though, so it's fine. I think cause the sea is relaxing. It has no troubles. Stuff like that, I guess."
"Huh, that's cool." He pulls me in closer and I just snuggle in. I fall asleep eventually.
I had big news to tell Josh. I almost ran into him cause I had amazing news. "Woah!" He steadied me, then let go of my hands. "You alright there, Tyler?" I had a really excited look on my face, I only knew this because of Josh's facial expressions. He went from confused to excited to scared and back to confused again. "I've started a band! With a few guys that live near me!" I could tell Josh was a bit hurt that I hadn't asked him to join the band. "That's great!" He fake smiled. He hugged me "You'll do great. What are you called?"
"We're not sure yet. But I like the name Twenty One Pilots." Josh nodded and sat down inside the treehouse. "Sing me a song." I nodded and sang a few verses of one of the songs I wrote. I had to leave cause I had band practise.
I didn't see Josh the next day, but I didn't think anything weird about it, he occasionally didn't go every weekend. He forgets to text me though. So I just sat in the treehouse ask wrote a song.
"Hey, hey, hey. Tyler Joseph is in the house." I say while climbing into the treehouse. "Hey, hey, hey!" Josh says back. "How's Twenty One Pilots going?" Josh asks me. I shrug.
"It's alright, I guess. Could be better, but we've just started out so you never know!"
"I know it'll go well!" He winks at me and kisses my cheek. I turn my head slightly, wanting Josh to kiss me. I didn't think he'd do it. But he leaned in, slowly and his soft lips finally touched mine. I could feel fireworks going off and electric sparks on my lips. We finally departed, both breathless. Our foreheads rested on each other's. "I really like you, Tyler." Josh says to me. I blush, move my head backwards and leave the treehouse.
I didn't see him for the next month or so. And Twenty One Pilots had really hit it off and we were doing great and I needed to talk to him about it. I also needed to talk to him about that night. Then night when we kissed. I made a mistake leaving, I didn't mean too. I was just in shock, that finally he had kissed me. I still went to the treehouse everyday, just invade he showed up.
I went one day. And smelt smoke. Wood burning, coming from the direction of the treehouse. I ran and ran to get there as fast as possible. I smelt the burning gasoline in the air and knew instantly it was Josh. "Josh!" I scream out. I call the firemen and wait for them to arrive. It takes about ten minutes and they extinguish the fire. I find Josh. Covered in debris. Charred wood, burnt paper and his drumsticks burnt on the ends. Then I see it, one piece of wood. 'We're terrified.' The lyrics to one of my songs I had wrote. I didn't know he had read them. I guess, he won't be able to read any others now. This is my fault. It almost like I have the gasoline and I poured it out for him. He was hurting and I did nothing. I should've found him earlier.
I go back home. And see my mom grieving and crying the fact that my best friend has gone. I don't even feel anything after that. I've seen it all. Until my mom hands over his hat. Written on the cap is 'TØP' and I start crying. I get my phone and see I have three new voicemails. All from Josh.
"Message number one. From Josh Dun. 'Tyler, I'm sorry. I'm scared. I don't know what to do.' End of message one." I skip to the next message. "Message number two, from Josh Dun. "Tyler, pick up the phone please. I need to hear your voice. Please, please, please.' End of message two." I was choking on my tears and listen to the third and final message. 'Message three, from Josh Dun. 'Tyler, I can smell the gas on my hands. I'm sorry. I mean this isn't what I planned. But I'm down in the forest. Please, come help me!' End of message three." I save all the messages. This is my fault. If I just learnt how to pick up the damn phone Josh would be alive today. Suddenly I get a call. The name read 'Josh Dun.' No! It can't be! He died! I pick up the phone. "Hello?" I ask.
"Tyler! I've been trying you all day! Come down to the treehouse, I want to talk to you about something!"
"Wait, what? Okay, sure..." He the hangs up. This makes no sense. He died. Right, in front of me. I decide to go down anyway.
Everything was exactly how it was before. Before the fire. Before I fucked up. I see Josh, he runs towards me. I hug him as tightly as possible. I break away from the hug. Wait a brief few seconds and smash my lips into his. Savouring the moment incase this is a dream. We break apart. "I really like you too, Josh." He smiled, grabbed my hand and pulled me into the treehouse.
