It Ain't The Speakers |-/ JOSHLER

GUNS FØR HANDS

Ok so here's how this chapter's gonna work. I hope you've got the song (^) on your phone right now, get ready to play it later when I give the signal, then keep reading. I tried to time everything so (hopefully) the lyrics will match up with what you hear. :)))

JØSH'S PØV

And what if you screw up?
What if you let him down?

Please stop, I don't need your bullshit right now.

You know very well that
everything I say is absolutely true.
Stop running.

Just leave me alone.

Idiot.

I hadn't been practising much, that was sort of true. Every time I sat down to play, it was more of destroying my tom tom or something, trying to see how fast I could go or how annoyed my neighbours could get.

A pulsating reddish light wandered into my line of sight. What was it doing here, so far from the trees? It floated towards my feet, then up to my face like it was mocking me.

"They won't know it's you," Tyler said, suddenly appearing beside me.

I don't know, but he probably forced himself to be here. Yeah I'm glad he's here because I'm scared as shit, but at the same time, I couldn't really face him.

"You can take it off when you're ready," he added.

I turned to look at the dark blue mask, then hesitantly let it exchange hands. We had discussed back in the treehouse that I could wear it till I felt comfortable enough, and Ty would take his off after I did.

I put it on, and Tyler went back into position while the light disappeared. 

"Roll playback."

The curtains parted before us, revealing the crowd.

>>> START THE SONG! <<<

I could feel a hundred eyes on me. "Don't look at them," I heard Tyler's voice in my head, which made me feel slightly better, even though I knew it was just me.

It's always just you.

The mask that hid me from the crowd seemed to help too, I guess, but as soon as I ran behind the drums, it felt unnecessary. I knew I was safe, this was what I loved to do, and who I really am.

I ripped off my mask and tossed it aside, picking up my drumsticks and started off on the snare.

The synth sounded happier than I remembered, but hey, that's the point. The lyrics, the masks, the meaning behind it all — everything was part of a bigger idea.

We weren't just performing a song, we were telling a story. A story that had the stories of a million people rolled into one.

A story that we hoped people could relate to in one way or another, because the feeling of being understood to some degree is sometimes the feeling we need most. And undoubtedly, Tyler was the man for this sort of stuff. 

TYLER'S PØV

I know what you think in the morning
When the sun shines on the ground
And shows what you have done
It shows where your mind has gone
And you swear to your parents
That it will never happen again
I know, I know what that means
I know