four walls (breathe out)

chapter eight: ACDC

WHEN JOSH wakes up the next morning he tries his hardest to convince himself it was all a dream. But the nausea and smell of beer tell him other wise.

He wants to be mad at Tyler. He wants to call him up and scream at him for being a jerk when all he was doing was protecting him. But he can't.

He can't because after getting over the perkiness of the boy he found that he's quite cool. Besides, there's something that his friends aren't telling him, Tyler Joseph is hiding something and Josh wants to know what.

For it being his last year of high school, the year that is supposed to be the easiest, a lot of things are anything but easy.

His mind is racing with Brendon, Dallon and Ryan and what could be going on there. Was Dallon's break down over one of the two? Does it having anything to do with when they did the room check?

Who is Hayley involved with? She has her eyes on someone but Josh has a feeling it's not Mikey.

And Pete with Monica? Is it more than just a friendship? Is she hurting Tyler behind closed doors? Does Petes hatred for Tyler go further than his scarf?

He's starting to think that his prefix friends and his out of class friends are more intertwined then he first thought.

How long has all this been happening before Josh realized? Has he himself trying his hardest to be invisible made everyone else invisible instead?

And most importantly, is all of this drama giving his life more color or is it blacking it out completely?

"Josh? Breakfast." His mother says, poking her head in.

"Thanks." Is his reply as she smiles sweetly and slips out. He catches sight of himself in the mirror and jumps at his newly colored hair, running a hand through it nervously.

He looks pretty damn good is he says so himself.

His phone buzzes.

Picking it up from where it's tucked into the pocket of his abandoned jeans Josh reads the notification.

****-**** : Hey Joshua, it's Tyler. I want to apologize for everything I said yesterday. Funny, seems like I'm apologizing a lot now-a-days. I was wondering if you'd stop by my house for dinner? Sort of as an apology for hitting you and telling you to fuck off. Again, I'm sorry. (and I got your number from Brendon sorry if that was invasive)

Josh almost laughs at the formal text, his heart lifting at the thought of Tyler sitting at home, anxiously waiting his reply.

sure, send me your address.

It's not that he needs an apology dinner, but he's determined to make sense of at least one of the things that are weighing on him at the moment. And honestly seeing Tyler doesn't sound so bad at the moment.

And maybe going over to his house will be just what he needs to find out what he's hiding.

Josh sits at the table for breakfast, his mum serving French toast and orange juice.

"When did you get home?" Abby squeals as he takes a seat.

"Last night."

"Where you with Brendon?" Josh thinks to the sad boy in the front yard and shakes his head.

"No, I wasn't."

"Where were you then?" Jordan presses and Laura sighs.

"Kids please, leave your brother alone." They turn to their food and his mum gives him a look that tells him she'll definitely be on his case soon enough.

That's why Josh isn't surprised when she follows him back to his room. He sits on his bed as she closes the door.

"Spill." He does. He tells her of getting there, the kissing, the hair dye and the fight. He tells her of everything going on with Brendon and Dallon and Ryan and how he suspects Tyler is hiding something. He even tells her about the message from earlier. It feels amazing to get it all off of his chest and as he catches his breath and looks up to his mother he sighs.

"It's a lot, I know." She's staring at the floor intently and does so for a bit longer before breathing in deeply and facing her son.

"Well here's my view. Stay out of it."

"What?" He asks in disbelief.

"Well, it's obvious that whatever's going on with those three boys, It's something they don't want you to know. So it's simple- stay out of it."

Josh nods slowly, he supposes she's right.

"But what about Tyler? I mean, I can't stay out of that!"

"And why not?" Josh moves to reply but the words get stuck in his throat. Why can't he just forget Tyler's problems and go back to being his uninterested dull self? Why is he so emotionally invested in this boy's life?

"I...I don't know okay? I just can't." A small smile creeps onto Laura's face as she stares at Josh's distressed look. "What?" He asks nervously, fiddling with his shirt.

"You like him." Josh gasps.

"No way. No way in hell, heaven or this god for saken planet do I like Tyler Joseph." With crossed arms and raised eye brow Laura pops her hip out.

"You liked kissing him?"

"Well, yeah."

"A lot?"

"A lot."

"You've found your fling." She says it likes it simple, like he should know that the boy he didn't like only weeks before who freaked out on him last night is fling material.

"Mum, he has a girlfriend."

"By the sounds of it, not anymore."

"B-but he has a lot of problem right now I'm sure."

"So do you. So does everyone." Josh's mouth hangs open limply.

He's searching for a reason as to why Tyler would not be a good fling but he can't find one.

Laura sighs.

"You're going over there right?"

"Yeah, later today."

"Then hang out for a bit, get to know him. You might just find that he's a good thing. A good thing for you."

Then she reaches into his bag and swipes his ACDC CD before swiftly leaving the room.

Josh groans.