— Wren —
"Where are we going?" I couldn't help but whine as Spencer drove with an air of secrecy.
"I said it's a surprise, so just shut up." Spencer's grin only fueled my curiosity.
"Do you even have your license?" I quipped, but she didn't seem to care.
"Didn't I say to shut up?"
I rolled my eyes, leaning my head against the window. Our sibling adventures often took us to new places, but this time felt different. The anticipation gnawed at me, but I didn't want to spoil whatever surprise she had in store.
After over an hour of driving, Spencer pulled into a bustling parking lot. People surrounded us, holding signs and sporting face paint, all decked out in black and red.
"Spencer Michelle, where are we?" I asked, my tone serious as I narrowed my eyes at her. She couldn't contain her excitement as she squealed her response.
"A TWENTY ONE PILOTS CONCERT!"
Dread clawed at my insides.
Spencer kept babbling about how she'd just discovered this band, bought tickets as soon as she heard they were restarting their tour, but I could hardly hear her over the thunderous pounding of my heart. Tears welled up in my eyes.
"Yay! You're excited!" Spencer beamed, but her enthusiasm faltered when she noticed my tears. "Oh... oh no, those are sad tears. Why are you crying?"
"Spencer," I began, taking a shaky breath to steady myself, "you know those guys back in Ohio, the reason I wanted to come home?"
"Uh, yeah?"
"This is them. This is Tyler and Josh."
Her eyes widened nearly to the size of saucers. "Holy shit. Wren, I- I didn't know, I'm so sorry. Let's— Let's go home, yeah?" She reached for her keys, but I stopped her.
"No, let's stay. You really wanted to see them."
"No, screw these guys! They—"
"Spencer."
"Fine!" She yelled, unbuckling herself and throwing open the car door. "I'll watch these idiots. But I'm not going to like it!"
It definitely didn't help to be in the pit. But I sucked it up for Spencer, who was on an emotional roller coaster as the guys took the stage. I stood awkwardly throughout the songs, holding Spencer's hand as she went through a whirlwind of emotions.
Tyler began playing a song softly on the piano, and I instantly recognized it as Tear In My Heart.
"Washington holds a special place in my heart," Tyler started, and Spencer's eyes darted to me.
I had that same overwhelming feeling I'd had in the car. I struggled to remember anything about Tyler and me being together, but it only gave way to a pounding migraine. I fought to hold myself together despite the burning sensation in my eyes.
Then, they played a song that made my heart skip a beat. Tyler claimed it was new, yet it felt hauntingly familiar. I knew I'd heard it somewhere before.
My head throbbed once more, and I had to clutch it in my hands. Memories of Tyler began flooding my mind—holding his hand in a car, lying together on the floor, and cuddling with Perry.
I remembered us.
Everything went white.
"Whoa, stop stop stop. Someone needs help in the pit. Can you help her up? Hey—
Wren?"
