House of Gold // Adopted by Tyler Joseph

School

"Lily, you have to go to school, darlin." Tyler poked at my side, I was wearing my new pajamas.

I'd completely forgotten about school. And did not wanna go back to that place. Therefore, I pretended to be fast asleep.

"C'mon baby girl, I'm serious." He groaned and tapped his foot on the floor. He reached over and took away the covers.

"Tyler?" I sniffed.

"Awe, what's wrong Lils?" He brought me in for a giant hug as I resisted the urge to cry.

"I don't like school. I really don't wanna go back."

He sighed heavily. "Well we did get you a tutor for tour." He laughed.

"So I don't have to go?" I beamed.

"I'm afraid it's the law to go to school." He spoke as I frowned and felt tears spring to my eyes.

"Please Dad! Please I'll say I'm sick, it's only four days we have to miss." I begged and begged. He was over-protective, but you could tell he valued school.

"Get ready. Breakfast is waiting on the table." He walked away as I felt hurt. Hurt that he'd make me go back to that hell-hole.

The place he found me hurting, I thought he'd know better.

So I went to school, and braved myself for what the kids had to offer me at recess.

Especially the few kids at the orphanage, they knew I'd left them.

I was enjoying my slop meal, some sort of mashed potatoes from the school, when somebody threw a heaping of the brown substance onto my new clothes.

I gasped and saw several kids waiting to give me my daily beating.

"What's this? Lily actually bought clothes that fits her? And it's not boy clothes?" A girl laughed in my face as her friends took me to the courtyard.

Being a seventh-grader meant that the eight-graders had their way with you.

Tyler didn't even offer me home, or talk much really about details. So I assumed I'd limp home.

My feet aching, I marched home in my stained shirt, shame hanging over me.

But Tyler wasn't home. Or Jenna, I frowned until I saw Josh sitting on the couch, his phone in hand.

"Hey. I'm gonna go change." I waved shortly so Josh couldn't see me, or wouldn't notice the bright stain on the shirt he'd bought me.

I should've went out and faced Josh, had a nice conversation with him over a snack maybe. But I couldn't, and began to bury my face into a pillow, to muffle my sobs.

And prayed Josh wasn't coming my way. I hated being a burden, a crybaby, a loser.

"Lily?" He pushed open the door softly.

In turn I buried myself deeper into the covers. Hoping they'd swallow my tears.

"Lily, I just wanna talk." Josh asked and I slid the covers off. "What's going on?"

"Tyler made me go to school, and I told him I didn't wanna." Josh was about to chuckle, but saw my bruised arms, and looked concerned.

"Oh Lily." He gasped out and brought me into his chest. "Baby, did you tell him you got treated like that?" He pushed away my hairs in my face and cradled me.

"Yes Josh, I'm afraid that's how we met." I frowned.

"Oh." He only gripped me stronger, my legs with lashes on them peeking out, as they lay over his arms.

He traced them softly with his fingers, I felt tired and weary after today. And his humming and soothing voice put me to sleep.

Was Josh a singer? He was in a band with Tyler. Either way, his voice was like a lullaby.

                |-/

Tyler and Josh were heard faintly in the other room, I pretended to be asleep still and eavesdropped.

"The poor girl has cuts on her legs!" Josh cried out.

"No, they're from a belt, that stupid orphanage abused her." He responded as I felt sad, listening on their conversation.

"Doesn't that just make everything better?" Josh replied sarcastically. "C'mon, you met her while she was getting beat up by a couple of kids, and then you send her back so it can happen again?"

"I'm the father, this is none of your concern." He fought back, but knew Josh was right.

I'd had enough, I'd caused two best friends to fight. "Guys stop! Your arguing woke me up. I'm not worth fighting for anyways." I mumbled.

"Lily, I'm sorry." Tyler opened his arms for a hug but I wasn't having it.

"Whatever, I thought you knew better, Tyler." I replied harshly.