The Right Answer

chapter 19

Tyler's fingers slipped. The song was ruined by his shaking hands, and Josh stopped drumming. Kelly stared at her son, who looked so happy unil he saw her, happier than he had ever been, even before Jay had died. He looked so grownup, so relaxed and at home despite he was miles and miles away from his actual home.

Kelly wanted to break down. Her limbs were shaking, and she felt like she had lost all her strength. The only thing she wanted to do was run to him and make him come home.

Shaking, she walked towards him and touched his face. He had even grown some facial hair, and was so handsome she was in some way proud of him.

He stared back so insolently and stony faced that had no love in his eyes whatsoever. His stare filled her with so much sadness and anger that she raised a hand to smack his face. Tyler's dad who stood behind her, caught her wrist. 'Don't. Don't touch him.' He said, looking at Tyler with a flicker of anger in his dark eyes when he noticed Josh and Tyler's fingers tightly locked together, so tightly their knuckles where white.

Still shaking she lowered her hand, looking at them with pity.
'T-Tyler.'

'Yes,'

'Do you love Josh?'

Both parents were looking at him with a particular look Tyler rembered; discouragement. He ignored this.

'Yes-'

Both parents gave him a different look. He knew that one too well: that meant that was not the right answer.

Tyler opened his mouth to say the right answer they wanted, but stopped. He looked at Josh, and thought about how much he loved him. More than anything. More than his treehouse, his room, his parents, his old friends, his siblings, his toys. He then decided he didn't need to do what they said. He didn't care about the right answer anymore.

'Yes I do. I love him.'

And with that, Tyler picked up his ukulele and money and they walked away, hands clasped, away from the parents they once knew. Back to their beach. Their real home. They stared ahead.

All Tyler heard next was a loud, sickening boom, and a scream surprisingly close to Jays scream on that terrible day.

Josh's firm grip on his hand relaxed completely, and he fell slowly onto his knees. Tyler looked and saw Josh staring at the bright red bloodstains on the floor underneath his feet. Then his now dull eyes glided to Tyler, expressionless. He began to fall backwards, and Tyler fell to the floor and caught him. His tear splashed onto Josh's motionless face and, squinting with pain, he took a last breath and fell still.

All of Tyler's body began to shake violently, more and more the more he looked at Josh's body. He opened his mouth wide and screamed and screamed. For a whole hour he sat and screamed, tears pouring down his face and rocking back and forth, Josh's body held tightly to his chest.

He kissed Josh's lips hard and cried more when obviously he did nothing back, lifeless.

He looked over at his parents, and saw his own mother with a gun in her hands.

Eventually the shock was so much the world spun and went black.

You guys probably hate me now lol oh well