When All The Darkness Fades Away {Joshler}

TWO

Tyler couldn't focus on his math.

He never could, actually. But today was especially bad.

Instead of solving a simple equation like he was supposed to, he watched as a squirrel ran across the yard in front of his window and scampered up a tree. It seemed happy with the sunlight and green grass and an ample amount of food for it to find.

And then Tyler started contemplating the problems of the world. He wanted to be like the squirrel. Why, he wondered, couldn't all humans be like that? Why couldn't they just forget about work and money and obligations and just live? Why do we have and taxes and insurance and things that are suppose to make our life easier but just made it harder? Student loans, social security, things that are suppose to be good, but just make us stressed out.

We get so caught up in worrying if we're going to make the next payment that we forget about a friend's birthday, or an anniversary. When did these things get in the way of living?

Why couldn't we just be free?

Things would get more and more complicated; with moral issues and economics and environmental decline, every single person scrambles for a say in the matter because they want to feel important. They want to feel like they can make a difference.

But the truth is, nothing we say will matter. Fight and protest all you want, but in the end, there will always be people with different opinions. No one will ever know who's wrong and who's right. We will fight until the end of the world, because that's human nature. There's nothing we can do to stop it.

So why does such a thing as hope still exist?

Tyler didn't know.

But the thoughts weighed heavily on his mind as he sat there staring at quadratic equations with no idea how to solve this simple math problem, or any other problems of the world.

"Tyler!" was the sudden call from the downstairs. It was his mother of course. "Have you finished your homework?"

Tyler rolled his eyes at this. That's all his mother really asked- did you do this, did you do that, are you going to be better at this, will you get more involved with that. He knew that moms were known for their nagging, but he honestly felt like his was a little over the top.

"Uh, not quite," Tyler replied, his voice considering quieter. The truth was that we was nowhere near finished, but maybe if he snatched the answer key he could just get through this lesson.

"Well, you better be done in the next hour. The dog needs to be walked and I want you to take the trash out."

Tyler didn't bother responding. His mother knew he would get around to it eventually, mostly because he didn't have anything else to do with his life.

Once he found the answer book and finished his math (for some reason his mother trusted him with it; joke's on her) he made his way down the stairs.

His mom was standing at the stove in front of a steaming pot, stirring and throwing this and that into whatever was in there.

She turned when she saw Tyler enter the room, raised an eyebrow, and then simply pointed at the trash and their dog Pepper, who was sitting calmly by the front door.

Tyler sighed, and clipped a leash onto Pepper's collar. Grabbing the trash bag by the top, he held that in one hand and the end of the leash in the other. His mother didn't even say anything as he made his way out the door.

It was still warm outside, spring in Ohio being fairly nice even as the day was approaching evening. Tyler looked up at the sky, slowly turning purple by the setting sun and layers of clouds overhead. It was nice, he supposed. He didn't hate moments like these. No, he liked being outside and watching the world moved around him, it was only when he was forced to be part of the world when he couldn't stand it.

He pushed the thoughts into the back of his mind, not wanting to have a third existential crisis in one day. He dropped the trash off to be picked up the next morning and continued walking with Pepper.

The little black dog did her business, and then pulled Tyler along to stroll down the sidewalk of the neighborhood, wagging her small tail and occasionally glancing back at him to see if he was still there.

Tyler hummed Fall Out Boy's "I've Got A Dark Alley And A Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth," thinking about how much he loved the band and their tendency towards strangely long song titles.

"Fall Out Boy, eh?" A voice interrupted Tyler's tune.

Tyler jumped, startled, and spun around to see a purple haired boy leaning against a mailbox. He saw him around the neighborhood sometimes, but they never talked.

"U-uh y-yeah," Tyler stuttered. He cleared his throat. "Erm. How could you tell?"

The boy smiled, showing nice white teeth. He looked to be around Tyler's age, wearing black pants and a gray t-shirt. "You've got a nice voice. I can tell, even when it's just humming." He laughed.

Tyler was definitely nervous. He wasn't good at talking to people, not at all. That probably came from the fact that no one really talked to him in the first place. But he tried to start a conversation. "So you like Fall Out Boy?"

"Dur. How else would I know a song from 2005 that isn't Sugar We're Goin Down?"

Tyler cracked a smile. "True. Great song, way overplayed."

The boy smiled again. "I'm Josh, by the way."

"Tyler. I live a couple houses down."

"I know," Josh said with a wink. "I stalk you."

Tyler stared at him.

"I'm kidding."

Tyler flushed. "Yeah, I know. Sorry."

"It's all good. Hey, so I'm having a party at my place tomorrow night. Wanna come? The more the merrier."

Tyler thought about it. The next day was Friday. He wasn't doing anything, of course. So why not accept this random invitation from a neighbor he'd never talked to before? "Sure," he replied with a smile.

"Great! It's at 7, but you can come whenever. Everyone's really friendly."

Tyler nodded. "Sounds good." He looked ever to Pepper, who was waiting patiently by his side. "I should get back."

"Of course." Josh leaning away from the mailbox. "See you tomorrow."

"See ya. Oh, and thanks for inviting me."

"Anytime."

And that was that. Tyler went back down towards his house, and Josh went back inside his.

Would this party be awkward and weird and awful for him?

Definitely.

Would he still go?

Of course.

Because, Tyler was pretty sure he just made a new friend.