Tiger Stripped Leggings {Joshler}

Truckstop Brostop_Cp 21

Tired and lost, I huff out with defeat, swearing to never trust my old Nexus phone ever again. I jump off my bike, the old seat creaking under my weight lifted. The evening breeze wafting in the cool shallow park makes me sigh, bitter at the hospital for being so far away.

Resting upon the bench, I fear the worst for the Tyler boy. His small frame could barely survive a hit, much less a panic attack. Or, that's what I guessed it was. Pulling a pen from my pocket, I smile absent minded, tapping the tip of the cap on the metal bench. Tyler was a common name, yet felt fiery on my tounge, making my body cower at the breeze.

Humming a lullaby, my body relaxes, resting a hand on the top of the bench. My shirt and shorts don't cover enough skin making me shiver.
A faint noise tickles at my left ear. I ignore the sound, relaxing in the shadows of the tree. The click of a bike right next to me makes me flinch, grabbing for my bike under my left arm with searching eyes. 

"No! It's just me." A voice to my right startles me.

Looking up at the shadow in front of the sun, brown sorrowful eyes greet mine.

"Mind if I sit here?" Blinking rapidly, I nod furiously at him, scooting over to give the boy room. "I couldn't go home..."

Fidgeting with his hands, I notice his knuckles raw with stress. Panic attack it is, then.

Peeking up from my hair, I take a long look at his face, absorbing the small details and crevices.

Freckles spread along the bridge of his nose, brown tired eyes placed just centimeters away from his pale eyebags. I smile at this imperfection, wanting to run my fingers over his angular cheeks. The smooth acne free forehead, paired with a few dimples on the middle of his tanned cheeks. He was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined or wished to see.
Mouth closed, he turns to me, probably noticing my stare.

"I'm Tyler." Uncontrollably I nod, noticing how creepy I must've seemed, knowing his name. I wondered if he even recognized me.

Head tilted in a smile, he seems hesitant, asking, "Do you know me?"

I thought about this for a moment then realized I didnt. I had no clue who this man was. Not what his background was, if he had a family, or even his favorite song.

Clearing my throat, I speak out with a voice crack,
"I-i talked to you about a drumset and played...a song for you...so not really, no.." My voice waned at the end of the sentence, making me cringe. Damn feminine voice.

"Oh, well I remember you now! That song was beautiful. Wasn't it by Queen? I can't remember the song title sadly..." Face cutely crumpled in thought, his eyes squinted with dashes of pink hues around his temples. He was embarrassed.

"Oh, it was 'You're my best fren-'" My voice cut out, my voice still shaking with adrenaline. My hands nervously quake, a bad tendencie I developed after my dad left.

'Stupid...he's going to think you're an uneducated, blubbering idio-''

"Fren? Huh. That's cute how you pronounce it." Grinning with the eyes of a million years I nearly have a heart attack.

I remember my manners and stick out my other hand, the one not loosely grasping the pen like a weirdo.

"I'm Joshua, but you can call me Josh. Josh Dun." Repeating names usually helped me remember names, so I would give this boy some extra help. Taking my rounded hand with a firm but soft grip, his head leans towards mine, examining my face closely.

"Are you around here? I haven't seen you at the high school here." Darting my eyes away I shake my baggy hair in a sad manner.

"I am home schooled. But I have lived here in Columbus for about six years. We moved here in the winter, so I couldn't start school and just...never did ever since." Letting go of the soft and strangely freezing hands of Tyler, I drop my pen and run my hands over my arms in a sense of a chill coming on.

He notices my actions and silently mouths, 'o' . I watch with embarrassment as he rummages through his bike's basket, coming up short of any clothing. In a second flat, I hold the jacket of his around my shoulders, making me heat up instantly. I glance at his clothing- a black tee with pinkish leggings and converse.

Warmly smiling, I feel my eyes squinted. His laugh is shrill, making something inside my crevice of a heart beat, the two of us cackling like hyenas.

I stand up noticing the setting sun and remember Mom's worrying. Pulling my phone out of my pocket I hide behind my hair, anxiety nipping at my sides. Opening the message application, I make a new contact, shyly handing him the phone with a quick smile.

"I thought that maybe I should know how to return your jacket..."

Nodding with a confirming and non threatening thumbs up, he fills in the contact, adding emojis in his name.

Chuckling at this boy's clear insanity, I stare out at the pond behind us, resting two closed eyes against the winds. I draw the jacket closer around my body in a hug.

"Here, all finished. Just text me, and I'll be at Possible or Plausible tomo- oh, well scratch that." Watching him shift uncomfortably from foot to foot, he fidgets. "I'll be gone tomorrow, but I'll be there all week after that!" I shift my stare from the blue hues to the deep forests grounds hidden within his irises.

"That's okay. Have a nice break at least." Grasping onto his warm, fluffy jacket, I try my best not to bury my head into it. 'Can't look too creepy- I just met him, technically.'

Heading off with a fist bump, he gets up and starts off in the same direction as which he came from, my direction exactly the opposite.

As I pull my arms through the arm holes of the jacket, I start to think about the whole scenerio. Walking my bike to ride, I stop dead in my tracks in amusement.

'If he was heading South in the first place, why would he back track and go to the Park Lake?' Throwing a leg over the seat, I settle and begin for home, lost in thought.

'Unless he saw me and wanted to drop in...but...no that can't be it.' Blushing at the thought of him brining me some chocolates for Father's day in his Suburban car at 4pm after his late night jobs make me tear up. 'It's just a fantasy unfortunately.' Turning on my street, all the house lights remain off except one outlier home.

Mine.