Is Not Saving Someone The Same As Killing Them? || Joshler (Bromance)

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"Tyler," Josh tried to get Tyler's attention at lunch, he'd gone somewhere else again, just as he had been nearly everyday for the past two weeks. He hadn't said much of anything at all over that period of time and Josh was afraid Tyler hadn't eaten much of anything either.

"Tyler," Josh gently nudged Tyler in the side with his elbow.

"Hm," Tyler looked away from the window and focused on Josh.

"Where do you keep going to?"

Tyler looked out the window again and mumbled his reply after a short moment, "Slowtown."

Josh still didn't know where, or what, Slowtown was but he thought better of pushing the subject right now.

***

At home, Tyler immediately went up to his room. He had been ungrounded for more than a week now but he didn't care. He was tired and he didn't want to be in his head anymore. As he walked through his bedroom door, he let his bag drop off his shoulder and headed straight for the bed, not even caring that his door hadn't closed completely. He fell into his bed, his head on the right-side pillow and his feet dangling over the left edge. He had barely cared to take off his book-bag, let alone his shoes. He didn't care.

Tyler had tossed his phone on his nightstand as he laid down and it was the incessant buzzing that woke him now. He squinted at his alarm clock, it read 7:44 P.M. Tyler slowly sat up, his muscles sore from not moving around in his deep sleep. He grabbed his phone just as the buzzing stopped. He thought momentarily about tossing it down again and going back to sleep but decided against it. He glanced at his notifications. One missed call from his mom and five from Josh, the last being at 7:44p.m. There were also several messages from Josh. Tyler was about to call Josh back when his phone started buzzing in his hand, startling him. It was Josh again, so Tyler answered.

"Tyler," Josh sounded a concoction of relieved, slightly angry and as if he'd been crying.

Tyler's heart sank a little, "Are you okay, Josh?"

"That's why I'm calling you! Tyler, what's going on," At first Tyler thinks Josh is having another anxiety attack but then he continued, "I'm worried about you. You haven't been eating and you always look tired and you don't even talk to me anymore. Our last band practice was a month ago! Let me in, Tyler. Let me try to help, just tell me what's going on! Please."

Tyler didn't know how to answer, he truthfully hadn't noticed any of his own behaviour lately, he was just so tired. So he said the first thing that came to mind, "We're dying with every step we take, and we're dying with every breath we make. We all fall in line."

Josh started to say something but Tyler cut him off, hating that he'd opened his mouth at all already, "I'll be okay, Josh. I'm just going to get some sleep tonight." And he hung up.