Self-Titled

Chapter 5

Tyler's POV

Josh was zoning out, and I could tell he was thinking too much. I've been there before, and I knew that if we didn't get him out of there soon, things could go from bad to worse.

"Josh," I said firmly. "Let's take a little breather. C'mon." I put my hand on his shoulder tentatively, almost as if he was made of glass.

He tried shaking me off again. "I'm fi-"

"Don't try that crap with me. I can tell that you're either having or about to have an anxiety attack. So please, come with me and take a walk."

Needless to say, that shut him up.

We began to walk out together, my hand still on his shoulder, which was starting to tremble. We made our way outside and took a seat together on the steps.

He took some deep breaths, which started out being shaky. His leg was bouncing like wild, as were his hands. I wanted to say something to help, but I couldn't find the right thing to say.

"Are you okay?" I asked a few minutes later. "And I want the truth. Are you going to be okay to walk in there?"

"Y-yeah." He decided. "Yes. I'm gonna be just fine." He tried to smile, but it was just kinda weak. It made my heart hurt.

"C'mon, lets make music together." I said, standing up, then helping him up. "You can handle this."

He nodded, and we walked back inside. Honestly, Josh fit right in. There were kids with all different colored hair all over the place, most chopped short, or longer than what I thought could be comfortable. There were guitars, ukes, violins, percussion instruments, and marching band instruments.

To me, it was beautiful, but I hoped Josh wasn't overwhelmed again. "How ya doing?" I asked, and he nodded in response.

We went over to the desk that was at the front, towards the stage. I smiled at the counselor. "Hey, I'm Tyler Joseph, I play piano and ukulele." I tell her. And this is Josh..." I suddenly remember I never got his last name.

"Dun." He supplies.

"Right. Dun. This is Josh Dun, he plays the drums and trumpet."

"Alright, strings are on the very left, percussion is at the back left, and orchestra is on the right." They inform us, and I thank them.

"Go try to make friends." I tell Josh. "We can discuss it all over 'Who's Line' later, promise."

We go our own separate ways, and a few minutes later our director, Mr. Way arrives and silences us.

"My, there is a lot of you." He smiled. "My name is Mr. Way, I'm the head counselor/chief director here. Our main goal is to make sure you have fun, but most importantly, learn something about music and explore your interests in it." He made the same speed he made every year, about how safety is important, but campers are given plenty of freedom, and all that blah blah blah.

After his lecture was over, it was finally time to start jamming.

I can't even explain the sound that came from our half hour freestyle. All the sounds blended together made me feel something. It felt like..making a new friend. Like Josh. It was so happy and light, and so powerful all at once. It was beautiful, to say the absolute least.

After it was over, everyone clapped, and tried to process that it had actually happened. Mr. Way actually looked like he was holding back tears. "That," he said "is what this camp is all about. You are dismissed."

I met up with Josh right after. "So, did you love it, or did you love it?" I asked him cheerily.

"That was..kind of moving?" He said, with a faint smile. "Is that weird?"

"Absolutely not. I felt the same thing, honestly." I confessed.

"So now what?" he asked.

"Now, we get something to eat, and we go back for 'Who's Line'!" I exclaimed.

Josh smiled, a real smile this time. That made me smile, too. Together, we peacefully walked to the cafeteria.