Falling Too (Tyler Joseph)

Chapter 30

Sunday morning, I watched as the choir singers were gathered up from the classroom, but I was surprised when one of the soprano's, Abby, hung back. She pushed her red hair out of her eyes as she approached me. It was strange to have Josh's sister seeking me out, she was a fairly shy girl, even though I have been to her house plenty of times.

"Ms. Ashley?"

I smirked slightly over the fact she still felt the need to formally address me. "Yes, hon?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tyler waiting for her to tag along, but he didn't say anything to make her hurry up.

"Josh said that you and Mr. Tyler are boyfriend and girlfriend now. Is that true?" She asked innocently, but I knew Josh had done this on purpose to mess with me.

Even if he couldn't attend church that often because of his job, he still found ways to get others to mess with me. I just couldn't believe he had dragged his younger sibling into it this time. I overheard Marceline and Tyler chuckle at Abby's question. I made a mental note to find a way to get Josh back for this later.

I smiled at her and nodded, "He was telling the truth."

She grinned brightly at that saying, "That's great! Well, bye, Ms. Ashley!"

She skipped out of the room, beaming up at Tyler as she passed. Tyler looked over at me with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"You got to love Joshua." I state with a shake of my head.

He nodded in agreement before waving and slipping off to the music room. 

"So, you two are officially a thing?" Marceline questions with an excited smile.

"Were you not listening?" I joke.

"It's about time, but you two are about to be a world of trouble, aren't you?" She asked as her tone saddened a bit.

"When his mom finds out we will be." I mumble and watch her frown only deepen.

She let out a frustrated sigh, "I don't get it. He's an adult and she truly shouldn't be trying to control his decisions. Can't she tell that you make each other ridiculously happy?"

"If I knew how to change her mind, there isn't a thing that I wouldn't do to make it happen." I murmur as I move to lean against the doorframe, watching Tyler help direct the choir. 

"Have you ever just sat down and talked with her about what was really going on with your dad? Maybe she would see things differently if she knew the whole truth."

I shook my head as I cast my eyes back on Marceline. "I'm honestly too afraid to attempt something like that."

She gave me a smile that I'm sure she meant to be reassuring as she questions, "But would it hurt to try?"

I ran a hand through my hair as I let out a small noise of aggravation mumbling, "I guess not."

Later that day I went over to Josh's, hoping that he would provide me with some sort of helpful advice on how to go about talking with Kelly.  It became clear the more we discussed it, he was just as lost as I am. 

"Tyler's mom can be really stubborn."

I let out a bark of a laugh, "That's a bit of an understatement."

"I think the best way to go about it is to just be forward with her, tell her that you want to talk to her about your dad and about what he really did. Tell her that you just want to make sure that she knows the whole truth."

"But what if she still doesn't believe me afterward?"

He shrugged slightly, "At least you tried."

I rose an eyebrow at him, but before I can say anything, he goes on.

"I know that you and Tyler will make this work, no matter what anyone else thinks or does. This is about the two of you, to hell with everyone else."

I actually managed to crack a smile at that. "You're right."

"If you want, I can go with you when you go speak with her, as moral support. At least it won't just be you versus her."

I nodded vigorously, "That would be great." 

Josh smiled brightly as he rose from his computer chair telling me, "Come on then."

I gave him another look of confusion asking, "Where are we going?"

"We're going to go get this over with. The sooner this is done, the better."

I felt a lump grow in my throat as I warily stared up at Josh. I took in a deep breath and took his outstretched hand, standing up. Josh drove us over to Tyler's house and every minute that passed by I could have sworn my heartbeat picked up a bit more pace. 

Josh must have noticed my terrified expression because he reached over to pat my arm saying, "You can do this, Ash."

I swallowed hard and nodded. I peered out the window as we pulled into the driveway, seeing that everyone's car was there. Josh climbed out of the vehicle as soon as he killed the engine and I knew that I didn't really have any other choice but to follow along. Part of me considered bolting off down the street as Josh rang the doorbell, but I didn't have time as the door opened a moment later. I held my breath when Kelly's gaze fell onto me and her once cheery expression darkened. 

"Hey Mrs. Joseph, we were wondering if you had a minute?" Josh asks in a pleasant tone.

She stepped out on the porch, quietly shutting the door behind her. Of course, she wouldn't let us inside. 

"So, what do you need?" She questions in a formal sort of voice. 

It was clear that she didn't want to be mean to Josh, but she didn't hold the same consideration for me. It was obvious that she was struggling on the inside. Josh gave me a slight nudge with his shoulder, prompting me to speak up. 

I inhaled deeply, trying to steady myself, and began, "I'm here because I want you to know the truth about what happened with my dad."

She rose an eyebrow, cautiously saying, "Alright."

Something caught my eye behind her, several of the window blinds were pulled down and five pairs of eyes peered out at us. I guess that meant the rest of the family was going to be my audience. I gathered my concentration and began to tell her the story of the downfall of my family.