We all have our masks [Twenty One Pilots]

Chapter Six: Reckless & Oblivious

When she opened her eyes, Lena felt as tired as she was the night before. She hadn't slept much, but she thought that those few hours would at least make her thumping headache go away. This wasn't the case, though. It seemed like the events of the night were circling her head, crushing down all the other brighter thoughts she might have. 

Jey had called her on Skype, and as much as she missed him - even though they weren't together anymore - she wished he hadn't. The conversation had started well, and Jey had showed her more attention than he had for the past few months since they had broken up. But soon, he started to ask questions about where she was and who she was with. When Lena told him about Josh, Tyler and Mark, he unexpectedly got angry,

"You are SO reckless, Lena" he yelled through her headphones. "Who knows what those guys could do to you? For God's sake, you don't even KNOW them!" 

"You are SO oblivious, Jey." she replied, trying to keep her voice low in order not to wake up the guys. "I was barely 17 when I went on tour with you, and we had met only a few months before, but somehow, at that time, that didn't seem reckless to you, did it?"

"I took you with me to protect you, remember?" retorted Jey. "You were such a mess back then, you needed me."

Lena would have protested if he wasn't so right. She did need him at that time, more than anyone else. He helped her through the hardest time of her life, and she probably wouldn't be alive if it weren't for him. After a moment of silence, she murmured a small "I love you" that he probably didn't hear, because he had started talking again.

"Look at you now. Maybe you haven't changed that much."

And just like that, Jey ended the call. Lena knew perfectly well that those words weren't referring to her current behaviour. Jey was talking about something else, something she did that led up to the couple's split. It always came down to that, whenever they talked. He always had to brought that up. But Lena still felt guilty enough without having to endure his harsh words. Maybe it would be best if they didn't talk anymore, she thought. But the feelings were strong, and she couldn't get rid of them so easily.

Rubbing her tired eyes to get rid of the image of his haunting smile, she sat up, removing the white sheet that was still covering her bare legs. Waking up slowly, she looked around her at the mess they all made. Bags and suitcases were covering the dark blue carpet, some clothes hanging out on the floor like long lost items. With surprise, Lena noticed that she was alone, except for the sound of the shower running in the bathroom, revealing that at least one person was in there with her. 

Lena got up, hoping it was Josh or Mark, because she sure didn't want to be alone with Tyler. His behaviour from the previous evening showed her that the guy didn't really want to get to know her, and was not so keen on having her with them. Rolling her eyes at the thought, she stretched out and looked at the time on her phone - 8:16 am - before going through her suitcase to pick her outfit for the day. She chose simple: white skinny's and a plain black shirt. She didn't have anything to dress up for anyway. 

Lena was sitting back on the bed, clothes in hands, when she realized the shower was off. The door opened, letting out a wet Tyler. Unaware that she was awake, he bent over his bag on the floor and started rummaging through it. He was wearing only boxers, and drops of water were still streaming down his back. Lena noticed the tattoos right away. She smiled slightly. She didn't see Tyler as the kind of guy to get tattoos, but they matched his personality well. Tyler's tattoos weren't average. They were mysterious, impenetrable, just like their owner, and Lena sensed that these black lines on his arms held a meaning that she couldn't grasp just like that. 

Having picked his clothes, Tyler turned to face her, his chest just as wet as his back. On his upper body were two more tattoos, just as incomprehensible as the others. Lena noticed that Tyler wasn't as muscled as Josh seemed to be, but he was fit nonetheless. 

"I didn't realize you were awake..." Tyler's words startled Lena, and she blushed as she realized she was totally checking him out. 

"Hi Tyler" she answered, looking away at her own embarrassment. 

The situation could have gotten even more awkward if it weren't for Josh and Mark turning up into the room, the latter carrying a brown paper bag from which he took out a bagel to put in his mouth.

"Somebody hungry?" Josh asked, unaware of the awkwardness that filled the room just a few seconds before. 

Lena shook her head, mentally thanking him for saving her ass from even more embarrassment before rushing to the bathroom to get ready. She took a quick shower - as Josh yelled through the door that they needed to be out by 9 - and got dressed. Before going out, she took in her reflection in the mirror. Her dark straight hair was damp, falling flatly just below her shoulders. Her green eyes were blod-shot, like always after a shower. She looked sad and had no idea how to change that. Hopelessly, she forced a smile on her face, then turned away. 

The guys had tidied up the room and, as she guessed, were waiting for her outside. Her suitcase was nowhere to be seen. Lena quickly joined her new friends - if she could call them that - and much to her surprise, Mark was loading her stuff in the back of the van. 

"So, I had an idea..." said Josh behind her, still chewing on a bagel while handing her the paper bag for her to pick a breakfast delicacy. As she did, he continued.

"You're going to Columbus, right?" Lena nodded silently. "We're playing in Pittsburgh tonight. Why don't you come with us, enjoy the show, and then we'll drive you there? That's on our way anyway."

Lena was taken aback by Josh's offer. She half-expected the guys to drop her off at the nearest station, especially considering Tyler's behaviour towards her company. She was grateful that Josh had crossed her path and was clearly willing to go out of his way to help her out, but she didn't want to cause any trouble between the boys. She had a tendency to fuck things up for everyone, although unintentionnally. But Josh smiled and raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer. She didn't want to disappoint him.

"Does Tyler know? I think he..."

"Yeah, you could have told me about your plans, Josh" interrupted a sarcastic Tyler, visibly offended by his friend's secret proposition, before continuing his way to the nearby van.

"I knew your grumpy butt would act like a child about it!" yelled Josh in response, his smile turning his tone into a cheerful reply. He then sighed, looking back at Lena, nervously fiddling with her fingers.

"You know, you can drop me off at the train or bus station, I really don't want to be a bother for you guys..." she whispered. Josh shrugged.

"Tyler's a big guy, he'll get over it" he simply said, taking a few steps forward. Then, he turned to her again, helding out his hand like he had done the day before. "Please?"

Lena smiled. Jey was right. She didn't know those guys, and she still wasn't sure what they could do to her. But she was starting to believe it had nothing to do with harm, and everything to do with help.

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Tyler's back to grumpy mood, although we know he's been lurking on Lena. 

So, Lena is finally going to see the boys perform and I can't wait to write that part.

Feel free to comment, as I love reading your thoughts on this (but don't feel threatened to, of course). 

This is a bit of a filler chapter, so nothing much is happening right now, sorry. It's just something that needed to be written.