JOSH DUN VS THE WORLD ✓

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE: DO YOU THINK MAYBE WE COULD TRY AGAIN?

SAVING...

SAVING...

SAVING...

SAVING COMPLETE!

Josh isn't ready. He can't go in yet. His heart can't take it. Maybe he can call in sick and delay this until he's better. Hell, it hasn't even been a week since he got clean. There's literally nothing stopping their plan from flying off the handles.

But he goes anyways.

"If we make it out of this alive, I'm blocking you in Snapchat," Josh says to Halsey as they stand at the doors of The Masquerade.

She snorts and hands their tickets to the man at the doors and he lets them pass. "Yeah, right. Like you could live a day without me."

"You right."

They walk in together, and immediately Josh is struck with dejavú. This has happened before. He knows it. It's all too familiar.

Halsey pulls him to the side and points at the stage, where Sex Bob-omb plays. Josh does a double take as he sees Young Ryan of all people playing bass, standing confidently in the front of the stage. He's good, better than Josh could ever be.

On a second, smaller stage sits Dallon on top of a large armchair, with Tyler perched on the armrest, looking patiently at the crowd with expressionless eyes. In hindsight, it's pretty obvious that he's under mind control. Josh is just an idiot.

"Joshie, is that you?"

At the sound of his name, he turns, having to take a step back because Debby stands behind him, way too close for comfort. He glances at her, then looks anywhere else.

"Hey, Debs," he chuckles nervously. "I forgot you'd be here. Sorry about making your boyfriend explode, by the way."

Debby laughs. She sounds lighter than she has ever since they brought up. More human. "Oh, that's okay. To be honest with you, I don't really feel anything. It's like... all fuzzy."

Halsey furrows her brows and sends Josh a curious look. "How do you mean?" She asks.

"I don't know, like those thoughts and actions weren't mine, you know? Our whole relationship feels... simulated, I guess. It's weird. I know I should be feeling angry or sad, but I'm pretty neutral about it." Debby shrugs and scratches at the back of her neck. "I don't even like the name Radio Rebel, or at least I don't anymore. It was so cringe and weird to be called that outside of a concert setting."

Josh realizes what Halsey's getting to. "Did it feel like you were being controlled?"

Debby sends him a confused look and laughs. "Um, never thought of it that way, but that's one way of putting it. Like, ever since we broke up, my life has been out of focus, so sure. Mind control."

"Debby, this is going to be weird, but can I look at the back of your neck?" He asks.

"Knock yourself out," she says, lifting her braided hair- which is back to a reddish brown, he notices- and turning.

Josh sees a rectangle shaped scab just under her hairline, parts of it still fresh and bleeding. He looks at Halsey and nods. Her face goes pale.

Even with this new suspicion of his confirmed, he can't believe it any more than Tyler being under Dallon's control. The past year and a half of his life feels like it's been thrown into a blender and put on the highest setting.

If she'd never been controlled by Brendon in the first place, would they still be together? Would he have never met and fallen in love with Tyler? Would Tyler still be under Dallon's mind control? Could he have avoided all this?