Searching for Purpose (Twenty One Pilots)

14. Oh Honey

"And your father, your father told me the funniest thing the other day. He said something about ice cream. Oh darn, well now I can't remember it but it was really hilarious. Isn't your father hilarious?"

Tyler smiled. Sometimes he missed his parents, but then he would remember how miserable he was back home and suddenly the feeling was gone.

"Not too happy here, though, are you?" Tyler mumbled to himself.

"What was that, honey? I couldn't hear you," his mother spoke up from the other side of the phone. Tyler mentally slapped himself for thinking out loud again.

"Oh, I said how funny dad is," Tyler replied. His mom didn't need to know what he really said or the story behind it. If he told her the truth, to what he said or to moving far away or anything, even if he sugarcoated it, it would break her heart. Tyler might not appreciate being smothered by too much affection and pressure from her, but the last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt her. Sure the lies were painful, but they were nothing to the poison of the truth.

"Oh, isn't he? He said the darndest thing the other day. Oh, what was it?"

Tyler sat through another hour of his mother's small updates and stories about what his family was up to. His sister had apparently gone on a date a few weekends ago, and the guy had just taken her on a second one, even after he got The-Dating-My-Daughter speech from Tyler's dad. Everyone was shocked that his sister's boyfriend was still around, well, everyone but Tyler. His sister was great, and his dad? Not very intimidating.

"Oh, honey, I've got to go. Your father promised to take me to that organic market down just outside of the city. College is treating you well? Are you doing okay?"

"I'm doing great. College is awesome," Tyler lied through his teeth.

The truth hurts more, he chanted his head. The truth hurts more. Tell her what she needs to hear.

"Oh, sweetie, that's fantastic! You know, your father and I are worried about you," his mother replied. Tyler's heart stopped for a second. He didn't want them to worry about him. He didn't need them to worry about him. He worried about himself and everything else enough as it was.

"I know. Have fun at the market, Mom."

"Okay, Ty. I'll talk to you later, honey. Are you going to come and visit us soon?"

"Sure, Mom."

"Okay, honey, Bye-bye!"

And with that the line dropped. Tyler sighed and stood up from the bench he was sitting on. He still didn't have any classes for the rest of the day, but he didn't want to be locked up in his room. With the thoughts that were running through his head right now, being alone wouldn't do anyone any good.

Tyler made his way over to the cafeteria, sent a text to Josh saying to meet him there when his class ended, and grabbed a plate of food. He found a table towards the back of the eating area and sat down in the chair that let him observe everyone from a safe distance. He didn't really want to talk to some stranger at the moment, but he also didn't want to be alone.

"Do you come here just to stare at your food? Because I think you can get the same effect from watching Food Network, and then you don't have to pay like, twenty one bucks for sub-par chicken."

Tyler's head snapped up at the sound of a voice, and he smiled when he realized that it was the blonde girl who had been talking.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" she asked.

Tyler shook his head. "No, go ahead." For some reason he didn't mind her company.

"Thanks," she smiled. Tyler noticed that her nose scrunched up in a really cute way when she smiled. "You know, we've never actually introduced ourselves before, even after running into each other a few times."

Tyler blushed. Since the first day of school he had run into her, quite literally, two other times. And that one night they spent on the bench together. Tyler tired not to think about that night too much.

"I'm Jenna Black," she said.

"Tyler Joseph."

"Nice to officially meet you. Now tell me about your shirt. I don't think I've heard of that band before."

Tyler smiled and sat up straighter in his chair, telling Jenna about the band whose shirt he was wearing that he knew. They fell into a conversation about various types of music and the bands that they listened to, and even swapped numbers at some point before Jenna left so they could talk more. It was strange how everything about Tyler seemed to change the moment she started talking to him. Tyler didn't normally take to talking to strangers so easily, in fact, he usually avoid social contact with most people due to the anxiety it gave him, but Jenna wasn't exactly a stranger, and there was something else about her. Something different.

Tyler liked her.

"What's got you smiling? Get someone's number?" Josh joked as he sat down next to Tyler only ten minutes after Jenna left.

"Yes, actually. I did," Tyler said proudly.

"Sick," Josh replied. "So I was thinking about dying my hair."

"Yeah?" Tyler asked. "What color?"

"Maybe red. Or blue. I can't decide."

Tyler thought for a moment. "Blue. You'd look good in blue. But not like a bright blue. Kind of pale-ish."

"Yeah? That would look pretty sweet now that I think about it. Wanna help me dye it this weekend then?"

Tyler nodded. "Of course."

Josh smiled and then went on to tell Tyler about his day, Tyler commenting on something every now and then. For a second time that day Tyler forgot all about his problems that had slapped him in the face as soon as he woke up. It was weird.

"So you know Mark, right? The guy that always wears that red beanie and takes pictures of squirrels? I think you mentioned having a class with him?"

"Yeah, he's in my speech class."

"Oh, sweet. I met him in the library the other day and we were talking. He's having a party on Halloween and invited us," Josh said.

"Oh yeah, he was telling me about that this morning."

"Well do you wanna go?"

"I don't know. Everyone will be getting drunk, or high, or both. Plus like crowds and stuff and..." Tyler trailed off.

"Oh, true. We don't have to go, then."

Tyler sat for a moment and thought. He knew Josh probably really wanted to go, and wouldn't go if Tyler didn't. He also knew that he didn't get out and do things like that often. It might be good for him, despite his fear of large crowds and tight spaces.

"You know what, I'll go," he said eventually.

"Really? I don't want to pressure you or anything-,"

"No. It's cool. It'll be fun, right?"

"It'll be sick as frick," Josh smiled. "I can't wait."

"Neither can I."