✄book club✄

1- Cows are humans too.

//gangsters don't cry, therefore, therefore I'm, mr. misty-eye, therefore I'm-//heavydirtysoul;twenty øne piløts

Josh Dun had a crush on Sy Montly since third grade, when he was first facing her off in the school playground.

"C'mon Josh! She called you a nerd! Are you gonna be made fun of by a girl! "

Some annoying third-grade boy shoved Josh in Sy's direction, who was smiling at Josh's crystal tears. Josh wiped away the snot and stuttered out-

"Well..." Sy continued smiling with her two front teeth gone, raising a brow. "You look like a cow! You're as fat and ugly as one!" The schoolyard lets out a chorus of oooooooooohhh.

He plastered on victorious smile, thinking that surely that insult would make Sy love him forever. Instead, Sy jolted back like she was stung, touching her face with uncertainty. A tear trickled down her face and she sprinted off of the playground with quiet sobs. Josh got high fives from the rest of the school kids, cheering him on for standing up for himself.

From then it just got worse. Josh's third-grade self-didn't know that Sy had a disease called "vitiligo," which caused her skin to lose its pigment in places, so the "cow" insult hit too close to home. But Josh didn't apologize. From then they were having staredowns in classes, shoving each other in the halls, sending their friends over the lunchroom to give mean messages, and by the end of middle school, their feud was the biggest thing.

"You bitch!" Josh screeched from where Sy had shoved him into a locker.

Sy snorted and walked past him with her little group of friends who were all giggling at him. "Stay out of my way alien boy, then maybe I'll go easy on your scrawny ass." She flipped her shoulder length hair dramatically and walked only a few steps before Josh got up and pushed her into the floor of their middle school. Josh was tired of her.

How arrogant she was, how she thought she could just strut around. He was even more pissed that she got into the same elite art high school he had gotten into for drumming.

The hall went quiet.

She got up slowly, her group of "friends" scampering away.

She took a deep breath, still facing away from Josh. I can't believe I have to deal with this piece of shit for four more years. She finally turned around. Josh swallowed nervously at the look of stone cold anger in her eyes.He backed up slowly, but Sy was back in his face in a second. "And why'd ya do that, Dun?" She was quiet, looking him right in the eyes.

"You deserve it. I bet you didn't even get into that dumb art school." He faked courage, standing up straighter so he could be more intimidating.

Sy laughed. "Is that so!" She giggled some more, and slowly laid her backpack down. Josh could hear the faint ringing of tweens chanting

"fight! Fight! Fight!" Over and over.

Then suddenly, with a smile and scary strength, Sy Montly punched Josh in the face. He stumbled back, shocked at how strength the short, chubby girl had. He growled and threw a punch at her, swinging with all his might and anger at her. She dodged it with a laugh and Josh's next punch connected with her eye. She continued laughing until teachers hauled them into the principal's office where they sat for an hour, being lectured on why school-based violence was bad.

They got sent home with a note and Sy met back up with her friends, but not before grabbing him by the shirt front and growling, "You will regret that, Dun."

He flipped her off, but shakily, scared of what his new high school had in store for him.

Josh Dun went back home alone. His cheek still stung and he walked home quietly and ignored his mom yelling at him about the fight, and his siblings staring at him. Solemnly he  walked up to his drums, plugging in his earbuds and drowning out the world.

Josh changed that summer.

Sy never saw him the same again.

They abused each other even worse in high school. They had new groups of friends, Josh sticking with his best friends Brendon and Tyler. Sy was a bit popular, a constant crowd of people twittering about her like birds.

Josh continued to walk home alone.