the desperate ones ✓

the heart lives in different people

hippo campus is such a good band I highly recommend them as well as saint motel

<12:05 pm, Tuesday>

"You need to talk to him."

"No.

"Tyler."

"No way. Absolutely not."

Josh rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Tyler, I will not hesitate to lock you outside with him until you talk to him."

"I'm with Ronald McDonald here," Debby said. "You have to do it."

Tyler looked at Melanie for support, who only shrugged. "You need to settle things with him. He was your best friend." She looked at Josh. "For most of your life, anyways."

"But-"

"No buts except your ass answering that door."

Tyler sent one more pleading look before huffing in defeat. "I hate you."

"Love you too, Ty," Josh replied. "Now answer the damn door before he leaves."

Tyler really didn't want to open the door. Every worse situation possible crossed his mind as he walked across the room and put his hand over the door knob. He looked back to see if he could still back before unlocking the door and opening it just a crack, leaving the chain on.

Brendon looked up from his cellphone, his face turning surprised for a moment.

"Tyler."

"Hey, Bren," Tyler said as casually as he could, cringing at his shaking voice. "How, how- how are you?"

Brendon recovered from his shock and forced a smile. "Good, good. Is, uh, is Dallon in there?"

Tyler cocked his head to the side. "Dallon? No, I haven't seen him in almost two years. Why, is he gone?"

"Yeah, we uh-" Brendon scratched the back of his neck. "We broke up a while ago and recently got back together again. Then he disappeared and at first I thought he just ditched me but then it turns out that he hadn't showed up to school either and I thought he would come here. Because of Pete."

Tyler felt slightly hurt that Brendon came here for Pete and not him, but he swallowed it and smiled tightly . "Pete's in here, but I don't know if he'll know where Dallon is. Do you want to-" Tyler motioned inside.

Brendon nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

Tyler unlatched the chain and opened the door wider. Brendon walked in, pausing as he looked around the room.

"You guys having a party or something?" He asked, his voice turning bitter. Tyler opened his mouth to explain, but only an intelligible squeak surfaced.

Brendon's face twisted in the same emotion he remembered when Tyler woke up in the hospital- the pain of betrayal. "I think I'll just come back later when you don't have so many people over."

He made his way back outside, slamming the door so hard the furniture shook. Tyler stood there, shaken up and conflicted as to whether he should follow and explain or leave Brendon alone. He would only make it worse if he tried to defend the indefensible situation.

Tyler knew Brendon thought he had been avoiding him, which wasn't completely true. He just didn't know how to approach him after everything he made Brendon go through.

Josh pushed Tyler towards the door. "Go after him, Stanford. This is your chance." He leaned into Tyler to whisper so no one could hear. "Do you want to die with this regret?"

That fueled Tyler enough to make him sprint into the parking lot. He spotted Brendon climbing into a white truck and he ran to the passenger side.

"Wait, Bren!" Tyler said. Brendon rolled down the window. "It wasn't what it looked like. I swear."

"Really?" Brendon drawled. "Like you didn't try to take your own life from our kitchen sink, right? I know you, Ty. You don't want me around. That's fair. I just wish you had to balls to tell me in person."

Tyler shook his head. "No, that's not true. I just- I thought that-" He wracked his brain for words but none came.

Brendon put the truck in reverse. "Get off my truck, Tyler."

Tyler didn't let go of the window. "No. Please, let me just-"

"Fuck off."

"You were my best friend for nearly five years," Tyler protested. "Give me a fucking chance to explain myself and then if you still want to leave after that, then I'll let you."

Brendon rolled his eyes but gave in, putting the truck back into park and opening the passenger door. Tyler climbed in and sat down.

"Make it quick," he muttered. "I have work."

Tyler nodded. "Josh and I were going to call you, but we just called them first."

Brendon scowled. "Tyler frantically tried to fix it. "I- I mean- they were just the first ones we thought of to- wait no- I mean-"

Brendon unlocked the door and stared straight through the window. "Get the fuck out of my truck."

Tyler sighed in defeat and got out of the truck. "I can't believe I actually thought you still cared about me, even after all you did. I'm a fucking idiot for thinking that."

"But I-"

Brendon shot him a deadly look, shutting Tyler up instantly.

"What happened to you, man? You had a future, now you don't even have friends left. Wait, let me correct myself. You don't even have me left." Tyler's heart sank to the ground.

Brendon put the truck back in reverse.

"I'll text you about the-"

"Don't fucking bother." Brendon swerved out of the parking lot and into the street. It took Tyler a moment of staring at the truck disappear to realize that he started crying.

His heart felt heavy. He just lost another piece of himself that he was trying to slowly put together.

"It doesn't even matter," he whispered to himself, rubbing his eyes. "It doesn't matter. He doesn't need to be here. Don't let it bother you. Remember, you'll be dead by Christmas."

Tyler took one look at the highway where Brendon had disappeared before watching back to the apartment, alone.