🍁 TYLER'S PØV 🍁
"Just a little further..."
Josh got back into position and I braced myself from below.
He pushed off as hard as he could, arching his back, then hit the ground almost soundlessly.
"WHOA"
"SICK!"
"SO SICK!" We ran at each other with a high five.
"That took, like, a hundred tries?!" he exclaimed.
"Forty-eight times, actually... I counted."
Josh gave me an impressed look which I returned. He just perfected a backflip after forty-eight tries. Fricking amazing.
He hopped back up onto the platform again, practically drenched in sweat. I followed and picked up my uke, while he proceeded to pull his shirt up over his shoulders, draping it over a branch nearby.
"Well that's distracting..." I said, looking away.
"What's distracting?"
"You. Shirtless... But that's okay... Just don't do that on stage or anything."
"You could do it too, Tyler"
"NO."
"The crowd would love it."
"NO!"
"I'd love it."
I cast him a sideway glance.
He laughed. "Fine."
"I'm fine. You're fine. We're all fine..." I trailed off.
"I'm more than fine. I'm hot. No one can deny that."
"Kay. Yeah. Because you're sweaty." I rolled my eyes. "So, song ideas?" I asked, strumming a fast G chord.
He chuckled at my awkwardness. We simply threw out all our thoughts, and everything we wanted seemed to line up almost perfectly. I'd say something weird or crazy like, "I want a chorus that nobody wrote, yet everyone knows" and he'll be like "Dude, I want that too!"
"There's gonna be a whole lot more people watching us in round two though...and I heard the judges might ask us questions?"
"Damn..." Josh frowned. "I've got stage fright, just so you know."
My eyes widened for a moment and I turned to look at him. "Oh... I couldn't tell."
He smirked at me and gazed at the forest in front of us. This was the boy who pulled me onto stage when I had hesitated. The boy who gave me courage to step out of my boundaries. How did I miss it?
"I really couldn't tell... You always looked so natural."
"When I'm with you, yeah."
"Then I guess I'll stick around..."
He raised his little finger and I hooked it with mine. If I ever had to break all my promises except one, I guess this would be it.
"What if we wore some sort of masks? Would that help?" I suggested.
"Maybe?"
I nodded and made a mental note to check out some masks we could wear. Though I wasn't exactly afraid of performing on stage in front of people (I just get a little tense) I did want to wear a mask too... Then maybe the crowd would focus less on us...more on the music... And actually listen.
"And I could go half naked."
"NO!" He was obviously trying to agitate me as usual but well it was always interesting.
"Gonna do it."
"Nope." I grabbed his phone and held it loosely between my index and thumb.
He laughed. "Tyler, dear, is that a threat? This treehouse isn't at a very intimidating height." he reached over me to get it anyway.
"If you say so, Josh." I rolled my eyes again and turned to climb the tree, with his phone still dangling from my fingers.
He climbed after me, protesting. Too bad, he started it. This brought back faint memories. Good ones, for once. i like climbing things, but the last time I climbed a tree was a decade ago, back in Ohio, near my favourite playground...
I abruptly stopped climbing. Josh wondered what was wrong, till he looked around.
"Holy crap..."
Our tree had barely any leaves, but it was one of the tallest. We could see tons from up here, a 360 degree panorama with so many shades of green surrounding us. In the distance we could almost see the taller buildings on the main road, but they were mostly obscured by the mist over the forest. We stood side by side with careful footing, admiring the scenic view while the wind played with our hair.
"Colourful." Josh stated, and I was confused.
"Everything is green..."
"Pastel pink, light blue, gold, and a silvery white. But mostly pink."
Now I was very confused.
"No red here though, that's strange. There were some on our way here," he said. "The turquoise ones sort of blend in, but there's a few purple ones over there!"
"Josh... I don't see anything..."
He sighed at my reply, looking down at the bare branches he held for support.
🌿 JØSH'S PØV 🌿
"...I'm seeing things again."
I looked back up and the colours seemed to dim, half fading out.
Was it really me? Just me?
What do you think?
Mom was right. I should stop.
Dad was right. You're crazy.
"No I'm not," I said.
The wind howled back at me and my eyes stung, getting watery. Even the wind thinks I'm stupid.
🍁 TYLER'S PØV 🍁
"No I'm not," he said. He was talking to himself again... Then it struck me.
"Josh...do you mean the lights..?" I didn't know what I was talking about, but I think it felt right.
"YES!" his face lit up almost instantly.
"Show me, where?"
"In the trees!" Josh pointed excitedly and my eyes followed. "There's more here than anywhere else in the neighborhood!"
"How big are they? How do they look?"
"Round, all sorts of sizes, some are fuzzy, some are bright. They like to hide in the leaves and only come out when you aren't moving. I've never gotten close enough, but I bet the big blue one could fit nicely in your palm!"
"Oh...I see them!" I told him excitedly and he grinned. Now I understood. After a few more minutes of watching the lights, we finally climbed down to the platform again.
"So you really believe me, Tyler? You see them too?"
"Of course, but you have to describe them first, you know."
Beads of sweat still clung on to his tangled pink hair. The same shade of pink that was stuck in my mind since the very first day, and the same shade of pink I imagined most of the lights would be.
"You don't think I'm crazy?"
"Crazy equals genius," I said.
He smiled widely. "I thought everyone saw it as a bad thing."
"Nothing wrong with letting yourself go wild a little... If it comes so naturally to you, maybe it's a gift."
"Even if nothing is real?"
"It's all real, Josh. But only if you want it to be," I told him. It was his turn to be confused.
"This forest is a kingdom, this treehouse is your castle..." I carefully lifted an imaginary crown made of thin air, placing it on his head. "...and you are the prince."
"In that case, Tyler, you should be the princess."
"Princess?" I almost snorted, but gave it some thought. "Princess Tyler?"
"Princess Tyleretta."
We had a really good laugh and went to roll around in the grass a little. Josh found a pink flower on the ground somewhere and stuck it in my hair. How aesthetic. I loved it.
🌿 JØSH'S PØV 🌿
"Why a prince though? Not a king?" I asked, swinging on the swing while Ty laid on the grass.
"You've got to earn the title first, Josh... Gain the trust of your loyal subjects. Do what a king would do."
"My loyal subjects?"
"The trees, the wind, the lights..."
"The wind? But I think it hates me."
"Huh? What makes you think so?"
I shrugged. "The wind likes to scream at me."
"That's what you hear, but listen... Maybe they're just calling for help."
"But what would a king do?"
"Just believe, Josh."
"In what, Tyler?"
"In what you see, what you feel..." he said, gazing at the darkening sky. "And most importantly, yourself."
I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate. Where did you go, Pi? Won't you come back? I'll count to three, please appear... I believe you will.
One.
Two.
Three.
Josh?
My eyes flew open at the sound of my name. Tyler was right in my face, waving his hand over my eyes.
"It's late, let's go Josh," he smiled.
===============
I've been looking forward to writing this chapter hahaha dedicated to KatherineJelladiazo for believing me everytime I imagine crazy shits.
^ for those who haven't heard Forest yet or those who feel like listening to it for the millionth time