Katherine was 24 years old when her life changed. She still lived at home balancing work and school with much struggle, but at the moment it was spring break ak and her mom was having her run to the store to grab some things from dinner. A common thing really. With a shout to her mom saying she would be back later, Katherine walked into the brisk Colombus air towards her small pick up truck.
She pulled into the parking lot at a local WinCo and hopped out locking her car door. A shiver went through her almost supernatural like, but she shrugged it off as being an adjustment to the ever changing weather. Right now was a Katherine was 24 years old when her life changed. She still lived at home balancing work and school with much struggle, but at the moment it was spring break ak and her mom was having her run to the store to grab some things from dinner. A common thing really. With a shout to her mom saying she would be back later, Katherine walked into the brisk Colombus air towards her small pick up truck.
She pulled into the parking lot at a local WinCo and hopped out locking her car door. A shiver went through her almost supernatural like, but she shrugged it off as being an adjustment to the ever changing weather. Right now was a major season if cold for her, but then again anything under 60 degrees was cold to her. At least it wasn't quite showing yet. An interview she saw from one of her favorite bands flew through her mind where the lead Singer talked about seasonal depression in Ohio. How accurate, because it seemed so gloomy in the city in general. The band was called Twenty One Pilots and had only two members who were from the far side of Columbus and currently on break from tour. Josh was at his new home in Los Angeles and Tyler was rumoured to rarely leave the house, but something about knowing he was in her city made chills run through her.
Kathrine discovered them right before vessel came out because that's when she had moved to her new house in Ohio from California( which probably explained her irritability with any cold weather).
She got lost in thought as she was walking I to the store when she saw a familiar figure walking from his car up to the store as well. Near the back of the parking lot, he still had a ways to walk so she slowed a bit for him to come nearer because she KNEW him from somewhere but couldn't place it. The guy had his Hood up but looked around briefly as if warding off cold weather as well and she saw his face and her heart felt like it shattered and became whole all at once.
Tyler.
Before she knew what she was doing she was walking up to him in the cool spring air of Ohio in a grocery store parking lot saying “Excuse me? Sir? I uh-“ and he was turning around to look who was calling him. He had stubble on his jaw and not much of him was visible because of jacket and probablybfear of crazy fans and she saw the look of momentary worry in his eye because he had been spotted. Most people wouldn't catch it but somehow she did and her heart did that shatter and whole thing again. He knew she was a fan and she knew he knew it. Part of her wanted to walk away and leave him alone ‘he probably never leaves his house for fear of being seen and mobbed and can't live a normal life because of people like me I feel terrible but I can't just leave now because how terribly awkward and he's smiling now acting like it's fine and trying to brush it of but I know and what do I do oh crap I fe-’
“yeah?” He said kindly and I suddenly remembered I had been talking before I got lost in my mind.
“Sorry, I um. I came over here because I recognized you and I probably couldn't live with myself if I didn't come and say something. My name is Katherine.” I say holding out my hand with a surge of confidence that I hadn't quite expected. One second I'm terrified and the next I'm fine and confident what is going on.
A smile crosses his face and he suddenly seems so genuine that I wonder if I mistook the initial encounter. Maybe he wasn't scared of me spotting him.
He reaches out af shakes my hand with another genuine toothy smile. “No worries. Nice to meet you, I'm Josh.” He says and I kinda laugh smile because it's like ‘yeah I already know who you are silly, you're Tyler Rober- wait did he just say Josh?’
I blink and look confused for a second and feel like I'm in a parallel universe. The hand shake ended aLready and his hands are back at his sides but one hovers somewhere in mid air stuck in confusion. Josh?
“Just messing with you” he says with a small laugh. “I'm still Tyler. “ I start to smile laugh too because it's really awkward kinda funny situation and good on him to be able to get past it because yeesh I never could.
“I was pretty comfused there for a moment, thanks for clearing that up.”I say with a small laugh again. I don't know how I'm so calm but I know I'll die later.
“But um I came over her mostly because I wanted to say thank you. I know it's kind of an awkward talk for a WinCo parking lot but just thank you for everything you are and do. I know you probably hear those two words too much but at the same time not enough. For a while now I've been dealing with secrets and lots of betrayal from people close to me and it's hurts to not trust anyone like that but it's like I know your music and band won't ever really betray first and let me down so it's a major helping point in my life. The example you specifically lead with your life helps me so much because it's like as much as the music and band sans to me it will always be more to you and josh because it's your day to day life. I just I had to say thank you. “
The words just flew out of me so smoothly and the whole time he's nodding and looking directly at me like he's emotionally invested in this conversation. Like it means just as much to him as it does to me somehow. “You said your name was katherine right? Katherine thank you. I'm glad the music helps you and that you say you can look up to me and my friend, but one of it would be possible without you and the people around needing it. Trust is a hard thing and most people don't deserve it, but don't give up hope okay? Every day is new and there's billions of people in the world. “He said with his hand on my arm to show he's being genuine. I have rears in my eyes because no one really tells me this stuff because no one ever understands, but i know he does. At this point I'm not sure what I feel.
“Could I ask you for a hug or would your wife poke my eyes out? “ I ask with a small laugh trying to keep the tears in my eyes and my voice from cracking. He shakes his head with a smile and holds his arm out and I kinda fall in. His jacket isn't very thick so I can immediately tell what kind of hug it is. He is warm with little mass but it's like hugging a warm Teddy bear that goes to the gym and stays fit but not crazily. It's hard to explain but it's one of the best kinds of guy hugs. It's very Platonic and I think he appreciated me acknowledging his wife despite her not being here. I'm sure not enough people do that and that he's put in bed situations because if it. He seems like he holds the hug for a moment longer than I do, and it surprises me. Pulling away he looks at me and smiles. “ Thank you for talking to me. I was trying to avoid people today because I was falling back into my fears. Some people get really rude and I didn't want to deal with that and usually it's just generally awkward when fans smf people come up to me but thanks.”
I'm glowing. I did and mumble some sort of you're welcome wondering how I managed to deserve that kind of thank you. I suddenly remember something “ oh. Sorry I wanted to ask if I could see the tattoo on your wrist I always draw it on my own and I wanted to see it in person. “ I say hopefully and he nods and rolls up his sleeve a bit so I can see it. I run my fingers across the top of it on the putter part of his arm ad he turns it over and you see the inside of his arm.
They're faint, but they're still there. Just enough to notice.
Tears fill my eyes be a use I honestly wasn't expecting to see scars and I'm shocked he willingly showed me his arm anyways and my mind is raving again because he knew they were there and showed me the tattoo anyways and he probably knew I'd see the scars. It brings to mind the ones I have that are hidden to the entire rest if the world. I secret I alone hold. I notice him looking at me still looking at his arm and my heart breaks. He doesn't look sad for the scars on himself or even for me seeing them.
“ time passes. They heal, but never quite go away” he says still holding his arm out. The worst ones are in the lines of his tattoo and I make more sense if why it's there. He rolls his sleeve down and I look up at him and a single tear rolls from my eye and I swipe it away. I hate crying. I haven't even mentioned mine but he knows. He knows they're there. It's a silent conversation and takes my wrist and looks at it and I just shake my head and slide my sleeve up my elbow. “Sometimes they do go away physically but I still know it's there hiding. The first time. Other ones are never going away. “ I say looking down drawing x’s on my thighs. “Tally marks of secrets and betrayal and pain. “ he nods with hazy eyes and pulls me into another unexpected hug. I clung onto him trying not to cry because no one else knows.
“ I've never told anyone. I just sit and pray by myself for help that never comes” I whisper into the hug.
“Sometimes you need a real person with hands and feet to help and that's okay. Stay strong and stay alive. I know sometimes it feels Luke pain is all you have but it doesn't help. Promise me you will stop and that you'll get help when you need it. “ he says whilst still hugging me. All I can do is nod and once he pulls away again a say that I I promise I will.
That silence settles of awkwardness if we jys had a heart to heart in a parking lot and we both have things to do. He realizes that imhe has to leave be ayse his wife needs him at home. I nod and thank him for everything in tis moment. “ I didn't expect thus but I'm thankful it happened. “ I say and put my hand in u pockets preparing myself to walk away and officially say goodbye when he stops me.
“ I don't normally do this but I feel like I need to.” He says and pulls an old are kept from his pocket and a pen. At first it strikes me as odd to have a pen but then again he probably uses it often enough to sign stuff for fans. He scribbles on the back of the receipt and hands it to me. It's a phone number. “I want you to keep in contact OK? And uh. Please don't share that”
I laugh and say alright. I fold it and stick it In my front pocket and thank him again and we say our goodbyes. I walk back to my car because there's no way I'm going grocery shopping right now. I sit down in the cab of my little truck eutg the windows down and it all feels foreign. Like something life hanging just happened and I'm so glad about it. I pull the reciepr from my pocket and committee the number to memory. I lay my head down on the steering wheel and close my eyes. Just as I start to smile again and nearly laugh I feel a cold piece of metal against the side if my head. I start and jerk my head up to see a dark mask in the fading light of day. There's a sudden spark of light, pain, then darkness.
………………….
It was all over the news. A murder in the winco parking lot on the day he met that girl. It was two days ago and he was wondering why she hadnt contacted him yet. He didn't want to consider that it was her that had been killed because what are the odds?
Tyler told Jenna about the girl once he got home that day because katherine had such a strange impact on him and Jenna was wondering what took so long. Tyler told her about giving her his phone number to keep in contact which she was fine with. Jenna knew he wasn't with bad intentions.
Neither of them wanted to talk about the possibility of Katherine being the one who was shot. There was still the chance that she just lost the paper or was nervous or hadn't had time.
There was a knock at the door.
Tyler jumped up to get it being that not many people came to their house unexpected. Looking through the eyehole he saw two tall men in blue uniforms with a woman in a business type suit. Tyler opened the door concerned and wondering why they were there. “Hi can I help you? “ Tyler said.
The three people gave him a brief run down. There was a girl who had been found dead in a parking lot clutching onto a piece of receipt paper with numbers scribbled on the back of it. The officers systems connected that number to him and wanted to ask some questions about “his relationship to the deceased”.
By this piint Jenna had come around the corner to see a shell shocked tyler, two emotionless officers, and a slightly sympathetic detective and our it together quickly. She raced to his side just in time for him to collapse againstvher and fall into tears. The detective seemed surprised that he was just finding out about the girls death and offered to come back another time. But her words fell on dead ears and Tyler clung tightly to Jenna sobs racking his body. The young girl he barely knew and talked to for a very short time had been killed moments after meeting him and it broke his heart into millions of pieces. He didn't know her but he knew he would grieve her loss for the rest of his life.