You Can Take It Off (When You're Ready) [Twenty One Pilots]

Chapter Twelve: Girl friend Girlfriend

Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. 

Only one second had passed since Lena had heard the word. One very long second. Long enough for the heart that stopped beating in her chest to hurt like it was about to explode. Long enough to feel her blood freeze in her veins, sending chills of anxiety and disappointment down her spine. And she desperately did not want to be mad at Tyler, because this was all about him. This should be all about him, and what she felt should not matter at this point, because Tyler was what it was all about. But she couldn't help feeling like she was abandoned again. He could just have told her sooner. 

A knock on the window made her jump at the exact moment she opened her mouth, and hopefully because what she was about to say wasn't pretty. When she looked up to the origin of the sound, she was surprised to see a very tall teenager standing outside the car and waving frantically at her and Tyler with the biggest smile on his face. Despite the tension that threatened to burst the car windows, Tyler chuckled at the sight, and Lena's heart dropped at the sound. Was she really mad at him, or was she just afraid of feeling lonely without him? 

"That's my younger brother, Jay," Tyler finally broke the silence, a guilty look taking over his features. 

Lena sighed. She wished they could have ended that conversation properly, but she guessed it was for the better. She needed time to actually digest the information and calm herself down before saying anything that could hurt. Her hands were shaking nonetheless when she managed to say they should probably head out and Tyler nodded with a sad smile before opening the door. 

When Lena finally set foot on the ground of the Joseph's driveway, the brothers were hugging and Tyler ruffled the hair of the younger one. Soon enough though, she was engulfed in a bear hug as well. She felt dizzy for a second. So much was happening at the same time that her head felt like it couldn't handle any more information. She wanted to enjoy the moment, because Jay seemed to be the sweetest boy, but in the back of her mind, the word "tomorrow" was pushing to grow and get all the space it needed behind her eyes, in capitalized bold letters. 

"Are you Ty's girlfriend?"Jay asked, managing to bring Lena back to reality. She felt her cheeks get warmer, but before anyone could say anything, a woman's voice resonated from a little further away. 

"Jay, enough with the embarrassing questions will you?" she said with authority. She was frowning like only a mother could - at least Lena thought it was their mother -, but her features lightened up suddenly when she spoke again. "Let the girl inside before annoying her!" she half-whispered, joining the group in a few quick steps. Lena could have sworn she saw her wink. "Hi, Lena," the woman said, opening her arms to embrace her, "I'm Kelly, Tyler's mother. It's so nice to meet you!"

This time, Lena blushed fully, not used to such displays of affection. It was nice though, and she instantly felt calmer on the outside, even if a war was still waging in her head. The fact that Tyler's mother seemed to know who she was only added to her well-being. Could that mean Tyler had talked about her, even for a little bit? She slightly shook her head to push the thought away. She didn't want to jump to conclusions. Tyler and she were friends. Right?

"Come on in!" Kelly pushed her softly towards the entrance of the house. As they all stepped inside, they were surrounded in a few minutes by the rest of the family. Lena already knew Maddy and Zack of course, and shyly shook Mr. Joseph's big hand when Tyler introduced her to him very formally. She was soon plagued with questions from each side of the room. The family was noisey and all tried to speak at the same time in a strange arrhythmia that would have confused everyone but that just charmed Lena even more. 

She loved the atmosphere, mainly because she had never felt that welcomed in a family she barely knew, but also because she had never known what family really meant until now. Growing up in this loving cocoon must have been so easy and peaceful, yet overwhelming at the same time. Lena could tell every one of these people surrounding her right now was there for each other through tough times as much as happy ones. Yet, she knew Tyler had had his struggles. Family, good or bad, didn't seem to be the main factor in people's happiness. So what did happiness really mean? What was it, and where could she find it? Did it even exist?