Delinquent •Joshler•

Chapter 20: Conflictions

Tyler exhaled slowly as he double checked the address on the small piece of paper in his hand. This was it, Laura and Bill Dun's address. It had taken Nick a few days  to get it but he had managed. Josh had gotten a job at the local music store, and as soon as he had left, Tyler had jumped in his car and drove to the address that was the next town over.

The sun beat down on his face sweat beading on his forehead either from the heat or the nervousness, he couldn't tell which. Finally he decided to just get it over with.

He walked up to the door and looked at the glistening ring on his finger before knocking three times. The silence that hung in the air afterwards was deafening, and he almost ran away right then and there.

Suddenly the door creaked open and a shorter woman with dark brown hair looked at Tyler curiously.

"Laura Dun?" Tyler said trying not to let his voice crack, but he was nervous as hell. He glanced around at the inside and saw how small the house was. They weren't exactly well off.

"Yes can I help you?" Laura said a little defensively. She was used to bill collectors coming by, but Tyler didn't look like a bill collector.

"I-I'm Tyler Joseph and I'm friends with your son, who I believe is Joshua William Dun." Tyler watching the expression in the woman's face change, her eyes widening.

"Oh my God. Please come in." She said holding the door open and running to the back of the house. Tyler sat on the small sofa as Laura came back into the room with who he assumed was Bill.

"You know our son?" Bill said quietly. Tyler nodded slowly and they both smiled and looked at each other. "How is he doing?"

"He's great. More than great." Tyler said and watched their grins widen. Laura wiped some wetness from her eyes. "Actually he's getting married."

"Oh my goodness! Our son is getting married!" Laura gasped and smiled. "I can't believe it."

"How did you find us Tyler?" Bill asked and Tyler cleared his throat and scratched at his neck.

"I just have my ways. I thought you guys should know." Tyler said and glanced around at the walls. Some of the wallpaper was peeling and an obvious water spot bloomed on the ceiling. They were worse off than he thought. "If it's alright if I ask, why'd you guys give Josh up for adoption?"

There was a small silence for a while and Laura spoke up, obviously pained. "It wasn't really my choice. We were so poor, and I had...addiction issues then. I've been six years clean and they still didn't think I should have any contact with my son."

"They?" Tyler asked confused.

"The DHR. They completely took custody out from under us in court. We had no other willing relatives so they gave Josh to the system." Bill said bitterly. "They only let us see him a couple of times when he was younger before they stripped us of our rights completely."

Tyler was in shock. Josh had been wrong, his parents didn't abandon him they just had really shitty luck. They were too poor to get a lawyer and obviously couldn't do much more.

"I think I should tell you that um, I'm the one he's marrying." Tyler said sheepishly and a look of confusion flicked across their faces before Laura smiled and moved to hug Tyler.

"Oh I'm so glad he found someone as sweet as you." She smiled. Tyler hugged her back and saw Bill wipe a small tear from his eye and try to cover his sniffs.

"W-would you guys like to come? It'll be in the next town over." Tyler said pulling out the invitations that Josh and his family had finished that morning. They were red with white trimmings, the red shiny against the thick paper.