the desperate ones ✓

awful sweet to be a little butterfly

it's getting hard to write nowadays so if i fall off the face of the earth again just assume i have writers block

<4:12 am, Tuesday>

It wasn't hard to get Abby on board with Josh's mall plan. She and Debby kept in touch after school let out, so they somewhat had a friendship.

Finding Melanie was slightly harder but not impossible. Since Josh had gone to college with her and Juilliard was in New York, they had to rely on Melanie's family to find out where she was. Luckily, she was still in town for thanksgiving break and it didn't take much for them to appoint Tyler to be the one to show up at her doorstep.

"Ty?" Melanie didn't even think twice before grabbing Tyler and pulling him into her house, shutting the door behind them.

She stared at him with an intensity he'd never seen before, her hand a death grip on his wrist. After what felt like centuries, Melanie let go of his wrist and hugged him.

"Oh my god, I thought you were dead," she whispered, obviously crying. Tyler felt pinpricks of tears in his eyes, hugging back.

"I thought you were, too."

He tried to laugh so it didn't sound like he was a blink away from a breakdown. This is exactly what he needed. To see her again. To hear her again.

"We suck at keeping in touch."

"We really do."

They stayed hugging for a couple seconds longer before releasing each other, both taking in the other's changes.

Melanie looked about the same, with her two-toned hair now pink and blue, but her eyes were decorated with dark eye bags and frown lines already forming. She had no makeup on, which was odd coming from the girl who looked like a living baby doll.

"You look like a mess," Tyler said before he could stop himself.

His face heated up and Melanie laughed slightly, her tired eyes squinting. "I could say the same about you. Plus, it's four am. How's college been?"

"A shit show," Tyler said. "I'm seriously regretting not studying music like I wanted to but it's too late now to change my major."

"It's never too late to change," Melanie reassured. Tyler smiled but didn't reply. Deep down, they both knew that wasn't true for them. They we're screwed up beyond their years.

They ended up walking out of her parent's home and down the street through the neighborhood, chatting about anything and everything that came to mind.

"Wait- in a parking lot? Of an Olive Garden? Are you serious?" Melanie laughed. "That's fucking nuts."

Tyler chuckled. "Well, that's the Dun siblings for you. Crazy in every sense of the word."

The laughter died down, and suddenly they were quiet. Only the sound of kids playing basketball down the street echoed between them.

Melanie started shivering, and Tyler noticed she was wearing nothing but sweatpants, a tank top, and a pair of flip flops. In the cold fog of the morning, she must've been freezing. Tyler shrugged off his jacket and draped it over Melanie's shoulders. She smiled and mumbled a thanks.

"I heard about what happened your sister and I am truly sorry," Melanie said. "I would've contacted you, but I guess neither of us would've been in the best headspaces if I had."

Tyler shrugged, ignoring the aching sensation in his chest. "It is what it is."

"There's no excuse for me not visiting, but then again, there's none for you either."