Jenna

    Tyler carries my bag as we exit our airport terminal. Columbus, Ohio. Just looking out the window as we landed gave me a flood of nostalgia.

    “The stairs to the baggage terminal are on the left.” Ty nods toward a pair of escalators.

   “You guys must be pretty familiar with airports by now from touring and whatnot,” I say.

“I guess you could say that,” Josh replies, shrugging.

“Musicians kind of have to know how to navigate these things quickly to help avoid as many fans as possible,” Mark jokes, earning a side-glare from Tyler.

“We usually love signing autographs for fans as long as we’re not running late,” he says curtly.  We all hop onto the descending escalator and check the screens at the bottom for our baggage claim.

“Here it is,” Tyler says, smoothly striding over toward one of the carousels. We stand quietly and wait for our bags to roll around.

“There’s mine!” Mark grabs his rolling suitcase and wheels it back over to us. My bag comes through next. Tyler grabs it and sets it beside him.

“You can't carry all of the bags, you know,” I say.

He grins. “I know. I’m just being a gentleman, that's all.”

“How chivalrous of you,” I reply, smirking. Josh gets his bag, then Tyler shortly after.

“Who's picking us up?” I ask as we walk toward the doors leading to the pickup area.

Tyler grins slyly. “You'll see.” That's when my eyes land on a bench by the doors to see a Tyler look-alike stand up.

“Zack!?” I exclaim in surprise.

“Jenna!? I mean”--he coughs-- “Hey, Babe.”

“You are so weird,” Tyler mutters, hugging his little brother.

“So you guys got back together, huh?” Zack asks as he embraces me. “I always knew it was meant to be.”

“Same,” Josh and Mark agree in unison.

Tyler and I roll our eyes as we grab our bags and walk out the doors and into the warm Ohio sunlight.

“I wasn't able to park very close, so we'll have to find one of those parking lot shuttles,” Zack says. He glances at me. “Do you want me to take your bag?”

“Why is it that everyone is jumping to get my bag? Is it because I'm a girl?”

“It's because we were all raised to be gentlemen,” Mark replies. “We're just trying to be courteous.”

“You have a point,” I reply as the parking shuttle pulls up at the stop. We all climb on and sit down on the hard plastic seats as Zack tells the driver what parking row we’re on.

    “Have a safe drive to your next destination,” the driver says as we exit. We all murmur some form of a “you too.”

    “Mom let me drive the SUV,” Zack says to Tyler. “I guess it’s an excuse to see you as soon as you get home.”

    “That’s sounds like Mom,” Tyler replies, chuckling. “I’m actually surprised that she didn’t come with you.”

    “She really wanted to, but she had some unavoidable errands to run,” he says as he loads our suitcases in the trunk. He shuts the door and walks around front. Tyler takes shotgun while Josh, Mark, and I squeeze together in the row behind them, too lazy to climb over one another to reach the very back seats. Zack starts the engine and pulls out of the parking lot, officially starting the nostalgic drive through Columbus.

    “Are you excited?” Tyler whispers as we walk up the sidewalk to his childhood home. His thumb strokes the back of my hand, which is entwined in his.

    “Nervous,” I whisper back. “What if they don’t like us getting back together?”

    “Don’t you worry about that. They’ve always loved you. I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”

    I nod as Josh tries to barge between us, but not hard enough to break our clasped hands. “Are we supposed to bring our luggage inside?”

    Zack shakes his head. “I’ll drop you guys off at Tyler’s house where you can unload your stuff there.”

    “Okay,” Josh replies. We all stop at the front door. I take a deep breath and angle myself slightly behind Tyler. He squeezes my hand reassuringly as Zack opens the door.

    “Mom! We’re home!”

    Kelly Joseph runs around the corner from the kitchen, holding a dish towel in her hand. She tosses it on the back of a chair and rushes over to us. Tyler steps through the door first, followed by the rest of us. He’s forced to let go of my hand as his mother pulls him close.

    “Ty! My Ty!” she cries, smothering him in tender hugs and kisses.

    “Mom,” he groans, red tinting his face. “I only been gone like a month.”

    “That doesn’t matter. I still missed you.” She finally releases him, then immediately moves to Josh. I hide behind Mark, who cracks a small, reassuring smile.

    Mrs. Joseph moves on to Mark, quickly side-hugging him. I dart behind Josh right as she breaks the hug. Too late. She steps around him.

    “Jenna!? Is that you?” I smile and nod awkwardly. “Come here!” she crushes me in her arms. “Tyler! You didn’t tell me you guys were still together!”

    “We just got together like three weeks ago, Mom,” Tyler replies, rubbing his neck.

    “How’d you find him?” she asks me.

    “Uh...it’s a long story. I’ll tell you sometime.”

    Mrs. Joseph finally releases me and turns to the four of us. “You guys should stay for dinner.”

    “Actually, I was planning to run over and see my parents, if you don’t mind,” I say.

    “Oh no, that’s fine. Do what you have to do,” she reassures me.

    “I’m going to go with her,” Tyler says, grabbing my hand before I can protest.

    “Let’s go through the woods,” I whisper, dragging him toward the back door.

    He nods as we slip outside and into the yard, the haze of the late-August evening hanging heavily in the air. We reach the edge of the trees, nod at each other, then take off running hand-in-hand. We dodge various obstacles, breathless and laughing until we stop at a large tree, pieces of old burnt wood hanging off the branches.

    “It’s really been eight years,” I say in disbelief.

    “More or less, yeah,” Ty replies. He gazes at the skeletal remains of his childhood fort. Glancing at him, I think I see a piece of buried sadness flicker in his eyes. I squeeze his hand.

    “Here, let’s keep going,” I say, tugging his arm gently. He nods quietly, and we continue our run through the woods to my house on the other side.

    “What if they’re mad at me for not visiting?” I whisper to Tyler, standing within the treeline on the edge of my old house’s backyard.

    “Hey, don’t worry. I bet they’ll be really happy to see you. I’ll be by your side the whole time. It’ll be like the story of the prodigal son,” Tyler replies, squeezing my shoulder. “C’mon, you’ll never know what they think until you knock on that door and talk to them.”

    “Exactly,” I say. “Maybe we should just…” I start to turn away.

    “Oh no you don’t.” My boyfriend scoops me up effortlessly in his arms and marches across the yard.

    “Tyler!” I hiss, kicking my legs like a little kid in a temper tantrum. “This isn’t fair!”

    He smirks and puts me down on the stoop of the back door, his arm snaking around my waist with boa constrictor-like force as he loudly raps his hand against it.

    I glare at him as I hear muffled footsteps approaching.

    “Thank me later,” he whispers as the door opens. I snap to attention. There stands a middle-aged blonde woman.

    “Oh my gosh--Jenna!?” Mom exclaims, crushing me in a hug. She pulls away and takes my face in her hands. “It’s really you!? You haven’t visited in forever!”

    “Sorry,” I murmur.

    “Oh, stop that. Dinner is almost ready. Come inside and tell us what you’ve been doing with your life!” She doesn’t seem to notice Tyler at all as she grabs my arm and pulls me inside. I make sure to bring him with me before she closes the door.

    “Here, sit down, sit down. Carrie, Brennan, and Kristen should be here any minute.” Mom ushers me over to the kitchen table. That’s when she finally seems to realize that someone else is with me.

    “Tyler Joseph?” She quints at him. “Is that you?”

    “In the flesh,” he replies with a grin.

    “My, I haven’t seen you in years. Are you guys dating again?”

    “Yes ma’am.”

    “Um...yeah, about that…” I start.

    “Honey, I’m not finding the bacon bits for the salad!” I hear Dad call from the pantry in the laundry room.

    “That’s okay! We have bigger things to think about. Come out here!”

    Dad’s head appears around the side of the doorway, his eyes widening when they land on me. “Jenna!” He rushes across the kitchen and crushes me in a hug with freight-train like force. “It’s been so long,” he says. He turns to Tyler and bro-hugs him. “Hey, Tyler. It’s good to see you again.”

    “Likewise,” he replies, offering another friendly smile.

    “Well, dinner is almost ready, so you guys can hang out down here or tour the house. It’s up to you,” Mom says.

    I grab Tyler’s hand and lead him up the stairs to my room. “I wonder how much has changed.”

    We walk inside to see my stripped mattress pushed up against the wall on the bed frame, my dresser next to it. A large, wooden table sits toward the left side of the room, littered with papers and other stationary objects.

    Mom comes up the stairs. “I’ve kind of turned this into my work area since you left. I hope you don’t mind.”

    “That’s fine,” I reply. “What have you done to the other rooms?”

    “We turned Brennan’s room into a workout area and the other girls’ is now the guest bedroom.”

    “Nice,” I say. I walk over to a cork board hanging behind the table. It’s completely crowded with pictures of our family. I even spot Tyler and I’s prom picture--the same one in my locket--a picture of Tyler, Josh, and I in our skeleton costumes from Halloween, and a picture of us at our graduation.

    Mom, Tyler, and I all turn our heads when we hear the door close downstairs.

    “That must be one of the others.” She hurries downstairs. “Hey girls!” she says extra loudly for our benefit. Tyler and I smirk. “Dinner is ready! Come eat!”

    I walk forward toward the stairs, pulling Tyler with me. Carrie and Kristen immediately spot me.

    “OH MY GOSH! JENNA!?” Kristen yells. Both of them run towards us, almost pushing me up the stairs.

    “Let me guess, you came back to California to tell us you and Tyler are engaged!” Carrie exclaims.

    “Girls, let them breathe!” Mom scolds, smiling.

    Ty and I laugh. “No, Carrie, we’re not engaged,” I chuckle.

    “Oh, you’re already married then,” she concludes. I facepalm.

    “Look, I’ll explain everything when Brennan gets here.”

    There’s a knock on the door.

    “Speak of the devil,” Kristen teases. The door opens to reveal my brother holding a plate covered in wax paper. He almost drops it when his eyes land on me.

    “Jenna!?” He sets the plate down on a side table and runs toward me, hugging me so hard that he picks me up. “It’s so good to see you!”

    “You too, Bren,” I reply. He smiles and walks back into the living room to grab the plate.

    “I brought cookies!” he says.

    “He probably burned them,” Kristen mutters. We all snicker quietly.

    “Okay guys, take a seat!” Mom calls. We all stampede toward the table. Tyler and I take a seat across from Mom and Dad. We all start passing different food dishes around.

    “Don’t spill the water this time,” Brennan whispers to Tyler. He starts laughing.

    “You still remember that???”

    “Yep.”

    “So Jenna, what brought you back here?” Mom asks.

    “Well...it’s a long story.” I proceed to tell her about how I got fired from Starbucks and ran into Tyler. “So...do you remember how Tyler’s in a band?”

    “Oh yeah, Twenty Paphonies or something?” Brennan asks, completely serious. Tyler chokes on his water. I hit him on the back until he’s able to swallow and breathe. Then he starts laughing hysterically.

    “It’s Twenty One Pilots,” he replies, wiping tears from his eyes. “That was a pretty good guess though.”

    “Anyways, his band got asked to tour with the bands Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco. And...since Tyler hired me to be the band’s photographer, I get to go along with them.”

    “Oh, that’s wonderful Jenna!” Mom says. “When’s the first show?”

    “In a few days,” I reply. “That’s why we came back to Ohio. We need to pack up some of Tyler’s instruments and whatnot.”

    “So...you guys aren’t engaged?” Carrie asks.

    We chuckle. “No,” I reply.

    “Aww,” both of my little sisters whine frustratedly.

    “So how long will you be gone?” Dad asks.

    “Yeah,” Brennan jumps in. “How many shows are there.”

    “Are the other band members cute?” Kristen asks.

    I smirk as I proceed to launch into a long explanation. Then, everyone finally decides to stop talking and actually eat their dinner.

    “Hey Mom, is it okay if I stay in your guest bedroom for a few days?” I ask, rinsing my plate in the sink.

    “Of course, Honey. That’s fine.”

    I smile. “Great. I’m going to go back to Tyler’s then and get my clothes.”

    “Okay. See you soon!”

    I grab Tyler’s hand and this time go through the front door and down the street because it’s took dark to navigate the woods.

    “It was nice seeing your family again,” Tyler says as our footsteps echo down the sidewalk.

    “Yeah,” I reply. “It was.”

    “Now aren’t you glad I made you knock on the door?”

    I grin sheepishly and hang my head. “Yes.”

    We turn right on the end of my street and keep walking on Clancy Way. The lights on Tyler’s house glow in the distance.

    “Are you sure you don’t want to stay at my house?” he asks.

    “No, I want to get in more time with my family.”

    “Okay. Josh and Mark will probably stay there the night before we leave, though,” Ty says.

    “I’ll probably come over then,” I say. “Is Debby coming along with us?”

    “Josh said she’ll fly out to one of our shows at some point but she has so much Hollywood stuff to do that she won’t be able to make it to every single one.”

    “Okay,” I reply.

    We’re just two houses away from Tyler’s now. “Should we just drive the SUV back over to my house?”

    “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. I’ll go inside and get the keys from Mom.”

    “Okay.” I stand beside the Joseph’s brick mailbox as the front door shuts behind Tyler.

    I gaze down the street at the light pole blinking red in the distance. Everything seems so quiet and peaceful. The sound of frogs and cicadas echo in the nearby woods.

    I look the other direction and that’s when my heart drops to my feet. A person is walking up the sidewalk in the distance. That’s when things rush back to me: A figure in a dark hall. Hands grabbing my shoulders roughly. Two pairs of hands shoving a bag over my head. Hands shoving me against the wall. Hands caressing my cheek. Hands binding me to a chair. So many hands.

    It’s him. He’s coming for you. He’s waiting to get you alone, voices whisper. I cover my ears, which only seems to make them louder. I crouch down behind the mailbox.

    “It’s not Brendon,” I whisper. “It’s not Brendon. It’s not--”

    There’s a hand on my shoulder. I scream and curl up into a ball.

    “Jenna!? What’s wrong?” Tyler’s voice asks.

    I start crying. “T-there was somebody on the street.”

    Tyler helps me up gently and lifts me into the passenger side of the SUV, then climbs into the driver’s side.

    He grabs my hand. “Did they remind you of Brendon?”

    I nod, still crying. “I-I was all by myself and I thought, ‘they could just kidnap me right here if they wanted to and no one would know.’”

    “Well, I would’ve known because you wouldn’t have been here,” he says reassuringly.

    I wipe my eyes. “I’m sorry. I still get nightmares about him. Some things can randomly trigger me, too.”

    “It’s okay. I’ll help you through these things when they happen, okay?” Tyler reassures me.

    “Okay,” I whisper.

    “Ready to go?”

    I nod. He turns on the car and starts to back out of the driveway.

    “Thanks for coming with me to see my parents tonight.”

    “It wasn’t a problem. I know that you were really nervous. But hey, the best part is that everything went smoothly.”

    “Yeah,” I reply. Ty stops in my driveway. We walk around to the back to grab my suitcase and carry-on bag.

    We walk to the front door. “I can get my suitcase from here,” I say, offering a confident smile.

    “Okay,” he replies, handing me my suitcase. I open the door and start to step inside.

    “See you soon,” he calls.

    “Bye!” I close the door and make my way upstairs to the guest bedroom. I hear my siblings helping Mom with the dishes in the kitchen. Flashbacks from high school play through my mind when all of us were living here. Now we all live in different places, living different lives. Gatherings like this remind us of how important the memories of the old days are.

    I sigh as I reach the guest bedroom. I probably won’t unpack much since I’m leaving in less than a week. Butterflies flit through my stomach. What if Brendon wants to get revenge on Tyler and me? Will I be miserable the whole tour?

    I find my pajamas in my suitcase and change into them, then start my night routine. I finally climb into bed and close my eyes, trying to calm my thoughts of tour.