This chapter is dedicated to a relative of mine named Brooke. Brooke, if you somehow come across this, I just want you to know that I love you and I'm glad you stayed alive. You too, reader. <3 |-/

Okay, so I think that this might be the last trigger warning chapter. Woo Hoo! Don't quote me on that, though.

Jenna

I grab Tyler's notebook from the SUV's passenger seat before jumping out and slamming the door frantically. My stomach turns when I see Tyler's red car parked in the shadows at the edge of the parking lot. I run up to it to see it empty, despite the set of keys hanging in the ignition. I shake my head and dash up the paved path winding deeper through the park. No time to waste. This is a matter of life and death.

Clutching the thin notebook to my chest, I pray that Tyler hasn't killed himself yet as I leave the path and weave through the trees and other vegetation. I trip and fall into a patch of ferns, the notebook flying from my hands. Tears stream down my face as I clumsily grab it and continue.

"I swear, if he's already jumped, then I just may do it too," I murmur. Hope flutters in my chest as I see light from the thinning tree line up ahead. I jog forward and peer through the trees. Tyler's silhouette stands at the very edge of the cliff. I cover my mouth to keep from screaming, then step forward, my feet crunching in the dry dirt beneath me. I set the notebook down softly then continue to draw closer. Tyler shakes out his arms and rolls his shoulders.

"Tyler!" I scream while darting forward and grabbing him. I wrap my arms around his chest and pull him toward me. We stumble backwards together and fall into the sand spread across the cliff. "What were you thinking!?" I cry.

He looks up at me sadly, tears glistening in his swollen eyes, but doesn't answer. I pull him up and gently guide him to a patch of grass far away from the cliff's edge. Tyler collapses face-down among the new growth, his shoulders shaking. Small wails emanate from underneath his layers of clothing.

"Oh, Ty," I murmur, stroking his back. Hot tears run down my face, too.

"I'm sorry," he blubbers. "I should've never put you through that."

"Shh," I reply. "Don't talk right now. Just try to breathe." Sitting cross legged beside him, I gently pull him into a sitting position. He leans against me heavily and gazes out over Columbus with watery eyes. My fingers rub circles on his back. I look down to see it damp with faint sweat. That's when I realize he's wearing the snowsuit that I saw in the trunk of his car.

"Ty, you're sweating. Let's get you out of this," I say. He nods and unzips the front of his snowsuit, his shirt underneath coated with sweat. I grab the pant legs and pull them off. "Why is this so heavy?" I ask. He doesn't answer. I reach into a pocket and discover the answer: rocks. Tossing the stone aside, I fold the suit up and set it beside us. I hold onto Tyler tightly, as if he'll fade out of existence if I let go.

"Why did you save me?" he murmurs after several minutes of silence.

"Because I love you," I reply simply before realizing the words escaped my mouth.

His head whips around. "You love me?" he utters in shock, his eyes widening. I nod. "B-But...how could you say that after...after what I just tried to do!? You shouldn't love me. You should hate me after what I've put you through. I-I'm too messed up. Too broken. You should've just let me di—"

I silence him with a kiss. I pull away after what seems to be an eternity.

"How did you even find me?" Ty whispers with a confused look on his face. "You're supposed to be in Northern Ohio. That's why...that's why I tried killing myself today...so you wouldn't find me."

"I got a message to come home early," I reply gently while placing a hand on his shoulder.

His brows furrow. "Josh didn't seem suspicious of me today."

I shake my head and open my locket. Pulling out the note, I carefully unfold it and hold it out to him. "I found this in Brett's room this morning and felt the urge to come home early. I figured that even though I didn't save his life, I could still save someone else's."

He nods, his gaze fixed on the paper.

"Why did you want to kill yourself, Ty?" I ask.

He avoids my gaze. "I feel miserable. The voice in my head won't leave me alone, and I thought suicide was the only way left to silence it. Before then was music, but I lost my notebook along with the motivation of performing and writing new songs. I've felt awful ever since my radio was stolen. Actually, I felt bad before that. The voice convinced me that the only way I could have relief was by killing myself."

"Oh Tyler, I'm so glad I got here in time. I actually considered jumping if I was too late." He looks at me, his face adopting a sad expression, one that I've seen him wear too much lately.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs.

"Don't be. You're alive now. That's all that matters." I suddenly remember something, causing me to stand up. "Wait, don't go anywhere." I hurry over to the bushes at the edge of the tree line. I fish out the notebook and walk back over to Tyler. "The reason I called you earlier was because I was at the treehouse when I found this. It was in a patch of ferns a few yards away from the tree." I hold the red book out to him. "But you said you were breaking up with me before I had the chance to tell you."

His eyes widen in astonishment as he covers his mouth with one hand. "How?" he whispers on the verge of more tears.

"I don't know," I reply.

He freezes for a moment, then leaps forward and tackles me to the ground in a bear hug. "Jenna Black, I love you so much," he says into my neck before kissing it. "I want you to know that."

I blush. "I think I've known that for a while, Ty." We both chuckle and sit up. Tyler grabs the collection of songs and sets it in his lap. "I'm not sure how it managed to get so far away from the treehouse," I state.

He slowly opens the cover of the notebook. "Wait...read this." He passes the book to me. There's a note written in sloppy handwriting, like someone was in a hurry to write it.

Not all of us have learned to kill our dreams.

—Ryan Ross

My mouth gapes. "I guess Ryan wasn't on Brendon's side after all," I murmur. I hand the notebook back to Tyler, who examines it for water stains and other things Mother Nature could have done to abuse it.

Furious, loud rustling comes from the trees, causing us to jump. A frantic, panting Josh appears moments later. His eyes dart around wildly before finding us. He sighs.

"Oh my heck, Tyler! You're alive! Thank goodness!" He looks at me. "I'm so sorry, Jenna. I would've been here sooner, but there was a wreck blocking the only road to the park, and I had to sit at the light forever, and so I finally decided to run like a mile-and-a-half here, and...and..."

"Josh, it's okay," I reply. "The good thing is that you made it."

He walks over to us, scratching his neck. "Well, I guess you're right."

Tyler stands up, and the two boys embrace.
  
   "Glad you're still with us, bro," Josh says.

   Tyler's eyes wander to Josh's hair. "I didn't think you'd try going blonde."

   He rolls his eyes. "I'm not. I'm going to dye it blue later." He sits down beside me, Tyler following. "In all seriousness, though, were you going to jump?"

   Tyler hangs his head, his hands fidgeting with tiny pebbles on the ground. He finally nods. "I think I would've if Jenna didn't stop me."

  Josh's face contorts, and a single tear slips down his cheek. Josh Dun is actually crying. "Oh, Tyler, you know you could have talked to us about how you felt." His voice cracks.

  "I didn't want to be a burden," he murmurs. He looks at Josh. "Don't cry, bro. You're making me feel worse."

  This time it's my turn to cry. My boyfriend looks at me, his brow furrowing. "Oh, not you too."

   I ignore his comment. "What if we hadn't got here in time. What if we didn't find you until tomorrow morning, floating in the river!? Do you know how dead you would've been!?"
   
   "Uh...mostly dead?" he replies. I slap his arm, causing him to flinch. "What, mostly dead is still slightly alive! Just please laugh or something. I don't want you to cry."

   "We're crying because we care about you, Tyler! We want to help you! Do you know how devastated we would've been if you had suddenly decided to fade out of existence!? I could barely deal with one suicide, let alone two! We need you, Tyler. The world needs you."

   "No it doesn't," he mutters.

   I grab his face, pulling it close enough toward me to see the gold flecks in his dark brown eyes. "Yes. It. Does. Think of all the people you would've saddened: Your family, my family, Josh's family. No one would've been able to hear your pretty voice again and you're beautiful words that scream what some people inaudibly whisper to the air late at night when no one can hear them. Without you, there's one less person in the world to tell those people that it's okay to voice their demons. If you think that no one will miss you, then you're dead wrong." I remove my hands from his face to wipe my own, which is now a waterfall of tears.

   Josh clears his throat. "I agree with Jenna. You've saved people's lives. Now you need to save your own. Tyler, you need to get help. You can't keep this suicide attempt a secret."

   He shakes his head. "I don't need anyone to worry about me. I don't want someone by my side 24/7 to make sure I won't do anything. It'll put too much weight on their shoulders."

   "Tyler...I think what Josh is saying is that you need to go to a recovery center." I look at Josh. He nods in agreement.

   "An insane asylum," Tyler states flatly, his eyes staring unfocused at the dirt. He wraps his arms around his knees and pulls them to his chest, then starts rocking back and forth.

  I place a hand on his shoulder. "No, a  recovery center. The people there will help you. They're trained in dealing with patients who experience these feelings. They will help muffle your demons."

   He looks up. "You want me to see a shrink!?"

   "Tyler," Josh states. "Therapy will help you manage these feelings. There's nothing wrong with treatment. I had a therapist to help me manage my anxiety when I was fifteen and sixteen. You know that. He helped me, and I'm doing better now." He looks over at me. "Did Brett have a therapist?"

   I shake my head. "Not that I'm aware of. I think that's part of why he committed suicide. He never called out for help, and the negative thoughts consumed him." 

   "You don't have to stay there forever," Josh says.

   I nod. "You're technically an adult, so you can check yourself out when you feel ready to leave, I think. You don't have to be in there forever. Why not try two weeks?"

   He looks at me curiously. "Two weeks?" I nod.

   "We won't tell anyone at school, we promise. Our other siblings will keep it a secret, I'm sure."

   He shrugs. "I don't know, guys."

   "I'll call you frequently. Maybe they'll let you bring your ukulele, too. You can sing some of your songs and inspire other people!"

   "Please think about it," Josh says. "We want you to get better."

  He sighs. "Two weeks?"

   Josh nods. "You'll be back in time to ask me out to prom."

  I slug him. "No! He's taking Mark, ya dummy!"

   Tyler chuckles. "I'll think about it."

   Josh's brow furrows. "About asking me to prom!?"

   "No, about the recovery center!" The three of us laugh. I look out over Columbus. The sun is almost fully submerged in the distant hills.

   "We should probably head home, guys," I say. "Your family is definitely worried, Tyler, and mine is probably wondering why our SUV is gone."

   "Yeah...we should probably go," he says. The three of us stand up. He looks to his right. "Oh, wait. I have to get my phone." He picks up his notebook and snowsuit, then walks over to a rock and picks up a plastic baggie, his phone lying inside

   "Thank you so much for finding this," he says when he returns to our side. He hugs me tightly.

   "Wait....you found his notebook!?" Josh exclaims.

   I nod. "Ryan threw it from the treehouse. He left a note in the front cover."

    "Wow," he replies. The three of us turn to take the trail through the trees.

   "Wait.....I technically broke up with you, so where does this leave us?" Tyler asks me.

   I stop and look at him. "Do you really think I would've agreed to break up!? Of course we're still together!"

  He grins shyly, red tinging his face. "Okay." I return his smile.

   "Umm....not trying to ruin the moment, but I think we should be getting home," Josh says. The both of us nod.

   "Yeah...we should go," Tyler agrees. The three of us turn and walk through the trees, arms slung around each other like the best friends we are.

A/N: So I had a dream that people were cleaning out my school's band and someone gave me a box filled with random items. Well, I took the box home and when I was going through it I found a first edition disc of Regional at Best. The bad part was that it was really scratched when I turned it around. However, I played it and it didn't skip at all! Now why can't something like that happen in real life!?

  I was also riding with my dad in his truck yesterday when we had to stop at an intersection. I looked over to the car beside us to see this lady having a full out jam session. I was like, "I like her." XD.

  Well, I'll be leaving for Pennsylvania on Friday to visit relatives, so I'll try to type another chapter in the car. Until then, Stay Alive! ||-//

   Rey