Sixteen year old Tori Nicole James sat in her AP math class Tuesday morning just waiting for the period to end. It was test day and she'd already finished… with 30 minutes to go. She sighed, staring at the clock. One row in front of her and one desk to her left, she noticed that another student was already done with his test as well. He'd been in several of her AP classes but she'd never spoken to him. She didn't even know his name. Bored out of her mind, she stared at him while day dreaming about something else. Feeling someone watching him, he looked over his right shoulder at her. When she realized she was staring at him, she looked away.

Pulling a notebook out of her backpack, Tori starting doodling on a blank page. She wrote Logan's name in purple ink and drew dozens of hearts around it. Logan had asked her out and they would be hanging out together for the first time after school that day. After occupying her mind with where they might go and what they might talk about, the bell finally rang.

"Easy, right?" the boy nearby asked her.

"What?"

"The test… easy, right?"

"Yeah." She smiled politely before walking away. She'd never heard him speak a word before unless forced to by a teacher. Whatever, she thought. I get to see Logan at lunch soon!

***** Friday *****

Three weeks came and went and now 17 year old Tori was walking around the mall with her best friend, Jenna on a Friday evening.

"So, birthday girl, what are you and Logan doing tomorrow?"

"Just hanging out with a bunch of his friends. You wanna come?"

"Where?"

"Our spot in the woods," she smiled.

"Oooh! Are you finally gonna sleep with him?"

"I don't know… maybe."

"He's gonna think you're a prude if you don't give it up soon. You know he'll just find someone else."

"You think so? Like he'd just straight up ditch me and move on?" Jenna nodded. "I mean we haven't been seeing each other for very long at all."

"You know how guys are, Tori… all about getting in your pants!"

"Yeah. I guess."

"Maybe me and Braden will come."

"I thought he hated the jocks."

"Yeah but if there's gonna be alcohol and sex, he'll go," she chuckled. "We haven't done it in a few days so we're both like in heat!"

"Okay," Tori smiled. "I'd love to see you there."

"Cool!"

**** Saturday ****

Tori hadn't slept well Friday night. While she'd been tired enough, she couldn't turn her mind off enough to sleep. She tossed and turned and thought about what Jenna had said about Logan. They'd only really been dating for a little over three weeks. Would he really blow her off that quickly if she didn't give him what he wanted? Probably. But she wasn't sure she wanted to be with him in the first place.

Logan was gorgeous and he played first base on the varsity baseball team. Dozens of girls wanted him… and he basked in that knowledge. Tori was also beautiful… 5'7" tall, perfectly proportioned body, long blonde hair and a pretty face. She was on the varsity dance team and dozens of girls wanted to be her. Those who knew her at school thought she was perfect. Her family had money, she was an only child so she must be spoiled… and guys loved to look at her.

No one really knew her outside of school though. Even Jenna, her best friend, didn't know her whole story… and she preferred it that way.

After taking a nap in the early afternoon, Tori pulled on a cute pair of jeans and a sparkly butterfly tee shirt. She grabbed Logan's Underarmor sweatshirt and headed out to meet him when he pulled up in his truck.

"There's my birthday girl!"

"Here I am!" She leaned over and kissed him hello.

"You ready for an awesome night?"

"Yes! Jenna said she might come too."

"Cool."

Logan took hold of Tori's left hand and held it all the way to the dirt road that lead to their spot in the woods. They hopped out of the truck, grabbed the blankets he'd brought and headed up the path between the white birches that surrounded them.

"I love it out here," she smiled over at him and he smiled back.

"I know you do." After a 15 minute walk, they reached their spot. A few of their friends were already there and collecting sticks for a fire. Since they'd done this so many times before, they had a pit already enclosed by rocks waiting for them. Everyone greeted each other and started setting up tents.

"Are we staying overnight?" Tori asked.

"Yeah. I thought we talked about that."

"I highly doubt my parents will let me, Logan."

"So don't tell them. Tell 'em you're staying at Jenna's."

"I don't know about that."

"Why not?"

"I don't wanna get grounded or anything if they find out."

"Babe, you gotta quit worrying about all that kinda stuff. They won't find out… Live a little!" He pulled her close and rested his hands on her hips, looking into her eyes. "Besides, I want you to be here with me… Don't you wanna fall asleep together under the stars? And wake up together in the morning?" She thought about what he was saying and knew that her parents couldn't have actually cared less about where she was.

"Yeah," she smiled. "That sounds nice."

A couple of hours later when Jenna and Braden arrived, there were already dozens of empty beer cans surrounding the fire pit. A girl named Laura followed close behind them and Tori was less than thrilled to see her there. Laura was probably the hottest and most sought after girl at school and she'd only gone to their school for about two weeks. She was tall and thin and big-chested and sexy as fuck. Almost all the guys wanted her and she knew it. She and Logan were interested in each other and Tori was very aware of this. Now she felt like the pressure was really on to have sex with him even though she wasn't sure she was ready for that yet.

"What's she doing here?" Jenna whispered to her as the guys all fawned over the newest arrival.

"Fucking everything up," Tori sighed.

"Well, we can just ignore her. Right?"

"Nobody here will be ignoring her. Guaranteed." Logan saw the girls whispering about something and decided to remind them of his tipsy presence.

"What's up ladies?" He handed Tori another beer and smiled at her.

"Just chatting," she assured him. "Thanks babe."

"Well come hang out with everyone else." She felt better knowing that he was okay with Laura knowing he was already taken.

When midnight rolled around, Logan was pretty well trashed. He was mercilessly trying to get Tori out of her pants but this was not the way she wanted to consummate their relationship.

"What is your problem?" he finally snapped at her, drawing several pairs of eyes their way.

"Nothing! I just don't wanna do it in front of all your friends… and you're so wasted!"

"Tycen said you were too much of a goody-goody and he was right."

"Tycen doesn't know shit about me!"

"Whatever. I'm done." He walked away and proceeded to sit down next to Laura and sling his arm around her shoulders.

"I'm fucking done too," Tori snarled to herself. She took off Logan's sweatshirt and tossed it on the ground at his feet before taking a flashlight and walking away.

"Tori wait!" Jenna scurried after her. "Where are you going?"

"Home. I'll walk."

"Dude, that's like a 45 minute walk! And it's dark!"

"I'll be fine."

"Want us to give you a ride?"

"No thanks." Jenna finally gave up and let her storm away.

Tori reached the dark road and stopped to take a deep breath. A guy she dated for less than a month shouldn't matter. What really pissed her off is knowing that Tycen, who really didn't know shit about her, talked to Logan about her. How dare he?!

As she began to calm down, she became more aware of being out in the pitch dark by herself over half an hour from home. She started hearing critters scurrying by in the woods as she walked along the shoulder of the road. A car flew by and she stepped into the dirt to avoid becoming road kill. "Asshole," she whispered to herself.

Several yards into the forest, she noticed a flickering light. The smart thing to do, she thought, would be to ignore it and keep walking. However, curiosity got the best of her and she turned off her flashlight. Carefully and as quietly as possibly, she walked toward the light. When she got close enough to see what she was looking for, she stopped and peeked around from behind a tree. She saw the boy from her math class. He was sitting on a blanket and writing in a notebook by the light of an oil lamp. What the hell is he doing? So weird… After a minute, he sang softly to himself: "I do not know… why I would go… in front of you and hide my soul…" He sang it a couple of different ways and she figured he was writing lyrics.

Feeling like she was invading his privacy (and being kinda creepy), she turned to leave. She found her way back to the road and resumed her original course toward home.

***** Sunday 10/16 *****

Sunday morning, Tori was awoken by the familiar sound of her parents arguing. It was the same thing almost every weekend. She rarely even saw or spoke to her parents and it was better that way. If she did have to deal with them, it was best to approach them separately. After hearing her mom yell "go fuck yourself!" to her dad, she waited a few more minutes before going downstairs. She'd shoved a book, a notebook, some pens, a snack and a throw blanket into her pink and black backpack and headed out the door. She decided that she would take a page out of that AP math student's book and sit in the woods for a while. There must be something therapeutic about being alone with your thoughts away from the rest of the world.

Sitting on the blanket, she played her Imagine Dragons playlist on her phone quietly while she pulled out her notebook to write. Finding it too difficult to think of anything to write, she picked up her phone and scrolled through her Facebook page.

Meanwhile, she had no idea that she was not as alone as she'd thought. The boy from her math class made a habit of coming to this general area almost daily. He lived in the house right across the country road from here and frequently would come out here to think… and write and sing.

He followed the sound of the music and soon found her sitting in nearly the same spot he'd been sitting in last night. Like a deer in the headlights, he stopped dead in his tracks. He watched her every move as the gears in his head turned.

Tyler Joseph was also a junior at Tori's school. He did not run with the "it" crowd like Tori, Jenna and Logan did. Tyler was quiet and shy and awkward. He also was, however, incredibly intelligent and talented. He played multiple instruments, had written dozens of songs and had a beautiful voice. Most people didn't know these things about him since he kept to himself.

Like a lot of high school kids, Tyler had a best friend who he was close to. His friend's name was Josh and he played drums. They aspired to play live shows together and maybe even make a career out of music.

Lyrics were constructing themselves in his head when his train of thought was interrupted by Tori's phone ringing. She turned off the music and answered.

"Hey Jenna… Yeah I got home fine… I'm okay. Obviously he's not the guy for me. I'm not some whore like all the other girls he dates so whatever… No, I just wanna kinda be alone today… Okay. See you tomorrow." She hung up and stuffed her Android into her bag. Sitting back against a fallen log, she took a deep breath and just took in the silence around her.

Once Tori got up and packed up her bag a while later, Tyler slipped back through the trees and headed home. He didn't want her to see him and think he was some stalker freak. Most of the kids at school already thought he was a weirdo. No one ever took the time to talk to him and find out otherwise.

**** Monday 10/17 ****

Monday was a normal, boring day at school. Tori shoved her books into her locker at 3 o'clock and headed down to the gym for dance team practice. She walked past the band room and heard someone inside. She peeked in and stopped when she saw Tyler. He was singing that line again: "I do not… know why I would go… in front of you and hide my soul…"

"Hey Tori!" Another dance team member startled her.

"Oh hey Pennie."

"Whatcha looking at?" She too looked into the band room. "Oh that dude. Yuck! Come on, let's go!" Pennie grabbed Tori's hand and dragged her into the gymnasium.

***** Friday 10/21 *****

The rest of the school week had its ups and downs. Tori got her math test back and, as per usual, got an A. She was getting A's in all of her classes except English. She used to get great grades on writing assignments but lately she hadn't been doing as well. She had to be inspired to write well and since Logan had ditched her, she'd lost a piece of her spark. He'd told all of his friends that he'd broken up with her because she refused to sleep with him but had also started rumors that she had slept with some of his friends. She was furious at him and it was distracting her.

Friday night, the dance team performed at halftime of the varsity football game. The girls piled on their makeup, pulled on their barely-there outfits and hit the field at 7:30pm. After their three dance routine, they bounded off the field while waving to the audience.

Avoiding going home, Tori opted to do the unthinkable and shower at school. She waited until the other girls had left before showering and putting her jeans and sweater back on. The rest of the team had gone back to the field to watch the game but Tori just wanted to be alone. Grabbing her purse, she headed down the hallway.

Looking into the band room as she'd done on Monday, she saw that Tyler was there again. He was sitting at the piano and scribbling in a notebook. He would play a few notes, sing a few words then furiously write on the pages of the tattered old notebook. He would cross things out and write new things every so often. Wanting to hear what he was singing, she stealthily opened the door just a crack. "I know where you stand, silent in the trees. And that's where I am, silent in the trees…"

The more she listened to him, the more she loved what he'd written. She pulled out her phone and secretly recorded him.

"What are you doing?" a guy spoke from behind her, scaring the shit out of her and making her drop her phone.

"Nothing!" She bent down to pick up the phone and the battery that had fallen off the back of it. The guy walked past her and into the band room. Tyler had turned to see what was going on and saw her picking up her phone. Her face was red with embarrassment when her eyes met his. "Sorry." She scurried away as quickly as she could.

"What the hell was that about?"

"I have no idea, Josh. I was just working on this new song. What was she doing out there?"

"She had the door open and had her phone inside like she was taking pictures or something."

"Of me?"

"I guess. I don't know." Seeing a hint of a smile on his friend's face, Josh had to ask him. "Would that be a good thing?"

"I don't know. What do you mean?"

"You want her to like you?" Tyler shrugged, refusing to answer. "Dude, she's one of those snobby, popular girls that wouldn't look twice at guys like us. She probably thinks she's so much better than us anyway. Screw girls like her."

Late that night, Tori was lying in bed repeatedly watching the 20 second video she'd captured in the band room that evening. The video itself was shaky and blurry but the sound of Tyler's voice was crisp and clear. She was curious about what else he had written and sang.

***** Saturday 10/22 *****

Unable to sleep that night, Tori got dressed and grabbed her things. She quietly crept downstairs around 2am. Her mother was passed out on the couch and her father's car wasn't there. She slipped out the door and headed toward her new sanctuary in the woods.

Tyler, also wide awake, had seen her walk into the woods. He was sitting on the porch of his house just looking up at the stars, contemplating life. He waited a few minutes then went into the forest in search of her. He soon found her snuggled up in a fluffy sweatshirt, sitting on her sleeping bag. She scrolled through Instagram while, unknowingly humming Tyler's tune. Taking his phone out of his pocket, he recorded her from the shadows. He shifted in his stance, inadvertently snapping a twig beneath his black boots. She looked up and looked around.

"Hello?" Her heart beat faster as scary scenarios played out in her head. "Hello?" She listened but didn't hear anything else until a deer came into view. She stayed as still as possible while she and the animal stared each other down. "It's okay," she spoke softly. Holding out her hand, she waited while the nervous doe cautiously approached her. Another twig snapped and the deer raced out of sight. "That was so cool," Tori smiled to herself.

**** Sunday 10/23 ****

Sunday afternoon, Josh went to Tyler's house to work on their latest song. Tyler was feverishly writing down lyrics when his friend walked into his room.

"Hey."

"Hey Josh!" The drummer could see how obviously excited the lyricist was.

"What's up?" he chuckled.

"I can't wait to run this all by you… Hang on."

"Tyler?" his mother called through his bedroom door. "I'm going to work. You boys need anything?"

"No thanks, Mom!"

"See you boys later." She left and Tyler finally turned toward Josh.

"I know I was supposed to finish that song, 'Ride' but I started writing this one last week and I think I got most of it."

"Which one?" He started playing it on his keyboard and Josh knew which one he meant. It was the one that he'd caught that cheerleader girl snooping in on.

"I do not know… why I would go… in front of you and hide my soul. Cause you're the only one who knows it, yeah, you're the only one who knows it. And I will hide… behind my pride… don't know why I think I could lie. Cause there's a screen on my chest, yeah, there's a screen on my chest…"

"Screen?"

"Like I'm see-through. You know, wearing my heart on my sleeve…" Josh nodded in understanding and Tyler sang the next lines: "I'm standing in front of you, I'm standing in front of you… I'm trying to be so cool, everything together, trying to be so cool…"

"I love it! But I gotta ask you… is it about that girl?"

"What girl?" he asked, playing dumb.

"The way-out-of-your-league cheerleader girl? That blonde chick?"

"No… I mean, I don't know." Josh rolled his eyes and Tyler felt the need to explain himself. "Look!" He pulled up the low-quality video he'd taken of her humming his tune. "That's this song!"

"So?! Dude, she's her and we're… We're broken people and she's fucking perfect! At least I'm sure she thinks she is. Move on, man…"

"Josh, what if she's just like us? Maybe people don't get to know her like they don't bother getting to know us."

"Tyler, are you listening to yourself?! She's rich and popular and the fucking center of attention! There is no way she's anything like us. If you're looking for a girl who will trample all over you in her Gucci boots or whatever, then she's probably it! Maybe that's what you want?" Josh realized that this was the dumbest argument in the universe so he stopped and took a deep breath. "Can we just work on 'Ride' some more?" Tyler nodded, feeling like an idiot. Josh was probably right. Tori was on a different planet than him.