October 26th, 1999
"I want answers!" The lady stood outside screaming into Deputy Sheriff Myles' face. "That's my son."
"Look, Mrs Müller, I understand but right now we just need to wait for the Sheriff and your husband. Please, take a seat next to your son."
Her son was sitting on the seat behind her awkwardly, arms folded, head down, headphones on. He looked to his right, trying to see through the blinds and into the Sheriff's office where his father was shouting at the Sheriff. The Sheriff was sighing and trying to listen, his arms folded over his fat stomach, eyeing up a BLT half eaten sandwich on the desk beside him.
Mrs Müller wandered off and out of the small waiting room into the office where the water dispenser was.
Myles let the door slam behind her before taking a seat next to the boy.
"I'm Max." He said, sitting down on one of the red chairs. The boy nodded. "And you are?"
"Joey." His expression didn't change and he didn't take off his headphones. It put Max off a little but he wasn't one of those people to give up that easily.
"Whatcha listening to?"
"Under the Milky Way."
Joey flicked a bit of loose brown hair behind his headphones, shifting in his seat, and readjusting them on his head.
"Oh. The Church. I used to like them a lot, you know. They're a great band. You like 'em?"
Joey nodded, turning to his left a little and checking him up and down. He had an abnormally large nose and light eyes that were covered slightly by the hat he was wearing. His uniform was too big for his skinny figure and hung off him. He smiled slightly, his toothless smile forming to the left of his face.
He could see that Joey didn't really want to talk. He put it down to grief although that was not the case, and said he would go check on Joey's mom, leaving the room. Joey looked around a little. It was a small, enclosed room, with three red chairs at his end, cream walls and wooden floors, with two doors facing him. One leading to the office and the other to the Sheriff's private office. There was a window on Joey's left that let him see into the Sheriff's office a little but there were blinds obscuring his view. Occasionally, he caught the Sheriff's eye and turned away quickly, before looking back again. His father had his back to him and had his hands on the desk, whilst leaning forward in a threatening way.
He was confused. His brother had crashed and died months ago, his ashes had been scattered at a beach, the case had been closed. But now they were saying a notorious, now dead serial killer had somehow caused his brother to crash because he was going after his brother's girlfriend. And no one was telling him or his parents anything. He'd been sitting in different places for the past week, just waiting, and nothing had happened. He actually wanted to go back to North Bend. Not for the house or for school, but for AJ. She'd have something actually useful to say to him or something that could make him feel better. Not like some Deputy Sheriff saying something about good bands that he used to listen to. After a few more minutes, his dad stormed out, sighed, then noticed Joey. He went and took the seat on his left where that Max guy had been a few moments earlier.
"You alright, Joey?" He said. He was tired, he hadn't slept in days. Joey had thought that it was a myth when people say that your hair falls out with stress but that's what had been happening to his dad's normally full black shock of hair. He put his head into his hands, sniffing in through his red nose, before leaning back into his chair. "Don't you ever take those things off?"
Here we go, thought Joey. Another character attack, for no reason. Usually it was his mom but things change.
A small smile broke across his dad's face but he didn't turn to look at Joey. "You know… Me and your mom. We don't hate you if you think we do. We don't treat Luke as the favourite child. At least, I certainly don't. You saw how harsh I used to be on him. Remember? Your mom used to say 'leave it out, he's just a kid' and that's when he was 16." He paused, his eyes clouded with the past as he remembered. "We care about you Joey. We really do. Sometimes you just say nothing to us. We just want you to talk to us."
Joey looked down. He didn't want to say anything but he felt like he had to. "I, well… Well, I can't talk."
"Yeah, you can. You just did it." Classic response.
Classic response that Joey hated. He just shook his head.
"What?" His dad said, trying to grab his attention by sitting forward in his seat and looking straight at Joey who wasn't even looking in his dad's direction anymore and was just staring straight ahead. "Do you think we're disappointed in you or something? Is that what you think?"
"No."
"Then, why do you always act like it? Do you think that somehow by not talking, you won't let us down by letting anything that sounds wrong out of your mouth? Because if it is, Jo, that is some messed up view of us and the world. I can tell you that."
"Yeah," he sighed. "Maybe the world has a messed up view of me. And like me people. People like me."
Joey tried to stay calm. If he wanted to retaliate he'd have to be careful because his speech became the worst form of itself when he was annoyed.
"Maybe they do, Joey, if you think that. I ain't gonna try and change you on that. I know better. But we don't Joey. You're my son. And I couldn't wish for anyone better."
You didn't have to because you always had Luke. Joey didn't say that. He thought about it but didn't say it. It was his dad's attempt at trying to be heartfelt so why ruin it?
Instead he just nodded and let his dad put his arm around him and give him a little hug. He doubted that would happen again.