Times change...people shouldn't, chapter 18
For the rest of the school day Joey barely spoke unless a teacher asked him a question in class. He wasn't the Joey everyone at school knew anymore, some people said he was stupid for getting Brooke pregnant and telling her to keep it, while others felt bad for the situation and offered him fake signs of comfort which he just brushed off. As the bell rang after 8th period it was like music to his ears. He walked over to his locker and quickly tried to gather the books he might need if he decided to actually do his homework tonight.
"Joe?" he heard a voice from behind him. Joey didn't have to turn around though, he knew that voice all to well.
"What do you want Jimmy?" he asked aggressively as he slammed his locker shut.
"Man listen, I don't know what to say... I mean I don't even know how the word got out but -" Jimmy said looking down as Joey spun around to meet his gaze and cut him off.
"But what?!...huh?" he said rasing his voice to a dangerous level as he continued. "But you know that you had sex with my girlfriend...? Is that it?. Oh no maybe it was. But you knew she was fucking pregnant with MY kid!" Joey yelled as he sarcastically tried to finish Jimmy's cut off sentence.
"Joey, listen we have to talk... I don't want this to mess up our friendship," Jimmy said slowly backing away.
"YOU SLEPT WITH MY GIRLFRIEND!" Joey exclaimed. "I would think that's grounds for messing up a friendship." Jimmy went to take one step closer to Joey to try and say something but was met with a forceful punch in his jaw, causing him to drop his books to cup his face. "You better run know unless you want me to continue..." Joey said sharply as he looked down at his former best friend below him. Jimmy looked up in shock before realizing Joey was serious and he grabbed his books before walking off.
***
"Hey Joe, how was school?" Billie asked his son as he walked into the den and turned on the tv. Joey didn't answer as he dropped his backpack on the floor and started to walk off towards his room. "Hello earth to Joey..." Billie repeated.
"Not in the mood dad..." Joey mumbled as he walked miserably upstairs and slammed his door shut. Billie Joe sat there puzzled for a moment before he decided to go and see what was going on with his oldest child.
"Joe...?" Billie asked calmly as he knocked on the locked door.
"What," Joey said lifting his head off the pillow that his head had been laying on as he quickly wiped away a few tears that rolled down his cheeks.
"Can I come in?" Billie asked, still confused and locked out. Joey sighed from the other side as he rolled off the bed and opened the door.
"What's wrong Joey?" Billie asked walking in and shutting the door behind him.
"Nothing... I'm fine," Joey lied as he walked over to his couch and pulled his guitar into his lap as he tried to avoid his father's questioning looks.
"Doesn't seem that way to me," Billie added as he walked over and sat down next to Joey, who was strumming a few chords here and there. "Did something happen...? Is Brooke ok?" the father of the Armstrong household continued to ask.
"Dad...please," Joey said turning his head and biting his bottom lip and it quivered uncontrollably as tears started to blur his vision. "Just leave me alone for now..." he sobbed.
"I just wanted to help you Joe..." Billie started before Joey snapped his head over to meet his stare.
"Fine Dad! You wanna know what happened?!...I found out Brooke fucking cheated on me over the summer today...and not just with anyone...with Jimmy. Jimmy, Dad!...my best friend! The worst thing is that he knew she was pregnant with MY baby and he didn't care...he didn't care Dad...he didn't care..." Joey said as he lowered his tone at the end and started to cry. He unknowingly buried his head in his father's chest, something he hadn't done since he was little, and cried.
"Joe?" he heard a voice from behind him. Joey didn't have to turn around though, he knew that voice all to well.
"What do you want Jimmy?" he asked aggressively as he slammed his locker shut.
"Man listen, I don't know what to say... I mean I don't even know how the word got out but -" Jimmy said looking down as Joey spun around to meet his gaze and cut him off.
"But what?!...huh?" he said rasing his voice to a dangerous level as he continued. "But you know that you had sex with my girlfriend...? Is that it?. Oh no maybe it was. But you knew she was fucking pregnant with MY kid!" Joey yelled as he sarcastically tried to finish Jimmy's cut off sentence.
"Joey, listen we have to talk... I don't want this to mess up our friendship," Jimmy said slowly backing away.
"YOU SLEPT WITH MY GIRLFRIEND!" Joey exclaimed. "I would think that's grounds for messing up a friendship." Jimmy went to take one step closer to Joey to try and say something but was met with a forceful punch in his jaw, causing him to drop his books to cup his face. "You better run know unless you want me to continue..." Joey said sharply as he looked down at his former best friend below him. Jimmy looked up in shock before realizing Joey was serious and he grabbed his books before walking off.
***
"Hey Joe, how was school?" Billie asked his son as he walked into the den and turned on the tv. Joey didn't answer as he dropped his backpack on the floor and started to walk off towards his room. "Hello earth to Joey..." Billie repeated.
"Not in the mood dad..." Joey mumbled as he walked miserably upstairs and slammed his door shut. Billie Joe sat there puzzled for a moment before he decided to go and see what was going on with his oldest child.
"Joe...?" Billie asked calmly as he knocked on the locked door.
"What," Joey said lifting his head off the pillow that his head had been laying on as he quickly wiped away a few tears that rolled down his cheeks.
"Can I come in?" Billie asked, still confused and locked out. Joey sighed from the other side as he rolled off the bed and opened the door.
"What's wrong Joey?" Billie asked walking in and shutting the door behind him.
"Nothing... I'm fine," Joey lied as he walked over to his couch and pulled his guitar into his lap as he tried to avoid his father's questioning looks.
"Doesn't seem that way to me," Billie added as he walked over and sat down next to Joey, who was strumming a few chords here and there. "Did something happen...? Is Brooke ok?" the father of the Armstrong household continued to ask.
"Dad...please," Joey said turning his head and biting his bottom lip and it quivered uncontrollably as tears started to blur his vision. "Just leave me alone for now..." he sobbed.
"I just wanted to help you Joe..." Billie started before Joey snapped his head over to meet his stare.
"Fine Dad! You wanna know what happened?!...I found out Brooke fucking cheated on me over the summer today...and not just with anyone...with Jimmy. Jimmy, Dad!...my best friend! The worst thing is that he knew she was pregnant with MY baby and he didn't care...he didn't care Dad...he didn't care..." Joey said as he lowered his tone at the end and started to cry. He unknowingly buried his head in his father's chest, something he hadn't done since he was little, and cried.
