Joey's Depression (The Sequel To Mike's Determination), chapter 16
Michelle froze, mid-kiss, before pulling herself away from Alex.
"S-sorry, Alex. But y'know, I'm still kinda freaked about the whole rape thing," Michelle confessed, staring down at the floor below her in embarrassment.
"Oh come on," Alex persuaded, "Its not like I was planning on gagging you to a bed with chains and fluffy hand-cuffs and stuff."
"That's not the point," Michelle sighed, "The point is that you were planning on doing it, and you actually told someone that."
Alex strained himself trying not to roll his eyes, "What is with girls, anyway? Do they do this on purpose?"
"Do what on purpose?" Michelle quizzed, doing an impersonation of Alex's questioning voice.
"Be so fussy! Of all girls, you're the last one I'd think would be so perfect-hungry," Alex told her firmly.
"Oh, so that's it, is it? Just because I'm a fucking outcast I don't want my life to turn out right?" Michelle quizzed, "Just because everyone around me's full of shit, doesn't mean I want it shoved in my face!"
"Face it, Michelle, you have no life. You have no future!" Alex said.
"With you I don't!" she hissed, looking him straight in the eye. She tried to get up, but fell back down again- she still couldn't stand up on her own.
"So what if I look crazy?" she thought, "He doesn't get it anyway. Forget it."
She looked back at Alex, who was the edge of bursting out laughing, before looking straight ahead and crawling away towards the hallway.
Michelle continued, and couldn't be more relived when she reached the opening, which symbolised the end of the hallway.
She looked around, until she laid eyes on Peter, staring, totally dumb-stricken, up at that crummy hotel.
"Peter!" she called across the street.
Peter turned to face her direction. He looked thankful to see her, but un-thankful at the same time.
He gestured her to come here, but didn't say anything.
Michelle crawled across the street, trying to ignore the pain she felt in her palms and knees as the road's bitumen pierced her skin.
Peter helped her to her feet, and told her to keep a tight grip of his shoulder.
"Oh, great! Of all people to come along right now, it just HAS to be her, doesn't it?" she heard a voice scream from the 4th or 5th balcony. Michelle looked up, and saw Joey.
"Joey! What the fuck are you doing?" she screamed, "Get the fuck down here now!"
"N-no! T-this is your entire fault!!!" Joey cried down onto her.
"What? What's my fault?" Michelle shouted.
"This! You're the reason I'm up here! I don't believe what you just did!" he told her.
"What the fuck are you talking about? We haven't seen each other since... "
Michelle began, but paused to recall the fact, "Since I ran out on you at the hospital... oh, my God. Joey! I'm sorry!"
"When you ran out on me? Woah, you're way off, kid!" Joey said, with a tinge of crazy laughter in his voice.
"Fine then, YOU tell me!" she demanded.
"I saw you... with Alex," Joey said, "If you don't believe me, Peter was there. Ask him about it!"
Michelle turned to Peter, "He SAW us?"
Peter looked down at the floor guiltily.
Michelle took her attention back on Joey. To her, he looked totally different than she'd ever seen him before.
How could he do this? Was he trying to prove a point? If he was, he's failing madly.
"How could a friend go against me like this?" Michelle questioned herself, "I mean, he isn't REALLY my boyfriend, is he? He never let anything happen between us."
Michelle sighed- everyone had gone against her- everyone except Peter.
"Why hadn't Peter gone against me?" she asked, "Earlier today he'd been some loser who'd tried to flirt with me. Eww. He's changed. For better and for worse."
It was then she realised that she was right- Peter was her only friend.
Michelle started to get that empty feeling again- that empty feeling she hadn't felt since grade 4, which was the last time that no one wanted to be friends with her.
The thought made her cringe.
Her thoughts were interrupted at that moment,
"WELL? Do you want me to jump or not?" Joey screamed.
Michelle looked up at him- it was now sunset, and the golden rays of the sun made it hard to define Joey out of all the things surrounding him.
And she just stood there in silence for what seemed like a decade, before dragging herself to the entrance of the hotel and half-crawled, half-climbed the stairs.
Once she had finally got to the top, she began to speak,
"If you wanna kill yourself, that's fine with me. I mean, you wouldn't want me getting in the way of things that are entirely up to you, would ya? So yeah, see ya round, Joey boy. I'm off to go tell your dad, and Tre, and Mike."
Michelle turned herself around prepared to make her way back down the stairs but she was stopped when Joey began to say something,
"I hope you rot in the fiery depths of hell."
Michelle paused. She used the rail of the metal-barred fence as a prop to keep her up.
"You may see a great deal of irony in what I'm about to do, but guess what? I don't care," she spoke, slowly and firmly.
She raised a clenched fist, and threw it harshly in the direction of Joey's face.
***
Desi hid her face with her hands, shielding herself from the disgusting sight of Billie Joe basically killing Shaun.
Oh the other hand, she seemed quite impressed,
"Serves him right, the fucking asshole."<?i>
"Uhmm... Billie? I think it's about time you gave it a rest, now," she stated.
Billie Joe paused and took a moment to look up at Desi,
"What?"
"Give the poor guy a break," she advised.
"Poor guy... poor guy?!" he screamed.
"You've damaged him enough as it is," Desi continued.
Billie Joe's eyes wondered back down to a bloodied, exhausted Shaun.
He waited a fraction of a second, before half-chucking Shaun to the floor and leading himself and Desi out of the room.
Billie Joe basically sprinted out of the hospital, the main reason because he was covered in Shaun's blood.
There was pure silence, until a midi-like tune filled the air- it was Desi's ring tone.
"Hello?" she asked as she placed the phone to her ear.
It was Peter.
Billie Joe stared in awe and anticipation at her as she continued to talk.
"Yes."
"Mmm... "
"Pardon?"
"Oh, my fucking God."
"Yes, of course."
Billie was more than relieved when she slammed her phone down and shoved it back into her pocket,
"Joey. Joey's threatening to jump of the 2nd floor of some hotel balcony and Peter's there trying to stop him but them Michelle came along and started more trouble!"
Billie Joe stood there, staring unconsciously at the greyish pavement.
***
Joey reflected immediately. He pinned Michelle up against one of the solid concrete walls.
"You've pushed me over the edge. Now it's my time to push you over the balcony," he gripped.
"Joey! What the fuck are you doing?!" Peter cried from down on the ground.
"Peter!" Michelle screamed, "Help me!"
Peter didn't say anything.
"Peter! He's gonna kill me!" she cried.
Peter looked up even further.
He saw Joey, basically trying to shove Michelle over the edge, and Michelle. Crying out for help- help from him.
[i]"No one's EVER asked for my help before," he thought to himself.
Before he could stop himself, he started climbing up the staircase to the 2nd level.
"Joey! Let go! Stop it!" Peter persuaded, trying to tear the two apart.
Just then, Peter was joined by Billie Joe.
"Joey!" he cried.
Joey almost immediately dropped Michelle to the ground.
"Dad," he grinned, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a knife.
A small, silver-bladed pocket knife.
"S-sorry, Alex. But y'know, I'm still kinda freaked about the whole rape thing," Michelle confessed, staring down at the floor below her in embarrassment.
"Oh come on," Alex persuaded, "Its not like I was planning on gagging you to a bed with chains and fluffy hand-cuffs and stuff."
"That's not the point," Michelle sighed, "The point is that you were planning on doing it, and you actually told someone that."
Alex strained himself trying not to roll his eyes, "What is with girls, anyway? Do they do this on purpose?"
"Do what on purpose?" Michelle quizzed, doing an impersonation of Alex's questioning voice.
"Be so fussy! Of all girls, you're the last one I'd think would be so perfect-hungry," Alex told her firmly.
"Oh, so that's it, is it? Just because I'm a fucking outcast I don't want my life to turn out right?" Michelle quizzed, "Just because everyone around me's full of shit, doesn't mean I want it shoved in my face!"
"Face it, Michelle, you have no life. You have no future!" Alex said.
"With you I don't!" she hissed, looking him straight in the eye. She tried to get up, but fell back down again- she still couldn't stand up on her own.
"So what if I look crazy?" she thought, "He doesn't get it anyway. Forget it."
She looked back at Alex, who was the edge of bursting out laughing, before looking straight ahead and crawling away towards the hallway.
Michelle continued, and couldn't be more relived when she reached the opening, which symbolised the end of the hallway.
She looked around, until she laid eyes on Peter, staring, totally dumb-stricken, up at that crummy hotel.
"Peter!" she called across the street.
Peter turned to face her direction. He looked thankful to see her, but un-thankful at the same time.
He gestured her to come here, but didn't say anything.
Michelle crawled across the street, trying to ignore the pain she felt in her palms and knees as the road's bitumen pierced her skin.
Peter helped her to her feet, and told her to keep a tight grip of his shoulder.
"Oh, great! Of all people to come along right now, it just HAS to be her, doesn't it?" she heard a voice scream from the 4th or 5th balcony. Michelle looked up, and saw Joey.
"Joey! What the fuck are you doing?" she screamed, "Get the fuck down here now!"
"N-no! T-this is your entire fault!!!" Joey cried down onto her.
"What? What's my fault?" Michelle shouted.
"This! You're the reason I'm up here! I don't believe what you just did!" he told her.
"What the fuck are you talking about? We haven't seen each other since... "
Michelle began, but paused to recall the fact, "Since I ran out on you at the hospital... oh, my God. Joey! I'm sorry!"
"When you ran out on me? Woah, you're way off, kid!" Joey said, with a tinge of crazy laughter in his voice.
"Fine then, YOU tell me!" she demanded.
"I saw you... with Alex," Joey said, "If you don't believe me, Peter was there. Ask him about it!"
Michelle turned to Peter, "He SAW us?"
Peter looked down at the floor guiltily.
Michelle took her attention back on Joey. To her, he looked totally different than she'd ever seen him before.
How could he do this? Was he trying to prove a point? If he was, he's failing madly.
"How could a friend go against me like this?" Michelle questioned herself, "I mean, he isn't REALLY my boyfriend, is he? He never let anything happen between us."
Michelle sighed- everyone had gone against her- everyone except Peter.
"Why hadn't Peter gone against me?" she asked, "Earlier today he'd been some loser who'd tried to flirt with me. Eww. He's changed. For better and for worse."
It was then she realised that she was right- Peter was her only friend.
Michelle started to get that empty feeling again- that empty feeling she hadn't felt since grade 4, which was the last time that no one wanted to be friends with her.
The thought made her cringe.
Her thoughts were interrupted at that moment,
"WELL? Do you want me to jump or not?" Joey screamed.
Michelle looked up at him- it was now sunset, and the golden rays of the sun made it hard to define Joey out of all the things surrounding him.
And she just stood there in silence for what seemed like a decade, before dragging herself to the entrance of the hotel and half-crawled, half-climbed the stairs.
Once she had finally got to the top, she began to speak,
"If you wanna kill yourself, that's fine with me. I mean, you wouldn't want me getting in the way of things that are entirely up to you, would ya? So yeah, see ya round, Joey boy. I'm off to go tell your dad, and Tre, and Mike."
Michelle turned herself around prepared to make her way back down the stairs but she was stopped when Joey began to say something,
"I hope you rot in the fiery depths of hell."
Michelle paused. She used the rail of the metal-barred fence as a prop to keep her up.
"You may see a great deal of irony in what I'm about to do, but guess what? I don't care," she spoke, slowly and firmly.
She raised a clenched fist, and threw it harshly in the direction of Joey's face.
***
Desi hid her face with her hands, shielding herself from the disgusting sight of Billie Joe basically killing Shaun.
Oh the other hand, she seemed quite impressed,
"Serves him right, the fucking asshole."<?i>
"Uhmm... Billie? I think it's about time you gave it a rest, now," she stated.
Billie Joe paused and took a moment to look up at Desi,
"What?"
"Give the poor guy a break," she advised.
"Poor guy... poor guy?!" he screamed.
"You've damaged him enough as it is," Desi continued.
Billie Joe's eyes wondered back down to a bloodied, exhausted Shaun.
He waited a fraction of a second, before half-chucking Shaun to the floor and leading himself and Desi out of the room.
Billie Joe basically sprinted out of the hospital, the main reason because he was covered in Shaun's blood.
There was pure silence, until a midi-like tune filled the air- it was Desi's ring tone.
"Hello?" she asked as she placed the phone to her ear.
It was Peter.
Billie Joe stared in awe and anticipation at her as she continued to talk.
"Yes."
"Mmm... "
"Pardon?"
"Oh, my fucking God."
"Yes, of course."
Billie was more than relieved when she slammed her phone down and shoved it back into her pocket,
"Joey. Joey's threatening to jump of the 2nd floor of some hotel balcony and Peter's there trying to stop him but them Michelle came along and started more trouble!"
Billie Joe stood there, staring unconsciously at the greyish pavement.
***
Joey reflected immediately. He pinned Michelle up against one of the solid concrete walls.
"You've pushed me over the edge. Now it's my time to push you over the balcony," he gripped.
"Joey! What the fuck are you doing?!" Peter cried from down on the ground.
"Peter!" Michelle screamed, "Help me!"
Peter didn't say anything.
"Peter! He's gonna kill me!" she cried.
Peter looked up even further.
He saw Joey, basically trying to shove Michelle over the edge, and Michelle. Crying out for help- help from him.
[i]"No one's EVER asked for my help before," he thought to himself.
Before he could stop himself, he started climbing up the staircase to the 2nd level.
"Joey! Let go! Stop it!" Peter persuaded, trying to tear the two apart.
Just then, Peter was joined by Billie Joe.
"Joey!" he cried.
Joey almost immediately dropped Michelle to the ground.
"Dad," he grinned, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a knife.
A small, silver-bladed pocket knife.
