Author: Jen
Author's Note: So, this is my first ever Joey and Phoebe fanfic. I'm pretty neutral when it comes to Phoey, I love their friendship and think they have amazing chemistry, but I wasn't mad they didn't end up together. Regardless, I got this idea out of the blue and got so inspired to write this. So, I hope you all enjoy, let me know what you think! Phoey fans go easy on me :)
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own anything or any of the characters
A/N: Joey follows his friends in bullying the new girl at school after everyone learns she is homeless. Joey soon discovers he won't be able to run away from his wrong decisions so easily. [Set in high school]
"Hey, Joey," my friend Chad calls me over in the lunchroom. I head over to the table and sit with my usual friends.
My one friend Peter suddenly sneers and we all follow his stare to the doors of the lunch room. We spot the new girl Phoebe, who must have just walked in. We watch her simply walk to an empty table in the corner and sit down without hesitation. We don't see any lunch, instead she grabs a book from her bag and starts reading. She's tall and skinny and has long, blonde hair. I haven't even officially met her, but I've seen her in the halls once or twice. Whenever there's anyone new at our school, it's always a big thing.
"She's pretty hot," I comment to my friends. Peter turns to me.
"You haven't heard?"
"What?" I ask.
"She's homeless," he spits in a whisper.
My other friends nod, clearly having heard the same rumor.
"Really?" I press, surprised that someone could actual be living on the streets. I have seven sisters and we're scrambling for every penny we can mangle up and even we're not homeless.
My friends all nod again.
"Literally on the streets, I bet they're in line for that shelter every night, but that place is packed," my friend Tony jumps in.
I look over and suddenly notice her shoulder bag. It's ripped and worn, it's actually a man's shoulder bag now that I really look at it. Her clothes are plain and don't even fit her well, they are probably clothes that were donated somewhere. Her shoes are barely staying together, I can't even tell what color they are supposed to be. Her hair is still really nice, long and soft looking and she looks clean. I guess that's why I hadn't noticed everything else before.
"Wow," I comment.
"I know, gross right?" Chad remarks with disgust.
I turn back to my friends. I know we're all quick to judge, I'm definitely guilty of this too, but a homeless girl? I don't even know if she has lunch to eat and we're calling her gross? It doesn't seem right, but I'm not gonna call out my friends, especially when they are all clearly in agreement. What if the whole school thinks this, I can't be the laughing stock of the school cause I feel bad for this girl. I keep my mouth shut and dig out my sandwhich for lunch.
The next day, my friends and I are heading back from the football field after practice. As we're nearing the school, my friends start passing the football around.
"Joey go long!" Tony jokes and I jog foward a few steps and turn around so he can toss me the ball. I catch it easily from the short distance, but hold the ball high in the air and start running backwards, pretending to celebrate my amazing victory. My friends laugh until I hit into someone behind me. I try to turn and catch my balance, but the stranger has already lost their balance and tumbles directly into me, causing us both to crash to the ground. As I'm lying on the ground, I look up and finally see who has fallen on top of me - it's Phoebe, the new girl. I think fast as her entire body is pressed against mine.
"Uggg, get off me!" I shout, pretending to be disgusted, pushing her off me. She speedily stumbles to get off me. She reaches to pick up her bag and some fallen books and stands back on her feet. I jump up and make it obvious I'm wiping dirt off my already dirty football uniform. We're already covered in dirt and sweat from practice, it's not like it was from her, but I pretend it is. My friends all look at her in disgust.
"Geez, watch where you're going!" Peter yells at her for me.
"Yeah, keep your filthy hands to yourself," Chad adds.
Phoebe glares up at us.
"Oh fuck off, it was an accident!" she spits, surprising us with her aggressive response.
My friends grunt and grab my arm.
"You okay man?" they ask, as if she really could have done some damage.
"Yeah," I reply and they pull me towards the school to get away from her.
After showering, I head home and walk into my always noisy house.
Since we had practice today, it's already after five and I'm starving, like always. I slip off my heavy backpack at the door, not planning on doing any of my dumb school work.
"Hey, honey how was school?" my mother greets me at the door with an invasive kiss on the cheek.
"Fine," I breathe tiredly.
"Alright, well wash up for dinner - oh and set an extra plate tonight," she informs me.
It's always my job to set the table.
"Alright," I state simply and start taking off my coat and shoes. My mother feels the need to explain more.
"We have a special guest and she may be staying with us for some time," she says and I can see out of the corner of my eye her grabbing someone from the living room. I look up, expecting to see one of my sisters' friends or boyfriends, but instead I freeze shell-shocked at who is next to my mother. It's Phoebe. Holy shit, Phoebe the homeless girl, the girl I pushed off me in disgust today is standing in my house and she's going to be staying with us?
My mother rubs Phoebe's shoulders comfortingly and then walks off to the kitchen. I quickly follow my mom, too traumatized to even look at Phoebe.
"Uh ma, wait hold on... she's living with us, how did this happen?"
"Mary Angela and Tina invited her over and told me she had no where to stay tonight, so she's staying with us now," my mother explains as she checks on the chicken in the oven.
"But don't you think we're pretty crowded here already?" I try.
My mother shuts the oven door, stands and places her hand on her hip, making me instantly nervous.
"Joseph Francis Tribbiani," she says sternly and I clench my teeth together hoping she's not about to smack me upside the head.
"We are not letting that little girl freeze or go hungry, we help whoever we can. I can't believe you would even say that," she scolds me.
I keep quiet and she points to the dining room.
"Table now," she demands and I go to set the table.
During dinner, I avoid eye contact with Phoebe the whole time. Luckily, my family is too invested in her to notice anyhow. They ask her about her life and I hear her entire tragic story. How her mother killed herself and she and her twin sister now live on the streets with some drugged out woman who acts somewhat like a mother to them. Most nights, Phoebe and her sister stand alone on the line to the shelter unsure of where their "mother" is. Now, her twin sister is staying with a boyfriend even though she is only sixteen. Phoebe says they didn't offer her to stay with them so she's been on her own lately.
Everything Phoebe reveals makes me feel ten times worse about how I treated her. I'm so embarrassed and ashamed. I didn't even want to treat her badly, I only wanted to look cool in front of my friends and fit in. While an insane wave of guilt washes over me, I suddenly realize if my mother finds out how I treated her, I'm literally dead. Now, fear and panic mixes into my rollercoaster of emotions.
We finally all start clearing the table and I'm so ready to run to my room and get away from this girl I'm ashamed to even look at. I rush to clear the plates and again my family isn't paying attention.
My mother grabs some dessert and starts laying it out on the table. She starts cutting into a delicious looking cake and cuts a first piece for Phoebe.
"Joey, you want one piece or two?" my mother offers sweetly, knowing how much I love dessert.
"Uh, none actually. I'm just gonna head up," I tell her softly.
"Are you feeling okay?" my mother questions me with concern.
"What's wrong son?" my dad even jumps in.
"Nothing I just have a lotta homework," I lie.
"Since when does that stop you from eating?" my sister Gina, of course, has to comment.
"Is Joey-woey sick?" my sister Mary Angela embarrasses me by teasing me with a baby voice. I feel my cheeks blush thanks to Pheobe having to witness that.
"No, I'm fine," I grumble loudly and walk out of the room. I hurry up the stairs and into my bedroom. I close the door as fast as possible and then lunge onto my bed.
I'm safe from everyone for a few hours, then everyone starts to get ready for bed. I hear a knock at my door and throw the car magazine I was reading under the bed.
I see the doorknob turning, but I locked it.
"Who is it?"
"Open this door Joseph," my mother commands and I rush to the door to unlock it.
"I'm going to remove that lock," she warns me.
I don't even respond and walk back to my bed.
"What's going on with you?" she questions me.
"Nothing, I had homework," I lie again.
She sits on the bed with me.
"You're not fooling anyone honey, you left your backpack downstairs," she tells me.
I remember leaving it at the front door and realize my dumb lie is done for.
I sigh, worried she's about to punish me for lying now.
"Look, I don't know what's going on with you, but it definitely better not be about that sweet little girl Phoebe. How would you like to sleep outside or wait in line for hours to maybe get a bed in a shelter," she says as if I don't already feel awful enough.
"I know," I say.
"Well, then act like it. You should get to know her, she's your age you know," she reminds me and the idea of talking to the girl I pretended to be disgusted by turns a guilt-ridden knot in my stomach.
"Okay," I say so low under my breath my mother makes me repeat it.
"What?"
"Okay," I state louder.
"Good, I love you. Get to sleep," she says, kissing me on my forehead.
I sigh and lie back down, wondering how I'm going to tell my friends the new homeless girl is living with me now.