Reliable Joe.
That's what they called him. He used to love that nickname. It gave him a sense of purpose. He was reliable. He was always there for them. Sometimes he wishes that they were as reliable as he was.
He remembers the beginning, the first days of the Digiworld. He was so awkward back then, so clumsy. They all made fun of him behind his back and thought that he never knew. But he did know.
He knew and he let them.
Because he is Reliable Joe. If being their comic relief made them happy and gave them a piece of sanity in a strange world, then ridicule him. Ridicule him, ignore him, and then call him a friend. It's a small price to pay, really.
He thought that he'd be a good doctor, because he was reliable, because he'd do nearly anything to prevent someone else's suffering.
Or maybe it was his dad's pressure that made him believe he'd make a good doctor. Or maybe he just wanted to prove to his brother that he could. He doesn't remember. All he knows is that he was virtually destined to be a doctor.
So he pushed himself. He studied harder than he'd ever studied before. His friends laughed at him again, because he was so dedicated.
They said, "Look at Joe. He wants to be a doctor. Isn't that hilarious? Faints at the sight of blood and he wants to be a doctor." Then they'd all have a good laugh.
So he pushed harder. He was going to prove them wrong. He was going to show them that he could do it.
And he did. He's a doctor now.
He wants to rub it in their faces, that he made his dream come true.
"Wow," Matt said when he'd heard. "I'll admit that I never thought you could do it."
The boy who had wanted to be in a band for the rest of his life. The boy who ended up as an astronaut.
Joe had smiled sweetly, feeling on top of the world, and said nothing in response.
Everyone else's reaction had been surprise as well. Except for Mimi, of course. But she was always different from everyone else, the girl Joe had been in love with since age 9. She was ecstatic but not surprised.
"Oh Joe!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. "I always knew that you could do it! I'm so proud of you!"
They were married a year later, another thing that no one else had apparently predicted. Joe and Mimi were the second couple of the Chosen to be married, and the first to last more than two years.
He wonders sometimes what Michael would say, after he had openly mocked the idea that Mimi and Joe would be anything but friends. He hopes that Michael is miserable and alone.
Mimi often says that he's too bitter, that he needs to get over all the anger that has been festering inside of him for years.
He apologizes profusely, saying that he can't help but feel bitter. They made him feel horrible when he was younger.
She says she understands and kisses him softly.
He feels better immediately and remembers why he loves her.
"Do you remember, Joe," Mimi asks sometimes before he drifts off to sleep. "Do you remember when we used to call you 'Old Reliable Joe'?"
Reliable Joe. He used to love that nickname.
And thus the cycle starts all over again.
He's happy, happier than he's ever been. He's made his dreams come true, despite everyone's ridicule and mockery.
And amidst the bitterness in the dark of the night, Joe wonders why sometimes he feels like a cartoon.