A/N: Drugs are bad for you: don't smoke- especially if your like in middle school! Tsk tsk! Obviously there is some Joey/drugs ( whoa, it's like a romantic pairing) in this chapter, and I'm just letting you all know right here and now, that I think drugs suck. Keep it real, dude. Anyway, enough of my moral babblings. Sorry if it's short... but no worries! It's not like the story isn't done! Next chapter will be up like real soon! I mean, have i kept you guys waiting? not that I know of- speaking of which, why don't I personally thank:

Sukara-Nodori

Ayako Kadori

Rubysorceress

Angel Belle

and Manapandabug- Thanks for the correction! I SWEAR i got all of those! lol Guess not.

Thanks to all of you guys for being so nice and loyal! :) :) :) :)

Disc: No owning. Enjoy.

Chapter 6

Joey slammed the door behind him as he came home from school- or wherever he was. It was after 10 o'clock at night but Bobby never asked questions. Joey never came home at the normal time kids do after school. He was aware that Joey had a part time job though, as a news paper boy. He didn't know the kid's hours, so it was possible that's what kept him.

"Hey, boy!" Bobby shouted. "Dun chu slam my door!" Bobby yelled from the kitchen. Joey suddenly appeared in front of him, glaring. He dropped some money on the table.

"Here, it's for da rent dad." The middle school kid muttered, bitterly. Bobby then realized the kid had a cut on his face, and dried blood under his nose, and was cradleing his left hand as well.

"What th'hell happened t'ya, kid?"

"NOTHING." Joey snapped.

"HEY! Dun take dat tone wif me, you brat!" Bobby slapped the boy across the face. "I was just concerned is all, and you bite my head off?! How's dat for grad-ah-tude!"

"F'get it dad! Like you dun even f'kin care, so dun ask, OK?!"

"Who beat da shit out of you?!"

"NO ONE! Ok? I just fell offa m'bike d'liverin' papers." Joey stormed out of the room. He was lying, it was quite clear, but Bobby stopped caring. Why should he care if Joey didn't want to tell him? After several minutes he began to smell the all too familiar scent of pot. Funny, he didn't remember smoking any pot... come to think of it, he only smokes cigarettes. He shook his head. Let the kid smoke up, if it'll help him cope with his problems.

Inside his room Joey deeply inhaled herbs from his joint as he stared out the window. It had been a particularly rough day for the kid, but the same could be said for all days of his life. Every morning he would have to get up early to do his extremely long paper route (he wasn't known as the "lone paper boy" for nothing! He took on the paper routes of four boys) and by the time he had finished he was late for school. He had tried getting up earlier, but for the amount of sleep he got at night he found he just couldn't do it. Getting up at 5:00 am was already hard, but getting up at 4:00 am was asking too much, since he generally couldn't get to sleep until 2:00 am or later. Then once he got to school, about ten minutes after the bell, he would get sent to the principal's office for being late. Teachers didn't buy his excuse of being late because of work. They just assumed he was late because he was bad. He wasn't even bad really; he was just put in a category before anyone got to know him. Then the principal would threaten him, and then send him back to class. Since he'd already missed half the class anyway, Joey wouldn't even try. He didn't see a point- and since he did so poorly in that class, there was no point in trying in the other classes either, because everyone thought he was dumb anyway.

After school he would go with his gang to their abandoned warehouse that they always hung out in and smoked up. They didn't always do that, sometimes they just wandered around looking for trouble. Sometimes they'd just beat up random kids and steal their money (Joey didn't do that because there was no fun in beating up someone weaker then you), but mostly they picked fights with other gangs. His gang had quite the fearsome reputation, and not many gangs (even high school ones) liked to mess with them. Joey had gotten a well known reputation too. He was actually better known then the gang leader - Joey wasn't sure why, but he didn't care either. It was the only time he got respect from anyone.

Speaking of respect... Joey picked up the phone, which had found its way under several days' worth of laundry, and dialed.

"'lo is Tristan d'ere?" Joey asked quietly, not wanting his dad to hear him on the phone. He waited for his friend to answer the phone. He had met Tristan about a year or two ago, but they only recently became friends- he wasn't completely sure how it happened. Tristan just proved himself as a good honest guy and Joey liked him. He was a change of pace from all his other "friends". The guy was still tough, no-bullshit type guy, but he didn't hang out in gangs and hurt people for no reason like the guys Joey typically hung out with.

"Hello?"

"Hey. It's Joey."

"Hey man... it's kinda late...my mom isn't happy you called after 10."

"Oh, man I'm so sorry, tell your mom I will buy her a dozen roses if she forgives me! I so wasn't thinking." Joey loved Tristan's folks so he didn't want them upset with him.

"It's ok man." Tristan chuckled. "Something on your mind?"

"Nope- which is why I feel like a REAL idiot for calling now."

"You don't sound... good, what's the matter?" Tristan whispered now. Joey hoped he didn't sound stoned or anything. He couldn't remember how much he smoked with his gang...

"What do you mean?"

"Did someone punch your face in?"

"Uh... do I sound beat up?"

"Kind of, yea! Like you got a swollen lip."

"You my friend, have incredible ears. Yes, I got into a bit of a tiff with some people. I won, but I guess I shouldn't take on more guys den I have limbs..."

"Joey...when are you going to get out of that gang?" Tristan sighed.

"I dunno... I don't think I can leave." Joey shrugged, despite the fact that Tristan couldn't see it, but with ears like his, he might have heard the shrug.

"I'm really sorry dude, but I need to get off the phone, I'll talk to you in the morning- You know what? Where do you start that paper route of yours? I'll help you with it so you won't be late for that test we have first period." Joey was a bit shocked at the offer, but smiled. He didn't really know what a real friend was before he met Tristan.

End of 6!

Aw, Tristan is so cool to me. Not enough people give him credit. Yugi so just WISHES he was Joey's best friend, but we all know (or at least I do) that Tristan is the true blue best friend. Joey and Tristan are like... knife and fork...Tom and Huck.... Timone and Pumba...Rosencrantz and Guildenstern...you get the point. Lol. Go Tristan!