Longest Novel: Fall of The Republic

by morgan kingsley

In 2020, a middle-aged author, living too deeply in the past, decides to write the story of what really happened to him and his friends when he was younger, and as it unfolds, a giant conspiracy starts to show itself. An AU of seasons 1-4 that take place in the United States. Crossover with several other series for one overall universe.

28. The Older Brothers Fears

Chapter 2 Episode 10 - The Older Brothers Fears

July 22, 2022

After he was done making this episode, T.K. started to drive towards the section he heard Matt talking about, hoping this area would actually be able to give him some ideas on what he was going to be getting himself. He was smoking a cigarette the entire time he was driving over there, and he was hoping that his brother and family wouldn't notice that he left as abruptly as he had done.

As T.K. was driving along, he was starting to think that Matt was acting the same way that Sam had, when it came to trying to make sure that T.K. was all safe and dandy, and that nothing happened to him. As he was starting to fucking realize that, he was wondering if he was wrong for getting in his way as much as he had before.

And T.K. was scared that above all else, this was going to lead to another situation that had played out the exact same way that it had with Kevin and Sam. That it was going to lead to a massive bouncing back and fourth between the two siblings, thinking there was a chance to recover, but then over time, things start to become clear that it would never be the same.

Especially disturbing for him was the fact that both sets of brothers were roughly the same age at the time that these falling outs has occurred, and that as a result, there was only about thirteen years of their growing lives where they were able to actually be happy with each other.

Before too long, T.K. was getting near the area that he had been told about. As he was staring at it, wondering what he was going to find, he was wondering if it was even worth the time and effort in order to go in there, and find out what was even happening.

As T.K. was walking out of the car, he was taking a cigarette out, and he was just glad that at the end of the day, people were not going to be able to see what he was doing. Knowing that at the end of the day, as much as he had hated to admit that his brother was right, he had gotten obsessed with what was going on in the first place.

Eventually, he had seen that there was something of a sewer entrance. As he was looking own at it, he was getting some real Stephen King vibes. As he thought that, he was getting a small smile on his face, and he was picking up a pair of shoes, all covered with blood, and T.K. started to shake his head, feeling that there was no way he would be able to figure anything out at all.

He started to hear some noises, and when he did, he was looking around, trying to decide where he was hearing them from. He took his energy sword out, just feeling that it would be best to just be ready for whatever was to come. As he started breathing heavily, hoping that nothing worse was going to fucking happen.

As he was going down longer, he was wondering how his brother had even known about any of this in the first place. After all, he was making it seem like he had no involvement with these before hand. So him talking about the monsters just seemed to be rather strange.

Before he was able to do anything, there was a monster charging towards him. He was not really prepared for this at all, so it managed to strike him a bit, and then he fell down on his ass, and felt a small pain there for a second. But he was still holding his hilt as tightly as possible, with the blue light giving him the only light in the entire area.

He sliced the monster down for a second, and then he sighed for a second, wondering what in the world he was even going to be doing here. He stood up, and then he was seeing another one coming towards him, and then he slashed them down as well, as he was slowly becoming dirtier, and he was starting to feel the wounds from the first attack slowly seep on.

Then with that, he was starting to realize that no matter how much he wanted to be a hero, who would actually do what was right for those around him, he was starting to realize that his family might be viewing what he was doing in a different light.

There were another two that showed up, and then he slashed them down, and felt that at this point in time, it was time for him to run, and just simply check around for where this would lead later. He would check around the top of the sewer, and at other places, to see if there would be other areas that he would check out.

He ran out of the sewer, and the entire time he was running, he wondered if people were really aware of what was going down here, or if it was just Matt having a change of heart once, and deciding to check things out for himself, for some strange reason.

Maybe he was doing it for his child, since he had known what monsters were like, and that they needed to be more careful with them. When he was out of the sewer, and turned his blade off, as he jumped to the side, and then hid behind a bush.

When he was safe, he took a cigarette out, to just calm down. "I fucking hate dealing with these things. But maybe there is more that I can fucking do to check things around." He said, not caring how silly he sounded if people found him.

When he was feeling like he was much safer, he got up, and then started to climb up the metal part of the sewer entrance. Just trying to make sure that even if the monsters did come after him, he would have the high ground, and that this would give him some fucking time to be safer for a while.

As he was staring down, he was taking a deep breath, and then he was starting to see that there was a really bad wound on his leg, and he was shaking his head. He hated the situation that he had put himself into. And he was wondering why he did this in the first place.

Sheldon sat down, and he was taking a long and deep breath, feeling like he was on the verge of death. Knowing that one of these days, his fucking antics were going to be getting the best of him, and he was aware that despite how much he hated to admit it, he was hardly even finding himself caring anymore.

He screamed at the top of his lungs, just wanting to bellow out his anger at the situation, and bellow out his anger towards the people that ruined his life, and the lives of all those around him. He was feeling like no matter what he was able to fucking say, and no matter what he wanted to think, there was nothing he could fucking do to change it.

After a moment of sitting around, and just thinking about what he was doing, he stood up, and then started to walk around, wondering if there was a second entrance that he had not seen. Something he would be able to use to still have it his way. Or if he was going to have to go in through the front every single time.

Despite how much he wanted to find something to use as a starting point, he was getting increasingly aware of the fact that doing this would be sort of a waste of his time, and that he would get nothing by doing this in the first place.

As he jumped down, he saw one small walk away, which was a bit further down, and he saw that when he was looking down, the hole was giant, and he was wondering what in the world he would have even seen if he had gone down there.

He was getting ready to go down, when he was hearing phantom noises. Hearing the sound of the grinding going off in his head once again, as the pain and the suffering of what happened was once again engulfing him, and hurting his mind and all he had known.

Then with that, he shook his head, and then he was starting to feel like there was no point in lying about what he was doing anymore. He was way beyond the point when he should be doing this, and he fucking knew this deep down.

Before too much was able to happen, and before things got too worse for him, T.K. finally started to run away, feeling that there was no fucking point in staying at a area he was clearly getting worn down from. Especially since he was starting to remember that he needed to continue the story, to meet the deadline for his next episode.

He got in the car, locked the doors, spent a moment to see that nothing was chasing him, and then he opened up his computer, trying to just get the first couple of pages of his next episode done before he was forced to leave, and not stay around for his family anymore. And he would text his brother, explaining why he up and left, and he was sure his brother would agree with this.

When he was done getting a head start on this next episode, he texted Matt "Hey, I checked the monster area you suggested, I got attacked. I feel like it would be in your best interest if I leave you and your family alone. If you want to see me again, come to my place. But for now, I need to go." With that, he left, and was gone.

Scene 1: December 10, 1986, Start

Sheldon sits down, wondering what else he was going to be able to talk to his therapist about, and wondering if he should just skip the less important side details, or just really go into his promise of telling her it all

Sheldon: Hey, isn't it crazy that we are already near the end of the year. Just sometimes, I feel like I lose sight of what is about to come up.

Therapist: Yeah, I guess that is true actually. You know, things have probably really flown by for you especially this year, with Jenny and everything.

Sheldon: Yeah, about that, I was thinking about clarifying some extra little things this time. I guess that does go into the fourth session, when you told me to stop stalling, but this time, these things actually are important...

Therapist: I'm confused… How can something be stalling, when it is also considered important at the same time? I feel like you need to help me out here…

Sheldon: Because while it might not be important to the immediate thing of the missing girls, it was important to the over all search, my friendships, and the fact that they were all able to grow to trust me because of what I had been doing.

Therapist: So this is more about the connections you make, rather than anything else? I have been kind of interested, since you talk about deep friendships, but only mention say Todd, I have no idea how you and Brad got so connected.

Sheldon: See, that is exactly what I mean. I think it might be a good idea to focus the next couple of rounds on this stuff, to help figure things out.

Therapist: I mean, I guess that I will understand what you are meaning in due time, so I will just let you have your moment.

Sheldon: Trust me when I say that everything that I have been telling you has been important, and has been completely just filling in the details of what has been going wrong in town

Therapist: Well, if that is the case, then I guess that maybe we should just get right to the story, and not be messing around too much, right?

With that, Sheldon starts to calm down, and think about how he will tell the story of the man in the purple jacket, and how Sheldon was able to help Sam really crack down on the case, and by the end of it, he felt like he was starting to remember what it was like to be a hero, even if only for a fucking day.

Scene 2: The First Clue

The next day, I was meeting up with Sam again, feeling like I needed to fucking pretend like we were going to be doing this fucking insane ass case that I wanted to get involved with. "So Sam, you made your point rather clear that you are going to be checking into this guys mysteries. With or without my permission. But I feel like I want to make sure you at least understand what you are doing here." I said, and then I was seeing Sam looking like he was not in the mood to hear this at all.

"Sheldon, I feel like the first thing to do is learn when he is there at the company hall in the first place. That way, when he is not working there, we can fucking sneak in, and steal what he fucking has." After Sam was telling me this, I was looking at him, and I was feeling like what he was saying was rather fucking insane.

"Who will even be willing to give you that? Fucking Kenta? I mean, he only seems interested in working with Kevin right now, and has no desire to be hearing any of the shit that you are doing." After I was telling him this, I was seeing him looking like the idea of working with Kenta was kind of pissing him off.

"Look, I don't want to fucking see him. He is a lying and deceiving fucking bastard. But I think that we are both aware of the fact that he is the only one who will give us any fucking clues. But Sheldon, I have no idea what to do if he doesn't work with us. Maybe you and Todd can give me some time to meet up with him during that one time he is at the school again." After Sam was telling me this, I looked right at him, and I wondered what in the world his plan was going to be.

"Sam, I have no idea if he is willing to talk with you. I mean, it was a pain in the fucking ass to get him to talk with us right now. I think you need to just find something else to do." I said, and then I was seeing Sam looking like he was not really caring to hear my excuses.

"I don't fucking care. I am going to make him trust me. You know, give him the feeling that I am not going to be hurting him or whatever. Something to make him feel like maybe I am not the person that he is assuming I am." Sam said, and I was shrugging, feeling like everything he was saying to me better fucking work out.

"Well, I might not want Todd along for that meet up, but I guess that I could perhaps make it work out. Maybe he will be willing to hear what you say out. More than Todd and I being able to get him to talk at the very fucking least." I said, and then I shrugged, not sure what else to tell him.

"I feel like Todd getting involved is already bad enough as it is. Do you even know what he would do if he was doing this all on his own? I mean, I heard that he went on down to the Wilson casino all on his own, and I feel like that might be a terrible decision. Honestly, I am surprised he even survived that in the first place.

"I know that it was bad enough as it was. I was thinking that I might have been able to keep him safe. I thought that I was doing what was best for everybody else here. But you do not need to tell me that I am making a dumb ass decision all the time." I said, and then I was looking at Sam, wondering what his thoughts on this matter were anyways.

"At least Dakota isn't being a fucking asshole to him anymore. You know, I think when you have your girlfriend go missing, and you realize that there isn't a whole fucking lot that has been done about it, then you realize that it was messed up to be acting the same way you have all this time." After I was telling Sam this, I was seeing Sam looking like he was feeling mostly better here.

"I mean, I am not going to lie to you, but over time, Dakota was kind of becoming a miserable asshole who was making things worse for everybody involved. I am really glad that he is finally seeing what he was doing wrong this whole time." Sam said, and I was feeling like hearing him say this wasn't really what I was wanting to hear at all. Especially since Sam wasn't any better a lot of the time.

"I know that was what people were thinking about him. Todd especially was thinking that way about the guy. But to be honest, I was sort of thinking that Dakota needed a fucking chance here. Especially with how much of a good guy he was earlier. Although I feel like Harold will probably never want to speak with him ever again." I said, and then I was shrugging, not sure why I was even caring so much what Harold was thinking of Dakota at this point.

"Honestly, I feel like Harold is one of those people that you really need to fucking know before you say anything. Rich parents, heir to a fucking company, always getting girlfriends, and at worst is slightly rude on some occasions. It does seem a bit too much to believe." Sam said, and I was laughing at the way that he was saying this, since it was true enough.

"Well, I think even he said that his brief relationship with Ashley was one of his motivations to become a much better person, since he wanted to show her that she was right to be giving him a chance, and fucking believing in him." I said, and then I was shrugging at that, thinking that I needed to give Dakota at least a little bit of a bone here.

"Yeah, I do remember at the time, when Ashley broke up with him, he was fucking broken, and he seemed like it was the worst thing he could have ever gone through. Even when I wasn't super friends with him at the time, I was always feeling terrible for the man." Sam said, and I was hearing him getting a more humble presentation for once.

"Yeah, hope that he has been doing better. I am not too sure, since as much as I hate to admit it, I just have been talking to him about the fucking missing peoples cases, and I feel like that is something that I really messed up on." I said, and I had no idea what in the world I was even thinking as I had said that.

"I mean, I know that at the end of the day, you always told me that I needed to try and work on real relations with regular people. That I was a bad friend, who didn't really know what I was getting myself into. I mean, I guess that I was just so desperate to have friends at first, and so desperate to find out what happened to Riley, that I stopped caring about anything else.

"But at the same time, you can't really say that what you are doing is any fucking different from what I was doing. You are becoming obsessed with finding your brothers monster, and making sure that he doesn't fall down the same path as the others around him." I said, and I was seeing Sam looking like he was hardly in the fucking mood to be hearing much of this in the first place.

"Yeah, I guess that when you mention your perspective, that is true. I mean, I always try to be acting like I am different, like I am better. But at the same time, I am no fucking different, and I am probably barely any better. So maybe I just need to hear what you say for once." After Sam was saying this to me, I was wondering if him admitting this was something that I wanted, or if I was going to realize that his admission was only going to make things much worse.

"But if you are going to want me to help you with Kevin, and not complain about it, then in return you need to fucking step up with helping me find Riley. You know, it has to go both ways. No fucking holding back, for either of us." I said, and then after I was telling him this, I was seeing Sam slightly sighing, not wanting to do this. But aware that at the end of the day, I was right about what I was saying, and had no way to fight it.

…

Scene 3: Parking Lot Hour

Sam and I were at the high school parking lot at the hour that I was telling him the man in the purple jacket would be here. I looked at Sam, and I was feeling like I needed to find something to say to him, to try and get him to calm down, and not get too fucking angry at me right now. "Sam, I think you need to know that by talking to this guy, he might be coming towards Kevin anyways." I said, hoping he would at least consider what I was telling him.

"I don't fucking care. Anything that starts to get him away from Kevin, I will fucking take. That is all that I fucking care about. Making sure that Kevin remains safe for the time being." After he was telling me this, I was sighing, and I felt like there was no point in fighting him.

"But what if Kevin wants to make sure that you are safe too? I mean, you are the person who Kevin has been able to rely on the most throughout the years." After I was telling him this, I was shrugging, not too sure what in the world I would accomplish here.

"I don't fucking care what Kevin fucking wants from me. I need to do what I know will be keeping Kevin as safe as possible. I care too much about his safety to get too worried about random stupid shit like this." After he was telling me this, I shrugged, not sure why I was even saying this.

Before too long, we were seeing his car coming towards us. "Well, I guess it doesn't fucking matter now. We need to fucking work this out now." After I was asked him this, I was seeing Sam looking like he was kind of unsure of what to even say. He shook his head, not sure what to even tell me.

When he was parking at the usual spot, and then he was getting out of the car. This was when Sam was taking one quick second to think about this for a second. But then he shook his head, and then he got out of the car, and he was staring at the man in the purple jacket.

I rolled down the window as well, and was ready to get out before Sam said "Give me a chance. Let me talk with him. Only come out if I need your help." Sam said, and then I sighed, as I threw my hands in the air, just trying to hide my annoyance. Then with that, I just placed my hands on the wheel, trying to not get frustrated at this.

"Here you are… What are you planning on accomplishing by getting in my fucking business right now. I am sure that your friends would not want you to be doing this at all." After the man in the purple jacket was saying this, Sam shrugged, showing no signs of caring.

"Well, my friends simply don't want to understand what is at fucking stake." After Sam said this, I was annoyed with his generalization. But I hardly cared at all. I was not going to let his shitty statements get in the way of what had happened.

"What are you wanting to talk to me about? I think you need to know that I am not nearly as interested in you as I am interested in your fucking brother." After he was telling Sam this, that was when I was seeing Sam looking like he was kind of furious at that statement.

"Yeah, I fucking know. And I was hoping to be able to get you to change your mind on the matter. After all, my brother deserves true happiness, and I was hoping that we could be able to work something out here." After Sam said this, I saw that the man in the purple jacket was looking furious at the way he was being talked to.

"What do you want to do about this?" After he asked this, that was when I was seeing Sam looking like he was kind of thinking of what he was wanting to say to this. I saw that Sam was looking just utterly annoyed with what was going on.

"I want to take over my brothers job, and hopefully help you with what you want here. I might not like what you are doing… But dude, my brothers safety is more important than anything else here." Sam said, and I was seeing him looking like he was just rather fucking sad at what he was saying.

"If you agree to work with me, then you need to give me some help on a project. One relative to the theory of monsters in this town." After he said that, I was sighing, and I was smiling as I heard this. Knowing that this was something that I would be able to help Sam with after all.

"Monsters? Seriously. I know people who could be able to do this. If this was what this was all about, then you should have fucking told me earlier." After Sam was saying this, he was starting to sound almost relieved to know that it was something as silly as this in the first place.

"And beyond that, I was hoping that you would agree to working with me on this business offer." After the man in the purple jacket was saying this to Sam, I was starting to get scared of what Sam was going to say. I was hoping that Sam would fucking reject this business offer. Since after all, this was going to probably send Sam down a path that he would never get out.

"What offer are you fucking talking about? I am not too sure if I want to get involved in that in the first place. After all, all this summer, my friends have been going around, and showing me why this is a terrible idea." After Sam was telling him this, I was seeing that the man in the purple jacket clearly had no interest in hearing this.

"Are you seriously falling for what your friends have been telling you? Your friends are the masters of being fear mongers. People who just tell you certain things that they want you to hear, to get you too scared to see the work that we have been doing." After the man in the purple jacket said this, I was furious at what he said, because I was having a fear Sam would actually believe what he was being told.

"I have to at least consider what they are fucking saying. And besides, how can I support a business that is behind what is happening to these girls?" He asked, and then the man was laughing at what he was hearing. Thinking that Sam was just being completely oblivious to what he was trying to fucking say now.

"I mean, I know that at the end of the day, everything that my friends have been saying is true. You guys have been doing some really fucking shady practices. I mean, I have no idea how in the world I could be able to say it any differently." After Sam was saying this, I was seeing him looking like he was just clearly scared of what he had heard.

"If you don't agree to do this, then I will have to continue grooming Kevin to fall into this. After all, he does get older and more grown with every day, and soon enough, he will be old enough to make his own choices. What if it is his choice to fall into what I am doing?" After he was saying this, I saw that Sam was looking kind of disgusted at this idea.

"Don't fucking say that about my fucking brother. I don't want you to even fucking bring that idea up to consideration." After Sam was telling him this, I saw him looking like he was just kind of furious at what he was fucking hearing.

"Just promise that you would at least consider this." He said, and then he was writing down a set of notes for him, and then handed them to Sam. "My contact info. When you are ready to talk about this in a mature fashion, fucking call me, and we can discuss this better." He said, and then with that, he was walking to his own car.

"What did you do with my father?" Sam asked, and then the guy was looking back at Sam, and I was seeing him looking like he was kind of sad at this question. As if thinking that Sam's father was a much better man than either of his children.

"He worked with me to do what was needed. He saw the value of my projects. Something that I have a feeling you will never be able to do." After he said that, he started to drive off, and then Sam went to my car, and then he looked at the contact info, seeming to at least consider what he was being offered.

…

Scene 4: Asking for References

That night, Sam and I were at Joy's house, and I was aware that she would probably never want to talk to us right now, given the fact that she was still dealing with her issues with her mother. But at the same time, I was feeling like maybe by doing this, I could distract her, and make her feel a bit different.

"What are you guys wanting to talk about?" She asked, seeming to be kind of annoyed with what we were doing. That was when I was seeing Sam looking like he was trying to hold his fucking courage and not be freaking out.

"Look, I understand that you are dealing with a lot of shit right now, and if you don't want to deal with this, then I do not blame you. But we were wanting to see if you knew anything about the man in the purple jacket. That guy that my brother Kevin talks about all the time." Sam said, and before she was able to say anything, he continued speaking longer.

"We feel like maybe he works with certain people. For all we know, he could have talked to your father a bit. I think that is something you need to at least consider." After Sam was telling her this, I was seeing that Jenny was looking like she was considering what he had said for once.

"And besides, I have a feeling that maybe if we just work together, then we can knock off multiple birds in one fucking stone." I said, and I was seeing that Joy was still not buying that shit at all. She was wanting to, and I was seeing that she was wanting to. But she just fucking couldn't.

"I mean, I want to do something like that, but I feel like every time I get the motivation to try and fucking make a difference, I remember the fact that I am going to fucking die soon anyways. So I just find myself wondering what the fucking point even fucking is." After Joy was telling me this, I felt like there was literally nothing that I could say that would make her feel any different.

"That is fair enough. But I just felt like I needed to know if you had seen him or not." After Sam was saying this, he just seemed to be kind of at a loss of what he was saying. Probably thinking that in all honesty, anything he was saying would just not really process in Joy's mind.

"Besides, I mean, I think that if I try and talk to anybody about what is happening, then they will just never fucking care. I mean, I think that my father has clearly sold his soul to the devil here. So why the fucking hell do I even care what he has been doing?" She asked, pretending like she had been calm and collected at what she was saying. Even though she clearly wasn't.

"But now that you do mention it, I guess that I do vaguely remember something that my father said about a man wearing a purple jacket." After she was telling me this, that was when Sam was feeling so much better about what he was saying.

"Okay. So that means that he has at least consulted with your father. Okay, I feel like maybe that is something that might not matter. But I guess that it is better than nothing." After Sam was saying this, he was sighing, and thought about what he was going to do now.

"I mean, I think my father and him were talking about how they were planning on getting to do some form of transaction. Something like that. I don't know what the transaction is exactly over. But I do have my fucking theories on what it could have been." After she said that to us, I was seeing her looking fucking furious here.

"So I feel like it might be safe to assume that this man might be the one who fucking is throwing everything in your family away. That is something you really need to fucking consider." After Sam was telling her this, I was feeling like nothing else we were going to say would make any difference.

"But either way, thank you for the report. I think that if we find anything, we will fucking tell you." Sam said, and got in my car, and then I was shaking my head, not really in the mood to be saying anything at all. I was getting in the car as well, hoping that Joy still didn't hate what I was doing now.

I was feeling like anything that I could ever say to Joy was going to be fucking lost. She had already made her mind up on the matter, and I knew that she was already going to fucking go gung ho on her anger. I felt like I was just wasting my time by even saying anything now.

…

Scene 5: Still Friends

When I was with Todd the next day, I was feeling like I needed to just give him a bit of clues about what Joy had told us earlier. "So Sam and I were speaking to Joy, and she was telling us that the man in the purple jacket had actually talked to Joy's father a few times, and I feel like this knowledge is something that I want to fucking use as ammunition to go much further into the case." I said, and then I was seeing him looking utterly shocked at this revelation.

"Oh god, do you know what this could be meaning? I mean, I think that if the two of us can go into his office again, and check his information, we might be able to finally fucking prove that he is not the man that anybody thought that he was. Then we can learn about her father, which will help Joy, and then the man in the purple jacket, which will fucking help Sam at all." After he was telling me this, I was seeing Todd seeming to think that this was a decent way to be taking things for once.

"I think that if we go inside once again, we are going to get caught. And besides, I am just trying to fucking help Sam with this whole thing, because he is insisting that Kevin is in danger. And in all honesty, I don't fucking even blame him at all." I said, and I was seeing Todd looking like he was kind of too annoyed with this.

"I mean, he is probably making things worse for Kevin by getting too deeply into this whole thing." After he was telling me this, I shrugged for a second, I didn't even disagree with what he was saying. But I had no idea what in the world I was even going to do to make things better.

"I feel like that is true. But in all honesty, Sam is not going to fucking want to hear this at all. And I feel like trying to argue with him is only going to be making things worse for everybody." I said, and I was sighing, and I really had no idea what in the world I was going to accomplish here.

"But I mean, I feel like the truth is that he has given us a bunch of shit that is hardly even fucking letting us make any decisions. Besides, I feel like in all honesty, unless if this guy is gone from the job, or even killed, then this whole thing is going to be a waste of time." After Todd was telling me this, I felt like Todd needed to give him some fucking credit here.

"Todd, he is allowed to feel any fucking way that he fucking wants. Honestly, I think you need to just let him see that he has people who fucking support him no matter what. I mean, I might be aware that this isn't going to give us any hints we need." I said, and I shrugged, not sure what to say now.

"I know that you're right. That doesn't mean that it isn't fucking annoying. Like with Dana and the monsters. We have a bigger issue, and this man in the purple jacket has nothing to do with the missing girls." Todd said, and then I was just heading to my car, not wanting to hear this shit at all.

"Todd, if he isn't involved with the missing girls, he wouldn't have made a fucking deal with Joy's fucking father. Oh course he is fucking involved, and I think we are both fucking lying to ourselves if we think for a second this wouldn't work." I said, and then I was opening my door, trying my best to hide my annoyance here.

"You're right. I guess that I just need to have some fucking idea what in the world is going on here." After he was saying this, he got in the car with me, and I took a cigarette out, and I was taking a second to think about what in the world I had been doing here. I hated the fact that this was even fucking happening in the first place.

As I was driving off, I was wondering what in the world I was even going to accomplish with my plans. I was even seeing Todd looking like he was relatively confused at what was happening. "Sheldon, what are you fucking doing right now? I mean, people are going to find out what you are doing if you are here for too long." Todd asked, and I was just banging my hand on the steering wheel, trying to hide my annoyance, and trying to just hide how much he was testing my patience.

"I don't fucking know! I mean, I feel like maybe I want to find out about this guy more. But I have no idea what he is doing. I mean, I feel like I just need to go to different places in town, and see if he is even going there anyways." I said, and then I was looking at Todd, wondering if he was hearing what I was saying to him.

"Maybe the fucking well could be a area he has gone to a couple of times before. You know, just fucking find out where to go from there." I said, and then I was shrugging for a second, and I had no idea what the hell I would even accomplish here.

"What would he even be doing at the fucking well Sheldon? I mean, he probably is going around and throwing girls in the grinder all the time. And we still don't even know who went missing this time. Because I'm over here, being a bitch about the adoption, and Sam is over here being a bitch about Kevin." After Todd was saying this, I looked at him, wondering what his fucking plan was.

"So you do admit that you being so angry about the well isn't fucking right? And you still fucking do it anyways? What the fucking hell dude?" I asked, feeling like my patience was kind of running out, and I wondered why I was even having this discussion at all.

"I mean, I don't fucking know! I just thought that in all honesty, I thought that I could be able to be angry at this guy forever. But I guess that I was being a bit fucking stupid. There, I finally fucking admitted this." After I was telling him this, I was seeing him looking kind of fucking annoyed at the way things were going.

"I mean, I know that he is probably not at the fucking well. But I feel like I just need to fucking know for sure." I said, and then I was getting out of the fucking car, and then when I was walking to the well, and I was wondering what I was even going to accomplish by doing this.

Once I was there, I was seeing that Steven was there already. I was sighed, annoyed at the whole situation, and I was feeling like I just needed to be getting this whole fucking thing over with. "Sheldon, what are you doing here?" After he was asking me this, I looked at Steven and then at Todd. I saw that Todd was trying to maintain his patience here.

"I was trying to look for the man in the purple jacket. Honestly, I feel like I just need to find out what he is doing, in order to find a way to help Kevin and Sam." I said, and then as I was saying this to him, I was seeing Steven looking like he was just trying to find a way to respond in a way that wouldn't make him angry.

"Are you seriously not working on saving Shari or whatever? I mean, she might be dead and everything." After Steven was saying this, I saw Todd starting to head to the well, trying to look down the well, wondering what he would get out of this.

"I don't fucking think this would be the best way to fucking go at this right now. I just feel like I need to keep my eyes open on this whole thing a bit better." I said, and then I really had no idea what in the world the plan would have been going forward.

"But have you ever once seen him at this fucking well?" I asked, not really in the fucking mood to be having much of discussion about this right now. "I mean, I know that you are relatively annoyed at how I was handling this shit. But I think you need to put those fucking feelings aside, and just fucking work with me here."

I was then sitting down on the well, and then I was seeing Steven kind of starting to calm down a bit, sort of considering what was seriously going on in his mind. "No, I really honestly haven't. I come by here every few days, trying to find something that could help me here. But I just have to fucking accept that something like this isn't fucking happening." After he was telling me this, I was shrugging, and I had no idea what to even tell him.

"I mean, I know that I always say shit that might make it seem like I don't fucking want to help you out. But I do want to help you. You guys are so fucking nice, and you have worked with everybody here as best as possible…" He said, starting to seem like he was seeing where he had gone wrong.

"I thought that this was some way to help Shari. I thought that I was a good friend here. But I guess that maybe I just need to get back to reality, and maybe see that you guys are doing this much better than I ever will." After Steven said that, he was closing his eyes, wanting to cry a bit. He clearly wanted to fucking cry. But then shrugged it off.

"I guess that maybe I just need to fucking back off, and let you guys do what you have been doing this whole time." He was shrugging, and then he was starting to leave. Todd was then feeling like he needed to fucking step in.

"We're still friends, right?" After Todd asked this, Steven smiled, smiling a bit, knowing that no matter what happened, we had not given up on him, and that was enough to change his attitude for a bit.

…

Scene 6: Waste of Time

I was with Sam, and I was telling hm about the hang out with Todd that I had at the well, when Steven was there, and he was getting in the way of the conversation, and the work. I was just simply trying to apologize to him for not getting enough work done. "To be honest, I don't think that he would have had any connections to the well at all." Sam said, and then I was shrugging, thinking that he needed to keep a more open mind.

"I mean, Steven said that he had seen the guy there once or twice. So maybe I think we just need to keep a eye on the subject a bit more." I said, and then I was seeing him looking like he was still having a really fucking hard time really getting around to it at all.

"But what would he even be doing there in the first place? I think it might be safe to assume that he might have just been there in passing. I mean, the fucking well seems like the most random area in the entire world to be doing any business." Sam and, then I was shrugging for a bit.

"Well, the broadcast station would have seemed like a great area, but that is thrown out after thirty fucking days. No point in trying to find something that seems fucking natural, when it doesn't show up." After I was telling him this, I saw that Sam was considering what I was telling him.

I went right to my car, and I was just trying to find something to be doing, to keep my mind off what was going on, and off of the fact that I was feeling like this entire fucking business was kind of failing. "And Jimmy White turned out to be a really fucking bad lead." I said, and I was seeing him getting in the car as well.

Once I was starting to drive towards Joyful Burger again, I was seeing that Sam instantly looked like he was not really in the mood to be going there. Probably thinking that anything that Larry would have wanted to tell us would have been said by now, and that I was just wasting both our fucking times by going there in the first place.

"Larry is not going to fucking give us anything. Surely you must understand this." He said, and then I was shaking my head, not really in the mood to be hearing him telling me this. I felt like his way of constantly saying shit like this was just deflecting the chances that I fucking had.

"I know that he probably won't. I am just looking for recommendations of places. Simple as that. No need to be so fucking worried about this." I said, trying to get him to calm down, but I was aware that this statement was not going to be having any real effect at all, and that I would be wasting my time.

Once in the restaurant, I was seeing Larry looking at us like he had just given up entirely on trying to stop me from coming here. As if aware that in all honesty, I was going to be doing whatever I fucking wanted, and at this rate, he was just sort of fucking playing along with it, to try and make things slightly less bad for everybody involved.

"Sheldon, what are you going to do tonight? Make fun of me, and trying to make me sound like a real piece of shit?" He asked, and then I was sighing, aware that he had every right in the world to be feeling the way that he did.

"I was wanting to just see what you knew about the other families? I mean, the ones with big business towers, casinos, and other fucking things? I mean, I know that the Peabody family once owned the hospital. But what beyond that? Did the Carbunkle family once own anything?" I asked, and then I was seeing Larry looking kind of shocked that I was even asking him this.

"They were the big owners of the fucking mines. The only reason they stopped, even more than a shutting business, was their son dying. Their sons death is literally the only fucking thing that made them wonder if it was right to be looking onto this." After he was telling me this, I was sighing, and I felt like I just needed to be more careful on what I was saying.

"Well, do you know the man in the purple jacket?" Sam asked, suddenly interjecting my entire fucking plan. As he was doing this, he looked at Sam, kind of shocked to be seeing him get in the matter like this in the first place.

"Yeah, I think I might have met him once or twice. But I never fucking interacted with the guy before. I think I heard him talking to one of the members of the Watterson family, who was planning on opening his own business. Some guy named Richard I believe. But I never took his plans very seriously, as most people kind of viewed him as a failure." After he was telling me this, I was sighing, and I felt like there was no need to be asking any further.

"Is there a fucking way that I can fucking meet him at all?" Sam asked, and then Larry was shaking his head. But more in the way of looking like he was scared of being caught, and just simply didn't want to deal with the fallout of what was going to fucking happen.

"Look guys, if you want to find this guy in some crusade, then you need to do that all on your own. I am not going to be approving of the idea of getting you guys in severe danger because you can't fucking leave things alone." He said, and then I sat down, feeling no need to be angry at the way he was speaking here.

"Well, was your father involved in any conversations with the man? I mean, if you don't want to tell us, that is one thing… But maybe your father is the one who had some talks with these people." After Sam said this, I saw him looking like he didn't want to do this.

"I guess that he wouldn't fucking mind. After all, my father has always been a man who has promoted the idea of big business, and advancing things beyond normal capability for newer people." Larry said, and it was obvious from his face that he wanted nothing to do with this at all.

"Thank you for that. I mean, knowing how the man in the purple jacket is doing his own business, I think that he must have fucking talked with your father a couple of times. Especially considering the fact that the man is working with Shaun Reichenbach." Sam said, and then he was starting to sort of leave. As we were doing this, Larry called out to us.

"What even is your end goal with this guy anyways? I mean, surely you have to have something that you are planning. This man is more powerful than most that you know. I mean, this person has worked on the theory of alternate dimensions, and he has been going inside those mines for years. At least fucking pretend like you are careful." He said, and then I was finding myself not caring what he said.

"What do you know about him going inside the mines? Is there something that you are not telling us?" I asked, and then I saw him looking like he was instantly regretting what he had been asked. He looked at the ceiling, and shrugged.

"All that I will say is that some people have come up with the theory that the destruction of the mines was a fucking planned event. That people were setting that up to destroy a form of business, and open up a new one. Something to create a new economy. Especially when Wutai was starting to take off." He said, and then I was slowly sighing, feeling like there was no way to change what I had heard now.

"Shouldn't you be brining that to Mrs. Carbunkle especially of all people? I mean, her entire family was destroyed from what happened?" I asked, and then Larry shrugged, thinking nothing of this idea, probably thinking that I was making things worse.

"Sheldon, the issue with that is that this woman is fucking insane. She has become obsessed with her son. You have seen this. She told me that everything that happened in this town was worth it because she was able to get Brad out of it. And that her only regret is not getting the other one." Larry said, and I was aware of the fact that she was like that.

"All I am trying to say is that I fucking highly doubt she would even give a shit at all. I mean, I wanted to bring this idea up, but remember that this is all a giant conspiracy. So we are not even aware of this officially. And besides, even if it was, she wouldn't fucking care. If I was off the record when I say this, I would go as far as to say that her adoption ruined her completely." Larry said, and then he shrugged.

"So yeah, go ahead, and try to see what my father knows. That doesn't mean that I fucking like what you are doing. And just be sure that you don't jump right to what he is saying right away. After all, he is a businessman. Of course he will fucking lie if he can get what he needs." After Larry said that, I was shocked to hear him say that about his father.

"I never thought that you would be saying that about your father in the first place. I mean, I think that this might be showing that you are having a minor form of discomfort with him." After I was telling him this, I was seeing him looking kind of annoyed that this was my way of taking his word.

"Don't make these fucking assumptions without the facts to back it up. I just know that my father might not be easily trusted, and I know that it is best to fucking admit this." After Larry was telling us this, I shrugged, not really fucking caring at all.

Sam and I left him alone, not really in the mood to be hearing what he was saying. And not really in the mood to be hearing him pretend like he was doing the right thing.

Once we were there, I was then looking at Sam. "I am going to bring Todd with this. So he can talk with the guy for a bit. Maybe they can fucking work something out." I said, and then I was starting to head to Todd's house, and I was feeling like by suggesting this, Sam and I would be on the same page, and that was the main thing that mattered.

Sam was looking like he was at least considering what we had been doing, and I was wondering if I needed to be there for him, or if I just needed to be alone for the time being, and just let things slide for the time being, without making things any fucking worse at all.

…

Scene 7: Giving Up

Sam, Todd, and I were at the Needlemeyer casino, and once there, that was when the two of us were at his table. And I was seeing him looking like he was kind of looking kind of fucking tired of this shit right now. "What are you fucking planning on talking to me about? I think you need to know that our business is concluded."

"I wanted to apologize to you for the way that I had talked earlier. You know, about the adoption shit. I talked with Todd's dad, and he admitted that this is true. I feel like there is no longer lying about this shit, and I am kind of upset for even getting upset about this at all." Todd said, and then he stared at the man, wondering what to say now.

"That is something that you should have seen from the start. I do not fucking lie to people, and you need to see that I have nothing to fucking gain by doing shit like this. Maybe seeing you fucking finally step up for once, and admit this shit is nice enough for us." After he was telling me this, I was wondering what in the world I would say now.

"But now that we got that over with, what is Sheldon wanting to fucking talk to me about?" He asked, and then I was sighing, feeling like there was no fucking need to be lying to him at all. I just needed him to step up.

"I wanted to fucking tell you about the fact that I wanted to get your help on working with the man in the purple jacket. Sam was wanting to look into something like this right now." I said, and then he was looking right at Sam, considering what I had said. And he was thinking about this new chance.

"I feel like I have no choice. He was giving me the offer to work on a project, and I feel like I have no fucking choice but to fucking accept." After Sam was telling him this, I was seeing him looking really fucking annoyed at this whole thing.

"Oh yeah, that guy comes here all the time. He likes to come here a couple of times a month, to let loose with the young women. That is totally something that you guys would totally fucking love doing when you are older." He said, and then he was smiling, and looked right at Sam.

Then he was waving his hand over to one of the early twenty something strippers, who proceeded to get down on their knees, and give him some actions. I tried to not think about what he was doing. How gross it was for this man to do something like this with her.

"Truth be told, you three, this man is a very dangerous person. Whatever he wants, he will get. Every time I see him, he goes on and demands to read all the files that we had gathered in the last few months. Nothing you would be interested in." He said, rubbing the girls hair as she was continuing.

"We need to decide for ourselves what we are interested in. Why does he want to read your fucking files in the first place?" Sam asked, and then the old guy shrugged, not thinking what he was hearing was really all that important anyways.

"Probably just to make sure that we are working on our duties. Accountability and shit. If Shaun Reichenbach came, everybody would know what he was doing. Besides, you know, when he helped Shaun start the business all up, he demanded that a one percent share of all sales would be given to him." He said, and then he was shrugging for a second.

"He helped find the company? If that is the case, then exposing what he is doing will expose everybody else there. God damn, this is going to be great for us." Sam said, and then he was starting to let this whole thing really fucking run through his mind. Probably thinking this was great ass ammunition.

"Oh god, that makes sense. Why nobody wants him to be found out. He is one of the fucking biggest people here." Sam was starting to get a giant smile on his face. He looked right at me, and then he placed his hands on my shoulder, hoping that I would take this as well as he had been.

"Sheldon, we need to fucking get deeper into this. This is the best revelation that we have so far." After he was telling me this, I was looking at the guy, and I wondered what I was wanting to say to him. I felt like I just needed to be careful here.

"You seriously think for a god damn second that this is even going to work? The moment that he starts to suspect what he is doing, you will get your lives snuffed out. This is exactly what I was trying to tell my son. Maybe his lack of talking to you finally shows me that he listened." He was moaning as he was saying that. He placed his right hand at the back of the girls hand, and started to seem like he was holding down.

"How did he end up working with Shaun Reichenbach in the first place?" Todd asked, feeling like he needed to make this a basic question. He looked at Todd, wondering why Todd would even care about something so fucking generic in the first place.

"Both of them needed to work with each other. Shaun was planning on working the financial pieces out, while the other guy was focused on a theory about monsters, and such. They both decided to unite with each other, and use each others strengths to balance out the weaknesses." After he said that to us, I sighed, not really sure what to think.

"Oh fucking great. We are getting into this right now. I have no fucking idea what I even want to fucking say to this at all." Sam said, and he was rubbing my eyes, and I was seeing that he was really not in the mood to even deal with every single question here.

"We are going to fucking leave right now. I am going to see what type of incriminating shit I can get with him right now." After Sam was saying this to Larry's father, I was seeing Larry's father looking glad at this, and as we were starting to leave, the woman was starting to show a minor shaking motion for a bit.

As we were walking away, Todd was then saying one more thing. "Thanks for telling me the truth about the adoption. I feel like now that I know the truth, I can fucking focus on what I need to do going forward." After he was telling him this, Todd seemed like he was now making peace.

Once we were out of the casino, I was then thinking about something else. "I wonder why that piece of information was never revealed? You know, the fact that the man in the purple jacket was helping him start the whole business up in the first place." I said, shrugging for a second.

The last thing I saw in the casino before we were truly gone was the woman falling down to the ground, and Larry's father pulling out what looked like a dial phone, and he was getting ready to probably call somebody like Shaun or something. I was wondering what the hell we were getting ourselves into.\

…

Scene 8: Waking Failure

I was talking to Todd, and I was feeling like I just wanted to see if he and his friendship with Steven was still actually working out well enough, or if he was just trying to pretend like they were making up, mainly as a way to make it seem like they were not super hard against each other.

"So how are you and Steven fucking doing? Or was that something you were just doing in order to make it seem like you had a chance of not wanting to strangle each other?" I asked, and I was seeing Todd looking like he was just kind of thinking that my way of going at this question was a bit strange.

"It's okay. I think anything I want to talk to him about though will eventually come back to Shari. I mean, I do fucking understand why it is like this. Shari is really the only thing we fucking had earlier. But it is a bit annoying to know that the two of us have no real way of truly connecting with each other." After he was telling me this, I was sighing, and I was not too sure what in the world I would even accomplish by doing all of this now.

"I think you need to just try and see what you even have in common. You know, aside from fucking Shari. I mean, I remember you guys mentioning that you had classes together. So maybe that is a way that you guys could be able connecting each other more." After he was saying this to us, I was really having no idea what to do now.

"I mean, I feel like if I bring up Jewels a lot to people, they are going to be finding a way to be making me the one who is responsible for the fact that she has not fucking come home yet. And in all honesty, I am not really in the mood to be dealing with this at all." Todd was telling me this, and I saw him looking like he clearly had no interest in this subject.

"Well, that is something that is going to fucking unite you guys together. I mean, when it comes to a fucking teacher, then that is a sign that you guys are all fucking affected by this." I said, trying to get him to see that this was something that they all needed to team up on.

"But what would we even fucking find with Jewels? I mean, she is gone, and I think we need to just fucking accept that, and not be making things much worse for everybody else involved." After Todd was telling me this, I shrugged, and I was feeling like his reaction was just a simple and generic one.

"And I think we both know that most people in that class would not want to think about what it would be like if they learn that Louis is behind what happened to her. I mean, that is going to fucking break them. You have no idea how popular Louis was in our class." Todd said, and I wanted to find something to say to make him feel better. But I felt like this was fucking impossible.

"That is something that is going to be learned sooner or later though. I think we both fucking know that. So there is no fucking point in hiding them from the pain of learning what he was doing, and what happened to her, when they will learn anyways." I said, and I was hoping that he would listen to me.

"Sheldon, please just take what I am saying for once." After he was telling me this, I was sighing, and I was hoping that he was willing to take the responsibility if he was turning out to be totally wrong, and work with my way of doing this.

…

Scene 9: Finally Over It

I was meeting up with Joy, at her house, due to a request she had, where she was planning on finally coming on her father, and explaining to her, as well as us, why he did what he did. Explain to us why her death, or soon to be her death, was even fucking worth anything in the first place.

Once there, I was seeing that Joy was clearly looking like she was just wanting to get this situation over with, and that she was glad to know that no matter what was to come, Todd and I were going to be at her side, and making her feel better.

"I just simply want to see why he was doing what he did. I mean, that is all that I fucking care to know." After she was telling me this, I was sighing, and I was feeling like I just needed to let her have her moment. We went inside the house, and I was seeing that her father was deep in some project at the current moment. At that second, I was feeling like I just needed to let them take the conversation over.

I placed my hand on Todd's shoulder, hoping to get him to know what I was feeling. "I think it might be best to just let them talk, and we only come in when we feel like she is really fucking struggling." I said, and I was seeing Todd looking like he wasn't liking my idea. But that he knew that there was no way around it.

"Fine. I will listen. For now. But the second she starts getting clearly flustered, I'm jumping in." Todd was saying, and he was clearly not wanting this to be a open discussion. I was sighing, and felt like there was no reason to be fighting this for the time being.

"Fair enough." I said, and then before we were able to discuss any longer, that was when Joy was in front of her dad, looking like she was suddenly starting to get a lot more courage on what she was feeling.

"Dad, I was wanting to talk to you about something really important. And I am not taking no for a fucking answer. We are having this talk, regardless of if you like it or not." She said, and then her father was sighing, wondering how she was able to feel like talking like this was alright.

"What do you want to discuss?" He asked, and there was clearly a hint of annoyance in the way she went at him here. Joy was gathering her breath, and she turned to us, and I was seeing her smiling for a bit, finally feeling like there was no need to hold back any more.

"I was wanting to talk about mom. You know, I just feel like I wanted to know what you knew about her death." Joy said, and then her father clearly looked slightly uncomfortable at the implication that she was giving him here.

"Sorry that I haven't been there for you lately, as a way to help you with the grief and pain of what happened. I just thought that there was no need to be talking to you about that, when you had friends who were there with you." After he was saying this, I was seeing him looking kind of tired of what we were doing here.

"It's not that. I found what you were doing at the office, and those sales that you had made. I know what you had done with Mrs. Wakeman." Joy said, and then as soon as she was saying this, that was when her father clearly looked like he had seen a fucking ghost that ruined everything.

"Oh my god Joy. What were you even doing in my office to begin with? You should have known that this was territory that you were not allowed to go into. You are kind of breaking my trust by doing something like this." Her father said, trying her best to be finding a way to turn this into a issue that she had caused.

"What I did has nothing to do with the fact that you had no fucking right to do what you did. You sold Jenny's mom, and you basically set my mother and I up. Do you even fucking love me?" Joy asked, and then her father was sighing. Thinking that out of context, she was perfectly right to say this.

"I do love you Joy. I wanted to do this as a way to keep you safe from the business a bit longer. I thought that nothing could happen to her. Your friend Jenny herself admitted that her mother used to be a bitch and a whore when she was younger." After her father said this, I was seeing Joy looking like she was not comfortable with the throwing under the bus her father had done.

"She wanted to keep her daughter safe, and I wanted to keep you safe, so it was a mutual agreement. We didn't realize at the time that she would be murdered ten months later at the Wilson casino." After her was father was saying this, Joy then sighed for a second, wondering what else he would say.

"But if her body was found in the casino, then what is going on in the grinder? I thought that was where the missing girls went. To go down there. To fucking die a miserable death. Just like what will happen with me…" Joy finished, as her father looked right at me, and then at Todd, and had a look of anger in his eyes, but still choose to keep his patience together, and not fucking strangle us for now.

"That is not something that you need to be getting into. That grinding noise is not meant to be a public conversation with people." After he was telling Joy this, I saw that Joy was starting to have the screws in her head turn around all the fucking place.

"What the fucking hell? So you do know what happens to the girls? You know everything? You know where Nora went? And you set her up anyways? And then you created a clause that if the truth was exposed, then my mom and I would have to die. When am I going to fucking die?" She asked, trying her best to hide her anger at the subject, and I was seeing her looking utterly heart broken at this.

"How am I ever able to look at you again? Knowing that you know full well what is happening to these girls, and you still set this whole shit up." Joy said, and then she ran up to her father, and started to try punching him in the chest a few times, before she started to sob uncontrollably. Her father looked like he had finally realized how much he fucked up.

"Joy, I never wanted this to happen. My life was on the line, and everything was going down hill. I really had no fucking choice but to do this. I hope that you know that this was something that I did because I felt like this was the only way to save myself." He said, and then Joy looked like she was hardly even buying that shit.

"You're so fucking selfish!" Joy said, and then she finally let him go again. "You set up your wife and daughter to die just so you could be safe?" She asked, and then I was seeing him looking like he was kind of coming around to see where he was going wrong. And he now knew there was no way to change what he had done.

"I know that what I did was wrong. I realized my mistake the second Mrs. Wakeman was found. That was when I knew that I was on a count down for both of you. And I was just hoping that both of you were going to be able to have a great life. At least something to make your last days better." He said, and then sat down, and took a cigar out.

"I can get over what happened with your mother. She was already almost forty anyways. Which isn't old, but it is a life. But you, I thought that there would still be time. You have no idea what I would do to trade even just an extra fucking month with you." After he was saying this to Joy, he started to feel like saying this was the best way to get her to be feeling better at what he had done.

"To hell with you. I fucking loved you, and you do this to me? What is fucking wrong with you?" She asked, and then she started to head off, and then she started to head over to us, finally feeling it was time to place this whole thing behind her forever.

Once she was up to us, I was seeing that her father was having a look of genuine pain in his face. I knew right then and there that he clearly understood what he had done was wrong, and he wanted to just place this whole thing behind him much more.

"Let's go. If I'm going to die before this summer is over, I might as well make my last few days on earth the best that I could." Joy said, and then she was starting to head down the stairs. Todd and I looked at each other, as she was opening the door.

She left the house, and then I looked at her father before we left as well. "I will give her as many days as I possibly can. For all of our sakes. Just let me buy her time. That is the least that I can do to make up for what I did." He said, and then I was slowly nodding, feeling that every day he would get her was a very minor redemption for him costing three people's lives.

Once we were gone, I was shaking my head, and then I was seeing Joy looking at me, and I was seeing her looking furious at what she was about to say next. Not wanting to utter these words, but felt like she had no fucking choice. "As much as I hate him, and want to hate him, I know that there is still a small part of me that loves him deep down." She said, and I was slowly nodding, feeling like I did understand what she was saying.

"I don't even fucking care. I just feel like now that I got him to admit what he had done, that is the best that I can fucking get. And I guess that you guys now have the confession that you wanted." She said, feeling like there was no point in even trying to hide her sadness, and how fucking hurt she had become over this all.

She sat down, and started to cry, realizing that the man she once knew was not the man she wanted to believe in anymore. And that nothing she would say or do would be able to fucking change that. And that there was almost no fucking point in fucking fighting this at all anymore. Todd sat down next to her, to console her. I did as well, thinking of the future, as I smoked a cigarette.

…

Scene 10: Pictures and Flashbacks

The next day, per her request, I was meeting up with Joy, and I was wanting to just see what I would be able to do in order to make her feel better. "Is there something you wanted to discuss?" I asked, aware of how fucking stupid I was sounding the entire time that I asked this. As I said this, I was seeing her looking at me, probably thinking that I was lacking some real tact.

"I hope that you know that in all honesty, my father was one a good man. He really did fight for the best of the town when he was starting off here. I think he just needs a fucking chance. I want to give him a chance." After Joy was telling me this, I was seeing her looking like she was wanting to fucking buy what she had been saying so far.

"Joy, I mean, I want to believe you, I really do. But the truth is that if your father is willing to sell a woman, no matter what his reasoning is, he clearly has lost his fucking touch here." I said, and then I was seeing her looking like she was just trying to not argue with what I was saying. As much as it was killing her to do so.

"My father is one of the best people that I have ever fucking met in my entire life. I think you need to see that before you fucking judge him." After she was telling me this, I was wanting to fucking believe what she was telling me. I felt like I needed to believe what she was saying. For her own sake.

"I just feel like maybe there was some fucking reason to what he had done, is all that I am trying to say. I mean, he would have never done something if he didn't think it was the best in the world. And besides, I mean, we all know that Nora Wakeman was a terrible woman." Joy said, and I was feeling like she was making a big judgment on that front.

"I mean, the fact that her own fucking husband was admitting to the fact that she was a complete fucking bitch probably shows that she probably didn't really deserve it." After she was telling me this, I was feeling like the entire time she was saying this, I was just unable to fucking believe that I was hearing her say this.

"I just hope that you are not going to be telling Jenny that you fucking feel that way about her mother. I mean, she will fucking beat the shit out of you if she caught you saying this." I said, as Joy was pulling pictures out of her pocket. Just seeming to be totally fucking paralyzed at everything going on here.

"I don't care. It's complicated. On one hand, I want to make more memories. On the other hand, I do not want to lose the memories that I already have. Had you ever had a situation like that Sheldon? Where you want to move forward, but you can't let go?" As she asked this, I saw one of the pictures was of her and both her parents, and she seemed completely oblivious.

"Yeah, I guess that I do have things like that. Where I want to just go back to when things were simple. And happy. And when I didn't have to be so fucking worried about stupid shit for once. But I feel like we both know that we will never fucking get to those days again." I said, and then I was seeing her looking like the fact that I was telling her this was just the worst thing she could have fucking heard.

"I mean, I always want to go back to when things were happier with me and Riley, mom and dad. You know, before any controversies were made. But I know that in all honesty, that will never fucking happen." I said, and then I shrugged. Taking a cigarette out, and smiled as I looked down at her picture.

"Sheldon, do you ever think that something like that is even going to fucking be possible at all? I mean, I know that most of the time, things only seem good in hindsight. But what if things really were better then, and it is not just time making things feel that way." After she was telling me this, I was considering what she was asking me.

"I don't know what to tell you. I mean, at the end of the day, it is really that simple. I just have no idea what I am able to say. And in all honesty, I feel like if I wanted to say something, it would just all be a load of bullshit." I said, and then she was laughing as I was telling her this, and I felt like there was no reason to think any thing different.

"I think that one of these days, when I am gone, and my mother is gone, my father will fucking finally see the error in his ways. Finally see that what he was doing was wrong. That is all that I can fucking hope for. That maybe one of these days, he will see that he should have never done what he had fucking done." After she said that, I was shrugging for a moment, and simply had no idea what to tell her.

"I just want you to promise me that when I am gone, you will actually be able to remember me, and know that I was the best person that I could possibly fucking be." After she was telling me this, I was feeling like her statement was just a way to get me to pretend like there was some extra stakes. But then I slowly nodded, feeling no need to fight with her here.

"I will do that. I mean, I don't want to make you ever think that I will forget you." I said, and I was looking at another photo. The photo was seeing her and Todd holding hands for a second, and I was wondering what to tell her.

"What were you and Todd doing there?" I asked, thinking that this whole story was just not adding up, since I was sure that they had not gone along before. And now seeing them like this was something rather fucking strange.

"It was for a school project. A acting class. Where we had to pretend like we were in love with a classmate. Neither of us had a valentine, so we agreed to just go along with this. Both of us seemed rather uncomfortable at it at the moment, but in hindsight, I feel like it was fucking right." After she was telling me this, I was smiling at her. Knowing that she was pretending like she didn't like Todd, but that we both knew deep down, she really did.

"Was that the first time when you were starting to truly see your guys feelings for each other? That moment when you guys were pretending to be a fucking couple?" I asked, and then she was looking at me, and I was seeing that she was wanting to fucking fight me. But then she sighed, and felt like there was no reason to be fighting me at all.

"Yeah, I guess that if you have to put it a certain way, that was the first time that I was starting to think maybe he wasn't so bad. Not complaining about the project, and willing to fucking work with me here. I guess at the end of the day, I just sort of started to see that there was more to him than I thought." After she was telling me this, I was feeling like she needed to take it.

"You do know that he is trying to make things work with Maurecia now? So if you want him to be able to fucking love you, then you are going to have to stand up for yourself, and fucking tell him the way you are fucking feeling, and he might be willing to fucking hear your perspective." After I was telling her this, I saw her looking like she was thinking about what I said.

"I want him to see me for more than the person that he probably thinks that I am. But at the same time, if I fucking do this, then I might be breaking his heart. By being with a woman who will die soon enough. And as a result, everything that we all worked on is gone. I do not want to deal with this at all." After she was telling me this, I just simply shrugged for a second. Not really feeling there was a point in even trying to get her to see things differently.

"Your death is already going to be breaking his heart." I said, standing up, and then I was patting her on the shoulder, hoping that I would be able to make her feel like there was no point in fucking hiding anymore, and that she might as well fucking relax, and stop being so fucking scared here.

"I know that you're right. I mean, I know that he fucking deserves better than what he is doing. I just feel like I need to be sure that what I am doing is actually justified going forward. I mean, surely you fucking see what I am saying, right?" She asked, and I was sighing, feeling like there was no way in hell that I would get any thing different.

"It just doesn't fucking feel right, is all that I am trying to say. Simple as that. I feel like things need to be a bit different." After I was telling her this, I was wondering what in the world I would even accomplish by telling her anything like this in the first place.

"I mean, what about when he is going to have to ruin everything between him and Maurecia? She would never be able to forgive me, even when I am beyond the fucking grave. She will find some fucking excuses to be angry at me forever. I know that this is the fucking case." After she was telling me this, I was slowly thinking about what she was telling me.

I was going along, and I was feeling like I just needed to find something to say to her, in order to make her feel like she was no longer needing to get this so fucking caught up. "Look Joy, I feel like Todd isn't really as into her as he is pretending like he is. Every time I talk to him about her, he always seemed to have a bit of a uncertain feeling here. I feel like you do not need to be so fucking worried here." I said, and then I was trying to get her to be feeling better here.

As I was telling her this, I saw her trying so hard to be seeing things in my way. Trying so fucking hard to understand that no matter what she might be feeling, she really did have a chance. "I hope that you know no matter what happens between you all, that I am deeply loyal to all of you guys making out of this alive. I am your guardian." I said, hoping she would hear that and believe what I was saying now.

"I do know this." After she was saying this, I was smiling, and I knew that there was no way in hell that she was lying. "I mean, I guess that I wouldn't mind seeing what a fucking kiss is like." She said, and then I wondered what she was even trying to accomplish by telling me this in the first place.

I then remembered that I was missing my hang out with Sam. Well, I think by now you know that me calling it a hang out is a very loose term. "Oh shit, I think that I need to head out soon. I was supposed to see Sam earlier, and I completely fucking flaked out on that." I said, and then I was seeing her looking like she was upset at the fact that I was leaving her like this.

"What were you even going to fucking do with him? Trying to fucking find out more about that one guy who has all his information scrubbed away, so you are wasting your fucking time?" She asked me, and then I was looking at her, wondering what in the world she was even trying to get out of saying this.

"Yeah, that was what I was planning on doing. I know that there is a good chance that there is nothing we can fucking find. But that is totally okay. I mean, I feel like the chances still need to be taken." After I was telling her this, I saw her looking like she was trying to find something else to say to make things different, but had no way of doing so.

"You know, I start to wonder if some of the shit that Jenny has said about you guys is true? I mean, I feel like I have to fucking consider it at least. I mean, you might not want to hear me say this. But you are kind of giving me too much ammunition to not think this way." After she was telling me this, I was sighing, and I felt like nothing I could say to her would be making things any different at all.

"I never did anything bad on purpose. If she is trying to make me feel bad, or look worse, then I feel like she needs to see that I am not going to be going along with that shit at all." I said, and then I was looking right at her, and I wondered what I would even be able to say that would be making things any fucking different at all.

"I know that you are not doing anything bad on purpose. I fucking know that. But what I am saying is that I feel like you do need to at least consider the idea that the things you think you are doing that help us out, might not really fucking be that at all." She was saying, and I was feeling like any debate was off.

"Maybe you should think about what you are telling me, considering the fact that you were the one telling me that you were thinking your father was still a good guy, who needed to be given a fucking chance. But I guess that maybe nothing I am saying is going to fucking get you to see that being insane." I said, finally feeling the need to be putting the gauntlet down, and make her actually listen to me for once in my life.

"What if some shit was found out about yours Sheldon? Would you just immediately reject him? Or would you still be having the good memories in your mind? I mean, you need to fucking remember the fact that no matter what he did, he gave you a shit ton of great memories." After she was telling me this, I was sighing, aware of what she was meaning.

"I am going to fucking be meeting with Sam. Enjoy your fucking photos." I said, and then I slammed the door, as I was driving off, not really in the mood to hear her shit anymore. Not wanting her to see that deep down, I was becoming less able to defend myself here. Less able to defend my father.

…

Scene 11: The Dead Teacher

Todd, Sam, and I were meeting up the next day, and I was wondering what in the world I was even going to be saying to them at all. In all honesty, I was sort of feeling like I just needed to be more careful with what my next fucking plan was, given the fact that they had already been so patient with me so far.

"So Todd, I was thinking about something that we were hearing earlier. Clearly I know you will not want to fucking talk about this again, but I feel like we need to at least mention it…" I said, and then I was seeing Todd looking upset at the fact that I was saying this all to him in the first place.

"I remember when we were at the school, and we were hearing Louis talking to the guy in black about Mrs. Jewels, and their intent to sale her for drugs and all that shit. I think we might have to go back to her place, and just see what we can fucking learn from her." I told him, and I was seeing that Todd was clearly not looking like he was super happy with this fucking idea at all.

"Are you sure that something like this would really fucking be worth it at all? I mean, I think that if we find out what happened to her, then that is going to open up a whole new fucking can of worms." After Todd was telling me this, I was sighing, and I felt like nothing that I could tell him would be getting him any different.

"I am sure that we should at least consider the fucking idea. I mean, what the fucking hell are we going to lose by not going into this at all." I said, and then I was shrugging for a few seconds. I felt like no matter what I was going to tell him, Todd was not going to be coming around to this idea at all.

"Todd, you need to fucking do this. I mean, remember who you are doing this for. I think you need to see that looking at this shit can be uncomfortable, and that you need to see sometimes there is no fucking choice but to do this." After Sam was trying to tell Todd this, I was seeing Todd looking like he was kind of at least fucking hearing what Sam was saying, even though he didn't have to fucking like it.

With that, Todd was closing his eyes, feeling no fucking point in fighting this anymore. He clearly was pissed at the fact that we were trying to guilt trip him into this in the first place. But I was seeing that despite the fact that he clearly wanted nothing to do with this, he was kind of coming around to this idea, and that I was kind of making him see what we were doing.

"Sheldon, why do you guys always have a way to try and make me feel like the biggest piece of shit that the world has ever seen? I mean, for fucks sake, I am just trying to be helpful here, and you are making me sound utterly putrid." After Todd was telling me this, I was seeing him looking like he wanted to find a way to argue this, but just simply couldn't.

"I was never trying to do that. I was just trying to make sure that you knew what was at stake, and what we were needing to fucking do." I said, and I was feeling like I just needed to not fucking fight him here. He was allowed to feel this way, and he was a good guy, who was just feeling like he was losing his touch on the fucking world. And I was feeling bad for him in all honesty.

With that, we were heading to my car, and I was seeing Sam suddenly think of something else in his mind. Something that he was suddenly more scared about. "Wait Sheldon, what the fucking hell are you going to do about Mrs. Jewels? I mean, I feel like you need to have a plan. There is no way you can learn this stuff at the fucking school." After he was telling me this, I was slowly nodding, at least considering what he was saying.

"You're right. I can't fucking go there right now. But I can go towards the library perhaps. Maybe there is something there that can fucking help us." I said, and then I was seeing him looking like he was getting more just reluctant to even fucking fight me with this shit in the first place. Probably aware that in the end, this would all be a pointless fight.

So with that, we were getting to the library, where I was hoping desperately fucking hoping, that the librarian there was not going to fucking be dead, like that one time earlier. The thought of that happening made me sick to my fucking stomach, if I was being one hundred percent honest.

Before long, once we were out of the library, the two of us walked around the area for a while, and I was seeing Sam suddenly looking like he was much more inclined to fucking go along with the hunt. Probably still keeping Kevin in his mind. I was aware that at the end of the day, Kevin was still the only person he was truly fucking fighting for.

We went up to the librarian, and I was seeing her looking like she was just trying to hide her clear discomfort at the idea of us being here. "Hey, we were wondering if there was any information on a woman named Jewels. She was my teacher this year, and I was just wanting to make sure that nothing happened to her before summer ended." Todd was saying, sounding like he was just a concerned student.

It was a strange as hell opening line, and I wasn't really sure that something like this would fucking be worth it. But I was feeling like I just needed to let him have his fucking moment right now. "I don't know if I have. But I don't really read those. I just hear what is going on from people in passing. If you want to know more, go to the 1963 isle." She was saying, and then I was seeing Todd looking happier.

"I know that this stuff is a issue to you guys, and I am sorry for that. But I feel like I just have to fucking do what I can. Thank you for the reference." Todd said, and sighed as he was walking off, and I was seeing that he was clearly having none of this, and that every moment that we were here was just making him more and more angry at what he was doing.

Once we were at the 1963 section, that was when Todd was sighing, and balled his fists. "If something happened to her, then I swear I might do something to Louis myself. And I am not going to want you guys to fucking stop me at all. He is going to need to be exposed to anything he might have done." Todd said, and then I was looking at Sam, and I was wondering if Sam was going to fucking say anything to get Todd to at least tone it down.

"Alright, just remember that we are in this for your friends. We are not trying to expose a fucking case, or anything like that. You need to remember that this is something that we need to be much more careful on going forward." After Sam was telling me Todd this, I saw him looking like he was just simply not caring at all anymore.

"I am doing what I must." Todd said, and then he was opening up the July section, and I was feeling like there was nothing that I could fucking do to change what he was thinking in his mind at all, and that even fucking trying was going to be a waste of fucking time going forward.

Once he was looking at all the individual day by day files, I was seeing that he went past the part where we had found out that Nora had died, and I was closing my eyes, hoping that she would be better off for everything that had been happening. She deserved better than what happened to her. Simple as fucking that.

Then with that, he was finding a picture of Jewels, and then I was seeing him looking like he wanted to scream as he was seeing this. He clearly was not in the fucking mood to even hear any of the excuses that could possibly come up at this point in time.

"What did Louis do with her?" Todd asked, and he was seeing a picture of a burning car wreck there as well. I was then feeling like there was no reason to be taking this any further. "Kathleen Jewels, age 26. Her car was wrecked on the side of the road. There was a body in there. Heavily suspected to be her. Although some have reported the skeleton structure might not match. A DNA test is being done to see if the woman in the car was Mrs. Jewels, or somebody else she knew. If it is her, then her family and friends will be there united in their grief over a teacher taken too sure. If it isn't her, then she will be the next person in the long list of missing women in Wayside. A theory further suspected by the fact that her car wreck, and the death of the woman found in the car, happened less than forty eight hours after the most recent grinding noise." The news report said, and then I was looking at Todd, and I was hoping to make him feel slightly better.

"Maybe she might be safe. You know, they said that it could be somebody else in the car entirely." I said, and then Todd was shaking his head, not sure what he was going to be saying now, but just thinking deeply about what he was going to be telling me, as a way to make me understand his perspective.

"I would almost rather have it be her honestly. At least if she was the one that died in the crash, then she wasn't thrown or sold into whatever fate happened. If it wasn't her, then that is now two extra women thrown into this. Her and whoever was sent to this as a cover up." Todd said, and then I was sighing, understanding his perspective.

"I hope you know that I was trying to fucking make you feel better here. But I guess that maybe that is something that is not fucking happening at all." I said, and I was clearly sounding slightly annoyed with the way that he had been acting at this rate.

"Well, I mean, that was several days ago, maybe there is something else that has come up. After all, there is still the late July stuff, and the early August shit." After Sam was saying this, I was looking at him, and I was feeling like while he was sounding reasonable, there was no way this would change Jewels.

"Well, I don't even know if it matters. Either she is really dead, or she is presumed dead, and sold off to some fucking shit, and at that point, she would be better off fucking dead." Todd was saying, and then shrugged for a second, as if trying to pretend like he was at peace with what he was saying.

"And besides, there is still one more person that has gone since. After all, there was that one sound just a couple of days ago." After Todd was saying this, I saw Sam looking like he was wanting to find something else to say. Something that Todd would clearly not want to hear at all.

"Did she ever have any talks with the man in the purple jacket? I mean, he might have had something to do with that shit?" After Sam was asking Todd this, I was seeing Todd looking like he was really not in the mood to hear what he was going to hear.

"Are you fucking serious? No shit she probably talked with him. I mean, for gods sake, she was Kevin's teacher as well. It would almost be more shocking if he hadn't talked with her before. Especially since he was after Kevin because of his work." Todd said, and then Sam sighed, feeling like there was no point in fighting Todd on this anymore.

"Okay, I fucking got it. But I feel like since that is the case, I feel like maybe there is a decent chance that this man might be behind the transactions. You know, that he could be the one who created the idea to sell people this way." Sam said, and then after he said that, Todd did seem to at least consider what Sam was saying.

"Okay, I guess that I do sort of see what you are saying. As much as I fucking hate to admit it. But I feel like if he was the one behind selling women off for drugs and sex, then that would not explain why Joy's father was behind the sell of Nora Wakeman." Todd said, and then Sam was sighing for a fucking second at this.

"I just felt like I needed to fucking suggest this dude. And remember that Joy's dad has been confirmed to have at least talked with him before. So I still feel like something like this is really fucking possible at least." After he was saying this, Todd sighed, and seemed like he was clearly not really in the mood to be hearing anything like this.

"Okay, you're right. We can't fucking leave things off to chance. I just sometimes have a hard time really getting over the fucking monsters that are in this town. Next thing we know, it will be Sheldon's dad behind this all. I've already given up on my dad." After Todd said that, I was pissed at his statement.

When we were at the next file, we were now getting a new name. "Sierra Hopper. Age 15. Been reported missing by her parents. If any past cases are any indication, she will be leaving her parents behind, as well as a older brother named Jim, age 21, who is training to be a police man in Indiana, and a boyfriend as well as a group of friends. No clues have been found yet. Any information would be appreciated to bring this young woman home safe.

"Do you know anything about that?" I asked both of them, and they both seemed to be kind of unsure of what to think. Not shocking, considering the fact that Todd was two years younger than her, whereas Sam and I were both two years older. So in all honesty, either way you looked at it, in any normal situation, there was no way we would get to really know her.

"Well, either way, I feel like I have at least heard that name somewhere. The Hopper name. I think maybe we can go to their house. But before that, I want to focus on the man in the purple jacket, and his connection to Jewels." After Sam was saying this, I was sighing, well aware that there was no reason to be fighting Sam at all on this.

"Honestly, I think we need to be much more careful here. These people might be really dangerous. I mean, if they took down a teacher, then I feel like we are going to have no fucking chance." I said, and I was feeling like I needed to get them both down to reality a bit.

"No matter how you slice it or dice it, we are at a disadvantage. So let's just fucking cut that shit out right now. There is no way that any of us are going to realistically survive another ten years at the rate we are going." Todd said, and the way he was sounding so fucking confident in that statement made me both uncomfortable, while also seeing the reality he was presenting.

"I mean, we need to go back to that high school right now. Or at least fucking try. There has to be something in there that we have not seen yet." After he was telling me this, I was sighing, and I felt like there was no way in fucking hell that I would be able to fucking get him to stop this shit. And I felt like there was no point in fighting this at all.

…

Scene 12: Deep Tears

That night, I was getting a call from my house. I decided to answer the phone, not really in the mood to be dealing with this, but feeling like I needed to at least pretend like I was caring. I answered, and I was hearing that it was Joy. I rolled my eyes, not really in the fucking mood to hear what her bullshit was right now.

"What do you fucking want?" I asked, and I was not even going to try and fucking hide my annoyance at this right now. As I was doing this, I heard her take a second to think. Clearly aware that she was needing to be much more careful about how she was going to be doing this going forward.

"I wanted to apologize. I really fucking messed up, and I feel like I needed to just apologize to you, and explain to you guys that I wanted nothing to fucking happen to you or anybody else. I thought that we could fix this shit." After she was telling me this, I was laughing, feeling like she was needing to give me something more to work with.

"What the fucking hell are you fucking kidding? Do you seriously think that I am going to fucking buy that shit at all? I mean, seriously, I know that you honestly do not really care about what I think on a certain matter. If you did, then you would understand that my father is one of the best people in this town, and he deserves a fucking second chance." I said, and then as I was saying this, I was seeing the look on my fathers face being shocked to hear this.

"Sheldon, I just wanted to say that I was sorry for pressing you on the fucking matter. That is all that I was trying to accomplish by saying this. I just feel like we need to be in this together." After she said that, I was sighing, since I wanted to feel that way. I wanted to agree. But she was not giving me any fucking ammunition to think this way.

"That was what I was trying to fucking tell you earlier. I was trying to get you to fucking open up, and see that there was no need for us to be angry at each other. But I was feeling like you were never fucking willing to see that. And I was feeling like you were already making your mind up on the matter." I said, hoping to get her to hear what I was saying for once.

"Yeah, and I know that was what you were trying to say. I guess that I am just telling you that earlier, I was too fucking stubborn to hear you. I was too in my own hubris to see that you were just trying to get me to see that there was more to get here than resentment." After she said that to me, I sighed, wishing that I could fucking buy what she was saying.

"Sheldon, I just want to help, and I am scared of how I can do that. I feel like if I try and talk to Todd, he will never want to fucking debate with me. Especially when I am getting swallowed up with my feelings for him more and more by the day. As well as finding you more desireable as well." She said, and I certainly wasn't expecting the last part.

"Joy, I feel like if you want to help, then you just need to meet up with Sam and I as we look more into the man in the purple jacket. I think he might have something to do with Mrs. Jewels." I said, trying to get her to fucking listen to me here. As I said this, she clearly remained silent for a bit.

"What would he fucking know? I mean, I never really thought of something like that before." She said, and I was glad to finally get her attention on the matter here. Not letting her fucking play around with my emotions here.

"Todd and I were hearing something about a sale for her. Then less than forty eight hours after one of the grinding noises goes off, her car is wrecked, and the body of a woman was found in the car. Either it was her, or this was a set up and she is gone. Clearly she was the victim of one of these cases." I said, and then Joy was silent again.

"You shouldn't be having this conversation on the phone. I mean, what if people are over hearing this? They might be coming to you right away. I think you need to be much more careful here." After she was telling me this, I knew what she had meant. And in all honesty, I didn't know what to say.

"I'll deal with it when I get there. But the point is, if you want to help, I am more than willing to take it." I said, and then I was taking a second, hoping she would say that. She slowly accepted what I was saying.

"Thanks for being willing to give me a chance. I mean, I am not sure if I deserve something like this, after all that I had said. But I appreciate the fact that you guys have not given up on me quite yet." After she was telling me this, I was slowly nodding, feeling no need to drag this issue further.

"I will try and apologize to my father. Even if I do not fully mean it, I feel like doing this might be able to get him willing to talk to me for a bit. And I feel like that is going to be the best that we can fucking get here." After she was telling me this, I had no idea what in the world I would get by arguing with her at all.

"Alright, go ahead with that. If something happens though, come to me right away, and I will fucking work with you, and I will take over the conversation." I said, and then I was feeling like there was no need to continue. "Well, have a good night."

As I was about to hang up, she started to cry. This was something that in all honesty, I was not expecting. I decided to remain silent, and I was feeling like I just needed her to tell me what was going on in her mind. "Sheldon, have you ever had that feeling of what it would be like if you had even just one more week with your mother? I mean, you were ten when she died, right?" She asked, and then I confirmed.

"By comparison, I'm thirteen. So I guess that I don't have as much to complain about, or Jenny. We both got an extra three years compared to you. But still, I wished that I could just see her one fucking time left. If I had one more week, I would have spent that week with her, and just taking as much advantage of it as I fucking could." After she said that to me, I had no idea what to tell her.

"I think that I get what you are saying. I mean, I do understand that feeling. Except with you, I have had so many years since the event that I don't really have those feelings as much anymore, and more of just the feelings of wondering what I could have done in the time that I did have." I said, feeling like there was no point in lying.

"I wish that I just had just saw the hints much more that she was sick, and that she was going to die soon. If I had the hints given to me much more, I would have done so much more with them." I said, feeling like there was never going to be a point in lying to her about this anymore.

"Thanks for admitting that. I was just wanting to make sure that I wasn't being unreasonable with my thoughts. I was thinking I wasn't. But you never fucking know what people might be thinking behind your fucking back." She said, and then I was sighing, feeling like she needed to not worry about what people were saying like that.

"Thanks for the talk. Starting tomorrow, I will be completely fucking different." She said, and I sighed, feeling no need to fight this. With that, she hung up, and then I was looking at my dad, wondering what he was planning on telling me now.

"Sorry to hear that Sheldon. I should have been there for you when you were going through the initial grief much more. I do think you are doing good on bringing your friends out of their bad spots." He said, and I was smiling at him, glad to see that he was finally seeing that I was a person who deserved more credit than I had been given.

"Yeah, I feel like that is the best that I can do. I mean, because of this whole business, two people lost one of their parents in the last summer. And I have been there, trying to make them both feel better. I feel like I am not making much of a difference. But I feel like letting them know that grief is a natural process, and they have every sight to feel a certain way, is all that I can fucking do." After I was telling him this, I saw that my father was clearly not sure what to say here.

"Can I help with what you are dealing with? I mean, I can see if I can get some people to do figure certain things out for them." He said, and I raised my hands up, not really in the mood to be having this discussion with him at all.

"No, not really. Honestly, I feel like if I were to try and trust those fucking corporate screw ups, then things are only going to get much worse. And besides, I need to do what I can to just make them feel like their fears are justified, and that I am going to save them from their pain no matter what." I said, and then I was seeing my father looking like he was wanting to say more. But then he decided against saying anything at all, for my own sake.

"Sheldon, I am not asking you to trust them. I am just asking you to trust me, and trust that I am not going to be doing anything that will be hurting your friends." After my father was saying this, I was wondering why I was even bothering to listen to this shit. Clearly he was just trying to make me feel better here.

"I want to fucking trust you dad. But I feel like you are not giving me enough ammunition to do so. I mean, every time I try to come you, even if the leads do sound like bullshit, you still don't even fucking give it a chance. That is all that I fucking want, is a chance." I said, and then I was seeing my father looking like he had thought about what I had been saying.

"Okay, fine. You win. I guess I do see what you are saying. I will check all the shit that you tell me out. This better be good though. That is all that I fucking want." After my father was telling me this, I was feeling like this was fair enough.

"I mean, after all, you are still working with Jimmy White, and you saw how much of a disaster he proved to be when he was the fuckin mayor, and you still feel like he is the person you can trust." I said, feeling like I needed to call him out for his shit. Maybe he would actually see my perspective here.

"Jimmy White did a great job reducing the amount of people who went missing. During his six years as mayor, only a handful of people went missing." After he was telling me this, I shook my head, not really in the mood to hear what he said.

"A handful is still more than zero. And you were doing a great job before this summer happened, where it is happening on a fucking constant basis." I said, and then my father seemed to think about what I had been saying. Seeming to genuinely consider what I had said for once.

"I mean, I guess that is fair enough. But I feel like there is more to it than you are seeing. And I feel like that is something you need to fucking accept." After my father was telling me this, I just shook my head, not thinking that what he was doing was going to be good evidence.

"I know that there is. I just want to know what that is. And I am getting more certain that you have that shit figured out, but for whatever reason, you feel like refusing my right to know is a great idea. One that doesn't piss me off more than it does." I said, and then I was closing the door on him. I didn't even care anymore.

"Your fucking friends are ruining you Sheldon." My father said, and I was not wanting to hear this. I laid down on my bed, and took out my heroin once again. I looked down at it, and I was sighing. I shook my head, as I pulled out the needle, and I was starting to inject it a bit.

I didn't fucking want this. I wanted to be sober, and not fucking drugged up. But I was feeling like there was no fucking choice on the matter. My father was removing any choice I had the more that he was just throwing away everything that I had been doing. He was not seeing how much he had hurt what I was feeling. He didn't even care.

And in all honesty, I was feeling like at the end of the day, we both knew one important thing: I was a better person than he had been. I was a better friend than he was to Dexter. And I was going to be the one who would actually find out the truth, bring it out to Wayside, and make the world a better place for us all. It would be my job.

…

Scene 13: Irrefutable Documents

Sam and I had met up the next day, and I was seeing him looking like he wanted to find something to say to me in order to make his point much more, but then he was shrugging, and decided to not say too much in the first place.

"I think that as much as I fucking hate to admit it, the best way to cut the head off of his job, is to just fucking go inside his office, and then fucking force the information to be exposed. Doing it any other way is just simply not going to fucking work." After he was telling me this, I was sighing in annoyance. Not wanting to hear this, since in all honesty, I was aware that he was probably trye.

"That is not going to fucking happen. I mean, if we try to break into his security room, we would be kicked off the premises before we were even able to have a chance to do something at all. And besides, I think he might be the most heavily guarded person in that entire company. Trying to get in there will literally be a fucking waste of time." He was telling me this, I was shrugging, wondering what to even tell him.

"I know that realistically, it is not going to have any fucking chance to work out. But I don't fucking care right now. I am going to do whatever I need, and I am going to just see if such a thing is even possible." Sam said, and then I was sighing, feeling like there was no other way around this at all.

Sam was already walking on his way to the company headquarters, and I was feeling like I needed to find anything to tell him in order to make sure that he didn't get too deeply into something like this in the first place.

"Sam, will you fucking listen to me? If you go down this path, then you are giving that man perfect ammunition to be going to Kevin. I think that you need to remember that you could potentially only make things worse for him by doing this!" I screamed at him, hoping that he would finally be willing to listen to my shit right now.

"Sheldon, he is not going to target Kevin, due to the fact that he wants to clearly work on a project with this guy. I feel like this is going to give me the advantage. And besides, you promised me that you would do this job." Sam said, and then I looked down, feeling upset at the fact that I did make that fucking promise.

"In that case, can you at least just let me drive you over? I mean, if we find something in there, then it would be best to place it in my fucking car. And besides, I feel like with me around, you might give yourself a couple of minutes." I said, and I hated the fact that I was finding myself admitting this in the first place.

"I was hoping that I would be able to get you to say that. I knew that there was only so much time that you would be able to put off your fucking job." He was telling me this, I was sighing, and I was aware that at the end of the day, he was totally just taking advantage of my position in the first place.

I got in the car, and shook my head, feeling like fighting with him was only going to be making things much worse for everybody else. "Just get in my fucking car." I said, trying to hide my annoyance. As I was saying this, I see that he wasn't even seeing him angry at my tone of voice. If anything, he embraced it, and thought that I was taking responsibility here.

"Let's just go and get this done with." I said, and then I was starting to drive away from my house, and towards this building. "I think that I just need to be careful about how much I use my status around here. Sooner or later, people are going to get wise to my manipulation, and that I will not be able to get away from this anymore." I was saying, hoping that saying this to him would get him to at least consider what I had been telling him now.

Before too long, we were getting near the entrance of the tower, and the moment that we were there, I was starting to instantly see Sam look much les sure of himself. Something that I will admit I was expecting from him. He was seeming like he was wanting to come off as the bigger guy, but then when push came to shove, he had to live with his fucking actions here.

When we were there, this was when I was seeing that the man in the purple jacket had his car parked in the parking lot, and I was looking at Sam, and I was wondering what his plan was going to be going forward. "Sam, do you want to check this car out instead? Maybe this is something we can see here." I said, and then I was seeing him looking like he was kind of shocked to be seeing the car here.

We saw him get out of his car, and he was looking at my car, and for once, something I never expected happened. He actually looked scared for once in his life, and he was taking a long and deep breath, and I was seeing that this was not the way that he was wanting to do this.

"I think we just need to put on a good cover, and make him think that there is nothing we are going to fucking do here." I said to Sam, hoping he would take what I was saying to heart. He was slowly nodding, slowly seeing that there was no way in hell that either of us were going to stand up to him in this area.

"What the fucking hell is he doing here in the first place?" Sam asked, clearly just trying to understand things much better. I was seeing that his mind was genuinely running at a million miles per hour. He looked at me, hoping that I would have something to say to him to make him feel better.

"I don't fucking know Sam. I just feel like if we try and talk to him, then he will probably just throw us down the drain." After I was telling him this, I was seeing him looking like he was hardly in the mood to be having this discussion at all right now.

As he was walking away, and I was seeing him getting faster, probably just trying to get away from Sam and I, I was feeling so much fucking satisfaction to know that he was scared for once in his fucking life. I was suddenly feeling like nothing he was doing would help me us out.

Once he was gone, I took a deep breath, and felt like I could calm down for once in my fucking life, and then I was getting out of the car, and then Sam did as well. "We need to fucking look in there while he is gone. And then we can talk about everything else later, when we fucking get there." Sam said, and I was slowly nodding, glad to see him fucking coming around to looking at this logically.

Once we were sure that we have some time to be safe, and saw nobody coming around to the area, I was seeing Sam open up the car passenger door, and he was going right to the glove compartment. I was standing by the side, taking a cigarette out, pretending like I was simply waiting for a job to be done.

He was looking around, and he was finding a giant folder that was more filled with papers than anything else. I was looking down at the file, and I was shocked to even find something like this in the first place. I looked towards Sam, wondering what in the world he was going to do with this.

"Sam, if you fucking take that, then he is going to find out right away what you did. There is no way you can take that much shit and not get caught." I said, and then Sam shrugged, simply not fucking caring. Probably feeling like he was just simply wasting his time,

"I don't fucking care. I already am deep in water with these people, what I am doing isn't going to be making much worse at all. So I might as well take what I can get." Sam said, and he was starting to look at the paperwork, and read it for a bit, as if wondering what he was even looking at in the first place.

"What the fuck? These papers literally show proof of sales, as well as fucking papers relating to science experiments that he has done on various people. And that he was planning on opening up a program for this shit." After Sam was saying this, I was seeing him looking like he was sick to his fucking stomach.

"What do you mean by experiments? Like they fuck around with dead monsters, to see where they are from? I mean, I wouldn't really like it, but I guess that something like this wouldn't be too strange." I said, and then he was shaking his head, as he was starting to hand me the folder.

"We are going to just have to simply show your father this, and I don't think he would be able to say no to this at all. I don't really see any other fucking choice." Sam was telling me, and then I looked at him, wondering why he was seriously thinking that bringing my father into this was going to be getting us anything at all. After all, he had shown no interest in helping us earlier.

"Sam, if we show this to my father, he will find a way to bring this back to us being at fault, and tell us to not look at this shit anymore, and I am not really in the mood to hear my father screaming at me, and explaining why I am a piece of shit for doing the things I did." I said, aware that I was sounding like a coward, but not really fucking caring at all.

Sam was placing it in my glove compartment, and I was wanting to scream at him for doing this, but I decided to just remain silent. I did not want to make a fucking scene, even if I was perfectly fucking justified in doing so.

We were starting to see him come back. But he wasn't looking at us yet, so we had time. Sam closed the door super quietly, and I was seeing him hardly keeping his fucking patience this whole time. Probably scared what this man would be doing. Eventually, he was up to us once again, and I saw him looking mildly annoyed at us being here.

"What are you guys doing here tonight? I thought that you guys were just trying to fucking hang out." He said, and then I was taking a long deep breath, feeling like there was no way that I could fucking hide myself, and my ear of what he was doing here.

"We were just taking a fucking break. Talking about how proud we are that my brother has come as far as he has." After Sam said that to the man in the purple jacket, I was shocked that this was the lie that he was going with, and I was feeling like I just needed to do my part with going along with it for now.

"Yeah fucking right. I highly fucking doubt that. You guys always seem to have a way of getting in trouble. But I do admit that I am rather proud of your brother, and all that he has done here. He clearly knows what he is fucking doing. Much more than any of you do." He said, and I was kind of pissed as he was saying this. But I choose not to pursue it further.

"Yeah, we just thought that maybe we would let you know that we appreciated the chances that you were giving him. After all, I have told people that Kevin is the closest thing to a brother I have." I said, and that part was still true. As I was saying this, he was looking quizzical at me.

"I thought that one guy Todd was. After all, you guys seem very bud bud." After he was saying this, I was sighing, and I was feeling like he was needing to leave us alone, so I could fucking leave this subject alone. But I choose to not press it.

"Todd is one of my best friends. But he is no brother figure. I know that he can handle his own. I feel like I need to trust him. Kevin is somebody who I have a natural instinct to protect." I said, and then I was seeing him looking like he was kind of considering what I was saying to him.

"Alright, I just guess that I can say that I interpreted things wrong. Either way, I have a fucking job to do, and I am not playing with you all." He said, and then with that, he was heading to his car, just feeling like there was no need to have a issue over this at all anymore.

He was gone, and then Sam and I looked at each other. "Thank god that turned out well. That man is going to fucking end our lives soon if we are not careful. But I guess that I do not need to be telling you this without coming off as completely annoying." I said, and got in the car.

"At least we got something out of this." I said, and then I was shaking my head, feeling no need to fucking speak more. Sam got in the car as well, reading all these files, and I was seeing him looking proud of himself. Knowing that for once, he was having the advantage here.

…

Scene 13: Bribing

Several hours later, I was having a new idea, and Sam and I were eventually in Kenta's office, and I wasn't sure if any of this was going to be working out too well. But in all honesty, I was hardly fucking caring at all. I was going to force him to fucking talk, no matter what was happening.

As we were knocking on the door, I was clearly seeing Sam looking like he had not wanted to do this in the first place. And that he was barely containing his annoyance at what was going on in the first place. "Sheldon, I would not be surprised in the slightest if he is going to reject the mere idea of having a conversation with us. I just think we need to be much more careful with how we approach him." Sam said, and I was not really in the mood to hear this.

"Kenta might be a fucking asshole, but he respects evidence, and he will respect when he has been had. I think that when we show him everything that we found, he will eventually feel there is no choice but to fucking play along with our wishes." I told him, and I wasn't really buying what I said. But I needed to just get him to calm down.

"Okay, if you are fucking insisting on this, then I will see. I just hope that your desire to prove him to be a helpful guy isn't going to fucking get us killed." After he was telling me this, I was sighing, since I was feeling like there was literally nothing that I could do to change this.

I opened up the door, and I was seeing that Kenta was still working on something, and probably wouldn't have noticed us if we didn't start speaking up in the first place. "What the fucking hell are you doing?" I asked and then he looked at me, and I was seeing him looking rather annoyed to be seeing me here in the first place.

"I am trying to work on something. And people constantly getting in my way isn't fucking helping. So if you are in need of something, then just fucking tell me." After he was saying this to me, I was sighing, since I was feeling that he would refuse to look at the fact that he was being a asshole.

"We were wanting to talk to you about the man in the purple jacket. We were wondering if he was still working on his job that you had been giving him." I said, and as I was saying this, I was seeing him looking like he was kind of annoyed at the fact that I had mentioned him in the first place.

"I don't want to think about that man. He clearly doesn't fucking have a idea how much I am sacrificing to make this job work. He cares about nothing but his fucking obsession with those people at Wayside school. He claims he is indoctrinating them to be ready for their job. But that is a fucking lie." He said, and then I was sighing, feeling like this was a good sign that they were no longer working together at all.

"Just fucking tell us what we can do to help you out if that is the case. I do not want that man around my brother at all. Maybe we can form a temporary truce." Sam suggested, and I was looking at Sam, shocked to be hearing him even suggesting something like this in the first place. Kenta also looked relatively shocked at this as well.

"Are you sure when you fucking say that? If you do that, then things are going to fucking be done my way, and you don't get to go around, and claim that I am being a monster." After he was saying this to us, I was looking at Sam, and I was wondering what he would have wanted to say to this.

"Look, my brother Kevin and his safety is the only thing that I really fucking care about right now. Everything else is a fucking lie." Sam said, and then he was sighing, hoping that Kenta would play along with this for the time being.

"If that is the case, then I feel like surely the two of us can work something out. What is your friend Sheldon feeling here?" After he asked Sam this, he was looking at me, and I wanted to pull Sam to the side, and tell him that this was a fucking terrible idea.

"Sam, you need to fucking think about what you are doing here. I mean, this man might be planning on something?" I asked, and then Sam was shaking his head. He was starting to seriously scare me with the way that he was reacting now. I was looking down on the ground, wishing that this was not what I was seeing now.

"I have to do this Sheldon. I mean, you would understand what it is like to have something you fucking care about very much, and wanting to fucking protect it." After he was saying this to me, I was looking down on the ground, and I wished he wouldn't be saying this.

Sam was looking at Kenta, and then he was smiling, feeling like he was just needing to just really get in the mood. "So, what were you thinking anyways? You know, for protecting Kevin? I mean, I feel like we need to negotiate some shit together." He said, and then he was looking at me, and I was seeing that Sam was no longer caring how much I was getting bothered by what he was saying.

"Well, I was thinking that I could give you a couple more of his bill of sales, on the condition that you promise to no longer interfere with my own projects. Simple as that. Leave me alone, and I will give you the evidence you have been so fucking desperately trying to get." He said, and then after he was telling Sam this, I was seeing Sam looking like he was not too sure what to think here.

But deep down, as much as I fucking hated to admit it, I knew that there was nothing that I could fucking do to change the whole thing. So with this, I felt like I just needed to let him have his moment. I was turning away, feeling like in all honesty, I was no longer really fucking knowing him as well as I had thought.

"Yeah, I guess that I can do that. I might not like it, but I feel like I really have no fucking choice." Sam was telling him, and I was feeling like there was nothing that I could fucking do now. I just needed to let this happen, and that there was no fucking point in changing what had been happening.

"I knew that you would be willing to see reason, even though several people that you know would not be willing to do this." He was saying, and then after he was saying this, he stood up, and decided to no longer say much to change this all. "Just give me a few moments to grab the stuff that you would be needing." With that, he started to head to his back room.

When he was done looking around for a couple of minutes, he then handed Sam the pieces of paper that he had needed. "There you go. Better make some use of this. I mean, this is a lot of my business that I am relaying on at this point in time. And I am not going to let what everybody says change the fact that I am the hardest working person here." After he was saying this, Kenta looked at me, and he shook his head.

"I hope that one of these days, you would be like your friend, and see what I have been doing is for the best of the town. But until then, I guess that you are a fucking lost cause." After he was saying this, he was shaking his head, and he was looking like he had kind of given up all hope on this subject for the time being.

"That's your own fucking fault. And that is something you need to accept for yourself." After I was telling him this, I saw him looking like he was just not interested in hearing this anymore. Probably thinking that I was a hopeless reactionary at the end.

"The moment you are done with your reactionary way of looking at things, and you see that I am really the person you need to rely on, then the town will start to become a better place. But I guess that you are not going to hear this for the time being." After he was saying this, I was sort of sighing, and felt like there was no reason to fight.

"I will believe it when I fucking see it." I said, and then I was seeing him looking like he was no longer in the mood to be fighting this at all anymore. With that, Sam and I were leaving the office, and he was looking at the four sets of documents that were given to him.

"We need to bring this to my dad right away." I said, and then as I was starting to leave, that was when Sam was looking right at me, and I was seeing him looking like he just needed to finally fucking find something to say to me to make me get it.

"You are still obsessed with the idea that your father is the man behind this all. To the point where you are refusing to see how much this is fucking hurting you and everybody else around them. I think that if you want to get in my business here, then you need to also see what you have been doing." He said, and then I was sighing, and I wondered why he was even telling me this in the first place. It was just so annoying to deal with this all the fucking time.

"Well, at least I am not going around and letting people who have had a proven history of being fucking psychos do whatever they fucking want with their brothers. Especially when these people have said all the time that said brother was most important to them." I said, and then as soon as I was saying this, I saw that Sam was clearly looking upset at my statement. More so because he knew I was right.

"I feel like there was no fucking choice on the matter. I am sure that you fucking see what I am saying right now." After he was telling me this, I was sighing, and I wished that I could fucking buy what he was saying. I wanted to fucking buy what he was saying. As doing so would make things so much easier. But I decided to just not be a bitch.

"And maybe you should be going around, applying that logic to what I am doing. You know, having no god damn choice on the matter." I said, and then after I was telling him this, I saw him looking like he wanted to find something to fight with me on. But then he just decided to remain silent.

"Alright. Fine you made your fucking point. That is one thing you always know how to do rather well. Make your point. Even if it makes me seem like I am the bad guy for doing so." He said, and then I was shrugging at this, thinking this was a small price I needed to pay.

With that, I started to head off to the elevator, and I was wondering if that level of bitterness that we had just displayed at each other was really going to be worth all these fucking fights. But I was feeling like there was no fucking point in fighting this.

As we were both going down the elevator, I was seeing him looking like he had considered what we were discussing. "Sheldon, I think that I do see what you are doing. I might not like the fact that you are always trying to prove to be right with everything you are doing. But I mean, I know that most of the time, it is true." After he was saying this, I was sighing, and felt like there was no point in arguing.

"And besides, I feel like at the end of the day, no matter how much I might disagree with certain things that you are doing, I do see that you are probably the best bet that we have to pull this shit together." After he asked me this, I was slowly nodding, and I was glad that he was seeing the truth for what it was.

"Sam, if you ever needed to talk about what I was doing, and what it was doing for you, I would be willing to listen." I said, and then I was shrugging, and I just saw that Sam was slowly starting to regret what he had done. Probably realizing that what I said was true.

"Just make sure that if this turns out to be a massive mistake, that you will b ethere for Kevin and make him feel better. I mean, that is all that I can fucking ask." After Sam was telling me this, I was slowly nodding, and I was feeling like anything else that I could tell him would only just feel like bullshit in both our eyes.

"And besides, the agreement was just simply to not interfere with his stuff. So I guess that in this sense, this isn't too bad." I said, mainly as way to try and ease the situation, and make Sam see that I didn't truly hate him for anything that had happened at all.

The door opened, and I was seeing that Sam clearly looked like he was just wanting to leave, and not be talking about this too much anymore. So with this, I was feeling like there was no point in fighting this, or making it much worse for everybody else involved.

…

Scene 14: Termination

I was grabbing all the evidence that Sam and I, as well as other people had been able to gather up over the time, and we were going to bring it to my father. I wasn't going to fucking care how upset I was going to fucking make him by doing this. I needed him to see what this man had been doing. And for him to fire the man in the purple jacket for what he had been doing.

The entire time that we had been driving there, that was when I was seeing Sam looking like he was just really happy to finally have a chance to bring this man down, and force him to become a totally fucking independent agent.

Eventually, we were at the mayors office, and before I was able to get out of the car, that was when Sam placed his hand on my shoulder. I sighed, trying to hide my fucking annoyance with this question. I looked right at him, feeling like I just needed to hide my patience here.

"Sheldon, when we present this information, I will take the fucking fall, and you do not need to be dealing with what happened. I mean, I know you and your father have had a bit of a dispute lately, and I hope that telling me that it is my fault can give you some fucking time." After Sam was telling me this, I was sighing, feeling like I just needed to let him have what he wanted.

"You do not need to do that." I said, when I think we both knew that he would, and that I was just trying to make him feel better. I was then getting out of the car, after I handed him all the information that he needed to present to my father.

Once in the office, that was when I was feeling that my father would have no fucking choice but to listen to us when he was seeing what we had gathered. Once in his room, my father was looking at the two of us. He was clearly trying to hide his relative annoyance at what he was seeing. But then he decided to just remain silent, and give us a chance to speak, and see what we were doing.

"What are you fucking wanting?" My father asked, and then Sam was placing a few objects down on the table, and then I was seeing Sam looking like he was just so fucking happy to finally know he would destroy this mans whole career. This made him feel so much better about what was happening.

"You know that man in the purple jacket? I have been trying to find a way to expose his shit to the public, and make you all see that I am not going insane. Well, here is the prove that you wanted." After he said that to my father, I was seeing my father looking like he was relatively annoyed with what he had heard.

My father was looking at the files, and the longer that he had been reading them the more that he was starting to have a upset look on his face, and the more that he was looking utterly disgusted at what he was reading. Which was exactly the reaction that Sam and I were hoping he would have.

"Sheldon, were you helping Sam with this right now? If you knew all these things, why didn't you fucking tell me this?" After he asked me this, I was shrugging, feeling like I just needed to be honest with him, and hopefully I would get him to listen to me for once.

"You never wanted to fucking listen to me, and you kept brushing me off every single time I had considered something like this in the first place." I said, and I was feeling like I just needed to make him at least hear what I had told him.

"You kept giving off ideas of misconceptions, and acting like he was doing various things that I could never fucking believe. If you had led this story with this, then I feel like this would have been entirely different." After my father was saying this, he was closing his eyes, and I was seeing him looking like he was fucking furious at this whole thing.

"Now that you know what this fucking man is doing, and what he is going to continue doing, what are you going to do? I demand that you severe his contract!" Sam asked, and then that was when I was seeing my father looking furious at the way that Sam was speaking him.

"Sam, I understand that you are a really upset man at what is happening here. But you need to understand that making demands like this isn't going to be fucking helping anybody out. I can see what I can do to get him fired. But I will let you know that I am going to do whatever I can to make sure he isn't able to work anymore." My father said, and I was seeing Sam looking like he wanted to believe this more than ever.

"This is my fucking brother we are talking about here! I have the fucking right to be as upset as I am right now!" Sam said, not even trying to fucking hold his anger back at my father. I saw him looking like he was wanting to just make his anger indisputable.

"You guys need to know that I have been putting aside everything for making this towns secrets unfold. I am making enemies by doing this, and you are only making things harder for me." After my father was saying this, this was the first time, I heard him say something like this.

"If you are making these enemies, then I will be able to help you out! I have been doing all this for a super long period of time, and everybody knows that I am not fucking holding back on this!" I said, and I pounded my hands on the table. My father was clearly just trying to keep his annoyance together at the way he was acting here.

"Sheldon, I do not want you or Sam getting involved with this! The fact that you guys have even gotten as deep as you have has made me scared that you guys are going to get yourselves killed. You need to fucking know that if something happened you or any of your friends, I would never be able to get over this." After my father said this, I was seeing him looking like he was just kind of wondering what else he was even going to say to make things any different.

"My brothers life is at stake here. If you want me to leave this subject alone, can you at least fucking promise me that you will fire this man, and make sure he doesn't have a fucking chance to try again?" Sam asked, and I was hearing that for once, he was trying his best to just be hiding his utter sadness here.

"I will get him terminated. I will do that at the very least. He will never be allowed in that building again. And on top of that, I will be giving every you, Kevin, and your parents a restraining order against this man. You will never have to deal with this again. He has too many connections to go to jail. That is just the frank truth. But all that other shit, I can fucking do." My father said, hoping that this would shut us all up here.

As he said that, I was seeing Sam really trying to feel better. But then he just sighed, and decided to not say anything else at all. Not really in the mood to go any further with this at all. "Sheldon, I need you to know that I wouldn't lie to you about this shit. In order for the job to be done, I have to do many things that I do not appreciate." After my father was saying this to me, I was wanting to believe him, but I just fucking couldn't here.

"Dad, I just want to make sure that like you want me to get that I am not alone, I want you to see that you are not alone either." I said, and then I was saying this to him, I was seeing that my father was at least considering what I had been saying. He seemed like he was truly absorbing all of my words, and slowly nodded here.

"I do know. I wished that I could just tell you how proud I have become of you and your friends. You are the future of this town, and I am so fucking happy for the people are becoming. But you guys need to let me do the job. Jimmy White has given me a lot of work here." He said, and then I was sighing, and I felt like I just needed to let him have what he wanted.

"You are a lot like your mother when she was your age. And that is a good thing. She was the most determined woman I know. But she never wanted to fucking put her health first, and her own sake. I still haven't forgiven myself for her death." After my father said this, I was looking at him, shocked at that revelation, and I wondered what in the world I could even tell him.

"Sorry. Have a great night Mr. Lee. And I am very thankful for what you are giving me and my family. It is the best that I can hope for." After Sam was telling my father this, he walked off. I was sighing, and then I was leaving the room.

He made me feel utterly horrible for the fact that he brought my mother into this. As much as I hated this, any time he brought her up, I instantly felt like I was the worst person in the entire world, and I felt like he knew that.

As we were walking off, that was when I was seeing my father calling Shaun. "Hello, this is urgent, but I am here to tell you of a 30 day termination notice for one of your employees." After he said that, I smiled, knowing that he was acting on his promise, and he wasn't just telling me that to make me feel better.

…

Scene 15: It's Safe Now

Later that night, Sam and I went to Kevin's house, where we learned that he was hanging out with Todd to begin with. As we were doing this, I was feeling like I needed to steel up my courage more, and just say what I had felt more.

"What are you guys fucking doing here?" Kevin asked, and he was clearly sounding annoyed at the fact that we were here in the first place, and I was wondering what in the world I was even going to be saying to make things any different.

"We were just wanting to tell you that you never have to worry about the man in the purple jacket again. We both found some evidence that was absolutely impossible to deny, and we now feel like you might be safer." After Sam was telling Kevin this, I saw him looking utterly shocked to hear Sam tell him this in the first place.

"What the fucking hell? You put your safety on the line to help me out?" Kevin asked, and he was sounding both happy, and upset at the fact that Sam had done this in the first place. I saw him looking kind of unsure of what was happening.

"Yeah, we did that because I felt like you were the most important person to look out for. Sheldon's father is getting ready for his contract termination." Sam said, and he was sounding like he was genuinely happy for once. I was seeing him on top of the world here. I saw Kevin looking like he had no idea what to even fucking say.

"I feel both happy and slightly fucking scared here." Kevin said, and he was clearly sounding totally fucking lost on this whole thing. Probably feeling like this comment was a bit hard to fucking comprehend. I saw him looking fucking tired at this whole thing.

"I mean, I feel like he is going to be doing whatever he fucking wants anyways." Kevin told me, and then I was seeing Todd looking utterly terrified at the suggestion. "I don't fucking care if I am sounding like a fucking cry baby, and sound like I am just pulling at strings. But I just feel like I need to make that point clear."

"Kevin, if that happens, then he will have no fucking influence. Especially since he could just get arrested for this. I don't even fucking know what happened that made Sheldon's father be forced to fire him. But whatever it was, it was big enough to probably get him thrown in jail if he even fucking tries to do anything here." Todd told him, hoping to get Kevin to feel better.

"I mean, I should be happy for once. I mean, I know that I never have to deal with that man ever again, and I feel like that is something that I just need to fucking feel better now." Kevin said, and I was feeling like I was seeing his point. That didn't mean that I was wanting him to still be so fucking upset over this.

"I mean, I think that as time went on, I was sort of seeing more and more why you guys were so fucking scared of what I was doing. I mean, he didn't seem like he was too terrible of a guy at first. But I feel like his insistence on forcing me to talk to me, and get him to join my job is too much to fucking bear." Kevin said, and then I was sighing for a second, wondering what in the world Kevin even saw in this guy in the first place.

"I don't know. I just felt like when he was approaching me, and he was sounding like he needed my abilities to make things work, I just thought that I was finally able to make things work. But I don't know. I should have been smart enough to see that he was mainly just in this for himself." When Kevin was done, this was when I was seeing Sam consider what he was being told.

"Kevin, if you felt that way earlier, you should have fucking told me what was going on in your mind. You shouldn't feel scared to let me know what has been bothering you." Sam said, and I was seeing Kevin hardly looking like he was in the mood to hear what he was being told.

Kevin was walking down the stairs. "Besides, I do have Jenny with me, and I know that at the end of the day, Jenny has been the one person who has really made me feel like I am being valued." When Kevin said this, I was feeling like I just needed to make him see that this was not the best way to go at this.

"But what if Jenny eventually stops fucking loving you? Something like that can happen sooner or later, and you seem to not at least consider something like this." Sam said, and he was sounding like he was just really worried about what Kevin had been dealing with.

"I don't fucking know dude. I just felt like that is something that I never have to fear. She has been giving me everything that I need. And if you seriously think that something like this will happen, then I feel like you need to give her more fucking credit." After he was telling me this, I saw Kevin looking really fucking annoyed with what he was hearing.

"I hope that you do not end up eating those fucking words. After all, if she breaks up with you, then I am not really wanting to deal with your pain and suffering that comes along from this." Sam said, and then Kevin was shrugging, not really seeming to think about this much further.

"Then you don't need to be at my side to try and fucking help me out. I can just go to Todd, or whatever I want to fucking do. You are not needing to be forced to my side." Kevin said, and I was seeing that Sam was wanting to fight what he was being told, but had no idea what to say.

"Where are you going anyways?" After he was asking Kevin this, I saw Kevin looking like he was feeling kind of unsure of what he was even going to say at all. I saw that Kevin wanted to find something to say, but just couldn't say much more.

"I am going to be fucking seeing Jenny. Knowing that I am able to do whatever I fucking want now, and nobody is able to fucking stop me, it feels fucking great." After Kevin said this, I saw that Sam was looking like he was just kind of too annoyed to deal with this.

"Can you make sure that Todd comes along with you at least? You know, he might know what to say better than you do. No offense, but I still feel like you are getting too deep into something like this." Sam said, and then I was seeing that despite how annoyed he was, he was still actually feeling so much happier for what was going on.

"Fine." Kevin said, and then he was looking right at Todd, hoping that Todd wouldn't say anything, and wouldn't be as annoying as Sam was. I was seeing Todd looking like he had no desire to deal with this. But just decided to remain silent for now.

Todd was walking up to Kevin, and I was sort of seeing that in all honesty, he was not really in the mood to be dealing with this in the first place. Probably feeling like he was going to become the fucking baby sitter for somebody who didn't even fucking need it at all.

As they were walking off, I was seeing Sam looking too fucking happy here. "Knowing that Kevin is safe again, able to be happier with his friends, makes me feel better. He will come back and see how much I care about him later." After Sam said that, I was shaking my head, feeling like this wouldn't fucking happen. But I just needed to let things go for the time being.

With that, we were driving off, and I was feeling like I just needed to remain silent for the time being, and not saying anything that he wasn't really in the mood for at all. I just felt like Sam finally getting what he needed was enough to celebrate.

…

Scene 16: Moving Forward

When I was with Sam at the gas station, and his bloody face was being covered up by some bandages, I was wondering what in the world I was even going to be telling him. I needed to find something to make him willing to talk to me for a bit.

"Sam, I think it's time for you to realize that you have taken this thing way too fucking far. I mean, I fully supported what you were doing earlier. But now, I think you need to fucking drop this subject. The man almost tried to fucking kill you." I said, and then I was seeing Sam looking like he couldn't have given less of a fuck at that moment than before.

"I mean, I guess that I should be satisfied that he even admitted to the shit that he had been doing in the first place. I mean, what a fucking asshole. Always making things about him, and he just never fucking even cared about Kevin, or what was best for him." After Sam was saying this to me, I saw him just looking fucking pissed now.

"Are you actually going to take it? I mean, truth be told, you probably should. But I don't think you are going to, and I think we are both kidding ourselves if we are going to say you will be letting this whole thing go." After I was telling Sam, I saw him looking really mad at the way that I was acting around him.

"I want to let this whole thing go. I mean, Kevin has grown to hate me, and he acts like I only made things worse for him. And maybe in a sense, I really have. And now I know I can even take him on." Sam said, popping a pill of ibuprofen in his mouth, to give himself some minor pain relief.

"But I guess that I need to just take what I was able to get. Having everybody know what he has been doing, and then knowing that he is not the man that he is claiming to be. I feel like maybe that was really the best that I can get here." Sam said, and then I sighed in relief.

"Do you think that everybody he has tried to accomplish is now gone? I mean, if it is, then I feel like maybe we did something right for once." I said, and then I saw Sam looking like he wasn't too sure what in the world he was even wanting to say at this point.

"I mean, I will hope that this is the case. But for now, I feel like I will just have to take the fact that he will no longer be doing commissions with the company. Maybe that is all that I would have ever really been able to fucking get." Sam was saying, and I was feeling like there was a good chance that he was just trying to find a way to make himself feel at least slightly better.

"So how do you think Kevin will be able to take something like this? I mean, I know that he probably doesn't enjoy what has been going on here. But in all honesty, I feel like he will start to see over time that this was the right thing to do. And if he can't, then I am sorry for you." I said, and then I was seeing him looking like he was really not fucking caring anymore.

"I don't know what he is going to say and do. I mean, I can't fucking do anything about how he is going to react to various fucking things. He is going to just place himself in the correct shoes this whole time, and act like he would have been able to figure the whole thing out. I mean, I like my brother, but I am the first person to admit how fucking stubborn he can truly be." Sam replied, and I really had no idea what in the world I would even be able to say to make anything different at all.

"Just talk to Kevin, and explain the situation that happened. All that you need to know is that you did the best that you could, and you tried to keep Sam safe at all costs. So I feel like you need to just fucking keep calm about this." I said, and then I was seeing Sam just standing up, and he was heading to the house. I was wondering what his fucking plan was. And I was feeling like he was going to find some way to screw this whole thing up.

"I will do that. But I need to make sure that you don't plan on doing anything too dumb here. After all, we need you here more than we need anybody else." Sam said, and then he was just shaking his head. "I think the biggest issue is that at the end of the day, I know that you are probably the best person for this job, and that we need you here more than anybody."

"I am not the best of us all. I have only made things much worse for everybody else involved already. I think you probably need to think about something like this before you say something so insane." I said, and I really had no idea what I was even going to tell him.

"After all, Jenny said it herself several times, that she feels like Kevin is the best of us all. And in all honesty, when I see what he is like, and what we are like, I do sort of see what she is saying. After all, I have only made things so much fucking worse for you all." I said, as I was seeing Sam looking happier as he heard this. "If for nothing else, at least you can safely say that Jenny has not given up on him. And probably will never give up on him." I said, hoping that would make him feel better.

"That is really nice to hear. And in all honesty, I guess that I do sort of see what she is saying. After all, Kevin is becoming the only person who has never really given up on his opinion of certain matters, and always seems willing to show his short comings." After Sam said that to me, I was even more glad to be hearing him acknowledge the good things about his brother more than anything else.

"I just wish that I could be able to get him to see that at the end of the day, I don't judge him for the things he has been doing. After all, I was always brushing him and his own feelings off, and I was always showing a complete reluctance of even hearing anything new of his. I think that maybe that is something that I just need to see if my own fucking fault." I said, and then I saw Sam just tired, and I saw him looking like he was not really in the mood to have much of this discussion in the first place.

"Regardless, just know that I am grateful that you did what you did." After Sam was saying this to me, I saw him looking like he was trying to find something to tell him. "And I hope that at the end of the day, you and I don't ever have to be scared about what is going on anymore. I am over hiding because of being scared."

With that, Sam was gone, and I was having to accept the fact that he was going to be doing his own thing. Despite the fact that I was absolutely not sure if this would even fucking work at all, I just felt like his anger was perfectly justified.

I was just hoping that nobody would be accusing me of being the one who beat Sam up to hell and back. I think that if there was proof that it was the man in the purple jacket, then that would completely ruin any cases that guy had even fucking more.

I just fucking needed people to believe it, and not think that I was a fucking liar. I was thinking that the more and more the stuff about the man in the purple jacket was revealed, sooner or later, people would be forced to believe every single word of what we had been saying at this point.

I went in my car, and I was driving home, and I was glad to get this over with. Knowing that at least for one, one chapter of my life was taken care forever. And I was hoping that I would never have to deal with the man in the purple jacket again. And good riddance, since that was the most annoying thing that I had to deal with during this investigation.

…

Scene 17: The Strangest Request

As I was getting ready to wrap up for the night, that was when I was getting a knock on the door. I was sighing, and I was utterly annoyed with this. Not even going to pretend that it wasn't really getting annoying over time. But I decided to not say anything, as I was standing up, and I answered the door. As I did, I saw that it was Brad, wearing a tuxedo.

"What are you fucking doing here?" I asked, both mildly annoyed, but so fucking beyond curious to see what he was aware of, that I felt like I just needed to see what he was planning.

"I just have been thinking about all that has been happening, and I am starting to see that you guys were right. There is something strange going on with my mother, and as much as I hate to admit it, I feel like I need to stop pretending, and get back down to reality." Brad said that to me, and I was feeling like I just needed to be careful with what I wished for.

"In all honesty, I feel like I need you at my side when I do this. You seem far less harsh about your thoughts than Todd is, and I see that you guys are fucking working your asses off to make this whole thing work. And I feel like it is time to just see what I can do to help out." After Brad was telling me this, I was slowly nodding, feeling like I just needed to just make this work.

"I mean, I have no idea if something like this is really what you are thinking it will be. But I always understand what it is like to help a person in need. I'll do it. Not for the investigation. For you. Because you're a good friend." I said, and I wasn't really buying what I was saying. I was just feeling like I needed to say that in order to make him feel better.

"Wow, I never knew that you would be able to say that to me to make me feel better. I mean, I really don't want to fucking do this. I feel like it would be wrong. But I also feel like there is no fucking choice on the matter, and that I just need to accept what I have ahead of me." After Todd was telling me this, he shrugged, and seemed to be rather upset at what he was saying.

"I am also wondering where the fucking hell we can even fucking start in the first place. You know, I just feel like I need your advice on what is happening. The fact is that my mother keeps a really fucking tight grip on what is happening here, and that alone is already making things worse." He said, and then I was sighing, knowing that at the end of the day, nothing I could tell him would make him feel any different.

"Brad, I mean, I feel like she is doing this because she is scared that if you know everything that is happening, then you might no longer respect her. But that is not really something that she needs to worry about, I'm guessing." I said, and then Brad was smiling, thinking about all the good she had done for him.

"I do respect her more than she would ever fucking know. I just feel like she needs to tell me what she was doing, and I feel like I just need to know who my father is for sure. Once you and Todd mentioned that to me earlier, I realized that I was missing out on something." Brad was telling me, and then I sighed, not sure what in the world to tell him.

"I feel like it would be best for you to not get too worried about that. Todd just has a very eccentric of worrying about things that really are not that big of a deal. But he just wants to know everything." After I was telling him this, I was seeing that Brad was not really in the mood to hear this.

"But what if he is right? I mean, I seen the look on your face when he talks. He seems to command authority for you, and you buy everything that he is saying. So of course I am going to have a feeling that something like this is going to fucking matter." After he was telling me this, I was sighing, since I felt like I just needed to let it all go.

"I just feel like he has put a lot of time and thought into these things, and I feel like I need to give him the time of day before I completely brush off everything that he is saying. That is what it all comes down to really. Just making sure that he gets his voice heard, no matter what." I said, and I was hoping that he would hear what I was telling him for once.

"I mean, I guess it's just the fact that in all honesty, I know that I am living a fucking lie. And I just want to fucking see what I could be able to do in order to change that up for once." After Brad was telling me this, I was starting to see him looking like he was sort of just no longer in the mood to be fighting these things at all anymore.

"Well, I will see you tomorrow, and we can discuss all the things we both know. But for now, I feel like it would be best to just start easy, and just get to know each other for a while." I said, and then after I was telling him this, I saw Brad looking like he was willing to live with that, taking a day to just relax before shit hit the fan.

"Sheldon, what made you want to do something like this in the first place? I mean, I might be aware of how you are going to tell me that is none of my business. But I feel like I just want to know." After he was telling me this, I was sighing, and I was feeling like I just needed to be more patient.

"To find my sister Riley. It has always been that fucking simple. I wanted to know what I could do to bring her home. I wanted to see if I was the one who would be able to mend bridges. But I guess that something like this was just fucking impossible." I said, and then I was looking right at him, wondering if he would see how painful it was to be dealing with what I had dealt with.

"Did you ever get close to bringing her home?" Brad asked me, and I was feeling like I wanted to fucking strangle him for even asking such a question. He was clearly not seeing how much this was painful for me to hear.

"No, not even fucking close. If I did, I would probably never have brought myself to even look into this anymore. I just felt like I really had no fucking choice on the matter at all." I said, and then I was shrugging, and I had no idea what in the world I was even going to tell her.

"Or maybe she would tell you what happened, and she would be the one who would champion the idea of you looking deeper into this. Have you considered that outcome before?" Brad asked, and I was thinking about what he was saying. I mean, I never wanted to think about it. But that was quite possible.

"Honestly Brad, I mean, I feel like such a thing could be true. But for now, I am just happy to know that I am doing the right thing for once. Not just looking into these cases, but slowly making you guys fucking loyal as shit to me." I said, and I hated my wording of that. I was feeling like a asshole for even saying this. But I didn't fucking care.

"Sorry. I just feel like I would have to at least look at the idea. I feel like I need to talk to Todd again. See what he might know. And I still have hope for perhaps making things work with Joy." After Brad was telling me this, I looked at him, and I wanted to say something. To let him know that it wouldn't happen.

But then I felt like both he and Joy deserved better than to know what I was going on with her, and I was feeling like I just needed to let them figure that shit out on their own, and that for now, I just needed to be happy that he was taking a interest in getting to fucking work with me for once. That was all that I had needed.

"I guess that nobody is really going to fucking care what I want to do anyways. People just don't see that everything they are doing is broken as well. I thought that my friends and family would appreciate what I was doing. But I just see that as time passes, the more that they hate me for everything that I had been doing." I said, and then I shrugged, wondering why I was even telling him this anyways.

"Sheldon, do you seriously think that? That your friends and family hate you?" He asked, and then I was shrugging, feeling like I just needed to laugh at what he was saying. It was not what I was thinking. It was all honestly, what I had fucking known.

"I just feel like when I see them, and I see all that they are fucking feeling, I just make a fucking mistake here. I should have been asking them what they were going to do about what I learned. If they were even going to do shit about this. But I guess that I was just too impatient, and wanted to see if anybody was aware of the issues that has been going on." I said, and then I was shrugging for a second, and now I was feeling like whatever I could tell Brad would just simply be amusing in his eyes.

"But why the fucking hell do I care? I mean, in all honesty, we are both sort of outcasts who thought we were able to fucking reach out and do shit of out own. We all thought that we would be different from the usual bullshit. But at the end of the day, nobody fucking cares anymore." After he was telling me this, I was not really wanting to fucking talk about this too much.

"Yeah, I mean, I guess that there is something to say about that. But I guess that no matter what I can say, I might always be looking at things too deeply. But I doubt that it really is that. Deep down I know that it is people who are just ashamed of me, and everything I do. And I feel like that is why I like hanging out with Todd so much. Because I know he doesn't judge me." I said, and maybe I was giving him too much credit.

"I think that you need to be careful about that. You never know what he might be thinking about you behind your back. You of all people were helping me see things this way. So I think that it is best that you sort of remember this." After Brad was telling me this, I was sighing, since I was feeling like I was beyond the point of fighting with him here.

"So Brad, what made you even like Joy in the first place?" I asked, and then Brad was thinking about what I was asking. Probably feeling like he was going to be a fucking idiot if he had opened up about this whole thing in the first place.

"I mean, just her quiet attitude, and it feels like she is not somebody who thinks herself as superior. I just feel like she is one of those people that when she makes a lot of mistakes, she will admit to them, and then move on." Brad was saying, and I was feeling like I would just let him have that feeling, and not be telling him that this wasn't the case.

"Well, I think that she would be willing to give you a chance. I mean, I do feel like she has kind of moved beyond the bullshit of judging people for various things." I said, and then I was shrugging, feeling like telling him this would be making him feel much better.

"Thanks for that. Hearing that from you makes me feel so much fucking better. But I guess that I should have expected something like this." Brad was saying, and I was clearly seeing him looking like he was no longer scared of things at all.

"Sheldon, I just feel like at this point in time, I need to just try and start finding myself. Being my own person. Do you feel like you can help me truly see what I can do to make things better for myself? I feel like my request might be selfish. But I am finally getting to the point where I hardly fucking care anymore." Brad was telling me, as he was just thinking about what to say.

"Well, I mean, I have no idea what to fucking tell you. Just do whatever you feel like needs to be done. But I feel like at this point in time, there is no fucking point in hiding yourself. I feel like your mother would probably support what you are doing anymore." I said, and then I was shrugging, and now I had to find more to say to make him feel better.

But I decided against it. He seemed happier for once, and I didn't want to ruin that at all. I was feeling like I just needed to let him have what he was doing, and that by getting in his business this way, I would only be making things much worse for him. And that was not what I wanted.

…

Scene 18: December 10, 1986, end

When the session was done, Sheldon looked at his therapist, and he was sighing, and felt like for once, what he was doing was the best way to redeem himself for the mistakes that he made.

Sheldon: I mean, I helped do something right for once? I mean, I helped Sam finally figure out the truth of what that man had done.

Therapist: I am shocked to hear that he was the one that helped Shaun Reichenbach start the company up. That is something that you never mentioned. I assumed it would have at least been mentioned.

Sheldon: I never thought that it was important to tell you that until we got to that part of the story. Besides, it was always a more minor detail for me, so I never thought that it was really important.

Therapist: If you say so. I mean, I just feel like that is something that would be really big to know down the line, and it does add some context on the virtually impenetrable armor that he has.

Sheldon: Besides, I was just too busy doing what was right for once in my life, and not leaving anybody out because of various little fucking things.

Therapist: Yeah, I mean, I was surprised when you were willing to help Brad out, and show him that you were going to be there for him, even with the disputes between you two.

Sheldon: Brad was a desperate man raised by a desperate woman. At the end of the day, I do see how he was connected to this whole thing, and why he was so desperate to just know why things were going the way they did.

Therapist: Honestly, I can see why people love you so much. You're a wonderful man. Or at least you seemed like you were. You know, before your become a victim of the heroin.

Sheldon: I know. I mean, I thought that I was going to be the one exception to the issues. You know, that I would get out of this shit. But maybe I was a fucking idiot for thinking that.

Therapist: No, you're not. Everybody initially thinks that way about themselves. Thinking they are the exception to the issues going on. But then before long, succumb to the addictive behavior of it all.

Sheldon: I still shouldn't have gotten into this when I was seventeen years old. I mean, I thought that this was a good enough age to be prepared for things. But I was being used.

Therapist: Do you think there might have been a small chance they were setting this shit up, the drug addiction, in order to sedate you and make you too weak in order to continue

Sheldon: I mean, it is possible, I will admit. But the amount of pre planning that would have had to take, I feel like it would not really be worth looking at that chance.

Therapist: It just seemed like these people had a plan for everything, so I figured that I would see if you had any thoughts on that idea at all. But I guess it does sound silly.

As both Sheldon and his therapist were considering what had been happening, and both were wondering what was next for his future, Sheldon thanked his therapist for what she had been doing for him, and then he left her, feeling no need to hold her for any longer.