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.

29. No Longer Feeling Of Uncertainty

Chapter 2 Episode 11 The Breaking Out Of Uncertainty

July 29, 2022

Later, T.K. was starting to feel tired as he was pulling up at his house. When he was getting out of the car, he felt like complete shit this entire time, and he was feeling like there was no other way to get out of this. He took a cigarette out, trying to calm down, and not be too upset with what was happening. Not too upset that he was losing his chance with his brother as soon as he got it.

Once he was at his door, his wife was seeing how hurt he had been, and clearly was seeing that he was not really in the spot to be having this discussion in the first place. "T.K., what are you fucking doing here? You do realize that you look like utter shit." She said, and T.K. was not really in the mood to be hearing this at all.

"I know that I do. I don't need to have witty humor telling me this. I feel terrible though, since it feels like every time I start to try and make things work out for the best, things just get worse, and I feel like I am wasting my fucking time here. But I guess that you do not have any interest in hearing that." T.K. said, and he felt like he was just being relatively unreasonable, but he shook his fucking head.

"Sorry. I was just trying to make you laugh. I guess that sometimes I just go a bit too far. But T.K. seriously, what in the world is going on? Can I be able to fucking help you here?" She asked, suddenly taking what I said more seriously.

"Look, I am just trying my best to make my job turn out well. I do not need people judging me all the fucking time for various little things. And I certainly do not need you judging me for things that I can't even fucking do anything about." I said, and then I was looking right at him, and I wondered what he would be saying to this.

"Do you feel like your work is even going to be that successful anyways? I am not trying to start shit right now, but I feel like you need to be thinking about how much this is even going to be helping anybody out, at all, before you keep throwing this fucking thing down the drain for no good reason." She was telling T.K., and he was feeling like she just couldn't ever get it.

"I just feel like for once, I know that I am making some real progress. And in all honesty, every time I send my episodes to my publisher, I just feel some closure. Knowing that I am not insane for getting this out." T.K. said, and then he was shrugging, not sure what to tell her.

"Have you ever thought that maybe you are only making it worse because you keep bringing it up, and you are making it a bigger issue than you ever needed to?" She asked T.K. feeling like she needed to get him to at least consider what she was saying. He shrugged, not sure what to tell her.

"I don't know. I mean, that might be true. But if you were there, then I think you would understand that there was no way in hell that I would be able to even be alive. I would probably go back into drug addictions, and I would be like the guy that I am currently writing about now. His entire life thrown down the drain due to things that he had no real fucking power over." After T.K. said that to her, he was going to his bed.

"What about your family? Don't you feel like you need to be there for them? You know, helping them actually grow to become decent people?" She asked him, and then T.K. was sighing, feeling like he needed to give his best response yet. To make her leave feel like he was the good guy now.

"Well, I don't think I was ever ready to have one. And besides, I feel like everybody that I have grown up with has become better knowing that I am gone. If I am being honest, I probably don't even deserve to be alive. But I might as well just make the most of it that I can. When I die, I feel like nobody is really going to be fucking missing me at all. Not that I can blame them." T.K. said, and then he shrugged, and went to his bed, feeling he needed to sleep now.

When he was waking up after a few hours of sleep, he went over to his door, to see who knocked. When he was looking to see that it was his brother Matt, he was shocked to be seeing something like this. Not too sure what he wanted to do.

"I just figured that since you were trying to make things better, that I would try and repair our damages too. And besides, I guess it might be nice to see how your house is after all this time." After Matt was telling T.K. this, T.K. decided to let him inside, and not make much of a issue about this.

When T.K. went on over to his computer, he was trying to boot it up, to see if it was something he could even be able to fucking work out. As he was staring at the blank document, he was feeling his publisher was just making things worse for him with the constant demand of new material. But he knew there was nothing he could do to change it, so he just took a cigarette out, and started to smoke it, as he was starting the next episode of his story.

"T.K., how long do you think this is going to take for you to finish?" Matt asked him, seeming to just be kind of wanting his brother to finally open up, and actually talk for once. As he was hearing this, T.K. wondered what he was planning on doing.

"I honestly don't know. I have been working with people as much as possible to turn this whole thing around. You know hard it is to have people constantly at your back, trying to know everything you have been doing, and now you can't fucking do shit to change it." He said, and then I slowly nodded, trying to get his perspective.

"I mean, there is still the story with Dipper, and the actual digital world, and those four or so events, the fucking stuff with Lincoln, Jimmy, Ness, and then I have recently been given some emails requesting to cover some stuff within the last year or two." T.K. said, and then Matt was hearing what he was saying for once.

"Oh shit, you're really barely gotten most of it done at this point." After Matt said this, he sat down, and then sighed. "Look, do you seriously feel like you need to get this all done? I mean, you have people who can help you out? Other people experienced this shit too, you do not need to brush them all off." Matt said, and then T.K. shook his head as he heard this.

"It is not that fucking simple, and you fucking know it. Most of those people are either dead, or have already talked about it once, and want nothing to do with it again. I can't fucking even blame them." T.K. said, pounding his head on his desk, not sure what else he was going to get out of a silly act.

"The best we can do is fucking just push along, and hope that everything will actually be read. I mean, that is why I am publishing these on internet sites too. That way even if my publisher rejects, then there are people on various sites who can read this, and maybe spread the word." He said, thinking how fruitless the entire attempt was.

"But I think we both know that they are going to take this as fictional. And that this is a fucking waste of time." Matt said, and T.K. considered what he was being told. Probably wanted to fight back, but having no way to be doing this at all, no matter how much he tried.

"I know that they will. And I know that I will be wasting my fucking time with this. Nobody fucking cares anymore. I am a waste of time. But I feel like with the people that I knew, that trying with this is all that I can fucking do. That is why I feel like we need to work together, and unite, and finally stop hating each other." T.K. said, hoping this would finally fucking land.

"Yeah, I feel like maybe that is true. I have bene kind of brushing you off for way too fucking long. I don't know. Maybe I just thought you were able to hold your own for a while. And your behavior for a while was scaring me, and making me question your sanity." He said, and then T.K. laughed at that, thinking of how to counter act.

"Honestly, I can't even fucking blame you. After all, all I did was create controversies, and really make things much worse for everybody else. I should have really seen what you could have done differently. But I guess that I wanted to never fucking hear it." T.K. said, and then he was shaking his head at what his brother was doing.

"T.K., do you seriously think that everything you are doing is going to change the world? I mean, I know that you know that this whole thing is excessively idealistic. But I think that if you want to fucking try, we might be able pull something together." He was telling me, and then I was shrugging, really having no idea what to tell him.

"I don't know if I can say changing the world. What I can fucking say is that I would finally feel like what I do matters for once. That I am going to be the man that my father would want me to be. Proud of me for finally doing what I know was right, and not what everybody wants of me instead." T.K. said, and shrugged as he said that.

"But what do I fucking know? I think that we both know that nothing I can say will make much of a difference at all. I thought that I was going to be the one that would finish what Sheldon had started, and I thought that what I was doing was for the best of Wayside. It is only as I grow older that I realize that I am a fucking joke for trying to fucking make this work out." T.K. said, and then he stood up, taking another cigarette out.

"And the worst part is that I feel like I am going to have to go back. You know, rewrite the shitty first part of my story. The stuff where I introduced all of us in a narrative fashion. Not only do I feel like I might have messed up some details, but I feel like the writing just got worse over time. Especially since I didn't really consult you all enough for it." After T.K. said that, he was shaking his head.

"Especially since my publisher has been really fucking harping my ass about a weekly schedule, and trying to update at that rate. I might try and negotiate a bi weekly publish. You know, give myself some more time to get the details out there. I mean, I feel like I can handle the weekly model until I am done with Sheldon here. But after that, I might have to make it bi weekly." T.K. said, and then Matt was sighing, understanding what his brother said.

"Have you ever considered telling your family? You know, they are going to want to fucking know too. I mean, especially Trent. Sooner or later, he will wonder why you haven't been there for him as much. After all, he turns nine in December." Matt said, and then T.K. sighed, not wanting this brought up once again.

"I know how time works Matt. You do not need to remind me of the fact that I am being a piece of shit." T.K. said, feeling like he needed to have his brother get off his back about the fact that they both knew he was one of the worst parents of all time.

"I just feel like when I see you doing this, I need you to fucking see that there are more things at stake then you remember. After all, you broke up with several people over this shit. And now you are having a chance to do something better. And this is how it works." He said, and T.K. just didn't want to hear it.

"I just need to get back to work. I want to be with my family again. I need to be with my family again. But the job must be done." T.K. said, sat down, and took a deep breath, wondering why he was even trying so hard to excuse his actions, when they weren't exceusable.

…

Scene 1: December 24, 1986, Start

Sheldon was sitting down in his therapists office again, feeling like he was just needing to pick his words carefully with her, and make her not hate him for what he felt.

Therapist: You seem like you are just unsure of what you are wanting to do now.

Sheldon: I guess that something like that makes sense. Considering the fact that this is the first time that Jenny has been gone, and I start to feel like it should have been me.

Therapist: Yeah, I mean, how has Cody been holding up lately?

Sheldon: Better than he used to. Still not the best, but he is clearly trying, and I am proud of him for that. EVen if he doesn't see it.

Therapist: Sheldon, do you feel like this story will be able to get them to open up with you more? After all, you do plan on telling them this all, right?

Sheldon: I have no fucking choice. I want to have them see that this is something that has been way out of their control for longer than they have been alive.

Therapist: How much has he wanted to approach you about this subject, or is this something that you are completely fucking lost on?

Sheldon: I am mostly lost, but I have had a sense of knowing that at least he is starting to sort of be willing to hear that this is not something that is his fault, and that I made many mistakes, all of them I have regretted deeply over the years...

Therapist: How much do you feel like your story helped the town? You know, make them see what happened, and try to change things on their own?

Sheldon: Nothing happened. People are fucking stupid. Refusing to listen, and refusing to really understand that what they are doing is only making things worse. All because they are focused on themselves.

As he said that, and he got his major point across, he was now ready to tell his story to his therapist, who he was sure was losing much respect for him with each passing session.

…

Scene 2: Mother and Son

We started the next day, when Brad was wanting to just talk with his mother for a bit, and just see what she might fucking know. He was feeling at this point in time, he just needed to know what was going on in her mind. "So mom, I just wanted to ask you some questions." Brad asked, and his mother looked at me, and I was seeing her looking mildly furious at me.

"What are you doing that is making my son do this right now?" She asked, and I was shrugging, feeling like she needed to see this for herself, and that maybe this was something that she needed to fucking deal with on her own.

"I just wanted to ask if you really cared all that much about having a second boy? And I was wondering why you wouldn't just adopt a girl or something. You know, still get that second child. And somebody who you will inevitably be able to fucking bond with more." I said, and then I was seeing her looking upset at the mere connotation with this question.

"I have had many times were I was offered to have a girl instead, and I turned them down every single time. I have no interest in having a daughter. I was supposed to have two sons, and I was lied to by Sherman and Shaun. And I have been trying to get one every single year. But my application keeps getting denied every single fucking year." She said, and I was shocked at the firmness that she was having here.

"So no, I have never considered, and will never consider, having a daughter instead. And I will keep applying for my second son every year until I have one." She said, and I was able to hear from the tone of her voice, and the way that she was picking her words carefully, that she was clearly worried about the way Brad would react if he learned the truth.

"I can tell from the tone of your voice, that it seems like something is going to be different this year." Brad was saying, and I was seeing him looking like he was utterly terrified of this whole thing. He started to look at me, trying to find something to say to make him feel better.

"Well, Jimmy White was telling me that something happened this year that is increasing the likelihood of it this time. If that happens, then I will be truly complete for the first time in thirteen years." She said, and I was seeing her looking like she was just thinking about the idea.

"Do you really love me, or are you just doing this to fucking get a strange goal of yours? To go back to a fucking life that you are just aggrandizing?" Brad asked her, and he was clearly trying to hold his patience as he was asking her this. As he said this, I saw her looking upset at the way he was asking.

"Yes Brad I love you. Why in the world would you even get that idea in your head? If I didn't, then I wouldn't have been at your side this whole time. Working with you on every assignment, every emotion that you had. I have spent the last thirteen years doing everything for you." She said, and then I was slowly nodding.

"Well, I just ask because some people claim that you have become obsessed with this idea. This lifestyle that you want, but are probably never going to be getting." Brad said, and he was feeling like he needed to challenge his mom a bit.

"Helping my family isn't a fucking obsession, and everybody who tries to pretend like it is, needs to see what it is like when they have their own family that they are trying to uphold. But yeah, I will admit, I never go an hour where I don't think of you at least a little bit." After she was saying this to Brad, I was seeing him looking like he was kind of uncomfortable with her admission of this.

"I mean, it's just the fact that I am going to be going into eighth grade soon. I'm not really a small child anymore. I feel like I need to be doing my own thing, and that I need to do what is important for me. And I just feel like sooner or later, I need to get out of the nest." Brad said, hoping that this would be a small way to get her to start to open up with the idea of doing things different.

"I know that will happen at some point Brad. But I am worried that as you have gotten older, you have become more and more unsure of if you can reach out to me. I never wanted you to ever feel that. And I am scared that you are starting to think that I am not in this for you." She was telling Brad, and I was seeing him looking kind of unsure of what he wanted to say.

"It is because I feel like as I grow older, I am no longer just the product of what people make me. I am my own person, who needs to do his own thing. That is what I am thinking here, and I was hoping that I would be able to see you help me out here." After Brad was telling her this, he closed his eyes, hoping she would hear him.

"When you see that you can talk with me more, then just fucking tell me what is going on, and I will help you through this." She was saying, and just started to look like she was barely containing her cool here. Not really looking like she was able to handle the rejection he was slowly making.

As Brad was heading out, his mother placed her hand on my shoulder, and I looked at her, and I was feeling like no matter what was happening, I just needed to be more careful with what I was thinking right now. Not to let her have the satisfaction of scaring the shit out of me. "What do you fucking want?"

"I am telling you right now that if you continue to put these lies in my sons mind, and get him to believe in these things, then I will have to go there, and tear that throat out of your mouth." She said, and I was looking at her, and I was seeing from the look on her face that she was serious.

"You need to fucking tell him what is happening here then. I don't want to do this with your son. He deserves better than what we are both doing to him. But in order for things to work, we need to fucking work together." I said, and then I was seeing her looking like she was actually considering what I had told her here.

"I know that your father is the main guy on campus, and that what he says should be the main word of the town, but that doesn't mean that he has any right on telling anybody how to handle Brad. I feel like you do not understand at all how many sacrifices I had to make in order to make my son survive, and have a good life." She said, and then I sighed, feeling like I needed to say something, in order to make her feel better here.

"Look, I get that you placed in a lot of time and effort to helping him out. You are a great mom. And I wished that I had a mom who would be here, and help us out." I said, and then took a moment to remember that unlike Riley, which had a minor chance of happening, this was a reality that will literally never happen.

"But you need to see that my father has been making a great effort to turn things around. And that he needs the recognition of doing so." I said, and I was being rather firm with what I was saying. As I was telling her this, I saw her looking like she was just trying to calm down a bit.

"As long as we are on the same page, and you understand that I have the right to do whatever I can to make life much better for everybody, then that is what matters." After she was telling me this, I nodded, and I was feeling like I just needed to be honest with him.

"I need to fucking leave. I am going to be the person that your son needs, even if you do not see it yet." I said, and then I was starting to walk off, and I was leaving her alone, to think about what I had said, and she was both furious, but too tired to fight as well.

When I was outside, I looked at Brad, and I was seeing that he was still considering what he had been told. Clearly not too sure if he was enjoying this new piece of information. "I mean, I just feel like that after thirteen years, my mom needed to have gotten over the fact that she didn't get the second son. I wonder who he even was in the first place." He said, and then I was thinking about what he was saying.

"I also still wonder if the theories about Sherman being my father are actually true in the first place. Or his son Dexter. I mean, I think that is virtually true. But in order to go there, I feel like I will need to see one of them again." After Brad was telling me this, I looked at him, and I was considering what he had said to me. Thinking that I needed to bring him over to Sherman Peabody's area.

"Well, Todd and I were at Peabody's residence a couple of weeks ago. We tried to talk to him, but he was virtually incoherent. We can try again if you want to. Or we even can go on and go down to see if Dexter is still here anyways." I said, and then I was starting to head down the stairs, going to my car, feeling like now that I given Brad material to work with, he needed to pick what he would do with said material

"What is going to them would be a waste of time? You know, people not even giving a chance to fucking talk with them? I just feel like in all honesty, this can really end up being a waste of fucking time, and I hate to admit that." After he was telling me this, I was sighing, feeling like I just needed to not even say much, as he was already losing his mind too much on this whole thing.

"And I don't really know if I want to waste the rest of my summer on something like this. Despite how much I want to fucking know about this, this is going to potentially ruin everything, and I have to continue to keep that in mind." After he was telling me this, I was sighing, kind of annoyed with him at saying all of this.

"I don't fucking know dude. I mean, I do sort of see what you are saying. Maybe I have just gone beyond the point of worrying about that. I still have one summer break left after this." I said, getting inside my car, and then I was starting to drive off, and then I was seeing Brad looking like he was starting to feel better with that mindset.

"Yeah, I guess that is true. I do have a lot of time left. So I guess that I do not need to be so worried about that for the time being." After he was telling me this, I was starting to drive off, feeling no need to be getting in his case about this any longer.

Before too long, I was starting to drive Brad on over to Joy's house, and I was seeing Brad looking extremely confused. Wondering what I was doing. "Sheldon, what the fucking hell is going on?" He asked, getting worried about what I was doing. I sighed, aware of the fact that I was probably looking like he was annoyed with this.

"I'm going to take you to Joy's house. You were the one who kept talking about how much you wanted to get to know her, and be a friend of hers. So I am giving you the fucking chance to do this." I said, and then I was seeing Brad looking like he was utterly joyed to hear this from me. I was seeing him looking like he wanted to thank me for everything going on. But then just decided to remain silent, and not get in my way now.

"Sheldon, thank you for doing this for me. I mean, I might not know what to tell her, or how to make her feel better. But I feel like I need to be happy for the chance that I fucking have." Brad was telling me, and I was looking at him, wondering what he had been feeling at this point in time. Wondering why he was so worried about things now.

"I feel like you deserve a chance of being happy, and I know for a fucking fact that Joy deserves one too. So I feel like that is something that you need to fucking give her." I said, and then I patted him on the shoulder. As I did this, I saw him starting to get excited for once in his life.

"Yeah, you're right. I can fucking do this. And I do not need to be fucking scared of everything going on. I am going to be doing great." He was saying, and then he was taking a long and deep breath, finally aware that there was no way in hell he was going to change reality now.

"Sheldon, when I see Joy, do you think I should tell her how I fucking feel, or do you think that if something that I shouldn't take the risk on?" He asked, and I was shocked to hear him asking me this in the first place. I had no idea what to fucking tell him at all.

"Brad, you are going to go in there looking and feeling like a million bucks. I fucking believe in you, and I believe that no matter what fucking happens, you are going to show everybody that you know what you are doing." I said, and then he was slowly nodding, no longer feeling like there was any point in arguing with him at all.

"A million fucking bucks." After he was telling me this, he was patting his legs, and I was seeing that the aura of confidence was coming back once again, and he was starting to fully embrace his worth, and not fucking hide no matter what was happening.

As Brad was thinking this, and believing the support that I was giving him, he was leaving the car, and then he started to head on towards the door. I got out of the car, I smoked a cigarette for a few seconds, wondering what I was going to do now.

Before too long, she answered the door, and she was annoyed to see him here. Probably wondering what the greater scheme was. I looked at her, and I was shrugging, feeling like something like this was something she would need to handle.

"Hey Joy, I was sorry to hear about your mother. I mean, I didn't know how to help you. Especially since we hardly ever knew each other." After Brad was telling her this, he was sighing, hoping that he would get her to open up a bit more.

"Yeah, I know that everybody is here to try and make me feel better about what is happening. But to be fucking honest, I just have a hard time really buying anything anymore. I never know when somebody is lying to me or not anymore. So I just feel like I am walking on eggshells the whole time." She said, and then Brad seemed to consider what to tell her.

"What happened?" After Brad asked her this, I was seeing that Joy was looking at me, as if mentally asking me if it was okay to seriously bring him into something like this right now. I shrugged, feeling like I needed to let him have the chance.

"Well, I feel like in all honesty, I should have trusted different people, and that a lot of the people I did trust were the wrong ones. I wanted to trust my father, and I wanted to believe that he was the man to fucking save me. But I feel like something like this is a fucking lie." She was telling Brad, feeling like she would be able to go that deeply at least.

"I am not really sure about you yet though. I mean, I feel like I need to know more about you before I make any fucking statements about that." After she was telling Brad this, Brad shrugged, feeling like he would have to take that one.

"I guess that is fair enough. I mean, I still am trying to figure out my own place in this fucking world. So much shit going on, that I need to be more careful on." After Brad was telling her this, he was feeling like nothing he would tell her would make her feel better.

"I mean, I was wondering if it would be possible to help you." Brad said, and then I was seeing her looking like she was not too sure what to even fucking tell him. Probably thinking that Brad was not really sure what he was saying.

"I mean, I have no idea. I guess that I could just use somebody being there for me, to make me feel like I am not going fucking insane this whole time. If you can be able to fucking do that." After she was telling Brad this, I saw Brad looking like he was willing to do something like this for her sake.

"Yeah, I feel like I can fucking do that." After Brad was saying this, he was starting to fucking calm down, and he was now feeling like he was happier for once. "What would you want to fucking do?" After he asked her this, I was seeing her looking kind of calmer, and started to laugh at the way he was acting.

"I mean, I could use a burger at Mezmer's right now." After Joy was telling Brad this, Brad started to laugh, and I was seeing that he was finding her way of going at this rather funny. But then he started to slowly nod, feeling like there was no need to be hiding that idea.

Brad and Joy were looking at me, as if wondering if I would agree to this. I sighed, feeling like there was no point in fighting this, and that I just needed to let them have their fucking moment and be happier. "I mean, if you guys seriously want to go there, then I guess that I have no fucking choice." I said, feeling like there was no need to fight this at all anymore.

Both of them looked like they were so much happier to know that I was willing to let this whole fucking thing go, and that I wasn't going to be fighting them at all. "But let me tell you that if you guys keep doing this, then you are going to drain my fucking net worth." After I was telling them this, I was seeing them looking like they were willing to accept something like this.

"Okay dad…" Joy said in a sarcastic manner, and I was rolling my eyes as I was getting in the drivers seat, and I was feeling like as annoying as this might be right now, I would miss this in due time, and that I just needed to be happy with this.

Once they were both in the car with me, I was then shaking my head, and despite how annoying these things might be at times, I was happy to see that at the end of the day, they were both going to be getting along, or at least trying for now.

As we were driving along, I was then wondering why I was so scared of various little things when I had these people to hang out with, and I was wondering if maybe Riley would have wanted me to move on. And Christen, and Jamie. With each one, I started to wonder more and more if this was worth it.

…

Scene 3: A New Advance

The next day, I was seeing Brad looking like he was just on top of the world, as if he was feeling like the way that I helped him break his social barrier was something that he was really able to appreciate. "Oh my god, you have no idea how hard it is to finally break out to people, and tell them that I think that it would be worth giving these friendships a chance." After he was telling me this, I sighed for a second, and had no idea what to tell him.

"Well, I think that you need to remember that you do not need to worry about what your fucking mother is wanting to do all the fucking time. You just got to do what is important for you." I said, and I was hoping that by telling him this, he would feel slightly better.

"You are really trying hard to not have me be looking at her too much. I feel like you need to understand that my mother has been working harder than anybody else to pull this whole thing out." I said, and I was shrugging, and I really had no idea what in the world I was even going to be doing at this rate.

"Well, I am just trying to make sure you hold up for yourself. That is all that I am trying to fucking do. You told her yourself, you're thirteen years old. You need to fucking go on and be your own man." I said, and then after I was telling him this, I was seeing him kind of annoyed about this whole thing.

"Yeah, I know that I fucking said that. That doesn't mean that I have to fucking like it at all." After Brad was telling him this, I was shrugging for a second, and I really had no idea what my greater plan was going to be. I was wondering what I would accomplish by the end of this.

"Regardless, I know that no matter what I tell my mother, she will find some way to try and be ultra clingy to me, and try to tell me that I need to give her more fucking time. She really has a hard time letting go among me, and I feel like that should have been my first fucking hint that something wrong was going on." After he was telling me this, he seemed rather annoyed at her.

"I remember when my mother died, and my dad seemed to had a hard time letting go initially. He wanted to just make sure that Riley and I were fine. And when Riley went missing, it got even worse." I said, thinking about the fact that I had a whole month off after Riley went missing.

"Well, that makes some fucking sense. Your father had a real fucking excuse to be doing this, but my mother is just fucking obsessed, and she just needs to understand that it is time to fucking let go." Brad was telling me, and I was really having no idea what in the world I could have told him, at all.

"I mean, I guess that I do understand that she probably feels like she needs to just make sure you are doing well. But that doesn't change how annoying the whole fucking thing can really fucking be." After I was telling him this, I was seeing Brad looking like he was no longer really wanting to fucking hear it at all.

"But I want to go on and meet Todd again. You know, on a non biased level, and just fucking see what I could be able to fucking talk to him about." Brad was telling me, and then I was slowly nodding, feeling like there was no fucking point in doing all this anymore.

With that, I drove on down to Todd's house, and when I was there, I was seeing that Todd was planning on heading out. But when he was seeing that Brad was here, I was seeing him looking like he was mildly shocked to be seeing that Brad was even here in the first place. "What are you guys doing here?" After he asked me this, I was shrugging, not thinking much of it.

"Brad was telling me that he wanted to perhaps get to know you better. And in all honesty, I think that is a fair idea. After all, you guys haven't really had much time to talk during the summer, and I feel like this is a good way to make up for it." I said, and then I was seeing Todd looking like he was clearly not very interested in doing this at all.

"What do you seriously want to fucking do here? I mean, after everything going on, I can't help but feel like there are some ulterior motives." After Todd was telling Brad this, I was seeing Brad looking like he was mildly triggered at the way that he was being treated.

"If I may remind you, you and Sheldon were the ones who came to my house one night, trying to force my mother to tell you guys everything that is happening. So in all honesty, I feel like you guys are the last ones who have a right to get upset with me." After he was telling us this, I slowly shrugged, feeling like that was a fair enough statement.

"Yeah, true. I guess that I just know that your mother really does not like us at all, and I feel like I have to keep that in mind when I see you. But I guess that you are different from your mother after all." After he was saying this, he shrugged, and I was seeing him looking like he was kind of feeling he needed to tone things down a bit.

"Regardless, I heard that you and Joy were talking with each other. I find that kind of cool, to be honest. After all, she needs to make some new friends, and not be so fucking worried about small little things." After Todd was telling Brad this, I was seeing Brad looking like he was shocked to hear Todd admit something like this.

"Well, I am just trying to help her out, to make her see that I am not a bad guy at all." After Brad was telling Todd this, I was feeling like I just needed to be much more careful here. "But Todd, have you been having a good summer so far?" He asked, and with each passing minute, I knew more and more that I couldn't get over how similar they both looked.

"Yeah, I guess, relatively speaking. Or at least in comparison to everybody else that I have been talking with lately. In all honesty, I feel like when I fucking see them, I do sort of feel bad for everything going on." Todd said, and he was seeming kind of upset with the way he was speaking now.

"Regardless, I just feel like I know that there isn't a whole lot that I am going to be getting by trying to make things any fucking different." After Todd was telling Brad this, he was shrugging, and he was sort of looking like he was just kind of losing all interest in this subject in the first place.

"But Brad, I feel like you need to know that most of my friends are not really in a good fucking space now. They are probably not going to fucking want to speak to you that much. Not trying to hurt your feelings, but I feel like there is only so much you can get by trying to speak with them." I said, and then I was shrugging, and I had no idea what to tell him.

"Yeah, I fucking know that. I just know that Joy needs more help than anybody else here, and I want to be able to give her that so fuckin badly." After Brad was telling him this, I was seeing Todd looking like he was not really all that interested in hearing more.

"Joy? I think that you are going to have to realize it is a losing battle if she of all people is the one you are trying to help. She is basically beyond helping, with the shit that is happening." After Todd was telling him this, I was seeing that Brad was still not really looking like he wanted to hear this.

"But still. I mean, she was talking to me about how she was having a hard time trusting people. I want to fucking help her break that mold so fucking badly. And I know that it might be a fruitless endeavor. But I am starting to not fucking care anymore." Brad was shrugging, and he was seeming to be kind of annoyed with everything.

"Well, I think you need to just remember that if this doesn't work, it is not your fucking fault. You need to remember that she just needs to have somebody that she is trying to trust." After Todd was telling Brad this, I was seeing Brad was looking like he was kind of feeling bad for everything that had been going on.

"Thank you for trying to make me feel better." After he was telling Todd this, I was seeing Brad looking like he was trying to find something to make things feel slightly better about this whole thing.

"I guess that makes me feel better." Brad said, and he was sounding like he was just trying to buy what he was hearing. He wanted to believe everything he was hearing, but there was still a part of him that was really trying to fully get over this all.

"Brad, trust me when I say that this is something that you can't fucking do much to be make things any different." After Brad was saying this, he was starting to walk to my car, and I was seeing him looking like he was just sort of out of the fucking line.

"You seem to be much different lately. Usually you seem so fucking confident and full of yourself, as if you can't do anything wrong at all." Brad said, and then I was seeing Todd looking like he was couldn't really have much to say to hide here.

"I know that this is usually what I am like. But I just guess that in all honesty, I feel like I might have been making a big fucking mistake. I shouldn't have judged you for the way you were earlier. Especially when I learned that I myself was adopted earlier." After Todd was telling Brad this, I was seeing him looking like he was hating the fact that he was admitting this in the first place.

"You're adopted as well?" Brad asked, and I was hearing him having a minor form of pity to Todd's face when he was hearing this. But then he was shrugging, as if feeling like there was literally nothing that he could fucking do to change that at all.

"I mean, that does suck. Especially when unlike me, you probably never had that in mind much. At least with myself, I knew from day one that I was." Brad said, and he was looking at Todd, feeling like he just needed to be nicer to him about what was happening.

"Thanks for at least pretending to feel really bad for me. I mean, I just wish that I could be able to look at the way that I was talking to you guys, and realize that you all deserved so much better than the way that I acted. But I guess that I would be wasting my time with this." After Todd was saying this, and then he was shrugging, and seemed to not have much more to say on the matter.

"Brad, do you feel like you need to have somebody there to help you out? I mean, I might not be the man for you to help you out, but I feel like I just need to fucking give you a fucking chance." After Todd was telling him this, the two of them were heading to my car.

"Seriously, can you guys at least pretend to have a agreement on what you are going to be doing before you go into my car? I can't really fucking help you guys out when you give me no ammunition." I said, sighing in annoyance, and hoping that they would be willing to at least consider what I had been telling him at this rate.

"Any cool places you recommend?" Brad asked, and then Todd was shrugging, as if not having much to say. Then he suggested the skating park to just have a casual place to hang out at to start with.

As I brought them to the skating park, Brad was sitting down on the bench, and I was seeing from the look on his face looking like he was just trying to decide what he was wanting to say and do. "Oh my god, I love skating down here all the time. One of the few things that I get to do in my free time with no issues. Although in all honesty, I am shocked to be hearing that you guys are interested in this place anyways." Brad said, and I was shocked to be hearing him mentioning that he was into this place anyways.

"You like going down here? Then why have I never seen you here? That is so strange. I just guess that I never expected you to be somebody going around taking some minor risks." After Todd was telling Brad this, he sat down, feeling like Todd was needing to see that he wasn't the genius he thought that he was.

"You need to pick up on some things much better dude. I usually come here around seven or eight in the evening, when most people are no longer here, so they won't be able to judge me and act like I am a fucking idiot at this." Brad said, and then he was laughing, feeling like he just needed to relax, and not be making things much worse.

"I was just saying that it was shocking is all. Holy shit, you don't need to be a asshole about this." After Todd said this, he was shrugging, and decided to not be saying much more about this at all. But then with that, he was then wondering what to say.

"Maybe you should meet up with Jenny. She loves skating more than anything else in the fucking world. She does it all the fucking time, and I think you would get a kick out of seeing her." After Todd was telling him this, Brad was seeming to consider what he had heard. Then he slowly nodded, feeling like he was going to take advantage of something like this now.

"Yeah, maybe I will give it a fucking chance. Thanks for giving me the suggestion." After Brad was telling Brad this, he was smiling for a bit, finally feeling like no matter what else was happening, Brad and him were going to fucking pull this whole thing together. And there was no way to make things any different.

"So Sheldon, what are you planning on doing now?" You seem to be deep in thought about something else." Brad said, and then with that, I was shrugging, and I seemed to not really have much that I could say.

"Just the fact that you guys got into something that seems really awesome, but I never took the time to start it. I was working on cars with Jamie last year, and have been thinking about how she saved my life." I said, feeling that I could give Brad a detail of my past, for his own sake.

After a hour or so, Todd and Brad were looking like they were wanting to play along for a while longer, and I was seeing them both looking like they were genuinely having a great time. "Sorry that I never gave you a chance in school. But I guess that you are going to be hearing that a lot soon." After Todd was saying this to Brad, that was when Brad was shrugging, and didn't seem to have much to say.

"But Todd, I was wondering if you would be willing to tell me something else? What are you even doing with Sheldon most of the time in the first place? I mean, in the last fucking few weeks, you and Sheldon have been going all over the place, trying to find shit that probably doesn't even really matter. After Brad was asking this, that was when Todd looked like he had not wanted to have this talk.

"I don't know. I mean, I don't know if you need to know that stuff. Regardless, the two of us have been looking into the missing girls, and trying to see what we could be bale to learn from those. We thought that we would help those in this town." After Todd was telling Brad this, I was seeing Brad looking upset with this statement.

"Oh shit, I think I do not need to tell you that something like this might be a fucking terrible idea. I am just wondering what even got your interest in this subject in the first place." After he was saying this to us, I was seeing that Todd was not really in the mood to have this discussion at all.

"Yeah, you're not fucking helping making me feel any better. I just wish that I knew what the hell everybody was doing here. After all, you and Sheldon always seem to be on top of everything going on here. I just wish that I could be able to help you out eventually." After Brad was saying this, he shook his head, knowing he was probably never doing this.

"I think that the best thing you can do to help out is to remind people that sometimes we do have a normal social life, and we are not these crazy people who are strictly business. I mean, everybody gives us these bad looks, and acting like we are doing something horrible wrong." After Todd said this, he sighed in annoyance, not having much to say at all.

"I don't know if I am really the person you want as a reference when trying to make a point that you guys have a normal social life. But I guess that you do not want to fucking hear that at all." Brad said, and then he smiled for a second, hoping that his reaction would get a laugh out of Todd. But from the way that Todd reacted, it did not seem to be having much of a effect here.

"But what have you found out anyways?" Brad asked, suddenly trying to just force the conversation forward. As he was doing this, I saw that Todd was clearly looking like he was still a bit scared to be having this discussion too much. Probably thinking that this would make things worse for all involved.

"Not too much. I mean, all of the shit that we are doing just fucking becomes a waste of time. Helping Sam out with his fucking issues that he has with his brother Kevin. Often times becomes really distracting." After Todd said this, I was seeing that Brad was clearly looking like he wanted to hear so much fucking more.

"I thought that you would have been the one person that would have wanted to help out all of these people in the world." Brad was saying, and I was seeing that he was clearly not wanting too much more. Probably not really thinking too much about everything going on.

"Well, often times it just becomes a bit fucking much. I mean, I hate to admit it, but it just gets fucking annoying having people constantly coming towards me, wanting to know what I am doing." Todd was saying, and simply didn't have a whole lot to say on the matter. "I guess that people just give me way too much fucking credit." He said, clearly tired of continuing the talk.

"That's not true. I mean, you seem like a nice guy when I talk with you. I think that if anybody is going to fucking find out what is happening with the missing girls, you are going to be the one." After Brad was telling Todd this, I saw Todd looking like he wanted to buy this. But just couldn't.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I feel like I need to just not hear something like this. It all just feels like a fucking lie most of the time. Knowing that everybody in this town is involved in something that they know will fucking expose them." Todd was saying, and then I was seeing that Brad was clearly not wanting to have this discussion in the first place.

"Do you think Todd can find out what is happening?" Brad asked me, and then I was shrugging, since I wanted to believe he would. But I was also feeling like I was just needing to be more realistic about what I had been getting myself into. It just all felt fucking wrong.

"I think he can. He just needs some fucking time to make it work." I said, and then I was smiling, and I was seeing that Todd was looking like he was wanting to say more. But then he was just feeling like there was no need to be arguing. I could see that in all honesty, hearing me say this about him was making him feel so much better about what had been going on.

…

Scene 4: The Two Skaters

The next day, I was meeting with Jenny and Maurecia, and I was seeing that both of the girls were looking like they were completely confused at what I was planning on doing. They were probably thinking that I was just being a bit annoying, and that whatever I wanted to do, I just needed to get it over with. "What are you here for?" Maurecia asked, and I was seeing her kind of looking like she was slightly annoyed, but choose not to say much.

"I was wanting to introduce you guys to somebody new. You know, take a break from the bullshit of the investigation. We all need a break now." I said, and I was smiling, and I was seeing that the two of them were looking kind of annoyed with what I was saying.

"Okay…" Maurecia said, and I was clearly seeing that she was upset with the fact that it wasn't about Todd. I was seeing Jenny looking like she was kind of just trying to see what ulterior motive I was pulling here. Clearly they felt like this was something I was trying to just take advantage of them of here.

They just got in my car, as I was starting to drive on down to the skating park, and I was just hoping that Brad would already be there, and that he would be ready to go. I was just hoping that he wouldn't be annoyed with the fact that this took longer than he was expecting.

The entire time we were driving down, Maurecia asked something that I was honestly totally shocked to hear, but at the same time, I was sort of seeing why she might have thought this way. "Are you going to be selling us, and this is the point of sale?"

That was the moment I knew that I might have really gone too deep into my undercover shit, and that I ruined any trust that most of these people had in me, and I was wanting to fucking hate myself for the fact that this was now the way that they felt about me.

"No, that is not it at all. I just felt like it was time for something new to happen. I really do promise that is what is happening. I am sorry that I gave you guys the feeling that this was my plan." I said, and I was upset with what I had been saying. I wished that I hadn't had them feel this way.

"I guess that all the shit that Todd has told me about of what you guys were doing got me too fucking riled up, and scared." After she said that to me, I was slowly nodding, and I was feeling like I just needed to be quiet at this point in time. Clearly, I needed to be much more careful with what I was doing.

"I guess that does make some fucking sense." I said, and I was hating myself for the fact that I had basically given them the ability to feel that way. I was shrugging, and I hated the fact that this was officially what I had gotten myself into.

Eventually, before long, I was at the skating park, and both girls were looking out, and at first Maurecia seemed confused when she was seeing Brad. "Why in the world is Todd wearing those clothes?" She asked, and I was sighing, feeling like this was even further confirmation at the fact that these two looked extremely alike, and I was wondering when Todd was going to pick up on reality, and get back to real world.

"That isn't Todd. Just a guy that looks a lot like him. In all honesty, I have been making my own theories about that." I said, and then I was shrugging, and then with that, I was getting out of the car, and then I was getting out of the car, and then Maurecia and Jenny were getting out of the car, and I was seeing that both of them looked like they were just wondering what to do now.

I was seeing that Jenny was picking up who this was right away, and I was seeing her looking like she was utterly furious at the fact that this was the person that I was setting up a meeting with in the first place.

"Hey Brad, I was telling you that these two would be able to teach you some skating tricks. The best in the world." I said, and then I didn't know at the time, but how could you twenty three years ago, that I has set up the first day of the end of Jenny's life. Just by setting up this meeting.

"You are wanting to get into this? I would have never expected you of all people to enjoy something like this. Especially with you sounding like you always seem to be with your mother." Maurecia said, and not even trying to hold back her annoyance and confusion at the fact that Todd had nothing to do with this.

"Yeah. I mean, I have tried before. But because I never really had a whole lot of friends, I never got to show people of the fact that this interests me." After Brad was telling me this, he was heading towards us. I was seeing that Jenny was still trying to get used to the fact that this whole thing was even happening in the first place.

"Okay, if you want to help me out with this right now, then I feel like everything needs to be done my way. You are going to have to understand that I am probably the best person in our entire grade when it comes to the skating." After Jenny was telling me this, I was seeing Brad looking like he was just kind of accepting what had happening.

"Okay, fair enough." Brad said, and then he was placing his hands to his side, trying to find something to say to make this whole thing go along faster, since he was hardly really in the mood to be hearing the way she was acting.

Then Jenny looked at Maurecia, and I was seeing her looking like she was slightly calming down to the idea that Brad was going to be here, and I was seeing that at this point in time, she probably realized that even if she didn't want to do this, she really had no fucking choice on the matter at all.

"Sheldon, what made you associate with him in the first place?" Maurecia asked me, and I was seeing that she was clearly just more shocked at this whole thing than anything else. I was shrugging, and I felt like I needed to just drop the subject for her, to not be making things any worse.

"I mean, I just felt like he was a person who was needing some fucking help, and I was going to give him what I could. I believe that everybody deserves a fucking chance of happiness." After I was telling her this, I was seeing Maurecia looking like she was just kind of annoyed with this whole thing in the first place.

With that, Jenny got off her board, and she handed it over to Brad, and I was seeing her looking like she was clearly not happy to part ways with it, even if it was just for a couple minutes. "You better make sure you fucking keep this in good condition. If you don't, then all hell will be breaking loose." She said, and then Brad was nodding, not wanting to take the risk.

"Okay, if you say so." After he was telling Jenny this, he was wanting to laugh at the strong reaction she was giving. But then he was shaking his head, and felt like there was no need to be saying anything that might be making him sound like a complete fucking asshole, to a level even he would see it.

As he was skating around a bit, he was showing a small level of skill. Not a whole lot, especially when compared to Jenny. But he clearly wasn't a fucking failure at it, and he clearly knew what he was doing, to a certain degree. I was looking at Jenny, wondering what she would say.

"See Jenny, he is not all that bad. You just need to give him a fucking chance." I said, and then I was seeing Jenny looking like she wanted to argue with me. But then she sighed, and I was seeing her looking like she would just remain silent now.

"I know that he probably had at least some skill. But that is something that is to be expected, when you have been doing some practice." Jenny said, not exactly sounding proud or like she was impressed. But she was indeed willing to give him a minor level of credit here.

"To be honest, I am surprised he is even doing as well as he had been. Especially for somebody who is doing this all on his own without any training." After Maurecia was saying this, I was seeing her kind of looking like she was sort of wanting to give him credit.

After a bit, Brad stopped, and looked at Maurecia to continue a conversation. "So Maurecia, are you still in that obsessed crush with Todd? Or have you started to tone down on it?" Brad asked, and he was saying it a rather blunt way. As he was saying this, I saw Maurecia looking relatively annoyed at his way of saying this.

"I have not given up on him. He has been showing me a lot of patience, and the two of us have even gone on a date." Maurecia said, and then Brad was laughing as he was hearing this. Her admitting that they had gone on a date was something he was not expecting at all.

"Okay, I will not lie. I was not expecting something like this. I thought that he was too angry at you to want to do this. But I guess that I will not be making a deal out of this. Clearly he sees something in you." He said, and he was starting to finally calm down a bit more. Maurecia was seeming to just trying to find something to say to make things better.

When he was done, he handed it back to Jenny. "I wasn't wanting to keep it anyways. I already have one at home. I wasn't even sure if you guys were going to be here when Sheldon said he would try to pick you guys up." After Brad said this, he shrugged, thinking that this was slightly annoying to him.

"Besides, I just can't really be sure what I want to do. I want to ask Joy out on a date, and I want to find out more about my personal life. It is so hard. Trying to understand more about myself, but be there for somebody who clearly is in a lot of pain. She is in the worst pain in the world." After Brad was saying this to us, he was starting to walk up the stairs, and then he was shrugging, not too sure what in the world he would even fucking accomplish here.

"I have tried to tell you that something like this wouldn't fucking work. I don't want you to feel like you are getting yourself into something horrible." I said, and I was seeing him looking like he was hardly caring at all. Probably thinking that I was trying to make him too scared to continue that.

"That is fine. But honestly Sheldon, I just wish that I could have helped her more. But I guess that nobody is really wanting to hear what I am fucking thinking here." After Brad was telling me this, he was shrugging, and seemed sort of just lost here.

"But I mean, look at Maurecia. She was wanting to go out with him all the time, and he eventually agreed with this idea. So clearly over time, things will work out. I just need some fucking time here." After Brad said this, he was shrugging. Maurecia was smiling, happy to see that he was giving her some credit here.

"It really is simple. Just wanting to screw around, and make this whole thing work out for the best." After she was telling him this, I was then seeing Brad looking like he was just kind of feeling hurt by what he had been dealing with, not too sure what he was wanting to tell her at all.

"I mean, I guess that at the end of the day, I am no fucking hero. I am not the person that I wanted to be. And I am not really somebody who deserves any form of love or chance." After Brad was saying this, I was starting to really feel bad for what he was saying. I just felt like I needed to find something to say to make him feel better.

"Give yourself a break Brad. It's not your fault your mom was smothering you for the first thirteen years of your life. You need to see that you are trying to break through that issue." After Jenny was telling him this, I saw Brad looking like had no desire to fucking hear what she was telling him at this rate.

"But I mean, I should have seen my issues on buying this whole thing from the fucking start." Brad was saying, and then he was shrugging for a second. Not sure what to even tell them, because he felt like he needed to just be straight forward with them the entire discussion.

"Let's not fucking forget, you were like everybody else. Always throwing me off before I even had a fucking chance to make a difference to your guys minds. But I guess that nothing will make you see the flaws you make. After all, how can anybody who is friends with Todd make flaws at all? You know, since Todd himself is a great human being." Brad said, and I was seeing him looking like he was utterly pissed that he was having to say something like this in the first place.

"Brad, that is not what we were wanting to say. I mean, I think that if you wanted to talk to people, you would have gotten friends." After Maurecia said this, she was clearly trying to just do damage control, and not be too in the forefront of any controversy at all.

"I want to believe you guys. You know, doing so would be making me feel a million times better. But I guess that nothing I can say will make any fucking difference at all." Brad said, and he clearly just did not seem to be in the mood.

"But I guess that as some people have said to me before, it is best to not be too fucking focused on things that I can't fucking change anything about at all. After all, I would just be wasting my fucking time by doing this." Brad said, and then he was balling his fist the entire time he was saying this in the first place.

"If you need more help with learning to skate better, then I will be there for you. I mean, I am sure that the two of us can make something work." After Jenny said this, she was clearly just looking defeated here. She looked upset at the fact that she had been saying this in the first place. Probably feeling like what she was saying was just fucking forced.

"I appreciate the fucking offer. But I just feel like I need to do some things on my own, without having everybody get in my business. After all, how am I ever going to be able to get as good as you guys? I should have figured that this would be a lost cause from the fucking start." Brad said, and then he was shrugging, not thinking much on it at all anymore.

"You can always be second best." Jenny said, trying to appeal to him, to be making him feel better. He sighed, and he was feeling like she was probably trying way too fucking hard to be making him feel better about shit he never fucking believed.

Once we were in my car again, I was seeing Brad looking like he was tired, and he was just feeling like he needed to just be honest with us. "To be honest guys, I just feel like I am too tired all the time. I mean, it sucks to try and get the best grades possible, because I want to be able to go to a university when I graduate."

"What are you wanting to go to school for?" Maurecia asked, and I was shocked beyond all comprehension that she was showing any interest in this at all. Brad looked at her, and I was seeing that he was taking a second to consider what she asked him.

"I think that I am considering going to a university for philanthropy. I mean, I want to actually show people in the world that I do care for the greater good of this town. And I feel like that is what is scaring me the most. Knowing that people don't want to tell people about the issues that are going on. If people communicated more, nobody would fucking care." After Brad was telling us this, I was seeing him looking like he was just thinking deeply about what he had said.

"And besides, I mean, maybe I am subscribing to the bullshit that Todd and Sheldon have said. You know, about the fact that Jimmy White has no interest in the common good or anything at all." Brad said, and then he was shrugging. "In all honesty, I feel like I might be kind of being a bit silly with all that I am doing."

"And in all honesty, after all this shit, I can't fucking lie anymore. I can't fucking pretend like everything is all fine, and that nothing fucking happens at all. But who knows, I guess that I am just a bit late to the fucking party, and that this is fucking common sense." After Brad said that to us, I was feeling like I just needed to be as careful as I could possibly be at this rate.

Brad said, and I was then seeing him looking like he regretted most of the words that were leaving his mouth. Regretting the shit he had been saying, wondering if this was the main thing he had wanted to do. But then he was clearly not wanting to speak more.

"I mean, I know that I have a lot of shit that I will have to do in order to really get you guys to believe that I am actually doing whatever I can to make things better. But I don't know. Why am I talking to you guys about this shit in the first place? You guys are fucking pros, and I am fucking useless." Brad said, and then he was wanting to scream at his feelings here. Feeling like nothing he would say would given himself any fucking comfort in what had been going on at all.

…

Scene 5: The Brothers Introduction

I was bringing Brad on over to Sam and Kevin's house, and I was hoping that they were going to help me out with this whole thing. As I was bringing him over there, I was thinking of what I could be able to say to make him see what he was really going to be getting himself into. I was feeling like he just needed to be much more careful.

"I feel like going there, and trying to speak to them might be a horrible idea. I mean, they know nothing about what I am doing, and I know literally nothing about them at all. Just Sheldon, I want to leave now." After Brad was telling me this, I was sighing for a second.

"Brad, they need friends right now. I mean, especially Kevin. He is going through shit. That man in the purple jacket was probably going to start really threatening his life if he had his way. I feel like you need to be much more aware of what he might be dealing with." I said, and then I was leaving the car, and Brad was thinking.

"Yeah, I guess there is no fucking reason to be hiding here. After all, even if I don't want to do this, people will start to wonder what the fucking hell I am even doing here." Brad said, clearly just giving up. He punched the window, upset at his point.

Once we were at the door, Brad was taking a second to think for a second. "Sheldon, I mean, I feel like I just have to make sure that I can trust these people. After all, I am not even sure if you are somebody I can trust, or if you are just doing this for your fucking own benefit." Brad said, and I shook my head.

"Brad, you do not need to be worried about that. You know that I am not really like this. Everybody in town fucking knows me. Do you seriously think that I could get away with anything here. Clearly what you are seeing is what you are getting." I said, and then before long, that was when Kevin opened the door. Sam was a couple feet behind him.

I was seeing that Kevin was looking scared out of his mind, as if thinking that somebody was going to be out to get him. "Hey Kevin. How are you today?" Brad asked, trying to pretend like we were able to have a nice conversation with him at this rate.

"Okay. Never thought that I would be talking to you. After all, I just never really took you to be the social type." After Kevin said this, Brad was looking like he was clearly just really annoyed with the fact that everything was constantly coming back to that now, and he was feeling like he needed to just get people to leave him alone.

"I know that. People have been telling me this non fucking stop. I mean, seriously, I don't need to hear that constantly." Brad said, trying to hide his annoyance at this fact. "But I mean, I guess life has a way of making things happen.

"I mean, it is because it just seems like a surprise. I mean, I never really saw you interact with people in school. Unless if you were forced to do a school project with them." Kevin said, and then Sam was looking like he was needing to get involved with this discussion right now. "But I guess that it's none of my business, and that Sheldon has his reasons to do this."

"Who are you even talking to in the first place?" After Sam was asking this, Brad was looking at Sam, and I was seeing the gears turning in Sam's mind. As if worried about what was going on here.

"My name is Brad Carbunkle. I am sure that you know everything about my mother by this point. I went to school with Kevin. Didn't really hang out with him much." Brad was saying, and while I was happy that he was trying to be more social, I was feeling like he needed to trim down on the details, since Sam and nobody else wanted to hear this.

"Look, I don't know what you are planning on doing with my brother. And I don't care. My brother is in serious danger, and you guys are not making this any better for anybody at all." Sam was saying, and I was seeing him looking like he was just testing his patience this whole time.

"I am planning on nothing with your brother. If you didn't hear me earlier, I hardly even fucking know him. I just am being sent along on this shit as well." After Brad was saying this, he looked at me, and I was seeing that he was looking like he was kind of losing his patience now.

"Sheldon, this was a terrible idea, and I do not know why I keep finding myself in this shit. I think we need to be wrapping this shit up. And find somebody else to do your fucking crap." Brad said, and I was wondering why he was suddenly acting like I was the worst thing to have ever happened in the history of mankind.

"I am trying to help you. I have no idea why you are suddenly hating me. You do know that I am the one who is giving you the chance to try and do something that fucking matters." I said, and then I was seeing Brad looking like he was just not wanting to buy it at all.

"I know that you want to do this. But maybe I do not need help, and you are just assuming that I fucking do. Have you ever considered this. I mean, I have talked with people who have no interest in me, and at this point in time, I am hardly finding myself wanting to deal with this shit.

"Brad, I'm sorry. It was my fault for saying that stuff. I shouldn't be so fucking hard on you right now. After all, all the stuff going on is relating to your mother. So maybe I really should be giving you some more fucking chance." After he was telling me this, I was sighing, since I was not too sure what I was wanting to fucking hear at all.

"I mean, I feel like the fact that everybody fucking hates me before they even get to know, and I feel like I deserve everything that I fucking have, since in all honesty, I am just nothing but a fucking liability right now." Brad was saying, and then he sat down, and Kevin sat down as well, leaving Sam and I to stand while we watched this happen.

"Look, I understand what it might be feeling like to not fit in. I mean, I feel like that was the main reason that guy with the purple jacket was able to win me over so well. He was able to make me feel like I actually fucking mattered for once." Kevin said, and then Brad just smiled as he heard this.

"And besides, even beyond that, I feel like I am just finding myself more interested in learning about the things going on here. I never wanted to have that interest. I wanted to fucking get away from this bullshit. Not fall for what you guys are doing. But here I am, and now I have no choice but to fucking play along." Brad said, and then he was placing his hands in his pocket.

"I wanted to stay away from this fucking shit, and now I am finding myself feeling like there is no fucking choice. But I guess that there is nothing to get here. I want to just see why you and Todd have gotten shit done here. You guys seem to want answers more than you want what is right." After he was telling Kevin this, he was sighing, not really even caring if he was sounding like a asshole or not here.

Sam was walking down the stairs, and he was heading to me, as we were walking down the stairs, and we were just having a bit more of a personal conversation between the two of us, to just clarify some things.

"Look, I am not worried about Brad. I am scared of his mother though, and what she will fucking do. You know that she will get whatever she fucking wants, and I want nothing to do with this." Sam said, and then I looked at him, and I slowly nodded, feeling like I just needed to see what he was saying.

"I know. I don't even disagree. But my fucking hands are tied Sam. I want to give Brad the chance to fucking prove himself. And he has done a decent job so far. Enough to where he deserves a fucking chance. Just please let him have it." After I was telling him this, I was seeing him looking like he wanted to dispute me, but then chose not to.

"Remember, Brad is a victim as much as everybody else here. You might not like this, but he deserves pity as well." After I was telling him this, I was shaking my head, and I saw Sam consider my point. He slowly nodded, and then he went with me. I was seeing Sam looking up at Kevin and Brad, who were in the middle of their own talk, as he slowly nodded. I took my cigarette out, happy to know that he was willing to at least pretend to make this work.

…

Scene 6: Future PaperPusher

The next day, Brad was giving me a request I was slightly worried to be giving him. In all honesty, I was worried about what he was going to be doing with this chance. "I want to go on and see Harold Wilson. I know his father might be impossible. But I feel like talking to Harold might be possible." After Brad was telling me this, I was sighing, since I wanted nothing to do with this at all.

"Okay. Don't be surprised if he doesn't want to do this though." I said, and then I was sighing, since I was really having no desire to ever get into something like this at all. I was hoping that whatever Brad might want to be doing right now, he would know what he was fucking doing.

I started to drive towards Harold's house, and I was scared out of my fucking mind on what Harold was going to be saying to fucking Brad of all people. In all honesty, I was feeling like he was going to fucking destroy Brad for just the simple family connection.

The entire time we drove there, I was seeing Brad looking like he was wanting to break the ice a bit. Hoping that I would be willing to hear this. "Sheldon, can you fucking tell me something. Do you think that Harold or Dakota really loved Ashley more?" After he asked me this, I was looking down, not wanting to answer that, knowing that the answer could be the worst mistake of my life.

"Honestly, I would have to go with Harold. That woman made Harold change. Made him become a good person. Before then, I was the only person besides Ashley who believed him. Now everybody besides Dakota does." I said, and then I got out of the car, hoping that this answer would be enough context for him.

"Yeah, I was fearing you would say that. You know, in case if Dakota knew. But I will keep that thought just between us, for both our sake." He said, and with that, we were at Harold's house, and then Harold was already with Jackie. As I saw this, I wanted to leave. But I choose to let Harold decide.

"I wondered if the rumors were true. Holy shit, I never thought you would be hanging out with the Carbunkle family. You are far more forgiving than I thought that you would have been." He said, and then he was laughing at this, and then he popped his fingers at this, hoping to make things work out.

"So Brad, what are you doing with Sheldon anyways? He's always going around, and chasing around things he will never be able to solve. I respect him for it. But most people might disagree." Harold said, feeling pity for me.

"I wish I was even fucking half the man he was. I am working on it though. But enough about that." Harold said, and I was seeing Brad looking like he was just shocked to be hearing Harold even willing to speak to him here.

"I mean, ever since him and Todd showed up here, and became the big guys on campus, I felt like I needed the truth. You know, understanding what my parents are doing. Understanding why they have been lying about who my adopted father is." Brad said, and then Harold was laughing, as he stood up, and then he looked at Jackie.

"These two boys are fucking insane. They always are focused on their lineage. I mean, Todd wasn't sure if he was adopted, but was certain about calling his dad his father. And then you have Brad over here, who knows he was adopted, but not the father." Harold said, seeming like he was finding more value in this than anything else.

"It's not fucking funny dude. I mean, this is some really fucked up business, and I want to know what my fucking family has been doing. Why has my mom been working with your father." Brad said, seeming like he was getting entirely in business, and not at all in a personal fun level.

Harold looked like he was wondering what the point of him acting like this even was in the first place. "Dude, you need to have fun. I mean, the worst part is that I really want to know too. But I have no fucking idea dude. Maybe you should approach him soon." After he was saying this to Brad, he seemed slightly saddened by the way that this wasn't funny in Brad's eyes.

"I got to level with you. I have wanted to learn about my dad. But he has more red tape than anybody in this town combined. Nothing we can do would be able to help you guys out. But in all honesty, I don't really think you fucking understand what we are getting into." Harold said, and I was feeling like anything he could say would make things worse for us all.

"Then can I get a audience with your father? I need this more than you could fucking know." After Brad was telling him this, Harold was looking like he was wanting to play around more. Wanting to just give Brad a bit more to have fun with. But then he shook his head, feeling like whatever Harold wanted, he would get.

"I think that getting a audience with my father is the hardest thing you can possibly ever fucking happen. In all honesty, he would kill your chances of resolution before you even tried. It will not fucking happen." Harold said, and then he looked down at Jackie, feeling terrible for her to deal with this.

"Look, I would love to work with you, but I am need to fucking be with my girlfriend. That is my purpose now, and that is the main thing I want to deal with." Harold said, and then Jackie was shaking her head, seeming like she wanted nothing to do with this at all. Not wanting any excuses Harold would make here to justify her being out of the loop again.

"Look Harold, you can't keep throwing me out of the loop. You know that sooner or later, you are going to have to tell me the truth." After she said this, she sounded like she was mildly annoyed, and I was seeing Harold looking like had no interest in arguing.

"I mean, you're right. But I have no idea if you even want to learn the truth or not. So I am just trying to fucking help you out with this." Harold said, sounded like he was wanting to just drop the subject. But then he was sighing, feeling like there was no hope in fighting here.

Jackie than looked at Brad, and seemed like she was thinking about what he said. "What do you think you will be getting out of this?" She asked, and seemed to be sincerely unsure. Brad was thinking about things for a second. Considering what Brad would tell her if he answered.

"I have no idea. Just answers I suppose. A idea of why everybody thinks it will be cool to fucking just keep lying to me. I don't know. Maybe I am being stupid, and silly. But I feel like there is nothing that I can do here." Brad said, and then he was looking around, and he was thinking about what he was going to do now.

"I will have to fucking talk with him soon. I don't fucking care if I have the permission to do so or not. I have no fucking choice. I need to know the truth." He said, and then he shrugged, smiling, and then rubbed his hair. "Honestly guys, I never wanted to get you guys so fucking worried about this shit. I just feel like I need some fucking answers.

"When would be the next time he would be home?" Brad asked, and I was seeing Harold looking like he was wanting to debate with Brad as much as possible. To get out of this situation. But then he smiled, and pretended like this was totally what he wanted.

"Maybe three, four, hours from now? If you insist on making this work, then you will have to wait until then." He said, firmly, not letting Brad have room to argue with this. Brad nodded, feeling no need to argue with this situation at all.

I started to head towards my car, feeling like there was no reason to be fucking fighting this at all. As I was leaving towards it, I saw Brad taking one final second, before he decided to drop the subject.

We were both in the car, and then Brad nodded again. "I will fucking do this." After he said this, I started the car up, and then he started to drive off, smoking a cigarette, and I was happy with myself for the fact that I fucking mattered to Brad, when it all was vitally important.

…

Scene 7: First Signs of Rift

Brad and Todd met up again, per both their requests, and I was seeing that both of them were looking like they wanted to just talk some things out. Hopefully trying to give off at least the impression of being adults with each other.

"Hey Brad, I was wanting to let it be known that I was really feeling bad for the way that I had been treating you earlier. I mean, you deserve better than that, no matter what." After Todd was telling Brad this, I was seeing Brad looking like he was simply having no interest.

"Look, I wanted to let you know that no matter what else has been going on, I do appreciate the fact that you guys are willing to give me a fucking chance. You know, just doing that alone makes me happier." Brad was saying, and he sounded like he just didn't want this.

"Just make sure that we do not end up regretting this. I mean, I still have all my friends that I am trying to be looking out for. But I mean, I know how much Joy has started to love your company, and I see that she is wanting to have every moment she can with you." He said, sounding like he was actually slightly jealous of what he was saying.

"But what have you found out anyways?" Brad asked, now just letting go of his conversation, and purely getting to the point. "I mean, you guys always get the reputation of being the people who have gone on and made everything work out for the best. And I feel like I need to know if this reputation is fucking true."

"Truth be told, most of what we did find out was the fact that the man in the purple jacket was behind a lot of those contracts, and he got terminated as a result. And that the Needlemeyer family has been the ones behind most of the drug deals going on." After Todd was telling Brad this, that was when he shrugged, simply not having much to say.

"So basically nothing." Brad said, and then Todd was looking at him, furious at the way that Brad had reacted to this. Feeling like he wasn't being treated fairly. But then Todd decided to just simply remain silent for the time being about what he was thinking.

"Look, if you are just simply going to be trash talking us, then just leave us alone. I really do not need to be having this." He said, and then after he said that to Brad, he was seeing Brad looking like he was just beyond the point of arguing here.

"Sorry. I know I am no fucking better. But at least I have no reputation to improve upon." Brad said, thinking about the fact that he was able to say that with confidence, and how much he was hating to admit this.

As we were going along, I was then feeling like I needed to explain to Brad something else. Give him more to work with. "We also found out about the fact that there are something like eight families who are the ones who own everything." After I was saying this, I looked at Todd, feeling like I needed to just harp the truth for Brad's sake.

"One of which is the Robinson family. Another is the Wilson family. Then the Needlemeyers. Then I heard something about the Wattersons. So that is four." I said, and then Brad was then Brad started to head to my car.

"Can you also explain to me why the fucking hell Harold refuses to tell me anything going on? I deserve a fucking chance, and I feel like you are letting me have more than what most people are willing." Brad said, and then Todd sighed for a moment, and I saw him looking like he was virtually losing all interest in hearing Brad's opinion.

"I think anybody besides Sheldon has no chance with that guy. He seems really selective with his choices on who he talks with. Especially since Sheldon is somebody who has been pretending to be undercover for most of the last few weeks." Todd said, and then Brad looked at my outfit, suddenly piecing things together.

"Oh that is why you are wearing the black coat. I was kind of confused at why you were doing that." He said, and then I smiled, pretending like I wasn't too worried about this. "But I heard that those are people who are run by the Wilson family? Is that a part of it? Thinking that you are working with them all?"

"I honestly had no fucking choice, and I think most people who are willing to be objective when looking at this would be able to understand. I had to get under there, and make it seem like I knew what I was doing." I said, and I saw that Brad was simply not too sure what he was wanting to say now.

"God, what have I gotten myself into? Maybe my mother is fucking right about you all. This whole thing makes no fucking sense!" Brad yelled, and I was hearing him clearly having no patience with what he was dealing with.

"How about you introduce me over to the Robinson family?" Brad asked, and then he looked at Todd, trying to get Todd to react, and be willing to do something like this. I saw that Todd instantly got his blood running cold.

"No, anybody but my fucking father. I will not fucking take this." After Todd said this, he was shaking his head, clearly not in the mood to be having this debate. He looked over at me, and was mentally begging me to stop fucking doing this. I sighed, and I figured that I would just let the subject go, not really in the mood to be having this discussion.

"Then who the fuck am I supposed to talk to? I know that the Wilson family wants nothing to do with me. I mean, Harold made that rather fucking clear." He said, sounding more annoyed than anything else. As he said that, he looked right at me, wondering what I would say.

"Then you will force him to fucking talk." Todd said, and said it like it was super fucking obvious. I was then feeling like I just needed to fucking try. Who knew, maybe Harold was wrong about the way that he was looking at his father. Maybe his father would indeed be willing to fucking listen.

"Let me just fucking check. Us getting into fights isn't going to be fucking helping anybody." I said, feeling like I just needed to fucking get right to work here. As I was getting in the car, that was when I was starting to head on over to the Wilson casino.

I started to drive towards the Wilson casino, and I was hoping that maybe they would just be willing to let me fucking work. And not be getting in my way of doing what I was feeling like would fucking matter. As I was driving off, I was feeling their growing anger at each other was making things much worse.

"Sorry for suggesting the stuff about the Robinson family. I never realized that you were going to be as upset about this as you were. I just figured that it would be a suggestion…" After Brad said that to Todd, I saw that Todd was trying to fucking listen to Brad, but just had a hard time hearing it.

"It's okay. I need to remember that you are still new to this all, and that you need to have a fucking chance to prove yourself." After Todd was saying this, I saw him looking like he was sort of seeing that Brad was just trying to not even go too further into this.

"Thank you for at least trying to be patient with me. I just want to do whatever I can in order to be useful here." After Brad was saying this, I was seeing Todd calming down. "But yeah, I wanted to see the Wilson family first anyways." After Brad said that, he was Getting excited again.

Once we were getting close to the Wilson casino, that was when Mr. Wilson was talking with one of his employees, and I was seeing that he was clearly looking like he had no interest in the excuses that his employee had been making by this point in time.

"This is becoming fucking ridiculous man. I have been giving you so many fucking chances, and you are not finding out what I need. My son is getting ready to be my vice president after he graduates next year. And you haven't even started to train him yet. Begin tomorrow." He said, and then he looked at us, and shook his head.

"What are you fucking doing here?" After he asked that, I was smiling at him, and I was feeling like I just needed to try and fucking give him something to work with here, for both our sakes.

"Well, I was wanting to help my friend Brad out with figuring things out in this town. He is new to this all, and I want to give him a chance." I explained this to Harold's father, I saw him looking like he clearly had no fucking interest in hearing this. Probably thinking that I was pushing my luck really fucking badly.

"Oh Carbunkle's son. Are you sure that your mother would want that from you?" He asked, and then I was seeing Brad looking like he was wanting to come up with a true remark, that would get him upset, but at least hearing him.

"Well, I think you need to think about what your son might be wanting. After all, he never wanted to do your job. And here you are, forcing him into this." Brad said, and then Harold's father seemed to think about what he was being told.

"He was born into this business, for better or for worse. I wasn't able to fucking do much besides what I have been doing. I think you need to understand we have no choice. He knew that when he was growing up, and that is something that I am slowly getting him to accept." He said, and then Brad was sighing, not sure what he wanted to say.

"But you have a fucking choice, and I feel like that is the entire point of what your fucking mother wanted. To give you a fucking choice." He said, holding his hands out. "And besides, he is not taking over the company. He has an entire year of fun left, and then once he graduates, he will be inaugurated as vice president, where I am just training him to take over for when I pass away." He said, and then he simply shrugged, not too sure what else he was going to say.

"I just simply want to know more about what is happening to this place. I want to be ready for when things happen. Simple as fucking that. Can you please let me have something like this?" Brad said, and I was wondering is his pursuit of knowledge and power was going to eventually over come him over time.

"Well, I hope that you do understand that I am the one behind most of the sales going on here. I was the one who was given the most files when Sherman decided to retire. And I have been working with the mayor very fucking closely for years." He said, and then he looked right at me, slightly annoyed with what was happening.

In all honesty, I wasn't really enjoying the fact that he admitted to the fact that he was working with my dad. I knew it was true, but I hated the idea that my father was working with a man who ruined this entire town.

…

Scene 8: Look Like Him

I brought Brad on over to Mr. Robinson's office, and I was feeling like I just needed to make it all work. Once there, I was looking at Brad, and I was feeling like I needed to just make my point to him, and not get him to run around like crazy. "I think no matter what happens, we need to make sure that Todd does not know what we were doing here. He deserves better than knowing we are talking to his father behind his back." I said, and then Brad was sighing in annoyance.

"Okay. If you say so, then I will do that." After Brad was saying this, he got out of the car, and then the two of us went inside, and I was seeing Brad just looking like no matter what we were doing, he was only merely pretending to have a interest in following what was best for everybody.

Eventually, once we were getting close to his office, I was seeing him turning to look at us, and he was clearly annoyed at what he was seeing. Probably aware that we were all just going to be causing trouble for him. "What are you doing here?" He asked, and then he looked at Brad, and suddenly got less annoyed, and more concerned.

"You look a lot like my son. I thought that you were him for a second, honestly. God damn it, this can't fucking be happening." After he was saying this to Brad, he looked at me, just feeling utterly defeated at this situation.

"We were wanting to just know what you were doing around here? Especially since you seemed to have a common work interest with Needlemeyer. What caused all of that in the first place?" I asked, feeling like as long as I was sounding like I was just doing a deal with him, I would be making him feel a whole lot better about this.

"Well, when my family and I first moved to this town, we were needing to get our footing back, especially after so fucking long. But now I am helping out for when Larry has to take over the business. Especially since he has been so focused on his burger restaurant so far." After he was telling us this, I was feeling like this was relatively bullshit here.

"So you are trying to help out a man who is well into his forties do something he probably has been ready for this his whole life? Isn't like literally fucking pointless?" I asked, not really in the mood to be having much of a discussion right now.

"Well yeah, I feel like I have no choice. That man has no sense of knowing what he needs to do. His father really loves him, but he just keeps sending him money while they both go around fucking and knocking up every twenty year old striper in that company." He said, and then he started to look at Brad once again.

"Besides, I know that no matter how much you try and act like you are the one who can lead this town in a better direction, but instead of you have only made things worse for people, because you managed to give them hope. Hope that has not been fulfilled." He said, and then after saying this, I looked down on the ground, considering his statement.

"Well, maybe hope is better than nothing. Because at least it is something they can be looking for right now." After I was telling him this, I saw Harold's father simply not having much idea what he was even going to be doing.

"I see that you have a different way of looking at things than I do. But I guess that something like that is to be expected when we have two wildly differing methods of planning." He said, and then when he was done, he simply shrugged.

"But stay out of my fucking way. You can do whatever you want, and your father will deal with it accordingly. And I will do whatever I fucking need, and Harold will do what he needs to, when the time comes." After he was saying this, Brad was then getting back into the discussion, not wanting to hear this too much anymore.

"But what about me? I just simply want to know what my mother is doing with you with the job. Can you please let me have that at least?" He asked, and then this was when Harold's father just simply seemed like he was giving some thought to the general thought of what was happening.

"She only comes there every Friday. I don't even know what she is doing herself those other six days of the week. I am not nearly as aware of what the plans are as you might believe. The truth is that we have always butted heads here, and many people in my company want her gone." He said, just no longer hiding the truth.

"But I am sure that no matter how much you might dislike my mother, you are going to want me to be ready to do what is right for this place. And in order to do so, I need to have a plan." Brad was saying, trying to present in a matter of fact way. Harold's father seemed to be thinking about what he was saying.

"Well, I would want that. But in order to do so, I would have to access all of your mothers files, and see what she knows." Harold's father said, and then Brad nodded.

"So fucking do it!" Brad demanded, and I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to blow a gasket. As he did this, Harold's father knew he was clearly losing his fight, no matter how much he wanted to speak to this man. He just closed his eyes, unaware of how to proceed with anything anymore;

…

Scene 9: The Biggest Leap

Brad was at Joy's house again, per my request, and I was seeing him looking like he was just trying to find something to say to me, in order to show what he was feeling about what was going on here. "I mean, I feel like even if she says no, I can be able to say that at least I know what she fucking knows."

"Just do it. You will never fucking know unless if you fucking do it. I believe in you man." I said, and then I was seeing Brad looking like he was considering what to say. Then he shrugged, and seemed to not find much to say now.

"Well, I'm going to fucking do it Sheldon. Thank you for being there for me the last several days. I feel like having you at my side, and making me feel so much better, is the best thing that anybody could have fucking done." After Brad was telling me this, he was standing up, and getting out of the car.

"Brad, please know before you go, that I fucking believe in you, and I feel like you need to just believe in yourself." I said, and then after I was telling this, I was seeing him looking like he was considering what I said. But then he just slowly nodded, not having much else to say on the matter. So with that, he stood up, and then with that, he was heading to her door, and slowly knocked on it.

When Joy answered the door, she looked at Brad, and I was seeing that there was a look of minor excitement on her face. Probably just thinking about the times that they had already gotten at this point in time. Then Brad was taking a deep breath as he considered what he was going to do.

"Joy, I wanted to tell you something, which was that I have been extremely thankful for everything that has been happening lately. And I feel like all the adventures that the two of us have had together already has made me really open my eyes to what I could be doing better. And I want to just take a leap of faith…" Brad said, and I was rolling my eyes, wondering how long he would take here.

"Would you be willing to go on a date with me?" You can pick any place that you want, I will pay for everything." Brad was telling her, and then I was seeing Joy looking like she was sort of coming around to him.

"Thank you. I think a date is exactly what I fucking need." After she was telling Brad this, she hugged Brad for a second, and then she kissed him for a second. I was seeing Brad wildly blush, as if unsure of how else to react. He looked at me, and I was seeing him looking like he was officially on top of the fucking world as this happened.

"I just feel like every time I talk with you, I feel so much better about this place. Honestly, I just feel like I can change the way that I have been handling this." After Brad said that, I was starting to feel proud of him, and I wanted to just see him really take the fucking leap for her. But I was feeling like there was no need to be doing this too much.

"Brad, I just wish that I hung out with you before this whole thing happened. I feel like maybe if I had seen you guys more, then my life would have been so much better. But I guess that I just was too scared about you not seeming to be all that popular." After Joy told Brad this, I was wondering why in the world this was even much of a discussion in the first place.

"I mean, I know that everybody already tells me this before. But I just don't care anymore. If people don't like me, then that is their issue, and I am not going to change that. But Joy, I just feel like I need to no longer be scared of things that in all honesty, are really not all that important in the grand scheme of things." Brad was saying, and then he was shrugging, and there was nothing else to be doing.

"I see that hanging out with Sheldon has changed the way you have been looking at things. I don't know if this is the best thing, or the worst thing." After Joy was saying this, Brad was shrugging, and I was seeing that he was hardly not caring too much now.

"I mean, he has just taught me that being more confident in myself is a better quality to be having. Not to be thinking about the mistakes that I have been making, or continue to make. The only way to change these things, is to just finally go out in the world. I was always so scared of what my mother was going to be judging me over." Brad was saying, and then Joy was starting to feel slightly proud of what he was saying. As if hoping that he would really coming around to seeing his own self value.

"Well, I think you just need to meet up with some of my other friends. In case anything happens, I feel like you need to have somebody there for you. Todd is not a bad guy, once you fucking see him." Joy said, and I was seeing the look on Brad's face being completely fucking confused. Wondering what her issue was. But he was just thinking it was best to not make things much worse for her.

Brad was placing both his hands on her shoulder, and he was wanting to find something to say to make her feel at least slightly better. "Joy, you do not need to be acting like this. Everything is going to be good. You know, you have some fucking friends who can be able to help." After Brad was telling her this, I saw that Joy was kind of hurt to hear this.

"Brad, you do not know everything going on at all. You need to make sure that you do not throw yourself into that you do not really know." Joy said, trying to find a way to calm down, not sure what in the world to do.

"I think I know more than you are giving me credit for. I mean, I have been working with Sheldon for a bit, and I think that I got everything that I need." After Brad said that, I was laughing at this, thinking he was insane for saying this.

"Brad, I do not want to have this discussion. If anything, I want you to be the one man who never gets involved in this whole thing." After Joy was saying this, I was seeing that she was looking utterly pained as she had looked right at him. Then she was shaking her head, not in the mood.

"Okay, if you say so, I will just drop the subject right now. I just wish that I would be able to do anything to make your life feel so much better." Brad said, and then after he was saying this, I was starting to feel like there was no reason to be here anymore. So with that, I started to drive off, feeling like I needed to let them have this talk.

As I was starting to drive off, I was feeling like there was no need to discuss things any further. In all honesty, I was so fucking happy to know that Brad was closing the divide between Joy and her fear of death, and I was feeling even if he didn't see it, he was one of the best.

Before too long, I was at my house, and then I was going inside, and as soon as I was inside, I was seeing my dad looking like he was waiting for me to come, and probably just wanted to talk to me for a while. "Hey Sheldon, what have you been doing now?"

"Just doing what you probably wanted me to do this whole time. You know, actually have a real summer break that I don't waste with investigations that I can't fucking change." I said, and then I was shrugging, and I had no idea what in the world I would even say to make the issue any fucking different all.

"Yeah, I guess that if this is the case, then I have no reason to be getting in your business here. Just make sure that you remember that I am doing my job as best as I can. Leave this to the people with experience." After my father said that, I shrugged, and felt like I needed to find something to counter argue with.

"But I need to get experience myself. And I do have some, with the seven years of this. But I am not in the mood to fight you on this. Just please think about the statements you make before you say anything really fucking stupid." I said, and then I was feeling like everything that I could say would be simply a waste of time.

I closed the door, and the laid down on my bed, for once just not wanting to give him ammunition for stupid bullshit. He was going to be annoying, and I knew that here was nothing that I could even do to get anything together.

I was feeling like as long as Joy and Brad were happy, that was all that I needed to be happier. There was nothing that I could say in order to make things better. I was rubbing my eyes, and I was feeling like I would never see this day and age again. I would never get to have a normal life once more.

…

Scene 10: Brad's Joy

I picked Brad up the next day, and I was feeling like I just needed to not be showing the fact that I wanted to fucking show him how proud I was of him too much, or else he would get annoyed, and act like I was being really in his face about this all.

"Oh my god Sheldon, this is the first date that I have ever had in my entire life. I hope that this goes over well. When I told my mom that I was going on a date, she was utterly shocked, and I was seeing her looking like she just could not believe what I was saying." Brad was saying, and I had nothing to tell him.

As I was driving towards Joy's house, I saw Brad looking like he was trying to find something to say, to properly express his feelings on the matter. "Honestly Sheldon, I don't fucking understand it. How are you able to get so many people to like you in the first place? You seem to have the ability to pull it together." Brad said, and I shrugged.

"I don't know. I just guess that I have the ability to know what I need to fucking say. You know, it all just makes things better for everybody else." After I was telling him this, I was smiling at him, unsure why in the world I was even planning on doing here.

Eventually, I was at Joy's house, and I was seeing Brad getting out of the car. With the extra push he made to his steps, it was clear that no matter how much he might have wanted to pretend he was not too excited, he was on top of the world.

He knocked on the door, and I was seeing him do some air first pumps, and I laughed the entire time I was seeing this, thinking that the fact that he was already like this, without any extra worry at all, was something that I would enjoy seeing, as it was giving me something of extra motivation to work with.

When Joy answered the door, I was seeing her in a green dress, and I was seeing her looking like she was way more excited for this than she wanted to let on. You never have a smile covering half your face in a shit eating grin if you were not super fucking excited.

"Made good on your fucking promises, I like that. I was starting to get scared that you weren't coming." Joy said, and then she was starting to walk down, and with each moment, I was seeing that she was becoming on a whole new level of ecstatic.

"I have been looking forward to this all fucking day dude. I was hoping that you would have come sooner." She said, as they were in the car, I started to drive off to where Joy wanted, which hardly even needed to be said, given our history at this point.

When they were on the location of the date, and I was seeing from the way that Brad was looking that he was just clearly uncertain of how he was going to be handling this. He looked at me, after Joy left the car, and I was feeling like I just needed to give him some last moment advice. Just a way to be making him feel slightly better.

"Brad, remember, just concentrate on what you want. Be happy that you are getting this chance, and if for nothing else, I care about your success deeply, no matter what you might really be thinking." After I was telling him this, I saw that Brad was starting to calm down.

"Yeah, you're right. I need to give myself a break. I am trying the best I can to just go in there, and give her what she fucking needs. I just can't believe that I finally have a fucking chance to be making something work for once." After Brad said that, I was slowly nodding, glad to hear what I wanted to say.

"And remember, I believe in you, no matter what else might be happening, I will fucking believe in you." After I was telling him this, I saw him clearly looking like he was calming down. Brad then patted my shoulder, as he was leaving the car.

"Thanks Sheldon. See you in a bit." After Brad was saying this, he was walking up to Joy, and I was then feeling like there was no need to be here anymore. I needed to give him a fucking chance, and I needed to let him show everybody he was capable of fighting for himself.

When he was in front of Joy, he was laughing or a second, thinking of something to say. "Just got a last second case of the jitters, and I just felt like I needed to get them out with Sheldon before I made a complete ass of myself when I was talking with you." After Brad said that, he clearly smiled a bit.

"Oh my god Brad, you are such a fucking gobber. You don't need to be so fucking worried about small little things like this." With that, Joy and Brad were going inside. And as they were going inside, that was when Brad took a second to think about what I had been doing.

As I was starting to drive off, I was feeling like they needed some fucking time to get be to themselves. And in all honesty, I was finally feeling like I just knew that I was doing what was right. Their happiness was becoming more evident the more that they had been doing this.

I was happy to know that no matter what else was happening. Brad was indeed getting happier, and that Joy was finally feeling like there was a chance she would no longer be on the verge of death, and on the verge of a mental breakdown. And I knew Brad was officially the man for the job.

Two hours later, when I was feeling like they were all fine, I went on over to Mezmer's, and they were both walking out of the restaurant, and I was seeing both Brad and Joy were both deep into a conversation that they were clearly in the middle of trying to resolve.

When they were both inside of the car, I was feeling like I was needing to just try and fucking find a way to make them feel like they were going to be all fine and dandy. "Hey guys, how did you enjoy the date?" I asked, feeling like there was no point in even trying to fucking get in their business about this all.

"It was wonderful. We really got to know each other well, and I feel like you would be having a great time with her too." Brad asked, and I was feeling like I just needed to try and say something. Because I did know how things were. But I was feeling he needed to really absorb the date because things could go wrong real quick.

"One piece of advice you need to hear Brad, is that when you have a great moment like this, you need to remember what makes you happy. Never let the great times slide by." I said, and I was seeing Joy looking like she was upset at the fact that I had said that. Clearly knowing that I was referring to her imminent death, and probably felt like I was only making things worse.

"Okay dude, I don't know why you are telling me this in the first place. Just seems really fucking sudden is all." After Brad was telling me this, I was sighing, and I was feeling like he was going to be eating his words sooner or later. I wanted to tell him the truth so fucking badly. But I literally never had the heart to tell him.

"We were just talking about the struggles we both had growing up. You know, with the different standards we both had to deal with. Such as the fact that her dad was a giant businessman who knows how to handle his money, and with my mother being one of the first victims of the mine issues." Brad said, and I really had no idea how in the world I was going to continue talking to him.

"Well, what are you planning on doing later tonight? No fucking reason to be leaving things off here if you are having the time of your life right now." After I was shrugging, and I really had no idea what my plan was going to be here.

"Not much honestly, I mean, I think the general plan was that we were going to hang around for a bit. We didn't expect you to show up?" After Joy said that, I was seeing her looking like she was finally fucking calmer for once in her life, and not scared of the bigger picture.

"I am so happy for both of you guys honestly. Seeing the two of you actually really connect, and not get worried about stupid fucking bullshit that at the end of the day, really doesn't even matter all that much." I said, and then I was aware that it all did matter. I was just wanting them to be happier.

"Wow, I never thought that I would openly hear you admitting that looking into the missing girls isn't all that big of a deal." Joy said, and she was clearly saying that in a playful tone. I was sighing in annoyance, not really in the mood to be hearing this at all.

"I was just saying something to make you feel better. You know, I just feel like sometimes you can't really fucking do much to be making any difference at all. I am willing to admit that, even if I hate to fucking do so." I said, sighing in annoyance at this whole thing.

"I mean, I just feel like you need to let Todd and I be doing this shit anyways, and not be making a giant ass deal out of this whole thing." I said, and I was feeling like I just needed to give them as much agency and comfort that I can on this whole thing.

"I mean, Brad, you're just now starting to reach out there in the world, and do your own fucking thing. And Joy is dealing with a very hard time. Even if you guys wanted to fucking go all gung ho, pretending like you know all the answers, I do not really feel like that is a good idea. Simple as that." After I was telling both of them this, I was hoping that the more that they were listening to me, the better that things were going to go down.

"Yeah, I guess that maybe you are right. After all, not much to get out of running around, and acting like we have the main answers here." After Brad was telling me this, I was seeing him looking like he was glad to be hearing that I wanted him to have nothing to do with shit. Trying to just get him to be much safer.

Once I was at Joy's house, I was wanting to tell her so much more. I was wanting to make them both feel fucking safe. Both like they were going to have the best person for the job with them. So when I was seeing them both looking better, that was what I needed.

"Thanks for the date. It makes me feel so much fucking better. I am glad that you actually have a incentive to finally just fucking relax, and not be doing insane shit all the fucking time." After she was telling me this, I slowly nodded, feeling like I needed to be just keep what she was saying in mind.

Once I was at Brad's house, I was feeling like I just needed to find something to tell him to make him feel slightly better about what was going on. "Dude, I think you need to just see that this woman fucking loves you. She clearly wanted to make you feel like you mattered, and I feel like she did that with perfection." I said, and then Brad was looking at me, and I was seeing him looking utterly annoyed at the way that I was taking this situation.

"I know. I mean, when I was in Mezmers, and I was with her, just having the time of my life, I was starting to realize how much I had been holding back in my life. I realized how much I should have been working with her, and just showing her that I would have never held back." Brad was saying, and I was seeing that he was looking like there was nothing left to hide.

"One of these days, I should be telling you everything that has been going on in my mind. I mean, I think that when we see each other, and I just tell her all the things that I feel about the situation in Wayside, and show her that I have a lot of remorse for her situation. She gave me a really short version of what had been going down." Brad said, and I was seeing that he was keeping a neutral response.

"Sheldon, you do not have to be the hero that Wayside needs. Everybody is able to fucking stand up for themselves. You just need to do what is best for you." Brad was saying, and I was feeling like such a thing was just simply not fucking possible, as much as I hated to admit it.

"I know that. But I feel like until some people finally stand up for themselves, and see that things are not going to get better until we are through making it worse, then I feel like I have to do whatever I can to give them a fucking wake up call. People just need to see that there is nothing else left in my patience." I said, balling my fist as I was saying this to him.

"You're father is the mayor, isn't he? Shouldn't he be the one who is doing this? Not you of all people? I feel like you need to let the adults be doing the job." Brad said, and then I was feeling like I needed to defend my father, while still making my point.

"My father is the busiest man in the town. And he has been doing stuff. He is the one that over rode the termination of that one employee. You know, the one who likes to wear the purple jacket all the time. That is purely my father. He knows what he is fucking doing, even if people refuse to say so." I said, and then I was throwing my hands in the air, hoping he would see that I was no longer really wanting to argue.

"Oh shit? That was him? Fucking hell. I thought that this was just something that was going to happen over time? I was wondering why he was on the news all the time. Something about child trafficking. Relating to him doing a business deal with a somebody who sold their daughter. And him doing experiments on children?" Brad asked, and I was laughing as he was saying this.

"Yeah, that is a really simplified version of what happened, let me tell you. But as long as people see that he was a asshole, who deserved his termination, ten that is all that matters. I feel like maybe my father left out most of the really bad details to avoid public panic." I said, feeling like what I said was fair enough.

"Wow, I guess that if you were able to bring down one of the biggest man in all of Wayside down that easily, then I guess that maybe you are smarter than I was ever hoping for." Brad said, and then I smiled, feeling proud of the fact that Brad was now suddenly appreciating what I had done.

"Well, I felt like sooner or later, he was going to get exposed for his shit, and that he would lose what he had been doing. But I guess that I felt like I needed to ensure that faster. You know, when I have friends like Sam and Kevin, who were being tortured so hard by that guy." I said, and then I was wondering if Brad even really fucking cared at all.

"Yeah, I remember the way he was trying to talk to Kevin all the time at school, and I was just thinking it was odd that he was striking such a fancy, but I choose not to make a deal out of it. Thinking he had a plan for the whole thing. But now, I feel like it was all way too wrong now." After Brad said that, he thanked me, and then he got out of the car, and then started to head on towards the house. When he was gone, I drove off, and I was happier at this whole thing.

…

Scene 11: Inheritance

Brad and I were at Jimmy White's hall again, and I was seeing Brad looking like he was starting to look like he was starting to regret what he had been doing here. I was then wondering what I was even going to say in order to make him feel at least slightly better. "Brad, I know that you probably are starting to have some doubts about this. But if you don't want to do this right now, then I do not fucking blame you.

"Sheldon, I need to fucking know what is happening, and I do not fucking care anymore. I just need to know the truth for once in my fucking life." After Brad was telling me this, I was seeing him getting out of the car, and then the two of us were walking to the room.

When he was looking at Brad and I, I was seeing that Jimmy White looked fucking ecstatic for once. Like he was unable to fucking believe what he was seeing. "The fucking prodigal son returns. Oh my god, you have no idea how long I have been wanting to see you guys." He said, and then he was standing up, and walking to Brad.

"What do you mean that I am the prodigal son? I mean, I feel like I just need some fucking explanations here." Brad was asking Jimmy White, and I was seeing Jimmy looking way too excited to be dealing with the annoyances of this.

"Oh my god, you are meant to continue things when you are an adult. I mean, I am surprised that your mother hasn't told you everything that you need to know for the future." After he was telling Brad this, I was seeing that Brad was still looking like he was unsure of what to feel here.

"Look, my mom refuses to tell me shit at all. She says that I do not need to get involved in the politics of this city, and I am starting to agree with her." Brad was telling Jimmy White, and then I was seeing him looking totally shocked to hear what Brad was telling him.

"I think that your father would not want to hear you say something like this. He was one of the most important people when it comes to solving the issues of this town." Jimmy White, and I was seeing Brad looking like he was suddenly at the edge of his patience, and that he just needed to make his point.

"Just fucking tell me the truth? Is my father Sherman Peabody?" Brad asked, and I was seeing Jimmy White looking kind of shocked for a second. As can be seen with the way he was moving back a little. But then he slowly sighed, feeling the need to calm down.

"Not Sherman Peabody, but his son Dexter is your father. As you know, he had two sons, and one of them was given to your mom, to help her with her lack of being able to have a family. He was one of the most important people in Wayside. Because he was around for everybody. Not just his father." Jimmy said, and Brad was slowly nodding, kind of thinking of what he heard.

"I should have expected something like this, considering the fact that Sherman would have been really fucking old. I just wonder why everybody thinks I suddenly can change everything? I mean, I went the first thirteen years of my life having no idea what in the world I was needing to do." Brad said, trying to explain his perspective to Jimmy White.

"Most of the time when people are given the chances to do something, it is not what they have done with the time they had, as well as the time that they are given." After Jimmy said this, I was seeing Brad looking like he was thinking too deeply into this whole thing.

"I will have to thank about it. I will have to try and think deeply about what I am fucking doing here. I mean, thank you for not giving me bullshit here." After Brad was saying this, he was thinking about what he was doing. Then with that, Jimmy took a cigar out from his pocket, and handed it to Brad.

"Have this one on me. I will be eagerly awaiting your input. I hope you can see reason, and that you will continue the important work. After all, you can be the future of the town, if you work harder on this." Jimmy told Brad, and I was seeing him looking mildly annoyed here.

"This is just something that I will have to talk to my mother about. I am sure that she will understand that at the end of the day, it will not be all that big of a deal." After Brad was telling Jimmy this, I saw that he was considering what Brad had been saying. I was seeing that Jimmy was clearly pissed at the fact that this was the case that was being brought up.

"Alright, regardless, we wouldn't make you any offers until you were at least between sixteen and eighteen years old. So you have at least three to five years to sort of have your own fun, and not have us get in your way of things. Like Sheldon over here, there is usually a silent agreement that we never approach anybody until they graduate high school." After Jimmy said this, I was seeing Brad looking like he was sort of thinking about this.

"Okay. So I have until I graduate to make my choice. Okay, thanks for letting me know. And I will see you when I graduate, to let you know my choice." After Brad said this, Jimmy nodded, and looked at me, and I was seeing him looking like he was wanting to say more.

"Sheldon over here only has ten or so months until he has to make a choice. Since school starts soon, and he might have to quit his job soon." Jimmy said, hoping that I would have this get under my skin, as we were walling off, and I saw Brad looking like he was trying to have a real response to what happened.

Once we were in my car, I was seeing Brad looking like he was clearly not sure what he was wanting to say. "Honestly, I think that Jimmy has me on a strangle hold. I fucking hate the fact that he seems to know that there is nothing I can do. He is a asshole." Brad said, and he was clearly wanting to say something else, but just had no way to convey it.

"Brad, you know that you have me at your fucking side and I will be making things a million times better." After I was telling him this, I was feeling like I just everything that I could say to him would just be making him feel only vaguely fucking better. "I mean, I just see you are looking fucking desperate, and I don't fucking even blame you." I said, and then I felt like there was no point in saying anything at all.

"Sheldon, I feel like you need to remember that nothing that anybody can do that will make things better for us. I just feel fucking worthless. I mean, when I was with that date with Joy, on one hand, I was fucking happier as shit. And seeing her looking like I was changing her life, was a joy. I don't know how else I can say this." He said, and had no idea what his point was.

"Brad, you only feel worthless because you know who your father is, and I understand that it might be hard to feel like you can't fucking live up to him." After I said that to him, I was feeling like nothing I would say would make him feel any fucking different. He already made his mind on this.

"But why did this have to happen to me? Why wouldn't it fucking happen to Todd or something? I mean, I know he has to deal with the adoption, but he already took it with way too much stride." Brad was telling me, and I wanted to say more. "I mean, Todd probably does feel this way too, so it is just a never fucking ending loop of us feeling like we are being taken advantage of."

"Todd does indeed have a lot of these feelings. And I do see where you guys are both coming from. This place sucks a lot of the time. But there is nothing that we can fucking change. You need to understand that as much as possible." After I was telling Brad this, he shrugged, not in the mood.

"I should have known. I guess that no matter how you slice it or dice it, life fucking sucks." After he was telling me this, we were starting to drive off. "But now I know the truth of who my father is, and that is fine." After he said that, he shrugged, not in the mood to hear much more now.

…

Scene 12: Peaceful Disagreement

Early the next day, Brad was ready to speak to his mother, and Brad was looking like he had more courage to do this than anything else in his entire life until this point. Brad was looking at me, and I saw him looking like he was just utterly annoyed with what he was doing.

"I want to just get to hear her perspective. I am not starting a fucking hate quest for her, I am just trying to figure out what her opinion of the matter is going to be. I mean, I feel like at this point in time, I just need this for my own fucking sake, for my own closure." After Brad was telling me this, I was shaking my head at this. Not wanting this disagreement to be getting much worse.

Once we were in the living room with her, she was getting some things ready, and then Brad took a deep breath, finally seeming like he was finally ready to be having his own ground on this. And no longer willing to take the suspense anymore, and I decided to just leave things alone for the time being.

"Mom, I needed to ask you some questions." After he told her this, I was on the edge of sight, hoping to make her not easily notice me as much. Make Brad seem like his views had a bit more clearance compared to normal, and I was feeling like I just needed to be careful with him.

"So when were you thinking you were going to tell me about Dexter being my father? I feel like that is something that I should have known this whole time. But you just didn't fucking tell me." After Brad was telling her this, she sighed, and I knew this was what she never wanted to hear.

"I was planning on telling you when you graduated high school. I just didn't think you were going to be ready before then. But I guess that I might as well not worry about fucking lying anymore. How did you even find out about that anyways?" She said, and then Brad was smiling as he heard this, knowing that despite how angry she was at this situation, she was almost sounding slightly proud of him here.

"I took the time to go on and talk to Jimmy White about this. He was rather open about what happened, and he didn't hide what he knew. I really appreciate that about him." After Brad said that, he seemed like he was almost just thinking about what he had heard.

"Damn it. I never wanted this to happen, and now I feel like you are going to be letting this get in all over your head. I wanted this to be something that would be dealt with much later. Or maybe even never." After she was telling Brad this, she was still looking at me, and I was seeing her not having any patience on this matter.

"I have a right to know who my fucking father is! That was all that I wanting. Are you seriously thinking that I was doing anything wrong here? The only thing that I might have done wrong was not fucking tell you my plan." After Brad said that to her, he looked right at me, seeming to get unto his courage.

"That is something that you also need to be doing more going forward. You can't keep fucking lying to me about stupid shit, and telling me that everything is going to be fine, when it is not, and we both fucking know it." After she said this to Brad, she was starting to show some tears.

"You seriously do not know what you are throwing down at stake because you wanted to fucking find this out. But I guess that there is nothing that I can fucking do to change it. I feel like you are needing to see that you are around some really bad influences, and that you should have thought these all out sooner." She said, and then Brad was sighing.

"So by now you are just proving all of the people that I know right. You were only going to glamorize me as long as I was fucking listening to you. And now that you know what I am doing, you are suddenly thinking that I am a terrible son, and a waste of time." Brad was saying, and then I was seeing her looking disgusted at what Brad was accusing her of.

"That is not what I was saying at all. I think you just need to think about what you are doing before you fall down the same path that everybody else was fucking doing. I just feel like if you follow these leads enough, you will turn out like Sheldon or Todd." She told Brad, and then I was feeling like I just needed to defend myself. But I also needed this to resolve.

"At least I am not having lies thrown to me anymore. At least I know why everybody in Wayside fucking hates me. That is enough to make me feel better. Knowing that everything they were doing was completely justified." Brad was saying, and as soon as he said this, he was just taking a moment to remain silent.

"Brad, please don't start this. I was going to be repairing this family for everybody. I needed some time, and I most of all needed patience. You are giving me neither. And you are only making things much worse than they really are. I know what I am doing. And I need you to fucking see that I am not a fucking liar." She said, and then I was seeing Brad just looking like he was already not in the mood to be dealing with this much more anyways.

"I mean, I know that at the end of the day, I will probably let it go eventually. But for now, it just all feels fucking wrong. Knowing that I am supposed to be the man that is supposed to be taking Wayside over when everything is done. Jimmy was even telling me that when I graduated high school, I am supposed to take the business over." Brad said, and he was seeming way in over his head, and I was not even fucking blaming him for this.

"At least with knowing now, and knowing that everything is utterly bullshit and a fucking lie, I can prepare for this. I can prepare the next five, or six if Jimmy is generous and gives me a year to find myself, to do this. If you told me this like a week before graduation, I would feel like I was going fucking crazy." Brad said, and I was already hearing him going crazy by saying this right now.

"Brad, I never wanted this to be what fucking happened. I mean, when you put it that way, I do see what you are saying. But I feel like you need to be more careful what you are fucking asking for." After she said that, I was already hearing her sounding like she saw how much she royally screwed up here.

"I just feel like I needed to have a happy life. And that I might have been better if I just was a random person that nobody cared about anymore." Brad said, and then I was already starting to leave the house, feeling like I just needed to give them some time to talk, and not have me in their way.

"You don't leave yet!" She yelled at me, and I turned up, and saw that while she was kind of coming around to calming down with Brad, she was still in the mood to fucking ruin me for everything. I was feeling like I just needed to be much more careful here.

"What do you fucking want? For me to admit that I fucked up, and I might have made things worse for your son. I get it. I'm not stupid, and I have brain cells. But you will earn nothing by hating me anymore. I am the one that just simply nudged him out the door." I said, and I was seeing her looking like she was thinking about that a bit.

"My son is a smart man. He is the future of the town, as you guys now know. He needs to be around people who are fighting or his better good. Not people who are going to be going around, and giving him bullshit, and lies about what he is doing." She said, and I was feeling like I needed to be careful here.

"If you had been there for him from the fucking start and did not lie to him when he approached you on shit, you would not have had this issue. You have nobody to fucking blame but yourself. And I think it is time for you to fucking own up to that." I said, as I opened up the door. His mom looked down at Brad, trying to see the expression on his face, to see what he was feeling here.

"I mean, I did wonder when you were going to be seeing me next. I thought that we had something fucking going, and when you just left me to be doing all your fucking contracts, I will admit that I was a bit angry. Feeling like you could have given me more. But I guess that I am being a bit silly. And that I just need to remember you are a busy woman." Brad said, and he was finding himself making excuses once again.

"I have been working hard on just making sure that Mr. Wilson doesn't get in your business. You know what that man can be doing. You have friends who have been dealing with him. There is no fucking reason to be getting yourself into something that will probably kill you." She said, and she sounded like she was hoping he would listen to her.

"Why are you even working with Mr. Wilson anyways? I thought that you and him had a giant dispute? You know, with how to handle the construction of the mines after the destruction. You said you wanted them to remain gone, while he wanted to bring them back." I said, feeling like I needed to go back to my history once again. She sighed, aware of what I was saying being true.

"That is true Sheldon. Initially we did not agree. But we came to see senses when we both realized that the same overall goal was the same, even if the way we were going to get there was different. Both of us wanted unity for Wayside. And both of us were desperate to achieve that." She said, hardly keeping any patience for this.

"And besides, after Sherman opened up the adoption agency, there was no need to look at the mines again. And besides, I did want to fulfill my older brothers memory to some extent. Even though my parents clearly favored him over me by a large margin, I thought that this would help me see why." She said, and then I sighed, not really feeling like what she was saying was true enough.

"Look, I just feel like I need to see what is going on here. This whole fucking story makes no sense. Simple as that. Everything is bullshit, and everybody can see that the more you piece the story together, the more it just all seems like a fucking lie." I said, and I was not caring what she was saying. I needed my point to be fucking made here, no matter what it would take to do so.

"I need to go. I am not going to be dealing with excuses and bullshit anymore. Which we both know is all you are doing here." I said, and then I was leaving the house to go on down to my car, and the entire time that I was getting ready to leave, this was when Brad was leaving the house again, and apologized.

"Look, I am not opposed to us hanging out more, and us helping each other out. But I think it might be best for both of us to just not ever fucking met here again. This was turning out to be a giant fucking mistake, and I think we both know this." After Brad was telling me this, I was thinking about what he was saying, and my differing opinions on it.

"Yeah, I feel like that might be good. I just feel like if I ever see your mother again, it will be a bad day for all of us." I said, feeling like I needed to take blame for what happened. But I was feeling like I just needed to remember the pain that Brad was going through by getting into this all.

"Yeah, I mean, I was seeing that the longer you guys were talking, the more upset she was getting here. Probably will be best to just see that this whole thing has been setting things to a fucking disaster level." After Brad was telling me this, I wondered why he cared.

"Honestly though, the issue that I have is that I can see where both sides are coming from. You know, I feel like no matter how much I might be furious at somebody or something, I can't fucking get upset at either of you guys forever. I wish that everybody got along. If such a thing was even possible." Brad said, and I was slowly nodding, feeling like I just needed to give him that.

"Yeah, I think that I am that way whenever I talk with my own father, versus my friend. I still think my father is a good guy who deserves a chance of happiness. But I do see that there is a level of validity to what everybody else is saying here. And that is what makes things worse." After I said this, I was taking a cigarette out, and smoked it for a bit. "Just think about what is best for you though, and think about what you need for yourself." After I said that to him, I saw that Brad was considering what I said.

"Sure. Have a good night. But at least she is no longer denying what happened, and I guess that maybe that is something that I do need to fucking take." After Brad was saying this, he was going back inside, and I left the house, not wanting to make things worse for either of them with what had been happening.

…

Scene 13: No Longer Desperate

Brad and I were sitting down at Mezmer's, and after this, I was seeing him looking like he was kind of too upset with this whole thing. "Sheldon, thank you for helping me out with this. I feel like I can just relax so much more, now that I know what I am fucking getting myself into, and I can be able to just see what I need to be doing right now." Brad said, and I was sighing, since the whole thing felt fucking wrong right now.

"Now that I know what my mother was doing, and I know how she was feeling, I just feel like I need to start to separate myself from her. You know, no longer really deal with the shit that she had been doing. I will never again overly trust somebody for something that was way out of their own power." After Todd was telling me this, I was sighing, since I had no idea what to tell him.

"Are you sure that going too deep into that sentiment might be making things worse? I mean, your mother is working her ass for you." I said, and then he was shaking his head, and he was seeming to not want to hear any of this in the first place at all.

"Sheldon, I just feel like when I see what my mother was doing, and I was seeing that she was doing it with no fucking apology at all, I feel like I just need to understand that I need to do my own fucking thing, and be my own person." After Brad was telling me this, I was starting to see that he was clearly no longer in the mood to have a argument here.

"I mean, I feel like now that I know that my mother just never has let go of what is a borderline obsession with a perfect family with two sons, it just never makes sense." Brad was telling me, and I was feeling like I just needed to sort of question him a bit more.

"So since your mother is so obsessed with a second son, do you feel like no matter what you do, you will be living her down to some degree." I said, and then I was seeing Brad looking really upset at the fact that I was asking him this in the first place.

"I don't know. And in all honesty, I am finding myself not even fucking caring anymore. I mean, I want to be the person that she wants me to be. That is something that I want to do for her. She is a wonderful woman." Brad said, clearly not even sure he was buying all of this anymore.

"But I hope that for her sake, and her ever decreasing sanity by the year, that she gets that second son. But until then, I am just going to reject my anger, and just move forward." Brad said, and then he smiled, and I was feeling I needed to tell him about her planned adoption coming up. But I felt he needed to see that himself.

"I think that the fact that she said she was making progress with another adoption is making her a better person." I said, and then I took a cigarette out, and Brad was clearly thinking about what I was saying, and I was seeing that he was wanting to buy what I was saying.

"I just want to see if maybe working something out with Todd would be for the best. You know, he seems like a nice enough guy, and I feel like I want to just see how he feels." After Todd was telling me this, I was kind of thinking about what he had been saying at this point.

"I think that you need to make the first move. Show him that you are not judging him as much as he might be scared you are. You need to make him see that you are not like your fucking mother." I said, and then I was seeing Brad looking like he had not wanted to do something like this at all. But felt like he had no real choice.

"Yeah, I guess that is the only way I might be able to get people like Joy to be willing to look at me, and give me a chance as a boyfriend. I mean, I feel like I made progress with her on the friendship level, but that seems to be all for now." After he was saying this to me, he shook his head, kind of wishing that he had more than he already did.

"I think Joy needs a proper man at her side, if I am being completely honest. After all that she has done, and went through, I feel like that is the least that she deserves." I said, and then I was seeing Brad looking happier at the fact that I had told him this. Suddenly feeling like he was able to do something right for once in his life.

"I guess that I can do that. I need to just see what I can to get her to feel like there is any opening. I don't want to just do this for personal gain. Even if the initial talking to her sort of has to be so." Brad was telling me, and the more that I was hearing him talk, the more that I was starting to feel prouder of him this whole time.

"I just now feel like I am finally doing something good for once in my fucking life. I mean, I don't even care if people even want to say shit behind my back about me. I don't really think they know what I am doing, and that is something that I need to remember." After he was telling me this, I was sighing, and I just wanted to be there with him when he was getting his life all figured out going forward.

As we were leaving Mezmer's I was then feeling like I just needed to find something to say to him. To get him to feel better, or like he was able to have his life figured out. "Can't fucking believe that Sherman Peabody is my grandfather. I mean, that is going to take forever to get used to. I know it is just a simple blood line. But it is something I never thought would happen." Brad was telling me, and I was really having no idea what in the world I would even tell him at all.

"I mean, I kind of was thinking it was possible earlier. But knowing for sure, and knowing that it wasn't just a fucking theory, makes me feel so fucking different. I just feel like no matter how much I want to be proud of this, I just can't help but wonder if I will be able to fucking live up to the family name." Brad was telling me, and despite the fact that he might not get it, I did see where he was coming from.

"I always feel like that with my father as well. The fact that he is leading Wayside for the next five and a half years. Makes me feel like I have so much to fucking live for. I feel like no matter what I do, I am failing my father in some way. I want to make him see that I want to make him proud. But I have no idea if such a thing is possible." I said, and I was shrugging, wondering if I even needed to say much more.

"Yeah, but Sherman was the one that brought Wayside out of hell, and turned it into one of the greatest towns in the world. I feel like I have way too much to live for, and that anything I will do will be making things worse for everybody. The fact that I will never accomplish this." Brad said, and then I was slowly nodding, feeling like I just needed to sort of see what he was saying.

"I guess that is fair enough. But I think that perhaps you just need to remember that he would probably not want to make you feel like this. He only did what he did because he had to. Because if he didn't do it, nobody else would. So I feel like you need to just give yourself a break." I said, and then he shrugged.

"I don't fucking care what he would want me to feel like. I just feel like I need to do my own thing, and just show people that no matter what they might be thinking of me, or my personal values, I am not like them." Brad said, and I was wondering if making him feel better would be a lost cause, since he was already well aware of what he would be feeling.

"I just felt like I needed to suggest this to you at the very least. But I guess that at the end of the day, nothing that I will be saying will be making things any different." I said, and then I was shrugging, not too sure what in the world I would have been able to do to make things different.

"Sorry, I am trying to make you feel better about this. But go ahead, and just try to find something that you are passionate about here." I said, and then I was shrugging, I was really having nothing to prove to her.

As I was driving off, I was seeing that Brad was clearly not really in the mood to be dealing with this at all. "Brad, I hope that you understand that I am not deliberately trying to make things worse for you. I just feel like you already seem to have a good idea on what you want in life." I was saying, and I knew his goal would change over time. But as long as he had something right now, then things would be better for him.

"I wish that I would fucking understand this right now. Maybe one of these days, I will just calm down, and see that at the end of day, you are just trying to help me out. And besides, I feel like if I was going to be looking into this so much, I should have asked you what in the world you would have even tried to do anyways." As Brad was telling me this, I was shrugging, and I had no idea what in the world I could have said.

"I do know that at the end of the day, I just have to remember that despite how much my mother might annoy me, and get me worried with her focus, I just need to give her more to work with." After Brad was telling me this, I was sighing, and I had no idea what in the world to tell him at all.

…

Scene 13: A Million Souls

The next day, I was starting to feel like I had done all that I had needed, as a friend, as a person. I was feeling that now that Brad knew what he was doing, and who his family was, I needed to let him be happier. I smoked a cigarette, and I was ready to go to my shift.

As I was going to my car, to head to work, that was when Joy was heading to my car. I felt slightly annoyed with her being here, and trying to get a conversation with me, but I was feeling like I needed to at least pretend like I was willing to hear her lectures about what was happening.

"What do you want Joy?" I asked, and I was clearly able to tell that a small amount of my annoyance was seeping in. I was mentally telling myself to calm down a bit. That she deserved to have me not completely fucking hate her for what was going on here.

"I just feel like after all this time, I need to make peace with myself. You know, I'm going to die somebody, and it was all going down. After all, I had several years more than a few people did." Joy said, and while I didn't think that was true, I needed to let her have the moment.

"I mean, don't you want to fight, and make it last longer?" I asked, and I was feeling like I just needed to try and get him to calm down one final fucking time. But she seemed to not have much interest in hearing what my opinion on the matter was.

"I already have been fighting, and let me tell you right now that most of this fighting is just only really dragging it on. But what I am trying to say is that I feel like I want to finally just be with people who I have grown to care about. People who I know have been there, helping me feel much better." Joy said, and I saw her clearly just seeming like she was not sure what she even wanted to do anymore.

"Joy, shouldn't you be with Brad right now? I mean, I have seen from the look on his face that he clearly loves you a whole lot, and you need to have a person who truly cares for you." I said, and then I was simply just trying to make sure that she really did have the happiness that she deserved. As she looked at me, I saw him looking like he seemed to be much more careful here.

"I do like him a lot. He is really fucking great. But I feel like if I hold off, then I might be losing my time with other fucking friends. You know, the people who are also going to try and be there for me." After she said that to me, I decided to let her have her point, and not to argue here.

"What do you want to be doing now?" I asked, feeling like this was all relating to various things, such as the letters that she made all of us for when she died. "I mean, most people who have come to me lately have been having the intention of trying to get my help on something."

"Well, I was wanting to just see if the rumors are true. I feel like I personally cracked the case. Which you will know when you read my letter. But I feel like I just need to be more sure of myself. Knowing that my father was actually doing all of this stuff. Knowing full well what is happening with the girls here." Joy said, not even trying to hide how much this was crushing her to merely fucking say.

"What do you mean? Do you want me to back into that fucking forest, again?" I asked, clearly trying to hide my growing annoyance at this question. As I asked him this, I was feeling like I just needed to make her understand, she was out of her fucking mind as she was suggesting this.

"I mean, you have to if you want to know what happened. Just trust me when I say that I am finally so fucking close to knowing the truth. I need you at my fucking side. Can you do that for me?" She asked, and then I looked at her, feeling like this whole thing was too much to handle.

"Damn it. Well, can you at least give me some pointers on where you think I am going to have to go to make this work? In all honesty, this whole thing is fucking crazy. No other way to put it. People are going to fucking come along, and attacking you even more than ever." I said, feeling like I needed to just get her to see reason.

"Well, certainly. I mean, if this is the way that I go out, is helping bring down this entire fucking place, then my death will totally be worth it. I mean, what's the point of all the threats anyways? I'm contracted to die in the next few days anyways. Might as well go out on my terms." She said, and she was smiling as she was saying this.

"Okay, I guess that if this is something you are certain of, I might as well just go along with it. No point in fighting something that I can't change." I said, and I simply had no idea where to be heading with all of this in the first place.

"Thanks for not arguing. Thanks for not trying to fucking lecture me about what I need to do, or not do. I know what I am doing. Much more than you might be feeling." She said, and then I slowly nodded, feeling like fighting her was going to just be a waste of fucking time now.

"Do you want to have various other people to help us out?" I asked, and then she was shaking her head, not seeming to be in the mood to hear this discussion at all. I wondered what I would even accomplish with much of this argument.

"You know, like Brad or Todd?" I asked, and as soon as I was mentioning Brad, I saw her instantly turn into having no fucking favor for this idea. She probably thought that I was a monster for even suggesting something like this in the first place.

"I mean, I guess that we can do Todd. But I am not sending Brad into this. I want Brad to be the last person to be getting involved in this right now. And this is not something that I am willing to debate at all." She was telling me this, I sighed, and I was getting in the car, and then she was getting in the passenger seat.

"Sometimes, I feel like you really do have a fucking death wish." I said, and then I was starting to drive off. As I said this, I saw her looking like she was at least considering what I had been asking. Probably not too sure what the plan was here.

"I mean, I guess that I am just being realistic. Isn't that the way that things are meant to be?" She asked, as I was getting close to Todd's house. "That was the main thing that Brad hated about me earlier. The fact that I refused to be seeing reality when it is presented to me right in my fucking face!"

"Is that another reason why you were starting to feel like you were no longer able to fucking love him?" I asked, feeling like I just needed to get her insight on the matter. As I was telling her this, as we were getting closer, she just simply seemed to be at a lost for words.

"I mean, I don't know. I think there is the fact that I was feeling like I had conflicting feelings for everybody else here, and I thought that I would fucking love them too. But I guess that something like this is just not fucking possible." After she said that to me, I looked at her, not sure what to tell her.

"I mean, I just see how much you are able to go out there, and the fact that you are the only person who brings peace and compassion back to this town, and I feel like I need to just try and make what I can with this friendship of ours." Joy said to me, and I was feeling like I just needed her to try and be honest with me here.

"Are you fucking telling me that you are in love with me? I mean, I feel like that isn't fucking possible. I mean, you do not know what I truly am like?" I asked, feeling like I just needed to get her away from this idea, before she makes it worse. "Besides, you have Brad at your side now, who deserves all that support he can get here."

"Honestly, I know that. I am just saying that was what I thought at one point. But after all this time with Brad, and having him at my side, a man who truly fucking hears me out, and shows me that I have people who care for me, that is something completely fucking different." Joy said, and I felt like this was what I truly needed to fucking hear right now.

"And besides, I know that with how much Brad cares for me, I want to just make sure that before I am gone, I can be able to leave a lasting and good memory. I feel like, as much as I might not want to admit it, that I fucking love him." She said, and then I was feeling like when Brad found out the truth about what was happening here, all hope would be lost forever.

"To be honest, I am worried about what Brad will be doing when he learns that you're gone. I mean, I already know that I am going to be kind of losing my will when I see this." I said, and then I shrugged, and I was looking at her, wondering if she would be willing to hear what I had just told her.

"Just thinking about it breaks my heart. But I do not want to tell him, as I do not want him to just judge me over something like this before it even happens. You know, I just want him to be happier, no matter what that fucking takes. And when I am gone, I know you and Todd will treat him with respect. You will help him move forward." She said, and then I was shaking my head, not sure if she was thought that out through.

"I am not going to be the person you fucking thought that I was. Honestly, I think you need to just see that before your hearts gets broken." I said, and then she smiled. "I mean, if I was able to make people feel better, and change the world, then I would need to be a fucking politician." I said, and then I smiled at her, hoping she would hear me out.

"Yeah, I feel like you would probably go insane if you tried to do something like this." Joy was shrugging, and she was not having any interest in this situation in the first place.

"Let's just fucking talk to Todd, and get this over with." I said, and then I looked at her, not in the mood to hear this in the first place. I walked out of the car, and then Joy and I was walking to the door. Joy seemed like she was utterly mixed about this whole thing from start to finish.

When Todd answered the door, he was looking at both of us, and I was seeing him looking like he was clearly just wondering what our fucking plan was going to be. "Okay guys, what are you guys planning?" He asked, not really seeming annoyed, but more just unsure of what the plan was going to be heading forward, and he was clearly worried what the hands and strings were going to be.

"Todd, I know that I should have been open about this stuff earlier, but I want your help with bringing down much of the issues in town. I feel like with my ideas on what is happening, and what I can do, I might finally have an answer for this." She said, holding her hands together, hoping that we would at least consider what she said.

"But I am needing you to help me with really blowing this whole thing sky high. The forest is the best place to start. We all fucking know this. There is no point in hiding there anymore." Joy was saying, and she was saying this with such vigor there was no way to fucking hide what she was telling us.

"But we have been there several times, and nothing fucking happened. And you are out of your fucking mind if you think for a fucking second I am going back to that tree house again." Todd said, clearly annoyed with this very idea. Joy looked like she was considering what he was saying.

"Nothing like that. So you can fucking relax on that sense." Joy said, clearly not amused by the way that Todd reacted. I looked at both of them, hoping their fighting wouldn't last much longer. Especially with their awareness that they needed to fucking work together, much more now than ever.

"I mean, why the fucking hell are you not going in the actual mines? You know that those are the best places to fucking look?" She asked, and then I looked at her, wondering what she meant when she was saying this. I felt like she had forgotten all we had fucking done so far.

"I mean, because there is nothing to fucking get there. We even fucking tried a couple of times, and nothing fucking happened. You know that simply doing this is a fucking waste." After Todd was saying this, he rubbed his hair, and looked at me.

"Sheldon, please tell her of the work we have been doing. We put in so much time and effort to make this all come though, so there is nothing to gain by doing this." After I said that to him, I really had no idea what in the world we were even doing now.

"We did try to go to one of them, and it actually was completely fucking destroyed." I said, and then Joy was starting to head to my car once again, and Todd and I were both wondering what her fucking plan was going to fucking be now.

"That is the fucking point. You said you went to one of them, and that is not enough. And you know that there are several fucking more that you guys need to go to." She said, and then I was sighing, feeling like nothing I could tell would make her feel any different.

"Aren't there like thirty of them in this town? With all due respect, even if we have a basic idea where each one is, which we barely have because of Sheldon, we would be spending fucking forever working this out." I said, and I really could not understand what in the world I was getting myself into.

"Yeah, and if we want this to be done by the end of summer, we have no excuses to keep up this banter and debating like we are some fucking senate. We need to be acting now, when we have a chance to do this before the vacation is fucking over!" She said, and I was sighing, feeling like I just needed to hear what she was telling me.

Todd and I were both at our fucking wits end with this nonsense. And I was feeling like there was only a matter of time before all of us were going to be telling Joy she had lost her fucking mind, and needed to see what she was doing was fucking too much.

"Do you feel like we need to at least get supplies first, before we fucking do anything like this? I mean, if we are going in this forest, with no fucking rhyme or planning, we just need to get something together." Todd said, finally feeling like he needed to stand up for himself. I was feeling like this argument was never going to be getting us anywhere at all.

"I mean, I guess that I do sort of see that. I might not like it, because every minute we waste is another minute that these monsters get to do whatever they fucking want, and you guys are just letting them get away with it." Joy said, and then I was feeling like I just needed to finally end this before it got much worse.

"Just hang out with Brad, and let him fucking make things better than you. Let Todd and I do this ourselves." I said, hoping I could get him to at least hear what I was saying much more. I really had no idea what I would be able to say to really make her feel much better about my plans here.

"I have been trying to leave it to you guys before, and nothing fucking gets done! I have to do this myself, if I want results. I would rather be with Brad right now. But I know that is impossible. Until the answers are blown." Joy said, and for the first time, I was hearing her voice crack. Aware that no matter how much she could want to hide, it would never happen at all.

…

Scene 14: December 24, 1986, End

Sheldon took a deep breath, brought a cigarette out, and was ready to continue his discussion with her.

Therapist: So now that you brought Brad into this, was this the first stage of him slowly turning his back on his family?

Sheldon: Yes it was. He simply felt like he didn't need them at his side anymore, so he decided to just start becoming his own fucking person. Feeling like he was all on his own...

Therapist: Sheldon, I feel like Brad was going to be falling down this path anyways. He seemed like he was desperate for answers anyways. So you are not at fault here.

Sheldon: The general interest, sure, maybe not my fault. But I was irrefutably an accelerant to his feelings, and his anger. Don't fucking deny that shit.

Therapist: That is fair. Without your help, he might have gone all the way through high school without this in mind. So I guess I can't fight much.

Sheldon: Thanks for understanding where I am coming from. That is all that I wanted people to have. A understanding of seeing what I have been fucking doing.

Therapist: But like you said, he was mentioning that with your fucking help on him learning the truth anyways, you were able to help him start to plan things out ahead of time.

Sheldon: I think that is true. I mean, I guess that it does go both ways, and I think even his mother was able to see that when she looked at things objectively, if she was able to do such a thing in the first place.

Therapist: I thought that you were able to start to respect his mother after everything that had happened. What fucking changed? Now it seems like you feel like she is just making a ton of mistakes.

Sheldon: It's all bullshit honestly. Simple as that. Shit that you feel like you can finally fucking fix, but fucking can't. Nothing that I can fucking do to change it. But I feel like everything I say is a waste of fucking time.

As he was starting to realize that everything that had happened with Brad was truly his fault, he wondered if he was going to ever be able to fully redeem himself, or if he deserved to suffer for all that he had done.