Note: Total filler here. Sorry in advance. Tell me what you think, anyway? Please? Thank you suburbs for making me realize Joe would never go through that door on his own.
home is (not always) where the heart is
Blackness.
"Joe."
A rustling in the distance,
like crumpling paper,
but he's comfortable in the black.
Soothed by the n o t h i n g n e s s.
.
"Yo, mophead, wake up!"
And with a sudden –snatch--
he's robbed of covers,
bare chest exposed
to piercing morning coldness.
He jolts out of bed. "Wha—"
.
A less than imposing trio (Nick, Kevin &Stella, but you probably guessed that) crouches over him—Stella clutching tightly to his Batman blanket, a satisfied smirk on her face.
Joe frowns, smothering his face with his hand. "What happened?" He looks around blearily. "Where's Macy?"
The three musketeers just stare, sharing a confused look. "Macy?" "Why would Macy be here?"
He's not sure who's asking the questions--he's too busy racking his brain. How'd he get home? He wasn't going to leave her. No matter what she said. Especially if she was in danger—
And then he remembers.
Anger, worry &fear
course through him with such force
it shocks him.
"She pushed me."
He can't even believe it. She pushed him through that stupid door and sent him home like he was just some .h e l p l e s s. little boy needing to be looked after. Did she really think he was that… u s e l e s s ?
.
"Well, that explains it," Nick chimes in.
"Explains what?"
"How you ended up sprawled out, unconscious, on the football field."
"Poor Macy." Stella says, sad. "Don't be mad at her, Joe. I'm sure she didn't mean to knock you out. She just loses all coordination around you guys."
"No, that's not it." He shakes his head. They don't get it.
.
He knows why he's confused.
Who wouldn't be, really?
After what he's seen
_____(and not seen)
But why does he feel empty
like he was inches away from something--
_____(something he both needs
_____and wants).
But now it's gone again.
A million miles away.
.
"I need to talk to her."
Stella looks at him strangely, piecing it together. (Whatever 'it' is, anyway). Or at least trying to. "Well, don't forget you told Laura you were gonna pick her up."
"Who?"
"Uh, your girlfriend."
.
b l a n k stare
.
"Ok, not your girlfriend. But you did go out last week."
"What's up with you, man?"
"Yeah, you're really out of it. Are you ok?"
From the way Kevin looks at him
_______(puppy dog eyes),
Joe knows he's sincere
_______(when is he not?)
But how can he answer
when he doesn't know?
.
Is he ok?
Does he want to be?
.
.
.
Laura's on the school steps when he gets there, toying with a strand of hair. She smiles when she sees him, but her eyes say something else. "Hey loverboy (__cringe), where were you this morning?"
"Sorry. I forgot." He doesn't really have time for this. He needs to find Macy.
She laughs and pulls him down to the steps with her. "Ah, boys, and their memory. At least you didn't forget our anniversary or anything like that."
____(Uh, Anniversary? Really?)
They'd gone out, like... twice? Not exactly serious (to him anyway). But, to be fair, he vaguely remembered thinking she was hot. She was sophisticated and graceful and he'd mistaken that for... s p e c i a l.
She frowns at him. And he should probably be honest with her. But he turns his head just for a second and
--bam--there she is. Running from her car, dark hair flying all over the place, clutching some kind of hockey stick.
He swallows.
"Oh look, it's your superfan." She says the word with such derision, expecting him to laugh with her.
And the worst part? A day ago, he would have.
.
He stands up, fumbling for words. "Macy!"
She doesn't notice at first, focused on where she's going. She's going to walk right passed him and he panics, jerking himself out of Laura's vice-grip.
.
_____(from the look on Laura's face
_____when he tries to leave,
_____Joe's not surehow he ever
_____thought she was beautiful).
But that hardly matters.
.
Stumbling forward, he grabs for her upper arm.
For a second her eyes -flash- violet and he thinks she's going to go all kung-fu on him. But then she realizes who he is and it's someone else behind those eyes.
"Um. Joe. of Jonas. Hi!" Her voice squeaks a little and it's the best deer-in-headlights look he's ever seen, but he's not falling for it. Not this time.
"Why'd you push me? I wasn't ready to leave."
"Uh--" She looks around, like she's looking for help. "Did I push you? I'm sorry, I don't remember."
Her hockey stick swings sideways with her movement, flying towards Joe's head, but he grabs it with his freehand and lets it fall to the ground: Clatter, thump, silence.
He clutches her more tightly. She looks down at where his hand meets her arm. Even now he can feel a fire seething through the simple contact of skin against sleeve. Was this s p a r k between them always there? How's he not seen it?
But, as usual, Stella steps in with her perfect timing. It's like she has a radar for these things. "What's going on, Joe," she says, eyeing him like he's the devil. "You're not being a jerk, are you?"
"Stella, Joe could never--"
"Oh, yes he could, Mace. You're just too sweet to notice."
Joe fakes a smile. "Don't worry. No jerkiness here. I just need to talk to Macy for a minute."
Stella eyes the grip he has on her friend's jacket, blinking. "Well, Macy needs to be going," she says, pulling her friend away.
"But, I--"
"Trust me. This is for your own good."
But Joe's not having it. "After school, Macy. Just for a second. I have to tell you something important."
Her eyes go wide. "Um--"
And, again, Stella interrupts. "Sorry, she's busy. Girl's night."
Joe is undeterred. He pushes past the crowd of students and leans against her locker door. His hands are in his pockets and he just looking at her. Staring.
.
It's a moment
___(small and quiet)
where it's only them
--no hallways or stairs or people
--no stars or fairydust
--just them.
So he asks her,
"Can I come by tonight?"
And she says, "Yes."
.
.
Laura and her posse send him death glares the rest of the day. And Stella is so convinced he's going to blow up at her friend, she refuses to speak to him. But he takes it in stride because tonight he's going to get answers. And he's determined to be ready for them, whatever they are.
The StellaCloset chooses something stealth for him. Something wacky enough to make him blend, even in Neverland. Or whatever that place is called. It should have a real name, he thinks. Maybe it does. He'll have to ask Macy. And he smiles because tonight he can.
.