Two years following the events of "Tim and Clarisse Part II"
Joey found himself thrown to the ground by Matthew once again.
Joey shook his head and stood, wiping the sweat from his face. He wiped off his light blue jeans and brown t-shirt before looking at the hot summer sun and then around the park, making sure nobody else had seen.
"Was there a better time for us to do this?" Joey said, standing up and preparing to throw another punch. "I'm pretty sure this is the hottest day of the year."
"You're the one who wanted to go out on the next scouting trip," Matthew said calmly. Barely a drop of sweat spotted his blue t-shirt and jeans. He folded his arms. "So, no. I don't think we have much time to waste."
"That coming from the guy who's hosting a party at the Foundation," Tim said off to the side. He was perched on top of the blue jungle gym. His white t-shirt and black pants still damp from his morning run.
"Tommy asked me to keep an eye on things," Matthew corrected. "I'm not exactly a party-hoster."
Joey threw another right cross.
Matthew dodged and threw Joey to the ground.
"Dammit," Joey groaned as Tim chuckled. Joey stood and faced Matthew. "You used to be a lot slower than that."
"I was holding back," Matthew replied, still not breaking a sweat.
"I didn't want you to," Joey said.
"I was teaching you to fight people whose goal was to beat you, not kill you," Matthew explained. "The people you'll meet out there won't hold back."
"The odd of us meeting people are?" Joey asked, throwing another two punches that Matthew easily blocked.
"High enough," Tim said firmly. "Keep the guard up. Don't expose your neck."
Joey threw another punch.
Matthew caught his arm and shot up a fist that stopped a millimeter from Joey's neck.
"Like I said," Tim grunted.
"Only throw the punches you know you can connect," Matthew advised, calmly pushing Joey away. "Otherwise, your enemy can do whatever they want if they catch you off guard."
"I think I'll stick to my gun," Joey said, backing up.
"Not always an option," Tim said from the side.
"I know," Joey said. He raised his fists.
Matthew shook his head. "Don't—"
Joey charged forward and threw another punch.
Matthew sidestepped the punch and kicked Joey's legs out from under him before stepping around the younger man. "Don't look like you're preparing or your enemy can see whatever you're doing a mile away."
"So, I noticed," Joey grunted, standing up again. "You know, I miss the days when you would have gotten in trouble for beating the shit out of me."
"I think he's doing just as much damage to the ground," Tim commented.
"Not helping," Joey growled.
Joey threw another punch that Matthew was required to block. Once again, Joey hit the ground.
Matthew spoke as Joey rolled to his stomach. "Imagine what would happen to me if I let somebody else beat you up, or worse you get killed out there."
"You're scared of what my parents would do to you?" Joey asked, rising to a knee.
"Not your parents," Matthew replied, extending his hand. "Your mother."
Tim chuckled off to the side. "I'd be afraid."
Joey grabbed Matthew's outreached arm with one hand and threw a pile of dirt with the other.
Matthew was momentarily distracted, allowing Joey to stand and throw a punch. Matthew ducked under the swing and grabbed the arm before kicking Joey in the chest, sending him off his feet.
"Son of a bitch," Joey groaned, rising to his feet and facing Matthew again. "I can't even hit you when your blind."
"I've been doing this a long time," Matthew replied with a shrug. "Don't be too hard on yourself. Using the dirt was smart. Improvising will help more than it will hurt."
Tim glanced at the sun and hopped to his feet.
Joey slowly stood and accepted a water bottle that Tim offered him. "What time is it?" he asked, taking a drink.
"About three," Matthew replied, shaking his head when Joey offered him the water bottle. "You actually made a lot of progress for us only being at this for six hours."
"Doesn't feel like it," Joey grumbled, handing the water bottle to Tim as his body continued to ache. "You still haven't broken a sweat."
"If he breaks a sweat, we're all in trouble," Tim said seriously. "Besides, you almost hit him a few times."
Joey looked at Matthew. "Did I?"
"Almost," Matthew replied. "You wanna call it a day?"
"I probably should," Joey said. "I told Heather I'd help her sort through some stuff at her house around six. And I need a shower."
"Gotta look good before asking her to the party tomorrow night," Tim said under his breath.
"Ellie's got you in on this too?" Joey asked. He sighed. "Well, Heather's not planning on going."
"That's why you ask," Tim mumbled.
Matthew smiled slightly off to the side. "Here we go again."
"I'm just saying," Tim said to Joey. "You two have known each other how long and you still haven't even tried?"
"You know what the difference between you and Ellie is?" Joey asked as the three men started walking out of the park. "Ellie already has someone and you don't. Therefore, you shouldn't talk."
"But I'm not interested in anyone," Tim said.
"Not even Vanessa?" Joey pressed.
There was brief silence. "Maybe you need to stop hanging with Ellie," Tim said.
"I live across the street from her," Joey said simply. "It's kinda hard to do that."
"I live with her," Matthew grunted. "Think about what it's like for me."
"I saw you and Vanessa hanging out after the meeting last week," Joey said to Tim. "She seemed comfortable. Hasn't been like that with most people since Jeff died. Trust me. I've known her lot longer."
"I could say the same thing about you and Heather," Tim replied. "She hasn't seemed totally comfortable with people… since forever, actually."
Joey glanced at Matthew, who had remained relatively silent as they walked the streets of Jackson. Joey shrugged and spoke lightly. "Silent brooder over here has it easy. It seems like him and Ellie have always been connected."
"In the weirdest ways," Tim commented.
Matthew glanced at Tim.
Tim stopped walking for a moment.
"Why are you two acting weird?" Joey asked. He looked at Tim. "What do you mean 'weirdest ways'."
Tim looked at Matthew. A look of guilt crossed his face. "Matthew, I—"
"It's fine," Matthew said, holding up a hand. He looked at Joey as they continued walking. "Ellie once had a friend in Boston… a long time before I met her."
"And?" Joey pressed, still confused.
"And I'm that friend's brother," Matthew said, looking straight ahead.
Joey stopped walking. He let out a breath. "I'm going to need a lot of alcohol when you or Ellie get around to explaining that one."
Matthew didn't reply.
"Sorry," Joey said to Tim after a few seconds. "That alcohol comment was in bad taste."
"Not really," Tim said simply. "You aren't the one who had a problem."
"Has it been nice having your sister back home?" Matthew asked Tim.
"When I see her," Tim said with a shrug. "She spends a lot of time at Lin's."
"That's what you said you wanted for her," Joey pointed out.
"It is," Tim said. "Still, she used to like spending time with her brother."
"A lot can happen in two years," Matthew said. "She's not the little girl anymore."
"How old is she again?" Joey asked.
"Thirteen," Tim answered.
"Just wait 'til she start's dating," Joey teased. "Then you'll never see her again."
"Or worse, she'll start living at home all of a sudden," Tim said with a shrug.
"Well I hope you like the lucky guy," Matthew said with a small smile.
"Me too," Tim said. He looked at the sky again. "Well, I should probably get to the Foundation. I promised I'd help set up for the party."
"So, are you going to talk to Vanessa or not?" Joey asked.
Tim stopped and thought for a moment. He looked at Joey and sighed. "Get Heather to the party and… I'll talk to Vanessa."
"Deal," Joey said, suddenly nervous. "You're heading up the meeting with Vanessa and Ellie tonight…"
"I'll ask," Tim said firmly, allowing a small amount of annoyance to enter his voice.
Joey smiled.
After a few seconds, Tim shook his head and smiled as well. "I'll see you tomorrow night," he said, turning to Matthew nervously. "We're cool, right?"
"We're fine," Matthew assured him.
Tim turned down a side street.
Matthew and Joey continued to walk to their houses in silence.
"Can I ask you something personal?" Joey asked Matthew as they stood between their houses.
"Shoot," Matthew said.
Joey gulped. "When did Ellie trust you? With… hard stuff?"
Matthew looked at the ground for a moment. His walkie-talkie chimed. "Matthew," a voice said. "Can you help out on the east end of the Wall for a bit? We got an animal raiding storage again."
"Yeah," Matthew answered into the walkie-talkie. He placed the device on his belt.
Joey was still standing next to him, waiting for an answer.
Matthew looked Joey in the eye as he answered. "When she was ready."
…
Heather continued digging through Ellie's closet and sifting through the numerous dresses.
Ellie pointed at one of the dresses. "I think that one would look good on you."
"For the last time," Heather said, slightly annoyed. "I'm not going."
Ellie shrugged. "Whatever, boring person."
"We're searching for a dress for you, not me," Heather reminded her. She grabbed a pile of dresses, holding them close to her light grey t-shirt and blue jeans, and laid them out on Ellie's bed. "Where did you get all these?"
Clarisse, wearing a long black, shawl over black t-shirt and jeans, looked up from her drawing on the bed. She pointed at one of the dresses. "I saw that one at the shop a few weeks ago."
"Yeah," Ellie said. "I got most of them from there. Just not all at once."
"You get pissed at Joel or something?" Heather said, sorting through the various dresses. "Some of these are a little short… and exposing."
"I was only mad at Joel when I got a few of them," Ellie said mischievously. She started looking through the dresses. "I started collecting them after we got back."
"Why?" Heather asked.
"I just had a hope that I would have a reason to wear one someday," Ellie said with a shrug.
Clarisse put down her pencil and looked at the dresses. "Did you pick the dresses with the sleeves so you could wear them and still keep your bite covered up?"
Ellie and Heather glanced at one another. Clarisse had known about the bite for over a year now, but neither were used to her mentioning it.
"Yes," Ellie said. She sat down on the bed. "I mean most of the time, I would just wear the sleeves Matthew makes for me. But yes. I was hoping that I would eventually be able to wear something a bit more fancy."
"Why did you get the other dresses?" Clarisse asked. "The ones without the sleeves."
"Why not?" Ellie replied. She looked at the dresses on the bed. "The trick was hiding them from Joel."
"How'd you manage that?" Heather asked.
"Using the spare room," Ellie answered.
Clarisse smiled and went back to her drawing.
"So," Heather said, having sorted the dresses. She smiled at Ellie. "How much do we want to… impress tonight?"
"Let's keep it age appropriate for everyone," Ellie said, glancing at Clarisse. She looked at Heather. "Everyone."
"I don't care if you talk about sex," Clarisse said, not even looking up.
"That makes things easier," Heather said lightly. She closed the bedroom door. "Okay, Ellie. So, how late do you want to be up with Matthew tomorrow night?"
"Heather!" Ellie exclaimed as Clarisse started to laugh.
"Yes, Ellie?" Heather asked innocently, earning yet another laugh from Clarisse.
"Cover your ears," Ellie said, placing both hands over Clarisse's ears.
"I already said I don't care," Clarisse groaned.
"You're awfully comfortable with this," Ellie said with mock suspicion. She flashed Heather a smile as she removed her hands. "Are there any boys we should or shouldn't know about?"
"No," Clarisse answered.
"It's okay for you to tell us," Heather said, sitting on the bed. "We won't be as mean as the boys when they find out."
"If said boy that you like behaves," Ellie added.
"Sex with a boy is not a problem," Clarisse said evasively.
"And it shouldn't be," Ellie said, ruffling Clarisse hair. "You're an attractive young—"
"Please stop," Clarisse said, brushing her hair back down.
"Fiiiine," Ellie said dramatically. She looked at the dresses. "Okay, I'm thinking… this one… or… this one."
Ellie held up two dresses. Both were long and fell below Ellie's ankles. One was purple and had thin, partially transparent sleeves leading down from the shoulders to the wrist. The other dress was red and sleeveless but was no different otherwise.
"Which one should I try?" Ellie asked.
"Purple," Heather said.
"Yeah," Clarisse said, glancing up from her drawing. "Purple seems more your color."
"The sleeves could be a problem," Ellie said glancing between the bite on her arm and the transparent sleeves on the dress. "What do you guys think?"
"Just try it with one of the thinner black sleeves that Matthew made you," Heather said.
"Oh, that's good, yeah," Ellie said, seeming to picture it in her head. "I think they're still on the couch. Do you mind."
"Sure," Heather said, standing up. She motioned to the remaining dresses. "You should probably return some of those."
"Probably," Ellie said. "I'll do it before the meeting at the Foundation tonight.
…
Clarisse set down her pencil as Heather exited the room and grabbed the red dress, stashing it under the blanket with a mischievous smile.
…
"That's my girl," Heather heard Ellie say as she reentered the room.
Ellie sat on the bed again.
Clarisse picked up a pencil.
Ellie placed a hand on her shoulder and looked at the art. "You're outside the lines a little on this one. You sure everything's okay? The move back into Tim's house going good?"
"I'm fine," Clarisse said crisply.
Heather exchanged a glance with Ellie as she handed her the sleeve.
"Clarisse," Ellie said, putting a little pressure on the young woman's shoulder. "Heather and I were thirteen once too. And trust me. When a girl says, 'I'm fine', she's not fine. If you want to talk in private, I have time after the meeting tonight. I'll even send Tim home early if you want me too."
"I don't want to talk about it at the Foundation," Clarisse said quietly. "My issues aren't big enough."
"Are they big enough for this room?" Heather asked.
Clarisse stood and closed the bedroom door again. "Timmy is good. I'm good. We're good. No crazy nightmares or anything."
"But?" Heather pressed.
"But I think he's lonely," Clarisse said.
"Well, you moving back in with him will eventually help with that," Ellie said as Clarisse returned to the bed. "But if you don't want to live there, I'm sure—"
"I do," Clarisse said quickly. "I do want to live there. I love living with Timmy, but… I think he's afraid of being close to… other people."
"People like who?" Ellie asked. She looked at Heather, who smiled sadly. Ellie grabbed the pencil that Clarisse reached for. "People like Vanessa?"
"I'm glad somebody other than me sees it," Clarisse said, looking somewhat relieved. She shook her head. "I know he likes her. He acts different… happier when she's around. And I told him I like her. He knows I like her. He's just… afraid."
Heather sat down on the bed with them, exchanging another glance with Ellie.
"I thought that the whole point of him going to the Foundation was to help him not be scared or guilty," Clarisse finished.
Ellie looked at Heather again, indicating that she was at a loss.
Heather thought for a moment and looked to Ellie for permission.
Ellie shrugged. She stood and started to undress.
Heather put a hand around Clarisse's shoulder. "Sometimes, when people like your brother spend most of their life only trusting one or two people, it's kind of hard to branch out."
"You branched out," Clarisse said.
"I didn't want to at first," Heather countered.
"Some would say you could branch out more, Heather," Ellie added as she put on her black sleeves and started to pull on the dress.
Heather looked at Ellie with a raised eyebrow.
"Shutting up," Ellie said.
"I also didn't have a sister who I wanted to watch out for," Heather said.
"You and Ellie act like sisters all the time," Clarisse said skeptically.
"And I definitely have to watch out for her," Heather said with a small smile. She squeezed Clarisse's shoulder. "When Tim's ready, he'll branch out."
"What if he's never ready?" Clarisse asked.
"Then he'll just have to stick with rest of his family in that picture you made," Heather answered. "And there's nothing wrong with that, either."
"You're probably right," Clarisse said as Heather handed her a pencil. "Thanks."
"No problem," Heather said. She glanced at Ellie who was looking at herself in the mirror attached to her bedside table. "What would your rating of my 'sisterly' performance be?"
"You stuck the landing," Ellie said. She walked to the center of the room. "Alright guys, be honest. How do I look?"
"Great," Clarisse said. She stood and pulled down on the sleeves of the dress, straightening it out. "I think Matthew will like it."
"See?" Heather said, shaking out the bottom of the dress. "He'll like it. That's who you're worried about impressing, right?"
"We're not coming back to this," Ellie said firmly.
There was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Ellie asked.
"The old guy."
Ellie took a deep breath. "You can come in, Joel."
Joel opened the door. "Hey girls. Ellie, Maria and Tommy were wondering if you wanted them to…"
Ellie suddenly looked nervous as Joel's voice trailed away when he saw her.
"How do I look?" Ellie finally asked.
Joel smiled and walked forward, grabbing her hands. "You look beautiful," he said kindly. "You'll definitely impress tomorrow night."
Heather sniggered, earning a glare from Ellie as Clarisse continued drawing.
Joel looked between them, clearly confused. He shook his head. "Anyway, Maria and Tommy were wondering if you wanted the sofa at the bar. The cushions don't match up, but it's better than sitting on the moldy couch that used to be there."
"We could use some comfortable seating," Ellie said with a shrug. "We get first dibs, right?"
"I doubt anybody's going to fight you for it," Joel said. He nodded at Clarisse and Heather. "Ladies."
Heather and Clarisse started laughing the second the Joel closed the door.
"Shut up," Ellie said with a laugh of her own. She started to take off the dress.
"I told you you'd impress," Heather said.
"Shut. Up. Heather."
…
Joey put on a nice blue t-shirt and clean jeans. He walked downstairs, accepting a piece of fruit from his dad.
"You do know that the party is tomorrow night," his father commented, wearing a similar, but dirtier outfit. "Right?"
"Ha ha," Joey said sarcastically.
"How'd it go with Matthew, today?" his mother asked, wearing a black coat and jeans.
"Better than last time," Joey replied. "I guess I almost hit him a couple times."
"At least you're learning," Joey's father said. He looked uneasily at Maria. "We still don't like you going out there, Joey."
"It's not that I want to go out there," Joey explained. "I just want to be prepared if I need to. Guys younger than me spend their entire lives out there without ever feeling… safe."
Joey's mother and father exchanged proud looks.
Joey walked to the front door.
"I just find it funny how you're afraid to ask a girl out, but you're not afraid to go over the Wall," Joey's mother said under her breath.
"What was that?" Joey asked.
"Nothing," Joey's father answered. "Have fun."
Thirty minutes later, Joey watched as Heather poured a pile of papers out of a large box and onto her bed.
"Damn," Joey said. He started straightening out the papers.
"Yeah," Heather said, sitting down on the bed. "Evidently, the old man didn't keep anything organized. Some of these notes predate my time in Jackson."
Joey sat down on the bed and flipped through part of the pile. "Um… I think some of these predate me."
"Shit," Heather said. "Now I feel old."
"Well, you're not as old as Herb was," Joey grunted.
"Nobody is as old as Herb was," Heather replied. "He always said he'd retire when he died."
Joey shrugged. "Something tells me that old age isn't the worst way to go in this world."
"He was a good man," Heather said. "Good doctor. Anyway, thanks for helping me sort through all this."
"It's better than getting my ass handed to me by Matthew for another few hours," Joey said, grabbing half the pile.
"You did volunteer," Heather reminded him. She grabbed a pile of her own. "Would you rather it was Ellie teaching you?"
"Not really, no."
They started sorting the papers, remaining silent for a couple minutes.
Joey smiled slightly and looked at Heather. "So, does this mean everyone gets to start calling you Dr. Heather?"
Heather laughed. "For the little kids, maybe. For everyone else, it's just 'Heather'."
"Well, 'just Heather'," Joey teased. "How does it feel to be Jackson's resident doctor?"
"Probably the same as it feels to be Jackson's next 'big leader'," Heather said with a sigh. "A lot of excitement wrapped in a big ball of nervousness."
"Sounds about right," Joey said.
They continued sorting in silence until a large pile of papers on the edge of the bed started to slide down.
Joey and Heather reached out at the same time and stopped the moving pile.
"Nice catch," Heather said, her hand resting on Joey's. After a few seconds, she moved the hand.
"Why can't I be that fast when I'm training with Matthew?" Joey groaned.
"Maybe you haven't had incentive to go that fast yet," Heather said, resuming her sorting.
Joey shrugged and grabbed more papers from the center of the bed. "So, Matthew said you weren't planning on coming to the party tomorrow night."
"No," Heather said with a shrug. "I have my first new patient on Monday and I should really study up on this stuff. I'm going from about six to however many patients. I figure I'll need the time to get it all figured out."
"That's a lot of explanation," Joey commented as he placed a paper on the bed. "You could just say parties aren't your thing."
Heather sorted another few papers before answering. "Maybe I don't feel like going because there's a lot of alcohol involved," she said. She took a deep breath. "And with alcohol comes drunk people, and with drunk people comes a lot of… 'ugh' stuff."
Joey nodded, not asking for further explanation. "No chance of changing your mind, huh?"
"Not unless you can give me a good reason," Heather replied.
"You could always go with me— for me," Joey corrected.
"Which is it?" Heather pressed, clearly intending to milk the slip-up. "With you or for you?"
Joey decided to avoid the mistake altogether. "Matthew and Ellie are going to be there. Tim's going to probably be with Vanessa and I don't really care for alcohol, either."
"It sounds like were leaning towards me going for you," Heather said with a smile. She picked up another piece of paper and examined it. "But I suppose I could go with you. Just so you don't feel left out."
"Thanks," Joey said, feeling surprisingly relieved. Then he registered the last part of her sentence. "I think."
Heather chuckled and set the paper aside. She picked up another paper, read it for a moment, and smiled.
"What?" Joey asked.
"Nothing," Heather said quickly, folding the paper and seeming to stifle a laugh. "It's nothing."
"Wait. Is it me?" Joey asked. He reached for the paper and Heather held it high above her head. Joey couldn't quite reach it. "What does it say?"
Heather giggled again and lowered the paper. "How the hell did you get a laptop mouse stuck up your nose when you were a kid?"
Joey reached for the paper and Heather pulled her hand away once again.
"No way," Heather said as he continued to reach for the paper. "I need to make a copy of this for Ellie."
"Oh, God," Joey said, his face starting to get warmer. He raised his hands in surrender. "Fine. Dad gave me a broken laptop with one of those small mouses in the center of the keyboard. You know, the ones that look like little pencil erasers?"
"Why did you do it, though?" Heather asked, holding the paper higher. "Let's see… how old were you. Oh my God. You were—"
"Age and details are not important," Joey interrupted. He finally managed to snatch the paper from Heather's hand. "Must destroy evidence."
Joey tucked the paper into his back pocket.
Heather folded her arms. "Hiding isn't destroying," she pointed out.
"I'm going to burn it later," Joey said.
Heather laughed again.
Joey went back to sorting through the papers. He looked up and caught Heather smiling at him before she looked back down at her own pile of papers.
When she ran out of papers, Heather reached over to Joey's pile and started to take a few papers. The next time she reached for the pile, Heather reached forward and lunged for the paper still sticking out of Joey's back pocket.
"Hey!" Joey said quickly.
Joey tried to turn to the side and moved too far, toppling off the edge of the bed.
Heather flopped around on the other side of the bed laughing harder than she ever had.
Joey cursed under his breath.
Heather crawled forward on the bed as her laughter subsided.
"We never speak of that," Joey said, sitting up.
"This has been a great night," Heather said with another laugh. "I'm getting so much ammo."
Heather extended her hand and helped Joey back onto the bed. They settled and started to re-sort the papers on the bed. As Heather and Joey each reached past each other to replace papers in a pile, their arms and hands touched.
Joey and Heather both froze before chuckling at the unorthodox work. They looked at each other.
Heather attempted to brush down Joey's now unkempt hair.
Joey slowly reached forward and removed a piece of Heather's disheveled hair from her mouth.
After a few seconds of looking into each other's eyes, they both leaned forward. Their lips brushed up against one another's.
Arata jumped up onto the bed. The cat's tail drifted between them as the cat nudged under Heather's chin before completing its turn and hissing at Joey.
Heather cleared her throat and backed up, petting the cat. "I should probably feed her."
Joey glanced at Heather as she disappeared from the room. Her face was hidden in shadow and held an emotion that Joey couldn't translate.
Joey sighed and looked at the cat. "The second there's a food shortage, you're the first to go."
The cat hissed again and left the room.
Joey finished sorting through the papers as Heather reentered the room. She sat down on the far edge of the bed. Her face was passive, but otherwise unreadable.
Heather opened her mouth, then closed it.
Joey opened his mouth to speak as well but was unsure what to say himself.
"Anything else?" Joey asked after another few minutes of silence.
"No…" Heather said distantly. She shook her head. "No. We're good."
"Okay," Joey said as he stood. "I'll um… I'll see you tomorrow night?"
"Yeah," Heather said, her face somewhat red. "I just have to stop off at Ellie's to get a… never mind. I'll see you tomorrow night."
"Everybody's meeting at Ellie's around eight," Joey reminded her. "Well, accept Matthew. He's gonna be waiting at the bar."
"Got it," Heather said. "Bye, Joey."
"Bye," Joey said.
…
Heather waited until Joey left before taking a deep breath.
As she sorted the files into cupboards for safe keeping, Heather found herself wishing that the moment she'd had with Joey lasted a few seconds longer. Her grip on the cupboard door slipped and it closed with a loud slam.
Heather slammed against wall as the drunk man mashed his lips against hers.
Heather cursed loudly as she dropped a large pile of papers on the floor.
Heather shook her head and picked up the papers.
A half hour later, Heather grabbed the blankets and pillows from her bed and placed them on the couch.
…
Joey ran a hand through his hair as he continued to walk home the long way. He came across Tim and Matthew as they exited Tim's house.
"Good timing," Tim said. He walked forward and handed Joey a pile of clothes. "I managed to scavenge out some nice-ish clothes from the house."
"Thanks," Joey said. He started to walk again.
"You okay?" Tim asked.
Joey didn't answer right away. Then he shrugged. "Heather's coming."
"Good," Tim said. He glanced between Matthew and Joey. "Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow."
Matthew nodded and started walking down the street.
Joey thanked Tim for the clothes before walking after Matthew.
Joey and Matthew walked in silence until they reached the houses. They exchanged polite nods before separating.
Joey turned around. "Matthew."
Matthew turned, walked toward Joey, and lowered his voice. "Something tells me that your talk with Heather had some… unexpected turns."
Joey looked down at the ground, speaking quietly. "She doesn't trust me."
Matthew waited a few seconds before replying. "It may not be you she doesn't trust."
"What else is there?" Joey asked, looking at Matthew. "Every time we… it's usually just us when she pulls away."
Matthew took a deep breath and looked into the distance before returning his gaze to Joey. "Everyone has their dark sides, Joey. Dark pasts. Dark experiences. Sometimes, the people who had to survive out there embraced the darkness and did things that don't let us sleep some nights. Sometimes we didn't have a choice."
"I'd like to tell her that I understand that," Joey said slowly. He shook his head. "But that wouldn't be the truth."
"The point is that neither of us know what Heather's been through," Matthew continued. "Only she does."
"I can handle it," Joey insisted. "Whatever she's done… if she's done anything. Whatever she's been through. I can handle it.
"And I'm sure she knows that," Matthew said calmly. "But most people are afraid to talk about it. It means opening old wounds or allowing the fear to come back."
"Fear," Joey said skeptically.
"Yeah," Matthew said quietly. "The fear makes us afraid that we can't go on and do what we want to do. Or worse, it makes us afraid that we're going to push people away. Especially the people we want to let in."
"So, it is me," Joey said. He looked down, feeling hopeless.
"I doubt it," Matthew said with certainty.
Joey looked at him.
Matthew placed a hand on Joey's shoulder. "She may be scared because of something she's once done or something that was done to her, but you need to remember one thing. If she didn't trust you, she wouldn't be in Jackson. She would still be out there. Or she would be dead."
Matthew walked away, leaving Joey with his thoughts.