Joe's pov - part 2 to last chapter
After Pop, Grandpa and I had let Connor sulk in his room after the aftermath of the reckless driving, Pop spoke
"We should go check on him, ask him what led to this."
Nodding, Grandpa spoke
"I agree."
Looking at both of them, I spoke
"I know I'm not his guardian, but mind if I give it a shot? We kinda have a way with each other."
They nodded
"Go ahead."
So I quickly made my way to my brother and knocked
"Hey, Conn. It's Joey. Can I-"
Before I could finish my sentence, he replied
"Come in."
His tone was way less snappy, even happy to have company, despite even lashing out at me earlier. Not about to lose this olive branch, I sat next to him on his bed. He had truly gone back to the sweet, respectful, intuitive kid we knew and love, as he broke the silence
"I should probably tell you why I did that..."
Hugging him close, I shrugged
"It would be nice..."
He sighed
"I overreacted, in the heat of the moment. My friend Jax, he broke off our friendship out of nowhere. I was so angry, hurt and confused. No reason given, no signs... We've been friends since we were four, now he just dropped me like a hot potato. He wasn't my best friend, but a close second."
Now things started to make a lot more sense, not that it justified what he did. But something he said caught my attention
"Who's the first best friend, then?"
He chuckled
"You're dense, Detective. YOU, Joey. My brother. My best friend."
I smiled at him
"Thank you. You're mine too, y'know. I'm so sorry about Jax, but it's his loss, honestly. Just, please don't drive in that state again. You call someone. Call ME. PROMISE me."
From his safe spot in my arms, he nodded against my hug
"I promise. Thank you."
Hand in his curls, I nodded
"You're welcome. Always."