Save each other // Joel Miller

Sorry

Joel was calm and collected on the outside when the ear shattering slam of his door left him sitting, alone, in his empty home. A silence followed out with the girls he cared about most as they walked off his wooden porch with heavy footsteps. For a moment he felt too stunned to move. His body may be still but his mind was wild, searching itself for answers and explanations for how he got here. The morning was so perfect, how could it be unraveling so quickly?

He let out a frustrated grunt as he finally moved, hauling himself up and storming over to the water bottle Ellie had thrown earlier. He slammed it back on the table with a little too much force and he watched it bounce off and roll onto the floor. He watched it and sighed, raising his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose and the other place firmly on his hip. He was throwing a temper tantrum and was finding it hard to care.

He made his way to the front door, thinking maybe some fresh air and manual labor would do him some good. With long strides, ignoring the nagging pain in his leg, he quickly made it to a stock pile of firewood, ready to be split. His hands wrapped around the handle of an axe propped against a log and he eyed the wood in front of him, giving it a good long stare before swinging the axe down with a huff.

It felt good to exert the energy. Like every swing was releasing the built up tension in his soul. He would swing and think.

Why should he take care of Tommy?

Swing

Tommy's the one who is fucking everything up.

Swing

He's just treating his brother like everyone should!

Swing

Is it really that bad if Tommy feels the repercussions of his own actions?

Swing

By the time Joel was done, he had finished pretty much a days worth of chopping. He wiped the dripping sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, feeling the wetness of his shirt with the motion. He was drenched to the bone.

"Trouble in paradise?" Maria's voice came from right behind him and he swung around in surprise. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts he didn't even hear her approach. She shook a knowing look at him and sat down on a large log. Joel grunted a response and peeled the axe out of his own hands, running his thumb over the hard calluses that would turn into blisters soon.

Maria's stare was stone, unmoving and directed right at Joel. He ranked a hand through his damp hair and tried to ignore her.

"They are at his place you know." Joel's body stilled for just a second. He knew Ellie was going to drag Sophie to him, but hearing it out loud made his blood boil. The unknowns of their relationship made Joel furious, not knowing whether to trust his younger brother and small red head.

"I watched Ellie basically drag Sophie down the street by her arm. Really riled up, that one is." Joel gave Maria a pointed stare, cocking his eyebrow at her. Unless Maria was blind as a bat and deaf as a post, she knew how 'riled up' Ellie could get. The whole community knew, hearing Ellie roar at the drop of a hat.

Joel nodded in agreement but didn't say anything. He knew she was digging for more information about Tommy. More specifically Tommy and Sophie's relationship. And as much as it pissed him off, he couldn't help but feel bad for her. She scoffed and it drew his full attention.

"What? Not gonna say or do anything Joel?" She bit out. Her words stung like sunburn, feeling it on every inch of his skin. He scoffed right back, turning and continuing his work. He was going to stack all the wood he chopped until he died or everything resolved itself.