Runaway Man

Chapter 10: Joey

Chapter 10: Joey

The news actually went down well better than I expected. My drunk mother responded to the exclusion call really well even though she had lost it. She even defended me when my dad got home but I thought it would be best not to give the whiskey to him too.

For my first day of exclusion, I lay in my bed thinking about it all. Some of the girls asked me how I was and if I wanted to hang out later in the week but I declined their offers. I was grounded only in school hours, which wasn’t all that bad.

However, I texted a few of them when they were meant to be in class but they always went on their phones like that so it wasn't a biggie. Judging by how much they were talking, school must have been really boring or something without me. Well, maybe not without me but it was at least boring.

But when they all had tests or P.E and I had searched on the computer all of the answers to the exclusion work that I was sent by my teachers by email, I had nothing to do until at lunchtime someone texted me:

Hey sexy xxxxxxx

I rolled my eyes at it like I would at any stalker pranks but even though I didn't usually answer them; I did with this one with: "Who are you?"

Just after I pressed enter, the answer came through.

Florence Nightingale.

That's when I knew who it was. It was Joey. I couldn't help but smile and stare at his message, thinking about what I should say back to him. I took too long to respond because the number started ringing me before I got chance to. I picked up and waited until I heard Joey's annoying voice.

He giggled like a school girl. "I heard all about your exclusion and aren't you naughty?"

"How, you stalker?!" I hissed back, trying to act all pissed off at him for waiting so long before contacting me.

"Keep your mood swings to yourself, wanna meet up? I have some party poppers and weed."

"Joey, tell me how the fuck you knew." I was growling like a grizzly bear now.

"Meet me at mine in an hour and all the answers are yours."

"But Joey... I'm ground-"

He hung up on me mid-sentence. I ran my fingers through my hair and slouched forward. Did I really have a choice? He knew that I would show because he didn't even let me confirm it. Idiot.

So, I got myself ready to see him and I wore the best causal clothes I had. These were my new jeans and a shirt that swooped maybe a bit too low on the chest. What can I say? Diana got it for me last birthday and I had been meaning to wear it out sometime. Why not now?

I frowned as I remembered that I needed to escape without being caught. It was my dad's day off and I could hear the T.V booming downstairs while Dirk was on one of his shifts at the local swimming pool. I glanced over at the window and considered whether or not I should and I did.

I'd always hated where my bedroom was and the size of it but for once, I was happy that it was placed beside a tree. I leaped onto the biggest branch and somehow a grass stain ended up on my shirt. I swore quietly. Thankfully, the slide down wasn't that bad and I made it in five minutes. If anyone watched me do it though, they'd assume I was the biggest tree hugger going or the worst burglar they've ever seen.

I sprinted for my life like a pack of wolves were chasing after me. One leg to the other. Crunch, crunch, crunch. I stopped when I couldn't see my house any more, satisfied because I never really ran let alone that distance.

My brain tried to remember where we had gone on Halloween the other week. I looked out for his street name and felt like an idiot scavenging for him.  I was about to give up when I found a familiar spot (where that crazy lady with the baby lived) and it wasn't long until I was at his metal gate. I combed my hair back with my fingers while trying to scratch off the grass stain but it was a stain for real so it didn't work.

Once I had reached his door, I sighed and knocked. If my dad checked up on me, I'd be dead as I just shoved a few pillows in my bed and a naked Barbie to at least make it somewhat convincing.

"Hey Florence, are you feeling okay?!" I heard Joey's voice ask. Realising that I'd been staring at my feet for ages, I looked up to see him wearing a black vest, a snapback and jean shorts.

"H-hey Joey."

"Nice outfit. Did you get raped by a grasshopper?" He pointed at the grass stain on my shirt straight away. It must have stuck out like a sore thumb on the white fabric.

I rolled my eyes at him and folded my arms, "I climbed down a tree for you because I'm grounded." He blinked at me really innocently because bursting into fits of laughter. I punched him hard in the arm.

"You could've just said!" He roared.

"I did but you hung up on me." I retorted.

"Okay, okay," he held up his hands in surrender, "Are you into weed then because I didn't bring any? I just said it to get you to come."

"I've never puffed anything, now can you tell me how you knew I'm excluded?!"

"I know everything," He tapped his nose with a wink. I punched him in the arm again.

"Jerk. Just say."

"Jessica told me," He was smiling now for some reason.

"And since when have you talked to her?"

"My mum runs a martial arts group with her mum, you bitches are so nosy." He said playfully like how he did when I first met him.

"So you know her... from that how?" I raised my left eyebrow at him. Jessica did say that she knew where he lived but I didn't suspect them to have that much communication with each other.

"Well... mums come over and force their children to join their silly clubs," He walked out of the garden and gestured me to follow with his hand.

When we reached the end of his road, I was half expecting him to open the door to a car. Perhaps the blue sports car that I set my eyes on my way to his?

"I don't have a car before you say anything," he chuckled like he knew what I was thinking, "But I have a motorbike." He pointed to a rather dumb looking motorbike that had a bright pink helmet and a black one attached to it on its end. By instinct, I put on the black one.

"Wrong helmet." He commented.

"Right helmet. Mr Twinkletoes, put your helmet on." I joked, sitting on the back of his bike. He stuck out his bottom lip in a pleading way.

"I'm not wearing the girl's one!" I raised my eyebrows at him, though he'd probably not be able to tell with the helmet covering my head. I grabbed the neon helmet and plunked it on his head. He was fun to mess around with so I wasn't going to give up.

"I should be locked up in my room right now so you better wear it," I pointed my finger at him like a teacher at school. He was probably smiling underneath it but he agreed and sat on the motorbike mumbling how he was going to spray paint it white later.