DON'T BREAK THE RULES

Chapter 6 - Back to You

Joe sighed, lethargically leaving the police station.

He had been picked up by an officer during his drunken parade along the downtown streets and spent a night in a jail cell. He could partially remember what happened last night, unsure if he wanted to return to Jamie's and beg for his old position back. However, from the things Jamie had said to him, he wasn't sure if he could.

There was only one place he could head to at this point and a few hours later, when he stood in front of his grandmother's home, it took him a bit of courage to knock. There was no response from the other side, but after the fifth knock, his grandmother pulled the door open and her eyes narrowed with such a rage that he thought she would burst into flames.

The humphed sharply, grinding her teeth together for a minute before she pointed a finger in his direction. "There you are, you filthy pathetic little troublemaker."

It had been a long day and Joe was in no mood to begin another bickering fest. That was why he maintained his silence, relaxing his hands into his pockets and observing his grandmother.

"You stay right there," she hissed, before vanishing inside as she slammed the door behind her.

When she returned, she had a garbage bag in her hand and threw it in his direction. Then, she did the same again with another bag, began throwing his old shoes, a few of items from his collections and when she was done, she patted her hands together. "There, now don't ever come back here."

"Please."

She rapidly waved her hand in front of her face, no longer willing to listen to him. "No! No please this time. She pointed her finger in his face. "This is the last time I'm letting you ruin my peace and sanity. My money goes missing, you take my car, you make my house smell like booze. I admit you've been through an ordeal but if you needed your husband to sustain yourself then you shouldn't have had one to begin with."

Before Joe could even exhale a word, the door was throw into his face, slammed and locked and he heard her stomping footsteps head further into the home. Joe's shoulders slumped as he eyed all his belongings. It was filled with things that had mattered to him before. He used to collect tarot cards, originally reading them to Connor but stopped buying them when Connor admitted he hated hearing about those beliefs.

He had old discs from the Beatles that had meant everything to him at one point, but as he stared at them, he couldn't even bring himself to pick them up. Even the shoes Connor had bought him had been wore constantly for years, but he felt guilty even staring at them and thinking of grabbing them. Eventually, he left his stuff on the ruffled ground, his tongue begin for drinks as he continued to walk down the road. He had a few coins left over from Jamie's pay and a booze would help numb him, if only for a few minutes.

He bought liquor from a convenient store and walked along the streets, chanting poems about misfortune and getting himself belligerently drunk by the afternoon. He danced along the streets, skipping down sidewalks and greeting random strangers that walked by him. At one point, he attempted to steal a few chocolate bars from a convenient store before being chase out with a broom. His life had reached an all time low and he had no idea what to do next. He had no place to stay, no real friends to help him, and a few bills he was going to spend on alcohol. He reached a children's park and his drunken mind decided to play on the swing, scaring a few people that decided to call the police on him.

The officer that picked him up, asked him if there was anywhere he could be dropped off or else he would be spending a few hours in the jail cell until he sobered up. They could not let an intoxicated man roam the streets and the only place he knew was Jamie's. That was why he handed them Jamie's address, not necessarily because he wanted to head back, but more so because there was nowhere else he could go.

The officer veered the car onto the highway and began following his map. It had been quiet for the first few minutes, but Joe glanced upwards when the officer asked, "What's your name?"

"Joe," he said, leaning against the window as he eyed the other cars driving past them.

The officer cleared his throat. "Why does it look like you've been through a lot Joe?"

"Because I have," he laughed but when his eyes began filling with tears, he tried really hard to laugh even harder to repress the sadness.

However, it wasn't enough chuckled for the officer who noticed the way his eyes glistened from the light posts. "I lost my parents and my youngest brother when I was twelve; they died in a car accident, hit by a drunk driver," he started, noticing Joe's ears perk. "My four other siblings and I were all separated in different foster homes and they weren't the friendliest people I met. Many host families only want the money and don't really care about their impact on children's lives."

"I was a messed up kid." He glanced in his rear view mirror and smiled when he noticed Joe was actually listening. "I did drugs, got into fights, arrested a few times, I was suicidal for few years." He then shrugged his shoulders, "It took just another person to tell me that my life was not wasted, to change. That I still had a right to exist."

He had finally reached Jamie's apartment complex and when he parked his car, he turned to face Joe and grinned, noticing the way Joe's inhale fell stuck in his throat. "I'm here to tell you, whatever you've been through, there's a reason you're here and you deserve to be here."

By the time Joe reached Jamie's front door, he had been in tears. During the time it took him to build enough courage to knock, he continuously wiped his tears until he finally stopped sniffling. He never had someone speak to him that way, not even his grandmother when they were on good terms, rarely ever Connor. He had always been a support character in Connor's lifestyle, never realizing that he needed to be his own person as well and deserved to exist.

That was why he knocked on Jamie's door; he promised himself that he would acquire enough money to build his life again, save up for maybe even a home and move away to find a better job with a higher pay. Regardless of what their argument had been yesterday, Jamie had been helping him. His food was free, he had clothing, beddings, spending money and overtop was getting paid an above average salary—with a few conditions—but it was enough to provide for himself.

It was only when Jamie returned for work that night, that he found Joe sitting beside his door, asleep. He leaned towards him, watching his peaceful face as he softly snored, and knelt in front of him. He had missed Joe, although it had been for one day, returning home to a smiling face with such pride that everything was cleaned, made him feel content himself.

There were no responses from Jamie, but Joe, too tired to leave, sat beside the door and leaned his back against the wall, eventually falling asleep.

When Jamie returned from work, he paused in his footsteps as he eyed Joe's chest rise and fall with every of his breaths. He hadn't expected him to return, but he wasn't exactly displeased of his return. Instead, he stepped inside his apartment, grabbed his blanket and laid it over Joe, who shuffled slightly but remained sound asleep. He then placed a glass of water beside Joe, sat down and closed his eyes as well, falling asleep right beside him.