On My Own (A Shoey Fanfic)

Empty

Shane's POV~

My right hand was sore from signing the enormous stack of papers Lauren had for me, but to be honest, I didn't really mind. Any progress was good progress, right?

I smiled to myself, wondered if Joey would still be asleep when I got home. Maybe I could slip back into bed beside him and go back to sleep...

I pulled into the parking lot and noticed Joey's car was gone. That was weird, he usually wouldn't be out this early. I tried not to think about it too much.

Fishing the key out of my pocket, I opened the door to Sawyer's house. I didn't think of it really as my home yet, and it didn't really seem like Joey's either. The apartment was strangely silent, empty even of Hitch, who usually ran to the door every time it was opened.

"Joey?" I called, pushing the bedroom door open. Empty, again. It made me uneasy. The last time Joey had been missing, he'd been...

I stopped myself before I could finish the though. I swallowed the lump in my throat, shoving the though out of my mind. There's no way it would happen again; Joey was happy. I tried my best to reassure myself, but I couldn't.

Stepping into the room, I sat down on the edge of our bed. Joey's pajamas lay on the floor, and the dresser was open. Maybe he'd just run out to get some breakfast, or something. In my gut, I felt it was more than that.

Back out in the main room, I knocked on Sawyer's door.

"What?" His reply was abrupt, his tone sharp. His voice wasn't loud though. He just sounded annoyed.

I frowned, "Have you seen Joey?"

Sawyer pulled the door open, sticking out a hip and crossing his arms. "Why?"

I exhaled. "Because I'm looking for him, why else would I ask?"

"I'm sure if Joey cared about you so much, he'd have told you his plans." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned back, shaking his head slightly.

"Cut the crap, Sawyer," I felt my face starting to heat up. Why did he have to be so difficult? And what was up with this tough guy act? "All I know is Joey was asleep when I left and he's gone now. I just need a simple answer: Do you know where he is?"

"Maybe you should call him," Sawyer flatly stated before turning and shutting the door in my face.

I walked away angrily, clenching my fists and breathing heavily. Usually Sawyer was alright to deal with, but today, he was more of an asshole than I was used to. He just wouldn't cooperate!

I pulled out my phone and called Joey. When he picked up, I spoke first. "Joey?"

His voice was soft, surprised... maybe a bit nervous? "Shane? Um, hi..."

I sat down, exhaling with relief. "Where are you? I got home and you were gone, I-I was worried--"

Joey cut me off before I could ramble anymore, "I'm at Meghan's; we-we were making a video. I'm sorry, I... I forgot to mention it to you yesterday."

"You don't need to apologize," I ran my fingers through my hair. "I'm just glad you're safe."

"Safe?" The confusion in his tone was evident. "Why wouldn't I be..." His voice diminished to silence as realization struck. "Oh..."

"Don't worry about it, baby," I shook my head. "You can finish up at Meghan's if you still need to."

"Oh, I um..." he he gave a small chuckle, and it almost sounded forced, "I'm already done. I'll be home in a bit."

"Okay, I'll see you then." As I was about to lower the phone, I glanced over my shoulder and spoke again. "Uh... One more thing--have you noticed anything different with Sawyer?"

"No," he answered very quickly. "Uh, I don't know. I didn't really see him today. What do you mean?"

"Just, like," I leaned back, breathing out through my nose. "He was being really stupid..."

"Sawyer's not really a morning person," Joey replied, again with that fake-sounding chuckle.

I shook my head again, "It's nothing, forget I even brought it up."

There was a short pause in the conversation before Joey coughed and said, "I'm going to start heading home now."

"Okay," I exhaled. "I'll see you soon. I love you."

"Love you too." When he hung up, I turned around to see Sawyer watching me from his doorway again.

I narrowed my eyes. "What is it this time?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothin' much."

I clenched my fists. Sawyer was really testing my patience... "Listen, I was just talking with Joey, and he was acting weird. I swear, if I find out there's something up with him that you know about, you are going to be so fucked."

Sawyer's face remained blank. "If you say so."

As he returned to his room, I went to the window to watch Joey's car drive along the road then turn into the parking lot. Moment later he was walking in the door, discarding his shoes and jacket. Finally the sense of worry from before was put to rest. I greeted him with a hug. "Joey!"

***

Yeah, I know I know, a kind of weird place to finish the chapter, but there was no where else good to end it. So yeah. This story is still kind of going on. I don't even know why anymore, but I want to finish it. That's that. Have a MAH-velous day. :)