Forki One-Shots

Missing

"Mom, what happened?" a shaking 13-year-old Luke asked his mom.

"That's why we're having a family meeting tonight?"she replied.

"But Joel won't-"

"It's about him."

"Will he be okay?"

"We can only hope and pray. Okay, buddy?"

"Yeah."

The boy ran to his and Joel's shared room. His heart stopped when he saw Joel's empty bed. If it had been a normal day, Joel would have been there, listening to music and reading a book or something. But he wasn't. Without realizing it, Luke started to cry. He crawled into Joel's bed and wept until he passed out.

........................................

Nobody talked as the Smallbones -minus Joel-filed into the living room.

"So, where is he?"Libby asked the million-dollar question.

Helen bit her lip.

"We don't know,"David replied. "All we know is that he ran away."

Ben raised his hand. "How do we know that he ran away and wasn't kidnapped?"

"Some of his stuff is missing, like his phone, clothes, and money. We're guessing he took it with him."

"Oh."

The family sat in silence, until one by one, they dispersed.

...................................................

Later that night, Helen and David sat at the table, sipping tea and holding hands.

"It's my fault Joel's gone,"David admitted.

"What?"Helen yanked her hand back, her eyes full of anger. "How could you?"

"He talked back to me, I got mad, yelled at him, and, um, beat him with a metal rod. I'm sorry."

"I sent Joel to talk to you, so you could fix your broken relationship, not destroy it."

"Helen, I-"

"No,"Helen said firmly, standing up. The tears rolled down her worn-out face. She left, and David sighed.

"Guess I've ruined another one."

.............................................................

Joel snuggled into his coat as best as he could; the November air was bloody cold. Unfortunately, he didn't have a nice, warm place to stay. He had only about $100, and he wanted it to last as long as possible. So he slept-or tried to sleep-under a small bridge. It was okay.

Just then, a car drove by. He froze. It was a police car. He held his breath, then sighed. They hadn't seen him. He was okay.

....................................................

Luke was keeping track of the time Joel was gone. So far, two weeks and three days. Things were getting worse at home, with David gone most of the time and Helen too distraught to teach, cook, clean or be there. Rebecca and Ben took control.

Even though Joel and Luke were sworn enemies, Luke secretly felt worried about him. Heck, he even missed Joel! Of course, that made Luke feel even worse. What if Luke was the reason Joel left?

.................................................

They didn't celebrate Thanksgiving that year. Or, a proper one, at least. Neither parent was at home, so Ben had bought pumpkin and apple pies, stuffing, bread rolls, corn, and pork ribs. Basically, the good stuff. Joel would've loved it. He said turkey was tasteless and was only used for the sake of tradition. The thought made Luke smile. But then it faded as he wondered how his brother was doing.

...................................................

Joel was stuffed. He'd had dinner at this homeless shelter in Memphis that he'd visited a few times. The sweetest people. He decided to stay the night, too, before moving on the next morning. He didn't have a location yet. Wherever wasn't Nashville was fine with him.

..................................................

More than a year had passed. The Smallbones and the police had given up. But then, on Christmas morning, they woke up to a cop in the living room-with Joel, all tied up in red ribbon. His hair was past his shoulders, he was skinny and frail, and he even had a small beard-but he was there. They rejoiced, and Christmas was beautiful. David even pulled Joel aside and apologized, and though Joel didn't forgive him, there was joy and peace at their home again.