I Once Was Lost but Never Was Found

I had woken up from a nightmare. A dark, cold, scary nightmare. Sweating from the bad dream, I climbed off of Joey’s uncomfortable couch (it was lumpy and hard). I stood up and my heart rate increased due to my memories racing back to me. I was in my father’s house, the one who made me out of anger and pain. I walked over to where Joey lay and shook him lightly.

"Joey?” He sighed in his sleep and turned over ignoring me. I rolled my eyes and headed towards the door to find a bathroom.

The door creaked as I slowly opened it, trying not to wake anyone that’s asleep in the ginormous house. Tiptoeing to every door trying to find the bathroom was hard when ALL the doors creaked loudly. The next door I opened wasn’t the bathroom but his. He looked peacefully asleep, wrapped in all his blankets and sheets. I stepped back and closed the door, ignoring my urge to beat him to a bloody pulp; I knew I couldn’t. I sighed in relief to have found the bathroom that I was in last night from my bloody hand.

About two minutes later I turned out the light in the bathroom and started to head back to Joey’s room until I bumped into someone, someone not being Joey by the looks of it. He had black hair, he was kinda short and had green eyes; yeah, not Joey. I couldn’t look away from his piercing green eyes, though. I felt my heart plummet into my stomach as he searched my own blue eyes. He rubbed his eyes and scratched his head. “Uhm…who...?” he asked tiredly.

I cleared my throat to answer but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. My breathing also increased and I started to panic, what do I do? Tell him who I am? Yell at him for everything? Do I scream for help? “Uhm... sorry, I’m Brooke.” Brooke? Really? I had to choose that name?

“Brooke?” I nodded biting my lip. “And you're….Joey's Girlfriend?” My eyes widened and I laughed a bit.

“Oh no, just friend, trust me.” He narrowed his eyes and smirked a bit at me.

“You look familiar,” he imposed.

“So do you.” I said back, making him laugh.

“That’s a good one.” He walked towards me and stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you Brooke, I'm Billie Joe.” I fake smiled and took his hand in mine, shaking it lightly before pulling away quickly.

“I'm gonna go… get Joey.” I awkwardly pointed towards his room and walked off leaving it at that. I was scared out of my mind at this point. Most the time I was holding my breath, I didn’t think it would be that bad but it was. I hope he didn’t see right through me, he doesn’t seem as bad as he did on the phone...bastard. When he eyed me with that smirk I got chills, the gross icky feeling chills, I feel sick to my stomach now, that’s disgusting. I shook Joey harder than before this time making sure he doesn’t fall back asleep on me. “Joey, get up.”

“Why? I'm sleeping and it’s…” He lifted his head to see his clock that sat on the nightstand next to him. “It's 9:30 on a Saturday.” He dropped his head back into the pillow and groaned sitting up.

“Sorry,” I said. He sighed and stared at me quietly. “What?”

“You do look like me, ya know that?”

“And you sound like your dad.” We both laughed and stood up walking out the door.

“He’s your dad too,” Joey murmured.

“What a shame,” I added before I followed him down the hall becoming quiet once again.

We made our way down the stairs and the thing that's my father was standing in the kitchen by the coffeemaker. Making coffee. Surprise. I stared at him until he glanced up and met my gaze. Then I just sat down at the table in the dining room and kept my mouth shut. I knew if I opened it, something bad would come out. Something I wouldn't be able to take back. Joey, thank god, took away some of the tension he felt radiating off of me.

"So, uh, what's for breakfast," he asked with a playful smile. The thing returned it.

"Whatever you make yourself, kid," he replied, taking a seat across from me. "But get something for Brooke here." He winked at me. Chills. Joey gave me a weird look. Probably because of the name Billie threw out. He walked into the kitchen, opening cabinet after cabinet.

"Um, Brooke," he said. "What do you want to eat?"

"I'm not hungry," I said quietly. IT looked at me.

"Oh no, you're eating. I'm not letting you go hungry." He turned over his shoulder. "Get her cereal, whatever we have." He turned back to me. "So why'd you stay here?" Shit.

"Got kicked out." He didn't show a single drop of sympathy.

"Oh, why?" I looked down as I continuously tried cracking my knuckles. Curse you, nervous habits. When I looked back up, he was looking down toward my hands, too, with a slight look of concern.

"Called my mother names." He smiled.

"Like what?"

"I don't really remember, it all just came out." He nodded. Then I couldn't read his expression. It was a mix of so many things, it was impossible. Joey came back with a small bowl of Coco Puffs and a spoon. We ate in silence, but whenever I glanced up at the piece of filth, he was watching me. Close.

"You know," he said the one time I didn't look away, "you two look alot alike to just be friends." Joey and I exchanged a glimpse.

"Not really," Joey said. I continued to eat my food but I didn't look up after that. When I finished, I took it out to the kitchen and set the bowl in the sink. When I went to walk back into the dining room, the thing was standing in the doorway.

"Brooke, can we talk," he asked. Oh no. My heart started pounding.

"Sure, what is it," I replied, trying to sound as calm as possible.

"I meant like more in private?" I nodded and he walked across the room through another door. I followed him down the hall to the front door and he stopped. He looked at me. It was a much smaller space than I rathered. He stared at me until I looked down uncomfortably.

"So what is it you want to talk about?"

"I know there's something else," he said softly. I looked at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"You look too much like Joey to just be friends." He reached out and I flinched, but he hooked a strand of loose hair behind my ear. "And you look too much like someone else I know."

"Who would that be?" Shit. Oh my god. Fuck.

"Her name's Karen. I had a summer fling with her about 16 years ago. I have a daughter with her, but I've never met her." He smirked. "Until now." I didn't know what to say.