LIKE A SQUIRREL (Joeyyyy)

[josephmarshall]

Joey had never been one to stay indoors.
And being 18 was a lovely thing.
Wandering New York on a whim was just what he liked doing best.
And no one could tell him off.
Not even his brother.
By far, his favorite place in New York City was Central Park.
The trees reminded him of his home back in Minnesota.
He was near a playground and had a strong urge to rush over and join the young children in their games.
But he had done that before and the mothers, nannies and siblings had dragged their children away, scolding them about staying away from nutters.
Joey was not a nut.
If he was, certainly a squirrel would have already tried to feast upon his head.
He took a running leap and climbed into an old oak tree.
Joseph climbed high, because now that he was older, he could climb down by himself.
He wasn't scared.
Perching in the tree, he grinned triumphantly around at the people below him.
What a splendid Indian he would have made!
That was the life he wished for.
Constant adventure!
Exciting tales!
Getting dirty and never caring!
Ah, what fun they must have had.
Pulling a rubber band from his pocket, Joey carefully piled acorns in his lap.
With a snap, one by one, the acorns flew from the tree.
People would turn about and find no one.
Joseph writhed with silent, gleeful laughter and nearly toppled out of the tree.

[JOEY ROOKS]

Winter was alright, except for her stint with snowboarding. That didn't go well. But spring was so much better. The ice was gone, and summer was a taste on the tip of her tongue. She grew up in Las Vegas, where it was hot and dry, and the nights were desolate and cold. Extremes were Joey's forte. Hence why she was now barrelling down Central Park on her skateboard. The steady thrum of the wheels cruising down the sidewalk was music to her ears.

Until someone started shooting her! Or...shot her once. Right between her shoulder blades. Her foot pressed on the back of her board, and she spun around cleanly, the front of her board in the air, before dropping it with a loud 'snap' sound. She stepped off it, and stomped on the back, letting it flip into her hands. That had been her first trick--it was so typical 90's TV, that she just HAD to learn it. She walked towards the direction of the bullet, only to see what it was that shot her. She leaned down and picked up the acorn in her little fist, before continuign to march with the board under her arm. She saw movement at the top of a tree, and frowned.

She ran straight over, and dropped her board at the tree, before scrambling up it. "Hey!" She shouted into the branches. This was extremely difficult for her; extrodinarily short, and the branches were far apart. She hooked her arms around the branch, legs kicking in the air, trying to get leverage as she hoisted herself onto the branch, her palms red, acorn held between her teeth. She stood on the branch carefully, and held up the acorn, "What's the big idea, hombre? Are ya tryin to kill me?! I could fall from here! You're lucky I didn't fall off my board and break my neck, cause I'dve been haunting you and tugging on your toes, and watching you in the shower!" Joey continued to rant as she scrambled up another branch, starting to see feet. The next branch was too high up, so she curcled her arms around the trunk of the tree, and leaned back, trying to see who was in it.

Joey looked a little frazzled. She had taken a change from her normal orange hair, and dyed it a candy apple red. Which now had leaves sticking out of it, and was messier than it had been. Her Spiderman shirt seemed to be a bit dirty from the tree, but no indication on her face ever seemed to mind. "Plus, what the heck do you plan on doing when you run out of acorns?! The squirrels are going to be extremely cross with you, you know!"

Outfit:Ta-dah!
Notes:Promise Joey's not bitchy!

[josephmarshall]

One person decided to investigate further.
Joey's eyes widened as a little lady began climbing up into his tree.
Despite being shorter than the average bear, the girl hoisted herself up
He wanted to shout NO GIRLS ALLOWED!
"Hey! What's the big idea, hombre? Are ya tryin to kill me?! I could fall from here! You're lucky I didn't fall off my board and break my neck, cause I'dve been haunting you and tugging on your toes, and watching you in the shower!"
He scoffed.
"That only happens in The Grudge."
He thought..
Maybe it could happen.
Throwing aside this disturbing thought, he watched her struggle.
She tried to grab onto the next branch, but couldn't reach.
The teenager in him surfaced and he reached down a hand to pull her up.
The girl was slim and short.
Her hair was quite the brightest, most shocking, happiest shade of red he'd ever seen in his life.
She wore ripped jeans and a Spiderman shirt.
He liked this girl already.
He grinned at her, his blue eyes twinkling.
"Plus, what the heck do you plan on doing when you run out of acorns?! The squirrels are going to be extremely cross with you, you know!"
Joey's face fell.
"I guess I hadn't thought of that.."
He thought for a moment, then his face brightened.
"Maybe I can get them some better acorns as a peace offering!"

[JOEY ROOKS]

"Don't you know the Grudge was based on a totally true story?" Okay, so it wasn't. But Joey believed it was. I mean, it could totally happen, right? At least she had convinced herself of that over the years. There were hands reaching down to pull her up, and even though Joey didn't like being picked up, or hoisted around--she had to see the face of the person who totally tried to assault her with an acorn.

Not bad, she decided. A guy's guy, he seemed to be. Not that pretty-boy hipster thing that seemed to be all over new york. No offense to Jamie--he was cool. He was an exception. She straightened her shirt out, perched on the tree. It was a little bit small, and showed slivers of pale skin where her shorts ended, but it hardly mattered. It was SPIDERMAN. It was also a t-shirt ment for a little boy, but that's what being tiny, and flat chested will get ya. Joey never really complained anyway. Showing off her clevage was not in her to-do list.

"See, you really gotta think things through you know." She plopped her tiny bum right on the branch, and glanced down, and felt dizzy for a moment. "Better acorns?! Better acorns?!" She held up the one that she still had clamped in her fist, and waved it around infront of his face, "These are prime, grade-A New York, Central Park acorns, mister!" She scolded, and set it neatly on the branch. Of course it'd probably fall when she went to get down.

Get down. Oh holy Jesus Christ. Joey's face changed into that rare expression of nervousness, before quickly turning her attention away from the height, and the branch that was way too far for her to reach. "You know what would be cool? An acorn cake. some people can eat acorns, you know? I wonder if an acorn cake would taste good. Probably with a lot of sugar, but maybe too crunchy..." She wrinkled her nose, and picked up the acorn she had set down. "Do you think these are the edible kind?" She asked, picking off the cap from the acorn, and letting it fall from her hands into the leaves below, picking at the acorn again, trying to open it. "Oh, right! My name's Joey. Well, sort of. But I'd rather be called Joey. It's a cooler name that Josephina, ya know? I mean what the hell, who's named Josephina...except me. That's like a name for a pretty spanish girl or something, and buddy..." She leaned towards him, green eyes wide in disbelief as she twisted her lips into a strange duck-pout expression, pointing at her face with a single finger, "This face is not spanish." She leaned away and went back to picking at the acorn in silence, while she waiting for a response.

[josephmarshall]

"Don't you know the Grudge was based on a totally true story?"
Joey's eyes widened.
It was?
But Jeremy said it wasn't, that night they watched it, attempting to overcome Joey's darkness fear.
It hadn't worked.
At all.
"See, you really gotta think things through you know. Better acorns?! Better acorns?! These are prime, grade-A New York, Central Park acorns, mister!"
He picked one up and examined it.
It was a pretty nice acorn...
He smiled sheepishly.
He'd have to think of a different way to repay the squirrels.
The girl gave a nervous look at the grass below and Joey held back a smug smile.
"You know what would be cool? An acorn cake. Some people can eat acorns, you know? I wonder if an acorn cake would taste good. Probably with a lot of sugar, but maybe too crunchy... Do you think these are the edible kind?"
She talked really fast as she attempted to pull apart the acorn.
He grinned widely.
"I dunno. I suppose they could be. But how could you tell?"
He examined the acorn closely, almost as if expecting to see a sticker of authenticity or something of the nature.
"Oh, right! My name's Joey. Well, sort of. But I'd rather be called Joey. It's a cooler name that Josephina, ya know? I mean what the hell, who's named Josephina...except me. That's like a name for a pretty spanish girl or something, and buddy...this face is not spanish."
She pointed at her face with a kind of ironic expression and his mouth dropped open.
"You're Joey?"
He gave the tiniest of frowns.
"But I'm Joey! Joseph, actually. But I don't like Joseph. It's boring."
Joseph, AKA Joey looked at her t-shirt.
"I like your Spiderman shirt. It's cool."
He glanced, disappointed, at his own chest.
"I wish I had one.. But none fit me.."
Looking back over at her, the boy jumped back to the name issue.
"But you're a girl. I thought Joey's a boy name. And what am I supposed to call you if we have the same name? I'll get confused if I call you Joey.."

[JOEY ROOKS]

“Only one way to find out if it’s edible.” She took on a grim expression, before finally cracking open the acorn, and put a little bit of the gritty yellow inside on her tongue. She waited for a moment, before her little face scrunched up, and she dropped the acorn, her hands waving in the air. Quickly, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a Jolly Rancher and pushed it into her mouth, before holding out another Rancher to the boy next to her.

“Not edible, yuck.” She muttered around the candy stuffed in her cheek. “No way! I’m Josephina, which is totally the girl’s version of Joseph. That’s so cool!” Her hand brushed some of the dirt off her shirt when it was mentioned, before looking down at it, “Dude, thrift stores. You will not believe the little treasures you can find in there. You could totally find some awesome Comic Book Hero shirt in your size there, if you looked hard enough!”

She leaned against the trunk of the tree, turning slowly so one leg dangled over each side, and her back pressed against the trunk. Momentarily, she looked bored, thinking over the name dilemma, before her face came back to life. “Joey IS a boy’s name. But I’m definitely not a Josephina. Josephina is a name for pretty girls. And girls who like skirts, and dresses, and heels. I am not a pretty girl, nor do I like heels or anything of the sort.” She brushed her hand over her head when she felt a leaf drop onto her head, before she reached in her back pocket and pulled out HamHam. Her hamster hat. One of the many animal hats she had; and pulled it in her head, before rolling the candy around in her mouth.

“You could call me Joe. Or Joey-Two…Ohmygosh. Joey-Two! Cause, think. It’s like Joey number two—but it could be like, Joey-too, like…Hey look, that’s Joey too!” She explained, her eyes lighting up, “Or J2? That works. That’s so cool. See, I’ve met other Joey’s before, but they’ve just called me JoJo, or Josie, and I hate that.” She grumbled, chomping down viciously on the candy in her mouth.

[josephmarshall]

“Only one way to find out if it’s edible.”
Joey stared in wonder as the other Joey bravely popped part of the acorn in her mouth.
Her face turned to one of disappointed disgust and she threw back a piece of candy.
"Not edible, yuck."
Pulling another candy from her pocket, she held it out to Joey and he took it eagerly.
He loved candy.
No one ever let him have candy.
"I love Jolly Ranchers! Especially when you put a whole bunch in your mouth at the same time and your tongue gets rainbow colored. How cool would it be to have rainbow tongues all the time?"
“No way! I’m Josephina, which is totally the girl’s version of Joseph. That’s so cool!”
Finding nothing to say to this, Joey merely grinned.
“Dude, thrift stores. You will not believe the little treasures you can find in there. You could totally find some awesome Comic Book Hero shirt in your size there, if you looked hard enough!”
Smiling, Joey nodded.
"I'll remember."
“Joey IS a boy’s name. But I’m definitely not a Josephina. Josephina is a name for pretty girls. And girls who like skirts, and dresses, and heels. I am not a pretty girl, nor do I like heels or anything of the sort.”
Joey shrugged.
"That's not true. You don't like girly stuff, but that doesn't make you ugly. I don't think you're ugly."
Jeremiah would be smacking him for not being very polite.
He was about to apologize out of habit, but she pulled out the single most mind-blowingly fantastic thing he had ever seen and put it on her head.
"What is that?"
His voice was one of awe-filled reverence.
“You could call me Joe. Or Joey-Two…Ohmygosh. Joey-Two! Cause, think. It’s like Joey number two—but it could be like, Joey-too, like…Hey look, that’s Joey too! Or J2? That works. That’s so cool. See, I’ve met other Joey’s before, but they’ve just called me JoJo, or Josie, and I hate that.”
He nodded.
"My brother calls me Joe or Joseph. I don't like it at all. My aunt actually calls me Joey-poo."
At this, he wrinkled his nose in obvious distaste.
"You can be Joey-Two. Dude, we were like.. made to be best friends!"
He gave a bright, excited smile.

[JOEY ROOKS]

“Jolly ranchers are totally awesome. But when you have too many, they get kinda sharp and cut your mouth. Sugar danger, I think.” She responded, her mouth puckering while she rolled the candy in her mouth. “Well, I’m not ugly, I think. But I’m not really…hmm,” She grasped the branches, and leaned out of the leaves, trying to see the rest of the park. She pointed towards a random, pretty brunette girl with a duffel bag on her shoulder and a toned body, just walking past their tree. “I’m not like that,” She said, before settling back against the trunk of the tree.

“And this, is HamHam. One of my favorite little hats, I’ve got PonyButt the unicorn, Senor KeroKero the frog, Fuzznuts the Bear,” She waved her hand, and rolled her eyes, “They’re overtaking my closet, but they keep my head happy, so I tolerate them.” She smiles, and gives the knitted hamster on her head a little pat.

“Joey-poo?” Joey’s nose wrinkled, and she stuck her finger in her mouth, miming gagging. “Mackenzie calls me JoJo, I don’t like it so much. But she’s like that girl down there, pretty, glamorous, and kills her ankles by wearing cliffs on her feet.” A visible shutter ran down her spine, before holding her hand up towards him for a hi-5. “We totally were. Oh my god, we can tell each other we’re brother and sister, and that we’re both named Joey.” She gasped, her jaw hanging open, “Can you imagine their absolutely, and uttery confused faces?!”

[josephmarshall]

“Jolly ranchers are totally awesome. But when you have too many, they get kinda sharp and cut your mouth. Sugar danger, I think.”
Joey-Too looked down from the tree and pointed at a girl walking by.
“Well, I’m not ugly, I think. But I’m not really…hmm.. I’m not like that.”
"You don't need to be like that. Girls like that are weird. But you look nice. Jeremy says if you compare yourself to someone else, you'll never be happy."
She indicated her hat and he smiled.
“And this, is HamHam. One of my favorite little hats, I’ve got PonyButt the unicorn, Senor KeroKero the frog, Fuzznuts the Bear. They’re overtaking my closet, but they keep my head happy, so I tolerate them.”
"They're so cool. I wish I had one."
“Joey-poo? Mackenzie calls me JoJo, I don’t like it so much. But she’s like that girl down there, pretty, glamorous, and kills her ankles by wearing cliffs on her feet.”
Joey-Too shuddered horribly.
Then she held up her hand and he high-fived her.
“We totally were. Oh my god, we can tell each other we’re brother and sister, and that we’re both named Joey. Can you imagine their absolutely, and uttery confused faces?!”
Joseph grinned widely.
"I LOVE confusing people! Do you think they'd believe us? I mean, we don't look much alike."