shannon didn’t know who else to call.

when joey went off to get high, she could always rely on the fact that he would come back. she took comfort in the fact that he was probably with aoife, and even if he wasn’t, he always came back safe.

but not tonight.

shannon hadn’t seen or heard from joey after an explosive fight with their dad, and when she had called aoife, she explained that they had a big argument and joey hadn’t been in contact.

that only made shannon feel worse. she could feel the panic gripping at her, her heart rate increasing as the thought that she had no idea where joey was or whether he was okay consumed her. she couldn’t call her friends and explain that, actually, her older brother was a drug addict and has gone missing.

so she calls you.

joeys friend since childhood, you two were always together. shannon calls you and you pick her up soon after, driving around ballylaggin, trying to find joey. shannon thought you were a good friend to joey. you were nice, didn’t dabble in drugs like joey did, and seemed respectable — definitely her favourite friend of joey’s.

you drive around quietly for hours, following shannon’s lead while also suggesting places you think joey will be. you can clearly see that shannon is anxious. it’s early hours of the morning, and there’s still no sign of him. you offer a small smile, telling shannon to put on a cd.

she hesitates. “really?”

you nod.