Chapter Text
Jolene walked along the side of the road, hands holding tightly onto the straps of her bag. She had long since ditched her shoes, the heeled Mary Jane's made it harder to walk.
It had been a week since she ran away. Fleeing from her room in the middle of the night, running down the dirt road, away from the cult she was raised in.
She was sucked out of her thoughts by the loud rumble of what she could only assume were motorcyles, and when she saw the many headlights coming from behind her on the road, she nodded to herself in confirmation.
What surprised her, was when the first motorcycle, the lead, slowed and pulled to the side.
"You okay, kid?" The older man questioned, concern etched into his expression.
Jolene studied him for a beat, he was tall, his hair greying, but he didn't seem malicious.
"I'm fine." She replied, frowning at him, and the man gave her a disbelieving look in response.
"You don't have any shoes."
"And? What about it?" Jolene snapped back, glaring at the older man.
"You look like you could use a ride somewhere. Where you going? If you don't mind my asking." He questioned, chuckling at her glare.
"..The motel." She begrudgingly admitted.
"You want a ride there?" The older man asked, motioning to his motorcycle.
"Yeah." Jolene mumbled, sighing. She didn't really want to accept the help, but, it'd be way nicer to catch a ride than spend the next few hours walking along the side of the highway.
"Hop on, kiddo." He replied, giving Jolene a smile and scooting forward so she could sit down comfortably, he turned around to speak again.
"I'm Francis, Francis Brady, and you are, missy?"
"Jolene."
"Got a last name?" He questioned, and Jolene shook her head in response.
"Nope."
Francis nodded, starting his motorcycle again, motioning for the rest of the bikers to continue following. Though Jolene noted that he was definitely going slower than before. Not that she minded, she would rather not fall off the back of a motorcycle.
It wasn't a long ride to the motel, though it was cold. Especially for a girl in a too thin nightgown and sweater.
Pulling into the motel parking lot, Joey watched as Francis waved on the rest of the bikers.
"Here you are, kid."
"Right- thanks." Jolene mumbled, getting off the back of the bike, glancing towards the motel. She reached into her pocket, faintly wondering if she could figure out how to pick a lock.
"..Kid?"
Francis' voice snapped Jolene from her thoughts, and she turned to look at him again.
"Huh?"
"You got money?" He asked, brows furrowed as he looked at Jolene.
"Uh.. Yeah." She stammered in response.
Jolene knew for a fact that the older man didn't believe her at all.
"Jolene, wasn't it?" He questioned, and she nodded in response.
"Yeah."
"How old are you, kid?" Francis asked, concern lacing his voice.
"..I'm fifteen." Jolene admitted, kicking at the ground.
"Can I ask why you're walking along the highway alone at fifteen?"
"I.. I got kicked out." She lied, looking back over at Francis, who sighed.
"You homeless?"
"I guess, why do you care?" She snapped back, glaring at him again.
"You're a spitfire, y'know that, Joey?" Francis muttered, shaking his head with amusement. And Jolene's glare softened for a moment.
Joey.
She liked that name. A lot more than she liked Jolene. It felt more like her.
She shook her head, focusing back on the conversation at hand.
"You didn't answer my question."
"Sorry, there's a foster house back in-" Francis began, but Joey cut him off swiftly.
"No." She said, shaking hear head.
"No?" Francis echoed, raising a brow.
"I'm not going there." Joey replied firmly.
"Alright.. Where you going, then?" He questioned, tilting his head.
"I.. don't know." Joey mumbled, frowning for a few moments before looking back at Francis, speaking up again.
"Where are you going?" She questioned, and Francis looked over at her.
"Home."
"Hm." Joey hummed, unwilling to ask, but Francis spoke up anyway.
"I've got a spare bedroom." It wasn't really phrased like an offer, but it was one nonetheless. Joey stared at Francis for a long while, gauging how much trust she was willing to put into the older man before her.
"I have a knife." She warned, pulling the pocket knife from her jacket and showing him before stuffing it back into her pocket.
"That's good. You should always have a method of self defense, kid." Francis nodded.
Joey huffed, shooting one last glare towards Francis before reluctantly climbing back onto the motorcycle. Holding on as Francis started it again, pulling out of the motel parking lot and speeding off down the highway again.
= = = =
"Your house is a mess." Joey stated, looking around the living room, frowning at the cans and takeout wrappers that littered the coffee table.
"You're judgy for a street kid, y'know that?" Francis muttered, shaking his head as he hung up his jacket by the door.
Children of Nemesis
Joey noted the name on the back of the jacket along with the patch on the back, a scale with a dagger in the middle, before speaking up again.
"You should clean more." She hummed, following Francis into the living room, smirking as he picked up a few of the cans and wrappers.
"Don't usually have guests." He mumbled, shooting a glare towards Joey, though there wasn't any real heat behind it.
"Hm." Joey just hummed in response, looking around some more.
"You want some food?" Francis questioned, looking over at her with a raised brow.
"Yes."
Francis only chuckles at Jolene's rapid response, motioning for her to follow him into the kitchen, and Jolene stands by the doorway in surprise for a few moments before shaking her head and swiftly following him.
"Do you even have food here?" She questioned, looking around the kitchen.
"Yes, I do." Francis replied, shaking his head with a hint of amusement at Jolene's words.
"Do you have kids?"
"..No." Francis responded after a moment of hesitation, and Joey frowned at him.
"You're old enough to have kids." She pointed out, and he turned to look at her, rolling his eyes.
"Well I don't."
"Hm." Joey hummed again, sitting down at the small table in the kitchen, watching as Francis set a styrofoam container in front of her.
"Here." He hummed, popping the container open to reveal a burger and some fries.
"What is this?" Joey questioned, making a face as she poked at the burger.
"Food. You eat it."
She glared at Francis for his response.
"Glaring at me isn't gonna change anything." He hummed, shrugging and leaning back against the counter.
Shooting one last glare, Joey took a few hesitant bites, before realizing that whatever this was, it was good.
"See?" Francis laughs a bit as Joey eats, earning another glare from the young girl.
"Shuddup." Joey retorts, though the words are mumbled and smushed.
"It's rude to talk with your mouth full." He teases, still snickering.
Joey ignores him in favor of finishing her food. Francis stands there, watching for a moment before the phone in his pocket rings, which he flips open, answering it.
"No, no, I'm fine. I didn't get robbed by a kid."
"I'll explain later, tell everyone we'll meet tomorrow."
"Thanks."
Joey could barely piece together the conversation from what she heard Francis say, but when he goes to turn around, she quickly glanced away, acting as if she hadn't been listening, an action that Francis laughs at.
"You done?" He questioned, noticing the now-empty styrofoam container in front of Joey.
"Yeah."
"C'mon, I'll show you where the spare bedroom is." Francis hums, nodding for Jolene to follow him as he dumps the Tupperware container into the sink. It lands on top of the stack of dishes already in the sink.
Joey followed him up the stairs, looking around the house as she walked. Aside from the mess, it was very.. simple. A few paintings and photos on the walls, box TV in the living room, simple tiled kitchen- nothing of note.
"In here." Francis mumbled, snapping Jolene from her thoughts, and she followed him into the room.
Glancing around, it seems like it'd be a boys room, the walls are a pale gray-blue, it's simple, but there's a few motorcycle related posters scattered around the walls- and a few of women.
"..There's some clothes that should fit you in the closet, my rooms down the hall, last door. The bathroom is the door before." Francis hummed, stepping out of the doorway so Joey could walk in.
"Got it." She mumbled, nodding as she turned around to look at him.
"Don't rob me." He said, and Joey just hummed in response.
"Mmh."
With that, Francis walked down the hall, and Jolene waited until he closed the door to his room to close her door, locking it after.
Turning back to the room, she walked around, studying the room in detail this time.
After a few moments of poking around, she decided Francis was either a liar, or that this was his room as a teenager.
Walking over to the closet, she rummaged around until she found some pajama pants and a shirt, and changed into them. It was odd, she was never allowed to have pants back home, it was always dresses and skirts.
She decided that night that she was never wearing a skirt again.