CYOA Page 62
Joel needs time to cool off -- and he'll appreciate you more after some time apart. Maybe he'll even apologize for being an ass. Zack asks again when Joel is coming back.
"I don't know. We don't have to wait for him. Come on, let's get this stuff cleaned up and go figure out where we're gonna sleep."
You feel like you should leave Joel's stew warming for him over the dying fire, but you also feel like he's probably too prideful to come back and eat it, so you might as well remove the pot from the heat and let it cool off enough that you can clean up. You set Zack to wiping off the dishes and silverware using as little water as possible, while you go take care of the horses -- and fret some more about Joel.
The longer he stays away, the more infuriated you get. Why is he such a big fucking baby? Why can't he just be a man and come back and... I dunno... if not apologize, at least let me know he's alive? ...but you do know that. You're not going to give in to that tiny little niggle of worry that suggests maybe he's not coming back because he can't.
No, that would be ridiculous. There's no one here, and if he had left the yard, you would've heard it. He didn't go in the house, either. He's just hiding from you. Like a little bitch! UGH!
Zack comes and finds you after a little while. "Is Joel mad?"
You snort. "Joel is like... maybe always a little mad? But he just needs some time by himself. Some people are like that."
Zack absorbs that for a moment. "Is he mad at me?"
"No! No, you didn't do anything wrong, dude, don't worry."
"Are you sure he didn't just... decide to leave?"
"Absolutely sure. He wouldn't do that. I promise. Come on, let's go inside now, okay? Did you put everything back in the bag like I said?"
He did. And whoops, you forgot you still need to put away Joel's stew and wipe out the pot. Zack doesn't seem to want to go inside without you, so you decide to settle him in 'his' room first. You leave him with your flashlight and your book so he can read it and catch up to where you are (the idea being that you can read it together tomorrow, or whenever he catches up). He seems pretty content when you head back out to the yard... slowly, now that you have to feel your way around in the dark.
You dump the stew into its jar, re-dirtying a cleanish spoon so you can scrape every last bit out of the pot. You even 'lick' the pot with your fingers to spare your washrag as much as you can... and maybe because you're hungry. You take your time, hoping that Joel will see you there by the fire without Zack and decide it's time to come back over and apologize. Or at least talk to you. Maybe do his act-like-nothing-happened thing.
But he doesn't. Fuck, am I really that unapproachable?
When you've dilly-dallied so much that you feel you've given Joel every opportunity to emerge from wherever he's hiding, you gather up the saddlebag and head back into the dark house. You can't see shit in there, cursing to yourself as you stumble and bump into things, but you make your way back up to Zack and the light. You decide you're not really in the mood to read with the kid.
"I'm gonna be in this room right over here, okay?" you tell Zack, and he nods. "G'night."
Now what? There's hardly anything you can do in the dark. ...at least, nothing I can do HERE? Ha. You're pretty much doomed to sit there and fume about Joel. He BETTER have gotten this shit out of his system in the morning!
You don't know how long you've been laying there, but you've just about decided that you need to go stumble downstairs out to the back yard and yell at Joel because he's starting to worry you (...yeah, just "starting" to?!) when you hear him come in the house. At least, you assume it's him. You've left your door open, so you see the light from his flashlight downstairs... now he's coming up the stairs...
He reaches Zack's room first. "You all right in here, kid? Need anything?"
Now that you know Joel is safe, a fresh wave of anger washes over you. So he WAS just being a jerk! But... maybe I'll forgive him if he comes in here and says he's sorry... or even if he's just like... SWEET...
You hear him say 6good night to Zack... a door closing... then his footsteps approach your room. "Ellie?" he calls softly from the hallway.
He doesn't know which room you're in... or maybe he thinks you're asleep.
That would serve him right if you were asleep! Oh, you're irritated now! Maybe that's what he wants. Because then he wouldn't have to talk to you. ...maybe that's what you want? Because you're freshly annoyed at how he avoided you all night? Maybe him calling to you is only for appearances' sake -- because he figures Zack would find it strange if he didn't say good night to you.
...but what if he wants to apologize? You doubt it, as that's not generally something he goes out of his way to do, but it's possible.
If you pretend to be asleep, turn to page 111.
If you answer him, turn to page 117.