Joey Alexander knows he is good (fornothing) wrote in rooms,
Re: log: joey & ella, gatsby
"Yeah." He was agreeable, but the word was small. All the gravel and vinegar in his voice, consonants pushed through tight teeth. It was ambiguous and the kind of sound that kept most people from sneaking their fingers past the bars at the zoo. Not threatening, but not friendly enough to poke. And yet maybe all of that head down, one-word answer grittiness had more to do with the discomfort that edged in between his shoulderblades than any outright meanness. Kicked dogs kept to corners when they could.
Joey followed her, watching the way men tipped their heads with hats politely removed. The way people smiled back at her, spurred on by the contagious warmth of her friendliness. People edged out of her way with smiles, but when people moved out of Joey's way, it had no smile attached to it. Then, theirs was a cautionary evasion, sizing him up even as they edged back with an additional step from what had been required for Ella to pass.