embrace reality even if it burns you

 She didn't recognize him. It was a relief to Tobey who wasn't going by Tobey these days. He decided it would be best to be someone else. Forget those bad days with the gangsters.

Yes, it wasn't until he robbed the yogurt place that this might be best. Seriously, he wasn't right in the head. Maybe it was a mental thing. After all, how was he supposed to cope when they took Devon? 

No, he didn't know where they went with him. He didn't think he was dead, but it was possibly worse. But then again, maybe Dev was drugged up like he wanted to be and maybe it was meant to be.

Tobey cried about it every night. He hadn't meant to be a bad person. He'd only gone a long with it because Devon wanted him to, but it hadn't worked out like it was supposed to.

Somehow, he was still here and Devon wasn't.

They'd gone to the river and met some people in a boat. Tobey had meant to fire his automatic at them, but he was afraid, he'd hit Devon.

It was hard to cope, more like a sickness. No, he didn't really know what to do. And then he ended up at the Salon. And there was Devon's little sister.

And she didn't know him.

Tobey sighed with relief. Kind of. Still, he wanted to get Devon back. It was just, that Devon was in too deep. They didn't much care what Tobey did which still made him uneasy. Since most everything that had been done was his doing. Not Devon.

But then again, he didn't really know how to fix this. 

He went by Liam now. He'd told Elaine at the interview it was Lim but she misheard him and said he was Liam. So he went with it. Whatever she wanted. 

It was hard to say if he was trying to cope with life after a crime or just trying to get by. He had no idea how much longer he could really live at Devon's, but no one had shown up to take him away. 

Maybe this was the true life of a pirate. Just sliding by. Keeping quiet and hoping not to get caught.  He hadn't been wanted for anything. 

Still, it did make him sick that he'd robbed J. J of all people. Tobey knew he'd never forgive him for this. He knew that J knew, too. 

It wasn't easy to sleep at night wondering if J would catch on. Or someone would figure it out. But at the moment, he was seeing Carrie every day. and she was a whole lot sweeter than Devon ever was.