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Everyone left eventually. Life was so fleeing, and every single person that promised forever to Joey ended up turning their backs on him. Friends turned into strangers, lovers turned into enemies, even his parents hammered "you're on your own here" into his head over and over again, and he had to accept the truth - nobody would stay and protect him. He had to fend for himself.
It was better to put a giant shield around himself and put it up every single time someone tried to get through to him. Sarcasm and jokes and that goddamn white Ceaser mask he loved so much were his own bodyguards. Everyone is evil, life is dangerous, everything that can will kill you. In the end, it's his choice - to be the hunter or the hunted. Joey made his quite a long time ago.
So when people said they loved him, he would short-circut. How can someone love him? Aren't everyone evil? Won't everything that can kill you? This was so embedded in his neurons, in his brain, that Joey gave only a smirk for an answer. A natural conclusion was made by him - if you leave first, you can pretend like it was never mutual. Like you aren't desperately afraid of people going away. Like you're not a scared little child who learned "you're on your own here" over and over again.
So he left eventually. He accepted life as something inherently evil, and turned his back to people after promising them forever. Friends turned into strangers, lovers turned into enemies, and only his sarcasm and jokes and that goddamn white Ceaser mask he loved so much stayed his own bodyguards.
You could make a choice - be the hunter or the hunted. To inflict pain or get hurt. Joey made his own a long time ago.