Ronance Oneshots! (And other ST oneshots!)

Oneshot 11- "Stars fading but I linger on, dear" // Joyce X Karen

(Title from 'Dream a Little Dream of Me- Honestly Google is confusing and I have no idea who originally wrote it and apparently hundreds of versions of it exist, but in this fic it's mentioned as the version with Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong)

Joyce and Karen are best friends and have been since middle school. But now Karen is a senior and Joyce is a junior, both in high school. One night, Joyce is invited over to Karen's house, like she often is. What she doesn't except, however, is how much of a roller coaster of emotions she's about to go through, from good, eventually to bad.

Notes: Hurt/No Comfort, Kissing, Light!! Making out, Teenagers, Set in 50s, Crying, Unhappy Ending

Reason for writing this instead of my usual Ronance, you ask?
I figured out that on AO3, there are only 38 works with Joyce/Karen as a tag. Yet, there are 47 Karen/Billy tagged fics. I decided I didn't like there were more of those, and thus, at my best friends behest, I'm changing that lmao. Enjoy!

Word Count: 4,442

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Joyce is nervous, to say the least, when she's invited over to Karen's place Friday night.

They've been best friends for years, of course. Met in middle school and are still friends now. She's in junior year, and Karen is a senior. Except that, Joyce wishes they could be more than that. More than best friends.

It's not something she would ever admit. Never in a million years would she even dare tell anyone that she's...that she even feels this way for her best friend. Maybe years from now will be better. But here, no. Not in 1958. Word would spread and she'd be exiled from the town, if not worse.

They're having one of their usual 'girls nights'. Joyce doesn't exactly have the best life at home, so Karen always offers. Her parents are nice enough, and love having Joyce around. Even Karen's younger brothers are fun to be around when they aren't too loud. Joyce wishes she had siblings. But then, with the way Karen talks about them at school as a constant annoyance... maybe not.

She fixes her hair and changes into a random outfit, chucking pajamas and things like her hairbrush in her bag. Rushing past her mom in the living room asleep, empty bottles around her, she quickly leaves, grabbing keys on the way and making her way to her car. It was her moms first, but was given to her mere weeks ago. Her mom had spent all of their savings buying a brand new Cadillac from a random guy she'd hooked up with. The old worn down Crosley isn't exactly the nicest looking car and looks a decade old as it is, but Joyce has never cared. The only big problem is how often it needs repairs, but the daughter of the repairman in town knows Joyce from school so she gets a discount. She's never been popular in school enough to care about all the expensive cars other teenagers — and even her mom, apparently — care out.

Karen had offered to pick her up or take her straight after school had finished earlier even, but Joyce said not to worry. She needed time alone first to prepare now that Karen is constantly on her mind when she wishes she weren't. At least not in this way.

She'd biked home from school, but the distance to Karen's place is longer, hence opting for her car this time. She gets in, shutting the door and putting on her seatbelt, before pulling out of the short driveway and starting the drive.

It isn't that late, and when she turns the radio on, Dream a Little Dream of Me sung by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong comes on the radio. It's not a recent song as it came out 8 years ago, but it's been on the radio a lot. Joyce rolls down the window and turns up the radio, smiling as she listens to the song. It's good, and Ella's voice is angelic. Joyce wouldn't be surprised if such a song could save people or something. Who knows.