West Chester Beauty Queen

Chapter Fifteen - Getting Ready for the Night of All Nights

I was wrapped in my warm blanket, it was the first restful sleep I've had in a few months.
I was awake but hadn't opened my eyes yet. I wanted to sleep some more.
I was almost asleep when there was a loud and annoying knocking sound at my door.
"Joey!" says Bam's girlfriend Missy, "Come on! You've slept long enough. Come on we need to start getting ready."
I groan and so does Johnny.
Missy is really cool, but really annoying.
"What time is it?" I groggily ask
"Noon." he answers
I groan and say, "It feels like 4 in the morning..."
Johnny chuckles and wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me close and starts kissing my shoulder.
"Babe that's not helping at all. That's making me want to stay in bed more." I say
He chuckles, "Good." he says and keeps kissing my shoulder.
He starts kissing in between my shoulder blades. Where he knows I'm ticklish.
Eventually, I roll over and face him.
"Sorry, was I bothering you?" he asks
I giggle and peck his lips.
"I want to lay here in bed with you all day. Not even go to Jeff's party tonight."
He smiles, "Me too. But we promised..." he says
On Christmas, Jeff Tremaine had invited us all to his New Years party, and had pointedly stated that we dress nicely.
I groan and snuggle into Johnny more, "A little illness can change all that." I say and he laughs while wrapping me in his arms.
"Joey!" calls Missy's voice, "Come on! We have to meet Mia at my place in 20 minutes. Don't make me come up there and drag you out. I don't care if you're decent or not!"
I groan and Johnny laughs, "Go. Go get your unnecessary make up done. I'll see you at Missy's later. I love you."
We kiss and I say, "I love you too."
I get up out of bed and change my clothes and grab my bag that had some of my stuff for tonight in it.
After giving Johnny a quick kiss goodbye, I leave and just in time to see Missy about to reach for the doorhandle.
"It's about freaking time!" she exclaims, "Johnny must be something."
I roll my eyes and grab her wrist and pull her downstairs, "Come on. You were so impatient for me to get up, now I'm up, let's go before I change my mind."

****

When Missy and I got to her place, Mia-Novak's girlfriend- was already there.
"Jesus fuck!" Mia says as Missy and I get out of the car, "I've been sitting here for ages! What took you guys so damn long?"
"Joey wouldn't unhitch herself from Johnny." Missy replies and I bend down and grab a handful of snow and throw it at her and they laugh.
"Yeah, sure. It's not the fact that you were driving like an old lady the entire way." I say and we all laugh and then head inside.
Missy, Mia, and I just spent the entire day doing each other's nails, doing each other's hair, and talking.
"So Joe." Mia says mischievously as I painted her nails black, "Tell us more about you and Johnny."
I glance at her, "What do you mean?" I ask, "You know everything about us."
"She's right, Mia," Missy says, "The real question is...is there a future for J2?"
I pause and look at Missy who was doing her hair, "J2?" I ask, "Really?"
The girls laugh as I roll my eyes and continue to paint Mia's nails.
"So?" Missy asks, "Is there?"
"I don't know, we've been dating four months-" I say
"Oh sweetie," Mia says, "Now is the perfect time to start planning for the future!"
"Neither of you have mentioned anything about...getting married? Or having kids? Or at least adopting a dog??" Missy asks
"Well, he has mentioned getting married a few times." I say
Mia and Missy look at each other with maniacal smiles.
"But that was before I went on tour." I say, "We haven't really talked about anything like that."
"Aw!!" they both exclaim excitedly and I roll my eyes.
"When are you going to have the wedding?" Missy asks
"What's your dress going to look like?-" Mia asks
"Guys, he hasn't proposed yet. So can we please change the subject."
Missy takes in a deep breath to compose herself and says, "She's right," she gets up and starts playing with Mia' hair, "We'll just have to wait and listen to those wedding bells."
I roll my eyes and pick up the first thing I could find beside me, a container of hair pins, and tossed it at them as they laughed like hyenas.
While we were doing each other's nails, we listened to the radio. That's when...
"That was Kelsea Ballerini's 'Dibs' on 87.6 the Bull." says a male voice, who goes by Kicker.
"You wanna know who I'd like to call dibs on, Kick? Joey Starr." says the other host, Lisa, "She is so cute and talented! She's on Luke Bryan's tour, and is a rising star, no pun intended. Her song 'Camoflague' isn't so blended with the fans."
"Well unfortunately, Lisa," says Kicker, "You can't call dibs because somebody already has." in the background you head Lisa grumble "Dang it." making Kicker kind of chuckle as he continues, "Johnny Knoxville has already beaten ya. And rumor has it that they will be at Jeff Tremaine's annual New Year's Eve party tonight."
"Damn you Knoxville," says Lisa making Kicker laugh.
"I know what'll cheer you up." Kicker says
"What's that?" Lisa asks
"I'll play 'Camoflague'."
"I guess that'll do." Lisa says
"Thanks for listening to 87.6 the Bull, I'm Kicker and I'm with Lisa, who is trying to find out where Tremaine's party is, and here's Joey Starr's 'Camoflague'."
The music to my song starts.
Missy, Mia, and I all sit and listen to it.
Missy and Mia look at me, "Joe...you're on the radio!" Mia exclaims.
"Yeah." I say still shocked.
The two girls squeal and then we just listen to the rest of the song.
When I was done with Mia's nails I got up and went to take a shower.
As I was shampooing my hair, I thought what it would be like to be Johnny's wife.
It must be amazing, if being his girlfriend is.
I let myself imagine coming home to his smiling face everyday, in our own home.
Just thinking about it made me smile.
When I was done and drying off, I heard my phone chime and I wrapped the towel around myself and picked it up.
It was a Snapchat from Johnny.
The snap was a picture of him making a funny face and the caption says 'It's no fun being weird without you.'
I laugh and send one back while making a sad face and caption it
'I'm sorry hun'.
As I got dressed in sweatpants and one of Johnny's shirts and walked out of the bathroom.

****

We all- Missy and Bam, Novak and Mia, Steve-O and Kat, Johnny and I, Chris and his girlfriend, etc- all decided to have our outfits match as a couple. Novak and Mia were doing sparkles, Bam and Missy was doing black and flares, and Johnny and me...ours is a surprise.
I was in Missy's room and Mia was in the bathroom putting the finishing touches to Missy's makeup as I was getting into my dress.
"Just got a text from Bam!" Missy calls, "They'll be here any minute!"
I had my dress on and was slipping my shoes on when they come out of the bathroom and stop suddenly.
"Oh Joe!" they say together, "You look so pretty!"
They rush over and gush over my dress and me and it makes me giggle but feel a little uncomfortable.
The doorbell rings and Mia squeals, "They're here."
Soon enough there was a loud ruckus downstairs and I knew automatically it was the rest of our group.
"Missy!" Bam bellows, "Come on!"
"Just a second!" she calls back and Mia and Missy rush and grab their clutches and Missy says, "Alright. Let's go wow em girls!"
I laugh and grab my phone and make sure my hair, which was up in a pinned up braid, was perfect.
I walked out of Missy's bedroom and waited a moment.
Missy walks down first and Bam says, "Damn. You look amazing, Missy."
Then Mia goes downstairs and Novak wolf whistles and says, "You look gorgeous, babe."
I smile at the thought that two of the toughest guys I know, are all sweet and melt at the sight of that one person.
I then walked down the stairs and everything goes quiet and all eyes were on me and it was all I could do not to blush.
I look at Johnny, who was wearing a white button up shirt and a red sports jacket, that matched my red dress (in the picture), a black tie, black pants and sneakers.
He smiles and was looking me up and down.
I walk up to him and he doesn't say anything for a moment. Just looked at me with a big smile on his face.
He shakes his head as if to clear it and says, "I'm sorry...what was my line again?"
Everybody laughs and he grabs my hand and says, "You look...stunning, Joe. That isn't even the right word."
I giggle and he pulls me close and pecks my lips.
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Chris says and everybody hoots and hollers.
Johnny grabs my jacket and slips it on me and we lace our hands together and he says, "Well Joe. Ready to go make our first red carpet appearance together?"
I look at him and say, "Honestly? No. But as long as I'm with you...I'm ready for anything."
He smiles and we walk outside to join everybody else.

****

We all rode in one limo to Atlantic City, but we made a stop and all the couples got their own limo. Why I'm not entirely sure.
When we all got in our limos and were headed to the part, that's when I took off my jacket and made sure I looked okay.
"I don't know why you fidget like that," Johnny says, "You always look beautiful."
I look at him and smile, "Says you."
He chuckles and I turn towards him, "Okay. I'm not asking my boyfriend right now, but what do you think?" I ask
He looks me over and says, "As your boyfriend I say sexy as hell. But not as your boyfriend. I say you look picture perfect...but..."
He trails off and doesn't say anything for a moment.
"But..." I encourage
He sits up and reaches behind and takes out my hair tie and unravels my hair and it falls in wave around my shoulders.
He smiles, "Even better." he says
I smile at him and he leans in and kisses me making my heart flutter.
We pull away and he says, "I love you Joey."
"I love you too Johnny." I say with a smile and in the corner of my eye. It was a lot of flashing.
"Looks like we're here." I say
"Bummer." he says and I giggle.
We had to wait for a few minutes before our limo pulled up and our door opens and it was just a sea of noise and lights.
Johnny gets out first, the press snapped pictures and call his name, and then he reaches his hand in and I take it and when I step out of the limo the lights become brighter and the voices get louder.
Johnny smiles at me and I smile back at him and we lace our hands together and walk up the red carpet waving at people
There was some teens that screamed out my name and had a sign that said 'Today is my 18th birthday and would love a selfie with Joey!'
I stop and say, "Got your camera?"
Her friends and her squeal with excitement as she fishes out her phone and we take a picture and after I give her a hug and wish her a happy birthday, I sign some autographs for her friends and then I grab Johnny's hand again and we walk inside.
"Looks like you were born for the limelight, SuperStarr." he says and I laugh.