Stupid.
Rejected.
Unwanted.
That’s what I felt like right now. Joey didn’t want me. Our whole relationship had been a lie. I had fallen for all his tricks. And where had that gotten me? Driving in the rain in the middle of December to the only place I knew that I could get some peace of mind.
A tear fell from my eye and I angrily wiped it away. No. We did not cry over Joey Santorello. Not anymore. He had gotten his fair share of tears from me.
I jammed my finger into a button on the steering wheel, turning on the radio in an attempt to distract myself from thoughts of Joey.
It automatically went to my favorite station. My grip on the steering wheel loosened slightly as the sound of The Maine’s “We All Roll Along” flooded my eardrums. I started humming along to the melody, losing myself in the lyrics.
The song ended and I was already feeling loads better. Music was my escape. It always had been, and always will be. It never failed to put me in a good mood.
The voice of the radio show host came through my speakers. He was currently taking calls for song requests. I got out my cell to text a request in for another song from The Maine. They were one of my favorites.
However, my phone dropped from my cold hand when I heard the next caller come over the speakers in my Honda Civic.
It was a familiar yet very unwelcome voice.
I was just about to change the station when curiosity got the best of me.
“So, caller, you’re on. Can we have your name?” The show host asked.
“Uh, yeah, it’s Joey.” I clenched my jaw at the sound of his name. His arrogant, self-absorbed, jerkish name.
“Alright, Joey, what can we play for you today?”
“Actually,” Joey paused to clear his throat. I would bet that right now he was nervously scratching the back of his neck, and his eyebrows were probably scrunched together. Not that it mattered what he was doing right now. At all. “Actually, I’d like to give a shout-out.”
“Then you’ve come to the right place,” The host laughed like that was the funniest thing in the world. I just rolled my eyes.
“Well, um, Maggie, if you’re listening,” I froze at the sound of my name. I slammed my foot on the brakes, coming to a sudden halt in the empty country roads. “If you’re listening, Maggie, I just want to say that I am sorry. I was a complete jackass, and I know that. And I miss you, Maggie. A lot. So, if you do hear this, then great. But if not, well, I don’t know if not. Anyway, I’d like to hear Never Shout Never’s “I Love You More Than You Will Ever Know.” And Maggie, I love you, pooky bear.”
I felt my eyes sting with unshed tears. I blasted the radio, letting our song bring back all the memories I had kept locked away for so long. Our first dance. Our first kiss. It was all coming back now, and I couldn’t stop that even if I wanted to.
Joey Santorello just apologized. On the radio. Joey never apologizes, and especially not on the radio. He really did still love me. He had called me ‘pooky bear’. On the radio. He never called me that unless it was just he and I. That was what started our fight in the first place.
I knew what I needed to do. I put the car in reverse and turned around. I had a pretty good feeling of where Joey would be.
I turned onto the highway, keeping my eyes open for the right exit. If I knew Joey, which I did, he would be at his family’s cabin. They normally didn’t go out there until January, but Joey went out there all the time. I had asked him about it once, and he said it was a good place to clear his mind.
I had gone with them last winter on a weekend skiing trip. Joey had taken me on one of the harder slopes, and I had broken my leg within two seconds. I remembered how he had pushed me on his snowboard all the way back to the cabin. I smiled at the memory.
Before I knew it, I was back on the familiar winding roads that led to the Santorello’s cabin. I parked my car a little ways away, and got out to walk the rest of the way to the cabin. I didn’t want him to hear me coming. Heavy snowflakes were falling from the dark sky, sticking to my hair and coat.
I smiled to myself, thinking of all the good times Joey and I had had out here. I thought about how easily we threw all that away over one stupid argument. We hadn’t been okay to agree to disagree, and look where that had gotten us.
I saw Joey’s car parked right out front of the cabin. Taking a deep breath, I silently let myself into the cabin. I spotted Joey sitting at the window seat with his back to me. He was just sitting there watching the snow fall. Joey and I used to sit at that window all the time, for hours, just watching the snow and the stars.
I walked up behind him silently. He still hadn’t noticed my presence, or he had and was choosing to ignore me.
“Hey,” I said quietly. Joey jumped in surprise. He whipped around to see who was there, and his face softened when his gaze met mine.
His eyes were red and puffy. There were tear stains on his cheeks. Joey had been crying. For me.
“Hey,” I said again in a whisper. I took a few steps closer. Joey still did not speak. “I’m sorry for just barging in on you like this, but I was listening to the radio, and I heard you and I just really needed to come talk to you.”
I was babbling. I knew that. Joey still held the same emotionless expression as I trailed off. It was silent for a few minutes. Then, he spoke.
“So you heard,” He said. Joey’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink. He was embarrassed. Joey, of all people, was embarrassed. I nodded, smiling softly.
“Yeah,” I told him. “I did.”
“Maggie,” Joey stood up and walked over to me. He took my hands in his and stared into my brown eyes with his green ones. They were my favorite color in the whole world. “I am so-”
He started to apologize, but I had already heard-and seen-everything I needed to. I threw my arms up around his neck and crashed my lips to his. He didn’t respond at first, but after he regained his composure, he wrapped his strong arms around my waist.
It felt so good to be here with him again. To just forget all the shit that had gone down. To start over. To love each other the right way.
When we finally pulled apart, we were both breathless and had thousand-watt smiles plastered on our faces.
“I love you, Margaret Taylor Stevenson,” Joey smiled down at me. It was the kind of smile that just warmed your soul from the inside out.
“And I love you, Joseph Spencer Santorello,” I said back. And I did. I loved him more than anything. It just took a few rounds of name-calling and arguing to realize this.
I smiled even bigger, if that was possible. Taking his hand, I tried to pull him over to the window seat but he stopped me.
“One more thing,” The smile dropped from his face and was replaced by a serious yet loving expression. His hands secured themselves at my waist, anchoring me to him.
“What is it?” I cocked my head to the side, urging him on.
“I promise to be your Joey from now on, Maggie,” The seriousness in his beautiful green eyes showed me more than any words could ever say. “Pooky bear, I made a mistake. I know that. But I’m not going to be the Joey that they want me to be anymore. I’ll just be me. The Joey that loves this girl more than anything else in the whole world.”
I giggled breathlessly, stretching up on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
“Thank you,” I whispered in his ear. Joey took my hand and sat me down on the window seat beside him. He wrapped me up in his arms, and I snuggled into him. We sat there, watching the snow fall down.
Finally happy.
