STARKID Senior Year

The First Thanksgiving

"What do you mean your not cooking?" Joey asked his mom as she handed him his dinner.

"Joey sweetie, cooking a Thanksgiving meal is alot of work, and it won't all get eaten, then it will spoil in the fridge, and all the hard work and food will go to waist." His mother tried to explain to him.

"But, with Walker in the house and a pregnant Lauren, it will all be eaten."

"Listen son, we're going to thanksgiving dinner at the club." Joeys father told him.

"You joined a country club?" Joey asked.

"Yes Darrens parents help get us in." His mother said. Joey didn't try to fight, he saw how excited they were about Thanksgiving at the club. So him and the gang were going to have to think of an alternative plan.

●●●

"No thanksgiving dinner?!" Walker yelled, in the middle of the restaurant they were having lunch at the next day.

"Well I was thinking, that maybe we have our own thanksgiving." Joey told the group.

"Yea, I talked to my parents and they are totally cool with letting us use the house to host it at." Darren told the group trying to get everyone on board.

"This all sounds great but who is going to cook?" Dylan asked.

"Lauren, she is amazing." Joey said.

"What? No, I can't cook, I bake, I'm a baker!" Lauren said shocked.

"Oh come on Lauren, me and Meredith will help, right Mere." Jamie said elbowing Meredith.

"Right, we will help and try to make this as stress free as we possibly can." Meredith reassured.

"Come on Lauren, please." Joey begged.

Lauren took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. "Fine." She said giving in

"Looks like we're having our very first Thanksgiving." Joey said excitedly.

●●●

If the girls were going to cook, then the boys were going to have to do there part. They were in charge of buying the food.

"Okay, let's split up." Joey said, take charge as if he was leading his men into battle. "Dylan your in charge of the fruit and vegetables portion of the list." Joey said then handed him a portion of the list. "Joe your in charge of dairy." Joey said then handed him his list. " And Brian yor in charge of the spices." Joey said then handed him his list. "As for Darren and myself we will be in charge of meat, now men grab a shopping cart and CHARGE!"

Darren and Joey grabbed a shopping cart and headed back to the deli.

"So, have you and Lauren talked, about anything?" Joey asked curiously.

"Look Joey," Darren said stopping in front of the buggy, "I'm scared to death, I'm scared I'm going to be a shitty father, and husband, and-"

"Wait what did you say?"

"Joey, you can't tell anyone." Darren told him.

"No, no, no, no, no, I can't keep another big secret like this."

"Joey I'm sorry, I forgot how you are with secrets, but I have to propose, and we have to get married before she has the baby, so her parents will love her and our baby." Darren confessed.

Joey looked at Darren and bit the inside of his cheek, he looked up at the ceiling trying not to look into the pleading eyes of his friend. Joey took a deep breath and looked at Darren.

"Please." Darren said his voice was helpless. Joey looked at his friends then rolled his eyes. Darren new exactly what was coming.

"Fine! But no more life changing secrets after this one!" Joey finally answered. Darren smiled, he was glad to have a guy like Joey in his life.

The boys continued to the deli. Darren walked up and rang the bell. A dirty man with a dirty apron on walked up.

"Your finest turkey please." Darren said to the man. The man looked at the two boys and started laughing.

"You two are crazy, no store in the whole country is going to have a turkey the day before Thanksgiving." The man informed them.

"But.. but.. you can't have thanksgiving with out a turkey." Joey said.

"Look kids, all I have are chickens and some hams."

Darren and Joey gave each other a defeated look then Darren spoke up. "We will take a chicken and a ham."

Darren and Joey met up with the others in the front of the cash registers.

"Well I think that's everything." Joe said as they all went and stood in a line.

"Wait is that a chicken?" Brian asked looking in Darren and Joeys buggy.

"Uh, yea." Joey said.

●●●

The girls were back at Darrens house, cleaning and prepping for the next day. They had the house all to them selves, Darrens parents were staying at the country club all weekend.

"Please let me help." Lauren begged as she was forced to sit down and watch Meredith and Jaime prep.

"No, you need to take it easy." Jaime told her.

"Tomorrow will be a busy day for you, so you need to rest today." Meredith added. Lauren rolled her eyes and got up and left. She walked up the grand stair case there were four rooms upstairs. Darrens old room, Chuck's old room, and two spare rooms.

Lauren opened the door to Darrens old room his walls were painted green and he had dorky posters up everywhere. He had the playbill from every broadway show he had been to framed, and they were hung up on his wall. She layed down on his bed and wrapped her self in his old comforter, his sent filled her nose. She shot up from the bed when she heard the front door open. She got up and ran down stairs to meet the boys.

"So we have a bit of bad news." Joey informed everyone. "We don't have turkey, but we have a chicken."

"What, no turkey on thanksgiving?!" Meredith yelled.

"I know that's what I said!" Joe said. The entire group began bickering, mainly yelling at Joey and Darren.

"STOP!" Lauren yelled, "Look at us fighting over a turkey. I think this is a good thing."

"What?" They all said in unison.

"Yea think about it, when have we ever done anything the normal way? Never. Having a chicken on thanksgiving is a good thing, it starts a tradition. We should do this every year, and instead of having a turkey have a chicken."

The entire group was silent, they all stared at Lauren with a blank expression. But they all knew she was right. They were friends because they were weird, because they thought outside the box. So having a chicken on thanksgiving instead of a turkey made perfect sense. And they all knew it.