STARKID Senior Year

Wow

Joey, Dylan, Joe, Brian, Meridith, and Jamie, waited impatiently inside Darren and Lauren apartment for them to return from the doctors office. The door clicked and opened up. Both Lauren and Darren were teary-eyed as they walked in.

"So?" Jaime asked.

"Healthy and-" Laure began but Darren cut her off.

"And you can finally tell there is something growing in side Lauren!" Darren said handing the picture to Jaime. Everyone crowded around her and looked at the picture, and Jaime passed it around.

"Wow." Meredith said then covered her mouth.

"So this is really happening for you two." Joe said then smirked.

"It was always really happening Joe." Lauren said shoving his arm and taking the picture away from him. The girls sat on the couch and talked while the guys talked about Darrens audition.

"So I turned in my audition papers on the way back from the doctors, my audition is on the 27th." Darren told all the guys. When Joey gave Darren his audition spot he did it because his best friend needed a reassurance, something to give him hope that he can make it, but having Darren talk about it made him realize he was auctaly looking forward to the audition.

"So what are you going to sing?" Dylan asked him.

"Keep holding on. I'm feeling really close to that song right now." Darren told the guys.

"Do you have to prepare a monologue?" Joe asked.

"No look," Darren began then turned around to the counter and started looking through a stake of papers, "they gave me the script! I've been reading it, and Blaine seems like a cool dude."

"He's gay?" Brian asked after taking the script and reading a couple of pages.

"Yes, I'm fine with it, it looks like a one season character, probably one or two kisses and some hand holding." Darren said trying to get his friends to understand.

"Darren, you have a girlfriend who is pregnant, and your about to propose, are you sure you can play a gay guy?" Joey said in a wispered tone. Darren looked at Joey with wide eyes, and Joey realized what he said.

"Shut up, she's right there." Darren said pointing to the couch and glancing to make sure she didn't hear him.

"Your what?" Joe, Brian, and Dylan said in unison.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Darren said trying to quiet his friends down. "Out side now!" Darren said then bean pushing his friends through the front door.

"Where are you guys going?" Lauren asked when all she saw all the boys going out side.

"We are just going to, uh put the lights up around the door and window like you asked, the guys are gonna help." Darren said then picked up the box of Christmas lights sitting near the door.

"Oh good, thanks sweetie." Lauren said then went back to talking to Jaime and Meredith.

Darren shoves all the guys out side and shut the door behind him.

"What the fuck Joey!" Darren sad trying not to yell.

"Look I'm sorry man, it was an accident, you know I can't keep secrets." Joey said to Darren. The other three were still in shock, shocked that Darren was going to propose.

Darren turned away from his friends and started to take out the lights and un tangle them.

"When?" Dylan said put of no where.

"What?" Darren said confused.

"When are you going to propose?" Dylan said more clearly.

"Christmas Eve, so that when we go to Christmas at my family's they can talk about us getting married, instead of baby talk, all the technical stuff is really starting to freak Lauren out." Darren explained to the guys as he started taping the lights around the door.

"That's like two days away." Joe said.

"I know." Darren replied calmly.

"Are you nervous?" Brian asked him.

"No, she is the girl for me, we're perfect for each other." Darren said clearly, still taping the lights around the door. "Look don't tell the girls at all, they will tell her, and you guys know it as well as I do."

"We won't." Joe, Brian and, Dylan said in unison. Joey was proud of his friend, for stepping up and being a man. He was going to be a good father. Joey always wanted a relationship like Darren and Laurens, and he fears he had lost his chance.

●●●

"Rudolph the red nosed reindeer
Had a very shiny nose...." The radio sang as the eight friends decorated the Christmas tree in Lauren and Darren apartment. Joey glanced down at his watch and saw the time 7:30.

"I need to be heading home now." Joey said then sat the ornament box down on the couch.

"Oh come on." Joe wailed.

"I'm on Christmas break, I need to spend some time with my family." Joey told him.

"Oh boo, your no fun." Joe said as Joey put on his jacket.

"Bye Joey." They all called out as Joey left. Joey walked down to his dad truck and got in. He relaxed for a second before turning the truck on and heading out.

After Joey had been driving for a couple of minutes his phone buzzed with a text message. He pulled out his phone to check it, still trying to focus on the road.

Mom Message: Can you pick up some butter on your way home, thanks. Xxx

Joey shut his phone and tossed it in the passenger seat. He pulled into a grocery store called Dave's Market. The got out and walked in. The store wasant very crowded, and it was full of un enthusiasts teenagers working. He made his way back to the dairy section when something cought his eye and made him stop.

There she was, the girl who had been stuck in his head, keeping him awake all night long. With her braids done perfectly and her glases resting on her nose. There she was just as Joey remember, Penelope. She was wearing an ugly Christmas sweater, and she was looking at the spices. She grabbed a spice off the shelf and looked up and saw Joey standing there.

It was as if the world was frozen, and they were nolonger in a grocery store, it was just them. They both blinked and came back to reality. She obviously wasant going to say anything and Joey couldn't loose her.

"What are you doing here?" Joey asked softly.

"Um, I'm from here, born and raised my whole life." She said after a good pause.

"Cool me too, I live right on Dayton street." Joey said trying to make small talk.

"Yea, my street isn't that far down-" Joey cut her off by kissing her. He couldn't loose his chance. He took her by surprise, but eventually fell into the kiss. Joeys hands where on her shoulders, he was afraid to move them, but he slowly moved them to her neck. Penelope wrapped her arms around his neck. Neither on of them cared that they were in a grocery store, because it felt like the world had just melted away and they were the only ones left.