Never Let Me Go: A StarKid Fanfic

Chapter 14

JOEY'S POV

"Dude, what the hell is going on with Darren's girlfriend?"

"I don't know, man," I heard Dylan say to Joe, who was sipping his beer on the couch, "I had no clue Darren was into heavy drinkers." I turned my head over to Bernadette, who took what seemed like her millionth shot of the night.

"She's not usually like this," I chimed, as if I were her best friend and not a guy who had known her for a few weeks. Still, I thought, I've seen her around booze before; this can't be normal for her. I decided I was going to go see what was really going on with her. "And she's not Darren's girlfriend," I muttered to myself, hoping the guys wouldn't hear. They may have thought I was jealous. Which I wasn't, of course. I was just, you know...saying. She wasn't.

"Hey, B," I said, sitting down next to her, "are you feeling okay?" She was carelessly twirling her shot glass like a kid spinning a top. Her hair was slightly disheveled, but it still worked on her. I could see a faint shine of tears in her brown eyes.

"Never better," she said shakily, "You?" I glanced over at the guys, who were still whispering like schoolgirls in the next room.

"Actually, I kinda need some air," I said, extending my hand, "Care to join me?" She pressed her lips together in a smile and nodded. I hooked her arm through mine so that she wouldn't fall over. I have to admit, even now, that Bernadette was an incredibly quiet drunk. Most of the girls I knew were either criers or completely wild, but Bernadette was just calm. Almost...sad.

I led her out to Joe's front porch and we both sat down on the cold, concrete steps.

"Now, tell me why you're drinking so much," I said slowly and bluntly, "You and I both know you're a lightweight, so there has to be some reason for your binge." She breathed heavily and looked up at the stars dotting the dark sky. It was a cold night, but it was always cold in Chicago.

"I just...I can't get him, Darren, out of my head. Is that...is that bad?" she asked, looking at me, fear stricken across her face. She looked scared, and it confused me. Then again, everything about her confused me. The girl was an enigma.

"No, I-I mean, I don't think so," I stammered. She stared at me, her eyes still wide, "No," I said again, more firmly, "Trust me, Bernadette, I know I what it's like to have someone constantly on your mind."

"Really?" she asked, as if she had never heard the concept of a crush before. She's really fucking drunk, I remember thinking. I nodded, glancing away from her for a split second. "And...and what do you do about it? About thinking about that person all the time?"

"I haven't really figured that out yet," I said. She giggled and hiccuped like a stereotypical drunk. I smiled. "But hey, when I figure it out, I'll let you know."

"Thanks, JoeJoe," she said, scrunching up her face, "You're a great-" she hiccuped again, "-guy." She scooted closer to me and leaned her head up against my shoulder. Okay, I thought again, looks like that booze is really kicking in. Get her outta here, Richter. The girl's a needy drunk.

"Hey," I said, putting my arm around her, (in a friendly way, of course), "How about I take you back to your place?" She nodded sleepily, ready to pass out. I shot Joe a quick text and helped Bernadette stumble-walk to my car. I opened up the door and she slid in the passenger seat, curling into the fetal position. I smirked and sat in the drivers' seat, glancing over at her every so often on the way to her apartment. She stayed still the entire ride.

-oOo-

"Okay Bernie," I soothed, "Time to get up." She moaned angrily, like a teenager begging for 'just five more minutes'. I rolled my eyes and picked her up out of the car. I set her down once we reached the lobby of her building, where I helped her up the two flights of stairs to her apartment. I knocked on the door and prayed that Natalie would be home.

"Joey," she said groggily. I sighed, a little frustrated, even though I knew she was drunk for a reason.

"Yes, Bernade-" she cut me off with a kiss. And not like, a peck. But not like she was shoving her tongue down my throat either. Even though she was drunk, even though her breath still lingered with alcohol, that kiss meant something, deep inside. Or at least, I thought it did at that moment. she pulled away after a few seconds, and I was left shocked and speechless.

"Thanks," she said in a way that was half genuine, half flirtatiously, "For everything." Just then, Natalie popped her head out of the door, her hair in a messy bun yet again.

"Can I help you, Richter?" she said, "I just got home from work and-"

"Bernadette's, she's um..." I still felt a little shaken from her kiss. I glanced over at Bernadette, who looks like she's about to fall asleep again at this point.

"Oh, she's drunk?" Natalie said, sounding surprised. I nodded. "That's a new one. I'll see you around, Joey." She pulled Bernadette into their apartment and shut the door. I brushed my infer tips against my lips.

No, my brain shouted, no, no, no, no, no, nopity, nope, nO.

I couldn't possibly have feelings for Bernadette. We were friends! And not even super close, I've-known-you-forever-and-a-day friends. Just...casual, young adult, I've-known-you-for-about-two-weeks-and-think you're-really-cool friends. Plus the fact that she was into Darren. Not me. Darren. That was what the logical side of my brain was saying as I walked back to my car.

But the other side of my brain...was saying something completely different. It was saying how amazing the kiss was. How perfectly her lips fit to mine, even if she didn't realize it yet. And yes, I know, the girl was drunk. I literally cannot stress that enough here, people. But a drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts. Or in this case, actions. Somewhere in the deep recesses of her brain, maybe, just maybe, Bernadette did have feelings for me. Maybe I had feelings for her. The point is, I had no clue.

Suffice to say, I didn't get much sleep that night.

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Thank you. Thank you all for waiting so long for this chapter. I know it's kinda shitty and stuff, but it has taken me so long to get it up. With school and all, it's really been hard to find time to write. BUT IM BACK, BABY.

This is literally one of my favorite outlets for creativity. And I just want to thank everyone who still reads this. It really means a lot. CHAPTER 15 WILL BE POSTED SOON. I PROMISE.

-Maria

P.S. Please comment thoughts. I need to hear what everyone thinks of this chapter. For...science. Yes. Science. (That means you, NAT.)