Beauty and the Blonde

3

That night, Karen drove to Joyce's house to meet her there. The whole afternoon was an insane mix of all very different feelings, it all just felt like a blur for her. Her breakup with Arnold hurt her, but it gave her a sense of hope. What did she have hope for? She had no clue. But Karen felt something good could come out of it somehow.

But one thing she couldn't get out of her mind was what she overheard in the halls. "When are you going to tell them about Bob?" Was Joyce with Bob? No, she couldn't be. Why would Hopper be responsible for telling people she's with Bob? As shocking as it sounded to her, it had to be Hopper who was with Bob. Or at least she hoped so.

While all these thoughts ran through her head, she managed to drive past Joyce's house and pass about ten other houses before she realized she had missed her house. She then turned around and drove back to Joyce's house and told herself, "Don't screw this up. You know Joyce wants to be your friend, and only that. Don't ruin what you have with her."

The small blue car pulled up in front of the house and Karen stepped out of it and fixed her hair. Joyce stepped outside and waved at Karen, who began to walk up to her friend. "Hey, sorry for the delay, I accidentally drove past your house," Karen said as she laughed and smiled at Joyce.

Joyce laughed and took Karen inside, "No problem, I'm glad you're here." Hearing that made Karen's heart skip a beat, and she smiled and followed Joyce inside.

Joyce went into her room and grabbed her purse and jacket as she asked, "How are you doing?".

Bad. Terrible. I just want to have you close to me, I want to be yours. The only good thing is that I'm here with you.

That's what Karen wanted to say, and that's what she answered in her mind. After a brief pause, she spoke up and answered, "I'm good, you?".

"I'm good too, thanks," Joyce answered with a smile. Then she fixed her chocolate brown hair and made her way to the door with Karen. "How does Hawkins Diner sound for dinner?", she asked.

Karen followed Joyce out the door and answered, "That sounds great." Hawkins Diner was quiet, cheap, had good food, and it was just perfect. All she wanted to do right now was hide away with the girl of her dreams and forget all the pain and confusion in her head. So she smiled and went to do exactly that.

Their trip to the diner was great, both girls would've agreed. They both talked and had fun, and it lifted all the weight on their shoulders off. Neither of them let it show to the other, but there was still an empty feeling there. Joyce and Karen were there as friends. And both of them still wanted more.

As the dark green car cruised down the long road, both girls got lost in their thoughts. They weren't angry with each other, but the car ride was the much needed break to think about how they felt.

As the small brunette's hands held the steering wheel tight, she got caught up in all her thoughts and her doubt. Her fingernails dug into the steering wheel as she replayed every sentence in her head. She must've known exactly what I was thinking. Karen's going to think you're nuts. She's just your friend, that's all she wants- she has a boyfriend. All she wanted to do was bang her head against the steering wheel and scream.

On the opposite side of the car was Karen in the passengers seat. Every thought running through her mind was the same as Joyce's. Someone like her would never like someone like me, I can't keep telling myself something will happen.

Joyce pulled up in front of the house and got out of the car. The silence was just beginning to kill the two of them, their thoughts were too much to be left alone with. "Dinner was really fun Joyce, thanks for inviting me," Karen said as she smiled at her friend.

"Anytime Karen, I loved hanging out with you. Do you want to hang out here for a little while?", Joyce asked kindly, hoping she could stay longer.

Karen's eyes lit up but she tried to cover up her insane excitement. "Sure, I'd like that," she replied as she smiled. Maybe I didn't make a fool of myself.

Both of them stepped inside and took off their jackets. Joyce sat on the couch and patted the space next to her for Karen to sit.

Karen sat down and looked at Joyce. Just ask her. She's your friend, don't be afraid to talk to her. "So, how are you and Hopper doing?".

Karen anxiously waited for an answer as she looked at Joyce and tried to cover the fear in her eyes. She smiled and answered, "Hop is doing great, so am I. D-did you mean?" Joyce looked at Karen, unsure of what she was asking. Of course she thought I was dating Hop- that's exactly why nobody would ever want me.

"You two are together, aren't you?", Karen added. Both girls nervously fiddled with their fingers, hoping the unusual tension could disappear.

Joyce then replied, "No no, we're just friends. Hop is actually with somebody else, I'm totally single." They both laughed, and it did feel a little lighter. The two of them were friends, it didn't have to be awkward. "And how's Arnold?".

That was the question Karen knew would have to come up one time or another. It would either be something great or ruin things altogether. Karen looked down and then said, "We broke up today."

Joyce wanted to smile at this- she nearly did. But she never would, because it broke her heart to see her best friend sad. She put her arm around Karen and rubbed her back. "Aw I'm sorry, that's terrible. You know I'm always here if you need to talk," she said softly, hoping to comfort Karen.

Karen lifted her head and put her head on Joyce's shoulder. "Thank you, it means so much to me. But I'm actually feeling somewhat relieved.. I actually broke up with him."

Joyce nodded and then added, "He didn't deserve you anyways. I don't know anybody who could deserve someone like you."

Hearing that made Karen's heart skip a beat. She smiled and looked in Joyce's eyes, completely locked in silence. She couldn't tell if it was her imagination or reality, but it felt like her face was slowly getting closer to Joyce's.

They got closer and closer, but it all felt so slow. With how close the two girls were, they could see every detail of the others eyes. Then, the keys jiggled in the front door's lock. Somebody was home.

Joyce and Karen slowly got up and gathered their things. "I didn't expect my parents to be coming home yet, I'm sorry," Joyce apologized.

Karen gave her a warm smile in return, as she headed to the door. "No problem." As Joyce's parents stepped in, Karen waved goodbye and stepped out.

Karen drove home feeling empty, yet somewhat hopeful. That wasn't in her head, she nearly kissed Joyce Horowitz, it was actually going to happen. But if anyone found out, what would that be like?