Richpez - A Tale of Two StarKids

Chapter 2: The Plan

Lauren had now known Joey for a little over a year now and she really valued their friendship. He was always there when he needed her, and she loved hanging out with him. 

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"Wanna get some coffee?" Lauren said over FaceTime with Joey. "I really need to get this assignment done, and it isn't gonna get done unless I have some caffeine in my system."

"I could go for some coffee," Joey responded.

"Great! I'll be over in five and we can walk over to the coffee shop together," Lauren said.

Five minutes later and Lauren was standing on Joey's front porch with her backpack knocking on the door until Joey opened the door for her. 

"Lo, you're so annoying. I knew you were coming," he said with a smile as he grabbed his keys and closed the door behind him.

"I just wanted to make sure you heard me," she said with a grin and took Joey's hand in hers.

They had gotten to be really close friends over the past year and they were both very touchy people. She liked being close to him, and she wasn't sure what, but there was just something about him that she really liked. He was kind to her and always made her laugh. They always had fun together and she wished that he was her age so they could have met when she was a freshman and had an extra couple of years together.

When they got to the coffee shop, they both went to the counter to order. Two coffees with cream and sugar, their usual orders. Once they sat down they immediately pulled out their laptops and got to work.

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Three hours and two cups of coffee each later, they had both finished their homework assignments for the next couple of days.

"Now all we have to focus on are finals next week," Lauren said. She sighed. "I can't believe there are only two weeks until winter break and we won't see each other for a month. What am I gonna do without you, Joey?"

"What are you talking about? We constantly text each other, and we FaceTime everyday. You'll get sick of me even though we'll be half way across the country from each other," Joey replied.

Really quietly, Lauren responded, "I could never get sick of you, Joey Richter." She looked down at her coffee cup, studying it so she didn't have to look at Joey. Then, her head snapped back up. "What if we came back a week early? We could make a road trip up to my grandparents' house in Mackinac Island and stay for New Year's. They're in Florida for the winter, so their house will be empty, and they said I can go up whenever I want. We can invite all of our friends, play games, watch movies. It would be so much fun!"

Joey thought about it for a moment, and then he nodded. "I'm in. I think we could get everyone on board. I'm excited to see my parents, but I'm going to get so bored away from all of you within a week, so I'd be happy to come back a week early! Plus, then I'd get to hang out with you more, Lo."

"Great! I'll call my grandparents to confirm and then text Jaime so she can get the word out. Want to go back to your house? I'll cook us some dinner."

"Yeah, let's go. I'm jittery from the coffee and I need to walk it off. And if you're gonna cook, I'll eat," he responded. Joey was known for eating anything and everything, so Lauren wasn't very surprised at this response. Lauren just smiled and walked out the door.

As the two were walking back, Lauren couldn't help but wonder about their relationship. Over the last two months, Lauren had been asked numerous times what was going on with her relationship with Joey. Everyone thought they were dating. It bothered Lauren every time because they were clearly just friends. Just a little touchy with each other, but that was normal for them. She liked Joey, but she hadn't looked at him much in that way. Besides, she was talking to another guy from the theater department. 

She had gone on a couple of dates with a guy she knew from theater. His name was Joe Walker, but everyone called him Walker. He was fun to be around and he was really nice, but she wasn't sure how long it would last. Every now and then she found herself comparing him to Joey, but Joe was good to her, and she appreciated it.

"Do you ever get questions about our relationship? Like if we're dating?" she asked, looking up at Joey.

At this point they had reached Joey's doorstep.

"Almost everyday. We have a unique relationship and we're really close, so I can see why some people who don't know us would think that we're dating. And you're dating Walker, so I tell people we're friends and say you have a boyfriend," he said in response.

"Joe is not my boyfriend. You shouldn't be going around saying he is. We've been on two dates, and we haven't even discussed it. I don't even know if I like him in that way."

"Lo, I'm sorry. I get really defensive talking about our relationship. Everyone asks and it bothers me when I have to stay that we're just friends. I didn't think about you and Joe. I'm sorry I assumed you two were boyfriend and girlfriend. It was stupid," he replied. He looked down at his feet as he said this.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have snapped. Can we just go inside?" Lauren asked.

Joey nodded and kissed Lauren on the forehead. 

He was glad the conversation was over because he was trying to hide his true feelings for Lauren. He had feelings for her, and had since the day they met. However, she was talking to Walker, so she was off limits. He had no idea how she felt about him, and didn't want to do anything to mess up their friendship. He just liked spending time with her, as much as possible. One thing was for sure, though, he was glad that Walker wasn't Lauren's boyfriend.

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I'm sorry this chapter was all over the place, but it sets up the next chapter! I promise that the next chapter will be longer than these past two. Thanks for reading!