Times change...people shouldn't, chapter 23
Brooke tossed and turned all night alone in the guest bedroom as she tried to go to sleep, but had no luck. She sighed deeply as she rolled over on her back and tapped her fingers along her belly. "This is stupid, im obviously not going to sleep like this." she muttered to herself alone in the darkness as she tossed the covers off her body and made her way back into her room with Joey.
Quietly, she cracked the door and slipped herself inside and under the covers. "Joey.." she said quietly as she snuggled her head in the crook of his neck. "Hmm?" he sighed as he stirred, still half asleep.
"Im sorry.." Brooke said quietly into his ear. Joey peeled his eyes open and rubbed them slowly as he turned to face her.
"I really am...I've just been overwhelmed with so much and with all the hormones from the pregnancy, I just kinda tweaked out...I'm sorry." she repeated, snuggling deeper into his warm shirtless chest. Joey smiled as he kissed her temple and pulled the covers over them more.
"I know baby..it's just hard on me too. I'm trying to hold everything together and yelling at me isn't helping." he admitted.
"I promise...I'll be a good girl" Brooke giggled with her eyes still closed.
"Well I don't mind if you're a bad girl sometimes.." Joey smirked as Brooke playfully pushed him.
"Goodnight babe." he said quietly after a few minutes of snuggling to the now sleeping body curled up tightly next him.
**
Before they knew it, Christmas had come and gone and the couple was back home with the Armstrongs celebrating the new year. "So did you guys have fun in Boston?" Adrienne asked as she sat down with the rest of the family and friends in the living room with her glass of wine.
"Yeah, it was really nice to see my Dad and be away for a little while." Brooke sighed as she leaned her head on Joey who was watching tv intently.
"I know what you mean...I used to love to get away every now and then and go to Minneapolis to see my family and friends." Adi said with a smile before everyone began to chant the countdown. The household was quickly filled with random people saying "Happy New Year" and kissing each other.
"Happy new year honey." Brooke said as Joey kissed her passionately, until the phone next to them began to ring.
"Ugh..one minute." Joey sighed as he pulled away and leaned over to get the phone. Brooke smiled and nodded as she leaned back and rested her right hand over her stomach and tapped it gently while she waited.
"Baby, that was my friend..he's having an "after party" type of thing. Wanna go?" Joey asked turning back around to face her.
"Umm, I don't think I should hun. A high school party isn't the best place for a pregnant person." She giggled.
"But you should go...We've been away for a week so you should go hang out with your friends." she finished as she pushed herself off the couch and held her back while she snuck into the kitchen to get some water.
"I want you to come babe...pleaseeee." Joey begged, giving her the puppy dog eyes. "I promise nothing will happen to you...if things get out of hand we'll leave." he added.
Brooke smirked and cocked her head to the side, causing some of her darker blonde bangs to dangle angelically by her eye.
"Ok babe....im just going to change into something more casual and I'll meet you in the car." she said as she kissed Joey's cheek and headed up the stairs. She slipped her grey Hollister sweater off and layered white and hot pink wife beater tanks and put on a trendy pair of maternity jeans that still managed to hang low, under her belly before she said goodbye to Billie Joe and Adi, and headed off to meet Joey.
**
As soon as they opened the door to the house, hot air, the smell of pot and beer, and booming music greeted them. "Wonderful.."Brooke muttered guarding her stomach as Joey clutched her hand and maneuvered them out of the crowd and over to the living room.
"Want something to drink?" he shouted into her ear over the music.
"I can't drink alcohol babe..and by the looks of it..there's nothing else here." Brooke shouted back.
Joey nodded, "I'm going to grab a beer..I'll be right back.." he told her as he shoved his way through his friends and headed to the keg. Brooke sat and waited for Joey for about 15 minutes before she spotted Ramona and got up to say hi.
"Hey Ray." Brooke said tapping her shoulder. The slightly tipsy Ramona spun around and slung her arms around Brooke.
"Hey hun! How are you?! " she exclaimed. Brooke giggled at her near drunk attitude but responded normally.
"I'm fine..having fun?" Ramona's eyes widened as she nodded fiercely
"Yeah!! O my God you have to meet this kid..he's perfect for you!" she said, speaking a mile a minute.
"Um Ray..im with Joey and I'm kinda pregnant." Brooke said restating the obvious.
"O my God your right! I totally forgot! Hi baby!!" Ramona said waving to Brooke's stomach and then laughing hysterically at herself. Brooke smiled back, silently laughing and said goodbye for the night and made her way back to the couch.
All the smells and people bumping into her belly were not making her feel the greatest. Just as she sat down an extremely high and drunk boy from one of her classes came and sat down next to her.
"Heys cutie.." he slurred practically passed out.
"Umm Hi." Brooke said, trying to at least be somewhat friendly.
"You wanna come upstiars wif meh?" he struggled to say through fits of random laughter and then gentle nodding off.
"Um..no thanks..I uh gotta go." Brooke said getting up and looking for Joey.
"Hey baby!" Joey exclaimed tossing his hands up in the air, clearly showing he too was drunk.
"Hey hun....I'm going to go home..I'm not feeling too good." Brooke struggled to make her voice heard over everything else but managed to.
"Ok babe....bye "Joey said sloppily kissing her goodbye before Brooke turned and made her way out of the house.
**
By 4 a.m. most of the people had left or were passed out in random places of the house. Joey and Ramona were amongst the people still some what conscience and were aimlessly wandering around the house. Joey made his way over a small den and began to roll himself a joint when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Got another one of those?" it said. He looked up to see Ramona making her way next to him.
"Sure." he said as he licked it shut and gave it to her and started himself a new one.
"Thanks." she said inhaling deeply.
"No problem...good party huh?" he said letting a thick cloud of smoke escape his mouth.
"Mhmm." Ramona said while taking another hit along with Joey.
"Is Brooke ok with you smoking this?" she asked suddenly becoming closer to him.
Joey shrugged, "I never really asked her...and this is like my first one since we found out about the baby." he said finishing it up and taking out his stash for another one.
"Want?" he said holding it up to her as his eyes already started to become dazed.
"Sure why not." she giggled quickly taking a huge finishing hit of her first one and making herself a new one.
About 4 joints each later, they were both holding their sides from laughing at absolutely nothing. "Hey.." Ramona suddenly said slowing her laughter down
"Wanna ring in the new year in a great way?" she asked trailing her hand down his arm.
"Sure how?" Joey asked with heavy red eyes.
"I'll show you." she said climbing into his lap and wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling her face closer to his.
"Ray, what you doi-." he started but Ramona didn't let him finish. She pressed her lips firmly against his and ran her hands along his body.
"That." she stated pulling away for a little while.
"No Ramona.....your friends with Brooke now...I'm with her...I can't I...I" Joey stuttered in a sudden frantic panic as his red eyes darted around hopelessly.
"Shh..Joey..Don't worry. I am friends with Brooke. I'm not doing this to hurt her, but I can't hide my feelings anymore for you. I just want one more night with you. That's it just one and then me and you are done...forever." She said gently pushing Joey back into the couch and kissing his neck.
"Just once right.....to end your feelings?" Joey questioned even though he said it as more of a statement. Ramona nodded and bit her bottom lip with her eyes shut tight as she felt Joey's hands crawl under skirt.
**
"Where am I?" Joey said lifting his head up off the couch in pain. He sat up and waited for his vison to be set straight for him to look around.
"Holy shit!!" he exclaimed loudly as he saw Ramona passed out naked next to him. "No no no no no no" he said pulling at his hair and shaking his head.
"God why did I do this.." He gathered his clothes and tossed them on quickly and left without even bothering to say anything to Ramona.
**
Joey pulled into his driveway at home and slowly walked into his house with his head hung low. "Hey Joe.."Billie said sitting on the couch flipping through the channels, hoping for something good to come on.
"Hi..." Joey said slowly and monotonous.
"Something wrong?" Billie asked sitting up and turning his attention away from the tv. "No." Joey said plainly as he dragged his heavy feet up the stairs and to his room.
He shuffled his way over his bed and collapsed face first into the pillow.
"I am so screwed.." he sighed to himself alone in his room. Just then he felt his cell phone vibrating his pocket. He sighed annoyed, thinking it was Ramona calling and answered with a slight attitude in his voice.
"Hello." he grunted.
"Baby, it's me." he heard Brooke say...but she was gasping for air and their was pain in her voice.
"Brooke what's wrong?" he asked, tossing his feet over the bed and sitting up.
"I need you..to come here...fast....It's the baby." Joey's mouth almost hit the floor as his eyes widened
"You think your going into labor?!" he asked panicked.
"No...im not. I just....OW!...I need you to get here as fast...as you can." she begged. Joey sprung up and ripped his keys out of his pocket.
"Stay calm baby, im coming." he said as he shut the phone and ran at the speed of sound down to his car.
Quietly, she cracked the door and slipped herself inside and under the covers. "Joey.." she said quietly as she snuggled her head in the crook of his neck. "Hmm?" he sighed as he stirred, still half asleep.
"Im sorry.." Brooke said quietly into his ear. Joey peeled his eyes open and rubbed them slowly as he turned to face her.
"I really am...I've just been overwhelmed with so much and with all the hormones from the pregnancy, I just kinda tweaked out...I'm sorry." she repeated, snuggling deeper into his warm shirtless chest. Joey smiled as he kissed her temple and pulled the covers over them more.
"I know baby..it's just hard on me too. I'm trying to hold everything together and yelling at me isn't helping." he admitted.
"I promise...I'll be a good girl" Brooke giggled with her eyes still closed.
"Well I don't mind if you're a bad girl sometimes.." Joey smirked as Brooke playfully pushed him.
"Goodnight babe." he said quietly after a few minutes of snuggling to the now sleeping body curled up tightly next him.
**
Before they knew it, Christmas had come and gone and the couple was back home with the Armstrongs celebrating the new year. "So did you guys have fun in Boston?" Adrienne asked as she sat down with the rest of the family and friends in the living room with her glass of wine.
"Yeah, it was really nice to see my Dad and be away for a little while." Brooke sighed as she leaned her head on Joey who was watching tv intently.
"I know what you mean...I used to love to get away every now and then and go to Minneapolis to see my family and friends." Adi said with a smile before everyone began to chant the countdown. The household was quickly filled with random people saying "Happy New Year" and kissing each other.
"Happy new year honey." Brooke said as Joey kissed her passionately, until the phone next to them began to ring.
"Ugh..one minute." Joey sighed as he pulled away and leaned over to get the phone. Brooke smiled and nodded as she leaned back and rested her right hand over her stomach and tapped it gently while she waited.
"Baby, that was my friend..he's having an "after party" type of thing. Wanna go?" Joey asked turning back around to face her.
"Umm, I don't think I should hun. A high school party isn't the best place for a pregnant person." She giggled.
"But you should go...We've been away for a week so you should go hang out with your friends." she finished as she pushed herself off the couch and held her back while she snuck into the kitchen to get some water.
"I want you to come babe...pleaseeee." Joey begged, giving her the puppy dog eyes. "I promise nothing will happen to you...if things get out of hand we'll leave." he added.
Brooke smirked and cocked her head to the side, causing some of her darker blonde bangs to dangle angelically by her eye.
"Ok babe....im just going to change into something more casual and I'll meet you in the car." she said as she kissed Joey's cheek and headed up the stairs. She slipped her grey Hollister sweater off and layered white and hot pink wife beater tanks and put on a trendy pair of maternity jeans that still managed to hang low, under her belly before she said goodbye to Billie Joe and Adi, and headed off to meet Joey.
**
As soon as they opened the door to the house, hot air, the smell of pot and beer, and booming music greeted them. "Wonderful.."Brooke muttered guarding her stomach as Joey clutched her hand and maneuvered them out of the crowd and over to the living room.
"Want something to drink?" he shouted into her ear over the music.
"I can't drink alcohol babe..and by the looks of it..there's nothing else here." Brooke shouted back.
Joey nodded, "I'm going to grab a beer..I'll be right back.." he told her as he shoved his way through his friends and headed to the keg. Brooke sat and waited for Joey for about 15 minutes before she spotted Ramona and got up to say hi.
"Hey Ray." Brooke said tapping her shoulder. The slightly tipsy Ramona spun around and slung her arms around Brooke.
"Hey hun! How are you?! " she exclaimed. Brooke giggled at her near drunk attitude but responded normally.
"I'm fine..having fun?" Ramona's eyes widened as she nodded fiercely
"Yeah!! O my God you have to meet this kid..he's perfect for you!" she said, speaking a mile a minute.
"Um Ray..im with Joey and I'm kinda pregnant." Brooke said restating the obvious.
"O my God your right! I totally forgot! Hi baby!!" Ramona said waving to Brooke's stomach and then laughing hysterically at herself. Brooke smiled back, silently laughing and said goodbye for the night and made her way back to the couch.
All the smells and people bumping into her belly were not making her feel the greatest. Just as she sat down an extremely high and drunk boy from one of her classes came and sat down next to her.
"Heys cutie.." he slurred practically passed out.
"Umm Hi." Brooke said, trying to at least be somewhat friendly.
"You wanna come upstiars wif meh?" he struggled to say through fits of random laughter and then gentle nodding off.
"Um..no thanks..I uh gotta go." Brooke said getting up and looking for Joey.
"Hey baby!" Joey exclaimed tossing his hands up in the air, clearly showing he too was drunk.
"Hey hun....I'm going to go home..I'm not feeling too good." Brooke struggled to make her voice heard over everything else but managed to.
"Ok babe....bye "Joey said sloppily kissing her goodbye before Brooke turned and made her way out of the house.
**
By 4 a.m. most of the people had left or were passed out in random places of the house. Joey and Ramona were amongst the people still some what conscience and were aimlessly wandering around the house. Joey made his way over a small den and began to roll himself a joint when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Got another one of those?" it said. He looked up to see Ramona making her way next to him.
"Sure." he said as he licked it shut and gave it to her and started himself a new one.
"Thanks." she said inhaling deeply.
"No problem...good party huh?" he said letting a thick cloud of smoke escape his mouth.
"Mhmm." Ramona said while taking another hit along with Joey.
"Is Brooke ok with you smoking this?" she asked suddenly becoming closer to him.
Joey shrugged, "I never really asked her...and this is like my first one since we found out about the baby." he said finishing it up and taking out his stash for another one.
"Want?" he said holding it up to her as his eyes already started to become dazed.
"Sure why not." she giggled quickly taking a huge finishing hit of her first one and making herself a new one.
About 4 joints each later, they were both holding their sides from laughing at absolutely nothing. "Hey.." Ramona suddenly said slowing her laughter down
"Wanna ring in the new year in a great way?" she asked trailing her hand down his arm.
"Sure how?" Joey asked with heavy red eyes.
"I'll show you." she said climbing into his lap and wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling her face closer to his.
"Ray, what you doi-." he started but Ramona didn't let him finish. She pressed her lips firmly against his and ran her hands along his body.
"That." she stated pulling away for a little while.
"No Ramona.....your friends with Brooke now...I'm with her...I can't I...I" Joey stuttered in a sudden frantic panic as his red eyes darted around hopelessly.
"Shh..Joey..Don't worry. I am friends with Brooke. I'm not doing this to hurt her, but I can't hide my feelings anymore for you. I just want one more night with you. That's it just one and then me and you are done...forever." She said gently pushing Joey back into the couch and kissing his neck.
"Just once right.....to end your feelings?" Joey questioned even though he said it as more of a statement. Ramona nodded and bit her bottom lip with her eyes shut tight as she felt Joey's hands crawl under skirt.
**
"Where am I?" Joey said lifting his head up off the couch in pain. He sat up and waited for his vison to be set straight for him to look around.
"Holy shit!!" he exclaimed loudly as he saw Ramona passed out naked next to him. "No no no no no no" he said pulling at his hair and shaking his head.
"God why did I do this.." He gathered his clothes and tossed them on quickly and left without even bothering to say anything to Ramona.
**
Joey pulled into his driveway at home and slowly walked into his house with his head hung low. "Hey Joe.."Billie said sitting on the couch flipping through the channels, hoping for something good to come on.
"Hi..." Joey said slowly and monotonous.
"Something wrong?" Billie asked sitting up and turning his attention away from the tv. "No." Joey said plainly as he dragged his heavy feet up the stairs and to his room.
He shuffled his way over his bed and collapsed face first into the pillow.
"I am so screwed.." he sighed to himself alone in his room. Just then he felt his cell phone vibrating his pocket. He sighed annoyed, thinking it was Ramona calling and answered with a slight attitude in his voice.
"Hello." he grunted.
"Baby, it's me." he heard Brooke say...but she was gasping for air and their was pain in her voice.
"Brooke what's wrong?" he asked, tossing his feet over the bed and sitting up.
"I need you..to come here...fast....It's the baby." Joey's mouth almost hit the floor as his eyes widened
"You think your going into labor?!" he asked panicked.
"No...im not. I just....OW!...I need you to get here as fast...as you can." she begged. Joey sprung up and ripped his keys out of his pocket.
"Stay calm baby, im coming." he said as he shut the phone and ran at the speed of sound down to his car.
