Serendipity Girl, chapter 6
Late one evening I log onto msn to see if there's anyone worth while online. Joey was online, I find it sort of pointless talking to him on MSN because he's right next door but what the hell.
Corrupt Morals says: heya sexy pants
Joe in the box says: hey babe
We're so cheesy with these lame wad nick names but we don't care.
Corrupt Morals says: Wassup on your end?
Joe in the box says: nothing much . . . . . you?
Corrupt Morals says: EXTREME boredom
Joe in the box says: cha
Corrupt Morals says: Can I stroke your banana?
Joe in the box says: WHAT?
Joe in the box says: you perv
Corrupt Morals says: lol . . . . . . see what boredom does to me
Joe in the box says: let's just hope you don't get bored near a bunch of sailors
Corrupt Morals says: hardy har har
Joe in the box says: what now?
Corrupt Morals says: let's get married
Joe in the box says: yeah sure I've got nothing better to do
Corrupt Morals says: kk hold on Lil can be the officiate
Candy is sweet and so am I has just been added to the conversation
Joe in the box says: what? You're serious?
Corrupt Morals says: yeah, Lil and I fake marry people when we're bored
Joe in the box says: weird-o
Candy is sweet and so am I says: you're going to need a witness
Joe in the box says: I thinks Matt is online
Super Matt has just been added to the conversation
Super Matt says: wassup?
Candy is sweet and so am I says: Joe and Anna are getting msn married
Super Matt says: lmfao why?
Corrupt Morals says: bored
Super Matt says: okay then . . . . . why am I here?
Candy is sweet and so am I says: you're the witness
Super Matt says: ok
Corrupt Morals says: can we just start this?
Candy is sweet and so am I says: Alright, Do you Joseph Armstrong take Anna Pruett to be your msn wife until you get bored with her or the sham marriage all together?
Joe in the box says: I do
Candy is sweet and so am I says: And do you Anna Pruett take Joseph Armstrong to be your msn husband until you get bored with him or the sham marriage all together?
Corrupt Morals says: yup
Candy is sweet and so am I says: As Matthew Nesser as my witness I now pronounce you fake husband and wife, you may now cyber kiss
Joe in the box says: *kisses Anna*
Corrupt Morals says: *kisses Joe* *gropes his thigh*
Candy is sweet and so am I says: perv
Super Matt says: you really are, I mean save it for the cyber honeymoon, we're right here!
Corrupt Morals says: sorry, I just got carried away
Joe in the box says: I don't mind
Candy is sweet and so am I says: I'm going to leave before the cyber honey moon starts and I feel compelled to gag
Super Matt says: same here
Candy is sweet and so am I has just signed out
Super Matt has just signed out
Joe in the box says: all alone
Corrupt Morals says: *screams orgasmically*
Joe in the box says: you really are a perv
Corrupt Morals says: blah no I'm just bored and you're being a downer, I'm filing for a divorce
Joe in the box says: no baby don't go
Corrupt Morals says: lol
Joe in the box says: oh yeah, tomorrow my dad's taking Jake and I to the beach to go surfing . . . .you wanna come?
Corrupt Morals says: sure, hold on let me ask my dad
"Dad!" I call out loudly.
"Yeah."
"Can I go surfing with the neighbors tomorrow?"
"What?" I decide to leave the comfort of my desk to find him.
"Well Billie Joe is taking Joey and Jakob surfing tomorrow and Joey asked me if I wanted to come along."
"Uhh okay I guess, but I'm going to talk to Billie Joe, I haven't gotten to talk to him since we moved."
"Okay." I say as I head back to my desk.
"Are you on the computer?" my father yells after me.
"Yeah!"
"Well get off, you've been there all evening!"
"Fine." I mutter.
Corrupt Morals says: kk my dad said I could go, but I have to get off the computer now
Joe in the box says: kk see ya tomorrow we're leaving around nine
Corrupt Morals says: in the morning?
Joe in the box says: yeah to get the good waves
Corrupt Morals says: okay see ya
I wake up nice and early the next morning and put on my tankini, in attempts to impress a guy I'd usually where my stringy bikini but not when surfing, cause that's just stupid. I pull on my long shorts over my bathing suit bottom and head downstairs for some breakfast. I make myself some toast and get a glass of orange juice before heading to the living room where my dad is watching television.
"Hey you're up before the sun sets." He mocks.
"Yeah, yeah." I mumble, "I don't wake up that late, I usually get up at ten."
"Uhuh. Sure." I ignore him as a literally swallow my breakfast whole.
"Gotta find my boogie board." I mumble as I leave the living room to go to the garage.
After several minutes of digging through lawn chairs and stuff I come across my Hawaiian flower print boogie board. As I head back into the house the phone starts to ring.
"I'll get it!" I yell as I run to the kitchen where the phone sits. I pick it up, not even bothering to look at the caller ID. "Hello."
"Hey . . . . . Anna?" Joey says.
"Yeah."
"We're going to be leaving in about five/ten minutes. Okay?"
"Yeah sure, be right out." I say as I hear him hang up. I run upstairs and grab my messenger bag and put a towel and black hoody in it.
"Take a hat!" my mom calls to me. I roll my eyes and dig through my bottom drawer to find my black army style cap, I think it's called a cadet hat. I pull it on and head downstairs.
"I really don't like that hat." My mom mumbles.
"Well I'm sure as hell not wearing a sunhat." I say slinging my bag over my shoulder.
"You should dress more feminine."
"I'm wearing a bikini." I say rolling my eyes. "You can't get more feminine than that."
"Alright, bye." My mom says as I pick up my boogie board from the floor, where I left it.
"Bye." I say casually, "Hey Dad, I'm leaving now." I slip on my flip-flops and my dad joins me in the entrance.
We head over next door where Billie Joe and Joey are strapping a couple of surfboards to the hood of the car. Billie was muttering about it being an unholy hour of the morning.
"Hey Anna!" Joey calls out as he looks up from the straps he was tightening.
"Hey."
"You must be Mr. Armstrong." My dad says to Billie Joe.
"Yeah, but call me Billie Joe, I don't like the whole mister thing." He says shaking my dad's hand.
"My name's Richard." My dad says casually. "So you're going to the beach?"
"Yeah, near Lincoln Park."
"Okay." My dad says nodding, "You don't mind taking the mouthy one?" oh great the corny dad jokes have started.
"Nah, she's cool, little weird but still cool."
"So what time will you guys be getting back?"
"Well we plan on staying until the fireworks, so about eleven."
"Alright then, see ya later Anna." My father says kissing the top of my head and heading back home.
"Oh someone's a daddy's girl!" Jakob squeals from the top of the front porch steps.
"Shut-up mama's boy." At this comment Joey snorts with laughter. I walk over to the trunk of the car and put my bag and boogie board in.
"Awe, my little Jakey is causing trouble." Adie says as she comes outside messes up his hair.
"Oh jeez Mom."
"I'm just messing with you." Adie says as she puts her bag in the trunk of the car. "Well are we ready to go."
"Yeah." Billie Joe says amused by what had just taken place. Joey, Jakob and I pile into the back seat of the car, I'm stuck sitting in the middle so I lean on Joey. He doesn't seem to care, and all I got from Jakob was an eye roll. The drive to the beach is a good forty-five minutes away, there are closer beaches like ten minutes away but apparently the waves aren't as good.
"Finally we're here!" Jakob says as he jumps out of the car seconds before it came to a complete stop. The rest of us get out of the car and I help Adie and Jakob unload the bags and cooler and stuff from the trunk as Billie Joe and Joey take down the surf boards. We rent out this awning thing with lawn chairs under it so that we can put our stuff. We get everything settled.
"So d'you want to hit the waves?" Joey asks me.
"Yeah." I say nodding. I watch in a slight state of daydream as Joey removes his shirt, he had a fucking nice torso. He isn't hairy, but he does have an appealing 'treasure trail' and dare I say he had the perfect muscle consistency. He isn't built or man boobed but he isn't all skin and bones either.
"You coming or what?"
"Uhh yeah." I say as I remove my shorts and shove them in my bag. I pick up my boogie board as he picks up his surf board and we head down to the water. We paddle out deep against the waves. I turn myself around as I see a killer wave coming at me. I take the wave well and it was a blast. I look over at Joey who also looks fairly pleased at how he took the last wave and we paddle further into the water.
We stay out on the water for a good long while, Jakob and Billie Joe came out surfing too for a while but I was on a boogie boarding marathon. I eventually decide to head back to the beach because my throat is parched and I just plain need a break. I signal to Joey that I'm going back to the beach and he paddles back as well.
"Having fun?" he asks slightly out of breath as we carry our boards back.
"I'm having a blast." I say as I push my wet hair out of my face.
"Good." He says as we near the reserved lawn chairs. I pull my towel out of my bag and wrap it around my shoulders. Joey does the same with his towel. He reaches into the cooler and produces two soda, handing one of them to me.
"Thanks." I say as I open the can and taking a sip. I look out at the beach, Billie Joe and Adie are strolling along the water's edge as Jakob takes wave after wave on his red surf board. I look down at my watch, its already two o'clock. I put down my drink and tie my towel around my waist. I realize Joey is staring at me.
"What?"
"Nothing," he mumbles, "What was with you last night?"
"What?" I say laughing, "Nothing, I told you I was just bored."
"Bored, that's all?" he says smirking. "Banana stroking, sham marriages and cyber honey moon sex is just boredom?"
"Yup." I say laughing.
"God forbid you get stoned." He mumbles into his drink.
"Real mature, you didn't stop me."
"I called you a perv."
"You stuck around so you're just as pervy as I am."
"See if you ask to stroke my banana you're being funny, I ask to squeeze your melons and I have a sexual harassment case on my hands."
"Oh don't be like that." I say as touch his cheek playfully.
We spend the rest of the afternoon bumming around the beach, going surfing for half hours at a time. It starts to get dark so we head back to the beach. We dry off and I pull on my hoody.
"Do you want to grab something to eat?" I ask as I tie my hair.
"Yeah sure." Joey says as he pulls his shirt on, shame. I slip on my flip-flops and we head up the beach to this little shack of an outdoor restaurant where they serve the greasiest food known to humanity. We order a couple of burgers and drinks and take our seats at a picnic table.
"Well now that it's too cold to go swimming, what do we do?" I ask sometime after we started eating.
"There's a place up the beach where they have either live music or a deejay, it's pretty cool, then at like ten there's fireworks."
"Hey you two." Someone says from behind me. I turn around to see that Tre guy who was over at Joey's house a while back along with a teenage girl and a boy who was about ten or eleven.
"Hey Tre man, my dad said you'd be here earlier." Joey says casually.
"Yeah well Mona's flight was delayed."
"Sorry Anna, this is Ramona and Frankito." Joey says hurriedly.
"Hey." I say casually.
"Hey." They say back.
"So Joey, where's Buttercup and your parents?"
"Uhh my parents are down there, where the tent thingies are and I just saw Buttercup go to the washroom."
"Alright, well I'll catch you kids later." Tre says as he heads down to the beach.
"We're just going to get some food." Ramona says as she and Frankito head to the burger stand.
"I take it Buttercup it Jakob?" Ramona says as she sits at our table with Frankito.
"Yeah." Joey says smirking evilly as we see Jakob coming up to us.
"Buttercup!" Frankito yells evilly as he waves Jakob over.
"Oh fuck, you guys know too!" Jakob says pissed off as he reluctantly comes to sit with us, "I hate you Anna."
"I'm not the one who told them." I pout.
"Yeah well you're the one who started calling me that." I can't help but smirk evilly.
"So Buttercup, how's everything, I haven't talked to you in a while Buttercup." Frankito says smirking, "What's wrong Buttercup? Did I say something wrong Buttercup?"
"Shut-up, shut-up."
"Yeah Franky, Buttercup is sensitive about his name." Ramona says laughing. Jakob gets really pissed and stands up from the table.
"Jakob come back, we'll stop, please we were just kidding around." I say as everyone's laughs die down. He stops in his tracks, debating whether or not to listen.
"C'mon Jake, I haven't seen you in ages and you're just going to leave?" Ramona says as she glares at her younger brother to stop laughing. Jakob let's out a grunt and comes back to the table.
I found it slightly hard to believe that Tre had kids, but not only that, they were from two different marriages. Ramona lives in New York with her mom but Frankito lives here in Oakland. The sound of music starts to boom in the background.
"Oh is that dance place open?" Ramona asks excitedly.
"Yeah." Joey says as she stands up.
"C'mon you guys." She says rolling her eyes. We all head down the beach to where there's some sort of semi-outdoor wooden hut thingy with a stage. Tonight there was no band, there was a deejay, but it's still pretty cool. The three guys go to sit on the railing, causing Ramona to roll her eyes.
"You don't dance?" I say into Joey's ear. He shakes his head. "Fine then." I say as I go with Ramona to the dance floor, I sure as hell won't sit on the sidelines bored senseless. The music isn't half-bad actually.
"So are you going out with Joey or what?" Ramona asks over the music.
"Well no."
"Do you want to be?" I nod. "Okay, you want me to set you two up?"
"No thanks." I say shaking my head as I continue dancing.
"And now beach people." The deejay says smoothly into the mike, "I'm going to play a slow, but it's ladies choice, so fellas if a gal asks you to dance you have to dance with her." The music starts and I walk up to Joey.
"You're my choice, now you have to dance with me."
"What happened to anarchy?" Joey asks as he pushes himself off the railing.
"Good question, I'll ask him when I see him." I say as he bursts out laughing. I lead him deep into the dance floor where I stop and put my arms around his neck. He places his hands on my hips and we start to step slowly to the music. I like being this close to him, it nice. Towards the end of the song I realize that Joey's facial expression had changed. I stare deep into his eyes to figure out what's going on when he lowers his head so his lips meet mine. Oh wow, that's awesome. He backs his head away leaving me wanting more.
"Be my girlfriend?" I nod as I stand on my tip toes to kiss him again.
The song sadly comes to an end.
"And now ladies and gentlemen, let's liven things up!" the deejay says as some really upbeat techno starts up. Joey puts his arm around my waist and leads me back to where he was sitting before.
"I saw that!" Frankito yells, "Oh I'm going to tell everyone!"
"Go ahead." I say shrugging. Frankito runs away happily.
"You know it's going to be an awkward drive home?"
"Yeah, but I don't care."
Joey was right, the drive home is awkward, especially with Jakob making kissing noises most of the way. Billie Joe and Adie kept whispering stuff to each other, probably about Joey and me. The car pulls into the driveway and we all get out. I grab my bag and boogie board out of the trunk and give Joey a quick peck goodnight before heading home.
Corrupt Morals says: heya sexy pants
Joe in the box says: hey babe
We're so cheesy with these lame wad nick names but we don't care.
Corrupt Morals says: Wassup on your end?
Joe in the box says: nothing much . . . . . you?
Corrupt Morals says: EXTREME boredom
Joe in the box says: cha
Corrupt Morals says: Can I stroke your banana?
Joe in the box says: WHAT?
Joe in the box says: you perv
Corrupt Morals says: lol . . . . . . see what boredom does to me
Joe in the box says: let's just hope you don't get bored near a bunch of sailors
Corrupt Morals says: hardy har har
Joe in the box says: what now?
Corrupt Morals says: let's get married
Joe in the box says: yeah sure I've got nothing better to do
Corrupt Morals says: kk hold on Lil can be the officiate
Candy is sweet and so am I has just been added to the conversation
Joe in the box says: what? You're serious?
Corrupt Morals says: yeah, Lil and I fake marry people when we're bored
Joe in the box says: weird-o
Candy is sweet and so am I says: you're going to need a witness
Joe in the box says: I thinks Matt is online
Super Matt has just been added to the conversation
Super Matt says: wassup?
Candy is sweet and so am I says: Joe and Anna are getting msn married
Super Matt says: lmfao why?
Corrupt Morals says: bored
Super Matt says: okay then . . . . . why am I here?
Candy is sweet and so am I says: you're the witness
Super Matt says: ok
Corrupt Morals says: can we just start this?
Candy is sweet and so am I says: Alright, Do you Joseph Armstrong take Anna Pruett to be your msn wife until you get bored with her or the sham marriage all together?
Joe in the box says: I do
Candy is sweet and so am I says: And do you Anna Pruett take Joseph Armstrong to be your msn husband until you get bored with him or the sham marriage all together?
Corrupt Morals says: yup
Candy is sweet and so am I says: As Matthew Nesser as my witness I now pronounce you fake husband and wife, you may now cyber kiss
Joe in the box says: *kisses Anna*
Corrupt Morals says: *kisses Joe* *gropes his thigh*
Candy is sweet and so am I says: perv
Super Matt says: you really are, I mean save it for the cyber honeymoon, we're right here!
Corrupt Morals says: sorry, I just got carried away
Joe in the box says: I don't mind
Candy is sweet and so am I says: I'm going to leave before the cyber honey moon starts and I feel compelled to gag
Super Matt says: same here
Candy is sweet and so am I has just signed out
Super Matt has just signed out
Joe in the box says: all alone
Corrupt Morals says: *screams orgasmically*
Joe in the box says: you really are a perv
Corrupt Morals says: blah no I'm just bored and you're being a downer, I'm filing for a divorce
Joe in the box says: no baby don't go
Corrupt Morals says: lol
Joe in the box says: oh yeah, tomorrow my dad's taking Jake and I to the beach to go surfing . . . .you wanna come?
Corrupt Morals says: sure, hold on let me ask my dad
"Dad!" I call out loudly.
"Yeah."
"Can I go surfing with the neighbors tomorrow?"
"What?" I decide to leave the comfort of my desk to find him.
"Well Billie Joe is taking Joey and Jakob surfing tomorrow and Joey asked me if I wanted to come along."
"Uhh okay I guess, but I'm going to talk to Billie Joe, I haven't gotten to talk to him since we moved."
"Okay." I say as I head back to my desk.
"Are you on the computer?" my father yells after me.
"Yeah!"
"Well get off, you've been there all evening!"
"Fine." I mutter.
Corrupt Morals says: kk my dad said I could go, but I have to get off the computer now
Joe in the box says: kk see ya tomorrow we're leaving around nine
Corrupt Morals says: in the morning?
Joe in the box says: yeah to get the good waves
Corrupt Morals says: okay see ya
I wake up nice and early the next morning and put on my tankini, in attempts to impress a guy I'd usually where my stringy bikini but not when surfing, cause that's just stupid. I pull on my long shorts over my bathing suit bottom and head downstairs for some breakfast. I make myself some toast and get a glass of orange juice before heading to the living room where my dad is watching television.
"Hey you're up before the sun sets." He mocks.
"Yeah, yeah." I mumble, "I don't wake up that late, I usually get up at ten."
"Uhuh. Sure." I ignore him as a literally swallow my breakfast whole.
"Gotta find my boogie board." I mumble as I leave the living room to go to the garage.
After several minutes of digging through lawn chairs and stuff I come across my Hawaiian flower print boogie board. As I head back into the house the phone starts to ring.
"I'll get it!" I yell as I run to the kitchen where the phone sits. I pick it up, not even bothering to look at the caller ID. "Hello."
"Hey . . . . . Anna?" Joey says.
"Yeah."
"We're going to be leaving in about five/ten minutes. Okay?"
"Yeah sure, be right out." I say as I hear him hang up. I run upstairs and grab my messenger bag and put a towel and black hoody in it.
"Take a hat!" my mom calls to me. I roll my eyes and dig through my bottom drawer to find my black army style cap, I think it's called a cadet hat. I pull it on and head downstairs.
"I really don't like that hat." My mom mumbles.
"Well I'm sure as hell not wearing a sunhat." I say slinging my bag over my shoulder.
"You should dress more feminine."
"I'm wearing a bikini." I say rolling my eyes. "You can't get more feminine than that."
"Alright, bye." My mom says as I pick up my boogie board from the floor, where I left it.
"Bye." I say casually, "Hey Dad, I'm leaving now." I slip on my flip-flops and my dad joins me in the entrance.
We head over next door where Billie Joe and Joey are strapping a couple of surfboards to the hood of the car. Billie was muttering about it being an unholy hour of the morning.
"Hey Anna!" Joey calls out as he looks up from the straps he was tightening.
"Hey."
"You must be Mr. Armstrong." My dad says to Billie Joe.
"Yeah, but call me Billie Joe, I don't like the whole mister thing." He says shaking my dad's hand.
"My name's Richard." My dad says casually. "So you're going to the beach?"
"Yeah, near Lincoln Park."
"Okay." My dad says nodding, "You don't mind taking the mouthy one?" oh great the corny dad jokes have started.
"Nah, she's cool, little weird but still cool."
"So what time will you guys be getting back?"
"Well we plan on staying until the fireworks, so about eleven."
"Alright then, see ya later Anna." My father says kissing the top of my head and heading back home.
"Oh someone's a daddy's girl!" Jakob squeals from the top of the front porch steps.
"Shut-up mama's boy." At this comment Joey snorts with laughter. I walk over to the trunk of the car and put my bag and boogie board in.
"Awe, my little Jakey is causing trouble." Adie says as she comes outside messes up his hair.
"Oh jeez Mom."
"I'm just messing with you." Adie says as she puts her bag in the trunk of the car. "Well are we ready to go."
"Yeah." Billie Joe says amused by what had just taken place. Joey, Jakob and I pile into the back seat of the car, I'm stuck sitting in the middle so I lean on Joey. He doesn't seem to care, and all I got from Jakob was an eye roll. The drive to the beach is a good forty-five minutes away, there are closer beaches like ten minutes away but apparently the waves aren't as good.
"Finally we're here!" Jakob says as he jumps out of the car seconds before it came to a complete stop. The rest of us get out of the car and I help Adie and Jakob unload the bags and cooler and stuff from the trunk as Billie Joe and Joey take down the surf boards. We rent out this awning thing with lawn chairs under it so that we can put our stuff. We get everything settled.
"So d'you want to hit the waves?" Joey asks me.
"Yeah." I say nodding. I watch in a slight state of daydream as Joey removes his shirt, he had a fucking nice torso. He isn't hairy, but he does have an appealing 'treasure trail' and dare I say he had the perfect muscle consistency. He isn't built or man boobed but he isn't all skin and bones either.
"You coming or what?"
"Uhh yeah." I say as I remove my shorts and shove them in my bag. I pick up my boogie board as he picks up his surf board and we head down to the water. We paddle out deep against the waves. I turn myself around as I see a killer wave coming at me. I take the wave well and it was a blast. I look over at Joey who also looks fairly pleased at how he took the last wave and we paddle further into the water.
We stay out on the water for a good long while, Jakob and Billie Joe came out surfing too for a while but I was on a boogie boarding marathon. I eventually decide to head back to the beach because my throat is parched and I just plain need a break. I signal to Joey that I'm going back to the beach and he paddles back as well.
"Having fun?" he asks slightly out of breath as we carry our boards back.
"I'm having a blast." I say as I push my wet hair out of my face.
"Good." He says as we near the reserved lawn chairs. I pull my towel out of my bag and wrap it around my shoulders. Joey does the same with his towel. He reaches into the cooler and produces two soda, handing one of them to me.
"Thanks." I say as I open the can and taking a sip. I look out at the beach, Billie Joe and Adie are strolling along the water's edge as Jakob takes wave after wave on his red surf board. I look down at my watch, its already two o'clock. I put down my drink and tie my towel around my waist. I realize Joey is staring at me.
"What?"
"Nothing," he mumbles, "What was with you last night?"
"What?" I say laughing, "Nothing, I told you I was just bored."
"Bored, that's all?" he says smirking. "Banana stroking, sham marriages and cyber honey moon sex is just boredom?"
"Yup." I say laughing.
"God forbid you get stoned." He mumbles into his drink.
"Real mature, you didn't stop me."
"I called you a perv."
"You stuck around so you're just as pervy as I am."
"See if you ask to stroke my banana you're being funny, I ask to squeeze your melons and I have a sexual harassment case on my hands."
"Oh don't be like that." I say as touch his cheek playfully.
We spend the rest of the afternoon bumming around the beach, going surfing for half hours at a time. It starts to get dark so we head back to the beach. We dry off and I pull on my hoody.
"Do you want to grab something to eat?" I ask as I tie my hair.
"Yeah sure." Joey says as he pulls his shirt on, shame. I slip on my flip-flops and we head up the beach to this little shack of an outdoor restaurant where they serve the greasiest food known to humanity. We order a couple of burgers and drinks and take our seats at a picnic table.
"Well now that it's too cold to go swimming, what do we do?" I ask sometime after we started eating.
"There's a place up the beach where they have either live music or a deejay, it's pretty cool, then at like ten there's fireworks."
"Hey you two." Someone says from behind me. I turn around to see that Tre guy who was over at Joey's house a while back along with a teenage girl and a boy who was about ten or eleven.
"Hey Tre man, my dad said you'd be here earlier." Joey says casually.
"Yeah well Mona's flight was delayed."
"Sorry Anna, this is Ramona and Frankito." Joey says hurriedly.
"Hey." I say casually.
"Hey." They say back.
"So Joey, where's Buttercup and your parents?"
"Uhh my parents are down there, where the tent thingies are and I just saw Buttercup go to the washroom."
"Alright, well I'll catch you kids later." Tre says as he heads down to the beach.
"We're just going to get some food." Ramona says as she and Frankito head to the burger stand.
"I take it Buttercup it Jakob?" Ramona says as she sits at our table with Frankito.
"Yeah." Joey says smirking evilly as we see Jakob coming up to us.
"Buttercup!" Frankito yells evilly as he waves Jakob over.
"Oh fuck, you guys know too!" Jakob says pissed off as he reluctantly comes to sit with us, "I hate you Anna."
"I'm not the one who told them." I pout.
"Yeah well you're the one who started calling me that." I can't help but smirk evilly.
"So Buttercup, how's everything, I haven't talked to you in a while Buttercup." Frankito says smirking, "What's wrong Buttercup? Did I say something wrong Buttercup?"
"Shut-up, shut-up."
"Yeah Franky, Buttercup is sensitive about his name." Ramona says laughing. Jakob gets really pissed and stands up from the table.
"Jakob come back, we'll stop, please we were just kidding around." I say as everyone's laughs die down. He stops in his tracks, debating whether or not to listen.
"C'mon Jake, I haven't seen you in ages and you're just going to leave?" Ramona says as she glares at her younger brother to stop laughing. Jakob let's out a grunt and comes back to the table.
I found it slightly hard to believe that Tre had kids, but not only that, they were from two different marriages. Ramona lives in New York with her mom but Frankito lives here in Oakland. The sound of music starts to boom in the background.
"Oh is that dance place open?" Ramona asks excitedly.
"Yeah." Joey says as she stands up.
"C'mon you guys." She says rolling her eyes. We all head down the beach to where there's some sort of semi-outdoor wooden hut thingy with a stage. Tonight there was no band, there was a deejay, but it's still pretty cool. The three guys go to sit on the railing, causing Ramona to roll her eyes.
"You don't dance?" I say into Joey's ear. He shakes his head. "Fine then." I say as I go with Ramona to the dance floor, I sure as hell won't sit on the sidelines bored senseless. The music isn't half-bad actually.
"So are you going out with Joey or what?" Ramona asks over the music.
"Well no."
"Do you want to be?" I nod. "Okay, you want me to set you two up?"
"No thanks." I say shaking my head as I continue dancing.
"And now beach people." The deejay says smoothly into the mike, "I'm going to play a slow, but it's ladies choice, so fellas if a gal asks you to dance you have to dance with her." The music starts and I walk up to Joey.
"You're my choice, now you have to dance with me."
"What happened to anarchy?" Joey asks as he pushes himself off the railing.
"Good question, I'll ask him when I see him." I say as he bursts out laughing. I lead him deep into the dance floor where I stop and put my arms around his neck. He places his hands on my hips and we start to step slowly to the music. I like being this close to him, it nice. Towards the end of the song I realize that Joey's facial expression had changed. I stare deep into his eyes to figure out what's going on when he lowers his head so his lips meet mine. Oh wow, that's awesome. He backs his head away leaving me wanting more.
"Be my girlfriend?" I nod as I stand on my tip toes to kiss him again.
The song sadly comes to an end.
"And now ladies and gentlemen, let's liven things up!" the deejay says as some really upbeat techno starts up. Joey puts his arm around my waist and leads me back to where he was sitting before.
"I saw that!" Frankito yells, "Oh I'm going to tell everyone!"
"Go ahead." I say shrugging. Frankito runs away happily.
"You know it's going to be an awkward drive home?"
"Yeah, but I don't care."
Joey was right, the drive home is awkward, especially with Jakob making kissing noises most of the way. Billie Joe and Adie kept whispering stuff to each other, probably about Joey and me. The car pulls into the driveway and we all get out. I grab my bag and boogie board out of the trunk and give Joey a quick peck goodnight before heading home.
