“I thought we were going to the Christmas party,” Lauren said, watching the exit pass for the hotel that would take her and Joey to the party that Jive Records was hosting. She'd spent at least an hour fussing over her hair and make up; making sure her dress looked perfect for all the record execs and big wigs that would be there. Raising an eyebrow at her friend, she knew he was up to something when he just gave a shrug of his shoulders. “Fatone, you better spill.”
“It's nothing, Laur. I mean, who wants to go to those stuffy boring parties anyway?” he said, sighing heavily. Truth be told, Joey had a lot more on his mind than a party and just wanted someone to talk to that wasn't a relative or one of the guys. Reaching for the console, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one after putting the window down for the smoke to filter out.
Lauren knew something was wrong when Joey didn't sing along to the Billy Joel song on the radio and more so when he started smoking. It would do her no good to ask him, she would hear it when Joey was ready to talk. Having known him since the NSYNC tour in the States had started as his wardrobe person, she'd come to be close friends with him. She often accompanied one of the guys to functions when they wanted a plus one at the last minute. If it had been anyone else but Joey, she would have turned it down, but he'd all but begged.
She could picture the look he always gave, the batting of the baby browns and the bottom lip poking out and relented. Now they were riding down the interstate and got off at the Disney World exit.
Joey got to the parking lot of the Magic Kingdom before he lost it. He was dressed up to go to a party but was a wreck as he covered his face with his hands and let out a sob. “I fucked up, Laur..so fucking bad..” The man who never lost his cool, the guy the others went to for life advice and to get a pep talk was losing his mind. “She took the test and bam. It was positive and holy fuck..I'm gonna be a dad. I can't even take care of myself.”
Lauren listened to the Joey-speak and even though she wasn't trying, her mouth hung open for a moment when she realized what he was telling her. “Joey..who's pregnant?” she asked gently, rubbing his shoulder. “Kelly?” When he nodded, she sucked in a breath. They had been together since high school and were on again/off again. And as much as they loved one another, she was sure Joey hadn't thought about kids at this time of his life. *NSYNC was a household name in United States and everyone wanted a piece of them. She'd seen how worn out the guys got being shuttled here and there and everywhere else, sometimes Joey hadn't known what town they were in until they'd been there for an hour. “What happened?” she asked softly, watching him reach for another smoke, tears still rolling down his cheeks. The man who everyone thought was the jokester, had the biggest heart.
Joey flicked the lighter and lit the cigarette and inhaled, letting the nicotine stay until he had to exhale. Flicking the ashes out the window, he looked over at Lauren. “She called me and told me she needed to talk to me. Kel never gets upset about shit, but I could tell when I got there she was nervous.” His voice faltered a bit as the events replayed in his mind. They shared an apartment, but she'd stayed at her parents house helping them get ready for relatives to come in from New York. “She pulled the test out of the Wal-Mart sack and I freaked out. I stayed long enough for her to take the test and when she asked me if I was happy or not...” he paused, not able to meet Lauren's face. “I told her no.”
“Oh Joey,” Lauren sighed, knowing it would do no good to shame him. He was torn up and hurting and she'd seen what happened when the guys gave him a hard time. The mild mannered guy turned into a total bear. “What happened then?” she prompted, watching him loosen his tie and pull it off.
“She told me that I was a piece of shit and that she never wanted to see me again. Then I informed her that it was my kid and I'd be there for all that shit. Even if she hated my guts.” Joey used his palms to wipe across his eyes. He felt like a kid himself in a lot of ways. Even at 24, he still didn't feel grown up. Even more so when they were touring just from the insanity of that itself. The fans, interviews, radio shows, meet and greets and practicing. It was his life. How was he going to fit a kid in it. “I love her so bad it hurts, Laur. I just...I'm scared of the thought of being a dad. What if I mess up? I mean, she knows I don't want to get married right now...”
Lauren was quiet for a few moments, listening to Joey. She herself couldn't imagine what Kelly was feeling, and still felt for her friend. “I think that you should drop me off and go see Kelly. I mean, you should talk to her, Joey. Even if you just tell her what you told me.”
“What if she doesn't want to listen?” Joey asked, frowning and running a hand through his hair. So much for styling it earlier.
“Then you keep trying. Where's that Fatone charm I know you have?” Lauren smiled and squished Joey's lips together, chuckling at his face, his neat goatee mashed up. “See, there it is.”
“Oo tink dis id cute?” he got out, trying to pull away a small smile coming to his face. “I'm not a piece of meat to be pawed at.”
“Tell that to hormone infested fifteen year old girls.”
“They all like Justin, so I'm safe,” Joey said with a laugh as he started up the car. “Where do you want me to take you, since I basically kidnapped you and had a pity party...” he rolled an eye toward her waiting for an answer. “By the way, you clean up nice.”
“So do you, Fatone. You even dressed yourself too,” Lauren fired back, laughing when Joey just shook his head. “Take me to the party we were supposed to be at an hour ago. I'll tell the rest of the guys you had a family emergency.”
Joey grimaced. “Wrong wording...just tell them I ditched you. That way they can bad mouth me and no one will be the wiser. You aren't saying anything are you?”
Lauren got still and then scoffed. “Joseph Anthony Fatone, Junior, if you think I would tell anything on any of you....” her voice trailed off when she saw Joey smirk. “Just for that I will take away all your shirts with dirty sayings on them.”
Joey glanced her. “All but the Orgasm Donor one.”
“You worry me, Joey.”
They rode along in silence, the radio playing Christmas music now. Joey reached over and grasped Lauren's hand in his. “You know, Kelly always takes me back when I've been stupid. But this is worse than stupid.”
Lauren wasn't sure what to tell him. It was true at times, for all of the guys. She gave him a small smile and leaned in to kiss Joey's cheek before he could pull up for her to get out underneath the hotel balcony. “Good luck, Joey. I know you'll find the right words to say. And if nothing else, it's the holidays. Maybe you'll get a Christmas miracle.”
Joey harrumphed after the woman shut the door and drove off toward the other side of Orlando. He would be lucky if Kelly's parents would even let him in the door. Or if she even wanted to see him. That thought clenched his stomach up. He did love Kelly. She'd stuck by his side through all the ups and downs, to her, he wasn't some mega-star. He was just Joey. Kelly was his normal. The girl who had been there in high school, working two jobs so he could have lunch money when his parents didn't have it. And now they were going to have a baby. The thought alone made his stomach clench up. Not that a baby was bad..but..Joey sighed. There were so many unanswered questions between him and Kelly. Things that he wanted to know but was probably to chicken to ask.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
The drive itself hadn't taken half an hour, but he'd sat at the end of the street her parents house was on and tried to figure out what to say. When that had come up empty, Joey went ahead and pulled into the long driveway and sighed. He'd shrugged off his suit jacket and it joined his tie and he got out of the car, wiping his hands on his pants. When had he ever been nervous seeing his girlfriend? Never, that he could remember.
The front porch was big and he could make out someone on the swing. The weather in Florida was still a nice sixty degrees in December and once Joey's eyes adjusted he could see it was Kelly. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he shifted from foot to foot nervously, everything he'd thought of not sounding right.
“What are you doing here?” Kelly asked, wiping around the rim of her eyes to ward off more tears. She'd spent part of the afternoon in tears, heartbroken that Joey hadn't taken the news well. It was still a shock to her to find out she was pregnant, since she'd been on birth control for a while. Apparently a one time slip up did this sort of thing though. “I thought you didn't want to see me...” her voice sounded harsh and she watched as Joey ducked his head more.
“I'm scared, Kel..” Joey replied, his voice soft and indeed scared. He was terrified of being a parent, of balancing his life and making a good life for Kelly and now a child. It wasn't just the money, he wanted to be there for the small things, not just the important ones that you hear about. Then as much as he wanted to be a dad, he loved being in *NSYNC. It was crazy, yes, but the fans and the music kept him going. It was an emotional high that he adored. He didn't know if he could find a balance on the two. “I know I'm sorry sounds like crap right now...” he blew a breath out and looked at her on the swing. How many time had they kissed while sitting there? More than he could count. “I'm sorry. I freaked out on you and like I said, I'm scared. I'm scared that I won't be a good dad if I'm touring or that you'll feel like you don't have enough time with me...that everyone will just assume we have to get married because we're having a baby.”
Kelly shifted around to tuck her feet around under her somewhat. “You told me you weren't happy I was pregnant.”
Joey took a few steps closer and sighed. “I know I did. I'm a dumbass.” When Kelly made the motion for him to sit down, he did, not sure if he should touch her or not. “You told me I was a piece of shit and you never wanted to see me again,” he replied. He prayed she didn't mean it, like him, it was what came out of her mouth not necessarily what she truly meant or felt.
“You broke my heart, Joe. I love you...I mean, I'm scared too, ya know. We didn't exactly plan for this to happen. Like I meant to forget my birth control pills in Miami and we didn't get home for day and you seduced me...”
“I thought I didn't seduce you anymore.” Joey halfway smiled when he heard Kelly groan.
“So I lied. You're a flirty, handsy seductive man,” Kelly said, taking one of his hands. “I want us to work this out..if we can.”
“I think we can, Kel. I love you...so much it hurts. And I will be excited once I swallow my stomach back down some. It's just a lot....” he admitted, leaning in and kissing her softly on the lips. It felt good, right for Joey to be kissing her. Familiar. He broke off the kiss and nuzzled her cheek. “Why are you out here instead of with relatives?”
“Why aren't you at the hotel at a swanky party?” Kelly asked when he just shrugged. “Who were you taking as your date?” she asked, curious.
“I begged Lauren and she agreed. I freaked out on her before we got there. She told me to come talk to you. She told me I was being a bonehead.”
“Is that what she said? You need to raise her pay...”
“Actually she said I should believe in a Christmas miracle,” Joey told her, pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her. “And since you forgave me, I believe that's true.”
Completed
DiamondDoss is the author of 17 other stories.
This story is a favorite of 1 members. Members who liked Christmas Miracle also liked 45 other stories.
This story is a favorite of 1 members. Members who liked Christmas Miracle also liked 45 other stories.
Story Tags: christmas joey
