‹ Prequel: Green Porcupine
Sequel: Meant to be

So Close Yet So Far

So Close Yet So Far

They just lied there breathing. Both were blown away by what just happened. Ramona moves so that she's resting on Joey's chest as she starts pecking at his lips lightly.
"We should get dressed before your parents get home." She whispers as she glances at the clock on the bedside table. Joey cranes his neck to look at the clock.
"Yeah." He says as Ramona slides out of bed and locates her scattered clothing. He too locates his clothes and they head downstairs to the family room.

They sit on the sofa and Joey turns on the TV. Ramona rests her head against his chest as he wraps his arms around her. Never have they felt more in love with each other. The sound of the door being unlocked doesn't startle them much, but the sound of Adie laughing does. Billie Joe, Adie and Jakob come into the living room.
"Mom's drunk." Jakob mumbles.
"Don't be ridiculous, I'm not drunk." Adie says laughing, "I only had a couple of drinks." Billie rolls his eyes.
"Well alright gorgeous, I think you should sleep it off."
"Well that sounds nice." Adie says laughing as Billie helps her up the stairs.

"That was interesting." Ramona giggles.
"Yeah, I guess so." Joey says rolling his eyes.
"So how'd it go with Stella?" Ramona asks Jakob.
"Errr, she sort of took me back. She started saying we have to take it slow."
"Awe poor Jakey." Joey teases.
"Shut-up." He mutters bitterly.

Billie Joe comes back downstairs. "So how was your evening?" he asks as he and Jakob take their seats on the sofa.
"Okay." Joey says casually, "We went to the concert thing at the pier."
"Oh! I wanted to go to that!" Jakob whines.
"Hey Misfits." Billie Joe says finding the album which was left on the coffee table.
"Yeah, Ramona got it for me." he says adoringly.
"Jesus, where'd you get this."
"I called in a couple of favors from my friend in New York."
"And panty hose?" Ramona lets out a snort of laughter.
"Are those for you or for her?" Jakob pipes up as his older brother turns beet red.
"When Ramona asked me what I wanted, I sarcastically said panty hose."
"Does your father know you do the kinky?" Billie says trying to repress laughter, but fails and ruins his joke.

"Ahh well, I'm beat. I'm going to bed." Billie says as he stands up and stretches. "Are you staying over?"
"Me?" Ramona asks slightly confused with protocol.
"No the flying monkey behind you. Of course you!"
"Umm, umm yeah."
"Okay, I'll call Tre then." He says heading into the kitchen. Joey, Ramona and Jakob head up the stairs.

"Hey you two, where do you think you're going?" Billie asks from the top of the stairs, all three teenagers turn around. "Separate rooms." Jakob chuckles. "And no sneaking around, I'm going to be up all night with your mother so I'll hear you."
"Ew Dad!" Jakob says disgusted.
"Really did not want to know that." Joey mutters as he turns beet red.
"You kids can be really perverted sometimes." Billie Joe mumbles, "In case you haven't noticed, your mother had a bit too much to drink, so she's going to end up up-chucking at least five times tonight."
"Oh." Ramona says relieved as disturbing images leave her mind.
"Never, ever try to take advantage a drunk girl." He says sternly to his sons, they nod in understanding, "You'll just end up getting covered in puke." Billie Joe disappears into his room still laughing.

"Here I'll lend you something to sleep in." Joey offers as they head into his room. He opens one of his drawers.
"Fucking Christ! I said separate rooms." Billie Joe says irritated.
"We know!" they chant.
"I was just lending Ramona something to sleep in."
"Oh okay then." He says slightly embarrassed. "It's just I know Tre keeps it pretty strict and I don't want- why am I telling you this?"
"I don't know." Ramona says laughing. "Good night." She kisses Joey quickly then heads out of the room and down the hall to the guest room.

Ramona heads down to the Armstrong kitchen the next morning, where Adie was nursing a cup of coffee.
"Oh Ramona, you stayed over." she says rubbing her forehead.
"Yeah." She sits down, "But I slept in the guest room."
"Hmm okay. I don't really remember but did you see my drunken display?"
"Yeah."
"Oh jeez."
"Well you were just a little giddy."
"Why did I drink so much?" she moans as she puts her face into her hands. "Oh, help yourself to some breakfast."
"Umm okay." Ramona says as she gets up from the table. She makes herself a bowl of cereal and refills Adie's coffee mug.
"Thanks." She says sipping the hot liquid.

"Morning." A showered and dressed Joey says sliding into the kitchen in a chirpy manor.
"Please be quiet." Adie whispers.
"Where's Dad?" he asks as he too pours himself some cereal.
"Still sleeping."

"We should get going." Ramona mumbles as she glances a glimpse of the time.
"Yeah okay." The two of them get up from the table and start to head out of the kitchen.
"Where are you two going?"
"Movies, remember, I told you Mom?" Joey says shifting his eyes.
"OH yeah, well have fun."
"Alright." They head out to Ramona's (well actually Tre's) car and they drive to the Cool residence.

"I think the separate room thing has lost all purpose." Joey states as they drive down the small streets.
"You think?" Ramona giggles. "Maybe they don't want us to have sex at night, but afternoon and evening are fine."
"Hmm, quite possibly."

They get to the Cool house and get out of the car. "Nice to see you princess." Tre says as she and Joey enter the house.
"Hey Dad." She says innocently.
"You dirtied up my daughter!" Tre says angrily to Joey.
"What? No sir, I-I." Joey says freaking out, how could he possibly know.
"I'm just messing with you." Tre says laughing. "I've been working on my angry voice all morning just for that." He walks away happy as hell.
"That was a fucking close one." Joey says still shaken.
"Yeah. Well, I'm just going to shower then we can go." Ramona says as she heads up the stairs.

Joey makes himself comfortable in his girlfriend's room while he waits for her. She walks into the room with a towel wrapped around her.
"I'm trusting you not to get happy while I'm changing." She says as she goes over to her closet and pulls out a pair of jeans and a shirt.
"But you're a hotty."
"Thank you, thank you." she says going over to her drawer to get bra and underwear. She gets dressed slowly just to drive Joey crazy.

They head out to the cinema, Ramona driving of course where they meet up with their friends.
"I'll get tickets." Ramona says as she kisses him passionately then goes over to Mel, Amber and Emma who are also waiting to get tickets.
"What was that all about?" Emma snickers.
"D'you get laid of something?" Amber asks sarcastically, Ramona stays silent and tries to mask her smile.
"Oh my god you did!" Emma shrieks.
"Shut up." Ramona grits between her teeth.
"Was it good?" Amber hisses. She nods.
"So like you'd do it again?" Mel asks quietly.
"With Joey, hell yeah."

-Meanwhile-
"So did she give you the big gift?" Tom asks raising his eyebrows as Joey gets in line to buy popcorn.
"Perv, I told you to stay out of my sex life." Joey says rolling his eyes.
"She did! Didn't she?!" Sid accuses. "Damn, don't lie! Emma will tell me!"
"Yeah we did." Joey says knowing he has no choice.
"Well it's about time." Tom snickers.
"Why don't you guys get your own sex lives instead of prying at mine?"
"I do have my own sex life." Tom says confidently.
"You and Mel?" Rob asks quizzically.
"Well yeah."
"Since when?" Sid asks raising an eyebrow.
"Last month." He says as they step forward in the line, "We only did it a couple of time though."
"Well are you going to tell us about it?" Rob asks chuckling.
"Better than masturbation." Tom says shrugging. "I mean I always wondered why people hired hookers when they could just jerk off but now I know."
"Alright then." Joey says shutting his mouth.
"What about you Joe?" Sid asks realizing his friend's sudden silence.
"I don't know, I don't think of it the same way, I mean I can't see me doing that with anyone else except Ramona."
"Cheese ball." Tom snorts.
"I'm serious, as we were going at it I kept thinking I was glad I was with Ramona."
"As opposed to that cheerleader?" Rob asks as they step forward yet again.
"As opposed to anyone."