So Close Yet So Far

Joey woke up in the middle of the night and finds himself on the couch in Tre's family room with his arm wrapped around Ramona and a blanket over the two of them. He glances around the room and realizes everyone went to bed. He kisses the top of Ramona's head and falls back asleep.

"Wakey, wakey!" Tre's obnoxious voice yelps followed by a cold wet spray in the face. Ramona and Joey open their eyes to see Tre standing above them with a spray bottle in his hand.
"Dad!" Ramona says angrily.
"What? That's how my Dad used to wake me up." Tre says casually.
"Sure he did." Ramona mutters.
"C'mon, we have to leave for the airport in a couple of hours." Tre says as he leaves the room.
"Oh, I forgot you were leaving today." Joey whines as he pulls Ramona closer.
"I know, but I'll be back soon." Ramona says as she rests her head back on Joey's chest.
"Kids, breakfast!" Bianca's voice rings out. Joey and Ramona drag themselves off the couch and into the kitchen where a stack of pancakes are waiting.
"Oh shit, I should've called my folks." Joey says realizing he'd slept over without telling them.
"It's okay; I called your dad last night." Bianca says as she takes a seat at the table with her cup of coffee.
"Thanks." Joey says taking his seat next to Ramona.
"So Ramona, have you finished packing?" Bianca asks as Tre walks into the kitchen.
"I just have to pack my washroom stuff." She says absent-mindedly. "Dad, have you talked to Mom about me staying here this year?"
"Yeah." Tre says as he stirs his coffee.
"And?" Ramona asks eagerly.
"I said it was her decision, so you can ask her yourself."
"You can't give me a straight answer can you?" She mutters.
"I'm bi remember." Tre says evilly.
"Dad! I did not want to hear that and you know that's not what I meant." Ramona says exasperated.
"Yeah, I know." Tre says smirking.

After breakfast Ramona goes up to her room to finish packing her stuff, Joey follows close behind. Ramona rushes around her room putting the final items in her suitcase.
"So if you do move here, when are you coming back?" Joey asks innocently.
"End of August I guess."
"That's like two or three weeks?" Joey asks as he slumps on her bed.
"Yeah, just about."
"I can't not see you for that long."
"Yeah, I know, it sucks ass. Think about it this way three weeks verses three months if I don't move." Ramona says as she zips up her suitcase.
"Yeah I guess." Joey mutters.

***
"So did you hump Ramona, so hard she started to moan?" Jakob sings annoyingly.
"Don't talk about her like that or I'll..." Joey says angrily.
"Fine, what did you do with Ramona."
"We watched movies and we fell asleep on the couch dip-wad." Joey mutters.
"Why are you being such a grump?" Jakob asks as he throws a couch pillow at his brother's head.
"Because my girlfriend just left and she might be back in three weeks, or it might be three months so forgive me if I'm pissed."
"Well sorry, Mr. I-can't-live-with-out-my-lady." Jakob mutters.
"Are you talking about me?" Billie Joe asks as he walks into the room.
"No Joey." Jakob mutters.
"You only say that because you can see Estelle almost whenever you want." Billie Joe says as he takes his seat on the couch.
"I don't like Stella!" Jakob explodes.
"Of course you don't." Joey teases.
***
"Hey mom." Ramona says as she walks through the airport gate.
"Hey Ramona, how was your trip?"
"It was great." Ramona says happily as they walk to the car.
"So your dad told me about you and Joseph." Lisea says curiously.
"Yeah." Ramona says hoping her mother didn't know the whole story.
"And Bianca told me about the incident."
"It was just . . ."
"It better not happen again if you're moving over there."
"You're letting me move?!" Ramona says excitedly as they get in the car.
"Well yeah, you've been only bugging me about it for three years." Lisea says as she starts the car.
"Thanks Mom."
"Yeah, yeah, but you pull any stunts that make Bianca's life more of a hassle then it needs to be, you're coming right back here."
"I can live with that." Ramona says nodding.
"So your father said that you have to be back, the latest the twenty-second. So I was thinking we spend two weeks together then you can go."
"Alright." Ramona says happily, she couldn't wait to tell Joey.

***
"Joey, Ramona's on the phone." Adie calls out into the living room. Joey hops over the couch stumbles past the table in the hall and skids into the kitchen where his mother hands him the phone.
"Hello." Joey says out of breath.
"JOEY!!!" Ramona yells excitedly, "My mom says I'm moving to Oakland!"
"YES!" Joey yells a little too loudly and receives an awkward stare from his mother.