The next morning, Rachel woke up and immediately thought of Joey. She felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach when she remembered he was so close. She jumped out of bed and almost ran downstairs before stopping herself. She brushed her hair and washed her face in the bathroom. Then she brushed her teeth and put on extra deodorant. She heard commotion downstairs and started down the steps. When she got there she was happy to find not everyone was awake yet and she wasn't the last one to get up. She spotted Joey at the table in a t-shirt and sweatpants. His hair was slightly messy, sticking out at parts, but it still looked perfect to her. She loved waking up and seeing him, she felt warm and wonderful inside.
"Good morning princess", Mr. Green acknowledged her presence. She greeted everyone hello and then got a plate of breakfast for herself. Everyone figured out the plans for the day as everyone else was waking up. They already planned a fair that they would all attend, but that wasn't until tomorrow. They had no plans for today, but soon everyone had full schedules. Rachel and Joey didn't know what to say so their mothers suggested they hang out just the two of them. Rachel could tell they wanted her and Joey to be close again. They suggested they just go catch a movie together. The Greens' had multiple cars and the Tribbianis came with their large van and also Mr. Tribbiani's car. Rachel was shocked to hear that her parents were allowing her alone with an older boy or any teenage boy at all. She nearly fell over when her father agreed to let Joey drive Rachel alone in Mr. Tribbiani's car, but was not surprised to catch her father having a long chat with Joey after breakfast. Eventually they all went upstairs to get dressed and ready.
Rachel dressed in a casual dress so she could show off her legs. She put her hair half up and applied her make-up. She had small heels on and put on small earrings. She felt it was perfect, innocent enough for her father, but sexy enough for Joey. Although, she came to find Joey's looks more perfect than hers that day. He walked out his room as she did. He was wearing smooth black pants with clean white sneakers. He had a black v-neck t-shirt tucked into his pants, showing off a shiny, slick, black belt around his thin waist. His hair was combed into their natural waves and flips. He was holding the same gray jacket he had the night before in his hand. He stopped to look at her as they stood a few feet away now.
"Hey", she greeted him. His eyes quickly scanned her whole body. When they reached her eyes again he responded.
"Hey." She noticed what he did, but it just made her more confident and she proudly walked down the stairs.
Half of everyone had left and the other half was still getting ready. Rachel walked out with Joey to his dad's car. He walked over to the passenger seat, and opened the door for Rachel. She smiled as she got in, hoping her cheeks were not blushing again. He walked around to his side and started the car. There were driving in silence for a few moments until Rachel broke the silence.
"You're a good driver", she complimented him.
"Thanks", he beamed confidently.
"So are we going to a movie?" She asked.
"Um no", he answered. She fidgeted in her seat for a second.
"Oh where are we going then?" She tried to sound casual.
"To a…parking lot." Her eyes widened. "So you can practice", he said, watching the road. Rachel didn't know what to say. It made her terrified and ecstatic at the same time that Joey could be talking about making out.
"Huh?" Is all that eventually came out.
"Your driving", he chuckled, catching on to Rachel's thoughts.
"Oh." She let out a small laugh. She felt relieved and hurt now; the thought of kissing Joey scared her, but all she wanted to do was kiss him. They pulled into a large parking lot in front of an old run down department store, it was completely empty. She asked him how he knew about the parking lot and he explained that they had stopped there for directions.
"So you ready?" he asked. She nodded and they both got out of the car to switch seats. Joey waited for Rachel by the driver's seat. She walked over to him. He held the keys up and waved them teasingly in front of her. She smirked as she grabbed the keys from him. She got in and he went back around to the passenger seat.
"Okay so I put the keys in the ignition, check my mirrors…" she said as she completed these tasks.
"Right", he assured her.
"And then I put my foot on the brake and then I…um…" she started to stutter in a shaky voice as her nerves built up.
"Relax Rachel", Joey said in a calming voice. She looked up at him, feeling foolish for getting so nervous.
"You put the car in drive and then slowly press your foot on the accelerator", he finished for her.
"The car will slowly start to move. Just don't go too fast and get us killed or our parents will surely find out we didn't go to the movies", he tried to kid around. She tried to laugh, but was too nervous.
"I'm kidding", he said. "Nothing is going to happen. Just take it nice and slow, besides you have quite a distance to go before you could crash into anything." She saw how big the parking lot was, but still practically whispered "okay". She did as she was supposed to, but when she pressed her foot on the accelerator the car jerked. She gripped the steering wheel so tight, her knuckles turned white. She pressed the brake and put her heard down as the car was completely stopped. She felt really scared until she felt a hand hers. It was Joey's hand. She stared at his hand. It was gentle and soft, just as she imagined it would be like. Her breath shortened as she felt his touch run through her like a million lightening bolts.
"Don't worry", he finally began. "You need to loosen your grip or your hands will cramp up". She did as he said and he removed his hand.
"Now just press even lighter this time and if the car jerks again, just ease up and keep going. It'll be fine", he instructed her. She took a deep breath and listened to what he said. She did just what he said and soon the car was rolling at a very slow pace. Rachel's face lit up.
"I'm driving!" She exclaimed.
"See you're a natural", Joey said.
They continued practicing driving for the next hour.
"Okay I'm done for today", Rachel finally stated.
"Okay". They got out again and switched seats as they got back in Rachel thanked Joey.
"No Problem", Joey said. "So, what are we going to do now?"
"Well…we could just talk", Rachel suggested shyly. She was worried he would think it was a lame idea.
"Sure", he finally shrugged. Rachel let out a sigh of relief.
"So, do you have any hobbies, play any sports?" She inquired.
"Yeah, actually I play on my school's soccer team".
"Oh cool, what position do you play?" She asked.
"Forward", he smiled. "And I have been doing some of the school plays. My dad wants me to follow his work as a plumber, but I want to be…an actor", he shared with her.
"Oh really?" she gave away her genuine interest in the sound of her voice.
"Yeah, what about you?" He turned to look right at her now. She stared for a few seconds and then shook herself out of it.
"Well I used to dance, I go horseback riding and sailing with my dad. What I really love though is fashion and shopping, with my friends and stuff". She stopped herself from rambling too much. "Also…parties", she added.
"Yeah? Are they any good here?" he sounded intrigued. She grinned at him.
"Well you have to know the right people". The thoughts of parties she had been to flooded her mind as well as all the boys she had hooked up with at them. Then it hit her. 'What if Joey has a girlfriend!' She thought. She needed to know and tried to think of a way to find out.
"What about in Queens, any good parties?"
"Same I guess, got to know the right people", he responded simply.
"And what about…the um…girls? Are they…good looking there?" She tried to cover the shakiness in her voice. A mischievous smile crossed Joey's face.
"Yeah, sure, why any good looking guys around here?" he spoke like it was a fun game they were playing. She realized she needed to gain the upper hand back.
"Sure, but I've been getting tired of the same faces, gone through so many already", she averted her eyes from him with a implying look. Out of the corner of them she saw his eyebrows rise.
"Oh?" he said with a smile. "Well you know I guess I can relate".
"Can you?" She smirked at him. "What are you… a player?" The confidence was fully back in her voice although she was worried of what his answer might be.
"Maybe" he left her hanging. She decided to just ask and hoped he would think it was just part of the game.
"Well do you have a girlfriend? She asked. He looked at her for a moment.
"No", he spoke more serious now. "Do you?" he added.
"No", she said, easing up her tone as well.
"I meant a girlfriend". He snickered.
"What, No!" she playfully pushed his arm. His smile widened and his head dropped down. Then he looked up, and stared into her eyes. She held her breath.
"And…no boyfriend?" he spoke softly.
"No", she said smiling at him now. He smiled back.