I hope this is to your liking. I don't want to reveal much but... well, I'll just let you read it.

Enjoy.

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Little Loyalty
Chapter TWELVE- Much Better
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The sun was setting quickly. All the buildings were steadily disappearing as we zoomed by indicating that we would soon be reaching the city limits. I took a peek of Joe. He was still concentrating on the road, and it didn't seem like he'd be the one to break the overwhelming silence.
"Hi." I said pathetically. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Joe's head snapped around to look at me for a second before he looked back at the road. He still didn't say a word. I sank back into my seat and crossed my arms. So much for my failed attempt to make small talk. By the time Joe had pulled over at an abandoned gas station it had already gotten dark. As soon as he had turned off the engine, he got out, slamming the door behind him.

I sat at the edge of my seat and watched him peer into the small building. I tried to hold back a smile as Joe pounded on the window with his fist before he shoved his hands in his pockets and walking back over to the car. He leaned against the hood, his back facing me. As if I couldn't tell what he was up to. Ignoring me wasn't going to make me disappear.

I wondered how long he was going to let me sit there alone in his car, while he pouted like a little kid. So much for hospitality. Obviously if I wanted to have a real conversation (or get home before my curfew), I was going to have to take charge of the situation. I reached for my door handle to get out and groaned when I remembered his child proof car. I had to climb over to the driver's side again and escape from that door, stumbling out and scraping my knee in the process. It wasn't my most graceful moment. I was thankful for my jeans, which managed protect me somewhat when I landed on my hands and knees in the gravel.

"I'm okay!" I announced, holding my hands in the air. "I'm fine. I just got a little dirt on me but I'll survive…"

Joe snorted and shook his head. I bit my lip and walked over. He didn't pay much attention to me as I sat on his hood wondering what else I could say to make him talk.

"So how much better was Steven?" Joe asked.

"What?" I sputtered out. I know Nate and Jason had alluded to Joe being jealous, but I hadn't really believed them. Joe apparently wasn't very good a maneuvering the high school gossip network without Stella there to help if he thought I was dating Steven.

"Am I that easy to forget?" Joe bitterly chuckled. "But I know you might think there wasn't much to remember in the first place."

"You make my life a lot more difficult than it should be," I replied crossing my arms.

"Sorry." Joe apologized sarcastically. "Maybe I should disappear and then all your troubles would vanish too."

"Stop making it seem like you're the only one that suffered," I muttered. "The martyr thing doesn't suit you."

"Oh like you had a hard time without me." Joe scoffed.

Did he honestly think that I had had an easy time while they were gone? Did he think I didn't miss him so much that my chest physically ached when I thought about him?

"Joe, I have plenty of reasons why what we were doing was wrong. I'm sure you know why too." I shot back.

"What's wrong with a bit of flirting?" Joe threw his hands in the air.

"Because," I said wringed my hands together, trying not to let him see how much his description of our summer together hurt me. I wanted to be more than some girl he was flirting with to pass the time. "It wasn't just flirting to me."

Joe glared at me, "I know. What I don't know is why you would push me away."

"Stella-"

"-isn't here." Joe finished for me, "And I'm sure you know now that she's involved with someone else. So what made it so bad for us to have a tiny fling?"

I gritted my teeth, "You're insensitive! First off, no girl wants to be called a 'tiny fling', Joseph! Second, there are unwritten rules about dating your best friend's ex-boyfriend! I can't do that to Stella no matter how much I like you!"

"See? You like me! And I like you," he looked at me in obvious frustration. "And you know I don't think of you as a fling; I don't get this insane over little flings." Joe jumped off the hood and frantically paced around. "And you are driving me insane, Macy! I don't understand why you would make me feel like an idiot for putting myself out there when I knew we were on the same page! We like each other!" He ran a hand through his hair before turning and looking at me, "Macy, unwritten rules or not you can suppress what you feel because it's wrong."

I scoffed, "Really? Then what should I be doing? Betraying my best friend?"

"She doesn't even care, Macy. She has a boyfriend. And it's not just you, it's us," Joe corrected. "This is about what we should do."

"Fine," I said rolling my eyes. "What should we do?"

Joe pointed to the building, "First, we should probably find a way to fill up my empty gas tank. And then we should probably talk without all the drama." He gave me a small smile, "I'm starting to feel like we're stuck in one of the soap operas Nick likes to watch when he thinks no one's paying attention."

I giggled a little at the idea of serious Nick watching soaps before processing what Joe had just said. "We're stuck here?" I asked incredulously.

"Funny how metaphorical all this is." Joe snorted.

I held back from laughing because after all that he had put me through I wasn't quite ready to forgive him just because he was charming and handsome and occasionally sweet. Taking a deep breath, I asked the question that had been on my mind since he had entered the car, "So why did you avoid me?"

Joe's happiness quickly faded, "What?"
"Why did you avoid me?" I repeated, "After that time at the pool, I hardly saw you."

"It just happened." Joe slowly said. "It hurt. Being around you hurt. Thinking about you hurt. It hurt more than it should have because I thought we could just give us a try." He paused a moment before adding sheepishly, "And I never thought you would turn down a chance to be with me."

I narrowed my eyes "Just cause I'm a fan?"

"Sorry." Joe muttered. "Nick pointed out that was pretty stupid of me. But I really do like you."

I turned a bright red. Having someone admit they like me always made me nervous, no matter who it was. Hearing it from Joe Lucas was overwhelming. My mind was whirling, and I was having trouble processing all the thoughts and emotions swirling around inside me. I was still hurt at how he has treated me, but being close to him again was so nice. And I found myself staring at his tousled hair wanting to smooth down the pieces that were out of place, wondering if they would be soft or stiff from all of the product he used. And that was a dangerous train of thought. Shaking my head, I finally said, "Joe, I like you too, but everything is so messed up and confusing right now." I saw him tense at my words. "But I really missed you. I know it isn't what you want, but can we try to be friends again?"

He was silent for a few minutes, and I found myself holding my breath, praying that he wouldn't say no. Finally, he nodded. "Friends, huh? I guess I can do that," he answered quietly.

I reached over and put my hand on his. "Thank you," I whispered.

He looked down at my hand on his, and there was something in his eyes that made my heart start to pound in my chest. Hoping to lighten the mood, I cleared my throat and asked, "So how are we going to get home?"

"I'll call Kevin." Joe simply stated. "But we can call him later. Right now, how about a little star gazing?"

"Joe, I'm freezing. It's the middle of January and I have a thin sweater," I complained. Not that I wouldn't mind cuddling up to Joe just to stare at the night sky but I really was cold. And the idea of snuggling with him was a little too appealing, which meant I should stay away.

"Fine get in the car," he said with a sigh. Then he jogged around and opened my door, "We can listen to some music."

I hopped off the hood and smiled at Joe. I climbed back into the car and soon enough Joe was right next to me shifting through radio stations for any song that would be suitable. He grew frustrated and finally asked me to pick a station that I liked. But I had a better idea; I knew what I wanted to do was probably a bad idea, but I couldn't help it. When I asked him, a playful smirk appeared on his face.

"You want me to sing?" Joe laughed. "I could pop in one of our CD's. I think I still have them in here."

"No, just you," I said.

Joe nodded and spoke more than sang his words, "We don't have time left to regret…"

I grinned, "Hold on."

"It will take more than common sense." His laugh echoed in his small car.

"Hold on." I hummed which turned into a giggle. While Joe continued singing, he slowly rested his head back and his voice turned into a whisper. I leaned over and placed my ear on his chest. I could hear his voice softly reverberating in his chest, the hollow space of his lungs, and a slight heart beat. He stopped singing and I looked up at him.

He shrugged, "Is this something that Stella would approve of?"

My mouth went dry as I realized how close I was to him. Sighing, I sat up, "Probably not."

Joe nodded, "Maybe we should call Kevin, now."

"Maybe."

"Maybe this friend idea of yours might be the best for now." Joe said quietly.

There was silence in the car as we both sat thinking about everything that had happened that night. It felt amazing to just be there sitting with him; I actually didn't mind the idea of being stuck there. Finally I couldn't help myself. I had to ask.

"What do you think will happen if we don't call Kevin?" I asked curiously.

"You could find out how incredibly irresistible I am," Joe said with a smirk. "Plus we'd probably both be grounded for the rest of our lives."

"We should call Kevin." I said quickly.

Joe laughed and took out his phone, "It's ringing."

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So, they're "friends". What do you think of this "friends" thing? Will it last? Will Stella come back and reclaim her man? HHAHAHA, only I know the answer...and well a couple of other people but that's not the point. The point is you should review and tell me what you think.