Chapter Four: Heart-to-Heart With Joey

Craig took his time walking home, and thinking of a way to tell Manny the truth. He came to the conclusion that some things were better done over the phone. He had less of a chance to get hit with something, that way. He skipped up the steps, and opened the door.

"Craig, we need to have a talk."

Uh oh. Joey was home early, and apparently the school had called. "Um…we do?" Craig asked, an innocent look on his face.

Joey looked at him under stern eyebrows. "Cut the innocent stuff, Craig. Raditch called today and told me you threw a chair in the lunchroom. What's going on?"

Craig sighed. "Oh, that. Well, I guess I was just frustrated at Ashley. She wouldn't listen to me, and she dumped her lunch on my head."

Joey sat on the couch, and patted the cushion next to him. "Sit." Craig sat. "Now, what's going on with you and Ashley? I thought you two were tight."

Craig rolled his eyes. "Well, we were. I mean, we are. I mean…Joey? Have you ever asked two girls out at the same time, and then couldn't tell one of them to cancel?"

Joey laughed, and sat back on the couch. "Oh my. You have gotten yourself into trouble, haven't you?" He looked thoughtfully at Craig before answering the question. "Actually, yes I have. You know Caitlyn and I were engaged at one point, right?" Craig nodded. "Well, we broke it off because I cheated on her."

Craig looked surprised. "You had a fiancée as hot as Caitlyn, and you cheated on her?"

Joey frowned and socked him lightly on the arm. "Don't rub it in!" He sighed. "And I've regretted it for a long time. We're friends now, but it doesn't take away the fact that I hurt her deeply, and we can never recover what we used to have."

Craig wondered if that was how Ashley felt. "But I haven't done anything interesting with Manny. All I did was invite her to dinner with us. I don't even really like her that much. She's just…she's just so different from Ashley. You know what I'm saying? Like, separately, they are two different sides of a coin, but together, they'd make the perfect girl."

Joey looked at him for a moment. "Craig, you have to realize that you can't have everything. Not everyone is perfect, you're not perfect, I'm not perfect, Ashley's not perfect. But you two…you're perfect together, can't you see that?"

Craig smiled. "Yeah. I can see that. I told her that today, that we were perfect."

Joey looked confused. "So what's the problem? Why'd you invite Manny too?"

Craig frowned again. "I don't know, Joey. I guess I just don't like saying no to her. I like to see her smile, and I like knowing that I caused it, if that makes sense."

Joey nodded. "It does, but you should be careful what you say and do around teenage girls, Craig. They're very impressionable, and every thing you say can be taken out of context."

Craig nodded too. "Thanks, Joey."

Joey patted his shoulder. "Anytime, Craig. Now…about you throwing a chair in the cafeteria. I think this time we'll go with no phone or TV for two weeks."

Craig nearly had a heart attack. "No phone! But Joey, I have to…"

"No, Craig." Joey cut him off. "You have to be punished. I could make it worse, if you'd like to argue with me about it."

Craig sighed as he climbed the stairs to his room. "No thanks, I'll live with my sentence."

Great, he thought, now I can't tell Manny no over the phone. This is going to be loads of fun.