Joie // }{serious-girl-talk}{

[Lissa Faye]

Lissa glanced away from the book she was toiling through for French and her eyes landed on her phone. The screen was lit up, indicating that she had a new message. She must have not heard her phone vibrating over the music she had playing. She flipped open her phone and noticed the voicemail message was from Joie, who she had been trying to reach for about a day now. She turned her stereo's volume dial down and pressed a few buttons on her cell, calling her voicemail number.
After listening to Joie's voicemail message, Lissa had to see her in person. A conversation about one of your closest friends being pregnant could NOT happen on voicemails. Lissa quickly shut off her stereo, pulled on some sneakers without putting socks on first, threw on a hoody that was probably dirty, and blew out of her dorm room. She was in such a rush that she forgot to lock her door and had to stop short and double back to do so.
It was something of a hike to Joie's off-campus home, but Lissa barely noticed the distance. Her mind was full of what she could say to Joie and predictions about what Joie would say to her. She finally reached Joie's house on Fairfax Place and pounded on the front door.

[Joie Harrison]

Joie hadn't been expecting company so the banging on the front door startled her and made her jump out of the sleep she drifted into about 15 minutes ago. As she rushed to the door, Joie pulled on a pink hoodie to cover the little baby bump she had. With Rex waiting by the door, Joie smiled at him as she opened it. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she relized that her fried was standing on her porch

[Lissa Faye]

Lissa stood at the door with her arms crossed, tapping her foot and scowling. She was probably not a very pleasant sight. Since she had rushed out without looking at a mirror, her hair was tied up in a tangled, off-center pony tail and her eyeliner was smeared out from the corners of her eyes, giving her a strangly fierce look.
"What are you doing here?"
Lissa's scowl deepened, creating lines between her eyebrows. She answered Joie's question with another question:
"What are you doing getting pregnant?"
Maybe not the most sensitive thing to say this early in the day, but Lissa was never going to win any awards for tact. She hated waiting for anything, and spoke succinctly, expecting others to do the same. She raised an eyebrow at Joie and shifted her weight to one hip, watching the expression on her friend's face.

[Joie Harrison]

Joie looked at Lissa standing at the door with her arms crossed, tapping her foot and scowling, which wasn’t a pretty sight. Lissa looked like she was about ready to box it out because the way her smeared eye liner made her look fierce. Stating from the way she was dressed, Lissa looked like as if she had left her dorm in a quick hurry. I didn’t get pregnant on purpose, Lis” Joie responded as she opened her down wider so Lissa could step in. ”Things happen” Joie couldn’t stand to have Lissa of all people scowling her.


ooc: sry it's short.... muse left

[Lissa Faye]

Lissa took a giant step into the house and shut the door behind her. She tried to calm herself down, but found herself getting more worked up. She was worried about her friend. Good girls from good families like Joie Harrison. couldn't just up and have a baby their senior year in high school, it just didn't happen. Girls like Joie Harrison were supposed to be spending their time figuring out who to take to the prom and where they were going to college, not buying baby clothes. Lissa hoped Joie had a plan.
"I didn’t get pregnant on purpose, Lis. Things happen”
Lissa sighed and unfolded her arms. She rubbed a hand across her forehead and opened her mouth, spilling out a deluge of questions
"Things happen? Did you forget about a condom? Or the morning-after pill? There's a Planned Parenthood right outside of town for both of those. Or, wait- Are you gonna keep it??"
This last thought took Lissa aback and she cut her rant off short, her mouth still open. She searched her friend's eyes.

[Joie Harrison]

Joie let out a deep and profound sigh. Lissa had every right to respond the way she did. Girls like Joie just didn’t get pregnant. Joie came from a good family; she was one of those very smart and popular all around good girls who made good choices. While her friends would be shopping for their winter formal gowns, Joie would be shopping for her unborn daughter or son.
"Things happen? Did you forget about a condom? Or the morning-after pill? There's a Planned Parenthood right outside of town for both of those. Or, wait- Are you gonna keep it??"
With Lissa throwing questions at her like baseballs, Joie could feel her heart increasing its speed, she was scared. She wasn’t scared of Lissa but of the answers she would give to Lissa’s questions. Joie placed her hands inside the pink hoodie that concealed her small and unnoticeable baby bump. “Yes, I’m gonna keep it. Why wouldn’t I?” She said avoiding Lissa’s previous questions. She couldn’t dare tell Lissa that she had unprotected not only once but twice with two different guys and that she didn’t know whose baby it was. Her boyfriend’s or her ex, who happened to be his brother. Joie was in serious deep shit.

[Lissa Faye]

“Yes, I’m gonna keep it. Why wouldn’t I?”
Lissa was dumbstruck. Couldn't Joie understand what she had gotten herself into? There were a million reasons why Joie shouldn't be having a kid right now. Would she be able to finish out the year at RPA? Would she be able to go to college? And forget about gymnastics... Then again, she couldn't really picture the girl doing anything else. Joie was always so selfless; of course she was going to keep it. Lissa had to admit to herself that she was proud of Joie for making such a tough decision, but at the same time she was terrified for her friend.
Lissa found herself staring at Joie's still-flat stomach. She shook her head and turned her face back up to Joie's. With a shrug and a sigh she said,
"Well, at least you have a steady boyfriend, so you know who the daddy is."

[Joie Harrison]

"Well, at least you have a steady boyfriend, so you know who the daddy is."
Joie’s eyes started to get glossy, a clear signed that she was going to start to tear up. Everything was so complicated right now; she couldn’t dare to tell Lissa about her puzzling situation with the Payne brothers. Yeah, Joie did have a steady boyfriend but all he cared about was basketball and winning; and no, she had no idea who the father of her baby was. She was no slut that had a drunken night with some random guy, she was the girl who dated one guy and then got dumped and found a new beau that same week. It all spelled out the same thing, TROUBLE. Right now Joie had that lump in her throat that people get when they cried too much or didn’t cry enough. And with a slight shrug with her shoulders, Joie opened her mouth and just let her words go.
“Well, yes and no”

[Lissa Faye]

Lissa had started to smile when she met Joie's eyes and saw that they were bright with tears. Her face dropped and took on a worried expression. Her mind started to race.
Joie had a boyfriend, right? Yes, she had been going out with the older Payne brother for a month or two. Had she been single for long before him? No, that had been a weird situation. She had been going out with the younger Payne brother, then broke up with him and started dating his brother basically within a week. Lissa never knew Joie to sleep around, but she did know that her friend was pretty quick once she had established a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. It was very strange to think that she could have slept with a set of brothers...in such a short period of time...
Lissa's jaw dropped as she came to a conclusion. Joie's emotional “Well, yes and no” practially confirmed what she had realized. There was a pause in which Lissa gaped at Joie. Lissa finally pulled herself together and said, disbelievingly.
"Oh, my god, Joie, you don't know which Payne it is."
It could have been a question but for Lissa's flat inflection. She waited, almost not breathing, for Joie's response

[Joie Harrison]

"Oh, my god, Joie, you don't know which Payne it is."
There it was the stifling plain truth. Joie had a theory of which brother fathered her baby, but everyone knew what a theory was; it was only an educated guess. Right now Joie wasn’t too happy with herself. She was bringing a baby into an unstable situation and bad circumstances. She didn’t have a plan and she was always the one to plan ahead for anything. It’s weird and wonderful how a baby changes everything.
“I’m positive it’s Bryan’s…..but I could be wrong”
Joie sounded unsure and doubtful when she responded. She really wanted this baby to be her boyfriend’s. That’s who she loved or at least thought she loved. He was serious but all he cared about was basketball and winning. But Bryan was different; he was funny but never took anything seriously. He was like a big kid. This baby belonged to one of these brothers but no one knew which one and they wouldn’t know until this baby made it’s appearance in the world.

[Lissa Faye]

“I’m positive it’s Bryan’s…..but I could be wrong”
Lissa was relieved to know that at least Joie had some idea of who the father might be. She was surprised that Joie had been irresponsible enough to not keep track of her birth control. If she didn't want to trek out to the Planned Parenthood, Lissa's stash of condoms was just at text message away. But hindsight is always 20/20, and the future was what they should really be focusing on. Nine months and Joie's life was going to irreversably change. She would really find out who had her back in those nine months. Lissa didn't know how Joie's preppy girlfriends were going to react to the news. Pregnancy and teen preps didn't mix too well; there sure wasn't a maternity section at Abercrombie & Fitch.
Lissa inhaled deeply and let the air out through her teeth. It made a quiet whistling noise that helped to calm her down. She clasped her hands in front of her. The next time she spoke, her voice was softer, her delivery was less aggressive.
"Who else knows?"

[Joie Harrison]

"Who else knows?"
"Only Rylan and Bryan... I haven't told Michael yet"
Joie's eyes met the ground. She had planned on telling Michael soon but she dreaded it. Some how she knew he's take the news badly. With a sigh, Joie walked into the sitting room where she and Lissa had spent many weekends watching stupid movies as freshman. As she entered the sittingroom, she sat down on the couch and pulled her knees up to her chest. She didn't feel ba, she just felt ashamed. She had a steady boyfriend and still didn't know if he fathered her baby. Even in the mist of all this, she had managed to tell her parents that Michael was the father.
"You must think I'm a complete mess... I mean what type of girl gets themselves into a situation like this?

[Lissa Faye]

Lissa couldn't believe her ears: "Only Rylan and Bryan... I haven't told Michael yet"
Joie hadn't told her boyfriend yet? But she had told her ex? Who just so happened to be her boyfriend's brother? That was crazy. But then again, Michael was always so busy. Lissa knew it was always so impossible for Joie to get a hold of him...And as long as she was planning on telling him herself...It would be disasterous if he found out from someone else!
"You must think I'm a complete mess... I mean what type of girl gets themselves into a situation like this?"
Lissa stepped towards the downtrodden Joie and put an arm around her friend's shoulders. Lissa wasn't the hug-y type, so this gesture was really strong coming from her.
"I don't think you're a complete mess. You're a great girl and you're gonna get through this, I'm sure of it."
Lissa rubbed Joie's shoulder.
"And you know that I'm always always here for you. Rylan, too"
Lissa was going to be there for Joie, and she could basically count on Rylan Avery to step up, too. Joie's boyfriend and her ex, on the other hand...Lissa wasn't sure about them at all.

[Joie Harrison]

"I don't think you're a complete mess. You're a great girl and you're gonna get through this, I'm sure of it."
Of course Joie was going to get through this, she had to; she had no choice. But with Lissa's ressuring words,Joie felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders. She had three major things to do; and that was tell Michael about the pregnancy, have the baby, and figure out who the father was. It mighthave seemed like something simple to do but toJoie, it would be the hardest thing she'd have to do.
"And you know that I'm always always here for you. Rylan, too"
Joie let out a sigh of relief. She knew that Rylan and Lissa would have her back 100 percent but she wasn't so sure about Bryan and Michael. Bryan didn't take the news about the pregnancy that well and she just knew he wouldn't want to be there for her or the baby.
"So what to I do now?"

[Lissa Faye]

"So what to I do now?"
Lissa tried to step back and think about this logically. Which was easier said than done, by far. It wasn't relevant to think about what she would do in Joie's shoes; Lissa was of the belief that teenagers had no business with babies, unless you were getting paid by the hour to watch them and you could give them back to their parents at the end of the night.
Again, Lissa was almost overwhelmed with the idea of her close friend becoming a parent. She shook her head and said the thing that Joie needed to hear
"You have to tell your boyfriend"