never have i ever ➣ joey trotta

1

Chapter 1: Smooth

smooth. if i could use one word to describe my life up until this past month that'd be it. smooth. i had bumps in the road, but everything generally worked out in my favour. that is until things started changing faster than i could keep up with.

i watch impatiently as my least favourite teacher grades my test before my eyes. i tap my foot anxiously, hoping to god that i did well enough to pass. math's always been my worst subject as far as grades go, and joey and i spent so much time studying for this one. it's my final exam and it will determine wether or not i have to redo this course next year. i'd be disappointed in myself if i failed, and i know joey wouldn't be ecstatic about it, seeing as he stayed up with me all those nights, trying his absolute best to help a lost cause: me.

he smiles lightly, handing me back the stapled stack of papers. i peer at the front page and see a big 87% circled in bright red marker, a sense of pride erupting inside of me. a weight is lifted off of my chest almost immediately and i'm left wondering who i should report to first. i quickly thank the teacher, making a run for outside with a huge smile on my face. i sprint directly to the soccer field where i should find joey practicing for regionals.

i spot the soccer team's bright red uniforms from a mile away and run towards the tallest player on the team."joey!" i scream, grabbing his attention from across the field. i hold up the sacred piece of paper so he gets an idea of what i'm interrupting his practice for. when i'm within distance, i leap into his arms, wrapping my legs around his torso for support.

he catches me with ease, stumbling back a little bit. his arms wrap around my waist and mine lock around his neck. "i got an 87 on my math exam!" i gloat, my grin widening with every passing second that i no longer have to worry about mathematics.

his face transitions into pure excitement and he boasts along with me. "that's my girl! i'm so proud of you!"

without another thought, i press my lips to his. he seems a little startled at first, but quickly catches up to my pace. he slowly sets my feet back down on the ground, not breaking the contact between our lips. his hands travel from my hips to either one of my cheeks. it doesn't really cross my mind that we're kissing until i pull away and see that the entire soccer team is staring at us in shock.

"i gotta go tell emma! and hank! and—" i run off, hearing joey chuckle behind me. which comes as a reminder to me that joey is the one that put in so much effort in order to help me succeed in the first place. i stop in my tracks and jog back to him. i lean in on my tiptoes, peck his lips and mumble, "thank you. love you." as a token of appreciation.

before he has the chance to say anything, i'm already on the run to find emma.

that was over a month ago, but we're in the present now. and trust me— it gets a whole lot more complicated.

the air breezing through the slightly opened window is so thick with humidity i could cut it with a knife and hear it crack. "they should really invest in some sort of air conditioning in here," i say, a symphony of agreements following after my phrase. the only noise heard afterward is the sound of the fan blowing mildly cold air in all directions of the dorm— it's too hot to even think properly let alone form coherent sentences and expel them from my mouth. i wipe away small beads of sweat that were starting to form on my forehead, sighing at the unbearable temperature.

"why can't we go to your room again?" phil questions, raising his head from his hands. the girl's dorms are the only ones with air conditioning because they're more recently built; see, here's our only dilemma: my annoying roommate, kelsey, and her even more annoying boyfriend, josh, are in my dorm and i can't tolerate them for more than five minutes at a time.

"i told you, kelsey has josh over and i'd rather die a slow, painful death while screaming out in agony than hear them call each other 'honey bunches' one more time." i roll my eyes, only slightly exaggerating. it's day and night with those two, and i can never catch a break— which is partially the reason i'm constantly in the boy's dorms.

"that was unnecessarily morbid," joey points out, an uneasy tone in his voice. joey is the leading factor as to why i spend most of my time in the boy's dorms— apart from the fact that i get along with the gang really well and they're some of my best friends— joseph trotta is one of my two very best friends. i can confide in him with anything, and i'm eternally grateful for the somewhat troubled boy.

i shrug, turning over onto my right side in order to face him. he sends me a knee-weakening smirk that temporarily makes my limbs go numb. "want your bed back?" i change the subject, hoping he didn't notice my momentary paralysis. he shakes his head, maintaining eye contact with me. though his orbs are ripped from mine when snuffy pipes up with some sort of comment about what he has planned for tomorrow night. i tune their conversation out, admiring the way joey's jaw clenches every time he obnoxiously smacks his gum.

"i'm gonna take a shower," i'm snapped out of my daydreams by phil, who grabs his towel that hangs off of the edge of his bed frame and casually strolls to the door.

"me too," snuffy adds.

i was debating on making a joke about them being gay for each other but ultimately decided against it as i'm not trying to hold them up for any longer than they already take. i wait until i hear the click of the door closing to sit up from joey's bunk and stalk over to his vintage record player that his mother gifted him for his fifteenth birthday.

i hear the scratch of the record before it starts to recite my favourite melody. i hum it, enjoying the comfortable silence that takes place between joey and i as he finishes sketches that he's been working on and i jam to my song. i sit on his dresser, sifting through the dozens of old records in his possession. a johnny cash album is swiftly removed from my hands and set beside me and i quickly notice that the culprit is joey. his hands land naturally on my knees as he stands in between my legs that dangle off of his dresser.

"you know," he begins, licking his lips as if he knows the intense effect it has on me. "this is kind of our song." he states. every thought is being removed from my head entirely, almost as if my brain is a salt jar and joey's recipe requires a pinch. though i knew this information already, it still melts me to hear it coming from him.

"i suppose it is," i grin, setting my hands on his shoulders. he looks deep in thought, seemingly wondering how this tradition started. it makes me a little sad to know that he doesn't remember off of the top of his head, because i know it like the back of my hand. "we danced to it at our first semi-formal..." i trail off.

his face lights up like a light bulb. "right!" he exclaims, laughing at the good memories. "...that was a good night." he reminisces, a peaceful sigh leaving his mouth. i second that. those were simpler times. times when i could be in the same vicinity as joey and not get butterflies, and not look into the eyes of my childhood best friend and wonder:

why does it have to be you?