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Driving in Cars with Boys
October, 1964
She didn’t really want to tell him, but they didn’t keep secrets from each other, and he’d have to find out sooner or later…
“Lonnie asked me out tonight. On a date.” Joyce said, staring into the dwindling fire, not daring to meet his gaze.
Hopper didn’t stop what he was doing and continued to rub small circles over her back, his touch heavy through the wool blanket draped over her shoulders. Joyce concentrated on the feeling and tried not to think about puking again.
Turns out, she couldn’t handle keeping up with the boys like she thought she could, but at least no one could say she sure as hell didn’t try. Lonnie said that’s what he liked most about her — she was feisty.
“Lonnie Byers?” Hopper asked finally, his voice strained saying the name, as if he didn’t quite hear her right and needed clarification.
Joyce started breathing again, not realizing she had been holding her breath waiting for him to say something. Her stomach flipped, but not from what was left of the beer and schnapps she had already tossed up, or the little bit of pot, or the cigarette she had just tried to smoke. It was her confession and his reaction that was making her feel infinitely worse. The exact opposite of what she wanted, in fact.
“He's taking me to the Hawk, to catch the late show on Saturday,” she said, shivering, looking up at him now with glassy eyes.
Hopper shot her a look. “You’re telling me, that you’re going on a date with the same jerk-off that got you wasted and left you at a party in the middle of nowhere? Really? C’mon, Joyce. Be smarter than that.”
Joyce’s mouth dropped. It wasn’t Lonnie’s fault she drank too much and lost track of him. There were so many people at that homecoming bonfire, practically the whole school and even the neighboring town’s senior class showed up, most of which were Lonnie’s friends. Regardless, between the maze of cornfields surrounding them, and the lively crowd, it was easy to get turned around.
Besides, she wasn’t left completely alone. Hopper was still there, obviously.
Shaking his head, Hopper warned her, “Dad said he busted Byers trying to steal one of the cruisers down at the station last week. He’s fucking bad news, Joy.”
“At least someone wants to date me,” Joyce mumbled, still smarting from Hopper’s rejection that summer when she confessed that she had feelings for him.
We’re best friends for life, nothing can change that, he had reminded her. I don’t want us to ruin a good thing. His words echoed in her mind now, making her even more nauseous. She covered her face in her hands and took a deep breath.
“Lonnie didn’t try anything with you tonight, did he?” Hopper frowned.
“No!” Joyce’s face twisted at his words. She could feel the heat building up in her chest as she snapped at him. “Not like that’s any of your business.”
Her stomach twisted too, getting ready to boot again and she leaned forward right as Hop caught her, pulling her hair back just in time.
He sighed, his frustration with her evaporated. “Okay, that’s enough fun for tonight. Let’s get you home, Miss Blotto.”
Joyce whined as he gathered her up from the log she was sitting on, and she leaned into his tall frame taking in all the comfort he could give. She could fight with him later, when her head stopped spinning. He made sure the blanket was snug around her before they started to navigate their way back through a dying party, over to his dad’s Oldsmobile across the field.
When they were halfway there, a petite figure ran up to clutch Joyce’s other arm.
“There you are!” Karen said. “I thought you left with Lon—” she started to say before realizing who was attached to Joyce’s other arm. “I thought you left.”
Joyce shook her head and kept trudging along, listening to her friend bemoan her awful date that night.
“You know, I am so over high school boys.” Karen grumbled. “They’re all scoundrels and slimes. I think I’ll only date real men from now on. Ones with money and class.”
“Not all of them are scoundrels and slimes,” Joyce said, feeling the weight of Hopper next to her, keeping her afloat.
“Oh, sorry Jim. Present company excluded, of course. You too, Benny-boy.” Karen waved, greeting their other friend who was already waiting for them, perched on the hood of old man Hopper's Super 88.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Karen, but but it sounds like a compliment, so I’ll take it. Thank you.” Benny smiled down at the ladies and opened the passenger door for Joyce and then jumped in the back with Karen, looking at the clock on the dash.
“Pop’s just about to turn off the grill at the diner. You guys wanna grab some burgers? On me.”
Joyce groaned in protest as Hopper loaded her into the car and closed the door behind her, where she quickly found a spot for her head up against the cold window.
“You’ll feel better if you eat,” Hopper told her, getting in and starting the car. “I promise.”
“Okay, if you promise.” Joyce said with a weak smile.
She looked over to her Keeper in the driver’s seat, someone who she couldn’t ever stay mad at for very long, and reached out in the dark for his hand. Lacing their fingers, Joyce locked in the promise with her thumb — a game they had played for many moons. But this time, Hopper’s touch lingered, and he let his thumb gently trace circles across the back of her hand.
“Ugh, you two are disgusting.” Karen kicked Joyce’s seat when she saw what was going on. “Just get it over with already.”
“And keep it to yourselves. I’m losing my appetite over here!” Benny chimed in, punching Hop in the shoulder.
“All right, all right.” Hopper dropped Joyce’s hand into her lap like it was made of lava and grabbed the steering wheel, putting his foot into it, spinning tires and spitting gravel as he drove them back into town.
Joyce didn’t say a word for the rest of the ride as she sobered up, watching the horizon as the cornfields passed by in the autumn moonlight. She listened to her friends rag on Hopper and talk about their senior year and everything that awaited them on the other side, and she concentrated on the soothing sounds of their familiar chatter.
Joyce and Hopper would never speak of that first date with Lonnie again — that was just how they were — but she was glad she took the chance to be honest with him from the start. It’s not like he could say she didn’t warn him, anyway.
Joyce was going on a date with Lonnie Byers, and if Hop didn’t like it, too bad, so sad...
She wasn’t gonna wait around forever.