Chapter One

Joey walked into the cafeteria and halted in her step. She immediately picked Pacey out in the crowd, his gaudy, orange and red shirt standing out from the more conservative student body mingling and eating around him. She sighed and gripped the edges of her tray tightly. With another silent boost of confidence, she continued into the crowded room.

"Hey," she spat when she was standing next to his table.

Pacey looked up as he shoved another underdone french fry into his mouth and began chewing on it obnoxiously. "Joey Potter," he said through his food, "to what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, motioning towards the chair across from him.

Joey looked around cautiously before pulling the chair out and sitting down. She sat her tray in front of her and avoided his eyes as she began fidgeting with her fork. "So, where's Andie?"

Pacey was caught off guard for a minute. "Oh, uh, I don't know."

Joey nodded, thinking it was strange. Pacey and Andie had been joined at the hip for the last year.

Pacey watched her, hiding his surprise at Joey Potter sitting with him at lunch. "You okay?" he asked and then mentally kicked himself for asking such an asinine question. Of course she wasn't okay, she had gotten rejected by her soul mate.

"What do you think, Pacey?" Joey spat out, finally gazing into his eyes.

Pacey took a sip of his milk and looked at her. "Just trying to start conversation, ya know? You lost, or something?"

"God, Pacey," Joey sighed, sitting back. She had really thought he would have been nicer to her after the conversation they had shared on the dock. But the old, obnoxious Pacey sat in front of her. She should have known it was too good to be true.

"You think it's easy for me to be sitting here with you?"

"My day was fine, Jo, how was yours?" Pacey asked with a roll of his eyes as he grabbed another french fry. "Man, would it really be hard for them to fully cook these things?"

Joey eyed him. "Aren't we going to talk about what happened the other night?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because there's nothing to talk about. You were upset and I was there," Pacey said with a shrug.

Joey just stared at him, the comment cutting a little. "Oh, well, thanks," she said sarcastically. "Maybe you shouldn't have wasted your time."

"Look, Jo, no one is forcing you to sit here," Pacey pointed out. He then looked over her shoulder to where Dawson was sitting at a table by himself, his face in a book while he mindlessly ate from his bagged lunch.

Joey sighed and decided to sneak a look over her shoulder. The sight of Dawson tore at her insides and she forced herself to look away. "Better than sitting with him," she mumbled, taking a sip of her apple juice.

"Yeah, well, Dawson Leery turning you down is not the end of the world," Pacey pointed out, waving a limp french fry at her.

Joey gawked at him as she slowly put her apple juice down. "Well, excuse me for being a little upset," she said, a little louder than intended.

Pacey rolled his eyes and sighed before leaning forward. "Joey, you know Dawson better than anyone. You know how oblivious he is. You know what he's probably doing right now?"

Joey sighed. "Reading 'Catcher in the Rye'," she answered, stating the obvious.

Pacey made a face and sat back. "Besides reading. He's probably going just as crazy as you are, analyzing everything down to the very last detail. I know Dawson and I know he didn't do anything to intentionally hurt you."

"He can't have sex with me but he can make out with Eve Whitman in front of the whole school? Pacey, Dawson and I have been best friends since we were five. We know each other like the back of our hands. Why doesn't he want me?" she asked, her voice dropping.

"Joey, believe me, Dawson wants you. He'd be stupid not to. He just has his own reasons for wanting to wait, I'm sure."

Joey looked down, not catching what Pacey was saying. "I don't know," she sighed. She snuck a look back over her shoulder and watched as Dawson turned a page. "I just don't know what to do anymore. One minute, he wants me and the next he doesn't."

Pacey watched Joey as her head was turned and shook his head slightly as he finished up his fries.

Joey watched with a heavy heart as Jen Lindley walked over to Dawson's table and said something to him, eliciting a smile from Dawson. Her blood began to boil. She watched for a little while longer before turning back to Pacey.

"Whoa, what's that look for?" Pacey asked with a short, nervous laugh.

"You know what I just realized?" Joey said, leaning across the table on crossed arms.

"No, what have you realized?" Pacey taunted her, crossing his own arms.

Joey tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you think Jen is hot?"

"Do I have eyes?!" Pacey exclaimed.

Joey rolled his eyes and smacked him hard on the arm.

"Yes, okay? I think Jen is one fine piece of female. why?"

"Dawson thinks she's hot. He obviously thinks Eve is hot. He must have a thing for blond, big-breasted bimbos."

Pacey hid a smirk as he popped a grape into his mouth. "Where are you getting at, Potter?"

Joey looked at him for a long moment, chewing on her bottom lip. "Maybe I'm not sexy enough."

Pacey nearly choked on his grape. He regained his composure and stared up into Joey's angry eyes. "Excuse me?"

Joey sighed and began toying with her apple juice bottle. She shrugged. "I mean, I've always been sort of a tomboy. Maybe I turn him off."

"Jo-" Pacey began, thinking that was the most absurd thing she had ever said.

"No, Pacey, it explains a lot. He has no problem making out with Jen or Eve. They must have something that I don't have," she pointed out.

"Potter, are you forgetting that you and Dawson made out quite heavily during the entire length, however short it was, of your relationship," Pacey pointed out right back.

Joey shook her head. "That's not my point. The point is, I couldn't seduce him. But I bet anything that if Eve or Jen wanted him to drop his pants, he'd do it," she snapped her fingers, "like that!"

Pacey couldn't help but laugh at this. "I am not having this conversation," he muttered with a shake of his head.

Joey glared at him. Her expression then melted from her face as she stared down at the table. A few moments later, she spoke. "Hey, Pace?"

"Yeah?"

Joey looked at him. "You've had your fair share of bimbos, right?"

"Where are we getting at with this, Jo?" Pacey asked, shifting in his seat and frowning.

"Well," Joey began, holding out her hand. "You obviously have no problem in the sex department. Granted, you get your fair share of woman, don't ask me how because I don't know."

Pacey leaned forward. "What's going on in that head of yours?" he asked. "You got that constipated look going on. Whatever you're thinking, no."

Joey dropped her hand onto the table with a light thud. "Pacey!"

"No."

"Just hear me out."

"Sorry."

"I want you to teach me how to be sexy," Joey spat out, her heart stopping in her chest. She suddenly wished her life had a rewind button.

Pacey stared at her in shock. "Excuse me?" he asked, sweeping a hand across her forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"

Joey swatted his hand away irritably. "Stop," she warned. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Then I must not have heard you right because I could have sworn you just asked me to teach you to be sexy."

Joey threw him a smirk. "That's what I said."

"Are you nuts?"

"No, desperate."

"Potter, I am not going to teach you how to be sexy."

"Why not! You have a pretty firm grasp on what sexy is, I guess, and you said you'd be there for me when I needed you."

"It was a moment of weakness," Pacey defended, "and I never thought being there for you would mean this!"

Joey sighed. "Pacey, come on ... just for a week. We can have lessons at my house for an hour after school a couple nights a week."

"I think you need to go see the school nurse."

"Come on, you don't have anything better to do," Joey said, tilting her head and giving him her famous half smile.

"You suck."

"This isn't easy for me to ask, Pacey, and I wouldn't have asked you if it didn't mean something to me."

Pacey stared at her and watched as she chewed on her bottom lip. "Lemme get this straight. You want me to come over to your house a couple nights a week to show you how to be sexy and you think this is going to get Dawson to want you?"

"It's a shot."

"Joey-"

"It's all I have," Joey retorted. "Are you going to help me or not, Pacey?"

Pacey looked down at the table and thought about it. After a full minute, he sighed. "Fine, whatever, I don't really have anything better to do."

Joey smiled and without thinking, leaned over the table and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you so much, Pacey!"

Pacey reluctantly laid a hand on her back. He took in the scent of her flowery perfume. "Not a problem," he said, his voice raspy.

Joey pulled away, her smile wide. She stood up and gathered up her tray. "I gotta get going. Mr. Allen is letting me use the computer room for about ten minutes so I can get my report done. I'll talk to you later."

"Hey!" Pacey called after her. "When are we going to start this ... thing?"

Joey thought about it for a moment. "We'll talk about it tomorrow morning before first period. Look, Pace, I really need to go. Talk to you later."

Pacey watched as she turned around and dodged fellow students and chairs. He shook his head and went back to his lunch. "Women."