Author: Sabrina
Rating: PG-13 - some swearing
Summary: just a little something I wrote for a challenge on PoTL - Joey gets drunk on a party during Spring break in college.
Disclaimer: They are not mine! No copyright infringement intended!
Feedback: Always appreciated!! This was my first fic, so please be kind!
"Joey, you're drunk."
"I know."
"Shall I take you home?"
"Nope. I'm just fine standing here and watching those guys over there", she slurred a bit, but compared to High School she had gotten much better at holding her liquor. Not so Jack. After a few beers he had started to lose his inhibitions and at the moment he was dirty dancing with a guy he had met at the beach earlier that day and it looked like he was finally enjoying himself.
Joey went off to get a new beer and left Dawson standing at the back of the room. He annoyed the hell out of her, but she didn't have the heart to tell him, so she just opted for avoiding him whenever he was too much trouble. Like now. She was trying to have fun at this party of Audrey's friends and she wasn't going to let him ruin it, like he had ruined the beginning of spring break. After she was happy to just spend a few free days with Jen, Jack and Audrey he turned up out of nowhere and didn't seem to intend to leave her side anytime soon.
Focused on her thoughts Joey almost bumped into Jen and only just stopped in time to not spill her drink. "Hey Jen, I haven't seen you in ages!" she shouted enthusiastically, hugging her second best friend drunkenly and as Jen wasn't sober herself, almost throwing both of them to the floor.
"Hey Joey, lovely to see you" Jen giggled, noticing Dawson's annoyed look from across the room. "Have you seen Jack?"
"He was dancing just a minute ago, but consu ... considering how drunk he is, he's probably off, fucking his conquest right now."
"Joey!", Jen was obviously shocked.
"What?"
"You're drunk. I have never ever ever ..." she lost track of her thought and giggled, "did I say 'ever'? ... ever heard you say fuck!"
"That just means you don't spend enough time with me. Audrey's heard me say it." came the giggled reply.
"When?"
Joey made an exaggerated thinking face and then replied: "For example when I dropped the box of tampons in the grocery store and had to crawl all over the floor with the people staring at me!"
"Ouch."
"Yeah, but don't we have something better to talk about? Like where to get more booze. I'm sick of beer."
"Follow me." Jen led Joey through the crowd towards the back of the house and directly to a bar. After grabbing two glasses she poured a generous amount of Martini into them and added a bit of Sprite. "Cheers."
"Cheers."
"So how are you doing with Dawson?" Jen asked after a moment of mutual drunken musings.
"At the moment my best to avoid him. He actually wanted to take me home, coz he thought I was drunk! Hilarious!"
"Absolutely. I mean you're not drunk ... you can still walk ... and talk .... and you're obviously not fucking somebody .... so you're definitely not drunk."
"Just my opinion."
"So after we have established that what are we gonna do now?"
"How about we get one more of these and go back to the party and have some real fun."
"Like what?"
"Dunno. Like hitting on some guys ..."
"Okay." Jen was surprised at Joey's behavior, but then Joey always surprised her when she was drunk.
Back at the party they were distracted from their plan when they saw Jack coming downstairs with a goofy grin on his face and his new friend behind him. Jen started giggling, but still managed to say: "Looks like he finally got some."
"Who finally got some?" Audrey appeared seemingly out of nowhere and followed their gaze. "No way! What is Jack doing with Tom?"
"Who's Tom?"
"My ex-boyfriend, the guy behind Jack."
Jen started to laugh almost hysterically, but after a moment of calming down she managed to say. "So after Joey's ex-boyfriend turned out to be gay, yours did as well?!" She looked at the perplexed faces of her two friends and burst out laughing again. Now a smile also played at the corners of Audrey's mouth and even Joey seemed barely be able to suppress a giggle, not that she was trying all that hard to begin with.
"Okay, after this shock I really need a cigarette!" Audrey pulled out a packet of Marlboro Lights. "Anyone wants one?"
Jen shook her head, but again to her surprise Joey took one and lit it. Before Jen could say a word, Dawson came rushing over from where he apparently had been watching them. "Joey how can you smoke? They're going to kill you!"
Joey was obviously getting pissed off now, since her answer wasn't in her usual diplomatic and sensitive tone, but rather sarcastic. "You know, Dawson it's actually pretty easy. You just put it between your lips and drag on it. And anyway what I do is none of your business anyway! Isn't it enough that you followed me here and haven't left my side since you arrived? You behave like my goddamn babysitter! Get a life!"
With these last words she dragged on her cigarette and stormed out of the house. After a moment Jen followed her and called out her name. Reluctantly Joey slowed down a bit, but didn't stop until she couldn't hear the music anymore and the fresh air out side had calmed her down a bit.
"I just don't understand what his problem is. I'm trying to move on with my life and he just keeps trying to push me back into my old life!"
"Then don't let him do that! You told him tonight, but probably you should have told him earlier and made sure that he really understands."
"Yeah, I suppose I should have. Well, I can still do that now. I just hope he gets it." She took a last drag of her cigarette and threw the butt away.
"After a while he will. ... Hey, what about we go back to our room and party there? So you don't have to deal with him tonight anymore. No annoyed looks, no reproaches."
"Sounds good to me." Joey laced her arm through Jen's and they silently walked the short way back to Audrey's house, where they were staying. Jen had some problems of finding the keyhole and after a few failed attempts Joey helped her and they finally managed to get into the house, both giggling madly and making their way up to the room they were sharing. Jen went straight to her duffel bag and pulled out a bottle of rum. She opened it and after taking a sip handed it to Joey. Then she went to the small radio she had brought and tried to find a station with decent music.
Flopping down on her bed, she motioned for Joey to sit down next to her. After doing so they both took a few more drinks and Joey felt the nice giddiness return, that had left her when she sobered up considerable after the argument with Dawson. After a while of silence she inquired: "So what are we gonna do now? I mean it's not like your company isn't lovely, but I'm actually considering going back to the party. And deep down I know that I'd really regret that."
"Probably. We could ... ugh ... dance."
"Here."
"Sure, why not? C'mon. It's not like anyone's gonna see us." Jen leapt to her feet and started dancing around, pulling Joey of the bed. Eventually Joey joined her and they both started to dance more drunkenly than gracefully, both laughing at their actions. This was when Joey knocked her shopping bag over, which was standing in front of her bed.
The contents spilled on the floor and Jen helped her gathering up everything. She just wanted to hand Joey a few magazines, when she caught a glimpse at one of the covers and held them out of Joey's reach. "Now what do we have here? I never pictured you the one to read gay porn magazines."
Despite the alcohol Joey blushed deeply and just managed to say: "You wouldn't believe me that I'm just keeping them for Jack, would ya?"
Jen seemed to be in deep thought and finally shook her head. "Nope ... Sooo ... little Joey Potter is secretly buying dirty magazines." A grin crept over her face. "And don't even try to tell me you just have them to read the articles."
Joey blushed even further and let herself fall on the bed, defeated. "Okay, you got me. You found out I'm a freak. Happy now?"
Jen's grin became even wider. "I don't think you're a freak. Actually I just wanted to ask if I could borrow them sometime."
Joey looked up at her cautiously, then started to grin as well. "Sure, as long as you won't give them to Jack, he'd just get them all sticky."
The End
