Joey picked at her lunch silently. She was at a table amid Dawson, Jack and Andie. She wasn't even pretending to keep up with their train of conversation anymore. Dawson cleared his throat to ask her what was bothering her, but faltered when he heard someone from a neighbouring table laugh, "Look man, it's Wheelie Gonzales."
"Shhh there's his mates," the second friend gently reprimanded. Jack turned to them and glared. They smirked at him and tried to stifle their boorish laughs.
"Hey, Pace! Come here," Jack stood, smiling sadly at Dawson. Dawson, however, didn't mind. In fact, he was actually pleased Jack invited Pacey to eat with them. It was a start. Andie scooted her chair over towards her brother and allowed a reluctant Pacey to hitch himself up beside them and apply the break. He was now sat directly opposite Dawson and Joey.
"So... how're you finding school today?" Dawson asked awkwardly, feeling compelled to address the boy directly because he couldn't keep his eyes anywhere but in front of himself. Pacey sighed and opened up his lunch. "Okay... I liked how they rearranged the desks for you in English today, huh?"
"Huh," Pacey repeated.
"You know you don't have a right to be angry here, Pacey!" Joey snapped, slamming down her bottle of water. Pacey concentrated on her with a hard glare. He too abandoned his lunch. "He was just trying to make conversation."
"Well, maybe I don't want him to make conversation. He had plenty to say to me before I landed myself in hospital," Pacey turned to Dawson briefly, "Apologise to your dad about me messing up the front of his car, by the way."
"Oh, that's not funny, Pacey!" Joey scorned. Jack and Andie tried to shrink into their seats and, failing this, put their hands to their foreheads in an attempt to dissociate themselves from the ensuing argument. They felt everyone staring now, just as before when Pacey had hurled himself for Dawson kicking and screaming.
"I'll tell you what's not funny, shall I?" Pacey half-shouted, gripping onto his armrests, "We fight it out for you and you rip into the both of us because we were acting like - how did you put it - neanderthals? And despite this you run to the physically stronger one anyway! I won that fight," He laughed, "I could take Dawson any time, any place."
"Yeah, I'd really like to see that Pace," Dawson sneered, giving him the once over. Pacey's jaw dropped in shock. He couldn't have heard Dawson correctly, but he didn't allow himself time to dwell as his mind raced over Joey again.
"Don't you dare try to turn this around on me, Pacey," Joey seethed, "It was you that was being cold. It was you that shut me out. I haven't gone and run off with Dawson if that's what you think. The same can't be said for you though!"
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Pacey demanded incredulously. Andie tried to calm him and Jack was shaking his head at Dawson in disgust. "What the hell's up your ass?"
Joey reached across and smacked Pacey hard across one side of his face. He hyperventilated angrily and raised a hand to his stinging red cheek, "Don't you dare talk to me like that."
"Yeah, of course," He whispered huskily, backing away. "When you find out what the hell I'm supposed to have done to throw you and Dawson off course in life this week, come and call me Queen Bee." He pulled out from them and turned, not able to cope with the deafening silence of the lunch hall's obvious eavesdropping any longer, "Jack, Andie," He acknowledged with a polite bow of the head.
"See... see you, Pace." Jack agreed, watching him go helplessly. He twisted round to his friends, confused and furious, "What - what the hell was that?"
"Ask Jen," Joey answered through gritted teeth. She stood, took a good gaze around her, and stormed out after Pacey. She had managed to humiliate him in front of the entire school, but she was still not content because for a start she had degraded herself in the process and to top it all, she hadn't actually confronted him about Jen.
"Dawson?" Andie snapped, pulling on his wrist as he too stood. Dawson shrugged her off and ran after Joey. "Unbelievable..." She muttered. "Okay, people, you know the cliché - the show left the building so can you just get on with your lunch and your own conversations please? Stop staring!"