Here we go again. Hope you enjoy. It's still not mine at all.
607 – One Step Closer
I find the answers aren't so clear
Wish I could find a way to disappear
All these thoughts they make no sense
I found bliss in ignorance
Nothing seems to go away
Over and over againOne step closer – Linkin' Park
Audrey closed her eyes, as if trying to block the doctor's words to reach her ears. She didn't try to commit suicide, dammit, she just forgot that Lexotan and Johnny Walker weren't the best buddies. Ok, se had been a little off lately, but who could blame her? Her parents didn't care enough, they just liked to parade her as a silly doll, her ex-boyfriend admitted publicly he didn't care much for her, her roommate didn't trust her to tell she was back with their mutual ex-boyfriend and, worst of all, she had gone and slept with said roommate's soul mate. What a fucking mess. And the mess was just about to get worse.
"Miss Liddel, are you paying attention?"
"Yeah, yeah, I still have to come here to therapy once a week, stay away from alcohol and where do I sing to get the hell out of here?"
"I'm really reconsidering if you're well enough to be discharged," the young doctor winked.
"I'm gonna die if I have to spend another day in this hell hole," Audrey pouted, using all her charming ways.
Before the doctor could reply, a brown head peeked through the door.
"Ready to go, Audrey?" Pacey asked, smiling. He felt relieved knowing she was safe to go home, guilty could be a powerful feeling and he'd had enough of that in his life.
"See, even the devil's offspring is here," she pointed at Pacey, smiling.
"Audrey, you shouldn't be flirting with me, you know I've got a very jealous girlfriend," Pacey winked. This past week, after the scare, they'd reached this level of amicability, where they still had to talk about days past, however could laugh with each other.
"Just get out me of here already, will you?"
"Miss Liddel, don't forget your appointment next week," the doctor recommended one last time before the blonde left.
"What was the doctor talking about, Audrey?" Pacey asked preoccupied when they entered his car.
"Just some shrink they want me to see about the whole alcohol and pills thing," she replied in an unconvincing voice. "What about taking me to some place less boring?"
"Whatever you want," Pacey said in a low voice, staring at her figure for a moment before starting the car. Maybe Joey could make Audrey open up and tell the truth, because by the way she bit her lip, she was definitely lying.
"Joey, this must be the thirtieth sigh you gave since we've got here," Jen teased, as Joey stared at the Hell's Kitchen door, looking worried.
"Pacey was supposed to get Audrey at the hospital and it's taking so long."
"Jealous? Or am I that boring?"
"No, Jen, sorry, I know it's been a long time since we last talked without anyone around, it's just, Pacey wanted to talk to Audrey alone, and I don't know if I'm comfortable with that," Joey explained while playing with her straw.
"Why not? I mean, you did give them your blessing back then."
"Don't remind me how stupid I was. That's what you get for trying to be noble."
"And don't forget immersed in deep denial."
"Jen!" Joey scowled, before sipping more of her Coke. "Talking about denial, how are you dealing?" she asked nonchalantly.
"Dealing with what?"
"Your feelings for a certain dark-haired tall guy that's currently dating a bimbo named Barbs no less."
"Drue? C'mon, Joey, not you too, I have to listen to Jack saying that all the time."
"Hey, Joey, want another Coke?" Eddie approached their table, interrupting them.
"No, thanks, Eddie. Did you finish that paper on Slaughterhouse-five?"
"I'm almost done, you?" He asked, but his eyes were trained on Jen.
"Finished this morning," Joey replied, noticing how Eddie looked at Jen. "Eddie, this is Jen Lindley, Jen this is Eddie, he's in Hetson's class with me and we also share this lovely place of work."
"Nice to meet you, Eddie," Jen winked.
"Nice to meet you too, Jen," he winked back. "And on account of that, a Coke on the house," he said, leaving back to the bar.
"Joey, you never told me you had such cuties there in Worthington."
"Eddie? Cute? Did you take too much sun on that blonde head of yours, Jen?"
"It's not my fault that you're blinded by Pacey's looks, but let's be honest here, Jo, Eddie is definitely cute."
"Thanks, Jen," Eddie said smugly, placing her soda on the table. "We can talk more later about my cuteness," he chuckled, leaving a very flushed Jennifer behind.
"Joey Potter…that was…"
"Priceless," Joey finished, laughing. "You should've seen your face."
"I really should find a new set of friends," Jen mumbled, sipping her soda. "Definitely," she emphasized as Joey kept laughing.
"Home, sweet home," Audrey exclaimed as she plopped in her bed, hugging the hideous pink pillow. "I never thought I'd ever miss this cramped space."
Pacey sat on Joey's bed, staring at Audrey for a moment. She seemed peaceful, much more than when they left the hospital and during the silent trip back to the dorms. However, something was still off, her eyes were guarded and he wondered if it was because he was with her or it'd be with everybody else.
"Pacey, whatever it is you're going to say, say it at once and don't look at me like that."
"I wanted to talk to you, something I should've done before," he started.
"I think you should stop before you start. Pacey, when we got together, I knew in what I was getting into, eyes fully opened. I just found more interesting to ignore what was blatantly obvious, you and Joey were pretty hung up on each other. So, in order to save whatever friendship between us, what about we pretend it never happened?"
"That doesn't change the fact I treated you like an ass on Joey's birthday."
"Pacey, let's face it, ass is your best quality, and if you were a jerk, I was a bitch, so, I guess we're even. Now, please, take me wherever the fun is, because I might start feeling I'm actually sick."
"If that's what you want," he shrugged all his plans of serious and heartfelt apologies gone.
"That's what I want right now, so you can save that grand apology gesture you had planned," Audrey stood up, grabbing her purse. Without any other choice, all Pacey could do was follow her lead. What else could he do?
"So, what are you drinking to?" Drue asked Joey, as he sat on the chair beside her, side-watching Jen who was animatedly talking to Eddie.
"Audrey is coming home tonight," Joey explained, looking at the door again.
"What's bothering you, Potter?"
"Nothing," she lied.
"C'mon, Joey, I thought we were friends."
"I think I'm sort of jealous," she admitted.
"Jealous?" he wiggled his eyebrows, confused. "Of Pacey?"
"Duh, no, you."
"I knew you had a thing for me, Potter, but you know, Pacey is my friend."
"We could manage," Joey joked.
"Is that an offer?" he played along.
"No, thanks, I'm happy with only one jerk in my life. I just wanted that said jerk here already."
"And that is driving you crazy."
"Drue, at one point in his life, he was attracted to her, he even dated her, I don't know, what if she has something that I don't?"
"Joey, you're being paranoid. Pacey simply doesn't see any other woman since you guys got back together, and it's damn annoying because when he's not with you, he's talking about you, he's thinking about you, and living with the living Romeo is no piece of cake, so take these ideas off your pretty head."
Joey let a small laugh out, a mental picture of a reciting poems Pacey and a poor Drue listening forming into her head.
"You laugh, because it's not you living with him, but on the other hand, you would appreciate that."
"I know, it's crazy, but I just think I would," she laughed again. "Even with the bad morning breath."
"That's disgusting, Joey." Drue side-glanced at Jen again. "Talking about disgusting, who's that sleaze ball talking to Jen?"
"Oh, that's just Eddie, he goes to Worthington with me, nice student and all," Joey replied, her eyes glinting. Just as she thought.
"He looks too touchy," Drue pointed, as Eddie brushed softly Jen's hair. "And has an awful greasy hair."
"Hmmm…it seems a certain Mr. Valentine is jealous."
"And a certain jealous Miss Potter is delusional. I'm just worried about her, I mean, the last time she got involved was with Captain Forehead himself, who knows what that made to her self steam."
"Anyone missed me?" Jen asked as she got back to the table.
"You seemed pretty cozy there with Eddie," Joey teased.
"Shame he had to go finish that paper, but he's taking me out tomorrow."
"Out as in a date? You can't be serious, Lindley."
"Why not? He's cute and smart and I'm a free woman."
"He looks dumb," Drue mumbled.
"No, Drue, your girlfriend is."
"Children," an amused Joey interrupted. "Look who's finally here."
"Missed me that much, Potter?" Pacey asked, leaning in to kiss her.
"Nah, not too much," she smiled. "Where's Audrey?"
"She had to go to the ladies' room first."
"Is she okay?" Jen asked.
"Well, by the way she was singing loudly all the way down here, I bet she is," Pacey said.
"Then I guess old Audrey is back," Joey stated.
"Yes, I am, bunny." Audrey said, arriving to the table. "And ready to have fun." Her smile was contagious, but to those who really knew her, would notice it never reached her eyes.
Dawson watched the creek from his window, the night light casting a magic appearance to the stream of water. There was a day back in his life that everything would solve if he just sat in his bedroom with his friends, but unfortunately, gone were those days. And so were his friends. Had he been really that awful to push away all his friends? Had he been that childish as Joey simply put?
His cell phone ringing brought him back to reality. Todd. What could he want?
"Hello?"
"Leery, mate, good to talk to you."
"Todd, what's up?"
"Well, Natasha be damned, but I need you back, man, the studio is threatening to pull me off if I don't get this right and in order to do that, I need my assistant back."
"When do you need me? You know, I'm quite busy right now?" Dawson teased, not able to hide his grin.
"What about yesterday?"
"I'll be back in Boston in the morning, Todd, and I expect at least a good cup of coffee."
"Thanks, Dawson, I owe you big time"
Dawson hung up the phone with a smile. Maybe hiding in his room still solved his problems. And being back to Boston, he could start trying to solve his problems with his friends too.
"What a night," Joey sighed, snuggling closer to Pacey. They were on her bed at the dorm, since Joey didn't want to leave Audrey alone and Pacey didn't want to sleep without her in his arms.
"It wasn't so bad, except maybe for you calling Jack's new guy of little thing," he joked.
"That wasn't me, it was Drue," she poked his ribs. "Although I've gotta agree, David lacks of the size department, he looks like an elf."
"I never knew you were so interested in sizes, Potter," he whispered slyly.
"I don't have any complaints," she smirked, her tongue peeking through her teeth.
"That's good to hear," he kissed her forehead. "And I need to go to the bathroom," he said, leaving the bed.
"Need any help?"
"No, thanks, and by the way what's up with you and bathrooms lately?" He chuckled.
"Do I need t explain that?"
"No," he chuckled again. "Be right back."
Pacey finished washing his hands when a small box fallen beside the sink caught his attention. Unable to resist, he grabbed it, his throat left dry when he read what that box held. A pregnancy test. A used pregnancy test.
He walked back to bed, thoughts twirling inside his mind. Why didn't she tell him? Didn't she trust him or was scared to what that would bring to their relationship? He watched Joey for a while, her eyes closed, looking as beautiful as ever. He carefully slipped behind her, his hand tentatively touched her stomach, a shiver of fear and excitement, images of dreams he had for the future overwhelming him. Another unexpected possibility they would have to face, he thought as his eyes closed before drifting off to sleep.
She's all I need
She's all I dream
She's all I'm always wanting
She's all I need
She's all I dreamAll of This – Blink 182
