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88

"I may have just implied I was going to use my tongue on you tonight," Mark offered as he got into the car, glancing back at Pacey standing behind the car, not moving. "I'm sorry it was a dick move."

Joey laughed. "Pretty sure Pacey deserved it."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, putting his car in drive.

She shook her head. "No, not yet."

88

"Amber, I found her," Pacey said, standing in her bedroom door.

Amber jumped up, relief all over her face. "Thank God." She ran over and hugged him tightly, before peering behind his back. "Um where is she?"

"She was feeling a bit embarrassed and so she went back to Mark's dorm room. Thanks, by the way, for calling him," Pacey said gruffly.

Amber shrugged her shoulders. "Pretty sure you have someone half naked in your room, who isn't Joey. So thanks for your help tonight Pacey."

"I gather you're team Joey," he muttered.

Amber sighed, looking disappointed. "Tonight, I'm team Amber. And Amber is done and going to bed. Dawson, you can leave too," she said looking over at Dawson, sitting quietly in the corner.

"Amber, please, we need to talk," Dawson begged as Pacey disappeared from her doorway.

"Not tonight Dawson."

He nodded his head, and slowly made his way out of her room, grabbing his pillow on the way.

Amber's phone rang as Dawson and Pacey left her room, and they heard her picking up the phone and shrieking Joey's name. Dawson turned to Pacey, his face ashen. "I tried to do everything right this time. I wanted to do everything right. God… I'm such an asshole."

Pacey shook his head. "I think I've joined your club. I've got to get back to Nicole... "

Dawson nodded his head and started down the hall, his head hanging.

88

"Are you okay?" Amber asked. "I was really worried about you. The look on your face…"

"I'm okay Amber, and thanks … for being such a good friend and worrying. You were right to worry. I don't think I've ever felt so awful in all my life. I didn't even get to tell you about catching Pacey and Nicole making out before your party." Her voice was soft, Mark was watching her while he made up his roommates bed in a new set of sheets.

"I'm sorry I made you come to my party Joey. I had no idea those guys were coming. Or that Dawson was such a heartless bastard," Amber said angrily.

"Amber, none of this was your fault. And he was a heartless bastard to me, not you. He's different with you, I can see it in everything he says and everything he does. And I'll be honest with you, it's been killing me slowly. And I know you know I don't want to be with him, but it doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt seeing how he's become with you. It's real Amber."

Amber nodded her head, sniffling into the phone. "Thanks Joey. So in other news, I met Mark. He's yummy!"

Joey laughed as she watched him across the room, trying to be such a gentleman. "I suppose."

"So there's nothing to stop you and him from being together now, right?"

"I suppose," Joey repeated.

"He's standing right there?" Amber asked, sensing Joey's discomfort.

"You got it," Joey grinned. She then lowered her voice, knowing Mark could still hear her. "Pacey told me it's never going to happen, and I should move on. I don't understand how it's so easy for him?"

"I'm sure it isn't Joey. But Joey, go get some okay? Pacey has obviously moved on, and so should you. Mark loves you, it was written all over his face. Stop obsessing over Pacey and have some fun."

"I'll try," she said. "I love you Amber, seriously. Thank you for being such a good friend."

"Love you too Joey," she said hanging up the phone. She looked up to see Pacey standing in her doorway.

"You're back," Amber stated dryly.

"So that's the advice you're giving eh?" Pacey said, his voice edged with hurt.

"Should I be giving her different advice?" Amber asked. "What are you doing back here Pacey?"

He walked into her room and sat down at her desk chair. "I actually just wanted to see if you were okay?"

She smiled softly at him. "Just when I thought the Pacey I knew no longer existed."

"He's in there … somewhere …" Pacey said quietly. "So, are you okay?"

"Well the logical part of me knows that all of this happened with her and not me. But then, what if he gets bored with me? And does that to me? How do I know it's for real?"

Pacey took a deep breath. "I don't know if you can ever know it's for real Amber. But I can tell you that the guy I see this year with you, is the guy I was friends with for years. He lights up when you enter the room, he's, well he's not an ass. His revelations tonight are pretty surprising to me, I had no idea he could be that heartless. But I think, maybe, you need to give him the benefit of the doubt? Just … keep your eyes open."

Amber nodded as she wiped the tears falling down her face. "You want to talk to me about why you're here talking to me, when you have Nicole in your room?"

Pacey shrugged. "Because I guess it's my turn to be the asshole? I don't know Amber, I wish I could explain what's going on in my head - because I don't like myself so much right now," he said sadly. "I'll talk to you later?"

Amber nodded her head, "Hey Pacey? I'm always here if you want to talk, ok?"

"Thanks, at some point I just may take you up on that."

88

"So," Joey said awkwardly turning to Mark. "Um do you think maybe I could take a shower?"

"Yup, I'll grab you a robe. I think I still have some of that shampoo you like here," he said grinning as he turned his back to her. Joey surveyed his collection of photos hanging on his wall. The was one large photo of the two of them, standing on a bench of a church they'd visited frequently. The Church was high up on a hill, and you could see the entire town from where they were standing on the bench.

"Oh um," Mark said, feeling embarrassed as he realized just how many photos of the two of them had ended up on his wall. "I hope this doesn't make me look like a psycho. That was just a really happy time of my life. That church, that view, being there with you. I swear this isn't a creepy shrine to Joey."

She nodded her head as he handed her a towel, a robe and her favorite shampoo.

"And the shampoo?" She asked feeling slightly skeptical.

He laughed nervously. "I liked the smell of it. Shit… I sound like a creep. You left it behind in Mexico and I just hung on to it. Go shower, and then we can talk okay?"

Joey nodded her head, staring at the picture of the two of them on top of the church. In the picture, she was glowing, her smile is wide and happy, her eyes shining as if she never had a worry in the world. She wondered how to tell Mark that that girl he obviously still had such strong feelings for never really existed at all.

88

"Hey," Mark said grinning as he slid "The Wedding Singer" into his VHS. "You said this was one of your favorites, right?"

Joey smiled, feeling shy as she went and sat on the bed next to Mark. How was it that all of spring semester they had been so close but here in the real world he felt like a stranger?

"You want to talk about what happened?" Mark asked, looking over at Joey as she sat on the side of his bed.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly? I have no idea. I thought that… I guess I thought I'd come home and we would get back together. And I guess he didn't…"

"I'm sorry Jo, I know how much you cared about him." He hesitantly put his arm around her, feeling clumsy.

She settled back into him, wondering if the entire time in Mexico had ever really happened at all.

88

"Hey beautiful," Mark said as Joey slowly opened her eyes. She started, confused as she stared at him.

"Um morning?"

"Okay I look psycho again, I swear I just woke up like thirty seconds before you did "

She nodded her head as she sat up in his bed. "I can't believe how deep I slept. Thank you for letting me sleep here, I appreciate it."

She wiped at her mouth, aware that she had most definitely been drooling. "Why does it feel like we've never shared a bed before?" He asked cautiously.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I think… maybe… we were different in Mexico. I know I was," she offered hesitantly.

"So do you think maybe, I could ask this Joey out on a date? Maybe get to know you again, and you get to know me?" Mark asked with hopeful eyes.

She felt her head nodding yes, despite her feeling that she already knew how this was going to end.