True Love Renewed

Chapter 2: Uncertain Feelings

To: Jpotter

From: Dwitter

Subject: Baby brother

September 12, 2001 1:00pm

Joey,

Just wanted to let you know that the youngest of the Witter brood is still alive and well. He hasn't made it back to Capeside yet but I'm sure he will eventually. I'll let you know when I hear from him again.

Doug

Pacey reread the letter before hitting the send button. He felt guilty about the delusion, but he simply didn't want Joey to know that it was him writing her the emails and not Doug. His brother knew about the ruse, of course, so that Joey wouldn't find out by saying something to Doug and getting a confused look in response, but other than the occasional white lie he had nothing to do with the letters. Pacey didn't know why he didn't just tell her the truth, other than the fact that he didn't want to ruin her future by placing himself back in her life. Still, it was nice to know that she wanted to know how he was doing, even after three months of no contact. None that she knew of anyway.

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September 25, 2001

TO: Jpotter

FROM: Dleery

Subject: No Thanks Needed

Hi Joey. I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying your new surroundings. Your roommate sounds like a great person. I'm sure she's no AJ, but she'll do, right? I don't know how many times I have to tell you that you have already thanked me for the money. You being at Worthington is thanks enough for me. I didn't make your dreams come true Joey, you did that on your own. I could have given you all the money in the world and it wouldn't have mattered if you hadn't been accepted to Worthington, and you did that on your own. I had nothing to do with that. As for your other dreams, I can't take credit for them either. In the first instance, I should be thanking you for waking me up to the dream that I didn't even know I had. I didn't realize my feelings for you until I faced the possibility of you leaving. And the third dream, I didn't make that come true, I just pushed you in the right direction. Well, my roommate is waiting for me to go to lunch so I better get going. I will write again soon. I miss you.

Lots of love,

Dawson

Joey finished rereading the letter and turned off the computer. She was meeting Jen in a few minutes for an afternoon shopping trip so she had to dry her tears and add some make up to cover the tracks on her face. Sometimes she wished that life had never changed. Why had she been in such a hurry to leave Capeside? Everything she loved was in that small town. Well, actually when she thought about it, most of the people she cared about the most were gone now. But her sister and Dawson's parents and the baby were still there. And no matter where she ended up, Capeside would always be her home.

Joey continued thinking about Capeside as she left campus and hurried to the coffee shop where she was supposed to meet Jen. It was still hard for her to believe that Jen was one of her best friends now. She remembered when Jen first moved in next door to Dawson and how she hated her at first sight. They had come a long way.

"What are you thinking about so deeply?" asked a voice that Joey recognized the instant she heard it. She turned around to face Jen.

"I thought we were meeting at the coffee shop?" she asked.

"I thought so too, until you walked right past without stopping. So answer me, what are you thinking about?"

"I was just musing about the start of our friendship, or lack thereof, when you arrived in Capeside. Here was this wonderful girl who I could have been friends with, but I hated you at first sight. Now look at us, we just spent the whole summer hanging out together and now we are shopping together in Boston. Don't you ever wonder about that?"

"There isn't really anything to wonder about. You hated me because Dawson liked me. Our mutual feelings for him are what always kept us from being friends. Now that we don't have to worry about that anymore, we don't have anything to fight about."

"Doesn't it seem silly though that after all that time fighting, neither of us are with Dawson? I mean, technically he could still come between us if we let him."

"Nah. Neither of us are looking to let him come between us now. Besides, only one of us could still have him, and I don't believe in fighting for lost causes."

The two girls walked the rest of the way to the shopping center in silence. Joey was pondering what Jen had just said. Was it true? Could Joey still have Dawson if she wanted him? And did she still want him?