Dinner with Friends
by Kaytee

Disclaimer: This shit ain't mine, and they can keep it.

Author's Note: This veers off from the show's storyline after "Something Wild." As in, Pacey and Audrey aren't hooking up, Joey didn't kiss her damn teacher, and Dawson was only mildly irritating. Yeah.

Thank you: To Bijal, for seven solid months of total flaking on my part. To Lara, for being a-musing. To Laura Sue, for wacked-out inspiration.

Rating: PG

Distribution: Ask me.

Feedback: Yes, please! kaytee@dstream.net

Part Two

Pacey winks charmingly at the waitress as he hands her our menus. Thankfully, she just rolls her eyes instead of blushing and giggling like a twelve-year old. "Stop it, Pacey, or I'll be forced to spit in your chicken primavera."

"Laura, if you want to swap saliva with me, all you have to do is ask."

Amid a chorus of groans, she taps him on top of the head with the stack of menus in her hand. "Yeah, and I'm sure that generous offer will seem even more attractive after I have that frontal lobotomy I've been saving for. Until then, I suggest you hold your breath and wait."

"Oooh," Audrey hoots from beside me while Dawson and Jen don't even bother to hide their laughter. "Burn!"

"Damn," I begin, shaking my head while she walks away. "If only I had said that two years ago. Imagine how much better off I'd be."

Leaning his elbow on the table and resting his chin in his hand, Pacey just looks at me. And smiles. I swear to God, if I end up giggling, I'm just leaving. I'm just going to get up and go. It's bad enough that I'm beginning to blush like crazy.

"I hate you."

"Is that so?"

"Yes," I sniff daintily, taking a sip of my water. Too bad I can't splash some on my face. "So, Audrey, who's your new friend?"

"Huh?" She looks confused for a moment, and then a light visibly flips on upstairs. "Oh! You mean that guy back there?"

Dawson laughs disbelievingly. "How many friends did you make on the way back from the bathroom? Is there a reason it took you so long to join us?"

Audrey tosses her hair over her shoulder and offers him a broad, fake smile. "Listen, sweetie, this might be something of a shocker for ya, but you make more friends when you use deodorant with a fair amount of regularity."

"Ooh!" Pacey mimics her, then stops and shakes his head. "Wait, I was gonna follow that up with 'burn', but I actually managed to graduate from high school."

Rolling her eyes, Jen joins in the fun. "You're not nearly as cute as you think you are, Pace."

"God help us all if he was," I point out, breathing a deep sigh of mock relief.

"Where is Jack? Dawson and I shouldn't have to deal with the three of you alone."

"Off fraternizing with his frat buddies. He said that he couldn't get out of . . . I don't know, a house party or something," Jen answers, and not without a touch of bitterness in her voice.

"So he just ditched us to hang out with his beer-guzzling, fun-loving brethren?" I ask, trying not to sound too irritated with Jack, because I understand that he wants to make new friends and all that. But he just emailed me the other day, telling me how much he'd love to see me, that he's missed me. Apparantly, not any more than he misses his beer.

"He did ask me to make his apologies. Especially to you, Jo," she adds. "He wanted me to tell you that he hasn't forgotten your plans to hang out next week, and that he's well aware that his status as Favorite Ex-Boyfriend is in serious danger of slipping to Pacey."

Not surprisingly, Pacey himself is the first to comment. "I was under the impression that I've already won that particular honor. Isn't that what you said last week when I came and picked you up and hauled you and every article of clothing you own to the Laundromat?"

"Hey," Dawson pipes up. "Am I even in the running for that?

"No," I answer him, my embarrassment not at all helped by Audrey's barely-restrained laughter.

To Pacey, I say, "You must have misheard me. Jack is my favorite, and until either one of you go guy-watching with me, he'll remain my favorite."

"Keep in mind, Jo, that you and I have participated in other, much more pleasurable activi-"

"Jen, how's your radio show doing?" I cut him off, focusing my attention on her. "I've caught it a few times, but last fall I had a class while it was on."

"It's going great," she smiles. "They pay me to give relationship advice to strangers over the radio and play whatever music I want. I've even managed to keep my New Year's resolution so far, too."

"Which was . . . ?"

"To not reveal much of my notorious New York past and wind up crying on-air." Grinning, she gives me a sarcastic thumbs-up. "So far, so good."

"At least you chose an attainable goal," Audrey comments. "I mean, I made my resolution while I was deep in the throes of throwing up on New Year's Afternoon when I woke up."

Pacey takes a wild stab in the dark. "No more drinking?"

"And that lasted a whole three days," she admits. "But you know, I've always made ridiculous resolutions. Last year, I resolved to not only focus on school, but to leave the boys alone to concentrate. I met a boy at lunch and went out with him that night."

"My resolution last year was practically the opposite," I tell her. "I'd always made the best grades possible, and with only a semester to go I resolved to not obsess about schoolwork and focus on the boys. Well, one boy in particular, and well . . . everyone knows how that worked out."

The table is quiet for a moment, and everyone who isn't staring uncomfortably at their plate is glancing from me to Pacey and back again. Why did I even open my mouth?

Finally, Audrey asks, "What was your resolution this year? I know you told me, but I don't really let things like information ruin my sparkling personality."

She knows exactly what it was, but it's sweet of her to break the awkward silence. "I, uh, I basically resolved to make new friends and start enjoying my life."

"I think I'm offended," Dawson says, but it's clear he's only teasing. "Just please, promise me that you're not going to make so many new friends that you forget us."

"I understand the whole 'one is silver and the other is gold" concept, thanks," I answer, laughing when he wipes his brow in exaggerated relief. "I'm just saying, I've let so much crap from high school linger on for far too long. I haven't really explored what Boston has to offer me."

"That's nice and all, but really, which one am I?" Audrey asks, and I can't even tell if she's serious. "Gold or silver?"

"What?" I ask, laughing.

"Gold or silver?" she repeats, enunciating clearly. "I mean, I realize you share some kind of bond with everyone else at the table. You and Dawson swam around that little creek until you got boobs and turned the world on with your half-smile. Or is it 'swum'?"

"Swam, I think," Jen offers. "Although both 'swam' and 'swum' sound slightly dirty."

"They kinda do, don't they?" Audrey agrees, then turns back to me. "Anyway, you and Jen have this psychotic love/hate friendship, with boy-swapping thrown in for extra fun, and that's a bond you'll have for life. Obviously, she's gold."

"Obviously." Jen sticks her tongue out at the overjoyed tone in my voice.

"And then there's Pacey," Audrey goes on, and my stomach settles in my shoes. "Gold, clearly. And don't look at me like that, I'm not about to embarrass you by bringing up the various, heart-stealing reasons."

I don't even have to look at him to know that he's grinning like an ass. "Is there a point, Audrey?"

"The point is that while I may in fact be a new friend, I am not silver."

"No, you're not," I agree, shaking my head. "In my heart of heart's, Audrey, you're definitely fool's gold."

"Cheap, fake, guaranteed to turn your skin green?" Audrey thinks about this for a moment before shrugging. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

Dawson looks toward the back of the restaurant, where people are bustling around the open kitchen. "When is our food going to be ready?" he asks.

"You just ate a sandwich an hour ago, Dawson," Jen laughs, sneaking her arm through his and kissing his cheek. "They look kind of harried back there, anyway, so quit your bitching."

As much as I shouldn't care that they're together, and even though I know I'm not in love with Dawson . . . when he glances at her with his heart in his eyes, I flinch and have to look away.

Right into Pacey's watchful eyes.


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