Part Two
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Beth piled even more stuff out of Bessie's into her shopping bag.
"I don't see why I have to carry all the heavy stuff."
"Because you're young and nubile."
"I'm not. I'm extremely weak and unfit."
"Then this is good exercise. And I don't see what gives you the right to complain. You're the one that wanted to walk."
"I'm just fed up of driving everywhere. I thought you could walk anywhere in a town like this."
"Hang on a second," Bessie looked quickly through her bags, "I've forgotten something. Just wait here a minute."
She dived back into the store. Sighing, Beth dumped her heavy load on the sidewalk and stared at the wall opposite. It was covered by a huge mural. At first not all that impressed, the longer she stared the more she began to see in it. It was obviously inspired by the sea, not really unusual for a town in this locale. Boats, water, people, skies, covered the wall, all mixed and merged within one another. It was quite compelling.
"Sorry about that, Hon," Bessie said as she returned. She looked in the direction of Beth's gaze. "So you're admiring our mural? A local artist did that, for a competition. I think its pretty good. Though I think your Mom could have done better."
"Mom?"
"When she was in high school she did a few murals. Pacey bought her that wall over there as a present."
"Pacey again? He bought her a wall? What kind of guy buys a girl a wall as a present?"
"One that knows her very well, if its Joey."
Beth was quiet, staring at the wall again. The whole town seemed haunted by a past she wasn't a part of.
"Hey there!"
Beth turned, her vision focusing on Jackson Witter's face. "Oh my God!"
Bessie stared at her niece and her startled reaction. So did the young man opposite.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you. I just thought seeing you there, maybe we could try and start off on the right foot today."
"Yeah...sure. Umm, this is my Aunt Bessie," Beth gestured, still a little surprised. It seemed that Jackson as well as his father was destined to haunt her stay. "Bessie, this is Jackson Witter."
Bessie smiled delightedly. "Jackson Witter! Of course! I thought you looked familiar. You were just a kid the last time I saw you. I'm Joey's sister. Oh maybe you don't know Joey, she was - "
" - Yeah, my Uncle filled me in yesterday. When we bumped into Beth at the docks."
"Oh right, right. Well it's great to see you! How's your Dad?"
"He's great, really well. Hopefully he'll be coming down at the end of the summer. We're going sailing." Jackson felt like he *was* a little kid again. 'We're going sailing'. What a stupid line. "Are you okay with those bags, can I help you to the car or something?"
"Oh, Jackson, that's real kind of you but we're walking home. Beth here wasn't keen on driving today."
Jackson smiled and raised his eyebrows. "Really? Well I guess that's the nearest to an admission of guilt I'm going to get."
"Nearest and furthest from," Beth bit in.
Bessie just smiled innocently.
"Look, I drove in, I could drop you back. No offence but I don't think those groceries are going to make it much farther unscathed." Jackson offered.
"That would be great, thank you," Bessie said in relief just as Beth replied;
"No thanks."
Beth glared at her aunt.
"What my niece means is, we couldn't possibly put you to so much trouble."
"No trouble, honestly. I'm just over here."
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"Oh thanks, Jackson, just put them anywhere."
Jackson put down the groceries he had carried into the house.
"So this place is a Bed and Breakfast?" He asked.
"Best in the state!" Bessie said proudly. "Go through, go through, make yourself at home. Beth - show Jackson through to the living room."
Beth reluctantly took him through the house.
"Have I done something to offend you?" He asked her.
"I'm sorry?"
"Only you've barely said two words to me. The words you have uttered have mostly been negative ones. I wondered if it was something I'd done."
"Other than insult me and ridicule me in public?"
"Oh that!"
"Yes, that!"
"C'mon, that was yesterday. I thought we had a rapport going?"
Beth allowed herself to smile slightly, then shook herself out of it. "Look, I'm sorry, you're probably not as bad as you - up till now - appear to be."
"Thanks."
"But I'm not really interested in getting a rapport going with anyone. I'm fed up of people. That's why I came to this place where it's small enough not to have to speak to anyone."
"Whoah, you haven't been here much have you?" Jackson smiled. "In a small town like this you *have* to talk to people, else everyone else talks about you. That's the only reason I'm making an effort here. Its certainly not *your* winning personality. My Dad told me to try this place, so I said yes. But I am more than happy to leave you alone if that's what you want."
At that moment, Bessie walked in with some drinks.
"Here you go, Jackson. Thanks for all your help."
"No thank you, Ms Potter, I really should get going, I have some errands to run."
He paused as he passed the dresser by the door. There were some photographs laid on top of it.
"This is Dad," he said, picking one of the photos up and looking at Bessie.
"Yes, that's right. With my sister when they were in High school. I was showing them to Beth last night."
"Ohh." He paused for a few moments, looking at them. "They look just like us," he told Beth, holding up to her the photograph he held. Joey and Pacey by the docks.
Then he left.
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Jackson found the old box of his father's things Doug had told him was in the attic. Pulling the lid off, he began to sort through some of the belongings inside. Bumper stickers, clothes, books, pins, and hundreds of photographs. Jackson smiled as he sifted the loose photos through his hands. His father had never been one for albums.
Most of the photos were from when Pacey was in school. The large majority contained Joey and a guy Jackson identified as Dawson Leery. In a pile on their own were those of just Pacey and Joey. It was a large pile. Jackson slowly sifted his way through them.
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It had been a week since Beth had last seen Jackson Witter. It wasn't that she missed him. Not at *all*. But he was the only other young person she had really made contact with so far in her stay. And, although she had wanted to get away from other people, she found that she did miss the interaction of those her own age.
"Why don't you go down to the regatta this afternoon?" Bessie asked her. "It's always packed with kids. If nothing else, it'll get you out of the house."
"Bessie, you don't need to find me things to do. I'm perfectly capable of doing that myself."
"Oh really? That's why you've barely moved off the couch in the past week? C'mon, go out, you might meet Jackson Witter again."
"Jackson Witter? Why would I want to meet him? That's a reason *not* to go if you ask me."
"Beth, I refuse to understand why you don't want to get to know that boy. You're both down here alone for the summer; both bored out of your brains from what Doug Witter tells me. So you had a bad start, so what? That's no reason to cast him adrift."
"Bessie, I refuse to understand why we *have* to be friends just because our parents were. We didn't just have *a* bad start, but several bad starts. We're not compatible. We don't mesh well. And we're not Joey and Pacey."
Bessie sighed at her young niece. She knew where that stubbornness came from.
"No-one's saying you are," she pacified. "I just want you to be happy, that's all. You need to be out doing things, meeting people. If only you'd put your differences aside, you and Jackson might just realise you have a lot in common."
"Yeah, like what?"
"I don't know, like you're both hiding out in Capeside for the summer to get away from a bad relationship?"
Beth swung round.
"What are you talking about?"
"Your Mom told me a little bit about why you're here. Did you think I wouldn't notice how depressed you are? And I did a little digging about Jackson too, turns out he's not been having a great time this year either."
Beth could barely contain her anger. "Just who do you think you are?" she cried. "Why I'm here is my own business - and just for your information there's a little more to it than a 'bad relationship'! And as for Jackson - you have no right to go asking about him, what will people think of us! Especially if you are as misinformed about him as you are your own niece!"
She stormed towards the door. Bessie called out after her. "I have a right to know what's going on, Beth! I want to help. Now where are you going?"
"To the regatta! Who knows, maybe I'll meet some nice Capeside boy who'll solve all my problems for me!"
The door slammed shut behind her.
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Jackson Witter strolled slowly along the dockside, sucking a Popsicle. He was idly watching a group of Capeside High cheerleaders who were entertaining the masses. He had no intention of speaking to any of them. In fact, the only person his age he'd had any contact with was Beth Andersson and he hadn't seen her for days. He stared blankly at a particularly pretty brunette twirling a baton, when someone came up behind him.
"Window shopping?" she asked.
Jackson turned round to see Beth staring at him, one eyebrow raised.
"Thinking about a purchase - but I really like to try before I buy."
She grimaced. "Oh please."
"Well you did ask."
She was looking at him carefully. Much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't help wondering about what Bessie had said. Was he hiding out in Capeside like she was? He didn't look too happy - but that could be normal for all she knew.
"So what brings you out the house on this lovely sunny afternoon?" he queried. "I'd have thought all these happy smiling faces would be too much for you."
"You can talk, toots"
"Actually I was considering the idea of running the hell away, before this small-town cheeriness gets stuck in my throat. Care to join me?"
Beth stared at him. "What? Go somewhere with you?"
"Well I don't exactly see many other offers lining up, but I'm not going to force you."
Beth looked around, from the cheerleaders to the face painting to the little kiddies laughing. "Ok, lets' get out of here."
He smiled at her. "That's my girl!"
She glared at him.
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"So whereabouts do you come from?" Beth asked, as they walked along a quiet stretch of beach.
"California - Palo Alto to be precise."
"That's quite a way away, didn't you want to stay there for the summer?"
"I didn't really care, I guess. My Dad's going to be away from home a lot over the summer working - he thought it'd be better if I came to stay with Uncle Doug."
"And your friends - you won't see them the whole summer?"
"You know, we haven't talked about you very much," Jackson said, changing the subject. "I know you come from Boston, but why are you here for the summer?"
"Does it really matter?"
"Ahh." Said Jackson.
"Ahh, what?"
"It obviously does matter, to you. Got some deep dark secret hidden away there?"
"Probably not as interesting as yours, I suspect. Tell me about your friends again?"
"Alright, touché. We've both got secrets. Question is, will you tell me yours if I tell you mine?"
Beth didn't say anything, but looked uncomfortable.
"Look, it's alright, you don't have to. But maybe you'll feel better afterwards, heh? I know I've been feeling pretty miserable so far this summer. How much worse can it get? And look at the benefits - I'm a complete stranger and if it's all too weird we can pretend it all never happened afterwards."
"Like some kind of dodgy one-night-stand?"
Jackson smiled. "Hey - whatever works for you! So what do you say?"
Beth took a deep breath. ""Well, I say - you first."
"Chicken. All right. What do you want to know?"
"Whatever you want to tell me - this is your time."
"Ha ha. Okay well, it's all pretty boring I'm afraid. It just so happened that I used to have a very lovely girlfriend. She was beautiful and clever and why she was interested in me I'll never know."
"Preaching to the choir here, baby."
"Don't interrupt!"
"I'm sorry."
"Okay, well, as I say, she was great and we were happy - or at least I was. But then one day it all goes horribly wrong when she comes to me, happy as anything, to tell me she's fallen in love with my best friend, and aren't I happy for her! Happy! I'd like to strangle them both. So after punching him on the nose and making a big fool of myself in front of everyone I know, I decided Capeside might not be the most stupid idea in the world."
"So you are hiding."
"Damn straight. Wouldn't you?"
"Probably," she sighed. "I'm sorry, Jackson. That's a really crappy thing to happen."
He shrugged, embarrassed a little now she knew. "Yeah, well… Don't get too compassionate on me - its weird."
"I can be nice, you know. I don't have to be an cold-hearted ice queen all the time!" She was angry now, and showing it. She walked ahead of him slightly, rubbing her arms in the breeze.
Jackson caught her up. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. I do like this… this banter thing we have. It's normal. You don't treat me like some wounded dog like my friends' back home. I appreciate it. And I'd like to return the favour. If there's anything you'd like to talk about - I promise I won't make stupid comments!"
She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Okay, I'll try not to make stupid comments. Look - you're cold. Take my jacket."
Hesitating slightly, she accepted his offer, the jacket warm about her cool shoulders. She looked down at her feet. "It's not easy," she said quietly. "To talk about, I mean."
"It's okay," he said softly, encouragingly.
"A… well, a friend of mine, he died recently. He was in my class at school; I've known him a long time. He… he committed suicide." Her voice wobbled slightly. Jackson gripped her arm gently. "It's just... it's been really hard to get over. When I'm at home, I just keep going over and over things. I thought getting away, coming here, it might help, but…" she trailed off.
"When did it happen?" He asked gently.
"Nearly a year ago now," she answered.
"You said a friend. Was he -?"
She raised a hand to silence him. "Please. That's enough isn't it?"
He smiled softly at her, and to Beth the look was both reassuring and comforting.
"That's plenty."
They walked along the beach together, not talking but each was glad the other one was there.
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Beth found her Aunt on the porch, reading her magazine.
"Aunt Bessie?"
Her aunt looked up, Beth couldn't tell if she was still upset or not.
"I'm sorry about earlier. About the way I reacted, I mean. I should never have shouted at you. I know I haven't been much fun to live with lately, only I - "
" - It's okay, Beth," her aunt interrupted. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have pried into your business. I was just worried about you, that's all. Come here."
Beth sat down next to Bessie as she put her arm about her niece. "I won't ask any more questions, I promise. But I'm always here, okay? If you need to talk? It might make things better."
Beth smiled and nodded.
"And I'm sorry about going on about Jackson Witter too," her aunt continued. "I just felt sorry for the boy, that's all, and I thought you might be some company for each other."
"We-ell" Beth mused, "he might not be quite as bad as I thought at first."
"Oh no?" Bessie laughed. "Don't tell me you're friends now?"
"Well I wouldn't go that far!" Beth laughed too. The first proper laugh in weeks. "But I wouldn't rule it out!"
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To be continued… Please Read/Review (I think Bessie is turning into Grams!)