Author's Note: OMG it's another chapter! Already! Hey, I warned you I would be updating more regularly! Did that sound right? Ah well, here we go!
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1
Rating: PG-13 for adult themes, coarse language, and slash references
Chapter 10:
It had been a month since Katie had gotten out of hospital, and two weeks since she and Charlie had gone out with JT and Paul. All four of them had enjoyed it so much they were gong out again that nigh. Well, three of them really enjoyed it. Katie could tell that Charlie wasn't totally comfortable around Paul or JT, not because of the gay thing but because he didn't know them.
These were the thoughts running through Katie's mind when Charlie sat down next to her at lunch. He had managed to be silent for almost a minute before he just couldn't stand it anymore.
"Aren't you talking to me?" He asked impatiently.
She glanced at him. "I thought you would've lasted longer than a minute, I mean really," she joked.
Charlie was going to reply but stopped. He looked closely at her face, in particular her let eye.
"What happened?" He asked quietly, not wanting to draw attention to them.
Katie shook her head. "Nothing."
Charlie leant closer and spoke to her softly but firmly. "Katie, don't lie to me. OK? I deserve better than that." He took her hand in his own, comfortingly. "Did he do that to you?"
Katie bit her lip and nodded. She looked down, not wanting Charlie to see the tears starting to well in her eyes.
"I have to go," she muttered, pulling her hand away and running out of the cafeteria. She prayed he wouldn't come after her, his kind sympathy was too much for her to handle at the moment. She walked into her room and slammed the door shut. Flopping down onto her bed, she sighed to herself. Hen had things gotten so complicated? She couldn't understand why she was so upset, she should have been grateful. Her father had gone easy on her, just a bruise on her shoulder and a black eye, which by now she could cover both up pretty easily.
Unconsciously she shook her hand, the one Charlie had been holding. Her heart twinged as she realised this, and she registered that she missed the feel of him touching her. But it was useless, she reminded herself, he didn't love her like that. He never would, she sighed resignedly. She'd be much better off if she stopped dwelling on what would never happen, and moved on. There were plenty of attractive guys out there, she could probably have any of THEM that she wanted.
~*~*~
Charlie slammed the locker room door behind him. Coach Orien had kept him behind for a few minutes after practise, asked him if there was a reason he was so distracted that afternoon. There was, but Charlie hadn't told him, he'd just promised to try harder. Coach, although disbelieving, had let him go.
He changed out of his hockey gear quickly, and was out the door again, but this time running into Adam. Charlie had forgotten he'd promised to help look for a present for Adam's girlfriend Michelle's birthday.
~*~*~
"Can I ask you a really strange question?" Charlie asked around his burger. They had been shopping for an hour and a half, and Adam hadn't even thought about Michelle's present yet, or so Charlie thought. They'd been in all the sports stores, not that Charlie was complaining or anything.
"What is it?" Adam asked, trying but unable to prepare himself for whatever Charlie was going to ask him.
"Would you say I'm more like Dawson or Pacey?"
Adam choked on his drink. "What?"
"Would you say I'm more like Dawson or Pacey?"
"What t he hell kind of question is that?"
Charlie sighed. "Well, Katie said we're like Dawson and Joey, you know like best friends but if it's more it screws up?"
Adam nodded, he knew enough about the show to follow what Charlie was saying.
"Well," Charlie continued she also said that Pacey and Joey are gonna fall for one another. So do you think I'm more of a Dawson or a Pacey?"
"This means that Katie is a Joey?" Adam questioned, and when Charlie nodded he commented. "Funny, coz I always thought she was more like a Jen."
"Yeah, real funny man," Charlie glared at him.
"OK, you really wanna know what I think? I think you like Katie," Adam told him seriously.
"What? Uh, yeah, sure man. I don't like her! What are you, crazy or something? We're just friends, God!" Charlie rambled.
Adam just smiled and nodded. He glanced at his watch. "Come on we gotta go."
~*~*~
Charlie tentatively sat down next to Katie in Maths the next day.
She glanced up at him "Hey."
"He."
"I'm sorry about yesterday, it's just-"
"Don't worry about it, it's ok."
Katie smiled. "Are you sure?"
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Are you gonna ask me that Every Single Time I tell you that something's ok?"
She nodded. "Mhm totally." She smiled at Portman as he walked in and took his place next to Charlie.
"So how was your practise?" Katie asked as Mrs Bryant walked in and immediately shushed them.
It was about halfway through the lesson when Charlie handed her a note under the table. She glanced curiously at him out of the corner of her eye before looking down and reading,
"Would you say I'm more o a Dawson or a Pacey?"
Katie's face scrunched up in confusion, but she decided not to worry about it until after class when she could ask him what he meant.
"Ask me at lunch," she wrote, and handed it back discreetly.
~*~*~
"So," Katie started once they were settled at lunch, "what was it that you were asking me?"
"Oh yeah," Charlie replied, taking a large bite out of his sandwich. "Would you say I'm more of a Dawson or a Pacey?"
Katie winced. If there was one thing she couldn't stand it was seeing chewed-up food, especially when it was in someone's mouth.
Charlie swallowed. "Sorry. Would you say I'm more of a Dawson or a Pacey?"
Katie shrugged. "How do you mean?"
"Like in everything."
"I don't know. How would I know?"
Charlie looked at her as though it was obvious. "You can't be serious. Come on, it's like your religion!"
Katie chuckled, it was true. She hadn't ever missed an episode., and she frequently skipped his practises so she could watch it and tape it without the ads.
"So?" She challenged.
"So," he replied immediately, "you would know the characters better than the writers and the people that play them. You KNOW them. Which, once again, leads me to my question - would you say I'm more like a Pacey or a Dawson?" He looked at her expectantly.
"Uh," she stalled. "Well, I'd say you're more of a Pacey. You definitely look more like him." She offered.
"Ok, why would you say I'm more of a Pacey?" He asked, not angrily or accusingly but more plain curiosity.
"Well like I said you look like him," she tried. "Well its true, but I guess it's because I'm not a huge fan of Dawson. He annoys the hell outta me - he's whiney and he whinges and he's lame. And you're more like Pacey coz you're not like that. You've had to make it yourself, you know? You're independent, and although you don' admit it you need love and nurturing and most of all acceptance of who you are." She smiled softly at him. "That answer your question?"
He nodded slowly. Her words rang true in his mind. "Well, uh, who would you say you are?"
She laughed. "Me? Well I definitely used to be Jen, or Jen how she was in New York, but now I'd like to think of myself as a Joey. Yu know, intent on getting good grades, rarely does anything bad, trying to keep her name clean if you now what I mean," Katie smiled sadly.
Charlie nodded. "Yeah. Yeah I know what you mean."
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1
Rating: PG-13 for adult themes, coarse language, and slash references
Chapter 10:
It had been a month since Katie had gotten out of hospital, and two weeks since she and Charlie had gone out with JT and Paul. All four of them had enjoyed it so much they were gong out again that nigh. Well, three of them really enjoyed it. Katie could tell that Charlie wasn't totally comfortable around Paul or JT, not because of the gay thing but because he didn't know them.
These were the thoughts running through Katie's mind when Charlie sat down next to her at lunch. He had managed to be silent for almost a minute before he just couldn't stand it anymore.
"Aren't you talking to me?" He asked impatiently.
She glanced at him. "I thought you would've lasted longer than a minute, I mean really," she joked.
Charlie was going to reply but stopped. He looked closely at her face, in particular her let eye.
"What happened?" He asked quietly, not wanting to draw attention to them.
Katie shook her head. "Nothing."
Charlie leant closer and spoke to her softly but firmly. "Katie, don't lie to me. OK? I deserve better than that." He took her hand in his own, comfortingly. "Did he do that to you?"
Katie bit her lip and nodded. She looked down, not wanting Charlie to see the tears starting to well in her eyes.
"I have to go," she muttered, pulling her hand away and running out of the cafeteria. She prayed he wouldn't come after her, his kind sympathy was too much for her to handle at the moment. She walked into her room and slammed the door shut. Flopping down onto her bed, she sighed to herself. Hen had things gotten so complicated? She couldn't understand why she was so upset, she should have been grateful. Her father had gone easy on her, just a bruise on her shoulder and a black eye, which by now she could cover both up pretty easily.
Unconsciously she shook her hand, the one Charlie had been holding. Her heart twinged as she realised this, and she registered that she missed the feel of him touching her. But it was useless, she reminded herself, he didn't love her like that. He never would, she sighed resignedly. She'd be much better off if she stopped dwelling on what would never happen, and moved on. There were plenty of attractive guys out there, she could probably have any of THEM that she wanted.
~*~*~
Charlie slammed the locker room door behind him. Coach Orien had kept him behind for a few minutes after practise, asked him if there was a reason he was so distracted that afternoon. There was, but Charlie hadn't told him, he'd just promised to try harder. Coach, although disbelieving, had let him go.
He changed out of his hockey gear quickly, and was out the door again, but this time running into Adam. Charlie had forgotten he'd promised to help look for a present for Adam's girlfriend Michelle's birthday.
~*~*~
"Can I ask you a really strange question?" Charlie asked around his burger. They had been shopping for an hour and a half, and Adam hadn't even thought about Michelle's present yet, or so Charlie thought. They'd been in all the sports stores, not that Charlie was complaining or anything.
"What is it?" Adam asked, trying but unable to prepare himself for whatever Charlie was going to ask him.
"Would you say I'm more like Dawson or Pacey?"
Adam choked on his drink. "What?"
"Would you say I'm more like Dawson or Pacey?"
"What t he hell kind of question is that?"
Charlie sighed. "Well, Katie said we're like Dawson and Joey, you know like best friends but if it's more it screws up?"
Adam nodded, he knew enough about the show to follow what Charlie was saying.
"Well," Charlie continued she also said that Pacey and Joey are gonna fall for one another. So do you think I'm more of a Dawson or a Pacey?"
"This means that Katie is a Joey?" Adam questioned, and when Charlie nodded he commented. "Funny, coz I always thought she was more like a Jen."
"Yeah, real funny man," Charlie glared at him.
"OK, you really wanna know what I think? I think you like Katie," Adam told him seriously.
"What? Uh, yeah, sure man. I don't like her! What are you, crazy or something? We're just friends, God!" Charlie rambled.
Adam just smiled and nodded. He glanced at his watch. "Come on we gotta go."
~*~*~
Charlie tentatively sat down next to Katie in Maths the next day.
She glanced up at him "Hey."
"He."
"I'm sorry about yesterday, it's just-"
"Don't worry about it, it's ok."
Katie smiled. "Are you sure?"
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Are you gonna ask me that Every Single Time I tell you that something's ok?"
She nodded. "Mhm totally." She smiled at Portman as he walked in and took his place next to Charlie.
"So how was your practise?" Katie asked as Mrs Bryant walked in and immediately shushed them.
It was about halfway through the lesson when Charlie handed her a note under the table. She glanced curiously at him out of the corner of her eye before looking down and reading,
"Would you say I'm more o a Dawson or a Pacey?"
Katie's face scrunched up in confusion, but she decided not to worry about it until after class when she could ask him what he meant.
"Ask me at lunch," she wrote, and handed it back discreetly.
~*~*~
"So," Katie started once they were settled at lunch, "what was it that you were asking me?"
"Oh yeah," Charlie replied, taking a large bite out of his sandwich. "Would you say I'm more of a Dawson or a Pacey?"
Katie winced. If there was one thing she couldn't stand it was seeing chewed-up food, especially when it was in someone's mouth.
Charlie swallowed. "Sorry. Would you say I'm more of a Dawson or a Pacey?"
Katie shrugged. "How do you mean?"
"Like in everything."
"I don't know. How would I know?"
Charlie looked at her as though it was obvious. "You can't be serious. Come on, it's like your religion!"
Katie chuckled, it was true. She hadn't ever missed an episode., and she frequently skipped his practises so she could watch it and tape it without the ads.
"So?" She challenged.
"So," he replied immediately, "you would know the characters better than the writers and the people that play them. You KNOW them. Which, once again, leads me to my question - would you say I'm more like a Pacey or a Dawson?" He looked at her expectantly.
"Uh," she stalled. "Well, I'd say you're more of a Pacey. You definitely look more like him." She offered.
"Ok, why would you say I'm more of a Pacey?" He asked, not angrily or accusingly but more plain curiosity.
"Well like I said you look like him," she tried. "Well its true, but I guess it's because I'm not a huge fan of Dawson. He annoys the hell outta me - he's whiney and he whinges and he's lame. And you're more like Pacey coz you're not like that. You've had to make it yourself, you know? You're independent, and although you don' admit it you need love and nurturing and most of all acceptance of who you are." She smiled softly at him. "That answer your question?"
He nodded slowly. Her words rang true in his mind. "Well, uh, who would you say you are?"
She laughed. "Me? Well I definitely used to be Jen, or Jen how she was in New York, but now I'd like to think of myself as a Joey. Yu know, intent on getting good grades, rarely does anything bad, trying to keep her name clean if you now what I mean," Katie smiled sadly.
Charlie nodded. "Yeah. Yeah I know what you mean."