The Next Day
The rapping of knuckles on the front drop tore Doug Witter from his sleep. He woke up confused and had trouble gathering his thoughts. The loud knocks were like drums to his eardrums. Doug growled and looked at his alarm clock. It was 7:34 in the morning on a Sunday. Doug couldn't believe it. You've got some nerve, whoever the hell you are, thought Doug in anger.
The knocking continued but Doug chose to ignore it. He took a pillow and scrunched it over his head, so to drowned out the knocking. But suddenly, the knocks became louder and more persistent. Doug cursed out loud, threw his pillow across the room, and slid out of bed.
Doug stomped from his bedroom to the front door. The knocking got louder and more annoying.
"Alright dammit, be patient." snapped Doug, as he unlocked the door.
Doug opened the door and stared face to face with his younger brother, Pacey. Pacey was smiling brightly and didn't appear to have a care in the world. Doug growled inwardly and slightly closed the gap in the door, so not to let Pacey in the apartment.
"Hey Dougie, I'm back." proclaimed Pacey happily.
"Oh joy, I'll alert the media." retorted Doug, trying to shut his door.
Pacey's foot quickly slid in between the cracked door, blocking off Doug's attempt to close it.
"Oh come on Dougie, is that any way to greet you're younger brother, who you haven't seen in three months?" replied Pacey with a pouty lip.
"Pacey, what do you want? Do you have any idea of what time it is?"
"Indeed I do Doug, and I'm sorry for the early wake up call but my boat got cold. I need a warm place to crash."
"Forget it!" shot Doug, trying harder to shut the door.
Pacey's wedged his foot in further and Doug was really starting to get annoyed.
"My God Pacey, you haven't been back a day yet and you're already a thorn in my ass."
"Well some things never change. So what do you say? I can stay?"
"NO!" yelled Doug, pushing harder against the door.
"But Doug, I come bearing gifts." replied Pacey, fighting against the door.
Doug stopped pushing the door and raised an eyebrow. He looked at Pacey for a moment and a smirk edged across his lips.
"What kind of gifts?' asked Doug.
"Well I don't know Doug but I may have a little something for that Diva CD collection of yours. You'll just have to let me in to find out."
Doug's face crumpled in aggravation. He was tired and didn't feel like fighting with Pacey. He released his block on the door and Pacey quickly eased in. He threw his bag on the couch and plopped down beside it.
"Careful Pacey, that's a eight hundred dollar couch!" growled Doug, heading for the kitchen.
"And worth every penny." replied Pacey, snuggling one of the couch's pillows.
Doug shook his head in mock-annoyance and took a coffee filter from the overhead kitchen cabinet. He put the filter in the coffee machine and filled it with coffee grounds. Doug then poured water into the machine, and pressed the start button. Meanwhile, Pacey yawned and hugged the pillow tighter. He was already starting to doze off but Doug wasn't going to let him get to sleep that easy, not after he woke up him earlier.
"So do mom and dad know you're home?" asked Doug, re-entering the living room.
Pacey opened one eyelid and looked at Doug. He knew right away that Doug was trying to keep him awake.
"Yeah, I called them last night. They told me to stay with you because Gretchen has my room. Which is odd in itself? Shouldn't she be at college right now?"
"Yeah, but she claims she's taking a break. Gretch came back to Capeside a couple of weeks ago and said she couldn't handle school right now." replied Doug, sitting in his living room chair."
"That's strange. Did she say anything else?" asked Pacey, now both eyes open.
"No. She's been keeping to herself mostly. The family suspects something's up but we're not gonna pry."
Pacey nodded tiredly and hugged his pillow again. He was just about to doze off when Doug started talking again.
"So where is that gift you mentioned?" asked Doug with a greedy smile.
Pacey opened his eyes and sighed. He took his bag, which was beside him and tossed it to his older brother. Doug caught it easily and set it on his lap.
"It's in the bottom of my bag." stated Pacey.
Doug unzipped the bag and dug through Pacey's clothes. It didn't take long for him to find a cd at the bottom. Doug took it out and examined the cover.
"Liberatchi's Greatest Hits?" asked Doug, with disgust on his face.
"What? You don't like it?" asked Pacey, with a joking smile.
"You know Pacey, these gay jokes are tired. It's time to move on." stated Doug, throwing the duffle bag at Pacey, hitting him in the face with it.
However Doug kept the cd.
=====/////=====
Joey had just finished hanging up her new clothes. She was tired and decided to get to bed early. Joey dropped onto her bed face first and quickly took her pillow. She was just about to close her eyes but the photograph on her nightstand caught her attention. Joey slowing took the photo. The framed photo was of her, Dawson, Jenn, and Pacey, playing around on the beach. She examined it for several minutes and memories flooded her mind like a tidal wave. Joey remembered a time when Dawson and Pacey had been friends, but that seem like such a long time ago. Both boys had been in love with her and sadly she had become the wedge that kept them from being friends. Joey wiped her thumb across the glass frame and sighed. Maybe this year things will go right, thought Joey hopefully.
It was hard to believe that their group would all be starting their senior year with a distance between them. Joey wasn't sure whom she could talk to without hurting someone else's feelings. She knew that Dawson would be crushed if she spoke with Pacey, not that it really mattered anyway, because Pacey made it painfully obvious that he had nothing to say to her. Over the summer, Joey prayed that Pacey would call her but he never did. They hadn't spoken in three months and it would probably be another three before she had the nerve to initiate a conversation with him. The worst part of it was, tomorrow was the first day of school and Joey knew that she would see Pacey. She wondered and feared of what might happen.
=====/////=====
The water was cold and the great white shark's slick skin tingled. It swam through the water with satisfaction in it's eyes. The shark had just eaten another prey. Another unsuspecting fisherman had been its recent victim and the shark ate hardily. Ironically though the shark was still hungry and searched for it's next prey.
To Be Continued...
The rapping of knuckles on the front drop tore Doug Witter from his sleep. He woke up confused and had trouble gathering his thoughts. The loud knocks were like drums to his eardrums. Doug growled and looked at his alarm clock. It was 7:34 in the morning on a Sunday. Doug couldn't believe it. You've got some nerve, whoever the hell you are, thought Doug in anger.
The knocking continued but Doug chose to ignore it. He took a pillow and scrunched it over his head, so to drowned out the knocking. But suddenly, the knocks became louder and more persistent. Doug cursed out loud, threw his pillow across the room, and slid out of bed.
Doug stomped from his bedroom to the front door. The knocking got louder and more annoying.
"Alright dammit, be patient." snapped Doug, as he unlocked the door.
Doug opened the door and stared face to face with his younger brother, Pacey. Pacey was smiling brightly and didn't appear to have a care in the world. Doug growled inwardly and slightly closed the gap in the door, so not to let Pacey in the apartment.
"Hey Dougie, I'm back." proclaimed Pacey happily.
"Oh joy, I'll alert the media." retorted Doug, trying to shut his door.
Pacey's foot quickly slid in between the cracked door, blocking off Doug's attempt to close it.
"Oh come on Dougie, is that any way to greet you're younger brother, who you haven't seen in three months?" replied Pacey with a pouty lip.
"Pacey, what do you want? Do you have any idea of what time it is?"
"Indeed I do Doug, and I'm sorry for the early wake up call but my boat got cold. I need a warm place to crash."
"Forget it!" shot Doug, trying harder to shut the door.
Pacey's wedged his foot in further and Doug was really starting to get annoyed.
"My God Pacey, you haven't been back a day yet and you're already a thorn in my ass."
"Well some things never change. So what do you say? I can stay?"
"NO!" yelled Doug, pushing harder against the door.
"But Doug, I come bearing gifts." replied Pacey, fighting against the door.
Doug stopped pushing the door and raised an eyebrow. He looked at Pacey for a moment and a smirk edged across his lips.
"What kind of gifts?' asked Doug.
"Well I don't know Doug but I may have a little something for that Diva CD collection of yours. You'll just have to let me in to find out."
Doug's face crumpled in aggravation. He was tired and didn't feel like fighting with Pacey. He released his block on the door and Pacey quickly eased in. He threw his bag on the couch and plopped down beside it.
"Careful Pacey, that's a eight hundred dollar couch!" growled Doug, heading for the kitchen.
"And worth every penny." replied Pacey, snuggling one of the couch's pillows.
Doug shook his head in mock-annoyance and took a coffee filter from the overhead kitchen cabinet. He put the filter in the coffee machine and filled it with coffee grounds. Doug then poured water into the machine, and pressed the start button. Meanwhile, Pacey yawned and hugged the pillow tighter. He was already starting to doze off but Doug wasn't going to let him get to sleep that easy, not after he woke up him earlier.
"So do mom and dad know you're home?" asked Doug, re-entering the living room.
Pacey opened one eyelid and looked at Doug. He knew right away that Doug was trying to keep him awake.
"Yeah, I called them last night. They told me to stay with you because Gretchen has my room. Which is odd in itself? Shouldn't she be at college right now?"
"Yeah, but she claims she's taking a break. Gretch came back to Capeside a couple of weeks ago and said she couldn't handle school right now." replied Doug, sitting in his living room chair."
"That's strange. Did she say anything else?" asked Pacey, now both eyes open.
"No. She's been keeping to herself mostly. The family suspects something's up but we're not gonna pry."
Pacey nodded tiredly and hugged his pillow again. He was just about to doze off when Doug started talking again.
"So where is that gift you mentioned?" asked Doug with a greedy smile.
Pacey opened his eyes and sighed. He took his bag, which was beside him and tossed it to his older brother. Doug caught it easily and set it on his lap.
"It's in the bottom of my bag." stated Pacey.
Doug unzipped the bag and dug through Pacey's clothes. It didn't take long for him to find a cd at the bottom. Doug took it out and examined the cover.
"Liberatchi's Greatest Hits?" asked Doug, with disgust on his face.
"What? You don't like it?" asked Pacey, with a joking smile.
"You know Pacey, these gay jokes are tired. It's time to move on." stated Doug, throwing the duffle bag at Pacey, hitting him in the face with it.
However Doug kept the cd.
=====/////=====
Joey had just finished hanging up her new clothes. She was tired and decided to get to bed early. Joey dropped onto her bed face first and quickly took her pillow. She was just about to close her eyes but the photograph on her nightstand caught her attention. Joey slowing took the photo. The framed photo was of her, Dawson, Jenn, and Pacey, playing around on the beach. She examined it for several minutes and memories flooded her mind like a tidal wave. Joey remembered a time when Dawson and Pacey had been friends, but that seem like such a long time ago. Both boys had been in love with her and sadly she had become the wedge that kept them from being friends. Joey wiped her thumb across the glass frame and sighed. Maybe this year things will go right, thought Joey hopefully.
It was hard to believe that their group would all be starting their senior year with a distance between them. Joey wasn't sure whom she could talk to without hurting someone else's feelings. She knew that Dawson would be crushed if she spoke with Pacey, not that it really mattered anyway, because Pacey made it painfully obvious that he had nothing to say to her. Over the summer, Joey prayed that Pacey would call her but he never did. They hadn't spoken in three months and it would probably be another three before she had the nerve to initiate a conversation with him. The worst part of it was, tomorrow was the first day of school and Joey knew that she would see Pacey. She wondered and feared of what might happen.
=====/////=====
The water was cold and the great white shark's slick skin tingled. It swam through the water with satisfaction in it's eyes. The shark had just eaten another prey. Another unsuspecting fisherman had been its recent victim and the shark ate hardily. Ironically though the shark was still hungry and searched for it's next prey.
To Be Continued...