Ben was on his way back outside with a plastic cup full of ice water to
take to Amy when Andrew pushed past him, bumping him roughly with his
shoulder as he went. Some of the water sloshed out of the cup and onto the
floor. Startled, Ben turned to watch as Andrew stormed out the front door,
slamming it behind him.
"What happened?" Jessie asked, suddenly appearing next to Ben and staring after Andrew.
"Hell if I know," Ben said. "Amy's outside; I need to go check on her."
Jessie raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh yeah?"
He rolled his eyes. "It's not what you think," he assured her, repressing a glimmer of hope that her suspicions might be true. "She doesn't feel well."
"All right, well, tell her I'm here if she needs me," Jessie said. "And Ben," she called after him as he started away. "Watch your step. You know how Amy and Andy are, always up and down. This isn't the time to interfere."
"Come on, Jess. Give me a little credit!"
Amy was lying on her back on the lounge chair, staring up at the star- sprinkled sky, when Ben returned with the water.
"How are you feeling?" he asked tentatively, holding the cup out to her.
She didn't take it. "I've been better."
He nodded and waited for her to go on. When she didn't, he said, "Do you want me to take you home?"
"No, that's all right. I'm actually pretty drunk still. The last thing I need is to get in more trouble. And if YOU brought me home..."
"Oh, right. I keep forgetting that Sheriff Doug is out for my blood."
She smiled weakly. "It's not funny. He really is." She sighed. "Andy left, didn't he?"
Ben nodded. "I'm assuming I had more than a little to do with that."
"No, it's not your fault. It's mine. I knew this would happen, Ben. I knew it! Once you cross that line from friendship into more than that, there's no going back. And if it turns bad, that's just something you risk. I risked it, and I shouldn't have. Now I've lost him."
Ben suppressed that glimmer of hope again and tried to resume his role as the supportive friend. That was hard sometimes when he was with her, like now, when the moonlight was glowing silver in her silky hair and on her smooth skin, when her clear blue eyes were fixed on his and he saw the pain in them. More than anything he wanted to fix it, he wanted to hold her and make her let go of the moment, of Andrew. Andrew, who didn't really deserve her, who had never understood or appreciated the treasure he had. Not the way Ben could.
"It can't be that bad, Lindley," he said, forcing his eyes away from her when he realized how tempted he was to lean down and kiss her.
"No? I wish it wasn't. All we do anymore is fight, Ben. I used to be able to tell him everything, and now I find myself keeping things from him just because he feels obligated to know them. It makes me mad, that he feels entitled to my thoughts, to my life. I sometimes resent him for it. What does that say about me?"
"That you're trying to get used to being in your first serious relationship. That your relationship is finding its place in the scope of your friendship. I'm sure it's normal, Lindley."
She laughed humorlessly. "Nothing about Andy and me as a couple is normal, Ben. We've had months to figure out how to do this, and we can't seem to do it right. Maybe I should have taken my cue from Aunt Joey. She and Dawson tried the same thing, more than once, and it never worked out for them. Maybe it's not supposed to work. Maybe friends should stay just friends forever, or you screw up everything. That's why Dad and my mom's friendship was so great. They never tried to be anything more to each other than friends." She sat up in the chair and finally took the cup of water from Ben, draining half of it in several huge gulps. "Thanks," she said, looking up at him with a piercing stare that made his heartbeat speed up. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Ben."
There was suddenly a tension in the air as they looked at each other. Amy stood up and put her arms around him, squeezing him tightly. Ben swallowed hard as he held her, willing his heart to slow down. This was getting dangerous. Her hair smelled so sweet, and his desire to kiss her was much stronger. He knew she would kiss him back, that she wanted him to...
He pulled away gently. "You're drunk, Lindley," he said softly, squeezing her hands. "You're drunk, and I'm not going to take advantage of that. What kind of friend would I be if I did?"
She looked at the ground for several long moments. "I'm so sorry, Ben," she said.
"Why are you apologizing? There's nothing for you to be sorry for."
"Yes, there is. I hurt you before, when I made my choice. And I think that could have been avoided. If I had been just a little stronger, if I had been able to see the big picture, I could have spared you that."
Ben shut his eyes tightly. He knew where she was going with this, but he had to stop her. He didn't want to hear anymore, didn't want to turn back the clock and go through the whole ugly mess again. He'd finally put it behind him, come to terms with losing her and losing Andrew's friendship, and here she was, digging at the place where he'd buried it.
"Stop," he said. "Let's not do this, not when the alcohol is talking for you."
"But Ben, it's true. You know it is, you've known all along."
"Lindley, please..."
"I was so scared of losing him, but it's happening anyway, and now no one is happy. I could have prevented this. He would have gotten over it. I messed everything up by trying to make everything all right."
"Amy, stop it! I don't want to hear this right now, dammit." Ben stepped away from her.
She stopped and stared at him, surprised by the sudden edge in his voice. "So it is too late."
He didn't answer. The sliding glass door opened and a group of laughing, chattering girls emerged from the party inside, breaking the silence between the two standing by the pool.
"I shouldn't have said anything. Forget that I did."
He laughed. "Easier said than done, Lindley." His heart was aching with the need to hear the rest of what she would have said, but he knew this wasn't real, this was just her alcohol-induced confusion over a fight with her boyfriend. He couldn't allow himself to believe her when she was like this, as much as he wanted to.
"Look, uh, I think I've had enough of the party atmosphere. I'm going to go now," Amy said, doing her best to sound casual.
Ben caught her hand impulsively. "Don't do that. Let me drive you."
-------------------------------------
Joey was just dozing off on the couch, her head in Pacey's lap, when the phone rang. He picked it up and frowned at the caller ID window before answering. "Hello? Oh, Aim. What's up, doll?" He listened for a few moments, then said, "Okay, slow down. What happened?"
Joey sat up, yawning and running a hand through her tangled dark hair. She squinted at the clock and saw that it was after one in the morning. The abominable movie Pacey had picked out was still droning on and on, flickering dizzyingly in the darkened living room. No wonder she had fallen asleep. Pacey's taste in movies was criminal. You'd think after all these years, Dawson might have imparted a little of his cinematic taste on his friend, but no. Every single weekend, Pacey subjected his wife to yet another dud in an endless line of...
Wait...it was after one! Amy never called this late. Amy shouldn't even be up this late.
Suddenly alert, Joey mouthed to Pacey, "What's wrong?" He held his hand up to her, still listening.
"But you're both all right? You're sure? Okay, just hang tight. I'll be there in five minutes...what? Amy, they're going to be waiting up for you anyway, you know that. Okay, we won't, but I think it's a lost cause." He sighed heavily as he hung up and tossed the receiver onto the couch. "Well, I'm off to get our darling niece out of jail."
"What?"
"She and Ben Chambers were in a car accident." When Joey gasped, he hurried on. "No, no, they're fine...but if you can believe it, the car they rear- ended was a police cruiser. It was Deputy Johnson. He gave Ben a breathalyzer, and he didn't pass, and she's not exactly sober herself. So now they're in the drunk tank. Amy somehow convinced Johnson to let her call us instead of Jack and Doug. Man, she's lucky Doug's not on duty tonight!"
"Well, shouldn't we call and let them know she's okay?"
"She's given me strict orders not to tell them anything. If they call, tell them she's fine and that I'm bringing her home. Otherwise, I'm going to let her deal with it herself."
Joey nodded. "Poor thing. They're going to kill her."
"Probably." He leaned down to kiss his wife. "But I feel sorrier for Jack. Do you know how glad I am that J.D. was a boy? I don't think I'm equipped to deal with daughter problems."
"That's a sexist statement, Witter. Regardless of gender, I'm sure John Dawson will give us enough to deal with. Teenagers are teenagers, remember? Now hurry up and get that girl out of jail. I'm sure she's scared to death."
--------
"What happened?" Jessie asked, suddenly appearing next to Ben and staring after Andrew.
"Hell if I know," Ben said. "Amy's outside; I need to go check on her."
Jessie raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh yeah?"
He rolled his eyes. "It's not what you think," he assured her, repressing a glimmer of hope that her suspicions might be true. "She doesn't feel well."
"All right, well, tell her I'm here if she needs me," Jessie said. "And Ben," she called after him as he started away. "Watch your step. You know how Amy and Andy are, always up and down. This isn't the time to interfere."
"Come on, Jess. Give me a little credit!"
Amy was lying on her back on the lounge chair, staring up at the star- sprinkled sky, when Ben returned with the water.
"How are you feeling?" he asked tentatively, holding the cup out to her.
She didn't take it. "I've been better."
He nodded and waited for her to go on. When she didn't, he said, "Do you want me to take you home?"
"No, that's all right. I'm actually pretty drunk still. The last thing I need is to get in more trouble. And if YOU brought me home..."
"Oh, right. I keep forgetting that Sheriff Doug is out for my blood."
She smiled weakly. "It's not funny. He really is." She sighed. "Andy left, didn't he?"
Ben nodded. "I'm assuming I had more than a little to do with that."
"No, it's not your fault. It's mine. I knew this would happen, Ben. I knew it! Once you cross that line from friendship into more than that, there's no going back. And if it turns bad, that's just something you risk. I risked it, and I shouldn't have. Now I've lost him."
Ben suppressed that glimmer of hope again and tried to resume his role as the supportive friend. That was hard sometimes when he was with her, like now, when the moonlight was glowing silver in her silky hair and on her smooth skin, when her clear blue eyes were fixed on his and he saw the pain in them. More than anything he wanted to fix it, he wanted to hold her and make her let go of the moment, of Andrew. Andrew, who didn't really deserve her, who had never understood or appreciated the treasure he had. Not the way Ben could.
"It can't be that bad, Lindley," he said, forcing his eyes away from her when he realized how tempted he was to lean down and kiss her.
"No? I wish it wasn't. All we do anymore is fight, Ben. I used to be able to tell him everything, and now I find myself keeping things from him just because he feels obligated to know them. It makes me mad, that he feels entitled to my thoughts, to my life. I sometimes resent him for it. What does that say about me?"
"That you're trying to get used to being in your first serious relationship. That your relationship is finding its place in the scope of your friendship. I'm sure it's normal, Lindley."
She laughed humorlessly. "Nothing about Andy and me as a couple is normal, Ben. We've had months to figure out how to do this, and we can't seem to do it right. Maybe I should have taken my cue from Aunt Joey. She and Dawson tried the same thing, more than once, and it never worked out for them. Maybe it's not supposed to work. Maybe friends should stay just friends forever, or you screw up everything. That's why Dad and my mom's friendship was so great. They never tried to be anything more to each other than friends." She sat up in the chair and finally took the cup of water from Ben, draining half of it in several huge gulps. "Thanks," she said, looking up at him with a piercing stare that made his heartbeat speed up. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Ben."
There was suddenly a tension in the air as they looked at each other. Amy stood up and put her arms around him, squeezing him tightly. Ben swallowed hard as he held her, willing his heart to slow down. This was getting dangerous. Her hair smelled so sweet, and his desire to kiss her was much stronger. He knew she would kiss him back, that she wanted him to...
He pulled away gently. "You're drunk, Lindley," he said softly, squeezing her hands. "You're drunk, and I'm not going to take advantage of that. What kind of friend would I be if I did?"
She looked at the ground for several long moments. "I'm so sorry, Ben," she said.
"Why are you apologizing? There's nothing for you to be sorry for."
"Yes, there is. I hurt you before, when I made my choice. And I think that could have been avoided. If I had been just a little stronger, if I had been able to see the big picture, I could have spared you that."
Ben shut his eyes tightly. He knew where she was going with this, but he had to stop her. He didn't want to hear anymore, didn't want to turn back the clock and go through the whole ugly mess again. He'd finally put it behind him, come to terms with losing her and losing Andrew's friendship, and here she was, digging at the place where he'd buried it.
"Stop," he said. "Let's not do this, not when the alcohol is talking for you."
"But Ben, it's true. You know it is, you've known all along."
"Lindley, please..."
"I was so scared of losing him, but it's happening anyway, and now no one is happy. I could have prevented this. He would have gotten over it. I messed everything up by trying to make everything all right."
"Amy, stop it! I don't want to hear this right now, dammit." Ben stepped away from her.
She stopped and stared at him, surprised by the sudden edge in his voice. "So it is too late."
He didn't answer. The sliding glass door opened and a group of laughing, chattering girls emerged from the party inside, breaking the silence between the two standing by the pool.
"I shouldn't have said anything. Forget that I did."
He laughed. "Easier said than done, Lindley." His heart was aching with the need to hear the rest of what she would have said, but he knew this wasn't real, this was just her alcohol-induced confusion over a fight with her boyfriend. He couldn't allow himself to believe her when she was like this, as much as he wanted to.
"Look, uh, I think I've had enough of the party atmosphere. I'm going to go now," Amy said, doing her best to sound casual.
Ben caught her hand impulsively. "Don't do that. Let me drive you."
-------------------------------------
Joey was just dozing off on the couch, her head in Pacey's lap, when the phone rang. He picked it up and frowned at the caller ID window before answering. "Hello? Oh, Aim. What's up, doll?" He listened for a few moments, then said, "Okay, slow down. What happened?"
Joey sat up, yawning and running a hand through her tangled dark hair. She squinted at the clock and saw that it was after one in the morning. The abominable movie Pacey had picked out was still droning on and on, flickering dizzyingly in the darkened living room. No wonder she had fallen asleep. Pacey's taste in movies was criminal. You'd think after all these years, Dawson might have imparted a little of his cinematic taste on his friend, but no. Every single weekend, Pacey subjected his wife to yet another dud in an endless line of...
Wait...it was after one! Amy never called this late. Amy shouldn't even be up this late.
Suddenly alert, Joey mouthed to Pacey, "What's wrong?" He held his hand up to her, still listening.
"But you're both all right? You're sure? Okay, just hang tight. I'll be there in five minutes...what? Amy, they're going to be waiting up for you anyway, you know that. Okay, we won't, but I think it's a lost cause." He sighed heavily as he hung up and tossed the receiver onto the couch. "Well, I'm off to get our darling niece out of jail."
"What?"
"She and Ben Chambers were in a car accident." When Joey gasped, he hurried on. "No, no, they're fine...but if you can believe it, the car they rear- ended was a police cruiser. It was Deputy Johnson. He gave Ben a breathalyzer, and he didn't pass, and she's not exactly sober herself. So now they're in the drunk tank. Amy somehow convinced Johnson to let her call us instead of Jack and Doug. Man, she's lucky Doug's not on duty tonight!"
"Well, shouldn't we call and let them know she's okay?"
"She's given me strict orders not to tell them anything. If they call, tell them she's fine and that I'm bringing her home. Otherwise, I'm going to let her deal with it herself."
Joey nodded. "Poor thing. They're going to kill her."
"Probably." He leaned down to kiss his wife. "But I feel sorrier for Jack. Do you know how glad I am that J.D. was a boy? I don't think I'm equipped to deal with daughter problems."
"That's a sexist statement, Witter. Regardless of gender, I'm sure John Dawson will give us enough to deal with. Teenagers are teenagers, remember? Now hurry up and get that girl out of jail. I'm sure she's scared to death."
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