Disclaimer: I don't own Dawson's Creek or any of its characters.
Author's Note: I don't have much to say except thank you for reading my story, and on with Chapter 2!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joey was brushing her hair in front of her mirror. It had been a week since the incident. She still hadn't talked to Dawson about what had happened. He had attached himself to Jen, and she was a little uncomfortable about it. But, she really needed a friend these last few days too. Her grandfather had just passed away, and she was having a tough time keeping it together. She had talked a bit with Jen, and she was hoping that they could just start over. They had gotten off to a bad start, and Joey desperately wanted to patch things up.
And then there was Pacey.
He had walked with her to school every day that week, he had hung out with her at lunch, he had walked her home, he was replacing Dawson. They had talked about pretty much everything the last few days: their fears, their regrets, their dreams. They were being honest and open with each other. They hadn't brought up the incident with Dawson since their argument about it, and both knew that it was a sore issue for the other. Suddenly, she realized something. It was Pacey's birthday today. And she hadn't gotten him anything. 'Shit, he's going to be so upset,' she thought to herself. Before she had time for a solution, Bessie was calling her for breakfast.
~~~~~ 20 Minutes Later Capeside High ~~~~~
Pacey had an enormous grin on his face. He had just passed his driver's test a few minutes earlier. No birthday presents yet- his family had forgotten, but he knew Dawson would remember. He hadn't spoken a whole lot to Dawson lately, as most of his time was spent with Joey. And, maybe the fact that Dawson had seemed really preoccupied lately didn't help. He was thinking of making a new movie soon, but Pacey figured he was just trying to block what had happened with Joey out. He saw Dawson up ahead, and he ran up to see him.
"Hey Dawson!" he said enthusiastically.
Dawson looked up. "Hey Pace," he said, dazed.
"Oh man, guess what?" he asked.
Before Dawson had a chance to answer, he looked up and saw Joey coming up in the distance. He knew he had to settle things, the quicker the better, so he decided he had to talk to her right then. "Um, can it wait a second Pace? I have to go talk to Joey, I'll talk to you later!" he said running off.
Pacey couldn't believe it. Not only had Dawson blown him off, he hadn't mentioned his birthday. And now he was going to talk to Joey. 'Great,' he thought sarcastically. He went to go up the stairs into school. He turned and instantly felt the hot coffee burning through his shirt.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Here, let me help you," offered a short blonde. Pacey looked at her with a scowl on his face.
"No thanks, I'll be fine. Just watch where you're going next time okay?" he said frustrated, walking into the school hallways.
"Okay, I will. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Andie. Andie McPhee. I just moved here from Providence and," she started.
"Listen, Andie McPhee, it's nice to meet you, but I'd really just like to go to class right now," he said angrily. Before Andie could respond, Pacey ran off to class. 'What a happy birthday, now isn't?' he asked himself.
~~~~~ Meanwhile.. ~~~~~
"Hey Joey."
Joey instantly froze. She knew that voice. She looked up, and there he stood before her.
"Hi Dawson," she said simply.
"We need to talk. About what happened last week," he said slowly. "I want you to know that I'm really sorry."
Joey nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm sorry too," she said.
"Joey, I want us to still be friends. Best friends. Can we just be you and me? Dawson and Joey?" he asked, looking into her eyes.
"Yeah. You and me. Dawson and Joey," she said, with a small smile. "I've got to go, I'll talk to you later."
"Bye, Joey," Dawson said. He smiled. It was going to be a great day. ~~~~~ Later. ~~~~~ Pacey was having a tough time trying to concentrate in Math class. He was having a horrible day. His last 2 periods had been complete disasters. He hadn't done his homework in either class, and he hadn't even touched his math assignment that was due today. Finally, he decided he would just ditch the rest of the day. Maybe he'd go and walk to the docks and think. Dawson had forgotten his birthday, his family forgot his birthday, and the only other person who knew it was his birthday was Joey.
He had been thinking about her a lot lately. He knew that she would deny it, but she needed a good friend around right now. Pacey quickly snapped out of his thoughts and re-focused on math class. The bell rung, and he bolted for the door. He had to go find Joey. He quickly scanned the crowds by her locker until he saw her. He grinned, but his smile faded when he saw Dawson. They were talking by her locker. He could tell that she was uncomfortable. He slowly walked up behind them, waiting for Dawson to leave. He really wasn't in the mood to talk to him right now. Finally, Dawson left. Joey looked up and saw Pacey.
"Hey Pace," she said happily. "Happy birthday!"
Pacey smiled. "Thanks," he said.
"Are you okay? You look a little upset," Joey remarked after noticing his sad expression.
"Yeah, I'm fine, I was just about to leave actually. Can't stand it here anymore," he answered.
Joey bit her bottom lip. "Would it be alright if I came with you?" she asked.
"Yeah, I was hoping you would come with me," he said. With that, he and Joey left the school.
~~~~~ 10 minutes later. ~~~~~ They were sitting on the beach. Neither of them knew where to go, so they settled on the beach. They sat on the sand, facing the water, listening to the waves. Joey finally broke the silence.
"Ok, Pace, what's going on? It's your birthday. Why aren't you happy?" she asked.
Pacey sighed. "I'm just having a rough day. My whole family forgot my birthday. I didn't expect much, maybe a happy birthday or something. Then I came to school, and Dawson forgot my birthday. He's never done that before. I guess, it just reminded me once again that we're all growing apart. And that I guess important days in my life just aren't worth remembering."
Joey stared at the sad expression on his face. "Dawson forgot your birthday?"
"Yeah. He actually blew me off to talk to you. Didn't even want to hear what I was trying to tell him," he responded sadly.
"Sorry Pace," she apologized.
"It's not your fault," he answered.
"What were you going to tell him?" she asked.
"Passed my driver's test. Ha, we're supposed to be on our way to Maine right now," he laughed.
"You passed your driver's test? Good job, Pacey!" Joey said enthusiastically.
"Thank you," he said, looking over at her. "And thanks about remembering my birthday too. You were the first one to say that to me today."
"Well, I may have remembered, but I didn't get you a present," she admitted.
"Just consider ditching with me as my present. If you wouldn't have come, I probably would be here alone," he said.
"No problem. I wasn't having a good day at school either," she said.
"Dawson?" he asked.
"How did you know?" she answered.
"I saw you talking to him. You looked really uncomfortable. Why?" he asked.
"He wants to get our friendship back on track, but he won't address the kiss. He kept talking around it. And he kept going on and on about a new movie. And I realized that he's never going to change," she answered.
"And?"
"It just seems like he's never going to grow up. He's in the same place, while the rest of us are changing. And, I just want to get rid of these feelings for him. I want to move on from that," she continued.
"Oh, it's just the feelings that were making you uncomfortable." Pacey started. "No. Dawson hung around me all morning, and you know what it made me realize? How much I enjoy spending time with you. I know it sounds so girly, but it's true. I was just waiting for you to come along and sweep me off my feet," she interrupted.
Pacey smiled. "Glad I could be of service Potter. You wanna go some place else?" he asked.
"No, let's just stay here for awhile," she replied.
"Ok," he said. They sat there for the rest of the afternoon. They didn't talk much, just enjoyed each other's company. Around 3:00, Joey got up.
"Pace, I have to get to the Icehouse," she said.
"Let me walk you there," he offered. He got up and offered his hand to help Joey up. She accepted his hand and they walked to the Icehouse. Just before they got there, Pacey stopped Joey.
"Would it be alright if I stayed here for awhile? My dad was pretty upset with me this morning, and I don't really want to go back," he said quietly.
"Sure, Pace. Is everything okay at home?" she asked concerned.
"Yeah, it's just about school. He'll get over it," he answered.
"Pacey, if you want to, I can help you. You still have time to turn your grades around," she said.
"I think I'm too far gone Jo. I don't think even you can save me right now," he answered.
Joey took his hand. "Can we try?" she asked.
Pacey smiled. "Okay Potter. You offered, so you're now my official tutor."
"Okay. Now come on, Bessie's going to get really pissed if I don't show up soon," she said, pulling him towards the Icehouse. "Oh and Pace?"
"Yeah?"
"Happy birthday."
"Thanks, Joey." They walked hand in hand to the Icehouse, both with huge smiles on their faces.
Author's Note: I don't have much to say except thank you for reading my story, and on with Chapter 2!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joey was brushing her hair in front of her mirror. It had been a week since the incident. She still hadn't talked to Dawson about what had happened. He had attached himself to Jen, and she was a little uncomfortable about it. But, she really needed a friend these last few days too. Her grandfather had just passed away, and she was having a tough time keeping it together. She had talked a bit with Jen, and she was hoping that they could just start over. They had gotten off to a bad start, and Joey desperately wanted to patch things up.
And then there was Pacey.
He had walked with her to school every day that week, he had hung out with her at lunch, he had walked her home, he was replacing Dawson. They had talked about pretty much everything the last few days: their fears, their regrets, their dreams. They were being honest and open with each other. They hadn't brought up the incident with Dawson since their argument about it, and both knew that it was a sore issue for the other. Suddenly, she realized something. It was Pacey's birthday today. And she hadn't gotten him anything. 'Shit, he's going to be so upset,' she thought to herself. Before she had time for a solution, Bessie was calling her for breakfast.
~~~~~ 20 Minutes Later Capeside High ~~~~~
Pacey had an enormous grin on his face. He had just passed his driver's test a few minutes earlier. No birthday presents yet- his family had forgotten, but he knew Dawson would remember. He hadn't spoken a whole lot to Dawson lately, as most of his time was spent with Joey. And, maybe the fact that Dawson had seemed really preoccupied lately didn't help. He was thinking of making a new movie soon, but Pacey figured he was just trying to block what had happened with Joey out. He saw Dawson up ahead, and he ran up to see him.
"Hey Dawson!" he said enthusiastically.
Dawson looked up. "Hey Pace," he said, dazed.
"Oh man, guess what?" he asked.
Before Dawson had a chance to answer, he looked up and saw Joey coming up in the distance. He knew he had to settle things, the quicker the better, so he decided he had to talk to her right then. "Um, can it wait a second Pace? I have to go talk to Joey, I'll talk to you later!" he said running off.
Pacey couldn't believe it. Not only had Dawson blown him off, he hadn't mentioned his birthday. And now he was going to talk to Joey. 'Great,' he thought sarcastically. He went to go up the stairs into school. He turned and instantly felt the hot coffee burning through his shirt.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Here, let me help you," offered a short blonde. Pacey looked at her with a scowl on his face.
"No thanks, I'll be fine. Just watch where you're going next time okay?" he said frustrated, walking into the school hallways.
"Okay, I will. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Andie. Andie McPhee. I just moved here from Providence and," she started.
"Listen, Andie McPhee, it's nice to meet you, but I'd really just like to go to class right now," he said angrily. Before Andie could respond, Pacey ran off to class. 'What a happy birthday, now isn't?' he asked himself.
~~~~~ Meanwhile.. ~~~~~
"Hey Joey."
Joey instantly froze. She knew that voice. She looked up, and there he stood before her.
"Hi Dawson," she said simply.
"We need to talk. About what happened last week," he said slowly. "I want you to know that I'm really sorry."
Joey nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm sorry too," she said.
"Joey, I want us to still be friends. Best friends. Can we just be you and me? Dawson and Joey?" he asked, looking into her eyes.
"Yeah. You and me. Dawson and Joey," she said, with a small smile. "I've got to go, I'll talk to you later."
"Bye, Joey," Dawson said. He smiled. It was going to be a great day. ~~~~~ Later. ~~~~~ Pacey was having a tough time trying to concentrate in Math class. He was having a horrible day. His last 2 periods had been complete disasters. He hadn't done his homework in either class, and he hadn't even touched his math assignment that was due today. Finally, he decided he would just ditch the rest of the day. Maybe he'd go and walk to the docks and think. Dawson had forgotten his birthday, his family forgot his birthday, and the only other person who knew it was his birthday was Joey.
He had been thinking about her a lot lately. He knew that she would deny it, but she needed a good friend around right now. Pacey quickly snapped out of his thoughts and re-focused on math class. The bell rung, and he bolted for the door. He had to go find Joey. He quickly scanned the crowds by her locker until he saw her. He grinned, but his smile faded when he saw Dawson. They were talking by her locker. He could tell that she was uncomfortable. He slowly walked up behind them, waiting for Dawson to leave. He really wasn't in the mood to talk to him right now. Finally, Dawson left. Joey looked up and saw Pacey.
"Hey Pace," she said happily. "Happy birthday!"
Pacey smiled. "Thanks," he said.
"Are you okay? You look a little upset," Joey remarked after noticing his sad expression.
"Yeah, I'm fine, I was just about to leave actually. Can't stand it here anymore," he answered.
Joey bit her bottom lip. "Would it be alright if I came with you?" she asked.
"Yeah, I was hoping you would come with me," he said. With that, he and Joey left the school.
~~~~~ 10 minutes later. ~~~~~ They were sitting on the beach. Neither of them knew where to go, so they settled on the beach. They sat on the sand, facing the water, listening to the waves. Joey finally broke the silence.
"Ok, Pace, what's going on? It's your birthday. Why aren't you happy?" she asked.
Pacey sighed. "I'm just having a rough day. My whole family forgot my birthday. I didn't expect much, maybe a happy birthday or something. Then I came to school, and Dawson forgot my birthday. He's never done that before. I guess, it just reminded me once again that we're all growing apart. And that I guess important days in my life just aren't worth remembering."
Joey stared at the sad expression on his face. "Dawson forgot your birthday?"
"Yeah. He actually blew me off to talk to you. Didn't even want to hear what I was trying to tell him," he responded sadly.
"Sorry Pace," she apologized.
"It's not your fault," he answered.
"What were you going to tell him?" she asked.
"Passed my driver's test. Ha, we're supposed to be on our way to Maine right now," he laughed.
"You passed your driver's test? Good job, Pacey!" Joey said enthusiastically.
"Thank you," he said, looking over at her. "And thanks about remembering my birthday too. You were the first one to say that to me today."
"Well, I may have remembered, but I didn't get you a present," she admitted.
"Just consider ditching with me as my present. If you wouldn't have come, I probably would be here alone," he said.
"No problem. I wasn't having a good day at school either," she said.
"Dawson?" he asked.
"How did you know?" she answered.
"I saw you talking to him. You looked really uncomfortable. Why?" he asked.
"He wants to get our friendship back on track, but he won't address the kiss. He kept talking around it. And he kept going on and on about a new movie. And I realized that he's never going to change," she answered.
"And?"
"It just seems like he's never going to grow up. He's in the same place, while the rest of us are changing. And, I just want to get rid of these feelings for him. I want to move on from that," she continued.
"Oh, it's just the feelings that were making you uncomfortable." Pacey started. "No. Dawson hung around me all morning, and you know what it made me realize? How much I enjoy spending time with you. I know it sounds so girly, but it's true. I was just waiting for you to come along and sweep me off my feet," she interrupted.
Pacey smiled. "Glad I could be of service Potter. You wanna go some place else?" he asked.
"No, let's just stay here for awhile," she replied.
"Ok," he said. They sat there for the rest of the afternoon. They didn't talk much, just enjoyed each other's company. Around 3:00, Joey got up.
"Pace, I have to get to the Icehouse," she said.
"Let me walk you there," he offered. He got up and offered his hand to help Joey up. She accepted his hand and they walked to the Icehouse. Just before they got there, Pacey stopped Joey.
"Would it be alright if I stayed here for awhile? My dad was pretty upset with me this morning, and I don't really want to go back," he said quietly.
"Sure, Pace. Is everything okay at home?" she asked concerned.
"Yeah, it's just about school. He'll get over it," he answered.
"Pacey, if you want to, I can help you. You still have time to turn your grades around," she said.
"I think I'm too far gone Jo. I don't think even you can save me right now," he answered.
Joey took his hand. "Can we try?" she asked.
Pacey smiled. "Okay Potter. You offered, so you're now my official tutor."
"Okay. Now come on, Bessie's going to get really pissed if I don't show up soon," she said, pulling him towards the Icehouse. "Oh and Pace?"
"Yeah?"
"Happy birthday."
"Thanks, Joey." They walked hand in hand to the Icehouse, both with huge smiles on their faces.