Episode Twelve "Resolutions"
Pacey walked into his apartment to find Drue lying across the couch looking thoroughly exhausted.
"Woah! What's wrong with you?" Pacey asked, amused. Drue sat up, sighing.
"Well, it's a bit hard to know where to start…first, I have been sleeping on the couch for the past week. Which reminds me that we have a lame ass couch that is definitely not sleep worthy. I've had to tip toe around my own house and room. And to top it off my girlfriend is barely speaking to me even though I have apologized to her about a million times for something I didn't even do. And I've even been very generous and let her psycho roommate stay here!" Pacey looked taken aback by Drue's sudden outburst.
"Hmm, speaking of the roommate, is she here?" Pacey asked, looking around, seeing no sign of her.
"No, Jen came by and took her out."
"It's not so bad, Drue. Brenda's nice."
"Nice! You only say that because she's been cooking us breakfast every morning and has kept this place from becoming its usual pigsty. But you're not the one who has to give up your room," Drue moaned. "Seriously, I don't mind her. She's nice, she has some serious baggage but I have no problem helping her out. It's Jen that's the problem."
"What did she do?"
"Nothing! That's the problem. She says there's no problem, but she hasn't spoken more than two words to me all week. She keeps saying she's worried about Brenda, but it's more than that."
"Women!"
"Exactly!" Drue sighed. "So anyway how did the SAT go?" Drue said, remembering where Pacey had just come from.
"Err…It went okay." Pacey said, not too enthusiastically.
"That bad huh? Not surprising since you hardly studied. Haven't you been spending all your time with Joey?"
"Yeah…uh she was helping me."
"So you told her?" Drue rose his eyebrows. He had been under the impression that Pacey had just been spending time with Joey because he was worried about her. He figured that Pacey still hadn't told her about the SAT.
"Yeah, of course I did," Pacey lied, not wanting to admit that he had been too busy consoling Joey over her Dad to tell her, let alone study. Despite her wishes, her Dad had still called a few times, and he was still constantly on her mind.
"Well then, I'm sure it wasn't as bad as you thought then. You'll be in college like the rest of us before you know it." Pacey sighed, he only wished that were true.
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Joey came home from her morning run feeling energized. She had a little bit of time before she had to be at work so she just had enough time to have a shower and get ready.
She walked over to her phone and saw it flashing. Three new messages. She smiled as she listened to the first one which was from Pacey. He had been checking up on her all week despite her telling him she was completely fine.
The next two messages she deleted as soon as she heard her Dad's voice. After telling her Dad that she didn't want him to stay in Boston anymore, she had really thought about whether she meant it. Did she really want him to go? After a lot of thinking she realized that she did.
As much as she loved her father and was glad that he was out of jail, she knew that she wasn't the little girl who needed her father anymore. She didn't need her Dad to support her like she had before. She had gotten used to being independent and living without him.
She just wished he would realize it too. He had kept calling her even though she had asked him not to. He needed to realize that him being there was only upsetting her and bringing back painful memories rather than helping her.
She sighed, trying to forget about her Dad. At least for a little while.
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"Woah! I didn't think anyone could shop as much as me!" Jen exclaimed as she took a seat opposite Brenda in the food court. They were surrounded by loads of bags.
"Hey, shopping always makes me feel better." Jen smiled. That had been the plan, taking Brenda out to cheer her up a little.
"Spoken like a true woman." Jen grinned.
Brenda smiled back. She couldn't believe how much she owed Jen. She had let her stay in her boyfriend's apartment, she had walked Brenda to and from classes as much as possible, and she had taken her shopping to cheer her up. Brenda didn't know how she could repay her.
"Thanks a lot, Jen," she said sincerely.
"For what? You never need to thank me for shopping. I may have lived in Capeside the last few years, but I'm still a New York gal. Shopping is my favorite pasttime." Jen pretended to not know what Brenda was talking about.
They sat eating their lunch for a few minutes before Jen finally spoke up, her curiosity getting the best of her.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"I think you've earned more than one."
"It's your boyfriend isn't it? The one you're running from?" Jen asked hesitantly. Brenda sighed and then nodded.
"Matt McCowen. One of the most successful twenty-one year olds in Boston. He was the kind of guy everyone loved. The kind of guy your parents would just love. Smart, funny, clean cut. He was really ambitious when he was young. He worked alongside his Dad and helped with the family business. It always amazed me how he could handle so much so young.
"I remember the day he walked into my house for one of my parents' business parties, I thought he was such a snob. I think he was about eighteen at the time. He walked around flashing his money and success about like any other spoiled rich kid. Everyone was fawning all over him, but I couldn't care less. I had a boyfriend who I thought loved me and I was happy." She sighed, taking a breath before continuing. "That was until my parents died."
"Oh god, I'm so sorry Brenda." Jen said, still in shock. Brenda had spoken about her parents before, but she never gave the impression that they were not alive.
"After that I lost everything. Some tax fraud of Daddy's gone wrong. Turns out there was nothing left for me. I had lost my parents and everything else. My so-called boyfriend was only dating me for my status, and he dropped me the minute I lost it. Asshole."
"So what happened?"
"I went into denial. I couldn't accept that my parents were gone. I didn't have anyone else. Things were going on around me, and I was losing everything, including myself. Then Matt came back to New York and pulled me back to reality. He took me back to Boston with him, and let me into his home. He had no ulterior motives. He told me that his parents had died when he was my age, and he had to grow up pretty much on his own and he didn't want me to have to do the same. I found out that he had to fight to keep the family business and prove he could handle it and he had. We lived alone in his house but he always gave me my space and didn't lay a finger on me. He was a perfect gentleman.
"I managed to put myself together again. I learned to live again and it was all because of him. I realized that I was falling in love with him. After everything he had done for me, he didn't want me to be with him just because of that, but I really did love him. And he loved me."
"So what went wrong?"
"We'd been dating for about a year and everything was great, until it was time for me to go to college. He didn't like that. We've always had a very strong and unique relationship. We lived together for a little over a year and he got used to me always being there. And I didn't want to just walk out on him after everything he had done for me."
"So you decided to come to Boston Bay?"
"Yeah. But I wanted to move into the dorms. I was sick of being a burden on him, and I needed to live on my own for a while. But he didn't see it that way. He just started to get more and more possessive. He thought I was leaving him or something. I tried to reassure him that I wasn't breaking up with him, but then he started to get suspicious. Over the last few months he has just changed so much. I don't know what happened."
"And he…he hits you?" Jen asked cautiously.
"It's only happened a few times. About a month ago I came home a little late because I had been working at the library. He was there waiting for me and he started accusing me of seeing someone else behind his back. I don't know where it came from, but we got into a huge fight and then…then he slapped me." Brenda was telling it like a story, but Jen could tell how much it was hurting her.
"I was so confused. He had never done anything like that before. He apologized and I convinced myself it had been a one time thing, you know?"
"But it happened again." Jen stated and Brenda nodded.
"He's always had a bit of a temper, but not with me. At first I forgave him, but now it's become so bad that I don't even know him anymore. I'm scared."
"Why don't you report the jerk?" Jen said, seeing the pain in her friend's eyes.
"I can't. It would destroy him."
"What about you?"
"I can't do that to him. He's the reason I'm where I am right now. I can't abandon him."
"So you're just going to let him hit you?"
"Jen…"
"Okay, I'm sorry. But no one has the right to hit you. You obviously know that or you wouldn't be staying at Drue's."
"I know. I just needed to get away to think. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet." Brenda sighed. Jen decided that it was time to change the topic for now so she put on a smile.
"So, how about we hit the north side of the mall now?"
"I don't know. Do you mind if I just go for a walk on my own?" Brenda asked.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. If it's okay with you."
"No problem. I'll call Drue and get him to pick me up. Will you be alright getting back?"
"Yes, and Jen, I know you have a stubborn streak, but I think it's time to forgive Drue for whatever he did. Trust me, he really is a perfect boyfriend." Jen smiled.
"Should I be worried you're checking my boyfriend out?"
"Hmmm…" Brenda pretended to think about it. "Don't worry. I'll restrain myself."
Jen smiled as Brenda got up and left. She sighed and picked up her phone to call Drue.
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Jack knocked on David's door and waited for an answer. He heard some noise inside, which sounded like a hairdryer, so he decided to try the door. It was open and he walked in. David was inside with a towel wrapped around his waist while he was drying his hair.
"Woah! Jack you scared me." David exclaimed as he noticed Jack behind him. "What are you doing here?"
"Just came to see if you were busy. I'm going to the train station. Do you want to come?" Jack asked.
"Sure." David smiled, happy that Jack had invited him. "Why are we going to the train station?"
"Tobey's coming!" Jack finally let out.
"Oh." David's face fell for a second before he quickly grinned. "That's great!" He hoped he sounded sincere. As much as he tried to tell himself he had no feelings for Jack, he had noticed that he had a definite dislike of Tobey.
"I know. He's only got one day though. He has to go back tomorrow morning, but he really wanted to come down. We'll probably just go out tonight and catch up and stuff."
"Great. So, I guess we're not going to see that movie tonight?" David tried to hide his disappointment. They had both been waiting for 'Ocean's Eleven' to come out and were planning on going to see it today.
"That's tonight? Oh damn. I forgot. I'm sorry David."
"That's ok. We can go another day." David tried to act nonchalant.
"You sure? You could go see it with someone else if you want. It's okay by me."
"Yeah."
"Well, I better let you get dressed. I'll be in my room. We have to leave in ten minutes." Jack said, before leaving David to get ready.
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Joey was in the storeroom of the Coffe House stacking various foods. She reached up to put a box onto the top shelf, but despite her height she still couldn't reach.
Steve came in from the back and spotted her. He walked over to her and grabbed the box from her, putting it onto the shelf.
"Thanks," Joey said, turning to Steve.
"No problem." Steve smiled at her. Joey looked around, waiting for Steve to say something else. "So, Joey…" He began, realizing he had been staring. "Do you like working here?"
"Yeah. It's actually a lot more fun than my previous waitressing positions. Thanks for recommending me. Scott's great too which is always a plus." Scott was their boss, and although he was old enough to be her Dad he was very easy going and fun to work for.
"I thought you would like it." Joey turned and continued stacking the shelves. "Oh, I almost forgot why I came back here. There's a guy outside asking for you." Joey rose her eyebrows, not knowing who it was.
She followed Steve back into the shop and smiled as she noticed Pacey sitting at a booth by the window. 'The Coffe House' was a dimly lit, retro looking kind of place. Its relaxed atmosphere made it was a perfect hang out for the more studious type of college students. It reminded Joey of the kind of place art students would hang out in.
Pacey grinned as he spotted her and she quickly walked over to him, leaving Steve behind. She leaned over and kissed him softly.
"Shouldn't you be at work?" Joey rose her eyebrows.
"Hey, a guy's gotta eat."
"Pacey, this is a coffee house not a fast food joint."
"Well if you want me to go, all you have to do is say the word." Pacey started to get up, but she quickly stopped him.
"I didn't say that." She looked over her shoulder at Steve who was serving. "Although I can't stay long. Do you want me to get you a coffee or something?"
"Nah. I just came to see how it was going."
"Good."
"And you?" The concern in his voice made Joey smile.
"I'm good too."
"You sure?"
"Yes!" Pacey stood up, putting his arms around her.
"Just making sure."
"Thank you." She kissed his nose softly. "But it's unnecessary. I really am fine. Now go before you get me fired." She said, noticing Steve looking her way.
"I'll call you later." He kissed her again and she almost forgot she was at work.
"Yes, yes. Now go!" She smiled as he finally let go of her. She sighed, turning around to get back to work.
"Boyfriend?" Steve asked as she came to help him out. She blushed slightly, realizing she shouldn't have been so open in her place of work.
"Uh…Yes." He didn't ask anymore questions.
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Jen stood outside the mall waiting for Drue to pick her up. She smiled when he pulled up in front of her. He parked the car at the curb and got out.
"Drue Valentine at your service." Drue smiled at Jen as he approached her.
"Thanks for picking me up." Jen felt bad that she had been pretty much ignoring Drue for the past few days. After hearing what Brenda had been through, she realized how petty she was being about Drue.
"No prob…" He forgot what he was saying as Jen's lips crushed against his. The kiss was passionate enough to make up for the week of no kissing. Drue was surprised at first, but then pulled Jen closer.
"Wow." Drue sighed as he pulled away. "What was that for?"
"To say I'm sorry. I've treated you really badly this past week and I had no right."
"No, I'm sorry. I should have been more understanding about Edie."
"God, won't you even let me apologize?" Jen pretended to be angry.
"Nope. You don't need to apologize."
"You're right, I don't." Drue laughed. "You should have called me."
"I know. Pacey told me, the worst thing I can do is not call. I just didn't know what I had done."
"Nothing, you hadn't done anything. Sometimes I just go a little crazy." Drue rose his eyebrows. "Okay a lot of the time." Drue laughed and then kissed her softly.
"Well if you really want to apologize…" Drue rose his eyebrows.
"What?"
"I can think of a way for you to make it up to me." He pulled Jen closer, kissing her again.
"Hmm. Well since I do owe you." Jen grinned before leaning in to his him again. Drue smiled, glad that things were back to normal.
He pulled away and took hold of her hand, leading her to the passenger door. He opened the door for her and she got in. He then ran to his side and got in. He was glad Pacey was at work and Brenda went for a walk.
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Jack looked around excitedly, trying to spot his boyfriend through the crowd. He was so happy to finally be able to see Tobey in person after so long, even if it was only for a day.
He felt like they had been pulling away from each other despite their efforts to stay close. The distance just made it too hard to feel like the other person was really there for them, however much you wanted them to be. But he knew that seeing Tobey would make it okay. He was sure that once they were together everything would just fall into place like it always did.
"Jack!" He turned and grinned as he saw his boyfriend waving him over. He jogged over to Tobey and hugged him.
"You're here!"
"No, I'm a figment of your imagination." Tobey joked.
"Really? Should I pinch myself?" Jack pretended to pinch himself. "Nope, you're still here." Tobey laughed.
He looked over Jack's shoulder and noticed someone standing there awkwardly. Jack quickly remembered his manners and gestured to David.
"Tobey, this is my friend David. David, this is Tobey."
"Nice to meet you." David held out his hand and David shook it. "I've heard so much about you." Tobey smiled.
"Really? All good I hope." Tobey wanted to say that he had heard a lot about David too, but he hadn't. Jack had never mentioned David in conversation and he didn't like the unsettling feeling he was getting.
"Of course."
"Okay, okay. Let's get out of here." Jack said, pushing both guys towards the exit.
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Pacey got back from his lunch break and was surprised to find Mike Potter in his office.
"Mr. Potter!"
"I hope you don't mind. One of the employees said I could wait here for you. And it's Mike."
"It's fine…Mike." Pacey looked around awkwardly, wondering what Joey's father was doing here. He gestured for Mike to take a seat while he stood against his desk.
"I guess you're wondering what I'm doing here?"
"It had crossed my mind."
"I don't know." Mike sighed, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. "I never pretended to think that when I got out of jail my daughters would care that I was back. But when I got out, I just knew I needed to see her. And now, all I seem to have done is make things worse and upset her."
"What has this got to do with me?" Pacey asked. He wasn't sure how Joey would feel about him talking to her father, and he didn't want to put his foot in his mouth.
"Joey only mentioned you for a second when we spoke, but something about the way she said your name gave me the impression that she thinks the world of you. I could see how much she loves you…"
"Mr. Potter I…"
"I just don't know what to do anymore, son." Pacey looked at the man opposite him, feeling a little sorry for him. After all, Joey had told him that she didn't want him in her life and he knew better than anyone that living without Joey wasn't easy, whether she was your daughter or your girlfriend.
"Joey, she's a strong woman. She's had a lot to deal with in her life. Capeside was always filled with small-minded people who looked down on her. She felt like no matter what she did, she would always be described as nothing more than the girl who's Dad was in jail and who lived with her sister and her sister's black boyfriend." Pacey noticed Mike look down, slightly ashamed.
"But Joey didn't let that stop her. She had so much passion inside of her and she didn't let anything stop her. She started drawing and even when the mural she painted at school was destroyed, she just started again, not letting it get the best of her." Mike watched as Pacey talked about his daughter with love.
"But ever since I can remember she's wanted this. She's wanted college. This was her chance to do what she wanted to do. To be the best she could be. I've never seen her so happy as she is here. She got away from the painful things in her life and built herself a future here." Pacey looked at Mike meaningfully.
"And I don't fit into that?"
"I don't want to disrespect you, but Joey, she's fine. And I know she loves you, but I think this isn't the right time for you and her to try and rebuild. She's happy and I want her to stay that way. I know Joey and I know she meant it when she asked you to leave."
Mike sighed, realizing Pacey was right. Trying to force his way into his daughter's life wasn't the way to go. And maybe some day she would be ready to talk to him. But right now he should be content that she was so happy with her life.
"Thanks Pacey." Mike smiled, conveying an understanding between them.
"No problem Mr. Potter…Mike." He smiled one more time before leaving Pacey to work.
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Joey smiled as she spotted Stacy waving her over from a booth near the back of the shop. She finished serving the woman in front of her before making her way over to her friends.
"I swear, the service in this place is terrible. I may have to report this to the manager."
"Real funny Stacy." Joey rolled her eyes as she skimmed over the table. She recognized Erik and Tia who were sitting opposite each other on the far side of the booth. There was also another guy she didn't recognize and a girl Joey was sure she knew but couldn't quite place.
"How's it going?" Stacy asked.
"Good."
"It better be. You know how badly I wanted this job." Joey rose her eyebrows, she didn't know that Stacy had wanted to work here.
"She's only saying that because Steve works here," Erik interjected. "Like Stacy would ever be able to handle waitressing." Stacy kicked Erik from under the table and he winced. "Sorry."
"Anyway…I haven't introduced you to everyone. You know annoying Erik, and Tia." Joey smiled at them. "And this is Jake and Sarah." Joey smiled at them and then looked at the girl. She knew she recognized her. Sarah was the same girl who had gone out with Pacey.
Stacy quickly noticed Joey recognizing Sarah and dropped her spoon on the floor.
"Oops silly me. Let's go get me a new spoon Joey." She said, practically pulling Joey away from the group. When they were quite a distance away, Stacy started talking. "You hate me, don't you? Oh god, I'm so stupid."
"What? Stacy calm down. What are you talking about?" Joey asked, not understanding.
"Sarah's a friend of Tia's and she started hanging with us lately. I didn't tell you because the whole thing with her and Pacey was so over so I didn't think it was important."
"Stacy, calm down. I'm not mad that you're friends with Sarah. I'm sure she's very nice," Joey managed to say.
"Yeah right," Stacy didn't believe her for a second. "Do you want us to leave?"
"Don't be silly. There's nothing going on between Pacey and her anymore, so there's no reason for me to not like her."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!" Joey smiled, pulling Stacy back to the table. "Now what can I get you guys?" Joey smiled at everyone and wrote down all their orders.
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Drue sat on the couch, flipping channels while he waited for Jen to come back. Smiling at her as she walked into the living room from the kitchen carrying a tub of ice cream and a spoon, he switched the TV off , tossed the remote aside, and pulled Jen into his lap.
"Mmm, Hagan Daaz. A woman after my own heart." He grinned as she placed the spoon in his mouth and he licked the chocolate ice cream off the spoon.
"All that activity makes me hungry." Jen grinned before leaning down to kiss him softly. Drue moaned, pulling her closer.
"This almost makes up for all last week." Jen rose her eyebrows. "Almost." He grinned before taking some more ice cream.
They ate a little more ice cream, both feeding each other before Jen closed the box and put it aside. She put her arms around Drue and leaned on his chest.
"Do you think Brenda will be okay?" Jen asked, slightly worried. She had told Drue about Matt on the way home.
"I don't know. But only she can make it better for herself."
"Just the way she described him, she made him sound so perfect." Drue looked shocked. "Before the whole domestic violence thing stupid. He took care of her and I could tell that she loved him. She still loves him. I think that's the problem."
"She's willing to put this aside because it's his only fault." Drue surmised.
"Exactly. But she can't do that." Jen sighed.
"I know you want to help her, Jen. But right now I think the best thing you can do is support her. I think she just needs time to work out what she's going to do."
"You're right." Jen smiled at Drue before snuggling into his arms. They just sat there for a few minutes before Drue spoke up.
"Can I ask you something?" He could feel her nod against him. "It doesn't affect us now, but was there a reason you were so against me talking to Edie?" Jen thought about it for a minute before speaking.
"Do you miss it?" Jen asked. Drue didn't know what she was talking about. "The partying. The drugs. All of it."
"No." Drue said straight away.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course. What's this got to do with Edie though?"
"When I gave it all up it was hard on me. It was the way I handled life. I could just drink my pain away. At first I just started drinking to get my parents to notice me somehow but after falling back into drinking even in Capeside I knew I had to do stop for me. So I did." Drue nodded, still not knowing where this was leading. "But you gave it up for me Drue." Realization suddenly dawned on Drue's face.
"And you thought Edie would remind me what I was missing? Jen, it's true I didn't give up drugs until I started hanging with you again, but it wasn't for you. It was instead of you. I didn't need to get wasted or take drugs once we got close again because I wasn't unhappy. I haven't been unhappy for a long time. You're here with me every day and even if I am upset about something, you're here to talk to about it. As long as you're here with me I don't even think about the past."
Jen felt a tear fall from her eye and Drue wiped it.
"Was that it?" Jen nodded. "Jen, if you have a question just ask me. Shouting at me is not the way to go." Drue laughed and Jen hit him lightly. "Are we okay now?"
"Better than okay." Jen grinned and kissed him again.
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"So I guess this is your stop." David said, walking into Jack's room. "I guess I'll see you guys later."
"You're leaving already?" Jack asked.
"Yeah. I have some things I need to take care of." David lied. "Tobey, it was really nice meeting you." He stuck his hand out and Tobey shook it.
"Yeah, you too." Tobey smiled as David left. "So…" Tobey turned to David. "He seems nice."
"Yeah, he's a good friend," Jack said casually.
"Is he gay?" Jack was slightly taken aback by the question, but then just smiled.
"Why? Are you jealous?" Jack rose his eyebrows.
"Obviously." Tobey walked towards Jack. "How can I not be when other people get to spend all this time with you, while I see you once every few months."
"Well we're just going to have to do something about that now aren't we?" Jack grinned.
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Pacey sat in his small office trying to work on the accounts. It was relatively quite up front so he left Noah Riley, one of the guys who worked at the Marina to handle it. He was worried about Joey and her Dad. He really hoped talking to Mr. Potter had helped. At first he didn't want to put his foot in it but after talking to him it seemed like maybe he had realized that Joey just needed to be alone for now.
"Knock, knock." Noah knocked on the side of the door. "It was a bit quite outside so I thought I'd come and see if there was anything you wanted me to do," he said. Noah was about the same age as Pacey and had become Pacey's closest work friend. However they hadn't had a chance to really talk because Pacey usually just came to work and then headed home.
"Nah, I'm good." Pacey said, turning to face him.
"Is everything okay?" Noah asked, walking inside and grabbing a seat.
"Yeah, why?" Pacey asked confused.
"Oh, nothing. You just seem a little distracted this week. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay."
"Yeah. There's just a lot going on." Pacey sighed.
"Anything I can help you with?" he offered.
"Nah. I'll be fine."
"Cool." He got up and was about to head outside again when he remembered something. "Oh hey, did you speak to that guy who was here earlier?"
"Uh, yeah."
"He your Dad?" Noah asked, remembering that Pacey had mentioned that he didn't get along with his father.
"Oh no. He's my girlfriend's father."
"Trying to rope you into marriage already?" Noah joked.
"No. Nothing like that. He was just saying goodbye. He's going back to Capeside."
"Right. You grew up with your girlfriend didn't you?"
"Yeah."
"How long have you been dating?"
"Since the summer before senior year."
"Woah! That's a long time." Noah seemed impressed. "I don't know why, but you don't seem the long term kinda guy."
"Gee thanks." Noah laughed.
"I didn't mean it like that."
"Well we kind broke up at the end of senior year and just got back together a few months ago, but yeah, it's quite long." Pacey smiled, thinking how lucky he was to have gotten through breaking up and still ending up together. "If you knew Joey, you would know how I manage to stick to one woman."
"I'll have to meet her sometime then." Noah commented. "Hey, a couple of guys are going out tonight. Do you want to come? Might get your mind off your problems."
"Errr…No I don't think so. There's something I have to do tonight. But some other time."
"I'll hold you to that." Noah smiled. "Well, I better get back to work or the boss might fire me." Noah joked.
"Somehow I think he'll let you off."
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"What are you doing here?" Joey hissed, as her father approached the counter. She looked around hoping she hadn't caught the attention of her co-workers.
"I need five minutes. That's all I ask." Joey sighed.
"There's a bench around the corner. Wait for me there." She instructed. Mike nodded and left the shop. Joey watched him leave before going to ask Scott if she could take her break.
She put her apron on the side and walked outside. She sat down on the bench next to her father, but didn't look at him.
"I'm leaving," he said finally. Joey just nodded. "I'm going back to Capeside this afternoon." He looked at his daughter while she stared ahead. "I know I never seem to get things right. I've screwed up so many times that I have no right to ask you to accept me again. But I just wanted to tell you that I'm proud of you. I've seen how you've grown up, and become this extremely talented young lady. I know that your Mom is proud of you too." She didn't say anything so he continued. "I just hope that some day I can become the kind of guy you would be proud to call your father. But until that happens I know you need your space."
He sat there for a few seconds, but she said nothing. Finally he sighed and stood up, ready to walk away. Just as he was about to leave she held onto his hand.
"I'm sorry Dad." He looked at the tears in her eyes and felt terrible. She stood up and hugged him. "Despite what I said, I'm glad you came," she admitted.
"Me too. And I'm glad you have someone who loves you so much." Joey rose her eyebrows. "He thinks the world of you and I'm glad you have that." She smiled as she realized Pacey must have been behind this.
"Bye Dad."
"Bye Joey." He hugged her again before walking away. Leaving his daughter to live her life on her own like she needed to.
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Brenda came home from her walk feeling slightly better. She had thought about what Jen had said over lunch and everything else that had been going through her mind and knew she had to make some decisions.
The first being that she had to leave Matt. On her way home she had stopped at the dorms and listened to her phone messages. Her machine was filled with messages from Matt, but they hadn't made her angry, they made her want to cry.
He told her he loved her and was sorry and he just needed her back. But that only made her realize that Matt had become too dependent on her and she was feeling trapped. She needed to talk to him and make him see that they just needed some time apart right now.
She remembered how scared she had felt the first time he hit her and she couldn't be with someone who made her feel that way. But she loved him and he had done so much for her that deserting him wasn't something she could do either. She had to at least talk to him and make him see for himself that they needed to be apart right now.
Spending every night back at his house, being with him just so that he didn't feel like she didn't love him was getting to be too much for her. Being with him and being scared that he might not be able to control his temper this time was too scary for her.
She just hoped that he would listen to her. She had faith that he would because despite everything that had happened in the last few months she knew deep down Matt always wanted what was best for her. And she wanted what was best for him and right now that wasn't her.
She opened the door to Drue's apartment and found Jen and Drue cuddled up together watching a movie.
"Brenda!" Jen immediately sat up. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." Brenda said, nodding her head. "I'm fine actually."
"Good. Do you want to join us?" Jen started moving pillows making room for her.
"No. Actually, I just wanted to thank you both for everything you've done for me. I know I haven't been the easiest person to live with. For both of you…" Both Jen and Drue tried to protest but she continued. "But I've decided to go back to the dorms. So, you can have your room back Drue."
"You don't have to do that," Drue protested. "You're always welcome here," he said genuinely.
"Thanks, but I think it's time I faced up to all my demons."
"And Matt?" Jen asked.
"I'm going to talk to him tonight. I'm going to break it off," she said.
"Do you want us to come with you? How can you be sure he won't hit you again?" Jen asked.
"I can't. But I don't think he will, and I need to do this on my own."
"As long as you're sure."
"I am." Brenda said, standing up. "Although, I could use a hand moving my stuff back to our room." Brenda looked at Drue and he got up straight away, sensing Brenda wanted to talk to Jen alone.
"So, are you sure you're okay?" Jen asked. Brenda was sitting opposite her on the table.
"Yes. I just hope it goes okay." Brenda sighed and Jen pulled her in for a hug, sensing she needed one.
-&-
Joey got home after a tiring day at work. She had been on her feet all day, dealing with Steve making goo-goo eyes at her all night, and she had to say goodbye to her father. The latter probably being the most trying of the day. It was what she had wanted; she wanted her father to leave her to get on with her life, but there was still a part of her that wanted to ask him to stay, the part that would always see her father as the best guy in the world. Unfortunately, that part had been hurt too many times.
As she opened the door to her room a smile spread over her face. Pacey, who was sitting on her bed, quickly stood up. He was wearing a suit and held a bunch of roses in his hand.
"Joey!"
"Pacey!" Joey mocked. "What are you doing here? And why are you wearing that?"
"Well…" He walked over to her and kissed her softly and gave her the roses before continuing. "I know you've had a very stressful week and I figured it was time I did something to alleviate that stress."
"So you decided to dress up in a suit?" Joey rose her eyebrows.
"No silly, I'm taking you out." Joey was about to protest but he carried on. "We're going out and that's that so don't try to complain. You have five minutes to make yourself look slightly more gorgeous than you already do and then we're leaving." Joey smiled, knowing that right now she looked anything but gorgeous, she was tired and she looked it.
"Well then, who am I to complain." Joey grinned, already going to pick something out to wear. Pacey stopped her and pulled something out himself.
"Have you been snooping in my closet again?" Joey mock scolded. She looked at the dress he had chosen. It was a short, simple black dress and Pacey loved the way it hugged her body in all the right places. "But since your taste is brilliant I guess I'll wear this."
"That's my girl." Pacey grinned, sitting back down on the bed while he waited for her to get ready.
-&-
Jack and Tobey sat on the far side of an Italian restaurant, about half an hour from the dorms. They had just finished ordering their food. Jack smiled at the waitress as she took away their menus before turning his attention to Tobey.
"So…"
"So," Tobey echoed.
"What time is your train tomorrow?" Jack asked. He didn't know why, but for the first time in a long time he couldn't think of anything to say. They had spent the afternoon watching movies rather than talking, which he didn't know whether they had done on purpose or not, and now he couldn't think of anything to say to his boyfriend.
"9:15, I think."
"Right." There was silence for a few seconds while they both tried to work out why this felt so awkward.
"You know what -"
"I think maybe -" They both laughed after talking at the same first.
"You first," Tobey said.
"I was just going to say that I'm really glad you're here Tobey. I really missed you."
"I missed you too Jack…" Jack sensed there was something else.
"But?"
"Nothing. I just…"
"What?" Jack asked.
"This is stupid, but I'm just going to come right out and say it, okay?" Jack nodded. "Is there something wrong between us?"
"Wrong? What? Do you think there's something wrong between us?"
"No. I…" Tobey sighed. "I just feel like we're sitting here after not seeing each other for so long and all we've really talked about is the menu and what time I'm leaving tomorrow, you know?"
"I know I just…Maybe it's just the distance thing? We get to see each other so little that when we do see each other it's obviously going to be a little weird."
"Yeah, you're right." Tobey smiled, trying to put his fears behind him. He didn't know why but he felt like without knowing how or why, something had changed between them that he couldn't understand. But he didn't want to dwell on that tonight. He wanted to enjoy the little time he had to spend with his boyfriend.
-&-
"Pacey! This place is too expensive," Joey protested as Pacey led her into a classy French restaurant on the north side of town.
"Will you just let me treat you?" Pacey gave his name to the maitre'd and took Joey's hand as he followed him to their table.
"You don't work to blow it all on expensive diners."
"Oh quit your whining woman. I am the man and as the man I get to choose who and what I spend my money on." Pacey joked and Joey just laughed. Despite the expensiveness of the place it was a really nice restaurant. There was a small group of people playing music on one side with a small space for dancing. There were a few couples on the dance floor at the moment.
Pacey ordered the food, asking Joey to just leave the food selection to him for once, which she complied to. After the waitress left them alone Pacey took Joey's hand in his and looked into her eyes.
"You're not going to propose are you?" Joey asked, jokily.
"What would you say if I did?" Pacey asked out of curiosity.
"Yes," Joey said without hesitation and Pacey just laughed lightly. She knew they were not ready for marriage, and she knew he wasn't asking, but she smiled at him anyway. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"This. Everything. You've been there for me this past week more than I could ever have asked you to be." Joey said sincerely.
"It's just all part of the duty that comes with being in love with you. I hate to see you in pain."
"Please, you're going to make me cry."
"Oh no. We don't want that. A crying Joey Potter is something even I can't handle." Joey kicked him lightly underneath the table.
"Hey, you want to watch where that foot of yours goes, this is a public place Josephine." Joey laughed.
"You're incorrigible."
"And you love me."
"Yes I do." Joey leaned over, kissing him softly.
-&-
Fade in to a montage of scenes set to Music.
Drue and Jen dropped the last of Brenda's things off at the dorm and then left to go for a walk. They walked along the quiet streets of Boston, holding hands. Drue sighed putting his arm around Jen and pulling her close. She smiled, leaning up to kiss him softly before they continued walking.
David sat in his room alone playing on his computer game, as his car on screen crashes and 'Game Over' appeared on the screen he sighed, throwing the control on the floor. He got up feeling frustrated, but then sat down again, knowing there was nothing he could do.
Brenda cried as she held onto Matt. He was hugging her, crying himself, asking her to stay. She pulled away from his hug and looked him in the eyes. She nodded her head no, before getting up and leaving. She closed the door to his house and let out her tears. She jumped as she heard what sounded like a glass shattering as it hit a wall.
Tobey lay in Jack's bed staring at the ceiling. He had this really unsettling feeling that things between himself and Jack were not heading in a good direction. Unbeknownst to him, Jack, who was lying on the floor next to the bed was also wide-awake, the same fears keeping him from sleeping.
Pacey held his hand out to Joey and she smiled, taking it in hers. They walked over to the small dance floor and started dancing to the soft music that had been playing. Their bodies fit together perfectly as they held onto each other, moving with such finesse and love that others around them watched. Joey mouthed 'I love you' before Pacey smiled and pulled her into a kiss.