The Unseen Obstacle CH.17
I Disclaim
They found themselves on the end of the dock again, Jack and Jen had just left, and tired of Bessie silly grin, they decided to move outside. It was getting colder with each November day, but the creek hadn't begun to freeze so they sat at the end of the dock swinging their legs over the edge.
"Are we ever going to talk about it?" Pacey asked breaking the delicate silence.
"Do we have to?" She looked at him sadness making her brown eyes even bigger then normal." You knew what happened, you know the end result, and dissecting it won't change what happened."
"Do I know what happened Jo?" he shook his head." I don't think I do, because I was there for all those months, and I didn't see that, I didn't get a whiff of that, if I had …"
"You would have stopped me, talked me out of it." "Falling in love wasn't a conscious decision Pacey."
"No but sneaking around with him was."
Joey stood and leaned on the rail of the dock." What do you want from me Pacey?"
"Joey this isn't like you… to be so…"
"Immature, selfish, unthinking." " I know I wanted to be, why am I held to such an impossible standard, why do people expect so much more from me then every other teen in Capeside." "My mother died, my father went to jail, was that does mean I have to be mature and responsible, I'm still just seventeen."
"You're right Jo it's unfair, but it's how it is."
"Fine." She sat down beside him again." Who knows how this things begin, I ran into him and he bugged me , I ran into him again and again he bugged me, third time he wasn't so annoying, by the fourth time, I was almost glad to see him, and from there it was all downhill."
"Jo…"
"Why did you pursue Ms. Jacobs?"
"Because I was horny teenage boy."
"You're lying." "You pursued her because she saw something in you that no one else had seen she treated you differently then me or the girls at school, she treated you like a man that she was attracted to and you reciprocated." "And that's what happened with us, we saw something in each other that no one else saw, and we pursued it to hell with the consequences."
" Everyone else in this town treats me like and adult, and so I behave that way , I work to help support my sister, I'm responsible, and never any real trouble. ""I wanted to be rebellious and do something completely unJoey like, and Doug didn't treat me like everyone else."
She touched his shoulder." If it makes you feel better Doug fought it all the way, pushing me away every other second till I just wanted to beat him."" Despite everything that happened between us, you're brother is still a good man, one of the best I know, and second only to his little brother."
"So now you're trying to flatter me?"
"Yes, is it working?"
"Yes, but as you said countless times, I'm easy."
"Are we good Pacey, cause…?" She paused blinking back tears." Cause I can't lose you, despite any decisions I've ever made you've always been there, annoying me , backing me , protecting me, and I still need that, I'll always need that." She grabbed him in a hug. "I thought it was Dawson, but it's you, you're my constant, and I'd die if I thought that my actions destroyed our friendship."
"Potter, nothing you could ever do, would end our friendship…"
"But Dawson…"
"Dawson doesn't live on this planet." He pushed her away so she could look at him. "He doesn't understand the pain that we've dealt with, he lives in that house, and treats it as if it's the world, and to him it is, but you and me, we're different." " We know the real world and we live it and we deal with it, I understand that you make mistakes, and you do the same for me, and because of that we have a real friendship not one scripted and edited for someone else's benefit." He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her head." Besides you know too much, when we end this, one of us will have to be dead."
"It'll be you."
"Off this I have no doubt." Pacey nodded and smiled still staring out at the creek.
She knocked on the door and checked the time, she didn't have a lot of time before he got worried so she had to make this quick. When the door opened she pushed pat the girl and walked into the foyer." We need to have a talk."
"Hello Jen, what can I do for you."
"You can stop playing these games with my friends, Andie."
Andie shuts the door and glared at Jen." And what about me, Jen. Hmm when did I stop being your friend?"
" The second you turned your back on Pacey and Jack's help, it' not my place to forgive you for cheating on Pacey, but he tried and so we tried to make it like it never happened, but you wanted what you wanted and you didn't care if it hurt Jack and Pacey, and so I no don't care about you."
"Now I was willing to be polite and act friendly, but then I overheard the conversation you had with Jack on my porch, and that my dear was a mistake."
"Are you threatening me?" Andie raised an eyebrow and stepped closer to Jen, showing no fear.
"Andie when I threaten you, you'll know because a fist will follow closely there after." Jen closed the distance between them." I don't have much; just parents that don't call or care, a grandmother that doesn't always get me, and some very good friends, so when I say that screwing with my friends is not the best plan, I mean doing that will get you hurt."
Jen went to the door and opened it up." You want to ruin your life, then fine I won't stand in your way, but I won't let you take them with you,"
"It's getting cold."
"Potter its Massachusetts in November, it's suppose to be cold."
"This cold?"
"Yes this cold." Rolling his eyes, he grudgingly takes off his jacket and drops it on her shoulders." I'll just add that to your tab."
"Thank you Pacey." They fall back into an easy silence, reminding her of one more thing she never had with Dawson. He couldn't stand the quiets, he thought they were awkward. Pacey didn't mind them he thought they breed thought, which was pretty profound coming from him." What are we going to do Monday?"
"About?"
"You know."
"Oh Leery." Pacey lets out a frustrated sigh." You know I would almost feel bad about this, if he didn't treat me like I've done this to him before, like I was such an awful friend that I've spent all my time sabotaging him and his life, but he doesn't care about the years of friendship he had with either of us, or the things we've helped him deal with, so I say to hell with it." "Dawson can just deal, I'm not going to act like I did anything wrong, cause I haven't, and you shouldn't either."
"It just hurts to know that after everything he can reduce our friendship like they mean nothing."
Pacey took her in his arms and hugged her tightly." I know, but we have each out and we have Jack and Jen, with those two and all their personalities we've got a lot of great friends, so don't worry about Dawson."
Joey nodded and rose up to kiss his cheek when hi head turn, and she found herself staring at his lips, inches away from her.
"Hey what the HELL is going on here?"