DISCLAIMER. Etc etc etc
Look what you've done.
She awoke slowly, the sunlight stinging her eyes as she opened them gingerly. She could smell the alcohol she consumed the night before reeking from her skin and bed sheets. She couldn't focus yet but could make out that Audrey's bed laid unused. Good, she thought to herself, at least Audrey didn't see her completely wasted last night.
Gradually, she became aware of what had happened the night before. Jen and Dawson were practically having sex in front of her and her heart had broken. Dawson unapologetic apology didn't help matters, nor did his reasons for what had happened. Joey could only deduce that whatever she had the offer was not good enough; it had never been good enough, either for him or herself....or Pacey for that matter.
So she had done the only sensible thing and gone straight to a bar and drank as much as she could. Just to numb the voices in her head reminding her of her inadequacy. She had stumbled into the bar where a familiar face was playing with his band. His cheeky smile and ruffled hair standing out from across the bar. He bought her a drink and they sat there bemoaning their apparent lack of luck with the opposite sex. And in her drunken stupor she thought 'Well if Dawson can, why can't I?' and in that one moment Joey said goodbye to her ideals of love and commitment, let go of her principles about drinking and one night stands and let go of her love for the boy over the creek.
Joey's head was now starting to swim in the post drinking sludge of the morning, it started to pound and her mouth felt cotton dry. Hangovers were not something she was very used to. She rolled over and pulled the pretty bed sheets over her head. She knew she had classes and other things to do but she didn't want to know about it.
In the darkness she felt someone else's breath against her own. His musty smell filled her nostrils, reawakening the vague memory of what they had done some hours before. And it had felt good. Good to be with someone without all the baggage and angst. Good just to be with someone for the sake of being with someone. She couldn't believe that she had enjoyed it so much. The touch of a stranger, a man who didn't know her and her history. Just a man who wanted her. She had wanted him too and she knew that most of that didn't come from the alcohol.
She pulled down the sheets off her and her lover's head and looked at his sleepy face. He was beautiful, in a way she had not appreciated before. His skin and hair were perfect, as was his body. She quickly looked under the covers and realised that both of them were still naked. Suddenly she was gripped in a deep panic. Her chest tightened and her head ache increased tenfold. What would happen now? Would they have a relationship? Would he run back to Jen to? Would......
She started to breath calmly and slipped out of bed, making her way to her tiny bathroom. She quietly locked the door and stood in front of the mirror. Her make up was smeared all over her face and her hair was practically standing on end. She looked a mess. How could anyone have wanted this the night before? She climbed into the shower and hoped that the hot water would wash away her doubts.....and her hangover.
He stirred in bed, reaching his arm across to where Joey had been sleeping. But she was gone. He sat upright and looked around the strange room, trying to find clues to where she might have run to. Then he heard the gentle trickling of the shower and Joey's voice softly singing. He smiled. He lowered himself back into bed and pondered his next move.
Joey changed the shower temperature to ice cold, a habit she had developed to help her wake up early in the morning. It worked very well but today was slightly ill advised. The cold water battered her head and reminded her of the headache currently growing in size. She climbed out and reached of her dressing gown, trying to dry herself off quickly to warm up. She scanned over the vanity unit for any hangover cure that Audrey might have concealed somewhere. Luckily, she found a bottle of aspirin she had stored for when Audrey got a little too over active and took some, cupping her hands under the flowing water and swallowing it.
She looked at herself again. She looked much better, almost glowing. She couldn't put her finger on it but something had changed in her last night. She had let go a lot of her inhabitations and hang ups. She, Joey Potter, had gone to a bar and picked up a guy, took him home and had rampant sex with him for several hours. She smiled at her reflection and knew what she wanted to do next.
He stared at the ceiling, amused by how expensive and well appointed these halls were, compared to his own Boston Bay lodgings. She really was something different, looking around the walls and seeing all her memories and treasures pinned to them. He heard the bathroom door handle turn and sat up in bed, awaiting her return.
'Morning,' Joey said, confidently walking across the room and sitting next to him in bed.
'Good morning to you to. How do you feel,' he asked, a little shocked at how good she looked considering the amount they had drunk.
'I feel wonderful. You?' she rubbed the towel on her head into her hair and then her wet strands fly out.
'Great. I thought you would be.....I don't know, slightly embarrassed by finding me this morning.' he said, turning on his side and placing his free hand on his thigh.
'Why? We had a great time last night didn't we?' Joey said, mirroring his position on the bed.
'God yeah, but I know this is not really in your character is it? I mean, from what a certain blonde had told me before, you are very.....'
'Conservative? Boring?' Joey finished his sentence for him.
'Yeah,' he said, slowly moving his hand up her body until it rested on her upper arm.
'Well, would you consider this boring and conservative?' Joey said seductively, kissing him passionately. 'Do you need a shower?'
Audrey walked up to her dorm door. She had spent the night with Pacey, not wanting to return home last night. She had looked for Joey in all the usual hunting spots, the library, the cinema, the park but had found nothing. She had finally come home late last night but found the red scrunchie on the door. Knowing that Joey wouldn't actually be doing what the red scrunchie was invented for, Audrey and Pacey walked away, thinking it was Joey's way of telling them to leave her alone. But now, at midday the next day, Audrey knew that Joey would be ready for some company. She turned to her two companions, who had insisted on coming to check on her. Audrey wanted punch both Jen and Dawson for what they had done. She was sure that she was one of the only people who were actually thinking about Joey's feelings, knowing what Joey had been going through since Dawson's father died.
She turned to the pair of them before opening the door.
'Understand me. If you two upset her in any way, you're out. If she says she doesn't want to see you, you're out. Is that clear?' Audrey said, her tone heavy as she faced the two lovers.
'Understood,' Jen said, with Dawson nodding in agreement.
'Okay,' she turned the door knob and opened the door slowly.
'Bunny are you in?' Audrey said, peeking around the room but not finding anyone. 'She's not here.'
The three of them walked into the room and saw the mess that was Joey's side of the room. Her bed was unmade and clothes lay everywhere. Audrey started to panic, this was very unlike Joey.
'Where is she? This is really unlike her.' Jen said, glancing around at the clothes on the floor. 'Can you smell alcohol?'
Audrey smelt the room and realised that Joey must have gone to drown her sorrows last night. Jen remembered the musty smell well but couldn't put her finger on it. Dawson just panicked that Joey had done something stupid. He lowered himself onto Joey's bed.
'You don't think she's done something stupid?' he said slowly, looking down at his feet.
'You know Joey would never do anything like that, she's probably...' Jen started but stopped when she heard the noises from the bathroom. 'She's in the bathroom,' Jen said, trying to make out the sounds. It kind of sounded like Joey was crying or being sick. Or both,
'Well maybe we should leave her be, she will be in no fit state the see you two,' Audrey said, trying to scoot the two from the room.
'She's right Jen, lets go,' Dawson said, getting up to leave. The noises from the bathroom had stopped and they could hear Joey moving about.
Just as Jen was about to get up she saw something on the floor that looked familiar. 'Wait a second.' She leant over and picked up a t-shirt. 'Have you ever known Joey to wear these kinds of clothes?' she unfolded the large t-shirt to show an obscure rock band motif. Suddenly it hit her where she recognised the shirt. 'Oh my god,'
Just then the bathroom door flung open and Joey and Charlie tumbled out, wrapped up in the same bath sheet, giggling like school children. Both of them stopped laughing when they saw Jen, Dawson and Audrey standing in front of them.
