Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter one. Your comments mean so much to me. I hope you like chapter 2, and please read and review!
Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Don't sue.
Chapter 2: After school
It was after 4 PM when Jack flopped down on a barstool at the Icehouse. "I hate the first day of school."
Pacey looked up from the bottles he was inventorying. "That good, huh? I thought it was only students that hated school."
"I spent the entire day doing everything but teaching. The new computer system fouled up all of the rosters, so most of my gradesheets were completely wrong. Then there were all of the students who suddenly realized that they have class conflicts and now have to change classes. As if they didn't know their schedules all summer! Checking out books, going over the course expectations. By the time I was done with all of that crap, there was only five minutes left in the class period. I didn't even bother trying to teach them anything. Oh – and on top of all that, your brother pulled me over for speeding, and guess what room classroom I've been assigned?"
Suddenly Jack realized how long and whiny his diatribe had been. "Sorry, I didn't mean to go on forever."
Pacey grimaced. "Don't worry, I guess school's all a bunch of bullshit, even for the teachers. So what's wrong with your classroom?"
"I've been given Peterson's old room. Just being in there gives me the creeps. Suddenly I feel like I am fifteen again, having to stand up and read my poem in front of everyone."
"Definitely not one of our better moments in high school," replied Pacey, cringing at the memory. "Maybe a ritual cleansing would drive the evil spirit of Mr. Peterson away," he suggested. When he saw Jack's answering grin, he felt it was safe to ask about the other thing on Jack's list of grievances. "So Douggie gave you a ticket? Just how fast were you going?"
Jack had the grace to look slightly ashamed. "45 in a 25 zone." He paused for a minute, thinking about his encounter with the Sheriff. "Actually, he didn't give me a ticket. He only scared the crap out me and gave me a warning."
"Are you sure it was Doug? I mean, my brother kinda has a tradition of breaking his record for tickets on the first day of school each year," said Pacey, completely stunned that his brother hadn't issued Jack a ticket.
"'Sheriff Doug' he told me." Jack thought about the strange encounter of that morning. "He seemed a little distracted," he explained, trying to put into words the weird vibe had picked up. "He seemed a bit rattled, and then all of a sudden, he just let me go with a warning."
Pacey mulled over the information, trying to imagine his brother loosing his composure while on the job. That sort of thing usually only happened when Pacey shot off his smart mouth. They sat there for a few minutes considering the import of Jack's news, before Jack asked, "by the way, when did your brother become Sheriff?"
"Two years ago my Dad retired because of his health, and Doug ran for election his place. Youngest Sheriff in Capeside history," Pacey explained, proudly. "I'm just glad that my father was still alive to see Doug elected. He was so proud that I thought he would burst."
Jack remembered all of the times back in high school when Pacey had felt second best when compared to his older brother. "And I'm sure your father was proud of you, opening up the Icehouse and making it a success."
"Yeah. One of the best days of my life was when he offered to be one of the co-signers on the business loan to get this place going, along with my brother who also invested in it." Pacey smiled at the memory. "Speaking of family – how about yours?"
"Well, as you know, Andie's in her last year of medical school. I'm not sure she gets any sleep, but I can tell she loves it. She was dating another med student, but it turned out he couldn't handle it when his girlfriend was smarter and better at everything than he was. My dad is currently based in London, but he usually calls at least one a week. He's been really great this last month. He knew I had to get out of New York and when the job in Capeside opened up two weeks ago, he really encouraged me to take it. He was the one who arranged to have all of my stuff put in storage until I could find a place here."
From his previous conversations with Jack, Pacey knew that any discussion of why he had left New York was strictly off-limits. "Everything is in storage?" he asked instead.
"I only took what I could fit in my car and drove down. Thank God the teacher that quit at the last moment was willing to sublet his furnished apartment for two months. It will give me some time to find a decent place."
"Isn't there stuff you'll miss?" asked Pacey, once again surprised at the drastic nature of Jack's departure from his life in New York.
"Right now I just need a clean break from everything, a fresh start," Jack replied, and from the tone of his voice, Pacey knew it was time to change the subject.
"How are Jen and Grams?" he asked quickly.
"Great! It's been three years since Gram's last treatment, and she's been doing great. She is a little bit more frail than before, but just as strong willed as ever. Every six months she goes in for more tests and things get tense for a few days, but so far everything has been fine. Jen's baby is due in January, and she keeps complaining about being fat, but she looks amazing. I just wish she would believe me when I tell her that! I wish I could find that jerk of an ex-boyfriend of hers and beat the crap out of him."
Pacey nodded in sympathy. "I heard the story. Let me know if you find him, because I'd love to take a swing at him myself."
Jack nodded, and began studying a menu as Pacey walked off to greet a customer who had just walked into the restaurant.
