February 12. Their first week back to the real world from their weekend of bliss wasn't exactly an easy transition for Pacey and Joey. They had agreed to keep their relationship appearing as normal as possible while in the presence of others, and to attempt to keep all conversation about the ski trip at a minimum. At school, they tried very hard to maintain the same level of public displays of affection they'd had before the senior trip. Unlike other couples in school whose foray into sexual activity became blatantly obvious to everyone, there was no skipping out on class to hide themselves away in the boiler room, or leaving school grounds during lunch period for secret rendezvous.
The late afternoons and evenings Joey had to spend working at the yacht club became even more of a test of her patience. She found it was now much harder to deal with Drue and his mother for hours on end when she'd much rather be spending that time with her boyfriend. Alone at the beach house, Pacey felt bored and restless without her until even the passing seconds were torture. It wasn't easy to spend so much time together all day and act like nothing had changed between them, and then to endure long hours of separation when they left school. But at night…
The nights were another matter entirely.
On the nights Pacey's sister worked late at the restaurant, they had over two hours together from when Joey got out of work until Gretchen was expected home, and they made use of that precious alone time. Once she left the yacht club and arrived at the beach house, they came together and made sometimes sweet, sometimes hot passionate love. This meant she often ended up doing homework into the wee hours of the morning, making it difficult for her to get up early for school. The weekend had been easier to manage, and they'd thoroughly enjoyed their eight-month anniversary on Saturday.
On Monday, they walked hand in hand from Spanish class, first stopping at her locker to drop off her books before heading to his. "So, I have to work tonight…"
He frowned. "It's your day off."
"I know, but guess who actually has this Friday off from work instead, thanks to Gina needing to switch shifts?" Joey said quietly while Pacey put in the combination on his padlock.
He smiled. "You got Friday night off?"
"Yes. And so, I was thinking that, as a way to make up for the fact I have to work on our first ever Valentine's Day as a couple, Friday night would be the perfect opportunity for us to spend the night together. Gina also asked to work my Saturday morning brunch shift because she needs some extra money after she got in that fender-bender, and Mrs. Valentine agreed to it. Probably because it means it's one less day that she'll have to see my face this week. Anyway, that means I'll have Saturday off, too, free and clear. Any ideas how we can get an entire night alone?"
Before he could reply, they were interrupted. "Witter," Drue sneered, walking by them in the hall.
"Jackass," he retorted, glaring as the guy passed.
"Don't instigate him, Pace," Joey implored, before lowering her voice. "He's actually been silent on the whole seeing-us-buying-condoms thing, and I don't want to give him reason to feel vindictive."
"He has been silent, and that just seems weird to me," he said, closing his locker. Then taking her by the hand and entwining their fingers, he began to lead her towards the cafeteria. "I mean, why keep quiet? You'd think Drue Valentine would rush at the chance to embarrass us in front of everyone. Jen also thinks it's very weird, and not like him at all, and she knows the guy a lot better than we do."
"You know what else is weird? Drue joining Yearbook Club to help them out after the two Ashleys quit. I mean, I'm not surprised that Dawson volunteered as a photographer to help them out, but Drue? He's not exactly Mr. School Spirit, nor does he willingly do anything for others. There has to be some kind of angle."
"Like what?" he scoffed as they approached the lunch line. "To rig the votes so he wins Best Looking?"
"More like Class Joke," she muttered, picking up a tray.
"He thinks he's a real jokester, all right."
Once they'd loaded their lunch trays with their selections, they walked into the crowded cafeteria. Posters adorned the walls advertising the Valentine's Sadie Hawkins Dance on Wednesday night, the election for junior class student government, the upcoming Mid-Winter Choir Concert, and auditions for the spring musical. They quickly sat down at their usual table, where they were soon joined by their friends.
"So, Dawson, what's it like being in Yearbook with Drue?" Jen asked.
"I honestly haven't done much with it yet," he answered. "Once the results of the senior polls are announced, I'll be taking the winners' pictures. Then I'll be going around taking group shots of all the different clubs as well as trying to catch candids of senior life."
"Then what's Drue doing?" Jack replied.
"They put him in charge of the superlatives. Did you guys vote last week?"
Joey scoffed and rolled her eyes. "No. Best Looking, Most Popular… who cares?"
Dawson shrugged. "Drue, apparently. He had his choice of Yearbook assignment, and that's the one he picked. He also had an idea to do a senior poll, which started today. He did some poll type thing on the ski trip, which apparently was a big hit, and so Erin agreed to the idea." He paused to remove the cap from his orange soda, and Joey exchanged looks with Pacey before her eyes flickered to Jen's for a moment. "There's a table set up outside the cafeteria where seniors can get a copy of the poll and fill it out. Did you see it when you came in here?"
Jen reached into her bag. "I grabbed one." She looked down at the paper, looking it over. "You're saying Drue made this up? It's pretty mundane. 'Senior Class Favorites,'" she read the title, before clearing her throat. "'Favorite Musical Group—'"
"Well, that's a given," Dawson interrupted. "I'm sure everyone will vote for Jim and Nick's band."
Jack nodded. "Yep. Did you know Harbor Rockers actually got a gig in Wellfleet this weekend?"
"'Favorite After-School Hangout, Favorite Pastime, Favorite Car, Favorite Teacher, Favorite Movie, TV Show, Actor, Actress, Athlete…'" Jen continued to read down the list. "Honestly, this is… boring. Not up to Drue's standards, I have to say. Nothing even remotely scandalous. There's nothing on this list that could cause any conflict or drama, unless people end up picking Jake's house as their favorite hangout instead of Belinda McGovern's beachside mansion and she ends up throwing a fit about how ungrateful we all are, the snob."
"Jake has the best weed," Pacey said with a casual shrug before he took a bite of his sandwich. They all turned their heads to stare at him. He chewed for a few moments and then laughed when he caught their looks. "Or so I've heard. How would I know? I've never been invited to his house."
"Well, your dad is the sheriff. No one wants to invite a narc to a house party," Joey snarked.
"My dad being the sheriff is the reason behind a lot of things that have or have not happened to me over the course of my high school career."
Soon Jen and Jack skipped out early to spend the rest of their lunch period in the computer lab, while Dawson left go talk to his film teacher about the movie he made about Mr. Brooks. Finally alone, Pacey and Joey returned to their earlier conversation about the upcoming weekend. "So, about Friday night…" she prompted, smirking suggestively. "Gretchen changed her schedule so she could have a couple nights off a week, remember? She works a day shift on Fridays now. How are we gonna take advantage of my night off?"
He leaned in and kissed her. "I got it. There's nothing on the books, and Bodie mentioned something about maybe taking Bessie and Alexander to the Vineyard to see his family. We check ourselves into the B&B, Bessie's none the wiser, and then we'll finally get to spend an entire night together for the first time since the ski trip. What do you say?" He kissed her again.
"There are no vacancies this weekend, as of last night. There's some winter arts festival over in Wellfleet. So, you can forget about Bessie going away anywhere."
He laughed. "Well, I guess that means I'll be busy cooking for guests. We'll think of something." He rubbed his hand across his chin, an intriguing idea coming to him. "Well… what do you think about you and me, the boiler room, right now?"
Skipping class to fool around in the boiler room like the other tacky couples in this school? But if they went down there and got caught… "No." She turned from his direct gaze, knowing he'd definitely do something that impulsive. "Pacey," she warned, picking up her cup of soda and taking a drink.
"You considered that, didn't you?" he said, feeling pleasantly surprised, and reached for her hand. "You did. I saw it in your eyes. You, Josephine Potter, actually considered skipping out on AP Bio and engaging in illicit sexual activities with your boyfriend…" He kissed her fingers. "On school grounds, no less. Naughty girl." He clicked his tongue disapprovingly.
God, he was so cute, she thought, and the idea was appealing on certain levels. The levels ruled by her hormones, and not her common sense. Smirking, she leaned forward, her hand still holding tight to his, while she sunk the other into his soft brown curls, and kissed him. "Well, it is second semester senior year. I guess these grades don't really count for anything."
Grinning, he leaned in to press his lips to hers. "So sexy," he whispered to her as they pulled out of the kiss.
Suddenly they were interrupted. "Okay, the two of you either need to break that up or charge admission," Drue snarked, before walking away to address the entire cafeteria, and they rolled their eyes. "Everyone, everyone, can I have a little attention here please? As most of you know, voting ended on Friday in the hotly contested Capeside High Class of 2001 Senior Superlatives, and right here, I have in my hand, fully certified for publication in this year's Yearbook, the results of said election."
Pacey and Joey weren't paying much attention to him while he made this little speech, and were too wrapped up in each other's affection to consider anything else. "So, the boiler room?" he murmured, nibbling on her fingers.
She laughed and leaned forward, kissing his face. "The boiler room isn't proper behavior for a lady such as myself."
"I think we've long since abandoned proper behavior for ladies, Potter." He grinned mischievously and put his lips at her ear, whispering. "Before the day is over, lady, I bet your clothes will be on my bedroom floor."
She smiled, laughing as he entwined their fingers. He brought the back of her hand to his mouth and kissed it. They gazed lovingly at each other while Drue stood on a chair, still talking.
"…we'll start with Class Couple," Drue announced. "You know, it's not much of a contest here, folks. Yes, it's those two people so in love, they make the rest of us want to puke on a daily basis. Joey Potter… and Pacey Witter! Their innocent, virginal love is truly something to be admired. We should all aspire to such purity of mind and body."
Pacey and Joey stared up at his smirking face with furrowed brows, scowling in annoyance, before shaking their heads and turning away from him. A few claps and whistles went around the cafeteria, but mostly this announcement caused a non-reaction. The result wasn't shocking to anyone. Pacey leaned towards his girlfriend and smiled. "Class Couple, Potter. I think we got Prom King and Queen in the bag."
She laughed. "We'll have to go all out, as is befitting high school royalty," she joked. "Dress. Tux. Limo. The works."
"I'm on it. Consider it done."
Drue went on to announce Most Popular, Most Friendly, Most School Spirit, Best Looking, Best Laugh, Class Clown, and others. Then he came to Most Likely to Succeed: "Again, no surprise there. Dawson Leery and Andie McPhee. If only she was here, but I'm sure she'll be pleased to find out once she gets tired of chasing Italian dudes and comes back to Capeside in time to give her valedictorian speech at graduation."
Pacey and Joey rolled their eyes.
Drue then cleared his throat. "Okay, finally, last but certainly not least, Most Likely to End Up in Jail. Once again, no shockers here. Jake Baliva and… Pacey Witter!"
Everyone laughed, clapped, and whistled. Jake stood up and took a bow, with great amusement. "Do I get to make a speech?" he shouted to rounds of more laughter.
Pacey and Joey shook their heads. "He had to have rigged that," she said.
"I'm sure Jake won fair and square," he quipped.
"Yeah, but why would anyone have voted for you?"
He took a deep breath and shrugged. "Seducing a schoolteacher into committing a felony? Spitting in another teacher's face? Beating the shit out of Matt Caufield in the parking lot? The irony of my dad being the sheriff of Cape Cod?"
She grinned, shaking her head. "You're not a bad boy destined for jail, Pacey. You're a misunderstood underachiever with a heart of gold who always does what he believes is right, no matter what people think. If only the rest of us were so brave and noble."
A warm smile spread across his face. "I love you."
She smiled back at him.
"Okay, thank you all for voting," Drue announced when the noise had died down. "Don't forget the table outside the cafeteria doors with the senior class poll. Voting ends on Thursday, so please everyone, fill those out and drop them in the box."
Then he was gone. "Well… that was uneventful, as far as Drue goes," Joey said to her boyfriend.
Pacey shook his head. "What was the point of announcing it in front of everyone like that? Doesn't Yearbook Club usually just print copies of the winners list and pass them out? And I still don't get why Drue is interested in this at all. He's gotta be up to something, right? Is he trying to sabotage the Yearbook?"
The bell rang and they stood up from their table, grabbing their lunch trays. "Well, if he is, and he probably is, then as long as he stays away from us, I honestly don't care."
They walked hand in hand out of the cafeteria, passing by the table against the wall with the poll ballots and the cardboard box with a slit cut at the top to drop them in. "Why don't you just come to my place after school on Friday? And, well… now that I think about it, we do have winter break next week. Why don't you just pack a bag and come stay with me?"
Taken aback, her lips curved into a slight grin. "Stay with you at the beach house… all week?"
He shrugged. "Yeah, why not? We don't have school. We'll hang out together every day until you gotta go to work, and then sleep next to each other every night. It's perfect."
"Yeah, but won't Gretchen be there?"
"She won't mind if you stay over, Jo."
"It's not exactly private, though, Pacey."
He stopped walking and took hold of both her hands. "She won't be at the house twenty-four-seven. She works long hours at the restaurant, sometimes days, sometimes nights. We'll have lots of alone time."
She pursed her lips. "It'd be one thing if we had the house completely all to ourselves, but…" She smiled at the excited, expectant look on his face, silently pleading with her to agree to the idea. "Well, I'll think about it."
He smiled and kissed her. Then the warning bell rang out, and they parted for their next classes.
February 14. Joey walked to her locker after her last class on Wednesday afternoon, intending to switch out her books and load her bag with what she needed to take home with her. She had thirty minutes to get back to the house, change into her uniform, and make it to work. She wouldn't get to see Pacey until later tonight.
When she put in the combination on her padlock and opened her locker, she saw a small red envelope sticking inside the vent. Warmth spread through her as she saw her name on the front in Pacey's handwriting. She tore it open and pulled out the shiny red card inside.
"Roses are red,
Black cats are black.
I'm awful at poems,
But I'm great in the sack.
Happy Valentine's Day
Love,
Pacey"
She started giggling, love and happiness welling up inside her.
"What's so funny?"
Startled, she jumped back from her locker to see Dawson standing there smiling at her. She quickly closed the card, and laughed nervously. "Oh, you know… it's just a valentine from Pacey."
He smiled again. "You guys have special plans tonight?"
She closed her locker. "I have to work, unfortunately," she said as she shoved the card in the pocket of her denim pencil skirt. "I'm not sure what we're doing afterwards."
"Well, if I know Pacey, I'm sure a grand romantic gesture is involved."
"Oh, well… I don't think I require anything grand right now."
He sighed, a sad smile playing about his mouth. "You know, I just realized that you and I never had a real Valentine's Day together, did we? I mean, as a couple."
She shook her head. "Our briefest of romances didn't last long enough."
"Ah, yes. Alive and well at Christmas, dead in the water by Valentine's Day."
"It just wasn't meant to be," she shrugged with a smile. "I'm sure you agree we're much better off as we are. Things are pretty much perfect right now."
He averted his gaze for a moment and laughed breathlessly. "Right."
"So, you doing anything tonight, Dawson? Did anyone ask you to the Sadie Hawkins Dance?" she teased.
He laughed and shook his head. "Everyone knows seniors don't go to Sadie Hawkins, Joey. It'll just be a typical Wednesday night at the restaurant. My mom wants me to start waiting tables since one of the waiters put in his two-week notice a few days ago, but I don't think anyone wants to see me try to balance multiple plates on my arms. I think I'll stick to busing tables and handing out menus."
She smiled. "I think you could get the hang of it if you tried, Dawson." Then she sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I gotta go. Have to be at work soon. I'll, uh… I'll see you tomorrow?"
He nodded, smiling. "Yeah, sure thing. See you tomorrow." She started to turn but then he called her back. "Oh, don't forget I need to take your picture soon."
"My picture?" Her brows knitted together.
"Yeah. You and Pacey."
Her face contorted with confusion.
"For Yearbook," Dawson explained. "You know, Class Couple?"
She rolled her eyes, blushing, and tucked her hair behind an ear. "Oh, right. Okay. Well, I really do have to go, or I'm gonna be late, and that's all the reason Drue's witch of a mother would need to can my ass. See ya." She hurried away from him, making for the exit and the student parking lot.
Three hours after she'd started her shift at the yacht club, she was just finishing up the early dinner rush when a bouquet of flowers arrived in the dining room. "You got a special delivery, Joey," John, a coworker of hers, said, a crystal vase of flowers in tow.
"Oh, thanks, Johnny." Her eyes went wide with surprise. She'd never gotten flowers before. "They're so pretty."
The delivery boy had her sign for them, and then he passed the vase into her hands. She smiled, her heart warming. She didn't need to read the card to know who they were from. Drue appeared around the other side of the bar, watching her.
Nosy! She blushed, feeling uncomfortable at the attention she was getting from her coworkers as well as some of the patrons sitting at their dining tables. "Do I need to give you a tip?"
The delivery boy pursed his lips and shrugged. "Nah, that's okay. Happy Valentine's Day."
Joey took the vase of red roses into the kitchen, Drue's gaze following her all the way, much to her annoyance. She set them down on the work bench against the wall and pulled the card from the tiny envelope.
"I promise to always be by your side… or under you, or on top of you.
Happy Valentine's Day
Love,
Pacey"
She burst into a fit of giggles as warmth spread through her body. Looking up at the clock on the wall, she frowned. It was still another three hours before she could leave.
Shortly after, she took her fifteen-minute break and went to the staff dining room, where she picked up the receiver on the phone mounted to the wall and dialed her boyfriend's number. He picked up after the third ring.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Pace."
Sitting down at the kitchen table, he smiled. "Hi, Joey. Is there a specific reason you might be calling me?" he asked, his voice teasing.
Her cheeks flushed with warmth. "I got your beautiful flowers."
"Ahh, I thought you might've."
"And your card," she grinned. "I thought you might've aimed for romantic on Valentine's Day, but instead you went with horny," she tutted with fake disapproval.
"Did it make you laugh, though?"
"Yes, it did."
"Then mission accomplished."
"Thank you, sweetheart," she smiled, and then laughed again. "Oh, and I got your romantic poem you left in my locker. Wow, that was really powerful. I was deeply touched."
He chuckled. "I'm putting my creative writing class to good use."
"Well, it is your favorite class." Then she frowned. "I wish I didn't have to work and I could be there with you right now."
He sighed into the phone. "I know. Me too. But you're still getting out at nine, right?"
"Yeah."
"Gretchen promised we'd have the place to ourselves until at least eleven-thirty, possibly a little later if she decides to go out with some friends after work. Have you eaten?"
"No. I imagine I'll be starving by the time I get out of here."
"Good. I have dinner plans for us."
An excited smile spread across her face. "Are we going out, or are we staying in?"
"One or the other," he answered mysteriously.
"Okay. Well, I look forward to dinner tonight… wherever that ends up being. I gotta get back out there. I'll see you later."
"I'm counting down the hours, Jo."
"So am I, Pacey."
At nine o'clock sharp, she left the yacht club, carrying the crystal vase of red roses out to the parking lot. In less than ten minutes, she was pulling into his Bridge Street driveway. Stepping out of the truck, she could smell the aroma of something Asian—soy sauce and sesame oil—and she smiled to herself. He was cooking. He must be in a very good mood.
Pacey greeted her at the front door, spatula in hand, and pulled her into an embrace. Music from the stereo in the living room filled the air around them as she kissed him. She quickly recognized his CD of classic rock love ballads, and smiled against his mouth. She slipped a card into the wide pocket of his smock-style apron for him to find later. She knew he liked surprises.
"I've missed you something fierce," he sighed.
Joey stepped into the kitchen and took off her coat, draping it over a chair at the small round table. She smiled as she glanced into the living room, where several candles had been lit. Then she wrapped her arms around him again, and for a moment she was only aware of the warmth of his body against hers, the sensation of his soft yet firm lips pressing against her own.
He drew away from her. A curling lock of brown hair fell over his forehead, and there was a smile on his boyish face. "Let's skip dinner," he said suggestively, his eyes darkening.
"It smells so good, though. I know you're horny all the time, but can't that wait until after we eat?" she teased.
"It's not that I'm horny all the time, Jo. It's just that you're always sexy." He turned off the heat under the wok Bodie and Bessie had gotten him for his birthday, then pulled her into another hug. She felt so good in his arms. A perfect fit. As if there'd been something missing since the last time he'd held her. He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled. She smelled like… Joey. Like he never wanted to let go. "How about right here in the kitchen, huh?" He nuzzled her neck.
She tapped her foot on the linoleum. "It'll be awfully hard, though."
"Oh, it's extremely hard." Pacey grinned, and took her hand from around his neck, pulling it toward the front of his jeans. "Want to see?"
Joey laughed, and their hands butted up against the card in his apron.
"What's this?" He pulled out an envelope with his name written on the front in her beautiful handwriting. The card was simple: plain white with small red hearts all over the front of it and a printed Happy Valentine's Day inscription also in red. Then he opened it and read to himself what she'd written.
"To the love of my life, my soulmate. I want you to know how much I've enjoyed annoying you all these years and how excited I am to keep doing so in the future.
Love,
Joey
P.S. I also want you know that while I love every bone in your body, there is one I'm particularly fond of."
He laughed. "I see I'm not the only one who's horny all the time, Josephine," he quipped, his eyes twinkling. "I love it."
"Not too cheesy?" she asked, blushing. She'd never considered herself overtly romantic, and this was the first time she'd ever given anyone a real valentine.
"No. It's perfect, and it's exactly you: sweet and dry." His face then grew serious for a moment, and he pulled her into another hug. "I love you, Joey." His voice was husky, and the sound made her entire body tingle.
"I love you, too, Pacey."
It was another minute before he let go of her. "So… the floor? I have to warn you, though. I've been poking holes in the condoms and replacing your birth control pills with placebos."
Joey shook her head with a smile. "Bessie will be thrilled with this news." She took both his hands in hers and squeezed. "I'm seriously starved, Pace, like… famished, and this smells so good. Can we please eat first?"
He laughed. "Of course, we can. Now that I think of it, we'll need sustenance for later."
She moved to stand at the island, her hands dropping to the wooden top, while he went back to the stove and turned the heat on beneath the wok. "So, what's on the menu?" she asked.
"I believe you mentioned last week that you were craving really good Chinese food and bemoaned the fact that there were no decent take out places in Capeside."
She gasped excitedly. "Did you make my favorite fried rice?"
He nodded. "Well, I'm about to make that right now, but I've already made the stir fry."
"So, I'll get to see you in action? I enjoy watching a master at work."
"Pfft. I'm no master."
"You could become one, though," she said simply. "If you went to MCLA."
He didn't want to talk about culinary school. "We've been over this, Jo. MCLA is three hours from Boston by car, which I don't have, and eight hours by bus. That's not… I mean, I wouldn't even consider it. We'd never get to see each other, and then I know… I know what would eventually happen, and that would be unbearable. I don't even want to think of it."
She frowned, a twinge of guilt twisting in her stomach. "I know, Pace. I just… I don't want you to give up on your dream just to stay with me."
"Dream," he scoffed. "Cooking is just a job that I like, and it's a job I can do anywhere. You're the dream, Joey, and I'm not giving you up for anything. Wherever you are, that's where I'm gonna be."
She had arguments to this, but didn't want to hash them out now. Maybe as time went on, he'd be more willing to discuss it. He had so much potential for greatness, and it seemed like he was ready to just throw it away, and all for her. She wasn't worth it, not really.
She watched him going through ingredients he had piled on the counter next to the stove. He turned on another burner and got to work. "How do you make this?" she asked. "The egg fried rice?"
"It's simple. Beat two eggs, which I've done, make an omelet, and then remove it. Then in the same pan add some sliced garlic, ginger, and green chilies, add the egg back in, put in some rice, soy sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper. That's it, and it'll be done in fifteen minutes."
He was right.
"This is amazing!" Joey said with a mouthful of food, hiding it behind her hand.
"Thanks," Pacey replied, grinning, a sense of self-satisfaction filling his chest at her approval.
Once they'd cleaned and dried the dishes, she took his hand and led him into the hallway. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he turned her and then kissed her hungrily, pressing her hard against the wall. Her body felt so good against his, soft and warm. They kissed for some time, until her body began seeking more from him, her hips arching into his. But just as his hand moved to touch her breast, his fingers grazing her hardened nipple through her shirt, the phone rang. They pulled out of their passionate kiss and groaned.
"Ignore it," he said huskily. "We only have so much time before my sister comes home."
"Whoever it is, they're calling pretty late. What if it's an emergency? What if it's Gretchen?"
She moved away from him and back towards the kitchen, where she picked up the ringing telephone. "Hello?"
"Oh, hi, Joanna," spoke the honeyed voice.
She frowned. "Hi, Mrs. Witter."
Pacey's eyes popped and his stomach twisted into knots. Why the hell was his mom calling after ten o'clock?
"Is my baby boy there?"
She hesitated. "Um, he is…" She leaned around the corner and peered into the hallway. Her boyfriend was vigorously shaking his head. "But he's… in the bathroom right now. Do you want me to have him call you back? Are you and Mr. Witter okay?"
"Oh, sure, we're fine, sweetie. I was only calling to see if you and Pacey would like to come to dinner on Sunday. He hasn't been to the house since… well, since his birthday party, and I have to say his father and I are kind of missing him around here. Do you both have plans on Sunday?"
Oh, God. "Um…" Her eyes were locked with Pacey's. His jaw was clenched tight. "I'm not sure. I'll have to ask him."
"Would you? That would be great, honey. I hope I wasn't interrupting anything. I know it's Valentine's Day. Have a good night, Joanne."
She rolled her eyes. "You too, Mrs. Witter."
Joey hung up the phone and rejoined Pacey at the bottom of the stairs. "She wants us to come to dinner on Sunday."
"Why didn't you just tell her no?"
"Because I'm gutless."
He shook his head. "That's hardly the adjective I'd use to describe you."
"It is when it comes to your mother. The adjectives that do describe me will probably lead to my ruin someday. I'm a stubborn, obnoxious girl with a bad attitude, remember?" That was the phrase Mrs. Valentine had used in reference to her on her first day back to work following the ski trip.
He kissed her softly on the lips. "Although you do have quite a stubborn streak, I would never use those words to describe you."
"Difficult, then."
"Determined."
She smiled at him. "I love you."
Pacey gave her a rueful smile in return. "I suppose that phone call was a real mood-killer, huh?"
She reached for his hand and turned them towards the stairs. "No," she said. "I don't think so."
February 16. On Friday morning, he walked into the kitchen carrying his backpack to see his sister standing at the counter making coffee. "Hey, Gretch."
"Hey, Pace."
"Um… do you think I could ask you a huge favor?"
She grinned as she turned towards him. "You can always ask. Whether I'll agree to it or not depends on what it is."
He cleared his throat. "Okay, so… as you know our winter break is next week, so there's no school."
"Yeah…?" She was still grinning.
"Well, I was kinda wondering if you'd be agreeable to making yourself scarce because Joey will probably be over here… a lot."
Gretchen laughed. "All week? Where am I supposed to go when I'm not working?"
"You can stay with Dougie. Think about it. As I am underage, you've made a no-alcohol-in-the-house rule, correct? Well, I know you like to go out drinking once in a while, and since that's something you and I can't do together yet, our big brother would be the perfect companion for a night out. He needs to let loose a little, and you two should get together and reconnect."
"Oh, me and Doug need to reconnect? I see him every Sunday at Mom and Dad's. When's the last time you saw Doug, Pacey?"
Sighing, he bent over and set his elbows on the wooden top of the island, the topic of Sunday family dinners not one he wanted to get into. "Okay, well… you know his apartment downtown is closer to Leery's Fresh Fish than our house. It'd be so much more convenient to crash at his place next week, and that couch is primo. That thing is goose-down. You'll sleep like a baby."
"You want me to stay with Doug for a week? Are you crazy?"
"Hey, I lived with him for months. It wasn't that bad. He works long hours, so I had plenty of time to myself, and his couch really is comfortable." He sighed. "Well, could you at least find somewhere else to stay for tonight? Joey has the night off from work, and she has tomorrow off. And well… I want her to spend the night, and she does too, but she won't if you're there."
Gretchen shook her head with a smile. "That's silly. It won't bother me if she's there. I don't care if she stays over… one night or even all week."
"I know, but she does, okay? I mean, your room is right down the hall, and she… feels funny about it. And well, I do too now that I think about it, and I really don't want to be thinking about what you may or may not be able to hear coming from my bedroom. Weren't you saying not very long ago that you understand what it's like to be a teenager in high school or something of the sort?"
"Okay, okay. I'll go out after work, and then how about I just conveniently forget to come home tonight?"
A surprised smile spread across his face. "Really?"
"I'll stay with Doug, and if he won't have me, then I'll just crash at Mom & Dad's house."
"You'd do that?"
"You'll owe me big time."
Excited, he swung his backpack over his shoulder. "I always do, Gretch. You're the best!" He hurried out the door to see Joey waiting for him in the truck.
Once they were pulling out of the driveway, she smirked at him. "What's got you in such a good mood?"
"It's a surprise," he said with a sly grin. "You'll find out later."
"Tease."
Most of her morning in school was uneventful. Gradually, Joey began to notice there was something different about the way her classmates were looking at her. It was the very fact that everyone kept looking at her that made her uneasy. By the time she reunited with Pacey as they made their way to fifth period Spanish class together, she definitely realized that something was up. The knowing looks they were getting from their fellow seniors as they walked side by side down the hall were a mixed bag, ranging from sympathetic and apologetic, to wily and mischievous, to complete and utter shock.
Once they were seated next to each other in Spanish, Joey leaned over. "Have you noticed anything weird today?" she whispered.
"Weird?"
"Yeah, have you been getting strange looks from people?"
He thought about it a moment. "I don't think so. Oh, but like three guys on the baseball team randomly high-fived me in the hall while I was walking to fourth period. Why? I have no clue."
A knot began to tighten fiercely in the pit of her stomach. "Pacey… I think something is horribly wrong."
The look on her face made his heart constrict. "What do you mean, Jo?"
"I don't know. I just I have a bad feeling."
"A bad feeling about what?"
"I—" Her face became red, and she lowered her voice until it was barely even a whisper. "I think Drue finally talked… about seeing us at the drug store."
He sighed and reached over to place a comforting hand on her back. "Well, we knew he'd open his mouth eventually, right? It was bound to happen."
She nodded, swallowing. "I know, but…" Her stomach twisted. She couldn't shake the looks she'd gotten from their classmates. She felt like it was something much more serious than simply being seen buying condoms, but what that could be she had no idea. Yet before she could communicate this to him, their teacher addressed the class.
"¡Atención!"
When the bell rang and they walked out of class, Joey kissed her boyfriend on the cheek and told him she'd meet him at lunch. She didn't want to linger in the halls. She just wanted to keep her head down and get through the rest of the day, and hopefully tomorrow no one would care. The attention span of the average teenager was probably shorter than a goldfish.
She didn't bother stopping by her locker and instead went straight to the cafeteria. As she stood in the lunch line, the weird looks continued, and her feeling of unease intensified. Her stomach too unsettled to eat, she only picked a couple items, and then made her way to her regular table, trying to ignore the stares.
Shortly after, Drue entered the cafeteria followed by his small clique of braindead morons who thought the guy walked on water. He caught her eye as he walked past her, and he flashed his slightly cruel, taunting smile. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, before opening her bottle of water. It was then that she saw Jen Lindley making a beeline for her table.
"What?" she asked when her friend reached her.
"Joey…" Tears pricked Jen's eyes. "I'm honestly surprised you're still in school. I'm so, so sorry. Do you wanna get out of here? Go somewhere? Just the two of us?"
She stared at her, dumbfounded. The bad feeling in the pit of her stomach worsened.
"You don't know, do you?" Her face fell in dismay. "I'm so sorry, Joey. I… I don't… I almost can't believe he..." Jen shook her head wordlessly, her eyes wet with emotion, and then handed over a folded piece of paper.
Tentatively, she reached for the paper and then slowly opened it. At the top was "Senior Class Favorites" in large print. Her gaze went lower, and then her stomach bottomed out, the color draining from her face.
Pacey walked away from the Spanish classroom in the direction of his locker. He hadn't made it very far when he was suddenly stopped by Mr. Broderick, who started hounding him about auditioning for the spring musical. "You should at least consider trying out," his former English teacher intreated.
"No, I don't think so," he laughed. "I can't sing."
"I imagine you could carry a tune if you had a few lessons. I'd really like to work with my shining star again."
He chuckled. "I appreciate that, Mr. Broderick, but my career on the stage is over."
The older man sighed dramatically. "Oh, well. If only you were my student again this year, and then I could bribe you into auditioning with the promise of another C grade."
"I don't settle for C's anymore, Mr. Broderick. I'm afraid my price would be a lot higher."
The teacher leaned in conspiratorially and smiled. "So, I've heard from Mr. Kasdan. Keep up the good work, Pacey." He patted him on the shoulder and then walked away.
Feelings of self-satisfaction and pride rose in his chest. He continued down the hall, heading for his locker. As he walked, several boisterous shouts of, "Woo-hoo! Witter!" were thrown his way, much to his annoyance. The attention he was suddenly getting from his male classmates was oddly reminiscent of sophomore year when word about his affair with Ms. Jacobs had spread. He frowned at the memory.
Less than two minutes later, he was dumping off his books, and just when he shut his locker, he heard his name again, except it was nothing like earlier.
"Pacey!"
"Pacey!"
He turned at the sound of the worried, frantic female voices to see Erin Myers and Ashley Granger coming towards him, quickly closing the distance between them. He hadn't expected to see the two girls together. As far as he knew, they hadn't spoken to each other since the big falling out on the ski trip.
"We are so sorry, Pacey," Erin lamented, shaking her head as if at a loss, her thick blond hair falling straight over her shoulders, and he was surprised to see tears filling her eyes. "I had no idea he was going to do something like this!"
"He told Erin it was just going to be some cheesy favorites thing," Ashley said, her face almost a darker shade of red than her hair. He gazed at her with furrowed brows as her eyes also filled with tears. "The rest of Yearbook had nothing to do with it, Pacey. We swear it!"
"I haven't been able see Joey to talk to her yet, but I'm going to as soon as possible," Erin assured him. "You have to believe us that we would never, ever do such a thing to Joey, or anyone."
"Ashley Hares is reporting him to Principal Peskin right now," the other Ashley stated, her voice full of steely conviction. "He won't get away with this."
His face fell as he took in their contrite, slightly horrified expressions, as their words went round and round his head. His guts twisted into knots. "Reporting who, Ash?"
One by one, the girls began to stare, dismayed, their mouths falling open. "Drue," she replied, looking at him like she thought this was something he should already know.
His hand curled into a tight fist. "What did he do?"
The girls exchanged more horrified looks. "You… you don't know?" Erin asked, astounded.
"No, I don't, but someone better tell me before I freaking lose it," he spat, feeling the anger already starting to rise.
Chewing on her lip, more tears filling her eyes, Ashley Granger pulled a folded piece of paper from her back pocket, and handed it over. "He started handing them out in Homeroom, and then in the rest of his classes…" She shook her head. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I am so sorry, Pacey."
He eyed the girls warily, and then reached for the paper. He opened it to see a copy of Joey's sex quiz answers from the bus ride home from the ski trip. He gaped in shock, and at first couldn't comprehend how or why he was even reading this right now. The quiz had been placed in his brown paper bag, and now that he remembered, he'd never even taken it out when he got home. It should still be there, in the bag, where he'd dumped it in the corner of his room. The bag was never out of his possession, out of his sight. How could Drue Valentine have possibly…? Except they did make a stop on the way back to Capeside, and their bags had all been left unattended.
It was like a bomb went off inside his head.
Heat rushed through him. In a flash, all reasonable thoughts fled his brain, eviscerated by a screaming, boiling hot anger. The paper crumpled in his hand and he turned from them. He stormed away. He could hear the girls calling his name, but he closed his ears to them. The white-hot rage consumed him, the pressure building and blistering inside him, until he was sure he would physically explode if it didn't leave him some other way. He moved in the direction of the cafeteria, knowing exactly where to send it.
When Pacey entered the dining hall, his gaze quickly fell on the target of his burning rage. As he moved quickly towards him, he caught a glimpse of Joey in his peripheral, the woman he loved more than anyone or anything in this world. Now riding the back of her humiliation, the rage accelerated, and with his hand clenching into a tight fist, he lunged at Drue.