September 22. On Saturday morning, Pacey's eyes fluttered open. He gazed at Joey. After she had fallen asleep last night, tired of their insatiable need for each other's bodies, he had placed his palm on her tender breasts, kissed her neck, and fell asleep. He'd woken up still holding her in his arms. Her right hand was on his shoulder, her head on his chest. He lay still until her lashes trembled.
He felt a strange burning in his heart when she looked up at him with half-closed, sleepy eyes and a lazy, dreamy smile. Not for the first or last time, the miracle of love stunned him, and he understood just how happy a man could be with a woman.
Joey opened her eyes and gazed into Pacey's handsome face. "Good morning."
"Good morning. Happy birthday."
Her cheeks warmed as memories from last night came flooding back. She smiled and kissed his chin, before she brushed the tip of his nose with hers. "Last night was fun," she said quietly.
He grinned widely and held her closer. "That it was. But I'm not sure which was more fun, downstairs in the kitchen or upstairs in the shower afterwards or here in this bed after that?"
Desire warmed her blood, and she threw her leg over his hip. "They all had their moments."
He ran his hand down her backside, caressing and squeezing her ass. "Yes, they did," he murmured, his voice turning husky and suggestive.
Suddenly, Gretchen shouted from downstairs. "What the fuck?! Pacey J. Witter, you need to get your ass down here right now!"
Their eyes widening, Pacey and Joey quickly got out of bed. Pulling a T-shirt over his head as he came down the spiral staircase, he was immediately greeted with a disaster in the kitchen, and a look of shock and anger on his sister's face.
Broken eggshells lay scattered on the kitchen counter. Bits of cupcake batter were splattered everywhere, decorating the floor and counter. Flour dusted every surface. Dirty mixing bowls and utensils cluttered the sink. Egg whites drizzled across the floor and stove. The empty champagne bottle lay tipped over on the counter beside two glasses.
He stood there, frozen, staring, trying not laugh in the face of Gretchen's understandable irritation, when Joey came up beside him and gasped.
"Did you two have fun last night?"
"We tried to make cupcakes," Joey explained, biting her lip to stifle a giggle.
"I see. Was this an idea you came up with before you drank the entire bottle of champagne, or after?" she snarked.
Pacey raised his hands in surrender. "We'll clean it up, Gretch. I'm sorry we made a mess. Don't worry. We'll take care of it right now, okay?"
Half an hour later, as he was finishing with mopping the floor, the telephone started to ring. Joey walked over to pick up the cordless receiver and answer the call.
"Hello?"
"Hello. Can I speak with Pacey Witter?"
She glanced at her boyfriend, mop still in hand. "Um, sure. Can I ask who's calling?"
"James Moore."
Lowering the phone, she covered the mouthpiece with her hand, and looked at Pacey. "It's your boss."
He hesitated a moment, and then crossed the space between them to take the phone from her. "Hello."
"Hi, Pacey. How are you?"
"Oh, I'm fine. How're you?"
"Good. I'm calling to let you know that Olivia Pérez went into labor this morning and is at the hospital. Armando will be taking some time off, probably a week. We're gonna be down a sous chef, which is no small thing, so I'm going to need all hands on deck at the restaurant. I'm gonna put you to work."
An image of Joey's face flashed into Pacey's head. He frowned, knowing she wouldn't be happy, but couldn't help the butterflies of anticipation that came to life inside his stomach. Guilt stabbed at him as a mixture of excitement and disappointment battled for dominance. "I understand."
"Do you feel confident you can pull off the truffle ravioli tonight?"
"Yes, sir."
"That's what I like to hear. I'll see you this afternoon."
Pacey said goodbye and hung up the phone. He turned around to see Joey looking at him.
"Is this another good news-bad news situation?" she said, crossing her arms in front of her.
"I don't think I can make it to the party tonight," he replied, stifling another stab of guilt. "The manager, Olivia, is at the hospital having her baby. So, that means Armando won't be working and… they'll be short. And if I'm gone, too…" He shrugged. "I have to work tonight. I'm really sorry, Jo."
"Oh…" She tried to hide her disappointment. "Well, that's okay. We celebrated last night, right?" She forced a smile. "Your job is important to you—"
"But you're important to me—"
"I know, Pacey. I know. And I also know you really want to do well at the restaurant, and I want that for you, too. I want you to succeed. So, it's fine. Letting your boss and your coworkers down when you've only been there a month… I mean, that's not good. I get it. It's okay. And it's not like nineteen is a big deal. Besides, it's just a thing in my dorm's common room. I doubt you'll be missing out on much."
He closed his eyes and sighed. "Jo, don't do that. Don't talk yourself down. It's okay to be upset. You have a right to be upset."
"I'm not upset, Pacey," she said, but just a little too forcefully to sound convincing. "It is what it is. There will be plenty of birthdays and parties in our future, right? I mean, if we're in this for the long haul, then missing one isn't the end of the world."
He closed the distance between them and took her hand in his. "I'm really sorry," he murmured.
Trying hard to suppress her disappointment, she smiled up at him. "It's okay. Really. I understand."
Pacey cupped her cheek, then leaned down and brushed a kiss to her lips. "You know you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, right?"
She started to smile, but she glanced at the cordless phone. Was she?
He gathered her in his arms, holding her close. "How about I ride with you on the bus back to campus? It's on the way to work."
"Okay," she said, forcing another smile.
Just before noon, they got off at the MBTA bus stop on Huntington Avenue designated for Worthington College. The air was sticky and Joey lifted her hair off her neck, wishing she had pulled it up into a ponytail. The scent of autumn was in the air though, and she was eager to see cooler weather.
"You could've stayed on the bus," she said to Pacey.
He took her hands in his and shrugged. "Nah. I'll catch the next one."
Pacey hugged her tightly in his arms. Then he pulled back and took her face in his hands. He kissed her goodbye, his lips passing softly over hers, and then slowly deepening. God, even after an entire night of lovemaking, and the disappointment she still felt churning in the pit of her stomach, she still wanted more, wanted him. He kissed her goodbye long and hard, and impressed on her lips the intensity of the love he had for her.
Back inside Plymouth Hall, Joey returned to room one-twenty-seven. Her mouth was still hot from Pacey's kisses, and her entire body throbbed. Before she opened the door, she covered her eyes, and slowly peeked through her fingers as she moved into the room. Thankfully, Audrey was alone. The blonde was lying on her bed, reading a magazine and blaring a Weezer song on her radio.
"Hey! Did you ever have an orgasm in high school?" she asked loudly over the music.
"Excuse me?"
The girl got up and turned down the stereo. "Did you ever have an orgasm in high school?" she repeated.
Joey stared for a second before turning to walk towards her desk. "Not something I particularly like to discuss with a near stranger."
Audrey gaped. "Me? A near stranger? I am your roommate, Joey. As such, I reserve the right to raise such topics as oral sex, feminine hygiene, and orgasms. Speaking of which, I don't think I ever had one in high school. I thought I did, but Zach convinced me otherwise. It's a shame we had to break up."
When Joey didn't respond, Audrey looked up from her magazine and quietly eyed her for a moment. "You look unhappy."
She sat down on her bed. "I'm okay. Pacey has to work tonight, so he can't come to the party." She took a deep breath. "But it's fine. Anyway… you broke up with Zach already?"
"Yes. He tried to talk me into a threesome. I may be easy, but I'm not sleazy. We're through."
Joey frowned. "Sorry, I guess."
Audrey shrugged. "It's hard work finding the right boy. Which actually makes a rather nice segue into our next topic."
"Which is?"
"I'm afraid for you, Joey."
She scoffed. "What are you talking about?"
Audrey set her magazine aside. "I'm afraid you're not having the proper college experience."
"I appreciate the concern, but—"
"No, it's just that you study, you know, a lot. And you never want to go out with me."
"Look, Audrey, everybody's college experience is different, okay? Some people like to drink and party and screw around, and that's fine. But some people actually want to study and get a great education, so hopefully one day they can get a good job and not worry about working retail in the small town from which they came."
"That's not it, Joey. It's like, I dunno. It's like you're afraid to have fun without Pacey around, or something."
"Why would I be afraid to have fun?"
"Because if you had fun, you might actually break out of this uptight, control-freak persona you've got going for yourself. Maybe you'll discover who you really are underneath it all. You might actually move on from high school. And if you allowed yourself to have fun, then you might just let loose a little and let whatever happens, happen. You could open yourself up to new experiences… and new people. Look, I know you're sad that your boyfriend can't come to your birthday party. I get that. I'm highly intuitive. But maybe that's a good thing, you know? Maybe that's a sign."
Her stomach flipped, and her eyes hardened. "No offense, Audrey, but you really don't know that much about my life."
She grabbed her books and walked back to the door, opening it as her roommate called out, "And whose fault is that, I wonder?"
The door shut behind her, and Joey made her way up the stairs to the second floor. When she caught sight of Alan Napier sitting by himself on one of the couches in the library, she went over and sank down into the seat beside him.
"Hey, girl."
"Hey. How's your Saturday going?"
"Good. Talked to my mom and my little brother on the phone. Apparently, Orchard Park is managing just fine without me. Kind of a blow to the old ego," he joked.
"Orchard Park?"
"It's a suburb outside Buffalo."
She smiled, but said nothing.
"And then I went to the Peace and Justice rally. About five hundred students came, which wasn't bad. I guess only fifty showed up at the Republican Club's rally," he laughed bitterly. "Nothing says patriotism and American unity like spewing racism and xenophobia into a megaphone."
She nodded, feeling her mood sink even lower.
"You look unhappy, Joey," he said, and she frowned at hearing those words spoken twice in less than ten minutes. "What did the boyfriend do? Or, wait, maybe it's something he didn't do. You know, since he's imaginary."
Joey shrugged. "It's not his fault. He has a demanding job."
Alan crossed his slender legs. "Don't hit me with the bullshit, sweetie. You're upset about something. I remember he broke your lunch plans the other day. Is that it? Or something else?"
"Today's my birthday."
"I know," he replied with a smile. "I saw the notice posted on the bulletin board last week. Happy birthday."
"Thanks."
"I recall the common room being reserved tonight from eight to eleven for a party in your honor?"
"Yeah, and… my boyfriend can't come because he has to work. I know he really wanted to be at my party, but he's been given this amazing opportunity at the restaurant that will undoubtedly only open doors for more opportunities. So… I mean, what right do I have to be upset about it? He should do exactly what he's doing. Some things are just more important than birthday parties."
"Well, I'll be there."
A surprised smile slowly spread across her face. "Really?"
Taken aback, Alan laughed. "Of course! I wouldn't miss it. I'm down to clown. I think I'll invite Sabrina. That cool?"
"Yeah, invite whoever you want."
"Are there going to be any hot guys at this party?"
"I have no idea."
"You want me to bake some magic brownies for the occasion? I've got an Easy-Bake oven in my room."
"An Easy-Bake oven?" she replied, laughing breathlessly in shock.
"Yeah."
"Oh, my God, I had one of those when I was a kid," she said, bursting into laughter at the long-forgotten memory. "It caught on fire. The kitchen filled with smoke and the alarm was going off and my dad, like, had to throw it outside. I can still see it flying through the open doorway and into the yard."
He laughed at her story. "And the sugar cookie mix that came with it that tasted like salty Play-Doh?"
"Yes." She collapsed against the back of the couch in a fit of giggles. Joey eventually wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, her laughter subsiding, then she sighed. "So, anyway, what's so magical about these brownies?"
Alan stared, speechless for a moment. "Oh, sweetie. What kind of boring ass college experience are you having at this school?"
Recalling Audrey's speech down in their room, she scowled. "A perfectly normal experience, thank you." She thought for a moment. "You mean pot brownies, don't you?"
"Yes, girl. Glad you caught on."
"Well, seeing as how Jerami the RA will probably be there since he's the one who reserved the room and all, I wouldn't bring anything with pot in it if I were you."
"Jerami is fine. I wish he was my RA. I'd be knocking on his door every damn day." Then Alan shrugged casually. "Well, I don't wanna get on his bad side. I'll just make sure I eat some snacks before I arrive," he said with a wink.
Laughing, Joey set her spiral notebook on her lap, and grabbed the textbook for her Math for Liberal Arts Students course, flipping it open to the assignment that was due on Wednesday.
Just before six o'clock, Joey returned to her dorm room carrying her basket of clean laundry to find Jen and Jack sitting on her bed, talking to Audrey and laughing. "What did I miss?" she asked as he moved further into the room.
"Well, your friends were just filling me in on your shockingly sordid romantic history!"
Joey turned to Jack and Jen, and dropped her basket on the floor by her bed. "Thank you both so very much. I'm assuming I can skip the introductions."
Audrey beamed. "Totally! Let me get you up to speed. Jen is my new best friend. And Jack will heretofore be known as Joey's very cute guy friend."
Jen shook her head as Joey sat down next to her. "Oh no. No, he's the very cute gay friend."
"No, really?"
Jack pointed at himself. "Pretty gay."
"And there's nothing we can do about this?"
He threw his arms around Jen and Joey. "Well, I have been kissed by two of the finest female specimens this world has to offer, and that didn't do it."
Audrey stared, affronted. "Both of you girls kissed this boy? That is just so unfair." Then she turned and walked into the bathroom.
Joey rolled her eyes as she stood up, and then gave her friends a pointed look. "Sordid romantic history? Really, guys?"
"She just asked how you and Pacey got together," Jack said with a smile.
"We tried to give her the CliffsNotes version, but she's very big on details, this girl," Jen added.
Joey went over to her bedside stand and grabbed her cell phone. "So, are we going out for supper, or what?"
Jack stood up from the bed. "Yeah. We, uh, invited Audrey. We like her."
Her eyebrows knitted together. "We do?"
Jen smiled. "She's one cool chick, Jo!"
"She is?"
Audrey walked back into the room, carrying her purse, wearing a fresh coat of red lipstick, and beaming a smile. "Okay, people. Let's do this!"
As they walked out of Plymouth Hall, Joey glanced at Jen beside her. "Pacey's not coming."
"I know. Audrey told us." She licked her lips, pausing briefly before speaking again. "I guess his job is getting pretty serious, huh? And here I thought he was just peeling potatoes," she grinned.
"Some personal stuff is going on with his coworkers, so they need him to pick up the slack in the kitchen. Which is way more important than this party tonight."
"Joey, you know that Pacey would never miss your birthday unless it was something he truly couldn't get out of," Jen reassured her. "The guy practically worships the ground you walk on."
She frowned, feeling uneasy. "You say that like it's a good thing."
"I wish a guy would worship the ground I walk on!" Audrey interjected.
Twenty minutes later, they were parking Grams' car on Atlantic Avenue. There they met up with Andie and Will, who were standing in front of the Boston Horizon Line, a classic seafood restaurant on the waterfront with floor-to-ceiling windows and outside dining. Joey decided she wanted to look out over the harbor. The hostess kindly pushed two of the outdoor tables together, and then the group of six took their seats. After Andie asked Joey about Pacey, their waiter appeared.
"Hello! I'm Manuel. I'll be your server this evening. Our special tonight is red snapper, served with potato wedges and green salad with our famous house dressing, or would you like to see the menu?"
Joey ordered the special, along with Will Krudski, while the others requested menus. The group was soon enjoying their food, talking and laughing together and enjoying the scenery. Audrey regaled the table with stories of her crazy life in Los Angeles. The more she observed her friends around the table, the more Joey started to notice something was off. She leaned into Jen. "What's up with Andie and Will?"
"Don't know," she whispered. "Are they fighting?"
"I don't know. They seem kinda tense. You'd think Andie would be talking our ears off about Harvard. She's barely said a thing about school, and it's her favorite topic."
"I'll ask Jack about it later," Jen told her.
An hour after they'd arrived at the Boston Horizon Line, they were paying the check. "I thank you all for treating me to a birthday dinner. It was really very nice and generous of you."
"It was our pleasure, Joey," Andie beamed.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for a party!" Audrey said as she stood up from the table.
Shortly after eight o'clock, they were all walking into the Plymouth Hall common room. Immediately, those gathered flocked around Joey and then the room erupted into the birthday song, enthusiastically led by her RA, Jerami Grant. She recognized most of them as her fellow first-floor dormmates, and there were a few from the upper floors as well, including Alan. Sabrina, visiting from Norfolk Hall, was also there, smiling and singing along.
Joey flushed red with embarrassment at being the center of attention, and couldn't look anyone in the eye. When the song ended, she received lots of hugs. To her own shock and horror, and unable to prevent it, tears came to her eyes. When she stepped back from Jen's hug and dried her eyes, she found although the party wasn't extravagant by any means, the common room had been completely transformed.
Multicolored crepe paper streamers had been hung from the ceiling, and everywhere were helium-filled balloons of every color of the rainbow. A card table against the back wall was filled with bottles of soda, and bowls of chips and pretzels and other snacks. Another table held a birthday cake and a punch bowl. A karaoke machine had been set up next to the massive television at the front of the room.
After Joey was presented with a chocolate cake with a lit number nineteen candle on top, she closed her eyes and made a wish before blowing it out. Then the cake was served. When the clock struck nine, Jerami made his way through the throng of girls who had surrounded the karaoke machine, then turned the mic on and addressed the party.
"Hello, and welcome to Joey Potter's birthday party, the first of many festivities I hope to entertain you all with during your first year on campus," Jerami spoke. "Shout-out to the first floor! Nobody's doing it better than us!"
A bunch of cheers and whistles erupted, and Joey laughed beside Jen and Jack.
"I hope you're all ready to karaoke," Jerami continued. "Just pick a song and the lyrics automatically come on the TV screen. Copies of the song list are being passed around, and there's also a sheet going around to sign up with your name and song choice. Now who wants to go first? Did anyone sign up yet?"
Jack cupped his hands around his mouth. "How about the birthday girl?" he shouted.
Turning crimson, Joey swatted him on the arm. "No way!"
The RA obviously saw her panicking, and he chuckled. "We don't want to put anyone on the spot. We're all here to have fun. Volunteers only."
Moments later, the sign-up sheet made its way to the front of the large room and was handed over to Jerami. "Okay, looks like we've got a couple of brave souls who are willing to go first." He looked up from the paper. "Alan Napier and Sabrina Lewis!"
The room applauded. Joey beamed a smile as she watched them head up front, holding hands as they threaded their way through the small crowd. Alan and Sabrina were each handed a microphone, and then "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" appeared on the television screen. The music started, and as soon as Alan started to sing, the room exploded with surprised cheers. Joey stood there, mouth agape at the beautiful voice sounding into the microphone. Sabrina also had a nice voice, and the two proceeded to deliver an enthusiastic and dramatic rendition of the duet. When the song came to an end, everyone went wild.
"You can sing," Joey said to Alan when he returned to the crowd.
"I know!" But he said it with a laugh. "What about you?"
Her face went red. "Well… not… not really."
"Aww, come on, girl. The trick to karaoke is that it's one's enthusiasm that counts—not whether you can hit the high notes, or any notes for that matter. You should get up there."
Then she watched him walk off in Sabrina's direction.
"Good work, you two," Jerami praised into the mic. "Well, who's brave enough to come up and follow that?" He looked down at his list. "Looks like it's going to be Tony Douglas, taking us back to the seventies with Led Zeppelin!"
As she watched Tony, who lived in room one-twenty-eight across the hall from her and Audrey's dorm, Joey's smile began to fade. Up on the TV screen, the song title "Stairway to Heaven" appeared, and a few people audibly groaned, causing a low rumble of laughter to scatter through the room. Beside her, Jack and Jen were going back and forth about whether or not to pick a song and sign up together. Nearby, Audrey was adding her name to the list. Joey turned her head and saw Will handing a cup of punch to Andie.
She was surrounded by a group of people, all seemingly having fun and enjoying themselves, but she felt sad as she watched them, for she couldn't help feeling lonely despite being with her friends.
Slowly backing away, Joey eventually was able to slip out of the common room unnoticed. Outside the residence hall, a sheltered bench nestled in the curve of an evergreen hedge with a canopy of leafless vines made the perfect hideaway. She was alone with her thoughts for a little while before Audrey walked up and joined her.
"Joey, you've got to come back inside and sing some karaoke. It's so much fun!"
"Maybe later."
"Okay." Audrey sat down on the bench beside her and studied her with a curious expression. "You okay?"
"I'm fine." Although she hated to admit it, she said, "You were right, you know."
"About what?"
"About me being an uptight control freak. Here I am, a college freshman. If I actually let you get to know me better, you would realize that that's a fairly big thing. Here I am, working my ass off—reading, studying, churning out papers. Learning, you know? Falling in love with this city, which is amazing, yet I haven't really allowed myself to see much of it. It's just… part of me is still that same fifteen-year-old girl who's afraid of change, scared to rock the boat, who doesn't know how to function without her security blanket."
"Pacey."
Joey chuckled. "Well, he certainly wasn't that when I was fifteen. He represented the opposite of security." She sighed deeply. "Funny how things change. But here I am, at my own birthday party, and I was having a great time, but then…" Annoyed with herself, she tucked her hair behind her ears. "I can't allow myself to enjoy it like I should just because my boyfriend isn't here. You're right. I don't know how to have fun without Pacey. And that… is really scary because…"
"What happens when you don't have him anymore? How would you ever be able to move on?"
Tears stung her eyes. "Yeah," she breathed. She chewed on her bottom lip, and played with her fingers. "And so, I have this need to structure and control every aspect of my life because I'm terrified of the things that are out of my control. I can't predict the future. I don't know what's going to happen to us, and our lives are probably only going to get more and more complicated."
Audrey nodded her understanding. "Chris."
Turning her head, Joey looked at her.
"My security blanket. He was my high school boyfriend. Saying goodbye to him was maybe the hardest thing I've ever done. Because I knew, no matter how much we loved each other, no matter how much we promised to stay true to each other, it just wouldn't work. You only end up hurting each other. So, I cut the cord and I said goodbye. It's really hard sometimes because I really, really miss him. And I know he's out there somewhere, falling in and out of love with girls that aren't me."
"I can imagine how hard that is. In fact, I probably understand better than you think I do. But I didn't leave Pacey behind and move three thousand miles away. He's here in Boston with me."
"Sometimes people end up three thousand miles apart regardless of geography."
"Well, I don't want to cut the cord. Pacey makes my life better, makes me better. He's the only one for me. If I'm not with him, then I don't want to be with anyone. I can't even imagine it. I mean, it's unfathomable."
"Nobody wants to cut the cord, Joey. Sometimes you just have to." Audrey eyed her a moment. "Let me guess, Pacey's the only guy you've ever had sex with?"
Her cheeks blushed. "Yes." Then her brows knitted. "What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing! It just, you know, explains some things. You must think that I'm this great big slut, huh? But I'm just trying to live life, you know? Have fun. And if I feel like kissing some boy…"
Joey smiled. "So be it."
"Exactly. No regrets. This was a really good conversation, Joey Potter. I hope there's more to come."
"Me too," she replied, and realized she meant it. Audrey beamed.
Back inside Plymouth Hall, Joey locked herself inside the bathroom across the hall from the common room. After lowering the lid over the toilet seat, she sat down and pulled out her cell phone. She quickly found Pacey's name in her contacts and called his number as someone knocked on the door.
"Just a sec!" Then his voicemail picked up. "Hey Pace, it's me. Um… I know you're at work, but I wanted to call you. I'm here at my birthday party with Jack and Jen and my crazy roommate. Andie and Will are here, too. And a bunch of people from my dorm. Guess what? It's a lot of fun and I'm having a pretty great time, but as great as it is, it's not completely great, and that's because of you. You're not here, and I know that I said that it's okay that you couldn't come to my party, but you know what? It's not okay because I miss you and… I don't want to lose you, lose us. You should've been here."
Joey ended the call, and then stepped out of the bathroom. Back inside the common room, the karaoke madness continued. Alan had once again taken the microphone, and was leading the room in a stirring rendition of Queen's "We Are the Champions." She meandered through the partygoers until she found the binder of songs. Seating herself in a chair against the wall, she started flipping through the pages.
At quarter to eleven, Jerami again reclaimed the microphone. "Uh, great job, guys. I never knew that song could be sung in so many different keys," he quipped, and there was a scattering of laughter. "We're winding down here. Only got time for a couple more songs. Okay, who's next?" He looked down at the sheet in his hand. "Oh, ho, ho. Looks like someone finally worked up the courage. And… wow, I'm honestly surprised this is the first time tonight we're hearing this band." He cleared his throat. "Okay, everyone, let's give a big round of applause… for our birthday girl, Joey Potter!"
Standing beside her friends as they clapped for her along with the rest of the room, she smiled excitedly, butterflies erupting in her stomach. "Go, girl," said Jack with a smile.
But Jerami wasn't done. "Along with Jen Lindley, Jack McPhee, Andie McPhee, Will Krudski, and… Audrey Liddell! Get on up here!"
"What?" Jen exclaimed with wide eyes. Audrey could be heard somewhere in the common room shouting with surprise, "Oh, my God, really?!"
Grinning, Joey grabbed Jen by the hand and started leading them towards the front of the room, where they were met with the rest of the group. Jerami handed her his mic, while the other one was passed to the others to share. Audrey held the microphone while Jack, Jen, Andie, and Will huddled around her, giggling with nerves and excitement.
As the song title appeared on the television screen, Joey caught Audrey's eye and gave her a knowing smile. Her roommate winked at her. "Good choice."
"I'm Ringo, guys," Joey quickly told her friends, and they laughed, nodding in agreement.
Seconds later, the Beatles' music filled the room.
Halfway through the song, as Joey crooned, "I need somebody to love," into her mic, she looked up and saw Pacey. He was standing in the common room doorway, eyes wide with surprise, a giddy smile breaking across his face. She answered his smile with a wide grin of her own that lit her face like sunshine.
It made her euphoric.
It made everyone euphoric, judging by the reaction of her friends as they caught sight of him.
Joey finished up the song, aware the entire time of Pacey's stunning blue eyes never wavering, his smile never fading. And the fact his cheer was the loudest of all when the song came to an end.