A/N: 1) Thank you to everyone who has waited patiently for an update. I'm sorry for so long a wait. Sometimes life gets in the way of my writing, which requires a lot of mental and emotional energy that I was simply tapped out of over the past few weeks.
2) An Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con trigger warning applies to this chapter.
October 8. Cuddled together beneath the warm autumn sunshine, Pacey and Joey sat on the dock for most of the afternoon, holding hands and kissing each other, watching sunlight on the creek, listening to geese fly overhead. They tried to keep the conversation lightly romantic and fun without moving toward the more serious topic of the day, skirting around the tension that hung in the air around them.
No matter how much they tried to convince themselves things would turn out fine, that the impending school board meeting would have a good outcome, Pacey knew they were both feeling anxious about it. Both worried about the decisions that would ultimately be made at the meeting. Both nervous about what he would finally say when in front of the board, things that had gone unsaid all this time. Details the public, and even his family, had never been privy to.
Because it was going to happen. He knew he was going to say everything, stand there in that room and confess the whole sordid truth. In some ways, he had to. Because only after he had could he truly put it behind him and move on with his life.
At three o'clock, their friends started arriving, the first being Dawson and Jen, along with Mr. and Mrs. Leery. Bessie stepped out on the back porch to announce their arrival.
"Hey, Jo! The Leerys are here!" she called out to them. "Just pulling in the driveway!"
With a start, Pacey turned from where he sat on the dock and saw the familiar SUV coming to a stop next to the old blue truck. His heart began to race. He was not ready to see the expressions on everyone's faces when they finally heard the truth about his relationship with Tamara.
Joey, seeing the look on his face, gave his hand a comforting squeeze. "It's gonna be all right," she said, quietly reassuring him.
Pacey stood up first, extended a helping hand to her, and together they walked away from the water's edge. She watched Jen Lindley and the Leery family getting out of the vehicle. Her eyes went wide when she saw Aunt Gwen getting out of the back seat. Before she could think too much of this surprising addition, her eyes flickered to Dawson who was helping his dad out of the front passenger seat. Seeing Mr. Leery was another shock to the system. Only then did Joey realize that she hadn't seen Gail since that awful night in the hospital, and the last time she'd actually set eyes on Mitch was before the car accident.
The sight of him in a wheelchair was so disturbing that she could scarcely manage a smile and greeting. He leaned forward, reaching out for her with a firm handshake. He smiled widely and his voice was filled with delight.
"Joey! Good to see you!"
"Thanks. You too, Mr. Leery."
After giving Jen a quick hug and saying hello to Aunt Gwen, who held a sleeping Lily in her arms, Joey walked up onto the back porch. Once Pacey had greeted the Leerys, Gail pulling him into a tight hug, she and Dawson then helped Mitch up the stairs while he carried the wheelchair up behind them.
"God, it drives me insane, not being able to do anything on my own," Mitch said once inside the house.
"It's only temporary, honey," said Gail soothingly. "You just need time to heal, that's all."
While Bessie greeted the Leerys and got them settled and comfortable at the dining room table, Bodie got to work in the kitchen.
"So, what brings you to Capeside?" Joey asked Gwen.
"Oh, I thought I should come down and help my sister out for a little while," the woman answered. "She's got her hands full with the baby and Mitch. Of course, Dawson here has been a huge help, but I keep telling Gail that he's eighteen. He should be going to college, or traveling and seeing the world, or doing all the things you're supposed to do at eighteen. Not being your parents' caretaker."
Dawson frowned. "I'm perfectly happy at home, Aunt Gwen."
"Yeah, well, I'm not buying it, mister," she replied dismissively, before she turned and gave Pacey the once-over. "Still a troublemaker, I see," she said, grinning with a mixed look of exasperation and amusement passing across her face.
"That's me," Pacey deadpanned.
"Just how many times have you scandalized this town?" She was still grinning. "I believe on one particular visit to Capeside some years back, the letters on the welcome sign on Route Twenty-Eight were changed to 'Entering the Smut Swamp of the Erect Homo.'"
Jen snorted with laughter. "Accurate."
Pacey stared at Aunt Gwen. "And who said that was me?" She arched a skeptical brow, and he rounded on Dawson. "Did you tell her? C'mon, man."
Dawson at least had the decency to look ashamed. "She forced it out of me, okay? Hey, it was a long time ago!"
Sighing, Pacey shook his head.
"Well, I don't know why we're comparing this situation to stupid pranks he did when he was fourteen. It's Ms. Jacobs that's causing the trouble this time," Joey said, crossing her arms in front of her chest and scowling. "Pacey's done nothing wrong."
Gwen looked at them all standing there, then turned, glancing about the space. "There's bad energy in this room. Unkind energy." She glared at Pacey and Jen as if it was their doing, and then walked away to join Mitch and Gail at the dining table.
Jen rolled her eyes and dropped down into an armchair. Pacey looked over at her. "What's that all about?"
"She's dating this guy whose sister has gotten her into stuff like reading the rooms, divining the energy of the space," Dawson explained with a shrug. "That's what Aunt Gwen said after she showed up at the house this morning. Unannounced and uninvited."
"And apparently whatever room I'm in seems to give off bad energy," Jen bitterly added.
Pacey scoffed, shaking his head.
The living room was quiet for a moment as they all sat down. The four of them managed to do okay considering neither Dawson nor Joey were really talking to each other. Soon after, Andie and Jack showed up at the Potter B&B, accompanied by Grams and Will Krudski. Bessie warmly greeted them at the door, inviting them inside and encouraging everyone to make themselves comfortable while Bodie was in the kitchen preparing enough potatoes to feed them all.
Pacey was in no real mood to socialize, and Andie's anxious, sympathetic looks in his direction weren't helping. His friends surrounded him in the Potter's living room while the adults sat round the dining room table. The group fell into an easy rhythm as the afternoon wore on, Jack and Will managing to coax some friendly conversation out of him, but Joey was still noticeably cool towards Dawson. Polite. But cool. There also seemed to be some frostiness between Jen and Jack, but his friends mostly appeared to be setting aside their own issues to come together as one united front for his sake. He recognized this, and although he was grateful, his desire to bolt from the room and be alone was becoming an overwhelming urge.
His friends eventually left the room and moved about the living space, conversing with the others in the kitchen and dining room. Pacey remained on the couch with Andie and Joey, removed from the center of things, trying not to think about the meeting later that evening, because every time he did, he had the horrible sensation that something very large was trying to get out of his stomach.
"You're going to be fine," Andie told him, though she looked positively worried. "I'm sure the school board will see that the wrongs of the past need to be righted, and they'll… do the responsible thing and back you up."
"And we'll be right there with you, along with the rest of our friends," said Joey. "And your brother and sisters, too."
Sitting in the armchair beside the couch, Will glanced at Andie, then said to Pacey, "Truth is a power only the courageous can handle. I have to give you tons of credit for doing what you're doing. It takes guts."
"Yeah…" Pacey said, his stomach writhing as he looked away and watched Jen helping her grandmother set the dining table.
It came as a relief when Bodie called out from the kitchen, "Okay, everybody! Time to eat!"
They all crammed together around the dining table, which became abuzz with talk of the school board and everything they knew, or thought they knew, about its five members. Discussion quickly moved on to President Bush and the U.S.'s recent invasion of Afghanistan. Seated next to Joey, Pacey felt grateful that he was not asked to join in the conversation. Bessie placed a dinner plate in front of him donned with slices of honey-glazed pork loin and roasted potatoes; it smelled delicious and he tried to eat, but it was like chewing cardboard. The meeting was set to start in an hour. His insides churned with nerves. Grams came up behind him and started fussing with his shirt, fixing the collar and smoothing out creases across the shoulders. He wished she wouldn't.
Kitty-corner from him at one head of the table, Bodie was wearing his usual Hawaiian shirt decked out with vivid green palm fronds and tropical flowers in various shades of pink and red. He turned from Mitch Leery to Pacey.
"How are you feeling?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Nervous, I guess."
"It'll all be over soon," Bodie said with an encouraging smile. "In a few hours' time, you'll have laid the burden where it needs to rest—on the shoulders of those who should've handled the situation correctly in the first place."
He smiled weakly and nodded, unable to think of anything to say.
By six o'clock everyone had finished eating. The tension was growing harder to ignore by the minute. Joey checked her watch and looked up at Pacey. "I think we should go now," she said. "We'll be a little early, but it's probably better than hanging around here."
"Okay," Pacey said automatically, pushing away from the table and getting to his feet.
While Gwen offered to remain behind to look after Lily and Alexander, everyone else made their way out of the house and toward the vehicles parked in the drive.
They soon reached their destination downtown. The autumn sun had begun to set. The evening sky was orange and hazy with the coming night. The long view down Main Street was striped with sun and shadow. As Pacey waited for his family on the steps of the town hall, he shivered in the suddenly cold chill of the evening air.
Joey had been right: they were early. He looked out at the Civil War obelisk that rose up from the manicured green across from the town hall, a monument sculpted in honor of the six local veterans who had perished during their service. The marble obelisk bore a dedication on its southwest face reading, "Erected by the town of Capeside in memory of those that fell in the Rebellion of 1861 to 1865."
Still staring at the monument, Pacey said, "Seems crazy there's a war happening right now."
Taken aback at the out-of-the-blue statement, Joey followed his gaze to the green across the street. "Yeah. There was a huge protest in New York yesterday. Did you hear Mitch tell Bodie that Warren Gary enlisted?" she asked, thinking of their former schoolmate. "So did some others who were on the football team. Bessie told me that Scott Farrell did, too. But I'm sure he's one of the deluded, narcissistic inadequates signing up who just want to go over there and kill some Muslims." Her stomach turned with worry as Pacey continued to stare at the monument. "But, I mean, you wouldn't enlist… Would you?"
He scoffed. "Could you picture me holding a gun and shooting someone?"
"No," she said immediately.
"Well, me neither. War. What is it good for, Potter? Absolutely nothing."
"Say it again," she quipped dryly.
He turned to her and smiled. "But I bet my parents would be thrilled if I did. You know, enlist. They'd be proud of me, I think. I'd finally prove I'm a real man, not some sissy in an apron. They'd probably love to see my name etched in stone."
"That's rather morbid." Joey frowned. "Do you think Doug will enlist?"
Pacey sighed heavily. "Christ, I hope not."
Minutes later, he saw Gretchen and Amy making their way up the sidewalk, closely followed by their mother. Neither his brother nor his father were in sight. His sisters each gave him a hug. His mother offered him a weak smile, but couldn't quite meet his eye. They headed inside the town hall. Holding onto Joey's hand, together they mounted the stairs to the public hearing room on the second floor. The last time Pacey had been inside that room, he'd sat and listened to a nasty and brutish P.T.A. meeting regarding Principal Green's expulsion of Matt Caufield.
A few rows of folding chairs lined the room atop the carpeted section of the flooring, which were nearly empty except for a scattering of people. Bessie and Bodie were sitting in one of the rows, along with the Leerys and the rest of their friends. Principal Peskin was there as well as Mr. Kapinos, and several other adults filled some of the seats. Four of the five board members were already seated when Pacey walked into the hearing room.
At the front, past where the carpeting ended and the hardwood flooring began, two women and two men sat behind a long table, facing the room. A fifth board member was missing. He noticed Mr. Vantine in the middle, taking his place as president of the school board and chairman of the meeting. Pacey's gaze swept over the other three members. They were turned towards each other, talking amongst themselves. Some were dressed in professional attire, and others were more casual. There was also an easel near the front table with a large poster board set upon it.
His gaze then settled on the superintendent, Dr. Byron Fielding, who was sitting on a folding chair close to the table. There was another man seated next to him. He wore horn-rimmed glasses and sat there in a sharp-looking suit and tie, absentmindedly clicking his pen, a clipboard in his lap and a leather briefcase on the floor beside his chair.
Pacey frowned.
As they walked up the middle aisle to the front row, Joey kept his icy cold hand firmly in her grip. Once they were seated, she leaned closer to whisper, "This is going to turn out okay, Pace. Believe that."
He gave her a surprisingly shaky look. "I want to, Jo."
"Do you not see how much support you have in this room?" she asked incredulously.
Looking around to the other rows, he caught sight of not only Mr. Kapinos, but Mr. Kasdan, Dr. Rochford, and Mr. Broderick. Even his former exasperated-yet-well-meaning guidance counselor, Mr. Milo, was there. He gave Pacey a smile and a small thumbs up.
He looked back at Joey with widened eyes. "I don't know how I missed it."
"I'd like to think it was because you couldn't take your eyes off me," she smirked. "But it probably has more to do with being scared out of your wits."
"I'm not scared," he retorted, then sighed. "I'm terrified."
Joey lifted their entwined fingers and kissed the back of his hand. "Don't be. I'm right here. Just squeeze my hand whenever you feel nervous."
He gave it a tremulous squeeze.
"There you go," she said.
"It didn't make me any less nervous," he confessed as a microphone at the front table crackled to life.
Joey leaned closer and sealed her lips over his, lingering just long enough until she felt a hint of heat in his skin. She smiled as she moved back. "Better?"
"Sure," he said with a shaky grin. "We gave the board even more ammo to accuse me of being a sexual deviant who goes around seducing innocent women and ruining their lives."
She chuckled. "Good. Your sense of humor is still intact. I was getting a little worried."
"I wasn't joking."
"Well, you should have been. What happened with Ms. Jacobs was not your fault, and everyone in this room knows it, Pacey. By the time we all get through this, the board will be on your side."
"Unless they saw that kiss," he grumbled, but at least this time his eyes were sparkling.
Pacey turned from her to watch his sisters and mother take the front row chairs on his right side. "Where's Dougie?" he whispered to Gretchen beside him.
"He's with Dad. Something serious came up at the Sheriff's Office, and Dad called Doug to come out there."
Before Pacey could say anything more, the doors behind them flew open. The fifth board member, Kate Roloson, was late. She came hurrying in, her face red, her chest heaving with the effort of running up the stairs to the second floor. She seated herself behind the long table at the front of the room and opened a notebook. Whitney Vantine glanced up at the clock over his head and then banged a gavel down so hard it shook the table. The sound drew a few startled gasps, then silence as the room waited for the drama to unfold.
"Meeting of the school board called to order on the eighth of October," said Mr. Vantine in a ringing voice, and Mrs. Roloson began taking notes at once.
Pacey squeezed Joey's hand.
"I see we have quite a few more people here than expected," the board chairman continued, his gray mustache bristling. "Too bad most of you aren't here when we conduct our usual business." He looked pointedly around the room before announcing the names of the board members present for the record. "Myself, Whitney Vantine, President; Dr. Elaine Hollinger, Vice President; Amelia Lynch, Treasurer; Alfred Theetge, Secretary; Kathryn Roloson, Recording Secretary. I'd like on record that we also have present Superintendent of Capeside School District, Dr. Byron Fielding, and Kenneth McCarthy, lawyer for the district."
Then Mr. Vantine addressed his fellow board members. "Now, it seems we have a serious issue before us for this emergency session: The charge that former student, Pacey Witter, has made against a former teacher, Ms. Tamara Jacobs."
He turned to look at Pacey over the top of his open manila folder.
"You are Pacey John Witter, resident of number three hundred seventy East Eighth Street, apartment number six, Boston, formerly of number one hundred forty-four Cranberry Lane, Capeside, Mass, and you attended Capeside High School from 1998 to 2001 before graduating?"
"Yes," Pacey said.
He took a deep breath and glanced into the audience. "Pacey, do you have legal representation?"
Pacey immediately felt his face flush with heat. "N-no," he answered nervously before clearing his throat and speaking louder. "I wasn't aware I needed it, sir?"
"I suppose it depends on how far you plan on taking this charge, young man," Dr. Fielding replied before Mr. Vantine could answer. "The board will hear you now, and they will listen impartially. Say what's on your mind, but keep it to facts you can actually substantiate. I believe we do have a character witness in attendance tonight, and I'm sure the board will allow us to hear from him as well. I will not tolerate the character assassination of a teacher, especially one who isn't here to defend herself."
Pacey blinked at Dr. Fielding's words. Character witness? For Ms. Jacobs? "So much for impartiality," he grumbled to Joey in a low voice only she could hear. "Obviously I'm gonna be wasting my breath in here."
She rubbed his arm reassuringly. "You don't know that—"
"And I will not tolerate people speaking out of turn, Byron," Whitney snapped, his face going brick red. "This isn't some free-for-all like the P.T.A. meetings you run. Don't forget who's the chairman here, and you would be wise to not forget that the board not only has the authority to excuse you from the room, but also the power to recall you and employ someone else as superintendent!"
Dr. Fielding's mouth hardened into a thin line, but he merely nodded his head pompously at the chairman, saying nothing. The other members of the board glanced anxiously between the two men. Pacey and Joey exchanged furrowed looks, both wondering what sort of drama had been unfolding behind the scenes between the president of the school board and the superintendent.
Turning his attention back to the room, Mr. Vantine sighed heavily. "Mr. Kapinos? Would you like to start your presentation now?"
To Pacey's surprise, Tom Kapinos came forward and stood in front of the easel. He flipped the large poster board around. At the top was a heading in large bold letters— "The Seven Stages of Relationship Facilitation and Grooming Behavior" —and below were several bullet points. He then commenced with the presentation.
"Stage One: Selecting the Victim," Mr. Kapinos said, pointing to the poster board. "A sexual predator seeks out both a suitable environment and a suitable target. Teaching, coaching, and caregiver roles—clergy, counselors, medical professionals—have shown to be favorable environments for predators. An environment that is generally seen as safe and nurturing, such as a school, presents the predator with potential targets who, just by the fact they are in a safe space, may have several layers of 'armor' already removed.
"Predators identify their individual target by looking for those who are vulnerable in some way that can be exploited. Children and young teenagers who have low self-esteem, poor self-confidence, or feelings of inadequacy; who are isolated in some way—physically or emotionally; who are characteristically inclined towards codependence; or who may have been primed by previous experience such as childhood physical or emotional abuse."
Pacey felt his face and neck grow hot, and he lowered his gaze, staring down at his lap. Joey only squeezed his hand tighter.
Mr. Kapinos quickly moved on to the second stage. "Environmentally, this stage involves the predator ingratiating or credentialing themselves to the target's support network, such as family and friends, and where appropriate, befriending them and gaining their acceptance."
Pacey looked up, burning with the sudden memory of how friendly and inviting Tamara had been towards Doug that day when the hurricane had come up the east coast.
Mr. Kapinos went quickly through the rest of the stages, before finishing up the seventh and final stage, Controlling the Victim, and concluding with signs that teachers and parents should look out for. When he finished speaking, he turned the poster board back around, and returned to his chair in the audience. The board members all looked rather uncomfortable. A heavy silence hung in the air around the room.
Mr. Vantine drummed his fingertips on the table for a moment, then sat up straighter and finally spoke into his microphone. "Yes, thank you, Tom. Well…" He heaved a deep sigh. "Pacey, you may stand and address the board now. Please state the facts—and only the facts—of your relationship with Tamara Jacobs while she was employed as a teacher at Capeside High School."
Squeezing Joey's hand, Pacey stood. And he confessed the whole truth to the school board, from the moment Ms. Jacobs had walked into the video store, until the moment they said goodbye on the beach behind her house after she'd resigned her position and told him she was leaving Capeside.
A broad, square-jawed woman with short gray hair sitting on the chairman's right side leaned forward and cleared her throat.
"The Chair recognizes Amelia Lynch," said Mr. Vantine.
The woman spoke in a fretful, cross way. "I'm trying not to disbelieve you, Mr. Witter, but didn't you stand before this very board three years ago and confess the 'truth' of making this whole thing up?"
Pacey felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. "Yes, but… I had blamed myself for the situation, and I didn't want Ms. Jacobs to get in trouble and lose her job or her reputation, or worse…"
She gave him a cold look that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "I see. But you're quite willing to ruin her reputation now, are you?"
His mouth had gone dry, and he swallowed. "No, that's not what I'm—"
"The Chair recognizes Dr. Elaine Hollinger," said Mr. Vantine as the vice president pulled her microphone towards herself.
"Thank you, Whitney," the woman said. She looked to be in her early fifties, with fading brown hair that fell to just above her shoulders. She stared at Pacey, frowning slightly. "Mr. Witter, my… colleague… does make a very good point. How are we to know if you were telling the truth then, or are telling the truth now? Do you have any proof that an illicit relationship with Tamara Jacobs actually occurred? Evidence that can back up the claims you've made here?"
Pacey breathed a heavy sigh. "No, ma'am."
Dr. Fielding loudly cleared his throat, and the chairman rolled his eyes before turning towards him. "Yes, Byron?"
"I believe now would be a good time to address the countercharge," spoke the superintendent. "But of course, the decision is yours…"
"Very well." Mr. Vantine glanced into the audience. "Ben, would you like to come forward? The Chair recognizes Benjamin Gold, teacher at Capeside High School," he said.
Pacey, and everyone else in the room, turned as Mr. Gold, teacher of both English and film classes, marched up the middle aisle to the long table. Pacey sat back down between Joey and Gretchen just as Mr. Gold turned to face the audience.
"You will address me and the rest of the board," the chairman commanded. "You're not at some political rally up in Provincetown."
"Oh, don't get all smug and righteous with me, Whitney," said Mr. Gold.
"Just say what's on your mind, Benjamin. And keep it to facts you can substantiate."
Mr. Gold chewed his tongue, and then began speaking. "I have known Tamara Jacobs since we went to college together. She has been a near and dear friend for almost twenty years. In all the time I have known her, she has never done anything like what Pacey Witter has said here tonight, and she certainly wasn't involved in any inappropriate conduct while teaching at Capeside. I asked her about it myself when the rumors about her and Mr. Witter first arose, and in no way did she state or even hint at there being any merit to them. It's a shame that she hasn't been given the chance to defend her good name before the board this evening."
Dr. Hollinger shook her head. "Mr. Gold, we called the phone number we had for Ms. Jacobs and left a message inviting her to the meeting. It's not the fault of this board that she has chosen not to appear."
"Well, why should she have to come back here when she was cleared three years ago? She's a good, decent woman, and her reputation could potentially be ruined by a petty young man who obviously holds a grudge against her. He doggedly pursued her when he was her student, and she adamantly rebuffed him. I witnessed his behavior myself. I've a good mind to encourage Tamara to file a lawsuit once we get through these proceedings." Despite Mr. Vantine's earlier warning, Mr. Gold turned around to face those who sat in the rows of chairs. "I ask you now, are you really going to support Pacey Witter in these unfair and unproven charges he's laid against Tamara Jacobs?"
A loud chorus of "yes" rang out in the hearing room, leaving Mr. Gold clearly stunned. Joey turned a wide smile on Pacey. Although he still felt uneasy, he tried to return it. Shaking his head, Benjamin shrugged in resigned defeat and walked back to his seat.
"The boy has no proof, Whitney," Dr. Fielding hissed at the chairman.
Then the hearing room doors suddenly opened behind them, and everyone turned to seek out the source of the interruption. Pacey's mouth fell open. There stood his father and brother, both dressed in uniform, their faces hard as they glared up at those seated at the long table in the front of the room.
The superintendent and the school's lawyer were muttering to each other. All eyes were now on Sheriff Witter. Some members of the board looked annoyed, others slightly frightened; the vice president, Dr. Hollinger, however, raised her hand and waved in welcome.
A powerful emotion had risen in Pacey's chest at the sight of his father and older brother, a fortified, hopeful feeling. He wanted to catch his dad's eye, or Doug's, but they were not looking at him; they were continuing to stare up at the obviously disconcerted board chairman.
"Ah," said Mr. Vantine, who looked thoroughly flustered. "Sheriff. Yes. I see you, uh… you… you made it."
"I did," Mr. Witter said coldly. "So, what's been decided? Will the board be supporting my son?"
"The board has yet to vote on the matter," Mr. Vantine barked. "I don't even know what we're going to be voting on. So far there's been nothing to substantiate—"
"I'm just wondering whose side you're all gonna take when push comes to shove, Whitney," the sheriff stated calmly.
For the first time, the school district's lawyer spoke. "I hope you're not here as some misguided effort to strong-arm the board, John." His gaze moved over to the chairman. "I feel funny about the sheriff showing up here like this, Whitney. I'm telling you… I feel funny."
"You'll feel funny when I tell your wife you're having an affair with another woman," Susan Witter snapped.
Mr. McCarthy's eyes went wide. "I'm not having an affair with anyone!"
Mrs. Witter sneered at the lawyer. "Maybe not, Ken, but you'll sure feel funny when I tell your wife you are."
While Pacey fought to suppress a smile, a scattering of laughter erupted amongst the audience sitting behind him. The board chairman banged his gavel on the table.
The superintendent cleared his throat rather loudly and began to speak before Mr. Vantine had the chance to acknowledge him. "It's no secret Pacey Witter stood before the board on a prior occasion and admitted to having a silly crush on his English teacher and spreading vile untruths about her—"
"And did it not occur to anyone on the board at the time that Pacey could just be covering for his teacher," demanded Doug Witter. "In order to spare her from legal consequences? Is there a reason the board did not investigate such a serious matter further instead of simply taking the word of a fifteen-year-old boy as the gospel truth?"
A few of the board members shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Mr. Vantine flushed a deeper shade of red. "I—that's—not—" he blustered, his mustache bristling as he fiddled with the papers in the folder in front of him. "It's—Deputy, we're not here to discuss what the board did or did not do three years ago!"
"But I'm afraid you'll find that's rather relevant," Doug retorted hotly.
"Whether the boy was lying then, or lying now, is irrelevant," Dr. Fielding snarled. "Pacey Witter has no proof of the charges he's laying against Tamara Jacobs. Without proof, it is nothing but the vicious slander of a known troublemaker. I've heard his file in the guidance office is an inch thick! I'm inclined to believe Benjamin Gold's take on the situation. I say the board should adjourn and not give this matter anymore attention."
Dawson Leery suddenly rose from his seat beside his mother, and walked up to stand in front of the long table.
"Not just yet, Dr. Fielding," Dawson said. "Since you were just doing a bit of slandering of your own, let's make sure we get the facts on record."
The man scowled and spoke to the chairman. "Can he do this?"
"I believe he can, Byron," Mr. Vantine said, then glanced at the other board members who nodded their assent. "The Chair recognizes…?"
"Dawson Leery."
"Mitch and Gail's son?"
"Yes, sir."
"Right. Of course. Well, Mr. Leery, go ahead. Speak your piece."
Pacey looked on with wide-eyed curiosity. Dawson glanced at him over his shoulder, offering a slight smile, before turning back to face the board.
"To say that there is no proof of an inappropriate relationship between Pacey and Ms. Jacobs is not accurate," Dawson told them. He paused for a moment, hesitating, and then continued in a strong, confident voice. "I saw the proof with my own two eyes… because I unintentionally recorded one of their encounters with my video camera."
Dr. Fielding, the board members, and the lawyer all seemed to deflate before their eyes. They stared, shocked and speechless. It was so quiet, Pacey was pretty sure he could have heard a pin drop.
Then Joey stood up, her stomach writhing with nerves. "I saw the video, too," she admitted to the board. "Dawson and I watched the tape in his room. It was definitely Pacey and Ms. Jacobs on that video. There was no mistaking them. Pacey has told you the truth tonight. He has not, and would not, slander anyone, especially…" She hesitated, emotion tightening her throat. Then she felt Pacey squeeze her hand. "Especially someone he had once cared about. He would never speak ill of Ms. Jacobs unless it was true."
Pacey looked at his feet. His heart, which seemed to have swollen to an unnatural size, was pounding beneath his ribs. He hadn't expected Dawson or Joey to stand up and say anything, and he certainly hadn't expected that long-forgotten video tape to come up. He'd destroyed it at the time, but he had to admit that he was enjoying the sight of the board members clearly sweating at the idea that the tape still exists.
Mr. Vantine visibly swallowed, and after a moment, he spoke. "Do you have anything else to say, Mr. Leery?"
"No, sir." Then Dawson walked away from the board and back to his seat, giving Pacey a wink as he passed.
Sheriff Witter moved up the middle aisle. "Whether or not the school board makes some kind of decision here makes no real difference," he barked at the president. "The Sheriff's Office has already taken care of this. In fact, Tamara Jacobs is at headquarters in Buzzards Bay as we speak, making a full confession."
Several people in the audience had gasped. Pacey stared at his dad, but the sheriff still seemed oblivious to his attempt to catch his eye.
Doug crossed his arms. "Yes, you see, I gave Tamara Jacobs a call earlier today, asking her if she could come down to the Sheriff's Office sometime this week just to answer a few questions. As it turns out, she showed up three hours later with a lawyer and promptly turned herself in."
John Witter continued to stare up at the front table, where the school board members had fallen into urgent, whispered conversations. Mr. Vantine glared at the sheriff, evidently incensed. Twice Pacey opened his mouth to speak, but his swollen heart had constricted his airway, and both times he merely took a deep breath and said nothing.
"Once the woman is officially charged and booked, we'll be reassigning the case to the state police to avoid any conflict of interest, and it'll no doubt be handed off to the District Attorney," Sheriff Witter said.
"But now I'm wondering if the Sheriff's Department should also launch a formal inquiry into the school board and its incompetence and irresponsibility at handling this matter," added Doug. "And if my family decides to go for a civil suit against Tamara Jacobs, you can best believe this board will certainly be named as co-defendants!"
The lawyer, Mr. McCarthy, snapped his briefcase shut. "I suggest no one on the board says anything further," he urged the chairman.
Mr. Vantine glanced around at everyone, looking as though there was something large stuck in his throat. He took two deep breaths, and then said, in a voice distorted by suppressed rage, "Very well. The Sheriff's Department has taken the matter out of the board's hands. Meeting adjourned." Then the gavel was banging on the table, and the board members were immediately getting to their feet.
John Witter muttered something in a low voice to Doug, and then, without looking once at Pacey, he strode out of the room.
Watching his father's abrupt departure, Pacey let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He felt compelled to hurry after him, but he remained sitting in his folding chair, struggling with his feelings of shock and relief. The board members were all getting to their feet, talking to each other, gathering up their papers and folders.
Pacey stood up. When Joey gave his hand a squeeze, thoughts of his dad vanished from his mind. "See? I told you it was going to be all right," she said.
"You did tell me," he replied with a slight smile. "But anything could've happened in here."
"Not with Doug on the case, apparently," she said, then stepped aside as well-wishers came to surround him.
The Witter siblings were the first in line. Pacey was enveloped in hugs from Gretchen, Amy, and Doug. Then from Bessie and Bodie. Andie, Jen, Jack, and Will. Gail Leery and Mrs. Ryan. Soon he was shaking hands with his former teachers, and being pulled into a bear hug by Tom Kapinos. "I'm so, so proud of you," the counselor told him.
As Mr. Kapinos and the other teachers walked away, Dawson was once again standing in front of him. Pacey held out his hand to shake. "You didn't have to stand up there and do that."
"Yes, I did," Dawson said. "Because it was the right thing to do."
Pacey looked around at his friends and family, feeling oddly choked up at yet another display of such loyalty. "Thank you."
They beamed smiles at him, but then his thoughts turned to his parents. Looking around, he saw that his mother had also left the hearing room. He walked away from his friends, in search of his parents. He had yet to process the news of Tamara turning herself into the authorities, or ponder the consequences of this or what it could mean for him. At the moment he felt strangely desperate to speak to his father. He had no idea what he even wanted to say. Maybe the words would come to him once they were face to face.
Pacey hurried down the stairs to the first floor of the town hall. The local news media was there in full force. A young, skinny photographer from the Cape Cod Times was snapping pictures of the board members as they made their way through the lobby. A perky twenty-something reporter in a dark blue pencil skirt was thrusting her microphone under people's noses, and asking them why an emergency school board meeting had been called.
"Why was Sheriff Witter in attendance?" the woman asked Dr. Fielding, who sneered and kept walking.
Only too aware that the camera was rolling, Pacey carefully sidestepped the reporter and walked fast toward the building's front door. The idea of his face winding up on the eleven o'clock news was too horrifying to think about.
Out on the sidewalk, he looked up and down the street, but there was no sign of his parents in any direction. He sighed heavily, a wave of disappointment washing over him.
"Hey, Pace."
He turned to see his brother walking towards him. "Hey, Dougie." His throat tightened and he swallowed against it. "Is it true? Tamara turned herself in?"
"Yep. Dad called me a couple hours ago. Told me to get my ass to headquarters. We listened to Tamara's confession. It was clear she'd rehearsed what she was going to say with her lawyer. Then I convinced Dad to leave the other deputies to take care of the booking. We shouldn't be directly involved, considering. I told him it'd be a good idea to make an appearance at the meeting."
"Yeah."
"I think Pop showing up turned the board away from opposing you."
"Yeah, maybe. Or it was the bombshell Dawson dropped on them."
"Um… about that tape, Pacey…"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Right." Doug eyed him for a moment. "You okay, Pacey?"
"I don't know. I guess I… I just wish Dad had talked to me. Or even looked at me."
Shoving his hands in his pockets, Doug nodded. "What did Mr. Kapinos say to him?"
"To Pop? I don't know, really. I wasn't in the room. Ma had kinda stormed out… It was a whole thing. Why?"
"I think whatever Mr. Kapinos might've said shook him up."
Before Pacey could say anything to that, Joey and Dawson and the rest of their friends were approaching. Although he felt grateful for their support, he suddenly wanted to be left alone.
Bessie walked up, holding hands with Bodie. "How about ice cream sundaes back at the house?" she declared.
Everyone quickly agreed, then started heading for their vehicles. Joey, taking in the look on Pacey's face, maneuvered through their departing friends to stand at his side, slipping her palm inside his and giving him a squeeze. "So… you wanna go back to the house for some ice cream?"
He hesitated, not wanting to be ungrateful. "Actually, what I want is a little privacy and a very long night with you in my arms," he said.
She warmed to his comment, and gripped his waist with her hands. "Then I suggest we leave for Boston as soon as possible."
"We gotta go back to the B&B to get our stuff, though," he said with a grimace.
Shaking her head, Joey grinned. "Our bags are packed and in the trunk of the Mustang."
He stared at her in surprise.
"I had a feeling that, no matter how things turned out at the meeting, you might wanna make a quick getaway."
A wave of gratitude swept through him, and he pulled her into a tight embrace. Pacey took a deep, shuddering breath, taking comfort from the feel of her arms around him. He could feel the tension leaving his body, his stomach unknotting. He didn't let go of her, and she didn't let go of him. It gave him a sense of relief, but it also started the tears which he had been fighting back for what seemed like all day. He let the tears fall, his face hidden against her neck.
"I never would've gotten through this without you," he murmured against her skin.
Joey was his rock, his ocean. She was his safe place, his counselor, his coach, his advisor, his best friend. She moved him—physically and emotionally—like no one else. To be fair, he was her rock, too. They steadied each other, in all the ways that were important.
Pulling back slightly, Pacey cupped her chin in his hand, and lifted her face to his, and she saw that look in his amazing blue eyes that defied description.
"I love you," she whispered sweetly.
Their lips touched, and Joey pressed her mouth to his, eager for his kiss. Pacey held the back of her head. Enclosing her. Making her feel safe. Adored. His kiss was long and slow and rimmed with the sharp edge of desperation.
Breaking the kiss, touching her forehead with his, he took a deep breath. "Let's go home, Jo."
As Pacey drove out of the Capeside town limits, his mind was a dull roar, thoughts of his father, the school board, and Tamara swirling inside his head. Images of her behind bars kept dancing in front of his eyes, and he tried hard to push them away.
He accelerated out of the town that held both good and bad memories. It was the bad ones that had sent him fleeing as soon as he graduated high school, vowing never to come back. Unfortunately, he'd been compelled to return. But as the lights of Capeside dimmed in the rearview mirror, Pacey vowed again to never come back, no matter what.