Description: My version of Joey and Pacey's break up at Prom and the after math.
Author's Note: This story with be updated regularly
Disclaimer: I only own the story not the characters besides Steven.
Chapter #5
(Pacey's pov)
" Hey Steven, where have you been all day man?", I question when he walks in the front door. By now it is almost six o'clock. We had plans after he was done grocery shopping and Steven just completely bailed on me. I know he was home earlier too because I saw the food in the fridge. Where the hell could he have possibly gone? More importantly why did he ditch me? We have had these plans for a while. The least that he could have done we let me know he had made other plans and not just completely left me hanging.
" Went on a picnic with Joey and her daughter, I'm supposed to catch a movie at her place in an hour.", confides Steven before disappearing into his room. Man, what the hell? Is he serious right now? He spent the day with Joey? My Joey? Here I thought that Steven was supposed to be my friend. Obviously this is not the case if he is putting the moves on Joey behind my back. Steven is about two seconds away from being decked in the jaw. I cannot believe him right now. He knows how I feel about Potter. Is he serious just going to pursue her anyway knowing what he knows? Really thought that he was someone I could trust, obviously I know that is not the case now.
" Steven, what the hell man?!", I snap in frustration before taking a threatening step toward him. Stumbling back a few feet, Steven trips over the couch. By now I am all but fighting the urge not to clock him in the jaw. He has to know that Joey is off limits. Figured that I all but made this clear to him that first night in the bar but apparently he did not catch the hint. He had better start talking and fast before I loose it and take a swing at him. Joey and I might not be together, but that doesn't mean Steven can just swoop right in and snag her from me.
" Pacey, relax. I swear that it is not what you think. The entire time we were out, I was trying to convince Jo the two of you need to talk things out. Come on, I would never go behind your back.", promises Steven before slowly standing once more. Letting my fists fall to my side, I breath a sigh in relief. Steven is an alright guy. I should have known that he would never go after Joey. Still, what was I supposed to think? Wonder if his talking me up to Potter is actually working. More then anything, I just want to see her. If I could just tell Joey everything that I left unspoken all these years, maybe there is a chance the two of us could work things out.
" You're wasting your time man, Potter wants nothing to do with me.", I mutter with a shake of my head. Grabbing myself a beer, I crack it open. Collapsing onto the couch, I flip on the television. Joey made if pretty clear the last time I saw her she had no intentions of listening to anything I had to say. Why would spending time with Steven change this fact? While the guy does have a way with words, I somehow doubt he could talk Joey into sitting down to finally hash things out. It is just not going to happen anytime soon.
" I know, she has made that clear. But bit by bit I am slowly chipping away at her man. You know what? Why don't you go to movie night in my place? You could tell Joey something came up and I couldn't make it.", suggests Steven while turning the television off. He has got to be kidding me right now. If I show up at Joey's place instead of Steven, she's more then likely going toslam the door in my face. I know for a fact I am the last person Jo wants to see. Hell, the last time we spoke she wound up in tears once again because of me. Do I really want to chance hurting Potter all over again by showing up at her place?
" What makes you think she won't just slam the door in my face?", I inquire while folding my arms across my chest. This is more then likely what will happen. The odds of Joey and I finally sitting down to talk and get everything out in the open are fairly slim. Still, I can't help hoping that there is some part of her that still loves me despite all the hell I have put her through. Letting Potter walk away from me was the worst mistake I could have ever made. No other girl has ever had my heart let alone laid in my bed.
" There is a chance she might, but you won't know unless you take a chance.", reminds Steven much to my disliking. Nodding my agreement, I walk into my room and quickly change my clothes. Combing out my hair, I glance at my reflection in the mirror. Not much has changed about me in the last three years, except maybe now I have a beard. Grabbing a razor, I disappear into the bathroom and shave it off. There, now I look like the Pacey that Joey fell in love with all those years ago. Who knows, maybe by some miracle Jo won't slam the door in my face. …
(Joey's pov)
" Just come in, the doors not locked.", I call from the bathroom after hearing a knock on the front door. Stepping out of the shower, I dry off and throw on an old shirt and shorts. Towel drying my hair, I comb it out and tie it into a loose pony tail. It took me forever to get Emily to eat her dinner, take a bath and go to sleep. At one point I thought she was never going to bed. Thankfully she fell asleep a half hour ago leaving me very little time to get ready. Not exactly sure if this is a date or not. I wanted to look nice just in case and am obviously failing miserably.
" You look amazing Potter.", I hear him comment when I walk out of the bathroom finally. Stopping in my tracks, I look up to see none other than Pacey staring back at me. What the hell is he doing here? Great what am I supposed to do? If I yell at Pacey to get the hell out, I am going to wake Emily up for sure and that is the last thing that I want. Why is he here? Where is Steven? This night just went straight to hell. Pacey is not someone that I want to see anytime soon, yet here he is. I'll bet just about anything that Steven orchestrated all of this. He made it clear I should tell Pacey that Emily is his daughter. Is this his idea of getting the conversational ball rolling? Ugh, I hate him so much right now.
" Pacey, what the hell are you doing here?", I hiss in a mere whisper not wanting to wake my daughter. This is an absolute nightmare. Why, why is he here? I told Steven that I would talk with Pacey when I was ready. Why could he have not just taken my word? Who cares if I was lying when I said it? What could I possibly have to say to Pacey? Hey, remember when you tore my heart from my chest? Yeah not sure that is a conversation I want to have anytime soon. he's not going to leave either, its never simple with Pacey. Why the hell would it be?
" Steven couldn't make it and thought it was time the two of us talked. ...Is that my shirt Jo?", questions Pacey upon closer inspection of my night shirt. Glancing down at myself, I notice I am wearing none other than his old jersey. Where the hell did this come from? Thought I tossed anything he ever gave me out long ago. How could I have kept this shirt? Great, knowing Pacey he probably thinks I wear when I am missing him. That is not the case at all. I honestly forgot this was ever his to begin with.
" Ugh, I should have known Steven was up to something. Quit staring at me like that Witter.", I warn with an ever growing scowl. This would be my luck. Why would I think that Steven might have been interested in me? He is only Pacey's close friend. There is no way he would ever jeopardize their friendship by starting anything with me. I let him sweet talk me like some sort of idiot. Now I am stuck having this very awkward conversation with Pacey. This is exactly how I wanted my night to turn out.
" Sorry Potter, guess Ican't helpit. Look, I really just want to talk about us. Is that asking so much?", ponders Pacey before taking a cautious seat on the couch. He wants to talk about us? Since when is there an us to even discuss? Pacey and I have not been together in three years. It was his choice to end things between the two of us too. Our break up was in no way mutual. For all I knew things were great between the both of us. Pacey burst that bubble in front of our entire senior class. Never had I been so utterly crushed in my life.
Shaking my head in confusion, I sit on the far end of the couch," Correct me if I'm wrong, but there is no 'us' Pacey."
Letting out an exhausted breath, Pacey runs a tired hand through his hair," I know there isn't Jo. I also know it is my fault we are no longer together. Look, it is not an excuse but the thought of you realizing you could do so much better haunted me. Your acceptance to Worthington, my rejection from every school that I applied to...I just couldn't see why you would want to stay with me."
" Pace, I was in love with you. None of your failures ever changed how I looked at you.", exclaims Joey in a frustratingly low voice. Her words cut me like a knife. What kills me right now is that I can see Joey is telling the truth. Whether I succeeded or failed, it did not matter to Potter. At the end of the day, she still wanted to be with me no matter what. I was just to blind and stupid to know this. Don't I feel like a complete jackass right now for ever considering otherwise. Potter never cared about those sorts of things. She loved me for me.
" Jo, it was never my intention to hurt you. When I saw you with Dawson, I just...snapped. Every little thing I had kept bottled up came spewing out before I had a chance to stop myself.", I admit in a quiet tone, my eyes never leaving hers. The pain behind her eyes is killing me. Even when I am trying to make things right, I somehow find a way to cause Joey pain. Our break up was my doing and mine alone. For all Jo knew we were happy together. How could she have ever known this was far from the case? I had stopped confiding in her at one point. The day I decided to stop telling Joey how is felt is when our relationship took a downward spiral.
" Pace, why did you never tell me how unhappy you were?", asks Joey before glancing over at me. There is sad and hurt look in her eyes. It is all but breaking my heart. Truth is, I don't know why I felt like I couldn't talk to Joey anymore. She had been so excited about getting into Worthington. Meanwhile, I was rejected from schools left and right. I felt like a failure. Joey was convinced that I would get into college and everything would work out for the best though. She never once lost her faith in me. Unfortunately I lost mine in the two of us.
" I honestly don't know Potter, but I wish that I would have.", I confide with a sad smile. Shocked to see Joey return the gesture, I glance down at her hand beside mine. Maybe being honest with her is the way to fixing what I broke between the two of us. That old spark that was once lit between the two of us...I can still feel it. I wonder if Joey does too. It can't just be me, can it? This is not how I expected this conversation to go at all. It is a miracle that she has not thrown me out yet. Who knows, maybe Jo secretly wished we would sort things out someday too.
"...I should probably go check on Emily.", acknowledges Joey after a brief awkward silence. That is right, I forgot Jo had a daughter. Wonder if the father is still in the picture? I am left to assume she lives alone considering that she invited Steven here to watch movies. Is she into him? Dear God, I hope not. I will bet just about anything her daughter is just as amazing as she is. Sometimes I wonder if we were still together, would we have had a kid by now? I miss everything about Joey. Letting her go was the dumbest decision I ever made. …
