Later that afternoon, Joey was unpacking the few belongings that she'd managed to fit in her airline luggage while Dawson napped in his room. She took the picture that Jen had given her out of a bag and put it on the middle shelf of the built in bookshelf in her room. Next, she unpacked a photo of herself with her mother, followed by one of Dawson and Joey on the first day of kindergarten. She arranged them on either side of the picture from Jen and stepped back to survey her work. Satisfied, she reached into her suitcase for some clothes when she heard someone knocking on the door.

Joey opened the door to see Kirby, dressed in a light blue Juicy Couture velour track suit.

"We didn't really get a chance to introduce ourselves last night," Kirby said awkwardly. "I'm Kirby." Joey forced a smile.

"I know. I'm Joey."

"Dawson told me all about you last night," Kirby said in an attempt to start a friendly conversation. She could already tell that Joey didn't like her.

"Really," Joey shifted uncomfortably and wondered what sorts of things Dawson had said about her. She remembered the experience on his 16th birthday and frowned. Alcohol for Dawson was like a truth serum. Joey tried to hide her nervousness.

"Don't worry. It was mostly good," Kirby told her. She smiled expectantly and Joey realized that she was waiting to be invited in. She stepped aside.

"Come in," she said. "Sorry, it's kind of a mess."

"No, it's fine!! You should see our apartment," Kirby said. "So, you came to visit Dawson?" she asked, as she followed Joey into her room.

"No, actually, I'm living with him for the summer," she clarified. Kirby was visibly surprised, almost taken aback.

"Oh… lucky you!!" Kirby's green eyes sparkled and she winked at Joey as if they were sharing an inside joke. It made Joey uncomfortable. It was the type of thing Jen used to do, trying to get close to Joey by treating her like they were best friends. "Dawson didn't mention it," Kirby said.

"Well, it was a surprise," Joey told her. Kirby nodded thoughtfully.

"Joey, you'll have to come to LaFonda with us next week," she said. "It's so much fun. I wish you could have joined us last night." Joey sat down on her bed and began to flip through a magazine, trying to show her disinterest.

"Getting wildly inebriated and making a fool of myself is not really my thing," she told Kirby. "And it's not really Dawson's either—" Kirby headed over to Joey's bookshelf and started to look at the pictures.

"Is that your mom?" she asked, picking up the one of Joey and her mom in a field of wildflowers. Joey drew in her breath.

"She died when we were in middle school," she said crisply, getting up and moving over to the bookshelf to guard her pictures.

"Oh. I'm so sorry," Kirby said. "Well, she was really beautiful. She looks just like you." She set the picture down. "I lost my mother, too. Last year," she said, looking at Joey. Joey looked away. "If you ever want to talk to me about anything—"

"I hate to be rude, but is there a specific reason you visited? I'm kind of busy unpacking so if you need something---"

"Oh, gosh. Sorry, I just totally invited myself over. I came to check on Dawson. Is he here?" Kirby peeked around the corner to his room.

"Actually, he's still not feeling well, so you should probably come back another day—" Dawson walked out of his room wearing green and navy blue plaid pajama pants, no shirt, and glasses. His hair was tousled and there were a few wrinkles and indentations across his torso from the creases in his sheets.

"Hey," he said. "What's going on?" Joey looked startled.

"Dawson!" she said. "Um.. I thought you weren't feeling well?" She raised her eyebrows and widened her eyes, hoping he'd get the message that she wanted Kirby to leave. Of course, he didn't. Or he just chose to ignore it.

"I'm actually feeling a lot better," he said, walking into Joey's room. Joey sighed dejectedly and retreated back to her bed.

"I feel responsible for what happened last night," Kirby said to Dawson. "If there's anything I can do, just let me know."

"Well, actually there's a stain on the carpet in his room that needs to be cleaned up," Joey interjected. "Don't worry. I hear vomit isn't too difficult to remove if you use club soda."

"Um, I…" Kirby looked at Dawson awkwardly.

Dawson laughed, embarrassed "Don't mind Joey," he said, shooting Joey a glare. "Sarcasm is her best friend." Kirby noticed the hurt look flash across Joey's face. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her track jacket and forced a smile, her unnaturally white teeth gleaming.

"Well, I guess I'll get going. I'm glad you're feeling better, Dawson. And it was nice to officially meet you, Joey!"

"See ya," Dawson said. When Kirby was gone, he turned to Joey.

"What was that all about?" he asked. Joey shrugged. "I don't know, I just…" she couldn't tell him what she really thought. That Kirby reminded her so much of Jen when she'd first moved to Capeside. The pretty, bubbly, blonde new neighbor who didn't understand the complexity of Joey's relationship with Dawson. And that she was jealous.

"I know that you've never really been open to meeting new people. But Kirby is a really sweet girl," Dawson assured her. "And I really think if you give her a chance, the two of you will get along."

"I'm really worn out from unpacking," Joey told him. "I think I might just hit the sack." Dawson looked disappointed.

"Too tired for movie night?" he asked. Joey's eyes sparkled and she smiled brightly. Dawson hadn't forgotten!

"I'm never too tired for movie night! What are we watching?" Dawson walked into his room and climbed into the bed, patting the spot next to him.

"You'll see!" He pressed play on the remote and Joey leaned against his chest as the familiar theme to ET began to play.