"Hey, Joey"
"Hey Dawson"
"Movie auditions", he said showing her some fliers he was holding. "I finished my script a couple of days ago."
"Congratulations! I'm having art class", she said pointing to her drawing. Dawson looked at it:
"I see you've graduated from fruit bowls."
Joey blushed.
"We're doing life-sketching... nude models..." she blushed some more. "So... we're supposed to see the human form, a mass of lines and shadows... "
"Really?"
"I'm working on it."
"And he does poses for you?"
"Yeah."
"Don't you find that uncomfortable? Just sitting in a room with some guy completely in the buff right in front of you?"
"No..."
"Does he... like... talk? Or anything?"
"Oh, yeah. He sings, he tells jokes, does a little softshoe. No, he doesn't talk, Dawson. He's a model. He sits there. He just takes breaks every now and then..."
" And little Joey Potter doesn't blush?"
"No" Joey avoided Dawson's pointed look, although she couldn't hide the soft red that was marking her cheeks.
"Not even a little?"
"Maybe a little..." she smirked. Dawson grinned:
"Just a little?"
"Joey glared at him:"
"Ok, I've broken twelve pencils! Happy?"
" They both laughed."
"...but it's getting better..." Joey continued. "You'd be surprised, Dawson. I'm not little Joey Potter anymore."
"No you're certainly not", he patted her shoulder. "...and since you're such a grown-up and all ready to handle new responsibilities... how about doing your job as my supposed co-producer and help me hand out these fliers..."
"I can't... I'll be late for class..." Joey sighed. "You mind if we postpone it for the next break? Art class requires some preparations..."
"Well... ok... I suppose next break is as good as any..." Dawson sighed as Andie just greeted them:
"Good for what?"
"I'm trying to cast some people for my new movie... I finished the script a couple of days ago..."
"Cool! Would you like some help? I'm always up for some new extra-curricular activities!" Andie beamed. Dawson looked at her strangely:
" For now i just have to hand out these fliers to as many people..."
"Sure... do I get to be on the producers' list for that?"
"I suppose..." Dawson seemed confused as Joey chuckled to herself.
"I'm in."
----
Joey sat in the courtyard trying to do the final touches the teacher had recommended.
"Wow!" Jack's voice surprised her from behind. She quickly covered the drawing.
"Don't look!"
"Come on, I've seen a naked guy before, Joey..."
"Yeah, but not drawn with the talent of a second grader, trust me..."
"Come on..." he looked at her and seeing that she won't uncover the drawing: "Let me see it!" He took her hands in his and tried to get them off the drawing.
"Nooo..." Joey tried to fight him but he was much too strong. Jack looked at the drawing.
"Wow. It's a good use of light and dark, especially around the side. I mean, it's very dramatic. Shading is excellent."
"Really?" Joey blushed.
"Yeah. Lines are strong. Uh, everything seems to be in... proportion. You did a really nice job..." he said and while trying to point out something on the drawing, Jack spilled his milkshake on the drawing.
"Oh God! Oh God! I'm sorry, Joey! I'm sorry! I'm so... sorry!!"
"I gotta go." Joey said, almost in tears, as she gathered up her things and left. Jack followed her.
"Oh God. I'm so sorry! Look, can I do anything? What?"
"There's nothing you can do, Jack. It's due on Thursday. I'm already the youngest and least experimented in the class and now I'm going to show up with an incomplete assignment."
"Can you redraw it?"
"Not from memory!" Joey said, frustrated. "I mean, this is a nude man, Jack! I can't just recall it from thin air! The pose, the composition, the light, the shadows... You can't just recreate that!"
Jack blushed and then reluctantly said:
"Let me pose for you."
"What?!!"
"Yeah, no, I'm serious. Let me pose for you. No big deal."
"You want to pose for me... naked..."
"Well... I ruined it... I should at least give you the chance..."
"Let me think about that..." Joey adopted a pensive look. "NO!"
"Afraid of seeing me naked?"
"Ah, the prude Joey tactic. Clever, but no."
"What is it then? I'm just a friend helping out another friend..."
Joey looked around confused:
"Well the male form is just a male form..."
"Good, that's settled... I'll come by your house around 7?"
"Ok..."
"See you then."
---
"Hey Jack!" Pacey came fast from behind. "I'm bored. Let's do something manly together."
"Something manly?"
"Yeah, I don't know... pick up women in a sleazy bar. Play some pool... watch some football... something."
"Aren't you supposed to study?"
"Yeah well, I will, as soon as I get home, but actually I realized that I have been studying a lot lately and I need a break... and I think I can squeeze one in tonight..."
"I can't tonight... sorry. Try Dawson."
"Dawson's busy with his movie... What are you doing?"
"I promised Joey I'd help her out with something..."
"What?"
Jack blushed.
"I ruined her drawing and I promised I'd help her draw a new one... She has to do... a portrait..."
Pacey frowned: "That sounds... interesting..."
"Yeah, well, I ruined it... so now I'm paying..."
"I suppose..."
Just as they were getting out of the high school, the two boys bumped into Jen, with a happy look on her face:
"Hey, Jack!"
"Hey, Jen!"
"Remember at the party when we discussed going on an afternoon trip to Boston?"
"Uh... Yeah..."
"How about now?" she grinned and took out two bus tickets from her pocket. "The bus leaves in half an hour... We'd be back by midnight..."
"Midnight?" Jack's eyes went wide. "I can't... I have to..."
"Oh come on, you promised! Don't be a chicken! You can skip homework for a night..."
"It's not that..." Jack blushed. "Just that..."
Pacey looked at Jack and noticed that he wanted to go:
"Don't worry, Jack. I can help Joey on my own tonight, if you want to go..."
"Help Joey? With what?" Jen asked.
"Just some work around the house. We offered, but I think I'm man enough to handle it..."
"But Pacey..."
"Hey, I was bored anyway... it's ok..."
Jen winked at Pacey who threw her a confused look as she turned to Jack:
"You heard the man. He can handle it. Come on, we're gonna miss the bus."
"But... wait..."
Jen pulled him by the hand as Pacey was still wondering what that was all about.
"Bye Pacey! See you tomorrow!" He heard Jen's laugh as they were getting further and further away. Jack turned to him like trying to tell him something, but he was too far and Pacey couldn't hear a thing.
Oh well. He *was* bored... if that was the best entertainment he could find...
---
Joey was nervously preparing her setting as she heard the doorbell. Jack was early. Great.
'I'm not nervous. I mean, I've seen a naked man before...'
She went and opened the door only to see Pacey standing there:
"Pacey...? What... what are you doing here?"
"I'm filling in for Jack."
"You... what?" Joey's eyes opened wide.
"Jen convinced Jack into an impromptu trip to Boston, that they apparently had discussed before... and I saw that he wanted to go... so I offered to fill in for him..."
"Uhm...." Joey almost couldn't breathe. "Jack... told you what it's about?"
"Yeah. He ruined your drawing and was supposed to sit in for another one... so, as boring as that sounds, it can't be any more boring than another night in casa de Witter, so I decided it's better than nothing... so here I am..."
"Err..."
"Oh come on, Potter, he doesn't look that much better than me! And besides, you need that drawing, right?"
"Right..." Joey blushed. "Let's... uhm... let's go..."
They entered the living room.
"Bessie and Bodie are away, so as long as Alex doesn't whine too much, it should be ok..." she tried to even her breath.
"Ok... Where do I sit?"
Joey showed him the couch that had a towel on it.
"Is the towel part of the setting? Brilliant, Potter. Nothing I want to see more in a portrait than a towel."
Joey turned to him as she realized he had no idea what it was all about. As Pacey sat on the couch she tried to bring words to her lips but failed miserably.
"Uhm... Potter? You ok? You... look like you've seen a ghost."
"Yeah... err... see, Pace... the drawing... it's supposed to be... uhm.... nude..". she could feel herself turning violet. Pacey's eyes widened and then he laughed in disbelief:
"I'm sorry... I think I heard you say nude..."
"Uhm... yeah...."
"But doesn't that mean... uhm... naked?" He swallowed.
"Uhm... yeah..."
"You want to draw me naked?!!!!"
"Well..."
"But that would involve me sitting naked in front of you!"
"See..."
"I mean", Pacey tried to laugh it off, although he had trouble controlling his handshake, "I knew you wanted me, Potter, but to go to such extents..."
"Oh shut up, retard. It was not supposed to be you in the first place! Had I known you were going to show up, believe me, I never would have agreed to it!"
"I know you don't mean that."
"Oh, trust me, I do."
"Oh come on, I'm a pretty sight and you know it!"
"What?!"
"Remember snail expedition? I knew you peeked."
"I did no such thing!"
"No need to deny it, Potter, I saw you."
"Listen, Witter, you're starting to get off my nerves! Now either you take your clothes off or get out!" Joey screamed in frustration.
"Ok, ok... if you want it that bad..."
Joey bit her lips to help herself from manually slaughtering him.
---
Pacey came out shyly out of the bathroom, holding the towel around his waist.
"So... the couch?"
"Yeah", Joey said, nervously biting her lips. 'I can't believe this is happening'
Pacey sat on the couch, swallowing a large gulp. They both stared at their hands for a few seconds.
"So are you gonna take that towel off so that i could draw you?"
"You know... I was thinking of keeping it for a while... you know... to... not... catch a cold... or something..." Pacey blabbered.
"Pacey, it's supposed to be nude. I can't do a nude with a towel on."
"Right... I see... Well... in that case..."
He rose clumsily and started taking the towel off.
"You know what?" Joey suddenly said. "Leave it on. I'll do the top part first..."
"Ok..." Pacey breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down as Joey started drawing. After doing a few shaky lines she breathed in and out evenly, trying to control herself. 'This is Pacey! I've seen him naked before! Well... in kindergarten... but still...'
"You ok, Jo?" Pacey said, noticing her nervous appearance. As she was standing there in front of him looking at him he couldn't help himself thinking that he was almost completely naked, and that he was going to be completely naked... in front of a woman... 'Not a woman, Joey', he said to himself. But it wasn't working. He knew better than that, since he had been the first to notice the woman Joey. But he wasn't thinking about that. Other parts of him on the other hand, were much too aware of what was happening and Pacey dreaded the moment he was going to take the towel off.
Joey tried to draw a few more lines, without responding, but it was simply not coming out right.
"You know, Pacey... I can't do this... I just don't think it's a good idea... I mean, I tried to be an adult about this and not behave like little Joey Potter, but the truth is, you know, I'm really not that experienced with... uhm... a lot of things... and I really don't think I could handle seeing you naked right now, so if you could just get dressed and get home that would be..."
"What about your drawing?"
"I'll figure out some way to fudge it..."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes I'm sure!" she nervously screamed and hit the easel with her hands. In a reflex gesture, Pacey rose to catch it and dropped the towel.
As they both stared at the easel, then at each other, completely red and wide-eyed, Joey's heart started beating fast and she felt herself heating up. She couldn't help notice he was quite hot himself... and couldn't help wondering what was causing that. But this was Pacey. 'You don't think about stuff like that with Pacey.'
"Well..." he said, trying to help himself from not getting out of the house and jumping in the creek. "...I'm naked..."
"Yeah..." she managed to say.
"We might as well get it done now..."
"Yeah..."
"I mean, hell, we've seen each other naked before, right?"
"Right..."
Pacey lifted her easel and then sat on the couch.
----
They were both quiet the whole evening as Joey's hand got more sure of itself. She had to admit to herself it was coming out quite nice. It was not something one would expect little Joey Potter to do. And Pacey was a perfect model. He was quiet himself, he had a beautiful body... too beautiful... and yet he was Pacey...
She had been aware for awhile that he wasn't just Pacey anymore. She had been wondering for awhile, whether he was ever just Pacey. He was her enemy, her nemesis, her annoyance... her friend...
As he was getting dressed, Joey couldn't help looking at the drawing. It was much better than the one before. She almost didn't want to hand it in. She almost wanted to copy it, to keep it. She hadn't handed in the previous drawing of Pacey. That was also too good to just give away. What was it about Pacey that made him such a perfect model for a drawing?
As she was showing him out she wanted to tell him something. Anything. But words failed her. As he reached for the doorknob she felt her heart skip a beat. Something had to be said. Her hand covered his as she tried to stop him. He turned to look at her, surprised, still flushed from the previous experience. His blue eyes met hers and her knees went weak once more. He was way too close to her.
"Pacey..." she whispered. And then they kissed. She had no idea who kissed who, but their lips were touching and his hands were on her face and he pushed her against the wall as she was just letting herself melt. Her mind went blank.
The door opened and Bessie's voice brought her back to Earth: "Joey! Help me out... here..." Bessie stopped in shock.
Pacey looked like a deer caught in the headlights as he was freeing Joey. "Hi Bessie..." He swallowed. "Bye Bessie..." He ran out in a rush, almost bumping into Bodie who was carrying some packs inside.
"Joey?"
"What can I help you with?" Joey said, ignoring her.
---
Joey looked out the window and saw his figure on the dock. She wanted to go talk to him but couldn't. She used to be so good with words. But this time there were no words. Except the voices in her head, screaming. 'Damn it, I think I'm in love with Pacey Witter!'
Pacey stared at the water and watched the moon's reflection. 'What the hell was that?'