Pacey leaned back in his chair looking up at the clock ticking on the wall. He silently reviewed his plan for the day: attend homeroom to be marked present, then sneak out the side door of the school, and spend the rest of the day working on True Love. "Yes, that sounds like a grand plan. Much better than wasting away in this hole of supposed higher education," Pacey thought to himself. He spent the remainder of 1st period making a mental note of all the things he planned to accomplish on his girl today. As the clock showed the end of the hour, Pacey sprang from his seat, the sound of the bell setting him free. He walked swiftly and with determination through the halls of the school. Pacey quickly turned the corner by what used to be Mr. Peterson's classroom. He was quickly reminded of the unfortunate events that took place there last year. His thoughts were with Jack as he walked quickly through the hall. In his state of distraction, Pacey did not see the figure coming toward him and ran smack dab into the person.
"What the?!" Joey yelled as her notes and books crashed to the floor. "God, Pacey, look where you're going!" she said after recognizing her assailant.
"Oh man, I'm sorry, Jo. Are you OK? Did I hurt you?" Pacey asked with genuine concern. He quickly knelt to pick up the large mess he had made. "Goodness, woman, do you really need all this stuff? Seems like overkill to me."
"You know what, Pace? I do not remember asking the opinion of someone who is clearly up to no good. Now spare me any further rhetoric. Some of us have to go to class."
Pacey finished picking up Joey's schoolwork and set to trying to make some sense of organization to it. "Look, Jo. I'm really sorry I ran into you. I didn't mean to."
Joey's annoyance dissipated slightly at the sound of his sincere apology. "I know, Pacey. It's just that I'm on my way to a big test and I hardly got any sleep last night because Alexander would not stop crying." Just then the bell rang signaling the start of 2nd period. "Great … and now I'm late." She grabbed her things from Pacey, who was unsuccessful in putting them in any semblance of order, and rushed down the hall.
Pacey felt terrible as he watched her go. He knew how important it was to Joey that she performed well in school. He also knew that she was extremely hard on herself. Knowing he had caused her additional stress was unacceptable to him. At that moment Pacey resolved to make it better. He ran down the hall in the direction Joey had just left. He stopped in front of the door that he knew was the location of Joey's 2nd period class. He could hear Dr. Rand's voice scolding Joey for her tardiness. Pacey quickly wiped the light sweat from his brow and knocked politely on the door. "Now what?" Dr. Rand said with irritation. "Come in."
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Dr. Rand, but may I speak with you for a moment?" Pacey requested. Joey looked at him in horror. She could not believe this was happening.
"Yes, but you better make it fast, Mr. Witter, I have a test to administer," Dr. Rand responded as he joined Pacey in the hall.
Joey could hardly tolerate the anxiety she experienced in those brief moments while Pacey was in the hall saying who knows what to her teacher. Not knowing what to do with herself, Joey remained standing until Dr. Rand finally returned. "Miss Potter, you may take your seat. I trust you will do well on my exam." Joey looked at him in disbelief. Dr. Rand was known for refusing to let students take his tests if they were late to class. "What did Pacey say to him?" she thought to herself. However, there was no time to consider the events that took place in the hall. Joey quickly found her seat and pulled out her pencil. She'd have to make Pacey tell her the truth later. Right now, she had a test to ace.
Pacey momentarily stood outside Dr. Rand's classroom. He was thankful that his charm had been successful in not causing Joey more trouble. He would've been very upset if Joey had not been allowed to take her test because of something he did. Pacey then became aware that his encounter with Miss Potter had changed his plan for the day entirely. "Maybe it's for the better," Pacey thought as he walked toward his own classroom. He would go to class, but was certainly in no hurry to get there.
The remainder of the school day passed painfully slowly for both of them. Joey, who was unaccustomed to not knowing things, was making herself crazy with the possibilities of what transpired between Pacey and her teacher. and this particular unknown was making her crazy. "What did Pacey say to him? Why did he come back? He could've gotten himself into trouble," Joey's day was full of similar thoughts. Pacey was frustrated with being at school. He found class even more disappointing than usual considering he had been looking forward to spending the day outside working on True Love. Pacey was also anxious to see Joey. She seemed so upset with him earlier and he couldn't bear not being able to talk to her. He had tried to find her at lunch, but was unsuccessful. "She must have been studying in a classroom somewhere," Pacey thought.
When the bell finally rang signaling the end of the school day, Pacey rushed to Joey's locker not wanting to miss her again. He found her right where he'd hoped she would be, meticulously putting her books in her locker. "Hey Potter," Pacey said as he advanced toward her.
"Pacey," she replied in an ambiguous tone. Pacey was unsure the meaning of her response, so he was tentative in his approach. He reached her locker just as she was putting on her backpack.
"Look, Jo. I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to run into you. And I know that Dr. Rand doesn't let students take tests if they're late. I just had to do something. I didn't want you to not be able to take your test because of me," Pacey said in an onslaught of apologies.
Joey looked at him in a way that suggested he hadn't quite said what she wanted to hear. She continued walking out of the school. Pacey stopped for a moment in frustration. He knew Joey could be tough, but he hadn't anticipated this treatment. "Why won't she talk to me? She was able to take her test, right?" Pacey thought to himself. "Wait up, Jo," he said as he trotted after her.
At the sound of his request, Joey stopped and whirled around to face him, her brown hair narrowly missing his face. "Pacey, where were you headed in such a hurry this morning? Huh?" Pacey looked at her, confused. "Answer me," she demanded.
"I was going to the yard to work on True Love," Pacey responded, not daring to challenge her.
"So you were skipping class, then?" she asked not waiting for an answer. "Pacey, I know you want to make it out of Capeside. And you will, but skipping class is not gonna get you there. Not to mention that I've been tutoring you, so what does that say about how I've been spending my time?" Ostensibly, she had asked him a question, but Pacey recognized her accusatory tone.
As soon as she finished speaking, Pacey recognized the errors of his ways. She cared. Joey Potter cared about him. He knew that when this particular woman demonstrates concern she does so with anger. "You're right, Jo. I'm sorry that I made a bone-headed decision. I really am grateful to you for helping me with math. Please don't give up on me," he implored her.
Joey was taken aback by his vulnerability. She wasn't anticipating such an honest response from her long-time sparring partner. One glance in his pleading ocean blues eyes and her anger completely dissolved. "I'm not, Pace. But I swear, Witter, if you think I'm going to tutor you for a class you don't even attend …" her voiced trailed off.
"Won't happen again, Potter. I swear," Pacey said as he joined her side.
"It better not." The two walked together in a surprisingly comfortable silence. If either of them had had a similar conversation with anyone else, there would have undoubtedly been a prolonged period of awkwardness. They kept walking in rhythm toward the Potter B&B. After awhile, Joey realized she still didn't have any answers as to what happened in the hallway today. "Wait, Pacey, I almost forgot. What did you say to Dr. Rand?"
Pacey looked at her with a grin. "I just reasoned with the man. It was very simple really. Seems he remembers me fondly from our soirée with snails freshman year."
Joey knew by his vague response that Pacey was never going to tell her the truth about what was said. She decided not to press for more information. "Sometimes talking to you is an extraordinarily futile endeavor." Pacey smiled noticing that they had returned to their pleasant banter. "Whatever you said to him, Pace, thank you."
"Don't mention it, Potter," Pacey responded as his chest swelled with pride.