Walking Away
Part 2
by: Omolara

Disclaimer: These wonderfully complex characters belong to Kevin Williamson and I'm not making any money.
Spoiler: If you read Dawson's Creek fanfic you must already be a die hard fan(or getting there) so this takes place after the last scene in the Season Finale.

Authors note: I want to thank every one who sent me positive feedback for part one of this series. I hope this does your praise justice.

Come the next day of school, Joey had cried all her tears and was ready to go to school. She got up early so she could walk slowly and think before she had to face the day. Before walking through the doors that led to her personal hell, she stopped to tie her shoe and prepare herself to face everyone. *But can I face Dawson?* She thought just as a guy barreled into her as he was running to school.


"Hey watch it!" she shouted at him as she stood up.

The guy just stopped and stared at her before he spoke, "I'm sorry about that-"

Though before he could finish his sentence, Joey stormed past him muttering something under her breath. Her concentration on the day at hand was completely shot and for the first time that day she didn't think about what lay beyond the doors of school, but of that guy. *He looks so familiar, who is he anyway?* She thought, and kept on walking.

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"Hey Pacey!"

Pacey turned around to see a flushed Dawson run towards him. "Dawson my friend, what's up?"

"Have you seen Joey?"

"Last time I saw her she slammed her locker and stormed into the girls bathroom. Why, what happened? "

Dawson sighed knowing that she was avoiding him for the time being, "nothing Pacey, I just...........wanted to talk to her."

Pacey looked at his friend curiously trying to figure out what this was all about. Trying to figure out if his delusional friend had finally looked down from the cloud he was on and saw what was right in front of him. *Yeah and Neve Campbell will ask me out for Saturday night* he joked to himself. "Well, I gotta go, but if I see Joey I'll tell her your looking for her. See ya."

Dawson just looked at his friend head down the hall towards his homeroom. The final bell was going to ring soon, but all he could think about was Joey. He saw pain in her eyes that night and to know that he was the cause of that pain broke his heart. That was not a night of complete truth, Joey had laid her heart out on the line and he had retreated from his feelings by saying something he didn't mean. *Like a turtle in its shell* he thought and headed towards his own homeroom.

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Jen was washing her hands at the sink when a very angry looking Joey stormed in and went into a stall. After what happened the other day, Jen had come to the realization that Dawson wasn't meant for her and that she had kissed him out of the desperation she felt after her grandfather's death. She decided to apologize to Dawson and put the situation and Dawson behind her. Only she didn't know Joey was doing the same thing.


"Joey?" Jen cautiously asked when she heard crying coming from the stall, "Are you okay?"

There were a few moments of silence before she spoke, "I'm fine, just a little irritated. I mean, the baby kept me up all night. But Jen..................Thanks for asking."

She was stunned,*Joey Potter is acting civil towards me? After the other day?* She thought, but was to shocked to say more than no problem.

"Well, we better go before the final bell rings. I've already been late a couple of times and don't need another Saturday school." she spoke as Joey came out and began to check herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red and she looked very tired.

Jen looked at the girl and finally asked what was on her mind, "Why are you being so nice to me Joey, especially after that other day?"

There was another moment of silence, but then Joey looked at Jennifer in the mirror , "because Dawson ruled too much of my life....somewhere along the line, I got sucked into Dawson's world and now I've realized that he isn't the center of me. And I was unfair to you because of that, It was my fault that I acted the way I did, but I won't be that way again."

*Never again* Joey thought as she and Jen walked out the bathroom.

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