Hunter

By Leia

Part 12

My tea’s gone cold

I’m wondering why I got out of bed at all

The morning rain clouds up my window

And I can’t see at all

And even if I could, it’d all be gray

But your picture on my wall

It reminds me that its not so bad

Its not so bad

I drank too much last night

Got bills to pay

My head just feels in pain

I missed the bus

And there’ll be hell to pay

I’m late for work again

And even if I’m there

They’ll all imply that I might not last the day

But then you call me and its not so bad

Its not so bad

And I want to thank you

For giving me the best day of my life

Oh, just to be with you

Is having the best day of my life

Push the door

I’m home at last

And I’m soaking through and through

Then you handed me a towel

And all I see is you

And even if my house falls down now

I wouldn’t have a clue

Because you’re near me

And I want to thank you

For giving me the best day of my life

Oh, just to be with you

Is having the best day of my life

*~*Thank You by Dido*~*

“Dawson,” Joey barely managed to whisper.

Her head was spinning. What the hell was he doing there?

“What are you doing here?” Pacey asked through gritted teeth.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Dawson apologized sarcastically. “Did I interrupt your little rendezvous?”

He indicated to Joey and Pacey’s hands, which were still entwined. They slowly drew away their hands as they realized what it looked like.

“Listen, Dawson, when I asked you to leave me alone, I meant to leave me alone,” Joey replied angrily. “I didn’t mean for you to stalk me and follow me into restaurants.”

“Oh no, you have things so wrong, Joey. You presence here is as much of a surprise to me as my presence here is a surprise to you. Now, on the other hand, I don’t know whether to be shocked or not of your presence here with Pacey.”

“Joey and I were having dinner,” Pacey muttered. “End of story.”

“Oh, I’m sure you were... and then you were going to take her up to your place and ‘have your way with her’.”

“You have no clue what you’re talking about.”

Dawson laughed bitterly.

“So, is this why you left me, Joey?” he asked angrily. “You left me for my best friend? So you could sleep with him with a clean conscience instead of screwing him as a happily married woman?”

“You’re reaching, Dawson,” she replied, her voice low. “I’m not sleeping with Pacey, and even if I was, it would be none of your business.”

“It is my damn business! You’re my wife, for God’s sake!”

“I’m not you’re wife, okay?” she said, her voice raising. “I’m not your wife, and its none of your business where I sleep and who I have sex with! This so-called ‘marriage’ is just a technicality. A technicality that will be done with soon.”

She got up, and stormed out of the restaurant.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Pacey boomed, turning to Dawson.

“Funny, that’s exactly what I was going to ask you!”

“Would you just leave her alone?”

“Why don’t you leave her alone? What, are you praying on her vulnerability? Ready for a screw on the rebound?”

“Dawson, Joey and I aren’t sleeping together.”

“Yet, right? Its just a matter of time before you take advantage of her.”

Pacey grabbed Dawson by the collar, violently shaking him. Pacey had always had so much more strength than Dawson.

“I would never, ever take advantage of Joey, all right? I’m her friend, and I care about her. The only person hurting her here is you. Just let go, man! She doesn’t love you anymore!”

“And what? You think she loves you?” Dawson laughed incredulously.

“More than she cares for you.”

“Pacey, you could never deserve her love. You’re a loser.”

“Dawson, I’m Junior Vice President of my company,” Pacey replied, rubbing it in Dawson’s face. “You’re a mediocre high school film teacher.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Dawson replied, as if he believed every word that he was saying. “No matter what you do, or what pompous title you have at your work, when it comes down to it, you’re a loser. I’m the hero, and you’re the sidekick. You’re just here for comic relief, and I’m the star. And if you try to steal that role from me, you’ll be nothing but the bitter antagonist in Joey’s eyes.”

Pacey’s eyes narrowed in anger. Dawson knew Pacey inside and out, even after all these years. Pacey knew that that hadn’t changed... he just didn’t think Dawson would ever use them so brutally against him.

“You’re lucky that I’m too good of a person... you’re lucky that I don’t haul off and punch you, because you’re a puss, Dawson. You always have been.”

Pacey let go of Dawson’s collar, and Dawson fell to the ground.

“Brains over brawn, Pacey,” Dawson called after him as Pacey walked away. “The sidekick never gets the girl.”

* * * * *

All she had to do was cut down on the drinking. That’s what Sara had told Sandra. All she had to do was cut down on the drinking, and Sara wouldn’t tell their parents. She made it seem like it would be so easy. That if Sandra wanted to stop drinking, she could. She guessed that, in a way, she could stop drinking if she wanted to... but she didn’t have that kind of will. The drinking made the pain so much easier...

She unlocked her apartment. Sara was gone. Thank God. She loved her sister, but she was a big pain in the ass if she ever knew one.

“You have so much potential, Sandra,” Sara had said.

“God, Sara, you make it seem like my life is going down the toilet,” Sandra had complained. “My grades are near perfect.”

“There’s life outside of grades,” Sara had replied with a sigh. “Like friends, family...”

“I have plenty of friends, and I visit Mom and Dad and you all the time...”

“...companionship.”

“I have companionship,” Sandra had mumbled.

“In what? A few flings here and there? Drunken one night stands? What?”

Sandra coldly looked away, not being able to answer the questions that Sara had thrown at her.

“Is this about-” Sara began.

“No,” Sandra had cut her off quickly. “Its not about him. It has nothing to do with that, okay? I like a couple of drinks every once and awhile, but I’ll cut back. I promise.”

Sara had seemed satisfied with the promise. As to whether or not she would actually keep the promise was a dilemma for Sandra. There were too many problems on the horizon... too many that she didn’t want to deal with.

She pressed the button on her machine.

“This is Sandra’s, I’m probably out knocking over a liquor store or something, so leave a message at the beep... and if I don’t get back to you soon, I either don’t want to talk to you and am screening your calls, or I need you to bail me out of jail. Thanks.”

“Hey, its me,” Steve’s voice came over the speakers. “Where the hell have you been, lately? I never see you anymore. Well, Kate and I are going out, and if you and Ruth want to join us, we’ll be at the usual spot. Talk to you soon.”

Sandra quickly erased the message, running her fingers through her long brown hair. Just what she wanted out of a night... playing third wheel to Kate and Steve.

Not.

“Hi, dear, its Mom!”

Sandra groaned and sat down on the couch as the machine played.

“Well, I was just calling in to check on you... Your message is cute. Oh, and are you coming up for Thanksgiving Break? You know Grandma will be here with her pumpkin-raisin pie.”

She made a face and deleted the message. Pumpkin-raisin pie didn’t agree with her.

“Sandra? Hi, this is Joey... um, I really want to talk to you. I’m so incredibly sorry... and, well, worried. I didn’t mean to screw everything up... God, I’ll stop talking to your machine now. Um, I’m going out with Pacey tonight, but I’ll be at Jen’s when I’m done with that, so give me a call there if you need me. Um, bye.”

Sandra sighed as she looked at the piece of paper with Jen’s phone number scrawled across it in red ink on the refrigerator. She looked at it, and hesitated for a moment before plucking it from its magnet and picking up the phone.

“Hello?” Jen answered.

“Hi, Jen? This is Sandra.”

“Oh hey. How are you?”

“Um... better. Is Joey around?”

“No, actually, she isn’t. She went out with Pacey a few hours ago, and she’s still not back. Do you want to try over there?”

“Nah, I probably don’t want to interrupt whatever’s going on there,” Sandra joked.

Jen laughed.

“No, you probably don’t.”

* * * * *

Pacey took in the cold, New York winter air. He had been walking for a long time, letting the events of the past few days replay in his head.

“She doesn’t, Cici. The way I feel about you and Joey are completely different.”

There was a moment of silence in the conversation.

“You love her, don’t you?” Cici had asked timidly.

“Wh-what?” Pacey had stammered, completely in shock.

“You love her, don’t you?” Cici repeated, tearfully.

“I love her, Cici, yes. But as a friend, and nothing more.”

Cici was quiet for a moment.

“Yeah, I know that. God, I’m sorry. You know how I get when I’m on my period...”

They both had chuckled.

Half-heartedly.

Joey couldn’t hear that. God, things would get even more awkward, even though they both knew that Pacey didn’t love Joey like that. Right?

“Right,” Pacey mumbled.

Pacey stopped in front of his apartment building. He had passed by it God knows how many times in the past few hours. He took in a deep breath. This was it.

Pacey walked up to his apartment. He put away his anger and thoughts of Dawson and Cici and the rest of the world for just a little bit. There were more important things on his mind. Like Joey. He opened the door, and she was there. Just like he knew she would be.

“Hey,” she said through her tears.

He began to walk towards her, and she instantly stood up to meet him. He wrapped his arms around her. Her body began to rack with sobs. He gently swayed her back and forth.

“I’m sorry, Pacey,” she sobbed.

“Shhhh. Its okay, Jo. You’re home now.”

And she knew that there would be no moving into Jen’s house. She knew that no matter how difficult it was for them to live together, their problems would only multiply if they lived apart.

Yes, she was home now.