"So Jo, where were you last night?" Dawson asks as Joey and Pacey go to her locker.

"Oh, I just walked around, and fell asleep on the beach. Thanks for telling Bessie I was at your house. You saved me from a really big lecture."

"Oh," Dawson looks confused. If she fell asleep on the beach, why was she walking into the school with Pacey. Dawson shrugs it off. "So have you decided if you're staying or going. You know that I wouldn't know what to do without you here, and I would likely have to kill myself."

With the locker door open Dawson can't see Joey's face. But Pacey on the other side of Joey sees, that she is ready to fall to pieces. "Dawson, you self-centered asshole, can I have a small word with you?" Pacey roughly grabs Dawson's arm and drags him to the boys bathroom.

"Get your hands off me Pacey. What the hell do you think you're doing here?"

"I'm removing you from Joeys line of fire. If you had say one more thing she would either collapse crying or get detention again for beating someone up. Only this time I would be there for helping her.

"Can you think of some one other then yourself for one minute? I want you to think about what this decision is doing to her. She loves us, she doesn't want to leave her friends or Bessie. But she has to leave this town, she has to go somewhere she doesn't have a past. You little games aren't helping her. To get a full scholarship to a good college she needs to go to France and I'm not going to let you guilt her into staying."

"Shut up, Pacey. This has nothing to do with you. What I say to Joey is between her and me. You have no right to tell me what to say to my best friend."

"Now there you're wrong. Joey is my girlfriend and that gives me the right to stop you from hurting her anymore."

"You and Joey?" Dawson laughs. "Joey hates your guts. She would never date you." Pacey gets into fighting stance, he's trying not to hit Dawson but he seems to be losing the battle.

"Now, there you're wrong again, Dawson. I love Pacey. Come on, Pace walk me to first period." Joey says from the doorway. Pacey is about ready to punch Dawson and she has to tug at his arm to stop him. "Don't Pacey. I know he deserves to have his nose broken too, but not now, not over this."

Joey shoves Pacey out the bathroom door, and then turns to confront Dawson alone. "No, Dawson I haven't given them my decision yet. But you're threats aren't going to keep me here.

"I'm drowning Dawson. Are you going to lift me up or drag me down?" Slowly Joey walks out the door backward never taking her eyes of Dawson's face.