Controlled Chaos
Part 10 - The Reunited
Dawson approaches Pacey, who’s cooking dinner on the grill while talking to Ryan.
Dawson: You are truly unbelievable, Pacey.
Pacey: What the hell are you talking about?
Dawson: Joey was blatantly in love with you.
Pacey: Ryan, take over the grill. (hands the tongs to him, then faces Dawson) I know what’s going on here. You came into town with the expressed purpose of determining if you and Joey have a future.
Dawson: Well… Joey calls to tell me she’s over you. It was my duty to be there as a support.
Ryan: Did she ask you to come?
Dawson: No, and stay out of this. (back to Pacey) You don’t give a damn who the hell you hurt.
Pacey: This is absolutely unbelievable. You didn’t give a shit for months about what happened. There was a whole semester when you could have dragged this out.
Dawson: She was still inexplicably in love with you at the time. I tried to convince her to forget about you, but she refused. It basically took you making out with someone else in front of her to understand that you simply weren’t worth her attention anymore.
Pacey: I get it. The reason you care is because you saw this opportunity to get back together with her.
Ryan: What a wonderful birthday gift for your recent ex.
Dawson: Joey called me! Doesn’t that mean something?
Pacey: As I recall, she was too mad at the rest of the gang for keeping the secret from her. You were probably her last resort.
Cheryl, Joey and Jen have walked over to the cookout area, unbeknownst to the guys.
Dawson: I’ll have you know that she talks to me all the time. How do you profess to know everything about our relationship when you and I haven’t even spoken since graduation? Hell, since before graduation since you insisted on leaving the scene of whatever crime you committed. You weren’t the one consoling her when she had no clue where the fuck you went.
Pacey: No, because I needed to be in a place where you weren’t passing judgment. Don’t you get it – I’ve had to deal with this shit ever since I initially broke up with her.
Cheryl: Actually, it wouldn’t matter what you say. The only opinion that’s important to Dawson’s is hers. I wish I was wrong, but I know I’m not. There was a reason I wasn’t heartbroken when you left. It was because I knew that your heart belonged to Joey. I tried to deny it but the longer that Joey was single, the clearer it was that I was just the girl taking up time until she returned. I refused to settle as your second choice.
Joey: Next thing you’ll say is that it was purely a coincidence that you brought daisies with you. I saw the bag and I know they’re not a birthday gift.
Cheryl glances at Joey, then gives Dawson a cold stare.
Dawson: It’s not like that! It wasn’t like that when we were dating!
Cheryl: Why don’t you leave?
Dawson: What the hell?
Joey: I didn’t say anything because I thought it was just our friendship, as it was in the past. The fact that you’re here in this position tells a different story.
Dawson looks from Joey to Cheryl to Joey again.
Dawson: Fine. Whatever. We’re friends.
Ryan: Because you said so?
Dawson: Stay out of this.
Pacey: He’s got a point. (Dawson turns back to Pacey) I had to wait for you to forgive me, which given the original circumstances of my relationship with Joey is understandable. But you insisted that I become friends with you just like in the past. I didn’t want to return to the slacker, sidekick role.
Dawson: No, you don’t want to face how much you’ve fucked up your life. That’s what you did, you ran away from your life. Then again, I would too if my life had been such a waste.
Pacey: I admit I’ve made mistakes and I was lost for a couple of months but I have never thought my life was a waste.
Dawson: You gave up the one positive thing when you dumped Joey.
Pacey: Life doesn’t, or more accurately shouldn’t, revolve around who you’re dating. I can honestly say right now I’m content.
Dawson: Joey told me all about your “contentment”.
Pacey: Now I get it. Joey tells you that she’s truly over me – therefore, you must appear in town as quickly as possible.
Dawson: “Contentment” for you means there’s a new skank to screw.
Pacey: (facing Joey, puzzled) You didn’t tell him who it is? You had a golden opportunity…
Dawson: (snaps) What the hell difference does it make?
Joey: No, I didn’t Pace and I never used the word skank either.
Dawson: (insistently) The point is that you need someone to be there.
Ryan: (picks up a plate and stacks burgers on it) Too bad the idea of kissing you makes her puke. (drops the plate on the table next to the bag of hamburger buns)
Pacey, Jen and Cheryl try to suppress their laughter while Joey is thinking of how to do damage control. Dawson, meanwhile, is at a loss for words as he debates his next move.
Cheryl: (biting her lip) I’ll be right back.
She races away from the area but she’s close enough for the others to hear her laughing. Jen and Pacey crack up as well.
Andie and Jack approach the group. Jack notices Dawson’s pained expression but Andie doesn’t.
Andie: Are the burgers almost ready? We’ve been at this site all day with just the mountain water supply in the cooler, so I’d guess I’m speaking for us girls when I say we’re starving. Then again, you probably knew that because Jen and Joey are here…
Jen: (snaps) Andie, would you just take the plate?
Andie places her hands on her hips in annoyance.
Dawson: In fact, why don’t you do the cooking?
Dawson walks over to the grill and snatches the tong from Ryan’s hand and gives it to Andie. Ryan looks up to see Dawson’s eyes boring in on him. Andie glances at the tong, then back at them. Ryan moves away from the grill to let Andie pass.
Dawson: Now, what the fuck are you talking about?
Ryan: You keep talking in circles because you don’t want to admit that Joey is no longer attracted to you.
Dawson: That is not true.
Joey: Actually, he said it in a nicer way than I did last night.
Dawson: (stares down at the ground, voice cracking) You don’t mean that!
Joey: If you can’t handle it, that’s not my problem. You are so blinded right now that I can’t really say anything that would change your mind.
Ryan: Joey, it doesn’t matter.
Dawson: (back to being angry) If you don’t shut your fucking mouth right now, you’re landing on the floor.
Ryan: Am I supposed to be afraid of you? Is that what my role requires?
Jack steps in between them, fearful that one of them will actually take action.
Jack: Look, Dawson, obviously you’re not thinking clearly right now.
Pacey: Jack, would you get away from him before you get hurt? (shakes his head) What the hell am I saying? You were the football player in high school.
Dawson: (confused) Am I missing something?
Ryan: Other than the fact that other people have lives which don’t revolve around you? Nah, you’re not missing anything.
Pacey: {I](smiling)[/i] In this case, it was calling Jack a skank.
Jack is initially confused but then guesses what they’d been talking about earlier. Dawson is completely puzzled.
Dawson: (shaking his head) I have no idea what’s going on. I think I am understanding that I’m not wanted at this party. So I should just get out of here, get my bags from the dorm and head into a motel for the night.
Jack: My room, right? Okay, so there’s nothing written on police blotters in the morning, I’ll take you there. Someone want to lend me their car for awhile?
Pacey, Joey and Ryan (who were the only ones with cars on the campground) exchange looks. Finally, Pacey relents and throws Jack his car keys.
Pacey: I can’t believe I’m trusting you with my car, McPhee. That must say a lot about you.
* * * * *
(about an hour later)
Cheryl: I’m guessing by the tents pitched that this isn’t just a dinner.
Jen: You’d be correct.
Joey: Because nothing says friendship like being able to face them first thing in the morning.
Pacey glances at the tents, then shakes his head.
Pacey: Are you sure we’ll all be able to fit? Assuming Jack returns, we have seven people here. One tent barely fits three. Two times three is six.
Andie: (pouting) My calculations were off? I had planned this so well and it’s all just…
Pacey: In your defense, when this day started, there were only five of us coming.
Andie: (fixes a smile on her face) Okay, this can be remedied. We need a chart to determine who gets stuck. (sound of five other people sighing) Now it obviously can’t be Cheryl…
Ryan: I have a better idea. I’m sleeping in my car.
Andie: (raises an eyebrow) Are you sure about that?
Ryan: Let’s see, sleeping on the ground or on a hard-but-still-giving back seat? That’s a really difficult decision.
Jen: Damn, I wish I’d thought of that first.
Cheryl: You’re just looking for an excuse to get the keys to someone’s car.
Jen: Your point?
* * * * *
Scene: Jack and Dawson in Pacey’s car. Dawson has been rambling the whole drive back to the dorms.
Dawson: …I can’t believe I thought she was stringing me along as a backup. How stupid is that?
Finally, Dawson kept quiet and waited for Jack to respond. Jack was startled by the silence.
Jack: It wasn’t that stupid. You just interpreted Joey’s rather innocent actions as more than what she had in mind.
Dawson: I really don’t want to lose her friendship. It’s just a problem I have to learn to work out. My actions were a little, um, drastic.
Jack: Just what were you planning to do?
Dawson: I’d head over to Cheryl’s before your party to wish her a happy birthday. (points to the poster, in the same bag as the flowers) Then surprise Joey and see what developed. I suppose it would have ended with me kind of heartbroken either way.
Jack: That doesn’t sound like a terrible plan.
Dawson: Thank you. I wasn’t expecting to wander around Boston, get confused by public transportation thanks to a lousy tour guide, drag my ass three miles by foot to your dorm only to find that Cher had left and the only person around is that dick… sorry, your roommate, and basically discover that the whole gang is in the middle of nowhere for the evening and that I should be enthusiastic about it.
Jack peers out of the corner of his eye at Dawson, who’s running his fingers through his hair then stares at a strand strangely.
Dawson: (mutters) Is it just the weather or is my hair usually this greasy looking?
Jack: (snickers) You don’t need an answer to that question right now.
Dawson: That bad?
Jack kept his eyes on the road, refusing to acknowledge the question. Dawson stares out the window, realizing they’re on campus.
Dawson: I wasn’t consciously pursuing Joey while dating Cheryl to buy time.
Jack: Consciously?
Dawson: I admit that around the time of the prom, I did start thinking about Joey romantically again. I’m surprised that Cheryl could see that. I really hadn’t meant to hurt her.
Jack: Why didn’t you just try to work through it? Or did you forget that you did that during the previous summer while recovering from her choice? (pulls into a parking spot)
Dawson: This isn’t the same situation as the previous summer. I was leaving for California and thought that distance would work everything out. That really didn’t work well. I tried communicating with the Capeside people but it eventually became chats with Joey and Cheryl, Andie’s rambling e-mails and Jen’s random forwards. (glares pointedly at Jack) Notice somebody I left out?
Jack: Fair enough but it works both ways. I got one email, replied to that, and that was it.
Dawson: I find out about Pacey’s reappearance through Joey’s speech on the phone. Tonight proved there’s very little friendship to repair right now.
Jack: I’ve gathered that Pacey feels similarly. You have to understand that your best friend is not the same person now. (opens the door to exit car)
Dawson: You would know how much he’s changed.
Jack: (shuts door) Were you aware of that?
Dawson: Now, how do you propose, I would find out? On second thought, don’t answer as I now recall how Joey discovered. I expect Pacey wouldn’t tell me. That doesn’t explain your silence.
Jack: If I told you, I end up telling about Pacey.
Dawson: Of course, that would be a violation. (smirks)
Jack: Despite the experiences of yours truly, outing someone when they’re not ready isn’t the best method.
Dawson: Yet it was fine for everyone else to be told. So what’d you do? Sneak into his apartment? Track him down in New York?
Jack: (snaps) What’s the difference how it happened? You don’t care about that. You just want a timeline regarding Pacey and Joey.
Dawson: I care about your side, especially since it’s clearly the only side I will hear for awhile. I could understand your perspective since I haven’t been great at keeping in touch. There are just so many emails you can type. My parents are giving me reports on Lily’s progress, which isn’t helping.
Jack: Eh, it works both ways. I’ll tell you about it upstairs.
The two exit the car and head for Jack’s room. Jack opens the door and sees Dawson’s suitcase on the floor.
Dawson: Would you mind if I use your phone to call the motel? I know they have vacancies but I didn’t make the reservation yet.
Jack: Go ahead. I’d volunteer you to stay here tonight but I don’t want to jeopardize my living situation in the process.
Dawson pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket and calls the number. When he’s finished making the reservation, he hangs up.
Dawson: Got the room. Now, let’s try this friends thing again. We haven’t exactly practiced that in awhile.
* * * * *
Scene: Late at night. Three people sleeping peacefully in one tent. Cut to the other tent, where there are only two asleep. Cheryl is walking down the path to the parking lot. She is surprised to find Ryan laying on the hood of his car, still awake.
Cheryl: What are you doing? I’d think the hood of a car is even harder to sleep on than the ground.
Ryan: Thought that since we were away from the bright lights of the campus, I’d take advantage of the night’s beautiful sky.
Cheryl looks up at the sky, then gives Ryan a puzzled look.
Cheryl: Are you stoned?
Ryan: (ignoring her) It’s not cloudy so it’s a good night for stargazing or spotting planets.
Cheryl: (sigh of relief) I get it, that Astronomy class.
Ryan: I’ve really gotten into it. The professor holds viewing sessions after class and it’s absolutely amazing. Have you ever seen Saturn? It’s truly a sight through a telescope. You can see the rings and everything.
Cheryl: Okay, you’re weirding me out. If you start speaking Klingon, I’m getting the fuck away from you. (she lays down next to him on the hood) I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done tonight.
Ryan: Don’t worry about it.
Cheryl: I heard that you and Jen have reunited. (whispers) And I know why.
Ryan: Why am I not surprised?
Cheryl: You should have told me the truth.
Ryan: It wasn’t important.
Cheryl: Wasn’t important? Until tonight, I’d thought you’ve been out of it for months. We weren’t even friends anymore – just two acquaintances who were forced by circumstances to see each other every day.
Ryan: It wasn’t handled well.
Cheryl: That’s an understatement. I wasn’t sure whether to be freaked out or concerned. Unfortunately, I think I chose the first option.
Ryan: You always choose the first option.
Cheryl: I suppose I do. I guess I just don’t know how to deal with certain things. I always think that someday, everything will return to when it was a simpler time.
Ryan: I’d hate to tell you this, Cher, but there was never a simple time. It just seems that way because you’re able to block out what you don’t want to recall.
Cheryl: Maybe so but you can’t deny that elementary school is so much easier.
Ryan: I wouldn’t want to return to that age but there were fun moments.
Cheryl: Remember when you convinced Erin Russo that Santa was actually the janitor during the other 364 days of the year?
Ryan: I never did that. That was you. You dared me to do that but she thought I had cooties so I must be a liar. Then you told her that it was the truth. Although why the hell she thought you wouldn’t lie is a mystery to me.
Cheryl: Now wait. Erin was the one who called every guy a cootie-magnet? So then who was the girl that we always fooled?
Ryan: Umm, that could have been Lori Ann. The girl with her hair in two long braids.
Cheryl: No, the girl with the two long braids was Nellie Olson. She was an uptight snob. Correction, she is an uptight snob.
Ryan: This is just proving my point about distorted memories, princess.
Cheryl: Damn, you win.
Cheryl crosses her arms across her chest, pretending to be annoyed. Ryan has resumed stargazing. Cheryl is about to leave him alone when she suddenly remembers why she came over.
Cheryl: I know it seems that I just visited to thank you but I always have an ulterior motive. See, Jen delegated this duty to me since she figured it’d be safer for me than her. (Ryan motions for her to get to the point) It’s about your dad. She saw him this week.
Ryan: (feigning excitement) That’s mahvelous.
Cheryl: That means that he’s not skipping AA meetings like he used to do. He asked if you could come see him.
Ryan: Absolutely not.
Cheryl: That’s what she figured you’d say. It was just a formality. Forget I asked.
Ryan: Already forgotten.
Cheryl: It’s just that he’s putting the house on the market.
Ryan: That desperate for money?
Cheryl: I think it may be because the house is associated with too many bad memories. He’s moving to another town to start over. I think you could relate to that.
Ryan: Do you really think he’s changed?
Cheryl: I haven’t seen him so I wouldn’t know. But if he has, that doesn’t mean that you have to automatically overlook his previous mistakes. You should, at the very least, allow him to speak before he moves on to the next chapter in his life.
Ryan: (mutters) At what cost?
Cheryl answers by wrapping him in a hug. Ryan rests his head on her shoulder.
Cheryl: If you don’t shut us out again, there won’t be any cost.
Ryan: (sniffs) Would you object if my answer were still no?
Cheryl: It’s not my decision to make.
* * * * *
Part 11 - Resolutions
Index