Nowhere Fast
Chapter 21 - Best Laid Plans
Joey Potter
I entered Pacey’s room for at least the sixth time tonight. After the third intrusion, he left the bathroom door a little bit open so he wouldn’t have to get his lazy ass up to open the door for me. “Is he there yet?”
He sighed for the sixth time, “No, Chris isn’t home.” His main door was open to be alert for any slight sound. It seemed that every time I looked out his door, somebody was walking by - and it wasn’t ever anyone that I’d be even in the slightest bit interested in seeing.
“You know what, I give up. I’m getting Abby down here now. He could always show up in the middle.”
Pacey pretended not to care about this dilemma. To be honest, Chris wasn’t the most important part anyway. Abby’s confessional was the main agenda. “Go make the call.” He shot out of his chair and darted for my room.
“Thank you.” I exasperatedly replied as I followed him back to my room. “It’s bad enough we’re down to two people.”
“I’m sorry if I thought it’d be best if Jack got Charlie away from the scene.” Pacey was convinced there would be a nasty argument between Abby and Charlie while we were trying to get her in trouble. “But this must start now if we want to be sure that they don’t return before we get justice. They left over an hour ago so right now it’s kind of close.” He held up the phone for me. I took a deep breath before making the call.
On the second ring, I heard Abby’s voice, “Hello?”
“Abby? Hi, it’s Joey from downstairs.”
She was genuinely surprised to hear my voice, “Joey? Wow, to what do I owe the honor?”
“Well, I have my room almost completely cleared out and there’s something I really need to take care of with you. Could you come down here?”
She was practically giddy upon hearing that request, “Um, sure, I could do that.”
“Excellent.” Pacey beamed at this news as he began setting up my tape recorder . “I’ll wait for you in the hallway.”
“Can’t we do this in your room instead?” Abby asked.
Well, duh, I couldn’t do that. It’s not as if I’d actually packed more than a box full of books. “Um, no. I have to wait for Yolanda to check me out of the room. One of the criteria is that the key has to actually match the room.”
Abby said, “Yeah, that’s right. Okay, I suppose the hallway will do.”
I got her off the phone. I tapped Pacey on the head as I exited the room with the box. Once in the hallway, I dropped the box against the wall and sat on it waiting.
Fifteen minutes later, Abby had arrived. “I’m here at your service. So what’s up?”
“Yeah, you see, I’ve been meaning to clear up a couple of misconceptions.” I got up and walked around Abby in an intimidating manner. She backed away slightly but otherwise didn’t seem fazed by me. Just give me a couple of minutes. “You see, I’ve been meaning to talk to you privately about the journal. After this, I don’t ever want to talk about it again. Every problem associated with that book stays with this room.”
Abby replied sweetly, “I could certainly understand that.”
“That’s very good. I can’t change the fact that I believe you did it. But I understand it’s not something to drag into another, better living situation.”
She looked down at the ground, almost guiltily. “Well, you couldn’t stand the guys anyway.”
“Clearly that’s not quite accurate since I did spend a weekend with them. Though I can thankfully say that I’m glad I learned the way they truly are. Jack for being a person so diabolical that he somehow became your ally…”
“I wouldn’t exactly say that was very difficult.” She gestured to show she had him wrapped around his finger. “He’s pretty easy to work with when given the opportunity.”
“I think the two of you would make an excellent couple.”
Abby scoffed, “I hardly think so. I have a boyfriend and I wouldn’t think of being so cruel as to cheat on him like that…”
“That’s funny. I didn’t even know you were still dating Chris. From what I’ve heard, he’s moved on.”
She rolled her eyes skeptically. “Yeah, whatever. Believe what you want. You’re just saying that because there’s still a better chance that Jack would date me over you. Even gay guys know better.” Did this count as something from the journal? Abby made that statement before - in fact, it was part of the cause. “Just because you were the first to kiss him doesn’t necessarily mean anything.” Okay, that was definitely journal material.
“How did you know about me and Jack?” I asked, silently giddy for the slip-up.
Abby affirmed, “Well, it’s obvious. Pacey was acting like a jealous man and it surely wasn’t related to Dawson. Even though I suspect he would have been a jealous man about that if he ever knew how deeply you love him. I bet that’s why the guys still don’t get along.” Damn her for mentioning Dawson. Especially with Pacey on the other side of this door, listening to every word. To think, she had no idea about that yet.
“Hmmm, interesting. I deeply love Dawson? In what universe?”
She chuckled, finally realizing that there was no reason to hide the story. “In the universe where your neighbors never existed. Or did you forget about Old Joey? Anyway, for what it’s worth, I believe you’ve moved on for the moment. I’m sure that, if Jack hadn’t interfered, you and Pacey would so happy. Not that there was a chance in hell of that black sheep loser to ever be the light of your eyes for very long, the way you go through guys. As you have stated, all roads eventually lead back to Dawson.” That last sentence was a direct quote from my journal. Of course, it had been written long before I broke up with him. In fact, I think it was before I moved into the dorms.
What she hadn’t noticed was the crowd gathering in the hallway. Pacey had made a couple of phone calls to disgruntled female neighbors of Abby’s. Also one to Yolanda, the RA we chose to help us who was ever-so-conveniently on the floor. She was in the back of the crowd, watching the activities.
I tapped on the door to signal Pacey. He opened the door slowly, trying to add effect to the moment. As soon as I saw him, I tried to compose myself as I found out about Pacey’s last-minute addition. You see, Pacey had tousled his hair, had misbuttoned a wrinkled shirt and was belting his jeans. Abby’s jaw dropped as far as it could as she began to “realize” that she was clearly wrong about a few things. I might add that Pacey’s “just got laid” look isn’t one I’d mind in the future, especially if he’s in my room when he exhibits it.
Pacey muttered to me, loud enough for Abby to hear but maybe not so loud for the onlookers, “Is this almost over? Because I was missing you.”
I smiled as I wrapped an arm around his waist. “Not quite yet.”
Abby was struggling to form words, “What is…that’s not…”
Pacey continued over Abby, “By the way, you forgot this tape.” He pulled out my tape recorder and pressed the play button.
Abby: So, did you ever read it? I mean, you had it in your possession so it’s only fair to ask
Jack: Yeah, I know about some of it. It’s too bad she’s leaving (edited tape)
Abby: I know. It wouldn’t be as much fun if, god forbid, both of them were interested at the same time.
Abby immediately recognized the conversation and exclaimed, “What the fuck did you guys do?”
I smiled widely, “I knew I couldn’t get a direct confession from you.”
“So you…followed us?”
Pacey laughed, “Please, I felt bad enough for convincing Jack to do that. Why should we all suffer?”
“You’re friends?” I nodded. “Did Jack ever have the journal?”
“For a few seconds.” Pacey conceded. “He knew about some of the entries but only because someone told him.” He stopped the tape, took it out and handed it to Yolanda.
When she saw the RA, she comprehended that her troubles were just beginning. She muttered, “You’re not really moving out.”
I shook my head as I opened the door to my room to reveal everything was where it should be.
Abby looked around, mumbling obscenities probably, until she spotted Chris standing there, chatting with one of the ladies. Apparently, he’d snuck back home without Pacey hearing it after all. She approached him, “This is the part when I realize that you set me up.” For a moment, I thought that we’d basically been able to weather the storm. Unfortunately, I now understood it as the calm.
Jack McPhee
“I don’t understand why it’s imperative to go to the movies tonight,” Charlie complained as I drove past the Rutgers welcoming sign. “I have a paper due this week requiring reading I’m already far behind on.”
“First of all, you can’t seriously convince me that you weren’t planning to put off that mind-blowing analysis of religion in Charles Dickens’ writing.”
“I’ll have you know that there are instances in which you can see how he incorporates the ideal of Jesus living among us…” He rested against the headrest, looking up at the ceiling, disgusted. “I’ve been around the books way too fucking long.”
I snickered at his response then focused back on the road. “Pacey and Joey are watching movies in my room. Do I really need to be around that?”
“No…”
“And Joey’s one of those freaks who refused to bring a television to campus.” I hoped this story sounded as good to Charlie as it did when Pacey and I came up with it. Well, Joey really doesn’t have a TV but I seriously doubted the rest would be true tonight. Unless it was as a victory celebration or something, which wasn’t necessarily the best image anyway.
“Does it sound like I’m disagreeing? I’m just asking because you could have gone alone if you were so anxious to watch a movie.”
I grinned. “I may have done that if you weren’t such a pushover.”
“Pushover?” Charlie drawled out, “You were begging me for it. Who am I to resist such a pitiful overture.” He leaned his elbow against the armrest. “So what’s playing?”
“Hmmm? Oh yeah, the movie.” I pulled out a folded-up page I’d ripped from today’s newspaper and handed it to him. He slowly unfolded the sheet and scanned the listing as I informed him, “I think Ocean’s Eleven is playing now.”
“Not quite. I mean, it is but it started almost a half-hour ago. Let’s see, um, there’s that sci-fi extravaganza.”
“You can bet that’s sold out because of those geeks who buy tickets online.” I pointed out.
“Exactly, though we can always hope.” Charlie smiled then resumed reading. “Naturally, we’d be in time for Vanilla Sky, the one movie I have no interest in ever shelling out nine bucks to see. I’ll gladly wait until it comes to television, when I’ll be able to make rude comments and not help Tom Cruise’s 20-million-per-film ass very much. So that leaves Kate and Leopold, which starts in five minutes.”
“Sounds good.” I muttered as I spotted the movie theater and turned into the parking lot.
“Does it?”
“Given the other options, yes. There’s something about romantic comedies.” Although I really hadn’t any intention of seeing one with him tonight, I seemed doomed to that fate. This was just supposed to be a way to distract him, not truly a date. Pacey was convinced I was just trying to talk myself out of admitting what I was really doing.
“I suppose that’s true. Then again, many of the movies lately have been underwhelming. When the best film I’ve seen this year is a goddamn musical - and I normally hate musicals - it’s not the best year.”
“Yeah, well, Moulin Rouge was a pretty amazing experience. Even though I wasn’t particularly interested in the story, it was excellent from a visual and musical perspective.” I parked the car and we both exited the vehicle.
“I’ll take your word for it since that wasn’t the film I was talking about. I meant Hedwig and the Angry Inch.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You’re talking about some art-house film that probably played in New York City?”
“I was living out here at the time so it’s not that obscure. When it comes to video, I’m making sure you watch it.”
“I’ll consider myself warned.” I grinned at the offer then caught myself before he could see it.
We purchased tickets and got seats just as the previews started. As I was settling in my seat, I could hear Charlie whisper something but had no clue what. “Huh?” I asked.
He repeated, “Is Joey moving out right now?” Any possible momentum was gone as I realized that there wasn’t really a date here, just a distraction.
I turned toward him, realizing he was quite close. Well, of course he was, he had tried to be quiet so he had to whisper in my ear but hadn’t yet backed away. Our heads couldn’t have been more than a few inches apart. If I moved forward slightly, I’d have the opportunity to … um, face him eye to eye…yeah, sure, that’s the only part I’m interested in. I barely eked out a response, “Yeah.”
Charlie replied, “That’s what I thought. For a second, I thought there was a different reason. Just needed you to confirm that.” He lowered his head and settled back in the chair.
I leaned forward slightly to gauge his reaction. No, it couldn’t be. Charlie seemed disappointed in my response - he was staring at the screen but not really paying attention to what was playing. His grayish eyes were clouding over and there was a hint of a frown curling at the ends of his mouth
I sunk back in my seat, then muttered to him, “You knew it would happen eventually.”
“I know. Abby needs this.”
Puzzled, I asked, “So what’s the problem?”
“Nothing important, Jack. Don’t worry about it.”
Pacey Witter
Abby said to Chris, “This is the part when I realize that you set me up.”
Chris was flabbergasted at his sudden role in the proceedings. “I didn’t tell them anything.”
“So you just decide to steal the journal from my room, hand it off to Jack with all the information you read.”
“First of all, I never read the journal. I never even saw the journal before it disappeared. If you’re pissed off about the other girl, that’s fine. But you’re not dragging me into this mess. I’m just the innocent bystander.”
She rolled her eyes. “Do you really expect me to believe that? You told me you saw Jack with the journal.”
“I did!” He insisted. “I have no idea how he got it.”
“Oh, I get it. Now that the RA is here, you’re trying to shirk blame.”
“Abby Morgan, I really don’t know.” Chris pleaded.
She seemed to be considering that possibility as she wondered aloud, “If you’re truly not the one involved, then…”
Up until this moment, everything had been running more or less smoothly. Sure, I learned more about Joey and Dawson than I could have ever cared to hear. I knew there would be a price to pay for this revenge. If all it cost was hearing about Joey’s relationship with Dawson, I could handle that.
Of course, a curveball had to be thrown our way. I could hear the sound of a couple of people laughing in the distance. Even though it didn’t seem connected to this, it got Abby’s attention and she spun around, daring the laughter to continue. She shook her head, trying to ignore it.
I was still looking in that direction and saw Jack and Charlie turn the corner. The guys had been immersed in conversation but stopped as they saw the crowd gathered in the hallway.
I whispered to Joey, “We’ve finally hit a snag.”
Abby must have heard me because she turned around again. At first, she seemed thrilled. Maybe Jack was the only one she could see from her angle. She said, “I have to admit, McPhee, you got me…” Her expression soured as she spotted Charlie, finally fitting all the pieces together. She wasn’t quite sure what to make out of their appearance. Abby scoffed, “This is so fucking classic. I can’t believe you did this to me!”
Charlie replied, “It’s not the way it seems at the moment.”
“What, so you didn’t sabotage the plan by stealing the book and siding with the opposition?”
“Okay, maybe I did do that.” He agreed. “I told you from the moment I found out that it was completely wrong. It was an absolutely cruel trick so I immediately gave it back.”
“I thought of you as my closest friend!” Abby exclaimed. “You double-crossed me!”
“That’s not exactly what happened. I was just trying to correct your error…”
Abby cut him off, “Just shut up.” She looked at Jack, slightly evilly, then responded in a calmer tone, “You know, everything makes sense. As soon as you found out that Jack was gay, you realize there was an excellent opportunity to get laid.”
I couldn’t believe she could actually say something that mean about anyone, much less the person she just called her closest friend. On top of that, if there was anyone who didn’t believe Jack was gay before, there was no doubt now. I said, “Could you be any slimier?”
Charlie, meanwhile, seemed visibly disappointed by Abby’s assessment. He glanced at Jack apologetically before he said in a low, shaky voice, “Do you really think that little of me?”
“Oh please, don’t try to play yourself off as the innocent one. You’re just as cruel as I am. I wasn’t the one sneaking around, telling these people stories about me. That is a clear violation.”
“I didn’t say a word about you. Just your activities. You were already aware of my stance.”
Abby was less calm as she approached him and sneered, “Fuck you and your fucking hypocrite attitude. You can’t fool me because I know you. Keep in mind there isn’t a damn thing you could say about me without incriminating yourself in the process.”
He muttered, “Including that the only reason you do all this shit is because you believe you’re so boring? That your idyllic upbringing would hinder you because you couldn’t be considered ‘cool’? So why not make sure that everyone despises you before they figure that out.”
Several people snickered at that remark. As apparently a reaction to their applause, more than Charlie’s comment, she backed away to regroup. She pondered a new strategy and, unfortunately, she had a reply as she snickered, “You know what, that almost seems fair given the way that tonight has been. I’d say I’ve been able to pinpoint other people’s character flaws and they’ve certainly been able to entertain this damn building just by living together. But there is one person that has been able to go through all this without having the deep, dark secret come out.”
“Abby, there isn’t anything you could say that could get to me. My activities on campus are an open book. As you said, most of the stuff would incriminate you as well.”
Abby gave a self-satisfied smile as she hissed, “Is that so? Let me ask you a question, Charlie Maiello. How did you spend Christmas last year?”
Jack stepped in between them. “Abby, I think we’ve all gotten the point of this little display. I would like to point out that, unlike us, he is your friend and would…”
“True friends don’t betray you.” Abby snapped. Charlie was staring down at the ground, probably praying that whatever she’d been planning to reveal about the holidays could be forgotten. No such luck. “You hid out in the dorms, is that correct? You snuck into the dorm and hid out in the basement. Why would anyone do such a thing? Christmas is a time meant for family, is it not? I’m not such an asshole that my family wouldn’t forgive my faults for the holidays.”
Charlie mumbled, “You know perfectly fucking well you’re fudging the story.” It was all he could do to keep himself from allowing Abby to see that she’d actually hit a painful nerve. If the three of us hadn’t already been so certain of what Abby could say, I probably would have felt that way earlier.
“You know what? Say whatever the fuck you want. I really don’t give a shit what the hell you have to say anymore. As far as I’m concerned, you don’t exist.” Abby waved her arms in the air in surrender. “I can tell that I won’t be in this building much longer, which suddenly seems like the best possible thing that could happen.” With that last word, she stormed off in disgust.
One of Abby’s neighbors approached us, “You know, I’ve been waiting four and a half semesters for that girl to finally give up. Thank you so much.” She shook first Joey’s hand, then mine. Several others came up to agree with her.
“Thanks, I suppose.” Joey replied. I looked around the ladies to find someone.
One of them, I think her name was Claire, couldn’t resist asking me, “Are you really Joey’s boyfriend?”
Joey responded with a laugh. I tried to wave Jack over to the group. Who would have thought I’d suddenly have the problem of too many ladies to handle?
Claire continued, “So it’s true? What a lucky girl you are, Joey.”
This time, when I attempted to find Jack, he was nowhere to be found. I squeezed out of the pack to get a better view. Joey followed me, “Pacey, what are you doing? Are you really pissed off at that whole Dawson thing? I know we expected Abby to say something…” It was then that I was certain Jack wasn’t around. For that matter, I hadn’t seen Charlie since Abby stomped off.
“This is not about the Dawson part.” I replied irritably.
“Which is a sure-fire sign that this is about that.” Joey countered. Could Joey truly not see what Abby had done?
“Are you really that blind?” I yelled out. “I really don’t care about you and Dawson right now! It’s way down on my list of priorities.”
Jack had turned down the hallway, searching for something. He was startled by Joey dragging him over to us. “There you are. Now the three of us can finally celebrate this victory.”
Jack interjected in a soft voice, “I’m really not in the mood to celebrate. Maybe another time.”
Joey was simply not getting the hint. “Come on, Jack. I know that Charlie wouldn’t be in the best of moods right now…”
“You have no idea how bad this is.” Jack countered as he left us alone and continued his search.
Chapter 22 - Reacquainted
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