Nowhere Fast
Chapter 22 - Reacquainted
Joey Potter
I waited in Pacey’s room until he finished talking to the RA about the situation. Thankfully, he had forgotten about shutting his end of the bathroom door.
How could I have brought up Dawson at a moment like that? Foolish, foolish idiot. Even if Pacey was upset about Dawson, my timing just couldn’t have been worse. This should be a time to celebrate yet I’m alone in victory.
I held the journal in my hands, just in case I needed to prove to Pacey when I said that. I doubt it’s necessary but I just wanted to be on the safe side. I could always torch the damn thing – it’s not as if I would have reread it if it hadn’t been for this crisis anyway.
I suddenly heard a latch turning. I turned around quickly, hoping that Pacey would be standing there. For once, it was actually the person I wanted it to be. He gave me a half-smile then sat down on his bed, patting down on the bed to sit next to him. I slowly walked over to the bed and sat next to him.
I said awkwardly, “I guess we can celebrate?”
He replied hesitantly, “I suppose.”
“Look, I’m sorry for what I said before. If you’re upset about that Dawson being the one I’ll eventually end up with, I’ll have you know that I wrote that before we ever met.”
“I figured,” Pacey softly replied.
“Oh.” He had thrown me off-guard. “I had this whole statement about what I’d really written.”
“I don’t care to know. That’s your business.”
“You’re not mad at me?”
Pacey gazed up at the ceiling to stall then looked straight at me. “If I really believed that, I could have just given up. I’ll tell you this; I doubt I’ll have as excellent an opportunity with as many of the women in this building as I seem to right now.” I laughed slightly, realizing that was true. “Yet I’m here with you.”
“Are you irritated with me?”
“Hmm, irritated? I think I could agree there. The first thing you thought of saying to me was that? I’d think you’d either be thrilled about Abby getting torched or pissed about the way she got torched. I’m sorry if I felt the second way at the moment you mentioned Dawson.”
Now I had no clue what he could possibly be talking about. I mean, sure I didn’t like the fact she had to basically drag Charlie down for the revenge to be effective. That was pure Abby right until the very end. “My timing sucked. That’s been established. I just don’t know why it happened then. I’ve been very good about not worrying about him.”
Pacey rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe I’m actually going to say this but you should call Dawson.”
“I don’t understand. Why would I possibly want to do that?”
“Whether I like it or not, you two have a bond. No, I don’t believe that there’s a chance of there being another chance at a romantic relationship. If you ever do it, I’d seriously worry about your mental health. I know this is not because we’re now dating. After all, there are other people who believe that theory. If I ever needed to, I could recruit this entire building. That would be quite an intervention.”
“Just what do you expect that to accomplish?”
Pacey stood up and dragged me back into my room. He searched around until he found the frame I had placed face down on my dresser and stood it upright. Even though I knew what photo was contained in that frame, I was still startled once Pacey set it up. It had always been the only picture in the room containing Dawson. It’s a shame it had to be the prom photo he realized as he cringed upon seeing it again. “I’d like you to notice something about this. You saw this as the image showing why you two were perfect together. Instead, you should remember what you said about how out-of-place you felt. How you wanted to think that night was perfect. I didn’t know Dawson before you dated but I have to think that he was a pretty special person. It’s possible that Dawson wasn’t so much in love with you as much as enamored with the idea of a relationship. He’s had time to think about all of this and it’s possible he’s come to that conclusion.”
“Do you think so?”
“Can’t say. I only know him through you, which is not a complete portrait.” Pacey walked back to the bathroom door, holding onto the doorknob. “If you need to talk afterwards, just stop by.” He slowly closed the door shut.
I stared at the photo, realizing that Pacey was right. Although the dress was exactly the way I imagined it, everything else about the photo seemed out of place. It wasn’t as picturesque as Dawson had wanted that night to be. Yet just a year or two earlier, he would have never tried to do anything but want me to be happy.
Reluctantly, I picked up the phone and made the call. An unfamiliar female voice answered, “Hello?”
I wasn’t sure if I should be thrilled that Dawson’s got a girlfriend or annoyed that his roommate’s girlfriend was probably the one who answered. “Yes, is Dawson there?”
“Dawson? I’m sorry you have the wrong number. Goodnight.” The next sound was the slamming of the phone.
Confused, I searched through my dresser until I found a paper containing important phone numbers. Now why had I thought the phone number ended in 4379 when it’s really 4397? Somehow, it seemed fitting that Dawson’s phone number had no longer been the most important one in my head.
I called the new phone number. This time, an instantly recognizable voice said, “Hello?”
“Hi Dawson. It’s Joey.”
“Joey!” Dawson exclaimed. “This is a surprise!”
“I thought I’d drop a line…”
Dawson interrupted, “Would it be okay if I called you back in a few minutes? I really want to talk to you but someone’s on the other line and I don’t want to run up your phone bill.”
“Sure thing.” I would have said more but he’d already gone back to his other call. Even though I agreed to wait for him to return my call, I think I was already getting my answer regarding Dawson’s role in my life.
Jack McPhee
I wandered around the school ground, eventually finding myself by the parking lot. I couldn’t figure out exactly where I could go next – after all, I’d spent the last two hours scouring every possible location. I even went down into the incredibly creepy basement where Abby claimed he hid out last winter break. I hoped that it wasn’t completely obvious he’d returned to his room at some point before now and I was just wasting my time out here.
Finally I’d given up and decided what I really needed was to drive into town and get some junk food from the 24-hour convenience store. If Charlie didn’t want to be found tonight, I suppose I could talk to him in the morning. Not that I seriously thought I’d be able to get any sleep anyway. I walked over to my car in the lot and had turned the key to unlock the door when I could have sworn I heard someone approaching. I glanced around and, not immediately spotting anything, quickly entered my car and started the ignition.
I turned on my headlights and that’s when I discovered him. Actually, it was shadow from the light and I could barely see him. I shut off the car and the lights and raced out of the car toward the wooded area. There I found Charlie sitting against a tree, his head against his bent knees and using his coat as a shield from the light. I tried to be quiet as I approached him. He said in a muffled voice, “Leave me alone.”
I refused to do so as I approached the tree and sat down next to him. I whispered, “I’m very sorry.”
“You have no reason to apologize. Abby would have done that sooner or later.”
“If you hadn’t decided to play on the opposing team…”
Charlie interrupted, “She would have sold me out eventually. I just realized it way too late.” He dropped his arms to his sides and let his chin rest against his knee. “It’s just…I became friends with her because I knew she didn’t really care about anything but herself and her image. That was fine since I didn’t really want anyone to get close to me after everything that had happened. I’d been doing fine with that strategy until the day I heard Abby practically outing you to the whole building.”
“So it was before the journal?”
He nodded. It was then that I realized that, as much as he wanted to sound in control, he had been crying before I arrived. “I suppose I knew then that Abby could be cruel. It’s just that was the first time something she did made me think she was wrong. Never did I seriously think I’d be torn between her and, well, everyone else.”
I chuckled as I remembered the crowd around Pacey and Joey once Abby walked away. “Not that there’s a person in the building who minded being against Abby.”
“Maybe,” Charlie conceded with a chuckle. “It’s weird because I kept hearing people say that Abby must have blackmailed me into befriending her. In some way, they were right; I never understood that until now.”
“I should have never put you in the position where Abby would attack.”
He raised his head to look in my direction. “You shouldn’t worry about it.”
“Why not? It’s not as if I couldn’t have stopped this. I didn’t have to go out with Abby that night. I didn’t have to keep my mouth shut…”
Charlie kidded, “Maybe you should keep your mouth shut right now. Because you’re worrying over nothing.” He forced a smile. “I don’t mind anything that you’ve done.”
“I’m not buying this act.”
“What act? I mean it. The best thing that’s happened this semester is this. Being able to hang out with you.” Charlie looked away quickly as he realized what he’d just said. “That didn’t sound right. I meant… I hope it’s clear that what Abby said about the reason I started hanging out with you isn’t…isn’t for the reason she said.” He was now staring straight ahead.
I had been so concerned about trying not to say the wrong thing at the movies that it hadn’t occurred to me that I wasn’t the only one. It happened to be that I wasn’t the one to slip up first. I asserted, “I never believed her.”
“That’s good.”
Neither one of us knew precisely what to say after that. After five minutes of silence, I suddenly found myself asking, “Why did you think I invited you to the movies?”
“I don’t remember.”
I exclaimed, “What do you mean you don’t remember?”
“It wasn’t important enough to remember,” he replied curtly.
“You thought it was a date, didn’t you?”
“A date?” Charlie mumbled, “Why would I think that?”
I moved over so I was in his line of view, sitting directly in front of him. “I was trying to convince myself it wasn’t so I could think it wasn’t a big deal. So I could understand if you did.”
Charlie shifted his gaze to a button on my coat as he muttered, “Jack, there’s a fine line here. I’m not interested in crossing it with you.”
“I don’t really believe that.” I inched closer, so that I was sitting alongside his leg while still facing him. I traced my index finger along the dried-up tear he hadn’t been able to get rid of earlier. The feel of his pale skin mixed with the saltiness from the tear against my finger. Charlie closed his eyes, savoring that touch as well.
While his eyes were still shut, I leaned in and brushed my lips against his. For a few seconds, it had been a one-sided affair. At the very least, if this was a terrible idea, Charlie could always think it’s some fucked-up dream. The evening had probably felt like that for him anyway. Just as I was about to pull away and consider this a rather poor decision, I felt him kissing me back. I rested my hand along his shoulder as I deepened the kiss.
And then just as suddenly, his hand was against my chest and he was pushing me away. I backed up and sat upright as Charlie jolted up on his feet and began walking back and forth anxiously. He muttered, “Damn it, damn it, this is absolutely horrible.”
I watched him pacing about. His grey coat with bits of dirt from sitting on the gravelly ground. Similarly with his khakis. His normally flat hair was sticking up in several directions, a result of using his coat as a shield and probably running his hand through his hair too much since sitting out here. Despite this, I could tell that this guy was exactly the one I wanted to be with right now. More importantly, the way he’d been worrying indicated I wasn’t the only person here who sensed that.
“What’s wrong here? Am I missing something? I thought this was working.” I now knew how Joey felt the day she kissed me. How could this other person not be on the same page? Okay, it was a little different since that was a one-sided attraction which couldn’t really ever be two-sided. This probably could be and should be a two-sided attraction.
He shook his head furiously, “No, what we had was working. This… this is not that. That was a rather nice friendship and that’s all we can be. I don’t know what bullshit story Pacey told you…”
“Pacey? What would Pacey tell me? Did you…” I chuckled feebly. “Now I understand why he kept trying to figure out if it was a date.” I shook my head in confusion, “If that’s the case, I’m even more lost.”
“We had been becoming good friends, which was excellent since we filled a certain role in each other’s lives. But a relationship just fucks up everything. Good friends can quickly become bitter enemies. Hasn’t tonight proved that?”
It was time for me to play the role that was normally Charlie’s: the mentor. I rose on my feet and followed him in his pacing. “I really don’t mind if we shrug off what just happened as an error in judgment if I made a mistake about your feelings for me. But if the only reason is because you’re afraid of losing me as a friend, that’s bullshit. No wonder you were able to hang around Abby for so long.”
“How the hell would you know? You haven’t been the one who constantly gets the fucking door slammed in his face by the people that supposedly care.”
“So because that’s happened a couple of times, you’ve decided you don’t want anyone to hurt you again? That’s a fucking excellent way to go through life. That way, you never truly know happiness again either. I can’t guarantee that if we dated, it wouldn’t end in a messy breakup. I do know that I’d be able to look back and say that there was a point when I’d been happy. If you’re so sure that’s what you want, why, of all the places on this campus, did you choose to sit right next to my car?”
Charlie thought about that, then walked over the tree where I’d found him and leaned against it. He stoically stated, “I’m staying here for awhile.”
I nodded as I left him alone. I was kicking a pebble down the long path back to my dorm. Never had the walk seemed so long as it had right now. I had no idea if what I said would have any effect whatsoever on him. If it hadn’t already been such a tough night, I might have stayed around. But I just couldn’t do that right now.
I was startled when I’d finally reached the door to my dorm building about fifteen minutes later. As I was fishing for my keys, I heard a familiar voice call out, “Wait!”
I spun around swiftly as I saw Charlie racing up to me. Once he made it, he took a couple of seconds to catch his breath before he said, “There’s something I need to ask you.”
“If it has anything to do with if I enjoy being a pain to you, the answer is yes.” I had consciously decided that I’d try to do what I’d actually said and be a friend at the moment.
“ Good to know. But I wasn’t thinking that this time. No, um, was I the first… well I know obviously not your first kiss since there was that whole Joey thing, but was I the first guy you ever kissed?”
“Yeah.” Just where was he actually going with this? In the midst of everything that’d been happening, I had to admit I was surprised I hadn’t been agonizing over that kiss.
“Okay, it’s just that a first kiss should be memorable. In a positive way preferably. What just happened is not the best recollection. I can at least say a game of Truth or Dare worked out in my favor for a first kiss. I, um… want to correct that.” With that, he leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. This time, there was no concern about whether this was the right thing to do as I kissed him back.
It probably would have gone farther except for one problem. Someone started yelling, “What the fuck is blocking the door?” Charlie grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the door. Neither one of us could stop laughing at the absurdity of our position.
Charlie shouted back, “Sorry about that.” I walked a few steps away from him.
The door swung open and Trent, the musician at the end of our hallway, strolled out with his guitar case slung over his shoulder. He exclaimed, “What the hell were you doing, man?”
“Um, the door had jammed and I just trying some hi-tech maneuver to open it. What do ya know, it worked from the other side.” He chuckled nervously.
Trent seemed to accept that as he stared at the latch. “Really? Well, I’m glad you warned me. I would’ve had trouble when I returned from my gig. Thanks, man.” He sauntered out as though he was actually in a music video, instead of just thinking his life was one.
As soon as he was gone, Charlie mocked Trent’s walk as he approached me. He said, “Maybe this isn’t the best place.”
“Yeah. Too much traffic.” I agreed. “We could return to that spot in the parking lot.”
Charlie grinned. “Good idea. There’s something about actually entering the dorm that’s just not as appealing right now.”
Pacey Witter
The longer it took to hear her voice again, the more I dreaded letting her go. I knew I had to do this if there was any chance for Joey to have a healthy relationship with anyone, especially me. It would be much easier to handle her Dawson issues if they surfaced now. Hopefully, I was wrong and there really weren’t anything to worry about.
“Pacey?” Joey whispered as she re-entered the room. “Are you awake?”
I guess I had been near dozing off because I could barely get out a reply so I just nodded my head lazily.
“Are you watching this?”
I woke up in a hurry, fearing that I’d left on another incriminating film. Fortunately, it was just a rerun of Cheers. I shut off the TV in relief. “Not anymore.”
She swung my legs off the bed so she’d have a place to sit. “Sorry to take so long. Dawson was being a pain.”
“I figured he’d have a problem with you trying to move on…”
Joey cut me off. “That’s not what happened. See, when I called, he was on another call. His roommate got this idea to fix him up with one of his friends so they were talking when I interrupted. He asked if he could call me back, which didn’t happen for another hour. Then there were several disruptions on top of that.”
“Dawson got a girl?”
“Well, he’s got a date. Anyway, I could tell that he wasn’t too anxious to speak to me. Basically, he just wants to see how he can handle California on his own.”
I was thankful Joey wasn’t a mind reader because she wouldn’t be thrilled about the festival music I could hear in my head. I stated cautiously, “This sounds like good news. What did he say when you mentioned me?” As I try to shut off the little voice in my head saying she may have never mentioned us to him.
Joey conceded, “He wasn’t pleased about it. But Dawson said that if you’re the one who makes me happy, then it doesn’t matter what he thinks.”
“That’s positive, right?”
Joey nodded, “Yes, that’s positive. I kind of figured out all would end up well when he didn’t seem to be in a rush to speak to me. Are you satisfied?”
I grinned in relief of that news. As a reply, I pulled her down on top of me.
She rolled her eyes pretending to be annoyed. “Do you really think of me as that type of girl?”
I stammered, “Not exactly. It’s just that…”
“Would you mind if I wanted to be?” Joey sultrily replied as she ran her fingers through my hair.
“Are you insisting on always playing the temptress role in this relationship?”
She teased, “I wouldn’t mind if you wore the dress instead.”
“That’s not what I meant.” I could feel myself blushing, though I’m not sure if it was for that remark or because Joey was still lying on top of me. “It’s just, are you certain that this is what you want?”
“I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. It’s just…” She looked away from me and toward the door. “I get this sneaking suspicion we’d give someone a feature belonging on your lame porn tapes.” Joey rolled off of me and laid next to me with her body sprawled out - or as much as she could given the small space between me and the wall. “Where the hell is Jack anyway?”
“I wouldn’t worry too much about him. But, if you insist…” I rolled off the bed and walked over to the main door to lock it. “That way, if he should return, we’ll be warned.” I exaggerated turning the latch then returned to the bed.
Joey giggled as I tried to return to my previous position, then composed herself enough to say in a serious tone, “Now that we’ve settled that, what were you thinking I was going to do?”
I played along with her game. “I don’t really know.” I lifted my hand and delicately grazed her shoulder. “It’s so difficult to read your mind.” My hand traveled over to her slender neck. I was twirling a strand of her hair around my finger.
Joey tilted her head so she was partially resting on the pillow. “I’m a very complicated individual.” She shifted her body closer, her curves fitting perfectly against mine. “You can’t profess that you have the ability to read my mind.”
I placed several kisses along her neck, traveling slowly up to her face. “You’re absolutely correct.” I concluded by softly brushing my lips along hers. “I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”
Joey murmured, “That’s right.” Or at least, that’s what I believe she said since her mouth was still covered by mine. She began to unbutton my shirt as she opened her mouth slightly to let the tip of her tongue pass into my mouth.
I slinked my other hand underneath her t-shirt, tracing along her lower back. As I was feeling her smooth skin along my fingers, there was this unusual calm. Despite how chaotic the day had been, it all seemed to disappear, as it seemed like just the two of us in the world. It was probably the best feeling I’d ever had. Previously, I had measured a relationship by the likelihood of having sex. This wasn’t that. This meant so much more because there had been a connection with the person next to me.
Sure, it would have been easy for us to hop into bed on the first night. It would have been wonderful if she had a better first impression of me. That seemed so long ago, even though it had been a remarkably short period of time. This wasn’t the same Joey Potter. It wasn’t the same Pacey Witter either.
“Pacey?” Joey whispered in my ear. “Do you mind if I fall asleep here?”
I was startled by the question. “Sure, Jo, if you want to.” I wasn’t quite sure what that meant as she just settled into her current position. Her head nestled against my shoulder. One hand resting on my hip, the other along one of the buttons she hadn’t yet undone. I pulled the blanket up to cover over us, then settled my arm back in its proper position along her back.
It may have sounded like an awkward position but I couldn’t imagine a better way to sleep. I’m not sure who actually feel asleep first even though I’d been intending on waiting for her to drift off first…
I woke up humming to the song playing in the next room. It was just another weekday for other members of our floor - it was common to hear someone blasting their alarm clock radio at seven in the morning and was just habit at this point. There were at least three possible suspects - depending on the person, you could hear Bob Marley from the room above this one, one of Joey’s female singer CDs, or the fool that’s been playing Limp Bizkit. Then again, compared to the various noises in the city, it hadn’t been a difficult adjustment.
Wait, it was seven in the morning already?! It had seemed like just a minute ago that…is she still there…
I was assured as I felt that warm skin of Joey’s along my hand. I squinted, avoiding the bright sunlight, to see her lying there as I’d remembered. It had felt like a dream. She was singing softly to the music proving that it was in fact her alarm in the next room.
You bring me to the heart of a golden man
You bring me to the natural truth
You take me to a solid hollow
And keep me sailing this ocean of youth
Joey was just beginning to wake up, as I felt the hand she’d laid on my hip move ever so slightly. It’s been said that the moment that a person begins to stir from a dream is the most beautiful of times. So very true - you’re not quite awake to realize the reason you’d be singing is the alarm clock, as opposed to a moment in the dream.
You’re toast and jam and you’re cotton candy
You’re double rainbows beside a setting sun
You’re wood burning outside there’s a fire glowing
You’re sweet as green apples you must be the one
Chantal Kreviazuk - “Green Apples”
Then a latch clicked, abruptly ending the blissful scene.
I jumped up quickly, forgetting for a moment that would ruin Joey’s heavenly state as well, and turned toward the main door. Jack was entering, trying to sneak in not realizing yet that he couldn’t succeed.
“Pacey, what the hell are you doing?” Joey exclaimed as she woke up and shoved me. “Are you trying to get me in a lousy mood?”
I gave her a gentle poke, alerting her to present company. She looked up at him awkwardly, then buried her face in the pillow. I glanced back at Jack, who had his hand over his mouth trying not to laugh.
Jack averted his eyes and headed for the bathroom door. “I’ll leave you two to whatever happened last night. I’ll be in Joey’s room with…” He turned back quickly and scanned the room, his eyes resting on a notebook on his desk. “My English notes.” He snatched it up, covering his eyes probably thinking we were both naked, and went toward Joey’s room.
Once he was safely gone, Joey raised her head off the pillow. “I can’t believe the time passed so quickly. Not that that’s a bad thing.” She threw the blanket off, somewhat surprised to realize she’d still been wearing her light blue T-shirt and navy sweatpants and that I’d still been wearing the rumpled shirt and jeans from the night before. She remarked, “Isn’t it strange that we seemed to be together even though we’re basically fully dressed?”
I nodded in agreement.
“Do you think it’s worth explaining that to Jack? I’d speculate that he showed up while we were asleep and is just now returning.”
“First off, it’s not really his business. He’s not prying here, just letting us be alone. I doubt he’s really expecting an explanation. Secondly, if Jack showed up in the middle of the night, he probably would have headed directly to your room to sleep.” I got a wicked grin. “Which leads me to wonder exactly where he slept.”
Joey rolled her eyes. “Pacey, we’re talking about Jack, not you. He’s not exactly the person who’d stay in some random person’s room.” She scrambled to get off the bed and headed for the bathroom door. “He probably fell asleep in the main lobby. I know of at least one time he’s done that.”
This was absolutely not an acceptable answer. Especially when you consider that the last part I knew was that Jack was chasing down Charlie. He could have slept in the lounge but Jack hadn’t appeared to have just woken up from some hard chair downstairs. I bolted off the bed and headed determinedly to Joey’s room.
Joey exclaimed from the other room, “Pacey, what are you doing?” She stumbled into her room behind me.
Jack was sitting down at Joey’s desk reading the notes he’d left with. He saw us both standing there and chuckled. “What is it with you two? Last week, you just started dating. Today marks the second time in two days you seem to have woken up like you just got laid.” He seemed in an unusually happy mood as he was kidding around. Even in times when he’s joking, I’d never seen him seem so pleased to be here. Now I was certain he was withholding some juicy information.
Joey sat down on the desktop. “I’ll have you know that Pacey hasn’t gotten laid. He’s still pining for me.”
I snorted, “You wish, Potter. You were all over me last night.”
“Yeah, and then you woke up and realized you were watching some skin flick.”
Jack interrupted, “Nice try but it’s obvious that whatever really happened was rather romantic.” Damn him for knowing the both of us so well. “You don’t have to pretend this is the first day anymore.”
I stood over Joey as I tried to figure out what Jack wasn’t saying. “Are you planning to say anything about your night or only comment on ours?”
“What’s there to say?” He was enjoying torturing me here, knowing full well how much we’d been discussing his pseudo-date the day before.
“Come on, Jack. There’s gotta be details. Did you catch up to Charlie? Was there any mention of the various stories that Abby tried to tell about him? More importantly, were you in his room last night not doing as much as Joey and I?” I raised an eyebrow suggestively, which caused Jack to blush a little as he turned around to focus on his notes. So there was some news to tell.
Joey’s response was quite different. “Oh come on, Pacey. Are you forgetting whom you’re talking about? You can’t just pair off people randomly. How uncouth can you be?”
I pretended to be hurt by that comment. “You ask that question after last night?”
Jack stood up and said, “Whatever happened should stay between you. That’s my story as well.” He headed toward the bathroom door.
This time, I wasn’t letting him pass. I caught up with him in the bathroom as I got a grip on him. Jack shouted, “What are you doing?”
“You’re not having fun with this at our expense.” It turned into a bizarre wrestling match, Jack trying to get away from my grip but I wasn’t having that. I dragged him in the direction of the shower, knowing it would be impossible to escape my wrath. “If you refuse to divulge information, I will torture you with a detailed account of my evening with Joey. Every pulsating move.”
“Cut it out, Pacey.” Jack got a hold of my arm and pulled me into the shower stall. As he attempted to escape, I hauled him back in and eventually got the advantage again.
“Every single touch.”
I hadn’t noticed where Joey was in all this until I felt a blast of water hit my back. I spun around to see Joey pulling her hand back from the lever, laughing hysterically. I reached over to shut the water off, but not before Jack and I had gotten drenched. Both of us stood there, realizing how stupid this looked.
Jack was wringing out the bottom of his sweater, shaking his head in amazement. “Pacey, if you wanted to be alone in the shower with me, you should have just said so. I didn’t really think you were that interested.”
“You’re having way too much fun with this. Before I get Potter in here and kick you out, would you please let me in on why you’re being annoyingly happy?”
“Pacey, you already know what would happen. After all, he told you.”
I smiled wide, realizing that meant Jack knew that Charlie was attracted to him. “So you were there last night?”
“I wasn’t in the same position as you and Joey. I came here, saw Joey in your bed and figured I wanted to be anywhere else. So I crashed on his roommate’s bed.”
“And does he know…”
“I think that was determined after the kiss.”
Joey let out a loud sigh and yelled, “Would you tell me what the hell you’re talking about?” We both turned to face her. “More importantly, who are you talking about? I thought at first it was Charlie but you’d never kiss him. He’s nothing but a frog who I seriously doubt would turn into a prince with a kiss.”
Jack turned to me, raising an eyebrow as he glanced in Joey’s direction. I nodded in agreement. While Joey was complaining, he held out his right hand counting off as he mouthed, “1…2…3” We jumped out of the shower and got a hold on Joey as we pulled her into the stall.
Joey yelped, “Don’t you dare. Pacey, I will…” The next words were muffled over the sound of the shower water hitting her. She glared at us as she shut off the water.
“What the hell was that for?”
“Good morning, sweetheart.” I replied innocently.
Joey glanced down as her clothes began to cling to her skin, then looked up at Jack and I appearing the same way and could not stop laughing. It was infectious as we started laughing again as well. Defeated, she got out of the shower, wrapped one arm over my shoulder and the other over Jack’s.
“It’s nice to know that we all seem to be happy at the same time.” Joey then gave a light shove toward our room. “I’d better get ready for class for real or else I’ll be late.” She gave both of us a stern look, indicating that the game was over.
As we were leaving her alone, Joey added, “You’re giving me details later.”
Chapter 23 - Where We Ended Up
Nowhere Fast Index
DC Index