Nowhere Fast
Chapter 7 - Orange Crush
Pacey Witter
After leaving the diner, I drove around for a little while, trying to vent my frustrations over the two hours of hell I’d just endured. There was something nagging me about the evening that went beyond the pretentiousness that Dawson was attempting to exude the whole time. I couldn’t quite place it.
I was clearly unsuccessful, I realized, as soon as I entered the dorm room. Jack was sitting at his desk, working on Calculus homework.
“I can’t believe that asshole.” I shouted as soon as I dropped my coat. Jack looked up from his textbook, observing my actions, “How dare he treat us like second-class citizens! Remind me why I didn’t blow up at him.”
”Because you don’t want to stoop to Dawson’s level. Because, whether you like it or not, he’s still dating the girl you’re in love with,” he rightfully pointed out.
I muttered, “I wish you didn’t know about that.”
Jack continued, “Dawson’s goal in this trip was to stake his claim to Joey by having her wonder what the fuck she’s thinking hanging out with us. You don’t want Dawson to win, do you?”
That was the problem. It was obvious, at least to me, why Dawson would be pissed off at me. It was his reaction to Jack that was odder. I recalled that Jack was person Dawson met first…
I snickered, “So he did say something during the trip to the diner.”
“He thinks I’m playing the role of the friend as a scam to get into her pants.”
That sounded very much like a rationalization that would come from Dawson Leery. Correction, those were basically his words to both of us at the table.
“Speaking of getting in pants, I’d guess by now that they’ve returned.”
Jack replied, “Yeah, they have. I heard loud noises coming from her room so I would suggest staying away.”
I really didn’t want to hear the particulars. I covered my ears with my hands as I started singing loudly, “London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down...”
He tried to hold back a smile as he shouted over my tenor, “The loud noises are gun shots.” That certainly shut me up and conjured up these gleeful thoughts. “They’re watching Saving Private Ryan. Of course there could be actions happening below the blare of the television, but I really don’t want to think about that either. I don’t want to lose my dinner any more than you do. You can be so gullible sometimes.”
Something in the way he said that reminded me why I was really annoyed about tonight. It had nothing whatsoever to do with Dawson. In fact, it happened before the insufferable beast arrived.
Jack snickered as he lapsed back into his studies. That gave me time to choose my next words very carefully. There was the possibility that Jack would despise me for this accusation. Eventually, I realized the easiest way to deal with this was confront it.
“Jo thinks of you as more than a friend.”
He turned immediately around to face me, “What are you talking about?” I could tell that he was trying not to let me see the news completely shocked him.
I reassured, “I’m not saying that Potter would dump Dawson because of you. There are perfectly legitimate reasons for her to ditch that sorry excuse for human life. It’s just that you’re filling the role he has in her life. Or I should say had, before he became a fucking obsessive boyfriend. We both saw how dismayed she was with his attitude.”
Jack was completely puzzled, “If you’re implying that I’ve been trying to sabotage your chances…”
I cut him off before this conversation turned nasty, “That’s not what I’m referring to. I’m not blaming you for anything. When my family relocated to New York four years ago, I was considered by most as ‘the tourist’. I didn’t really fit in for the most part. There were, however, a few people that felt differently. Those were the people that became my best friends, by default. It took several months before I realized they were only filling a void.”
“But you met Jen when you first moved there,” Jack stated flatly.
“True but I didn’t recognize she was a keeper right away. I gradually detected those qualities. My point is that Joey has made no secret that she’s unhappy about pretty much everything on this campus. This clerical error may be the exception. But it’s not because of me.”
He started to get flustered, “You’re absolutely wrong. You’re the one she was meant to be with.”
I reaffirmed, “I am certain. She had been talking to your sister and was freaked out when she heard…”
Jack interrupted, “Why was she talking to Andie?”
“She had a wrong number. Anyway, the point is…”
Jack turned back to his desk, making sure there was no possibility he could face me, “I’m not her Dawson. I understand what that infers and that is so wrong. Haven’t we established tonight that he’s a self-absorbed prick? That isn’t me.”
Realizing this discussion was heading nowhere, I quickly changed the subject, attempting to get rid of the coldness that had entered the room, “You’re absolutely right. That was… I’m sorry for insulting you in that manner.” I chuckled, “Goddamn jealousy streak apparently isn’t reserved for people with abnormal foreheads.”
Jack buried his head in his book to cover up his sudden burst of laughter, “There’s so much truth to that statement. Sooooo much.” Once he catches his breath, he turned back to face me, “Do you really think she’ll throw out the garbage this weekend?”
“You know that Joey’s a very clean person. I think she will dispose of her trash properly.”
“I don’t. I think she’s still interested in saving the banana peel. Not that there’s anything special about it but as long as she sees the banana as being tasty, she’ll want to hold onto it until it stinks up the whole room.”
I stared at the door, processing this bizarre analogy. Jack had clearly meant to gross me out. “You think she would eventually prefer apples? Or is it reserved for bananas?”
Jack scoffed, “I think she’ll need a grace period. You know, after the odor leaves the room. Who knows, she might even favor a stray orange.”
I placed a twenty dollar bill on the table. “I think you’re wrong.”
He scrunched up his face, “Exactly what are we wagering on? Whether she’ll throw out the banana this weekend or take in the apple in some as-yet-unspecified period in time?”
Good point. I felt wrong about betting on Joey in terms of whether I’d date her. She wasn’t a piece of property. She’d deserve better than that. “Let’s just stick to the banana.”
Jack pulled out a bill to add to mine on the table, “Okay then, you’re on.”
* * * * *
Jack McPhee
I am not that person. Period. Absolutely no doubts about that.
Okay, am I blowing this up way too much. Most likely. Pacey probably only meant being her new friend.
He didn’t mean she thought of me in a romantic nature. No matter how much he watches over Joey, that is certainly not what he was implying.
Could you imagine the mess that would lead to? She’d have the hots for me, Pacey’d have the hots for her and I’d have the hots for him. No, wait, that’s not what’s happening. There’s no me and Pacey. No, of course not.
Yeah, Jack, keep telling yourself that. Maybe someday you’ll convince yourself that this whole gay thing is a lie as well.
That night, I was listening to REM and didn’t hear Pacey return to the room. He tapped me on the head. I looked up, staring right into his piercing blue eyes. They were twinkling a little, which meant one thing: Pacey had a plan.
“What are you up to?”
“Have the soulmates returned from their trip?”
Dawson and Joey were doing some sightseeing today. Fine by me as long as I didn’t have to see his face.
This morning, I ran into Dawson in the bathroom, brushing his teeth. He threw in one last remark about having a girl to save and screw, before claiming that if I dare mention what he said the night before, he’d see to it that he wouldn’t leave any of us alone. Highly deserving of getting slammed against the wall, but I couldn’t do it as long as she was dating him. I let it go for the moment, resorting to heavy eye-rolling instead.
I knew he was more interested in ‘winning’ the ‘prize’ than dating Joey. Which meant that I didn’t mind assisting Pacey in any actions that may destroy Dawson's plans.
“You’ll have to go find out for yourself.”
Pacey opened the bathroom door and I heard him knock on the other door. Dawson answered, replying frostily, “What do you want?”
“We just were curious whether you returned.”
“It’s been a long, tiring day. Joey and I are just going to relax.” For emphasis, he added, “In each other’s arms.” Then proceeded to shut the door in Pacey’s face.
Pacey stormed back into the room, “He knows exactly when to turn the smugness up to 11. How the hell could Joey stand him? Even as a friend, he’d seem like a schmuck. You hungry?”
“I already ate dinner.” I replied flatly. For thinking he had a scheme in mind, I was completely thrown off by the question.
“I don’t think they ate yet,” Pacey pondered, “They must be so tired from their trip.”
I grinned, “Probably not. Do you think she’d mind if we interrupted them?”
It was at that moment that I realized what he had in mind. Since Dawson clearly despised us, it was time to test one Joey Potter. Both of us had seen the bored look in her eyes last night. She had made no secret prior to his arrival that she wanted to break up with him. Dawson struck me as the kind of person who’d watched enough films to think that offering an ultimatum would do the trick. Joey would likely be sickened by the gesture and take the appropriate action.
It made me almost not mind losing the twenty bucks if it meant that Joey would be free at last.
“I don’t see why not.”
Not surprisingly, Dawson’s response was much harsher this time. Well, he was speaking too low for me to hear but I could clearly hear a slammed door.
Pacey returned to our room, “The first time, I didn’t see Joey around. I think she spotted me with the second greeting.”
“So this was a positive interruption?”
We heard Dawson yelling at that moment, “I can’t help it if Pacey’s insecure.”
“Hmm, whiny scream. Bashing me on a trait that doesn’t even exist. Based on my knowledge of Joey, she’s about to hit a towering fly ball out of the ballpark.”
I raised an eyebrow at the comparison.
Pacey translated, “She’s about to throw Dawson out. Damn, didn’t you ever play baseball growing up?”
“We were more of a football family.” I replied bitterly. As in, my father and Tim were into football every Sunday and I pretended to care what they were talking about. Prior to Tim’s death, Andie even tried out to be a cheerleader. Sure, she’s perky enough but even I know there’s a limit.
That reminded me, I never did find out what Andie told Joey that upset her enough to seek advice from Pacey. There were so many possible family-related messes that could have disturbed her.
“Good point. Always had the pleasure of growing up in baseball cities.”
The conversation degenerated into a tourist’s guide to large cities before we heard a knock at the front door.
I got up to open the door and found Joey there. It was very surprising she hadn’t used the bathroom entrance, as she normally did.
“Mind if I come in?”
Joey Potter
Dawson and I had toured the campus and neighboring towns. Not that it was the most exciting of tours - after all, there was very little town to this place. I wished I had taken Pacey up on his offer to see New York City earlier. I didn’t like the idea of just wandering around an unfamiliar and somewhat imposing city. I knew Dawson wouldn’t appreciate that either.
Dawson was the one who surprised me. I didn’t have time to prepare. Why should I feel guilty about it?
Then again, as I believed earlier, nothing Dawson does isn’t without some calculation involved. I just hadn’t determined the purpose of his trip yet. Was it envy or was it purely loneliness? He’d never actually mentioned about other students in UCLA. Just the professors and mentors he raves about, of course. As an example, the current conversation to which I suppose I’d better pay attention.
“Professor Martino worked on the set of two of Stanley Kubrick’s movies. I mean it should make sense that with all of the people responsible behind the scenes on sets that I would eventually meet one.”
In as enthused of a voice that I could muster, I asked, “What type of work did he do?”
“For 2001: A Space Odyssey, he was an assistant for the cinematographer.” He added in a dismissive tone, “He was still in college at the time.”
Fitting perfectly into his five-year plan as well. Though really, what was so special about meeting a guy that would brag about fetching coffee on the set of a movie thirty years old. Sure, it was amusing the possibility that the guy had been so close to a legend at some point in his life. It’s just that you’d think he’d have more interesting stories to relay to his classes than that. Still it was better than my experiences. The closest I’d been was to a one-time fledgling filmmaker named A.I. Brooks – though it was only because Dawson did some detective work. To me, he’s still just some cranky old man.
We were interrupted by a knock coming from the bathroom. It startled Dawson a bit. Come to think of it, if you didn’t live in this type of arrangement, it would scare you too. Once he realized who it was (or at least narrowed it down to two choices), he grumbled, “Do you want to deal with them?”
I shrugged, “Doesn’t matter.” Though I was worn out from the day’s activities, I wouldn’t have cared if they visited.
He opened the door. I could spot Pacey was the one there, probably checking to see if we’d returned. Dawson mumbled something then closed the door harshly in his face. He then spun around and returned to his position on my bed, pretending we hadn’t been disrupted.
I pried, “So what’d he want?”
Dawson replied matter-of-factly, “He wanted to know if we’d like to share a pizza with them.”
“Actually, I’m kind of hungry.”
”You can get pizza anywhere. Why do we have to involve them? We can get our own delivery.”
“True, but there’s only two people in this room. I don’t really want to be eating the leftovers for the next three days.”
”Okay, what’s this really about? You don’t want us to be alone for two seconds? He was already here earlier, while you were throwing out the garbage.” Gee Dawson, thanks for finally informing me he’d stopped by.
“Excuse me? It was just us this whole day.”
“Is it a crime to want to be alone with my girlfriend? You can spend time with them tomorrow. After I get on my flight home.”
He’s right. I wouldn’t see him again until Thanksgiving. It seemed fair to want to spend a night with me.
The previous night consisted of us watching Saving Private Ryan, with me falling asleep around the two-hour, fifteen-minute mark. Dawson didn’t actually notice until the closing credits, when he wrapped an arm around me and didn’t get a response. He began talking about how it had been a long evening for both of them. I knew because I woke up in the middle of his muttering.
Still, the tone in his voice betrayed him. I had a hunch and decided to call him on it.
“Is the only reason you visited because you wanted to claim me?”
Dawson was taken aback by the question but his response startled me more, “Claim is such a strong word.”
“I wanted a life outside of Capeside. At first, I admit I was lost. Those two guys you have gone out of your way to degrade are not barbarians.”
He muttered, “I suppose you have to associate with someone. Just that this is a temporary arrangement…”
“No,” I insisted, "They are my friends. As soon as you met Pacey, you have been nothing but condescending and smug…”
Dawson interrupted, his voice starting to get louder, “I can’t help it if Pacey’s insecure…”
“Fine. Whatever. Let me see how you answer this accusation. What gave you the right to threaten Jack this morning? Don’t try to deny that one because I heard you clearly,” I could feel myself getting stronger with every statement, “There are so many things he could have said or done in retaliation but chose not to because he knows you’re important to me. Jack and Pacey have been nothing but nice to you since you’ve arrived because they knew I’d seen a special quality in you. Right now, however, I can’t remember what it is.”
Dawson was flabbergasted. He couldn’t remember a time when I’d acted so boldly. It was probably before we started dating because I couldn’t remember having a spine before that.
“Joey! I’m still the same person you’ve known for years.”
“I know and that’s the problem. You’re still that child that I grew up with.”
“Are you telling me you suddenly grew up? In the span of a couple of weeks?”
I maintained, “This wasn’t an abrupt change. Ever since we started dating, I’ve realized that I miss the friend I had before. The person that I could goof around with. The person that doesn’t jump on every little word that comes out of my mouth if it isn’t to his satisfaction. The person that doesn’t feel the need to ‘rescue’ me as though I’m some goddamn damsel in distress.”
I rose from the bed and headed for the main door, “I need to go for a walk before I inadvertently say something really cruel that you probably don’t deserve. Yet.”
I was outside of the room, about to shut the door when Dawson shot up and caught up to me, “You don’t want to handle this?”
“You’ve got that wrong. I want to make sure I say the right thing to you. That way there’s no way for you to misconstrue what I have to say. I’d prefer it if you left my room but I understand that might not be feasible. Just don’t expect me back anytime soon.” I pushed him back in the room and slammed the door in his face.
My initial intention was to take a walk. Before I had the chance, my eyes wandered to the door next to mine. I didn’t even realize that I’d knocked before I see Jack at the door.
“Mind if I come in?” I asked timidly. Jack waved me in. I spotted Pacey was there as well. I had never been so thrilled to see both of them. “So what were you doing?”
“Just waiting for the pizza to arrive. Starving?”
I glanced at the bathroom door, determined not to let Dawson ruin my fun, “Definitely.”
Chapter 8- Garbage Pickup
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