Somewhere Else
Chapter 7 - Well-Intended
Jack was walking through the crowded hallways of the English building between classes when he heard someone calling his name. He spun around, eventually spotting Michael pushing through the pack to catch up. Reluctantly, Jack moved toward the wall and waited for him.
“Are you busy right now?” Michael brushed a hand through his thick brown hair, buying time in hope that Jack wouldn’t brush him off.
“Actually, I have to speak to a professor,” Jack replied abruptly. Truth be told, he wasn’t sure how to act around Michael anymore. It wasn’t even that the guy did anything wrong. Still, Jack felt that, even by simply talking to him, there were boundaries that he could be crossing.
Michael looked around until he saw an open door. “There’s an empty classroom. Just give me five minutes. Please?”
Jack sighed deeply, about to say no, when he got bumped by someone trying to squeeze through the hall. He relented, “Fine.” He followed Michael in the direction of the classroom.
When he entered, Jack sat on the professor’s table, waiting impatiently to hear what he had to say. Michael stood awkwardly near the desk, as if he was giving a presentation to a packed classroom instead of just one person.
“First of all, I need to apologize for the way I acted that night. The truth is I was scared of what would happen if you were alone with Charlie. I figured that as long as you didn’t see him, there was a chance you would eventually realize how great we were together. I’ve been trying to keep my emotions in check…”
Jack interrupted, “That was in check?”
“I didn’t say I was successful,” Michael replied sheepishly. “I kept hoping, even as I was driving home by myself that night, that you’d see you made the wrong choice.”
“I didn’t,” Jack flatly affirmed.
Michael shook his head, not wanting to let that answer sink in. “I’m not leaving.”
“I’d say that I hope we can be friends but I don’t see that working out, either. It’s over between us.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. You can’t resist what’s right in front of you.” Michael strode over to where Jack was seated, setting one hand on either side of Jack. “You have no idea the effect you have on people. I’m crazy about you. Maybe it annoys me that you don’t seem to share that feeling. But there are some things that just won’t go away. You’ll still be aggravated when Charlie cancels a visit…”
“He only did that once!” Jack reminded him. “He made up for it a week later.”
Michael continued, “Or when there’s a phone call that’s not particularly interesting. What are you going to do if you get into Boston University? I’ll still be the one you’re around and he’ll still be the one you struggle to have a conversation with at a decent hour. It’s a five-hour trip from Boston to New York City so the visits will be even less frequent. Not to mention you don’t want to be stuck with the same guy from your past. So why prolong what would inevitably happen?”
“First of all,” Jack broke through the barrier Michael created with his left arm. “I don’t know why you assume that I’d choose BU over NYU. I certainly wouldn’t opt for Boston because of you.”
“Would you be so harsh about this if Charlie wasn’t in the picture? Hell no! You wouldn’t be so quick to blow me off. You’ve enjoyed spending time with me but you refuse to admit there’s a possibility this life is better.”
Jack turned back to him, amazed at Michael’s arrogance. “I can understand if you’re mad at me for the breakup. The problem is that you’re so wrapped up in what’s best for you that nothing else matters. Going to exclusive parties and having the access to get into elite schools isn’t all there is in the world.” He stormed toward the exit.
Michael shouted out, “You enjoyed all that before so don’t pretend you have a conscience.” The door slammed shut. Michael leaned against the professor’s table, knowing it wasn’t over yet. He muttered, “He’ll be back.”
* * * * *
After two weeks of putting it off, Joey finally found herself standing outside Pacey’s door. It seemed rather silly now that she was so concerned. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted Pacey to agree with her or not anymore. It was more about getting everything out in the open now, before this would ruin everything.
Two nights ago, she called Jack to get a second opinion. Normally, she would have asked Jen but Joey could already determine her reply would be to the effect of “What the hell are you still doing here? You should be on the bus right now?” With Jack, there was the possibility that he’d consider Pacey and Lisette’s relationship in the answer.
Joey hadn’t expected Jack to arrange for Pacey to be alone in the room tonight. He insisted that Pacey cancel plans with Lisette so the guys could hang out. Jack didn’t exactly mind wrecking a night out for them - Joey was sure of that. She knocked on the familiar door and waited impatiently.
When Pacey opened the door, he was convinced he was imagining things. He hadn’t looked through the peephole because he assumed it was Jack and he was too lazy to unlock the door.
Seeing Joey, wearing the same coat that started his recent mind-wanderings along with a red scarf, made Pacey desperately wish he’d stayed with his original plans for the evening. “What brings you here?”
Joey replied casually, “I thought it was about time I visited this dump again.”
“So this was all a ploy to get the threesome to spend a night out together?” Pacey asked, silently hoping Jack would be out with them. Any time alone with Joey couldn’t be good.
“No,” Joey answered. “Jack did want to make sure you were home.”
Pacey chuckled, “To think, I thought he wanted to keep me away from Lisette. That wouldn’t have surprised me.” He stepped aside, “Come in.”
Joey strolled in, not quite sure where she should sit. She unbuttoned her coat, immediately thankful that she didn’t really go through with the lingerie aspect of her idea. The temperature was below freezing and the wind gusted all night so she opted for warmth over the possibility of frozen limbs. Instead, she wore a black sweater and her most flattering jeans. After all, if Pacey was truly accepting of what she wanted to say, he wouldn’t care what she wore.
Pacey held out his hand, waiting to hang up Joey’s coat. She offered her coat, which he hung over the handle of his closet. “Um,” Pacey looked around his suddenly cramped room, wanting there to be more space between them. “Want a seat?” Joey nodded, helping herself to Pacey’s desk chair. Pacey sat down on his bed, uncomfortable silence filling the room. “Was the trip here terrible?”
Joey sighed, “Friday night on a bus means one thing. Public transportation will have only weirdoes aboard. One guy thought I worked the streets and thought my fee should be sixty bucks. Another felt I would make a good muse.”
“At least their taste is first-rate,” Pacey remarked.
Joey continued before she’d have a chance to think about the implications of what he said, “How could I forget about the lady whose cell phone rang every five minutes. Which wouldn’t have been so bad if the ring didn’t play that annoying ‘Ketchup Song’.”
“Then again, some tastes are quite questionable,” he agreed. “Anyway, you were able to survive the journey.” It occurred to him there was a good chance that Joey would have to spend the night. It wasn’t exactly safe for Joey to be on the later buses if the trip here already had dubious characters.
“Barely,” Joey agreed. Then, reading his mind, she asked, “Do you mind if I’m forced to stay here?”
Pacey shrugged, acting as nonchalant as he could. “I guess there’s no other way.” Then he joked, “Since Jack tricked me into the visit, I’m sure he won’t mind sleeping on the floor.”
“Excellent,” she said as enthusiastically as she could. Joey realized she was better off not saying a word about the true reason she was here, at least not tonight. “Since I know your night’s free, any ideas?”
Pacey raised an eyebrow suggestively. “Since it’s freezing out, we could always warm each other up.”
Joey laughed uncomfortably, insisting, “It’s not that cold out. If there’s a party worth attending…”
“I don’t think so, Rudolph,” he said, reaching over to indicate her red nose, cold from the outdoors. Even that faint touch was probably more than he should have done. At least this time, he could excuse the tingle as being from winter’s effects. “I’d hate to suggest something Dawson would, but how about a movie?”
“I thought you only owned porn,” Joey kidded.
Pacey replied defensively, “That’s not true! There are at least two safe ones in this room from my collection.” He scratched his head as he observed the messiness of his side of the room, then amended, “Somewhere.” He handed the remote to Joey. “You find if there’s anything on T.V. while I look around.”
Joey watched amusingly as Pacey sat down on the floor, pulling assorted junk out from under his bed. She shook her head, then flipped on the set. After a minute of fruitless effort, she noticed Pacey pop up with a tape in hand.
“Okay, I found an unlabeled tape. Want to venture this?”
She pointed to the VCR, indicating to try it. “I hope there’s something incriminating on there.”
“I don’t tape dirty stuff and I’d certainly be careful enough to label it if I did.” He played the tape and sat back on his bed, hoping he was correct. Fortunately, the film began and it appeared to actually be a film.
Joey piped up, “Cool. St. Elmo’s Fire.” She turned the chair toward the screen.
Pacey grinned as he watched her try to get comfortable in the hard chair. Finally, he scooted over, offering her a seat. “You could move over here.”
Joey nodded, then stood up and sat down on his bed. Her back stiffened, not sure exactly how she should be positioned. Pacey laid down on the bed, aiming to get situated as well. Joey finally settled on leaning against the desk panel so she wasn’t blocking Pacey’s view. She slipped off her boots and swung her legs onto the bed.
“Why would you tape this movie? I know the reasons I would. The lesser-known though still damn good Brat Pack flick.”
Pacey shrugged, “Crazy Demi Moore is pretty hot.”
Joey accepted his flippant answer as she began paying attention to the movie.
After the film was over, Pacey looked away from the screen to find Joey slumped down, having dozed off. Rather than annoy her, he settled back down to watch her. With her not speaking, it was almost safer to be around her. He could think about and observe Joey without shielding from anyone else.
Truth be told, he knew it was wrong to still fantasize about Joey, whether he was dating someone else or not. Pacey wondered if it was possible for Joey to ever be interested in him again. And, more importantly, could he handle it if the day Joey woke up never came. Was it just because it wasn’t possible with Lisette or would he always be plagued by Joey’s presence?
Although he had suggested Joey join him on the bed out of courtesy, now he found it downright impossible to keep his hands off of her. Due to the naturally small size of the beds at college, there couldn’t have been more than two inches separating his body from her. The temptation was just too great for Pacey to handle.
Pacey sat up on the bed and leaned over her. He pushed strands of hair away from her face, each touch sending tingles through his body. He had missed how nice it could be to bond with someone, where it wasn’t essential to fill voids with meaningless words. Where just being in the same proximity was enough.
He was about to give in to at least some of that attraction when some familiarly irksome sounds hindered the mood. “You annoying fuck,” Pacey muttered as he struggled to crawl around Joey’s sprawled-out body. He headed for his stereo in hopes of blocking out the moaning coming from next door.
Joey mumbled, “What’s going on?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
That wasn’t sufficient enough, as Joey sat up, more curious than before. It was at that point that she heard the same noises. “I never realized the walls here were so thin.”
“Frank is just an asshole. It’s not so much the sounds as the fact that he seems to want everyone to know that he’s having sex.”
“So that’s the infamous Frank.” Joey smiled widely as she thought of an amusing idea. “Do you think he knows what I look like?”
“I doubt it. Why do you ask?” He immediately regretted that question as Joey jumped off the bed and immediately checked her reflection. “Are you planning to torture him?”
“Why, yes, of course,” Joey replied innocently as she turned away and headed for the exit. She twirled around and said sultrily, “Do you think he’ll find me sexy?”
Pacey bit his tongue to keep from answering that truthfully. That he’d have to be a blind idiot not to see that. “Given that I don’t know a single woman he wouldn’t flirt with, I’d safely say you’d get his attention.”
Joey nodded then left the room and darted for her former room. She knocked on the door, with initially no reply. She pounded louder, at least partially so she could block out the sounds on the other side.
Someone yelled, “Hold on.”
Joey grinned slightly, trying desperately not to laugh at what she was about to carry out. A minute later, the door swung open, revealing the guy she was about to fool. He’d probably thrown on the first things he’d found on the floor, which explained the rumpled UCLA t-shirt and cut-off sweatpants.
“Can I help you?”
“Yeah.” Joey coughed as she put on her most naïve tone. “I happened to see you around this building. I hope you’d be awake now since it is a Friday night. I finally got up the nerve…”
Frank flashed a smile, then replied, “No need to be bashful around me, sweetie.”
Joey couldn’t believe how right Pacey had been. How dare he flirt with someone while another woman was on his bed. Unless it only sounded that way, which was entirely feasible. “I noticed you in my morning class…”
“The 8 a.m. class?” Frank cut her off.
Joey replied, “That would be the one.”
“I usually sleep through that one. I’ll try not to from now on.”
The next voice was the female company. “Frankie, would you get rid of whoever is at the door.” The voice seemed vaguely familiar, yet Joey couldn’t quite place why.
Joey looked over Frank’s shoulder to find a female scurrying to get dressed. There was a rhinestone covered denim jacket on the floor and a mound of blue hair struggling to find her shirt, as opposed to the too-large jersey she must have borrowed off of Frank. There was only one person she could think of and Joey hoped she was wrong. “Lisette?”
Chapter 8 - Do You Really Want To Know?
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