She walked slowly through the halls, her eyes searching for that certain someone. Someone she knew she wouldn't see. It was a habit to her though. Everyday she walked into school, with hope that she would see him, and everyday she was disappointed because she didn't.

By the time she reached her locker, the familiar look of disappointment crossed her face. Once again, he wasn't there. Not that that surprised her, she just couldn't help but wish that one day he would be there. That the past could be forgotten and he would be there again.

"Hey Jo," Jen says walking up to her.

"Hey Jen," Joey replied sounding slightly down.

"Are you okay?" Jen questioned.

"Yeah fine," Joey replied, not looking at Jen, randomly moving things from her locker to her bookbag and back.

"Then why do you keep putting the same things from you locker into your bookbag then taking them out and putting them back into your locker?" Jen asks.

Joey stops removing things from her bookbag, and gave Jen a sidelong glance. "I didn't realize I was. I..just have a lot to think about today."

"Oh my gosh..I forgot what to day was...."

Joey interupted Jen before she can continue. "Today's Friday. Everyone knows that."

"That's not what I was talking about and you know it."

"No I don't. Today's Friday. The last day of the week. That's it. Plain and simple," Joey replied.

"Okay Jo. If that's how you want to act. But you know you just can't forget about it."

"Forget about it? I'll never forget about it. I remember it each and everyday of my life!" Joey yells.

She then remembers where she is and notices the looks she was getting from everyone around her and turned around slamming her locker shut. She ran out of the school, ignoring everyone around her.

---

Joey ran out of the school and didn't stop there, but headed to the one place she could be alone and able to think through everything. She arrived at her destination in a matter of minutes... her dock. She walked slowly to the end of it and sat down as thoughts invaded her head.

One year ago today he was gone and in a matter of a few days, they were both gone. Taking a part of her with them. The memories of that day never faded and memories of a happy past played through her mind. It's amazing how things can change in a matter of seconds. Things would never be the same for her again, but she never expected that they would.

The sound of footsteps on the dock behind her tore her from her thoughts. She turned to see Bessie standing not far from her.

"How are you?" Bessie asks her concern in her eyes.

"I'm...alright, I guess." Joey says simply, turning to look at the water once again.

---

The young man of eighteen ran his fingers through his short cropped hair and sighed. The traffic going out of Philly was horrific, even at ten in the morning. "And route 477, is backed up for miles due to a truck turned over near Exit 239, avoid it if you can people. It'll be at least an hour wait." The radio DJ announced. The young man looked around quickly for a road sign nearby. 'Route 477.' He was stuck. It wasn't like he was looking forward to getting to his destination, but to be stuck in traffic too? 'Great, just great'.

He was going home. 'Home,' he thought. He wondered what he'd be encountering when he got to Capeside. He wasn't expecting much. He had just up and left almost a year ago. Not telling any one where he had gone or why he'd left.

He grimiced and bit his lip at the reminder. It had been a year ago today. A year ago when he hurt the person closest to him, and a year ago when he left his family... and his friends, when they had needed him the most.

He wondered randomly, if they'd still be his friends when he returned. He doubted it, he didn't think he'd be able to forgive any of them if they'd left amidst all the trauma and heartache of last year, when they'd all needed each other the most. Hell, he couldn't forgive himself for leaving.

And now, he was going back. He couldn't take the lonliness, the guilt any more, he had to go back, even if there was nothing left for him to go back to. The car in front of him, moved forward a few feet. And he followed close behind. There was no turning back. He wouldn't let himself turn back.

---

Bessie watched Joey for a few minutes, before sitting down next to her. "Wanna talk about it?" she asked.

They were gone. She didn't expect them to come back. It was what she wished would happen... but it was only a wish. "I just miss them both, you know? It's been a year but it still hurts just as much... if not more," Joey said with tears in her eyes.

"Oh Jo. It'll be okay" Bessie said wrapping an arm around Joey as best she could from where she was sitting.

"I hope they're okay. Wherever they are." she stated softly. "Bessie? Would you mind if I just sat out here alone for a while?"

"Not at all. If you need to talk, you know where to find me. Everything will be okay," she assured her sister getting up slowly. "Everything will be okay."

Joey heard her walk away. Everything would be okay? How? Somehow she didn't believe it. Nothing was okay. Nothing would ever be okay again. It was only a hope, one solitary wish . One she believed would never come true.

--

Four hours later, he began to recognize some of the sights. A familar tree, a remembered farmhouse, little things, he thought he'd forgotten. As he got closer to Capeside, he began to feel like he was getting closer and closer to home. And as he did so, he began to make a mental list of the things he had to do, once he got there.

'Check in at home. . . find a place to rent,' It wasn't as if he wasn't wanted at home . . . he just didn't feel right about going back to his house. Too much had happened. And he'd become used to living mostly on his own. No one was around much at his house in Philly. 'See if I can get my job back at ScreenPlay . . . sign up for classes at CHS,' He'd be back just in time for his second semester of Senior year. He thought it'd be nice to graduate with his friends.

His friends... 'were they still?' He didn't even know what happened to them all. If Jen, Jack and Andie were still there. Jen could have moved back to New York and Jack and Andie could be back in Providence for all he knew. But Joey would be there. She had no where else to go.

But he wouldn't think of Joey now. It brought an ache to his chest just to say her name, knowing he had left her when she had needed him the most. 'How could she have dealt with losing us both at the same time?' His eyes began to water, but he wiped viciously at them. 'It's been a year! There shouldn't be any more tears!' he chastized himself.

He had run away... from Capeside, from responsibilities, from school, from family, from friends, from the guilt and he thought, from the pain. But you could never outrun the pain. It just followed you growing stronger and more painful by the day. It had taken him a year to gain the strengh to come back. And this time, he wouldn't leave until he faced all that he left behind.

---

Fours hours later, Joey was where she was before, sitting on the dock staring out at the water as tears fell down her face. A year later and she still wasn't over losing either of them. She wasn't sure she'd ever be.

She was in a way the same person she was a year ago, except a bit stronger. At least that's what she thought, it wasn't as if she knew for sure. Nothing ever seemed as it was. Everything she thought would be easy to do the whole year was a lot harder then she expected. She was pretty much alone. Andie left for Providence. Jen and Jack were there, but it wasn't the same for her. Deep down, she felt alone.

She had survived one year without them. Maybe it would get easier as the time went. 'Probably not'... but she could hope. Her eyes scanned the water. If only she could see them again... for one day at least.

---

"Welcome to Capeside, Massachusettes, Population 1200" The sign read. This was it. He was home. He felt a wave of nostalgia crash over him. The high school still looked the same, the park, the library, the museum. It even smelled the same. It was as if nothing had changed in the little town since he had left.

But he knew better, he had changed. His friends had changed and it was time to face it all. He drove in the direction of his home, up the long drive to the two story house. Even it looked the same. As if his dissapearance hadn't made a difference. They weren't expecting him, no one was.

He sighed and shifted the car into park. It was time to face the music. It was time to bring his life back into order.

---

Joey heard someone else walking down the dock and sit next to her. "How long have you been out here?"

"All day. I haven't moved since I left school this morning," Joey replied.

"You okay?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, Jack" she replied.

"Truthfully?"

"Truthfully . . . I'm not over it yet," she said softly.

"It takes time to get over things like that."

"But a year?"

"I don't know, Jo. It takes different amounts of time for each person. But today's going to be especially hard for you, after all...." he stated truthfully.

"Yeah it is. I should be going....I've been here for a while," she said getting up. "I'll talk to you later?"

"Of course," Jack said as he got up and gave her a hug. "Everything'll be okay."

"I've heard that before," she said with a small smile.

"Well maybe you should start believing it then," he replied.

She nodded and walked away headed towards the one other place she felt safe.

---

'Finally,' he thought stepping out onto the porch. He'd spent hours explaining and re-explaining to his father why he had left. His father hadn't taken it well, but he got the distict impression his dad was glad to see him again. He was going to stay there until he found a place of his own.

He checked his watch it was a quarter to five. The school was still open. Now was the perfect time to enroll again. The office was still open, but there was virtually no chance of running into any of his classmates. He wasn't sure if he was ready to see them, yet. 'That's what I came here for.' He reminded himself. 'Oh well, you can worry about that when the time comes.'

He backed out of his driveway and headed in the direction of CHS. He still marveled at how little change had taked place in the town compared to how much he himself had changed. But now wasn't the time to be introspective. He had spent to much of the last year analyzing his feelings and actions and analyzing them again and analyzing what his friends would thinking and feeling and analyzing what happened and back to analyzing himself all over again. It was a vicious cycle he never got out of, it never let up. And underlying it all was the overwhelming feelings of guilt, anguish, regret and shame.

He shoved it all out of his mind as he pulled into the almost empty school parking lot. He came back to rectify all that. He was here. And that's all that mattered. He pulled his jacked tighter around him. It was beginning to get chilly, he'd forgotten how cold it got on the coast in January. He entered the school, and was again hit with a wave of familiarity.

---

"You start Monday. Will that be okay?" Mrs. Kliner asked him, handing him a school ID card.

"Monday," He echoed, "right." He gave her a strained smile and walked away. 'Monday,' he thought. 'Two days. I have two days to prepare.' He got back into his car, he still had to see the Real Estate agent, and go back to ScreenPlay to see about a job. During the drive across town he began to regret starting school so soon. He had come back to Capeside with the noble intenion of righting all the wrongs he committed. Of apolgizing for his mistakes so he finally come to terms with what happened. Now though, with Capeside, his family and school staring him in the face, he wasn't sure if he was ready. But he no longer had a choice.

---

"Wonderful. So I have the number where you can be reached?" The Real Estate agent asked. She was a tall women in her middle ages, a little on the perky side. She reminded him of Andie.

"Yes, that it. You'll let me know when you find an apartment in my price range?" He asked.

"Yes, right away. Have a nice day!" She stood and took his hand, shaking it. He turned with one last smile and made his way back to his car. 'Well, that was an adventure. One last stop.' He thought and drove to the center of town.

ScreenPlay hadn't changed any. It still had the green trim and tent sign out front. He took a deep breath and opened his door. This would be the hardest step to take... at least for today. The door jingled, just the same way it always had, when he opened it. The isles of videos were just as cramped as they alwasy were. He looked around and was assualted by the overwelming sense of familiarity. It felt just the same, the smell of stale popcorn, the scuffed up floor, the old videos, the dingy curtain seperating the back room from the store.

It was just like the days before, when they were all together and the biggest problem any of them faced was who liked who. It brought back movie nights and pillow fights, and dinners at the Ice House. He felt like he was sixteen again, working at the video store, goofing off with his best friend. At any second he expected - "Hello, may I help you?" The voice brought

"I... uh...um..." He turned to face the fresh faced boy of about fourteen. He shook his head. It had been to much. There were to many memories there for him to stay there even one moment, let alone work there again. He had to get out.

"No... I have to... to..." He turned and left quickly, climbing into his car. He didn't start it though. It wasn't any easier, a year later, he was still as heartbroken as the day it happened. No amount of time had changed that. He doubted that it ever would.

He sat there, gripping the steering wheel, trying in vain to hold the tears back. It bit his lip until it bled and his knuckles turned white with the strain. He broke though when he lifted his eyes momentarily to the ScreenPlay sign above the door. He could just make it out through is watery eyes. The sobs came then, hard and fast, shaking his whole body, he began to choke on them, but they didn't let up. He couldn't breath anymore, the sorrow held him in a vice like grip, it was all he could feel. He sat there for twenty minutes biting his lip until it bled, gripping the steering wheel until is knuckles turned white, all the while crying.

He finally brought himself under control. It left him feeling sick inside, but also a little releived. The strangleing hold that his pain held over his heart had lessened slightly, not much, just enough to so he could feel a difference. And for the first time since he got there, he felt he had made the right decision in coming back to Capeside. There was just one last place he wanted to visit before he went home. The sun would set in a few minutes. He pulled the car into reverse and headed in the direction of the water.

---

Joey had been sitting on the boat, "True Love" for a while. Thinking and rethinking everything as she painted it. 'Why had it happened? How could a year have gone by?' It seemed like such a short amount of time to be just a year, but it was.

She noticed the sun was getting ready to set. She heard a car pull up behind her. 'Who could it be?' No one ever came there but her . . . at least that's what she thought.

She sat where she was with her back, facing whoever would be coming. She heard the car stop and the door open. She slowly turned around to see who it was.

A look of shock crossed her face. He left one year ago and a year later he was back. Tears started to fall down her face, as she stared at him wondering if this was real or if it were just a dream. If it were a dream she never wanted to wake up. He was back, but for how long?

---

He didn't see her until he got out of his car. He stood there in shock. He hadn't expected her to be there. He wasn't prepared to see her yet. But he doubted if he'd ever be prepared to see her. He'd left them all, really, but he knew she'd feel like he'd deserted her. And in essance he had. He wouldn't have been able to face her everyday knowing what he'd done, feeling the guilt of taking him away from her, away from them all.

They stood there just staring at each other. A blast of cold wind hit them and seemed to whisper to Pacey urging him to do something. He tried to speak, but his mouth had gone dry, he swallowed and tried again. And was only able to speak one word, it was the single hardest thing he'd ever had to say.

"Joey."

She stared up at him from her spot on his boat, his almost completely renovated boat, and let the tears fall unheeded. There was only one thing left for her to say.

"Pacey."