December 28.

Pacey didn't see Joey until the late afternoon the next day. He found her holed up in her room, enthralled in what looked like a romance novel. "Hey you."

She glanced up from her book. "Um, hey. Where's Audrey?"
"She went shopping with Jack and Jen." He stepped into her room, "Whatcha reading?" He tilted his head to read the cover. "Pure Temptation, Sounds sexy."

"It's not."

"Really?" He arched an eyebrow, "They're half naked on the cover."

"Don't you have someone else to bother?"

"Um..." he tapped his chin. "Nope, you're my favorite person to pest. Besides, no one else is home. There isn't another soul in the place."

"Then why don't you go do something constructive with your time?"

"I am." She rolled her eyes and went back to reading her book. He wouldn’t be so easily dissuaded. "So, why have you been hiding in your room all day?"

"Simply been enjoying my vacation."

"Uh huh." He sat down on her bed. "So what exactly is so captivating about romance novels? Are they like Penthouse Letters for women or something?"

"Maybe if you let me finish reading I can tell you."

His brow furrowed. "Far be it for me to interrupt."

"Go away then."

"But you're being just so hospitable."

"I have to try harder then."

He frowned, "What's your problem?"

"Pacey, I'm really not in the mood to deal with you today."

"The mood to deal with me? I wasn't aware I required a certain mood."

"You do and I'm not."

"That's hardly fair, Joey."

"Go away."

"Yeah, sure. Fine." He stood up and went back to the door.

She turned the page in her book. "Thank you."

"Whatever." She ignored him as he shut the door behind him with a quiet click that spoke just as loudly as if he'd slammed it.

She sighed. "Pacey!"

A moment later, the door opened again and his head peeked around the corner, "Yes?"

"Leave the door open." He rolled his eyes, and complied. "Thank you!"

"You're not welcome!" he yelled back.

"Bite me!"

"I would but you'd probably kick me in the balls!"

"And you'd deserve it!"

Pacey shook his head, he knew he was acting immaturely, but damn her, she's the one who brought it out in him. He walked into the living room and turned on the stereo, blasting the volume.

"Pacey!" She screeched. He pretended not to hear her. She scowled, climbed to her feet and slammed the door shut before bursting into tears.





After a few moments of Bessie's Celine Dion going at full blast, Pacey turned off the music. Just because she started acting irrationally didn't mean he had too as well. He walked back to he bedroom and rapped lightly on the door and then entered. "Potter?"

She frowned from her spot on the bed and wiped at her eyes. "What?"

"I'm sorry about that." He gestured behind him, "I was acting like a child." He stepped into the room, "Are you crying?"

She balked. "I was not crying."

He shut the door. "You were crying."

"I was not," she repeated firmly.

He moved closer to the bed, "Your cheeks are still wet."

Her eyes fell to the book folded open on her bed. "There was a really sad part in the book..."

"The smutty sex book?" He asked doubtfully.

"It's not smutty."

"But it's not what made you cry, either, is it?" He frowned, hesitantly sitting beside her on the bed.

"It is."

He picked up the book and turned to the marked page. "Which part, exactly made you cry? Where he's sucking her nipple or where she's going--"

"You kissed Audrey!"

"Oh." He let the book fall closed and watched tears pool in her eyes. "Ohhhhh. I didn't exactly kiss her, Joey."

"You know what? Whatever. I don't care." He watched her with a troubled frown. "I could care less. You two are free to kiss whoever you want. Who cares that she's my roommate? I mean really," she went to reach for her book and then hit him in the chest. "You stupid idiot! She's my roommate! How can you kiss her? Is sex all that matters to you?!"

"I didn't kiss her! Joey, she kissed me. It was completely one sided and it's not going to happen again. Okay? So calm down."

She exhaled sharply. "I don't need to calm down because I don't care."

"Why does the idea of Audrey and I together bother you so much?"

"It doesn't."

"It does too. Am I not good enough for her? I get that she's rich and all, but I really don't think she cares that much that we're not running in the same social circles."

"You are so obtuse!" She glared at him and stormed out of the room.

He narrowed his eyes and followed after her. "I am not obtuse! If it's not her that you think is too good for me, than it's me that's too good for her. God knows it can't be because Joey Potter is jealous! Hell would freeze over before you became attracted to me!"

"Oh, bite me!"

"Quit saying that! That is the world’s worse come back!"

She whirled around her eyes flaring. "I hate you!"

"That's slightly better. Hit me with another one."

"Drop dead!"

He folded his arms across his chest. "You're boring me, Jo. You can do better than that, " He taunted.

She clenched her hands together tightly. "I loathe you!"

He arched a dark eyebrow, "You were doing better with hate."

She released a huffed breath of exasperation and turned around. "Goodbye!"

He bit his lip and caught her by the shoulder. "Why are you so angry?"

"You're the one with the problem."

"You're the one screaming that you hate me."

"You just can't leave well enough alone."

"There's nothing 'well enough' right now to be left alone." He moved around her so they were face to face. "Why were you crying?"

"Well, if you're too stupid to figure it out then you shouldn't know at all."

He grumbled something about women and logic under his breath before cupping her face in his hands and kissing her.

Her eyes watered and she pushed him away. "God, what is wrong with you?!"

He gaped at her, tears clinging stubbornly to her lashes and her arms crossed over her chest. "I--I--I--"

"What?"

"I--I--I don't know," He stuttered.

"Figures," she muttered.

His eyes narrowed, "I don't need this from you Joey. If you've got something to say than you might as well get it out in the open."

She frowned. "I don't know why you just don't leave me alone."

"Because you're my best friend. Because you're obviously upset. Because I've--" He glared at her, "I don't need this, I don't need you."

"So that's what you do, Pacey? You just go around kissing your friends?!"

He narrowed his eyes, "Yeah, kissing, offering sex, sharing my worst nightmares, I do that with all my friends. You should ask Dawson about our weekend in Atlantic City!"

"Cute, Pacey." She scowled. "Very cute."

"What do you want Joey? You're upset because you thought I kissed Audrey. Now you're upset because I kissed you. Explain this to me!"

"Why did you kiss me, Pacey?"

His face hardened into an indecipherable look. "To get you to quit talking."

"I hate you."

"Why? No harm, no foul right? You didn't want me to kiss you, you pushed me away, and it's just the same as last year."

She released a sharp breath and headed for the front door, pulling her coat off the rack on her way. "I'm going to go for a walk."

"Great!" He turned away, walking down the hallway, "I won't be here when you get back."

"Good!"

"Fine!"

"Good riddance!"

"Perfect!"

"Wonderful!"

He slammed his bedroom door angrily and she followed suit, slamming the front door loudly behind her.






"What did you do to him?" Audrey demanded, as she saw Joey start to walk toward the house. Her arms were folded across the chest of her coat as she stood on the porch.

"What are you talking about?"

"Pacey."

"I didn't do anything to him." She shook her head and made her way up to the porch.

"Well, he's gone."

"Oh well."

"Joey," Audrey caught her arm as she tried to pass into the house. "He packed his things and left."

"Okay..."

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Why'd he leave?" She asked again.

"Why didn't you ask him? Was I here? Why would I know?"

"He was gone when I got here."

"Then how did you know he packed everything?" She raised an eyebrow. "Were you snooping?"

"See for yourself."

She sighed. "Fine."

Audrey frowned, confused over this turn of events. "I go shopping for one afternoon and everything just falls apart."

"Yeah, Audrey. You're the glue that holds us together." She rolled her eyes and pulled off her coat.

"Just go look in his room and tell me that he hasn't left."

"He didn't like take the sheets and everything with him, did he?" Joey cast her a look over her shoulder as she headed down the hall.

Audrey folded her arms over her chest and followed her.

"Why are you mad at me?" Joey asked incredulously as she stopped in front of the door. "What did I do?"

"He was in a perfectly good mood when I left."

"Not surprising." She opened the door for Audrey.

"You're awfully bitter for a person who doesn't give a rat's ass about Pacey."

"I am not bitter."

"Explain to me how this happened."

"Nothing happened."

"Joey. This is me. Audrey. I've lived with you for the last three months; I know your habits, your quirks, that look you get when you're trying not to tell me something."

"Actually, I am pretty upset. I mean, who's going to carry all your bags when it's time for us to leave?" She headed to her room.

"What did you say to him?"

"Nothing!"

"Fine, what did he say to you?"

"Nothing."

"What happened?"

"Oh my God, Audrey. How many times do I need to say that nothing happened?"

"I don't know, I'm trying to find out."

"Well for the last, and final time, nothing happened."

"I don't believe you."

"Fine. Then don't believe me."

"Jo-ey. What. Happened?"

"N-O-T-H-I-N-G."

"You're lying."

"I'm not. In fact, you can just call Pacey and ask him yourself."

"Call him? How?"

"I don't know, Audrey. His cell phone or something."

"He has a cell phone?"

"I thought you of all people would know this."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Audrey shot her an inquisitive glare.

Joey shrugged. "You seem to know everything else."

"I've never known you to be a bitch, Joey."

"I am so not in the mood, Audrey."

"Well neither am I. What the hell happened? He wouldn't have left unless you asked him to."

"Why do you care so much anyway? You're supposed to be my friend."

"I am."

"Then why are you so worried about Pacey?"

"I'm worried about what losing Pacey is going to do to you."

Joey just shook her head and collapsed onto her bed. "Just leave me alone. I'm tired. I just want to sleep and pretend this day never happened."

"Fine." Audrey sighed, "Just tell me what Pacey's cell is."

"Check my phone book."

"So unhelpful." Audrey took the address book and left the bedroom. "I'm sure he's staying with Dawson anyhow."

"Whatever." Joey muttered indifferently, burying face into her pillow.