Andie sat next to Pacey and looked over his arm to the book on the table. "Ooh. Hemingway. I love him."

"He's boring." Pacey sighed and shut the book. "How could someone make the sea boring? I mean, old men I get. They're generally boring as a rule. But the sea…" He sighed again, more dramatically. "I'm never going to make it through this book, Andie."

"You will." She ran her hand over his forearm. "How are you?"

"Good." He nodded, his thumb ruffling the pages. "You?"

"Good. Great." She nodded as well. "I mean, you know…relieved that Abby didn't unmask us all."

"I think you and I are the only two up for unmasking. Maybe the other guys are better drama, since we're just a stodgy old couple, but we're the ones that did the deed."

"But not again, right? Not for a while?"

He turned his head so he could meet her gaze, smiling at her. "Not until we're both ready, McPhee. Whenever that is."

"Thank you, Pacey."

He shrugged, leaning in to kiss her on the nose. "Pleasure, Andie." He pulled away from her as the rest of the gang joined them. Joey sat next to him, her whole body stiff. Dawson, Jen and Jack sank down on the other bench across the picnic table.

"Well, all the partners in crime. I can't believe Abby actually did the right thing." Dawson shook his head. "I didn't think she was capable of anything resembling restraint."

"Maybe she didn't want to get caught in the crossfire again." Joey chewed her bottom lip, not looking at Dawson or Jen. "Or maybe she managed to find a shred of human decency underneath the conniving bitchiness that she passes off as personality. Whatever. I'm just glad it's over."

"You think it's over, Joey?" Dawson gave her a searching look, not even noticing as Jen shook her head, her lips set in a thin line. "You really think now that we know who slept together, everything's just resolved in a neat little package?"

"No, Dawson. That's not what I think. I think that it's none of our business who sleeps with whom. I think that what happens in the bedroom should stay there. I don't think that anyone, especially Abby, has the right to drag someone's personal life out into the spotlight."

"Is this some sort of dig at my film, Joey?"

Pacey groaned and slammed his book down on the wooden table. "Can't you two just shut up? God." He stood and grabbed his stuff. "I can't stand it anymore. Just…can't you just sleep together and put the rest of us out of our misery?"

They all watched him storm off, stunned. Joey glared at Dawson. "Are you happy now?"

"Happy about what?" He held up his hands. "I don't get it, Jo. What are we even talking about?"

"Nothing. We're not talking about anything, Dawson." She got up as well, stalking off toward the school.

Jen looked from Jack to Andie to Dawson then leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, that was…odd."

"That," Jack informed her, picking up her apple and taking a bite, "redefined odd."

Joey sank down on the bleachers next to Pacey. "What are you reading?"

"I'm attempting to read The Old Man and the Sea, but I think it might be a lost cause. The book is boring. I cannot state enough how boring the book is."

"I could never get through that one either."

"If I can't make it through one of his short ones, I don't know how I'm going to suffer through the rest of American Lit." He sighed. "Which kind of wakes me up to the fluke that my test was the other day."

"What test?"

"Didn't I tell you? Or should I say, didn't Andie shout it from the rooftops? I got an A."

She smiled genuinely, "That's great, Pace."

"Yeah. I sorta thought so."

"I think I told you once that you were smart."

"Nah, you said I was a smart-ass."

"Oh. I get those two confused."

Pacey laughed and bumped his shoulder against hers. "So what are you doing out here, Potter? I figured you'd still be back at the picnic table debating with Dawson."

"I got tired of it."

"You still love him, Jo?"

"Most of the time."

"You still want to be his girlfriend, right? Despite all the Jack stuff?"

"I like Jack. A lot."

"But he's not Dawson."

"No one's ever going to be Dawson, Pacey. Even Dawson isn't really Dawson, if I'm honest." She looked out at the green grass, idly watching two boys run around the track. "Did you read the note?"

"Yeah."

"And?"

"You don't have anything to apologize for, Jo."

"I do." She picked at the hem of her shorts. "You offered to do something for me and I didn't have the courtesy to let you know that I'd changed my mind. You put up with my questions and my…" She blushed and shook her head. "I could have caused problems for you and Andie."

"Well, I appreciate the concern, but it's unnecessary, Jo. Honest." He shrugged and leaned back, his face tilted up toward the sun. "Andie and I are beyond fine. I'm sure the picture of me has been suitably destroyed to keep it from falling into the wrong hands, and as for your questions…well, it's nice to have someone who'll tell you straight. I'm a firm believe that your first girlfriend or boyfriend or whatever should be someone who can answer all those questions for you."

"But probably not because she's old enough to teach Sex Ed, right?"

He laughed softly. "Right."

"What about Andie, Pace?" Joey's voice was soft, unsure whether or not she was treading on dangerous ground. "Was it…?"

"It was what I wanted it to be," he admitted. "But it was also too soon."

"But now you're on that course, right? You can't go back to being friends?"

He shook his head. "Not friends. But I don't think we're ready to be lovers, either. So we'll dial it back a notch. It won't be easy."

"Well, if it helps, I'll constantly give you frightening sexual statistics to keep you from getting any untoward urges." She flushed as he smiled at her. "For your own good, of course."

"Of course." He leaned in, his voice low and somehow sexy. "Although talking about sex with you, Potter, I'm liable to get some very untoward urges."

"In that case," she assured him with a wink, "I'll kick your ass."