"You know what I think?"
"No. And surprising to no one, I don't care either." Joey set his glass on the table, not caring as Coke sloshed over the sides. "Are you going to order?"
"I think this whole thing is overrated."
She sighed, hand on her hip. "And what whole thing would that be?"
"Dating."
"Oh, you're dating?" She laughed and shook her head. "How many times do we have to tell you, Pacey, the girls pose naked for everyone who looks at the magazine, not just for you. Just because it's got your name in the subscription box, doesn't mean that you're the only one who gets it."
"You're amazingly not funny. It's almost a talent." He glared at her and took a sip of his drink. "Where's your better half?"
Joey blushed, her gaze drifting toward the counter where Jack was standing before she sat down across from him, grabbing his Coke and taking a long drink. "So, you're dating?"
"Did you know that their brother died?" He rested his cheek on his hand watching Jack as he talked to one of the vacationing college guys. "Some car crash. Killed him. Their mom was driving."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I just…" He shrugged and straightened, not looking at her. "You ever just think you've got it bad or tough and then someone else comes along?"
She shrugged as well. "Everyone's got it tough, Pacey. Sometimes your life seems like the worst on the block and other times it's someone else's turn."
"Spoken so philosophically now that you're dating the golden boy." He shook his head. "Never mind. I don't know why I thought I could talk to you about this."
"Neither do I," she snapped, sneering at him.
"Jesus, Potter. Why don't you get down off your high horse and just…" He shoved his Coke away and shook his head. He lowered his voice, leaning into her as he stood up, growling angrily. "You just can't stand that anyone else might be suffering more than poor, little Joey Potter, can you? If it's not all about you, you can't even manage to give a fuck." He shoved away from the table, heading for the door, almost smiling at the shattering sound as his glass hit the floor.
"So, I'm a bitch." Joey sat down on the dock next to him, shrugging her shoulders. "It's not like that's any surprise, is it?"
"Not really, no."
She took the jibe in stride, kicking her feet above the greenish-blue water. "What did you say when you found out?"
"I don't know. Her mom…she talks like he's still alive." He shrugged. "I mean, she seemed normal, a little off maybe, but normal until you knew that she was talking about some guy that wasn't even there."
"Sounds tough."
"Yeah." They were silent for a long moment, both of them staring out at the water in the distance. "Aren't you supposed to be working?"
"Yeah."
"You left Jack alone in there?"
"It's slow. Besides, he was talking to one of the guys from the boat down on the lower docks. Something about Providence, people they both know or something." She leaned back, staring up at the sky. "So, are you guys, like, a couple now?"
"I don't know. It wasn't exactly your typical first date."
"Given that your first first date involved screwing your English teacher while trespassing on private property, I think it passes as a typical first date."
"Figured that out, did you?"
"It wasn't hard." She smirked, the quick twist of her lips softening into a smile. "You like difficult girls, Pacey."
"That can't be it, otherwise I'd have a thing for you. And we both know that's never gonna happen."
She laughed and bumped his shoulder with hers. "I think she's nice, if it makes any difference to you."
"It doesn't."
"Although she's obviously in need of some serious mental help if she's got a thing for you. I mean, let's face facts here, Pacey. You're you."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
"Well, it can't be good." She got to her feet and held her hand out to him. He took it and stood as well, facing her with a small smile. Joey looked up at him and shook her head. "Just go slow, okay? Don't rush into anything. You're allowed to just be a teenager, you know."
"What else would I be?"
"I don't know, Mr. I slept with someone twice my age."
"Are you ever going to stop with that?" He was about to say something else when he turned, watching as Miss Jacobs and Dawson's dad walked past them on the sidewalk several feet away. He bit the inside of his lip and turned away, smiling weakly at Joey. "So," he cleared his throat, ridding his voice of the milky threat of tears "How much do I owe you for the glass?"
"The glass is free. The Coke's going to cost you about seven bucks. Or about three hours of slave labor behind the grill."
"You drive a hard bargain, Potter."
"Shut up and put on an apron."
| Rhythm - "The Dance" |
| 2/19/03 |
| Dawson's Archive | Buffy Archive |