| Lecey had approached him with the idea in early September. She was on extended summer break, and was heading to Rhode Island to spend time with some Capeside friends who were already down there. He had a few days vacation coming, so did he want to tag along? Pacey knew he really would be a 'tag along' as her friends were rowdy 19-20 year olds, but he desperately needed a break from the town that held so many memories. And he ended up convincing himself that at one time he, too, was a rowdy teen. But once the plane touched down, and Lecey's friends greeted them, he knew right away that this was one vacation they would be spending apart. The friends turned out to be party animals - two girls and one guy - whom Lecey had gone to high school with. Their first planned event was to 'initiate' Lecey back into their group with a swim down at the marina, followed by a trip out sailing. Pacey was reminded of the old sailing boat that he had worked on in high school. True Love, she'd been called - his new project to keep his mind off Andie's betrayal. But as his longing for her grew, his dedication for the boat diminished - and he ended up selling it for scrap material. His true love had already come and gone. He was pulled from his trance by Lecey snapping her fingers in his face, telling him that they were leaving. He made a lame excuse about wanting to "explore the town on his own," and promised to meet up with them at a local bed and breakfast later that evening. Lecey pouted at his excuse, but she quickly forgave him, and trotted off after her friends. As they left, Pacey overheard one of the guys asking if he was always such a bore - and was surprisingly hurt when Lecey didn't jump to his defense. He had been 'da man' in high school! He had the best track record - relatively speaking - of all the guys his age! Even when Andie had come into his life, he always had something to do on a Friday night, and he spent every free moment living his teen life to the fullest. But things had drastically changed when he broke up with Andie. It was like the get together circle was broken without her. He had tried to get involved in things with her - like the play they'd done - but it always ended up driving them further apart. It got to the point where he couldn't afford to be near her, because he couldn't control his urge to hold her, kiss her, and go back to the way things used to be. Which, of course, they couldn't. In an attempt to clear her memory from his mind, Pacey hailed a taxi. He set off to find some type of activity that would hopefully keep him busy until he had to go back to Lecey. Maybe if he were lucky, he would find himself something to do that would last the three days until their plane left for home. He let the driver continue for quite some time, until coming upon a small shopping mall. Walking through, he seriously considered surfing lessons, bowling, or taking a job at one of the merchants, to keep him occupied. But, at last he was forced to give in to his stomach's grumbling, and made his way to towards where he thought the food court was. He never found it, but did end up stumbling into a small grocery store that connected to the mall. Thinking he could buy a bagel and something to drink, Pacey made his way into the store. He was standing at the bagel counter, debating between a maple and sundried tomato bagel, when something - or rather, someone - caught his eye. At first he thought it was Lecey, and was about to curse his bad luck, when he suddenly realized that this girl was taller, and that her blonde hair was long, and tied back. She was pushing a shopping cart full of items, with what looked like a two-year-old girl in the child seat. The more Pacey watched, the more this woman reminded him of Andie. The way she moved, the way she walked. The only difference was that she seemed to be constantly slouched, talking to the child. Always a stickler for good posture, he knew Andie wouldn't be caught dead slouching. But Pacey had to shake his head. This wasn't Andie, he reminded himself. He couldn't keep going around and comparing every blonde woman he saw to her. Besides, Andie was probably at Boston U right now, working on her Ph.D., and not giving a thought in his direction. He willed himself to just walk away, and was about to do so when, among the noise of the store, he caught a familiar voice. Andie. He put down the bagels in his hands, and took off in the direction of the blonde. She was making her way towards the checkouts; the little girl had begun to scream. As he walked briskly, Pacey told himself that he was just going to have a look - to see the woman face to face, to convince himself that she wasn't who he thought she was. That she wasn't� "Andie." The woman turned around suddenly, her mouth wide open, her face stunned. "Oh my goodness," she breathed, bringing a hand up to her mouth. She began to shake. "Andie." It was her. It was her, whom he had dreamt about for the last 5 years. Who he had seen in his mind every time that he closed his eyes. It was her. But she had changed. Her once honey coloured hair had turned sandy; her face sported numerous wrinkles, which no 23-year-old should have. Dark shades covered her eyes, but he was sure that they, too, weren't the same. "Pacey. What are you doing here?" She asked, quietly. "I � I�" he stuttered. People had begun to line up behind them, waiting to get through the check out. "Here," he reached out and pulled her to the side, subconsciously noting that she flinched at his touch. "I'm just in town for a few days." "Oh." She replied. "So, my � you've changed!" He said, stupidly, at a loss for words. For some reason all the things he had planned to say to her had washed right from his mind. "You don't need these in here," he reached forward and pulled her shades off. She brought her hands up, impulsively to push his away. But her reaction was delayed, and he had already taken the shades off by the time her hands rested on his. "What the�" Pacey stared at the large black bruise that surrounded her left eye. "McPhee, what happened?" |
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