Happiness Is Hard To Come By
By: Kat
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Dawson's Creek. This is only for recreational purposes, people!
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Andie and Jack have BOTH moved to Providence. Joey got back together with Dawson after realizing the error of her ways. Andie dumps Pacey for a new boyfriend.
Author's Note: Thought's are beetween * *s.
***
Dawson was absolutely speechless. He and Joey really were soul mates. Either that or they had the same brain. While he had been locking lips with his sexy ex, she was fooling around with his former best friend.
This is ridiculous, he thought. We're not soul mates. Not even close. Why would be cheating on each other if we were really in love? He sighed sadly.
Maybe we're just a normal teenage couple, with raging hormones and a desire to be older than we really are. He shook his head and decided he would leave Joey and Pacey alone for the moment and break up with her later.
Wow, he thought. Maybe it's also possible for us to have a normal breakup. While Dawson had made the decision to exit without the pair knowing of his presence, his clumsy body had a different plan. His right arm smashed into a pile of, fortunately, plastic dishes and they clattered to the ground creating an enormous racket.
Dawson winced as Pacey and Joey broke apart quickly and turned to stare at him. He smiled and gave them a small wave.
"Hi, guys. What's up?" Joey looked mortified. She brought one fluttering hand to her mouth while the other became nervously tangled in her hair. Pacey's reaction was similar. His hands went violently into his pockets and Dawson could see his cheeks turning bright red.
"Dawson, I'm so sorry," Joey began. Dawson raised a hand to silence her.
"Don't worry about it, Jo. Just come over to my house in about half an hour. We can talk then." In order to conceal his own embarrassment, Dawson fled as quickly as he could, nearly falling on his face because of the scattered dishes.
When he was safely out of the Icehouse he let out a breath that he hadn't known he was holding.
"Well, that wasn't awkward."
***
Joey couldn't believe her bad luck. Caught playing tonsil hockey with her boyfriend's best friend had to be the worst thing that could have happened that night. Why had Dawson seemed so calm? She wondered.
Pacey was feeling just as guilty. If Dawson hadn't hated him before he did now.
"I...I...I have to go, Pacey. Tell Bess I'll meet her at home." Before Pacey could say a word Joey was out the door. Now he was definitely confused.
Leave it to me to be the biggest screw-up on the planet, he thought. He sighed and walked over to the fallen dishes and began to stack them neatly on the counter. Then he sadly went back to washing the tables.
What a way to spend a Friday night.
***
Dawson heard the sound of feet on the ladder and quickly turned off the movie he was watching. Out of habit, he straightened the sheets and pillows and sat anxiously on the corner of his bed. Finally, Joey's head appeared in the window. She smiled and proceeded inside.
"Hi, Dawson."
"Hi, Joey." Neither knew what to say. Silence always made Dawson uncomfortable, so he decided to get everything out in the open.
"Joey, I think we need to break up." Joey nodded solemnly. "But it isn't all your fault, Joey." This comment confuses her and Dawson notices, but doesn't have the heart to explain.
"What do you mean, Dawson?" He sighs. Looks like I'll have to tell her now, me and my big mouth.
"While you and Pacey were, well, you know what you were doing, Jen and I were reenacting the same scene right here." Joey's jaw drops and she suddenly becomes incredibly angry.
"You and Jen? Jen Lindley?" she asks hotly. Dawson winces at her tone.
He nods slowly. "Yes, Jen Lindley. But you have no right to be angry with me, Joey. After all, you kissed Pacey." She bites her lip to try and hold back a nasty retort. "And to clarify, that would be Pacey Witter," Dawson says bitterly.
Joey exhales deeply attempting to keep cool. "Fine, Dawson. Then you and I will go back to being just friends. Is that okay with you?"
"Yes, it's okay with me." They stare at one another for a few seconds before Joey turns away. Dawson can tell she is furious by the way she whips her hair around and balls up her fists.
"Goodnight, Dawson."
"Goodnight, Joey." Dawson sits quietly on the bed until he hears the sound of paddles in the water. As soon as he does he gets up and heaves a few items to the floor. One of which was the replica of Joey's head.
***
Pacey sat, head in hands, on his bedroom floor. This was it. Their affair was over before it had even begun. Pacey moaned. He didn't think he could stand the thought of having to deal with the inevitable avoidance that he would get from both Joey and Dawson if and when they got back together.
"What am I going to do?" Pacey asked himself out loud. There seemed to be no answer to that question. Dawson and Joey were perfect together. He was a loser who didn't deserve the time of day with a girl like Joey Potter.
Suddenly an idea came to him. One that would most likely get him into a ton of trouble if he was caught, but that just might make him feel better. He stood and padded quietly out into the hallway.
It was dark throughout the house, but Pacey called out to see if anyone was home just in case. No one answered him. He let out a long breath and headed to the basement of his three story house.
It was quite a trek and Pacey realized how out of shape he was. He laughed at the thought of exercising or playing any type of sport. Never again would he make himself so vulnerable to his father's criticism.
Finally he reached his destination. The large wooden cabinet appeared to be heavily locked, when in fact it was just a trick to keep from the children from getting into it. Pacey had discovered this wonderful secret when he was thirteen, but at the time it wasn't so wonderful. He tried to recall those days before opening the cabinet.
Pacey was almost dizzy with excitement. The doors had opened so easily. And all these years he had thought them firmly locked, never to be opened. He bit his lip in anticipation and looked from bottle to bottle.
A few looked too old to drink and some were sealed so he couldn't possibly open them without his father knowing. Eventually, he closed his eyes and ran his fingers around the bottles. He hummed eenie, meenie, miny, mo and stopped when the rhyme was finished.
He opened his eyes and saw a dusty bottle of liquor. Shrugging, he pulled it out and opened it. The first sip felt like liquid fire down his throat. He winced and tried some more. Still painful, but feeling a little more relaxed.
Suddenly, Pacey heard footsteps just outside the basement door. He panicked and accidentally dropped the bottle. It crashed to the ground and shattered, sending splinters of glass flying. Pacey felt a sharp pain in his right leg and looked down to see blood running down his calf.
Tears began to form out of fear as the basement door eased open. Pacey was frozen and one tear fell and hit the ground. As his father neared him Pacey became more and more afraid. What would he do?
A hand clapped down on his shoulder and Pacey gasped. "What do you think you're doing, Pacey?"
Pacey's lower lip trembled and his hands began to shake. "I...I...Nothing, sir," he managed in a strangled, cracking voice. "I wasn't doing anything."
Mr. Witter snorted. "Nothing, huh? So you aren't responsible for the broken bottle of liquor on the floor?"
A loud sob escaped Pacey's throat. "Yes, I am. But I didn't...I didn't mean to," he stuttered. Mr. Witter shook his head in disgust.
"Drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son. Clean up this mess and meet me upstairs. In your room." His father took one last look at the floor before starting up the steps. "And put a Band-Aid on that cut."
Pacey sank to the floor as he heard the door close. He put his head in his hands and began to cry. He sat there for a long time, crying and cleaning, terrified of what awaited him in his bedroom.
Now Pacey stood before the cabinet once again. He had two choices. The familiar sound of footsteps could be heard at the basement door.
END OF PART 6
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