Shelly tossed back her shoulder length hair behind her shoulder as she walked down the hallway at the end of the day. Spotting Joey standing at her locker, she approached the junior. "It's Joey, right?" She gave her a friendly smile.

Joey quickly glanced at the girl before focusing on getting the books she needed out of her locker and into her bag. "Right."

"I know this is kinda...coming out of left field."

"What is?"

"Well, I just know that you're friend�s with Pacey, right?"

Joey nodded as she grabbed her English book and placed it in her bag. "Right."

"Right, well..." she shifted her stance. "Could we talk? Girl to girl?"

"About?"

"Pacey."

"What about Pacey?"

"I...like him," she admitted. "I guess that much is obvious. But he's not like other guys, he's...weird, for lack of a better word."

"How?"

"Most guys I know would take the opportunity to kiss me when it arises." She sighed, "Our date was great, we shopped, we flirted...a lot. I just don't get it."

Joey shrugged as she debated on whether she'd need her math book or not. "I don't know what to tell you."

"Well, is that normal for him?"

"How would I know?"

"You've been friends with him for...how long?"

"Too long."

"Could you tell me about him? Maybe? Just so I could have some insight?"

Joey eyes her warily. "Tell you what, exactly?"

"What kind of things does he like? What interests does he have? What does he look for in a girl? What kind of friend is he?"

"Why don't you just ask him?"

Shelly gave her a skeptical look, "Have you ever gone up to a guy you like and asked him what he looks for in women?"

"I think Dawson would be much better at answering these questions than I am."

"I thought about that, but no. For two reasons. One, I feel much more comfortable talking about this to a girl because I know you wont go and blab to Pacey. And two, because you're a girl and I want a girl's view of him, not his best buddy's."

Joey slammed her locker shut. "Well, I'm not some expert on Pacey Witter."

Shelly jumped a little at the noise, "Well, I didn't mean..."

Joey hoisted her book bag onto her shoulder. "Goodbye."

"Geez, Joey," Shelly frowned at her, "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Joey smiled wanly. "Sorry I couldn't be much help."

"If I'd known you felt this way...I wouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry."

"What?"

She blinked, "Well, that you obviously have feelings for him..."

"Um, okay...I do not."

"You don't?" She seemed skeptical. "They why be all closed mouthed? I thought, as his friend, you'd want to see him in a healthy, happy relationship." She lowered her voice to a whisper, "Especially after all that happened with that Andie girl."

"Pacey and I are barely even friends."

She blinked, "Really? 'Cause he talks about you all the time. How you helped him with his lines, and his homework, and getting over Andie, and how you single-handedly created a way to support your family..."

Joey's eyes dropped to the watch on her wrist. "Look, as enlightening as this conversation is, Shelly, I have things to do."

"Right, like I said, I'm really sorry for even asking. I promise, I wont say anything to him about it."

Joey rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Thanks anyway, Jo."

Pacey stormed through the Potter Bed and Breakfast later that afternoon, "Hi Bessie, bye Bessie," he muttered darkly, breezing past Joey's sister with barely a glance. He pounded on Joey's door once before opening it and inviting himself inside.

Joey glanced up from the book she was reading, on the center of her bed, in surprise. "Um, hi?"

"One thing, Potter!" He let the door shut loudly behind him as he stared darkly at her, "You couldn't even think of one nice thing to say about me! Not one."

"What are you talking about?"

"Shelly told me she tried to talk to you about me! So, what? We're barely friends now? God, I wish I'd known that when I poured my heart in soul into this place!" His eyes narrowed on her before he started to pace the room, "You'd think in all the time we've spent together this year, that you could at least come up with *one* redeeming quality!"

"She told you that?" Joey asked with incredulous disbelief as she set her book down.

"Yes, she told me that! After she said she wanted to know me better, she told me that she'd gone to you to get some inside info, and you couldn't tell her one damn thing." He shook his head, beyond words at the moment, his anger and frustration emanating from him.

"Well, what was I supposed to say?"

"Anything!" He turned his back to her, his shoulders slumped. "There's nothing about me that's even the least bit worthwhile?"

Joey shrugged uncomfortably. "Well, she was asking all these weird questions that I didn't know how to answer, so I told her to ask you."

"What I like is a weird question? What kind of person I am?" He challenged in disbelief.

"Maybe she should go out and buy the manual."

"Do you even care that I *like* this girl?"

She threw her hands up. "So what am I? Relationship mediator all of a sudden?"

"No, but I at least thought you were my friend!" He shook his head and started for her door, "You've always called me a fool, I guess now I've proven it."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know I was supposed to sell you!"

"Bull shit, this isn't about what you were and weren't supposed to do! This is about the fact that you couldn't think of a single nice thing to say about me! Hell, from what she told me, you couldn't think of *anything* to say about me."

"I didn't know what to say!"

He sneered and turned the handle on the door, "What a surprise, Joey Potter speechless." With that, he walked out her bedroom door, slamming it shut behind him.

Joey let out a frustrated groan, and fell back on her bed.

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