�How you doing, Lindley?� Pacey asked as he sidled up to the locker next to Jen�s he tugged playfully at one of her blonde curls. The hallway was filled with students anxious to get out, the final bell having just rung seconds ago. Pacey would have usually been the first out the door leaving a trail of smoke in his wake but he stopped when he spotted Jen by her locker looking perturbed.

"Not to well, Witter." She replied, digging through her locker searching for her wayward notebook. "The perfect way to end the perfect day," she mumbled, furiously dumping the contents of her backpack on the floor. She bent down to search through her belongings, hoping that she'd somehow missed it tucked between her binder and math book. "Aghh!" No such luck.

�What are you doing?� Pacey questioned curiously and knelt down beside her.

"Looking for my notebook." She replied lifting her math book to look underneath it. She threw it down with a huff and sat down dejectedly on the floor, leaning against the battered yellow lockers.

He smiled and sat down besides her. The two teenagers ignored the curious the looks they got from passersby who were wondering why they were sitting on the floor in the hallway on a Friday afternoon with books and paper strewn at their feet. �Well I don�t think it�s just going to walk over to you while you sit on your ass.�

She took a deep breath, "It's not here, Pacey. It's not in my locker. And hey, it's not at home either." She tried to keep her frustration in check. "Guess what, Pacey? I'm screwed. That notebook wasn't meant to be seen by anyone but me and now, it could be all over the school!"

He exhaled sharply and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. �Okay. Just relax. It has to be somewhere. Do you remember where you had it last?�

"I last saw it in second period, and by sixth it was gone."

�Okay, then we�ll just simply retrace your steps since second period and we�ll find it.�

She gave him a hopeless look. "Whoever has it, isn't just gonna be waiting in a classroom for me to come back for it." She grumbled.

�Well, you�re assuming someone has it, maybe just maybe it�s still in the classroom untouched.�

She shook her head, "What high school students do you know that don't snoop through other people's things? And if they read it... they aren't about to give it back."

�Stop that defeatist attitude. You�re never going to know if you don�t try.�

"Stop with the optimism, Pacey. I've already looked. It's nowhere. Which means it's somewhere and that somewhere is in someone's hot little hands as they read aloud my-" She cut herself off and looked down at the mess between them. She began repacking her bag, throwing the items in haphazardly.

Pacey watched her determinedly. �Give me your schedule.�

She sighed, digging through the front pocket to pull out the tattered piece of paper with her schedule on it. It was easier to give in than to argue with him.

He took it from her hand and stood up as he scanned it. �If you�re not going to try then I will. By the end of the day I�ll have your �hot� little notebook back in your hands where it belongs.�

"I told you, Pacey," She looked up at him, "I've already looked." She couldn't help but admire his determination to help her though.

�I�ll just look again. No harm done.� He shrugged slipping the schedule into his pocket.

She frowned, shrugging her shoulder and stuffed the last papers on the floor into a folder. "Suit yourself. But don't blame me for a wasted afternoon." She stood up and rifled through her locker again, her desperation painted on her face.

�You are far too jaded for your own good.�

She ran a hand through her hair and closed her locker, turning to him. "If by some slim, inconceivable chance you do find it, I'll be at Joey's."

He smiled disarmingly. �I�ll come by Joey�s, notebook in hand. Trust me.�

She gave him a doubtful look, "If it helps, it's purple and kinda worn."

�Okay,� he said already heading down the hall.

Jen watched him disappear and shook her head, a faint smile on her face. 'Always one to come to the rescue.' she thought. She frowned again, thinking of someone reading her poetry and stories. She bit the inside of her cheek to force those thoughts away; he had to find it. She walked down the hallway and out the double doors, searching the school grounds for Joey, so they could head over to the B&B and work on their homework together, hoping to get it out of the way for the weekend.

�Okay, this has to be the dumbest assignment yet,� Jen muttered as she glanced down at the notebook in front of her. �It�s like they go out of their way to bore us to death.� She reached over for a cookie, grabbing it off the plate on the table Bodie had left for them. She chewed slowly savoring every bite. �God, these are sinfully delicious.�

"I know," Joey agreed, taking a drink from her glass of milk. "And you're right. Who cares how fast Ricardo rides his bike for the first three miles uphill?"

Jen nodded taking another cookie. �If he was smart, he�d just drive.�

"I vote for a break." Joey said, snapping the cover of her math book closed.

�I second the motion,� Jen said with the closing of her notebook. �Ricardo could just continue riding his bike for all I care.�

Joey nodded, picking up the cookie she'd been nibbling on since they'd gotten there. Pulling a pillow from the couch, she put it on the floor and laid back on it. "You okay?" she asked, "You seem kinda...negative," she settled on a word. "Even for you."

�Ugh,� Jen said sitting down across from her. �Today�s been the day from hell.� She moved to lay on her back and stared up at the ceiling. �Thank god, it�s a Friday. I can just spend the weekend holed up in my room, hating the world.�

"That bad, huh?"

She sighed resting her hands on her stomach. �Yes.�

"Feel like venting? If not, you can listen to me," she offered.

Jen turned her head to look at Joey with a smile. �I�ll listen to you. Maybe your problems will make me feel better about my own.�

She chuckled, "I didn't really have any. Mr. Grathy was being a sexist ass again and I had a run in with Pacey at lunch. That was about it." She sighed, "You'd think by now we'd be able to act like friends."

�Pacey�s a good guy,� Jen said staring back up at the ceiling. �I�m sure the two of you will work it out.�

"Yeah, he's good-good at annoying the hell out of me." She frowned, "You should have heard him, Jen."

�What�d he say?� Jen asked inquisitively.

"The overall gist was that I'm a ten year old girl."

She laughed. �Seriously?�

"Seriously." She echoed. "Basically, I'm undesirable and lack any kind of sexual experience." She snorted, "Not that he'd know. Our whole conversation was about sex."

She couldn�t help but smile. �You two are too much.�

"What's that mean?" She asked warily.

Jen shrugged. �You guys go out of the way to undermine each other. It�s entertaining.�

"Yeah... I just wish it'd stop. We went from hating each other, to friendship to...a fling, and now...I don't think there are words to describe our relationship."

�Yeah, well at least no matter what happens between you and Pacey, you know you can count on him to be there for you. It�s nice to have something like that.�

"I have that with Dawson and Jack and Andie... and believe it or not, I believe you, too." She smiled.

�So then I guess you can count yourself lucky.�

"Yeah," she smiled. "We both are to have the friends we have. I just wish that things were different between he and I."

�Well, I guess it�s just something you have to work at,� Jen suggested.

"I'm trying. But every time I do, we end up in some contest of wills."

�I�m sure you two will work things out.�

"Before or after I kill him?" She asked sarcastically.

�Hopefully before.� There was a faint lilt to her voice.

"I donno...the world might be a better place without him." Joey suggested an amused smile on her face.

�Oh I don�t know, Pacey does add a certain charm to the place,� she said with a smile.

"Maybe." Joey shrugged. "Okay, that was my vent for the day. That and the couple next door kept me awake all last night. Your turn."

�First, I start my day in a rush because somehow my alarm clock became unplugged and I woke up only half-an-hour before homeroom started. I take a quick shower put on my clothes run down and grab a cup of coffee which I then proceed to spill all over me. I run back upstairs change and I have to deal with Grams lecturing me because she had to give me a ride to school.

�I make it to school just just in time and then first period, I get a surprise pop quiz in history, which I fail miserably. At lunch, I realize I left lunch at home and my purse right next to it. The rest of the classes seem to go by fast until I realize that I lost my notebook sometime around sixth period. I mean, I write everything in that notebook.� She frowned. �Life is hell.�

Joey winced, "Yeah. It sounds like it was pretty miserable. But now you have a weekend to get over it. Um... can I ask, why on earth we were doing homework?"

�Because sadly, we had nothing better to do.�

"We are sad.�

Jen nodded solemnly. �Truthfully so.�

"Okay, then, we should do something."

"Like what?"

"I dunno...what do other teenagers our age do?"

�Usually something stupid.�

"Humph," she crossed her arms over her chest. "Something is bound to interest us."

�Yeah,� Jen said thoughtfully while trying to come up with something interesting.

"If I didn't already know we'd burn the kitchen down, I'd suggest baking." She said thoughtfully, "We could always head down to dance club again."

�Nah, we tried that already. Let�s do something different.�

"Capeside only offers so many options. There's the skating rink, the movie theater and whatever school sponsored event is going on, and that's about it."

Pacey skipped up the steps to the Potter B&B whistling happily, one worn purple notebook firmly in hand. �Oh, Lindley you are going to looove me!� He called out brightly as he waltzed in the door.

She and Joey sat up from where they'd reclined on the floor. "Didn't I already?" She asked sarcastically. She spotted her notebook in his hand and jumped up, much to the bewilderment of Joey. "You found it?"

He nodded holding it up to her proudly. �Oh yes, I most certainly did.�

She took it from him and wrapped him in a tight hug, "Oh God, thank you so much, Pacey!" She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, a grin on her face.

"What did he do?" Joey asked, sitting up on the floor, watching the scene play out between them.

�And might I tell you the hell I went through to get it,� Pacey said with a grin. �It was on Mr. Broderick�s desk and I tried to grab it when he wasn�t looking but he caught me. He asked me if it were mine and I said yes. He looks at me dubiously, opens the first page, and proceeds to read the first line, which just happens to be I hate men. He closes the notebook, raises an eyebrow, hands it to me and then tells me not to worry because there�re other fish in the sea. Needless to say, I made a very quick exit.�

Jen hugged the notebook to her chest. "He must not have read more than the first page, otherwise he never would have given it up." She smiled.

Joey gave them a confused look, "You lost your journal and he found it?" she directed her question to Jen.

"Yeah, except it's not really a journal." She frowned slightly, "I write in it. Sometimes it gets a little... racy." She swung around and pinned Pacey with her gaze, "You didn't read anything, did you?"

�Well...� He winced and stopped at Jen�s horrified look. �I�m joking. I didn�t read anything.�

Her eyes narrowed as she studied his face. She advanced on him slowly, "Look me in the eyes and say it."

He met her gaze evenly. �Okay, honestly, I was going to but I didn�t. I swear.�

Her eyes softened and she smiled sincerely. "Thank you."

The corner of his mouth turned up in a smile. �Well, you�re very much welcome.�

Joey watched as they fell into silence, looking into one another eyes. She scowled and stood up after a few seconds, breaking them from their self-absorbed trance. She shoved the plate of cookies into Pacey's chest. "Here Pace, have a cookie." She quickly turned away and took her and Jen's empty glasses of milk into the kitchen.

Jen jumped out of the way, as Pacey aimed a jet of water over the top of the car in her direction. She ducked down and scowled at him through the jeep�s windows. "How did you talk me into this again?" She asked him.

He shrugged soaping up the hood of the truck with a yellow sponge. �You were bored, said you needed something to do. So tada, something to do.�

"When I said I wanted something to do, helping you do menial labor was not what I meant." She dipped her washcloth into the bucket of dirty and soapy water on her side of the car and flung it at his head, grinning when she heard the satisfying slap of wet cloth on the skin of his bare chest.

He gasped and his eyes dropped to his chest. He grabbed the rag holding it with mock distaste. �Now that was totally uncalled for. This means war.� He picked up the hose and aimed it at her sending a cold stream of water her way.

She laughed and tried to escape the cold stream. "Aghh! Pac-ey!" She yelled as it hit her right on the back of her tank top. She ducked behind the car.

Pacey crept silently along the side of the truck, the hose poised, and ready. �You can run but you can�t hide.� He jumped out and set the spray on high, beaming Jen. He laughed at her shocked expression as she jumped and held out her hands to block the water.

She laughed merrily trying futilely to block the spray. "You are [i] so[/i] dead!" She searched the ground for the bucket, using one hand to block the water. She picked it up and chased after him, the murky water sloshing over the sides.

He held out the hose menacingly as she corned him against the sidewall of Dawson�s house. �Stay back. I have a hose and I know how to use it.�

She shrugged, and looked down at her soaked form, "Like it'd make such a difference." She grinned threateningly. "I, on the other hand, have a nice big bucket of dirty water that's just dying to splash all over you."

�Don�t even think about it, Lindley.� He held the hose up prepared to strike.

"Oh, I'm thinkin' about it." She assured him, her lips widening into a happy smile. "Hell, I may even do it."

He pressed down on the handle and his eyes widened in surprise when no water came out. He dropped the hose and held up his hands with a smile. �You wouldn�t splash an unarmed man would you?� He tried to step back but the wall impeded his movements. �It was just a joke before.� He laughed forcibly.

She shrugged, "Consider this a joke now." She smiled sweetly, and flung the dirty water straight at his chest, she giggled at the shocked look on his face.

His mouth fell open and his eyes twinkled mischievously as he moved to grab her. �Oh that�s it. You die.�

She dodged away as he lunged for her, "What are you going to do? Squeeze me to death?" She taunted over her shoulder.

He ran after her almost slipping on the wet grass and grinned as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. He tugged her to him, pressing her back against his chest. �Nope,� he said huskily in her ear and lifted her up with a grunt. �I think you need a nice, cold dip in the creek. Don�t you?�

"Oh no!" She struggled in his arms kicking her legs out as he dragged her across Dawson's lawn to the creek. "No, no, no! I don't!�

�Oh yes,� he said with a big smile as he carried her across the dock. He stopped at the end and let her drop less than gracefully. �You do.�

Joey watched them interact from Dawson's window. Her legs pulled up to her chest, her chin resting on her knees as she sat on Dawson's wooden chest. She frowned seeing Pacey pick her up, his strong arms lifting her easily from the ground.

Dawson looked over at her from his bed, where he'd been watching The Patriot with Joey. He'd asked her a question twice and received no answer. "Hey, Jo?" He tried again.

No answer. He got up from the bed and looked out the window to see what had caught her attention. He saw Jen surfacing from the creek, letting out a stream of curses at Pacey as he laughed at her. She held out a hand for him to help her up, and when he did, she pulled him into the creek after her.

Dawson laughed from behind Joey in amusement. �Well those two seem to be having fun.�

"Hmm?" She jerked her eyes away from them and looked up at Dawson. "Oh, yeah." She shrugged, "I guess so."

He smiled gazing out at his two friends from the window. �Which is good, Jen�s been sort of depressed lately.�

She nodded vaguely, "You don't think that they're..." She trailed off and bit her lip, looking up at Dawson again. "Do you?"

Dawson looked down at his friend curiously. �That they�re what?�

Joey shook her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and looked back down at them, both soaked through and through. "I dunno."

�Pacey and Jen are just friends. He knows Jen�s upset about Henry, so he�s probably just trying to cheer her up. Which seems to be his specialty lately,� Dawson said with a shrug.

"Pacey Witter to the rescue," she said tiredly, leaning back against the wall.

He smirked. �Exactly.�

"Can I ask you something, Dawson?" She turned her eyes to her childhood friend. "Without you jumping to conclusions or assuming I'm trying to make some life altering decision?"

He stared at her puzzled but shrugged it off. �Okay...�

"You're over what happened last spring, right? You and Pacey are friends, just like you've always been now, right?"

He nodded sitting down on the edge of his bed. "Yeah, pretty much."

She shifted and put her feet on the ground. "Do you ever think, maybe," She paused, and looked at him nervously, fearing his answer. "That you were wrong?"

�About?� he said prodding her along.

"About everything." She sighed, "About how you treated him, how you treated me. How the whole thing turned out?"

He shrugged glancing down at his feet. �Okay, so it wasn�t one of my best moments.�

"If you could go back, would you do it differently?" She asked in a small voice. Hoping for an answer that would make everything okay, the answer she needed to move on.

He raised his eyes to her and smiled faintly. �Yeah, I think would.�

Her eyes fell to the light blue carpeting of his floor. It wasn't the answer she wanted. She swallowed and lifted her eyes to meet his, a smile plastered on her face, "So, what movie are we watching next?"

He grinned getting off the bed and flipping through the videocassettes on top of the television set. �Let�s see�How about Russell Crowe in Gladiator?�

She nodded, "Works for me." She glanced out the window again, to see Pacey and Jen, arms wrapped around one another's waists, heading back to Jen's house. She frowned sadly, and shut the curtain on the window, effectively blocking them from her sight and, hopefully, her mind.