"So you don’t think I’m completely asylum worthy for going?"
Jen scrunched her face. "Hell no. I figure do what you want. Hopefully it works out."
Joey thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. It was Saturday morning, the day Pacey and her were planning to go. Jen had came over to wish them good luck, and sanity. He was picking her up at ten. They’d stop for lunch in a town next to Capeside, then hit the road again until dark. Three days in the car with Pacey Witter.. I wonder what I was on when I agreed to that.
Before she could answer herself, Jen interrupted her thoughts.
"You’re lucky."
"Why.."
"Because," Jen stopped, debating for a moment. "Because, you can forgive him for just leaving us like that."
"Jen...he had to." It’d been a year. Jen knew that, Joey knew that, everyone knew that. But did anyone know the real reason for Dawson leaving Capeside?
No...Only I know that. Jen realized. If Joey knew, she wouldn’t be going out there.
"You don’t know the reason he moved, do you.."
Joey gave her a quizzical look, "Course I do, He wanted to go to a film school out there."
Every bone in her body was telling Jen to let Joey know the truth. Instead, She nodded. "Yeah. That’s it."
"I can’t believe I’m going on a three day car ride with Pacey, he’s going to drive me crazy."
Jen laughed and gave her friend a quick hug. "Don’t worry, he’ll be cool."
"Cool? Pacey?" Joey shrugged. "No way."
Jen checked her watch, "It’s ten fifteen. Shouldn’t he be here?"
Joey nodded unalarmed. "Yeah, but you know Pacey."
"Yep. Hey sorry to do this, but I have to go. I figured you guys would be out of here by now and I promised Grams’ I’d go to the ten thirty service with her."
"Don’t worry about it, I’ll call you later."
Jen smiled. "Ok. Bye Jo."
Joey waved and walked into the house, leaving her luggage sitting on the step. Bessie stood in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for Alex and Bodie. When she caught sight of Joey her brows raised. "Pacey’s not here yet?"
"Not yet."
"Want some breakfast?"
"Had some."
"Ok."
She gave her older sister a reassuring smile and padded off into her room. They had added it on to their cozy little creekside residence at the end of Junior year. She quickly scanned the small haven, making sure she had everything she needed, then collapsed carelessly to her bed. Why am I doing this...Dawson doesn’t want me, otherwise he would have called, or wrote...
The knock at her door disturbed her thoughts.
"Who’s it?"
"Your sister, can I come in?"
"If you can open a door."
Bessie did and saw a familiar sight. Joey lying in the middle of her bed, looking like a nervous wreck. It was starting to irritate her.
"Did you get everything."
Joey nodded. She pulled a pillow out from under the covers and propped herself up against the headboard with it.
"What’s wrong?" She knew perfectly well what was wrong. The question was merely a tension breaker.
"Nothing."
Joey quickly examined her sisters’ look of disbelief and turned away. Anything to avoid conversation, anything distractful...
"Why are you going Jo."
...Anything wasn’t going to be enough. Joey let a quiet moan escape from her lips. If Pacey had been on time, this conversation would never have existed. It was all his fault, and was he going to pay.
"Because."
"That’s not an answer--"
But it’s the only one I have..
"Deal," The mattress sighed and shifted itself back into place as she rose herself from it. "Look Bessie. It’s my summer. You don’t need help at the IceHouse and --" She looked down at her hands, shaking while she spoke. "-- and I’m eighteen."
"Happy Graduation Joey. Sorry you won’t be here for the ceremony." Bessie raked a free hand through her hair, turned and walked back into the hallway unnoticed.
Joey continued, "I’ll still graduate Bess." She stuttered on her words.
Graduate. Funny how it the first day of high school still felt like only yesterday.
She took a deep breath, deciding to give Bessie an answer. "I don’t really know why I’m going. I just know there’s a mystery in my life that’s going on unsolved." Dawson "I need to find out...Why did he leave me like that...Why’d he just leave?" Her eyes began to warm with tears. She slid her hands into her empty pockets for comfort. Yet they refused to give any. Joey guessed Bessie didn’t seem to notice her tears, either that or they didn’t matter to her. The last thought made her bitter, and she quickly wiped the wetness from her face.
"Um, Pacey’s probably...coming. So I-I’ll call you when we stop to eat."
Joey looked up, finding that Bessie was gone.
A cocky-grin faced Pacey stood where she had been. "I always knew you talked to yourself Potter, just not this indepth."
She snarled, muttered cuss words, and walked past him into the hallway. He followed her, close behind.
"Your bags, Ms. Potter, are in the Jeep and ready to go when you are."
"Great." She stormed out the front door, shouting a goodbye to Bodie and Alex. She walked to Pacey’s Jeep and waited impatiently at the passenger side door. "You heard the last of our conversation. Well it was all your fault anyways."
It was a statement. Not a question. He climbed into his jeep, and answered anyway, "I walked in as Bessie made her exit. I’m late, because of the old man."
She gave an unsatisfied nod in return. "Well your old man caused me to have this stress-bubble over my head."
He smirked. "That’s always been there. Hasn’t it?"
"Ever going to open my door?" She halfway smiled, and waited for him to reach over and unlock her door.
"It’s a jeep Joey. You can reach over the door, unlock it and get in yourself."
She pretended to pout and did as told. "You’re no fun."
He lifted his eyebrows and grinned. "I’m fun when involving nighttime activities."
"You wish." He thought he saw her almost smile.
"Do we have everything," He stuck the key in the ignition and revved up the engine. "Clothes, necessity’s, picture of Dawson..."
"Check, Check, and Check."
He let the key fall back to where it was first entered and turned to face her. "You can’t be serious."
She smiled, still leaving him curious as to what was the truth. He started up the jeep once more, and backed out of the driveway.
The Capeside border was now only ten miles away.