Analyze This
Disclaimer: Don't own Ricki Martin, The Cup of Life, Macy's, or our happy little Creek gang.
Author's Note: Although I finished this series like months and months and months ago, I've gotten many requests to write a sequel. I ignored them all initially because I didn't want to write a sequel, but this one feedback email from Dug for some reason just inspired me. This one's for him :)
Takes place a few months after where we left off. Yes, Jen and Joey are on better terms because Joey's not jealous of the Dawson situation anymore, remember? In case you don't, in the last series, Joey went to a dance with Dawson, expressed her true feelings in a surprising way, and threw Dawson for a loop. Pacey and Jen found out about it and tried to help their friends along. Dawson had a soul-searching conversation with Joey that got slightly overheard by none other than Anderson Crawford. Anderson asked Joey for another chance just as Dawson decided he wants her. As Dawson moped around, Pacey tried to set him up with a pretty girl named Julie, but that didn't work as Joey and Anderson decided to go on a date at the Rialto when Dawson and Julie did. Julie revealed her secret desire for Pacey, and Pacey got a girlfriend. Jen was hanging out, together with Cliff for the time being. Dawson finally told Joey how he felt and she said she still loves him, but she must choose. She chose Dawson for her best friend and Anderson for more. Caught up? You can always just read Interrupted Melody again.. Good :)
Rating: PG-13, kiddies. I might even say R, but that would probably be a stretch. By TV standards, it would be a TV14 DS.
Analyze This
"You have to be kidding me," Jen grimaced.
"Nope," Dawson smirked. Jen looked at Pacey out of the corner of her eye.
"Julie would never allow this," she tried.
"But Julie isn't here right now," Joey reminded her.
"Besides, it's part of the game," Pacey said eagerly. "As long as I'm not touching you, she'll understand."
"You did pick dare, Jen," Dawson pointed out, "so you have to do what I tell you, or pick consequences, which will be worse. Trust me." Jen pouted, defeated. "Get the CD in, Joey." A smile flashed across Joey's face as she pushed herself up from the floor to get the Ricki Martin CD. Jen tossed her hair and walked over to where Pacey was sitting. As the Latin soul beat of 'The Cup of Life' started, she draped herself over his knees and ran her hand from her crossed leg up to her stomach. She kicked up and ended up seated on Pacey's lap, facing him. She shimmied to the left and right, jiggling her chest. She got up and started dancing to the music, prancing in a circle around Pacey. She stopped in front of him, did a spin, and dropped down to her knees. She crawled seductively towards him, stooping up when she was close enough to lean on his thigh. She licked her lips.
"Okay, it has been way more than a minute," she suddenly stood up and glared at Dawson and Joey, who were laughing loudly at her. "Shut off the music. Pacey has had his lap dance for the evening." Joey got up after glancing at Dawson and realizing he was not about to get up and stop laughing. On the way to the CD player, she paused and put her hands on Pacey's shoulders. She ran them up and down for a second, purring at him before Jen shot her another nasty look, and then Joey started to laugh again. Dawson's bustling laughter immediately halted and was replaced with a nervous, forced sound that only Joey seemed to notice. She frowned at the CD player as she pressed the power button.
"Okay, Jen," Joey turned around with a smile, "your turn. I suggest revenge, long and painful."
"To which one of them?" Jen wondered. "Which one enjoyed it more?"
"Poor Cliff. I wonder if he lost Jen before or after she danced for him. He doesn't know what he's missing," Pacey said, giving Dawson a high five.
"Pacey," Jen squealed, a grin on her face, "truth or dare."
"Truth," Pacey said, hoping to stay a step ahead of impending humiliation.
"Truth... okay..." Jen said pensively. "I've got it." A wicked smile appeared on her face. "Pacey, what is the most inappropriate thing you and Julie have ever done in a public place?"
"Oh geez..." Pacey started to blush. "Okay, no one tells her I told you this... and you have to understand that it's very hard for us to get any privacy..." He cleared his throat. "We got to third in the back of the Macy's in town."
"Pacey," Joey giggled, "ew, that's disgusting. I can never go there again, you contaminated it."
"Like you've never done anything like that," Pacey snorted. Joey kept laughing. "Okay, let's find out. How far have you gotten with And-er-son?" Pacey said obnoxiously. Joey stopped laughing and looked at him with the faintest trace of fear in her eyes. She could feel Dawson's gaze burning a hole into the back of her head.
"Uh... I'm afraid I'm not familiar with your base terminology," Joey said, obviously lying.
"First is kissing with some tongue action. Second is groping below the shoulder but above the waist, third gets some major hand to waist action, and a homerun is all the way," Pacey shot them off. "Pick one or all of the above."
"You-- you didn't even give me a choice of truth or dare," Joey stammered with a nervous half smile.
"Truth or dare, Jo," Pacey said, making a point of looking mischievously at Dawson when he said dare. Joey noticed. She looked anxiously at Dawson.
"I don't know. I-- I have to go." With that she dashed out of the window and down the ladder.
"Uh oh," Jen commented after Joey had left.
"She shouldn't play if she's going to be a sore loser," Pacey said in a snide tone.
"It was just a question," Dawson looked at the still slightly rustling curtains framing the empty window. "Why wouldn't she answer? We're her best friends." Pacey and Jen exchanged expressions of disbelief.
"Duh, because you're here, Dawson, and she doesn't want to hurt you," Jen explained.
"That's stupid. I'm her best friend. It must be you guys because if I asked she'd tell me," Dawson was convinced that his statement was true.
"Have you ever asked her?" Jen questioned. She continued at Dawson's hesitation, "have you ever really wanted to know?" Dawson looked away.
"Truth or dare, D," Pacey suddenly said. He didn't bother to really put it into question form because Dawson always picked truth. This time would be no exception. "Do you love her? Joey?" Dawson gave Pacey a puppy-dog expression. "That's why she doesn't want to hurt you. She knows you do, too. We're not all oblivious."
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Joey ran into the shower with a brand new bar of soap. She started making an extra thick lather over her whole body as her mind wandered back to the week before.
"Joey, that's the fourth shower you've taken today. What's going on?" Betsy banged on the door.
"I fell into the creek on the way home," Joey lied. "Sorry." When she had washed the layer of soap off completely, she started to make another one. The cycle lasted about twenty minutes before she turned off the water.
"Joey, I'm serious," Bessie approached her when she stepped into the hallway in her bathrobe. "I've never seen you take as many showers in a whole month as you did just this week."
"I've been getting dirty. I don't know," Joey shrugged. Bessie must have known. Any one could tell just by looking at her. Couldn't they? Of course, they must have been able to.
"No more tonight, okay? I need warm water in the morning. Why don't you call up Anderson, that might cheer you up," Bessie suggested. Again Joey looked stricken, but Bessie had been looking the other way and missed it.
"Okay," Joey forced a smile and hurried away to change her clothes. I should call Anderson, I've only been avoiding his calls for three days, Joey thought. She looked sickly at the phone and left her house instead. A short time later, she found herself back at Dawson's ladder. She climbed to the window and peaked in, relieved to see just Dawson sitting there.
"Pacey and Jen left?" Joey asked quietly from the ladder. It was still enough to make Dawson jump at the sound of her voice.
"Yeah. Your sudden exit kind of killed the party."
"Sorry." Joey came into his room.
"Why did you lave, Jo?"
"I don't really want to talk about it, Dawson."
"But I'm your best friend. You know you can tell me anything."
"I know you think I can," Joey said seriously, "but this is not exactly something out of the ordinary."
"Joey, if it bothers you that much, I still want to know. I want to make you feel better."
"You can't. No one can, it's my fault," Joey felt her eyes well up with tears.
"What did you do, Joey? It couldn't have been that bad."
"You only say that because you don't know what it is yet."
"Please tell me," Dawson tried to put his arms around her. She shrugged them off and replaced them with her own.
"I think I need another shower," she mumbled.
"Joey, what is the matter with you?"
"Are you ready for this, Dawson? It's going to hurt like hell."
"Yes," he said with a tiny bit of hesitation in his voice.
"You'll judge me. You won't see me the same way ever again, no matter what you say."
"Just tell me already, Joey. I want to help you. Please," Dawson said, touching her shoulder softly. Joey cast her eyes to the floor and her voice fell to a whisper.
"Last week... I slept with Anderson."
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Obviously since I discontinued this series for so long, I'm really, really anxious to get your opinion on the new addition... Please send me some feedback and tell me your thoughts.