Just Friends
As usual, read the rest of the series before you read this. Oh yeah, I don't know if I mentioned this in my last story, but Julie is my own creation. E.T. isn't, however. That's owned by Steven Speilberg and probably a whole bunch of other people. William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet doesn't belong to me either, and I still don't own the song "Kissing You" or Des'ree, dagnabit.
Just Friends
"What was that all about?" Jen wondered as they walked back to the car.
"Nothing. Dawson's just a moron, that's all," Pacey answered, annoyed.
"Oh. I think I knew that." A look of clarity came to Jen's face. "Joey! Oh my God, he loves Joey?"
"Shh. We're almost to the car and Julie is waiting there," Pacey warned.
"Why did you talk me into going out with him?" Julie demanded.
"If I remember correctly, I didn't have to do any talking. You begged me to get you a date with him after you saw the picture of us in my room!" Pacey snapped back. Jen got into the car and shut the door. Julie and Pacey didn't budge.
"No, I said wouldn't it be nice for all of us to go to the movies on Friday night!" Julie glared at him.
"Yeah, about six hundred times," Pacey glared back.
"Well, maybe I just wanted him to come because he looked nice and I knew that our fathers wouldn't let us go alone together."
"So?"
"So, maybe I thought he'd be nice and get the idea to hang out with Jen so we could be alone."
"Wh--what?" Pacey asked. "You want to be alone with me?"
"Yes," Julie looked at the ground. Jen was starting to get very impatient in the car since she couldn't hear what was going on.
"Then why'd you get so mad and ditch Dawson?"
"Because, well, I like Dawson, he's nice. But I figured that you'd come after me alone if I left like that and that Jen would talk to Dawson," Julie explained. "I thought that might work better than my attempts to use him to make you jealous which weren't working at all."
"So, you want me to just ditch Jen, now? I can't do that," Pacey said, although he really wanted to.
"Just watch," Julie climbed into the front of the car as Pacey sat down and put the key in the ignition.
"Jen, I have a horrible headache. I won't tell Pacey's family what happened when we get back, so don't worry about him getting in trouble. Do you mind if we drop you off back home?" Julie said sweetly.
"No, no, that's fine. I have to call Cliff when I get back, anyway," Jen nodded. "I hope you feel better."
"Thanks." Julie lightly touched Pacey's shoulder and winked at him.
"Let's get this show on the road," Pacey smiled and pushed down on the accelorator.
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Dawson stopped three rows before his destination and took a seat. Anderson or no Anderson... but he was really wishing that it was no Anderson. Anderson had just "casually" put his arm around Joey. Dawson was about to move down another row when he noticed Anderson leaning in to kiss her.
No way will she kiss him, Dawson laughed to himself. I'm the only guy Joey's ever kissed and she loves me. Dawson didn't know that this was not the first time Joey and Anderson's lips met. Dawson couldn't bring himself to go any closer. He couldn't talk to them. His Joey had just kissed someone else. My Joey? Dawson thought about how that could be him kissing Joey. But it wasn't. He got up and walked out of the Rialto dejectedly. It started to drizzle as Dawson realized that he could already be too late.
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Dawson spent the next week avioding Joey and analyzing their friendship. He wondered if Pacey was right, if he felt more than a brotherly affection for her. No, he was just confusing friendship for attraction. One thing he did know, he was jealous as hell of Anderson. The sound of someone climbing the ladder awoke hime from his analysis.
"Joey?" Dawson said rather sadly.
"Gee, you just can't get more enthusiastic to see me than that," Joey smiled.
"What are you doing here?"
"It's movie night," Joey said, "so I figured we'd watch a movie. I hope you're not mad that I skipped last time."
"No," Dawson said. He hadn't expected her to come, anyway. "What about Anderson? Why aren't you with him?"
"He had to go somewhere with his parents," Joey blushed. "I saw him before. So what movie are we watching?"
"Um... to tell you the truth, I didn't think you'd be coming.
"Oh, okay," Joey said slowly. "I-- um... I guess I can just leave."
"No, no, no, no," Dawson jumped off of the bed. "Stay. We'll watch E.T. or something."
"Again?" Joey rolled her eyes.
"Jo," Dawson lowered his eyes, "what's going on between us?"
"We're best friends, just like always," Joey answered with her half mile.
"No, we're not," Dawson finally admitted. "Joey, I miss you. I haven't seen you in weeks except with Anderson." Joey's face became serious.
"So that's what this is about. You can't believe I moved on from you already. What about you and Julie?"
"What about me and Julie? You mean Pacey and Julie. That night at the movies, I called her by your name and she walked out on me."
"Dawson, what are you saying?" Joey looked at him almost frightendly.
"I don't know. I guess that... I guess I'm kind of jealous, that's all."
Yes, of course that's all, Joey said to herself. There was an awkward silence. Dawson sort of looked around nervously, trying to find some way to break it. He decided to turn on his stereo to try and make it less strange. He wished that he hadn't as soon as he did, though. He had bought the soundtrack for William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet the day before and had been listening to "Kissing You" over and over while thinking of Joey. He whiped the disturbed expression off of his face and turned back to Joey as it began to play.
"Jo," he asked softly, offering her his hand. He took a deep breath. "Would you like to dance?"
"Please don't do this to me, Dawson," Joey begged, her mouth twisting into a frown. Dawson just kept standing there, offering his hand. Joey shook her head, but finally agreed, taking his hands. She stayed as far apart from him as she possibly could. He pulled her closer.
Pride can stand a thousand trials,
The strong will never fall.
But watching stars without you
My soul cries.
"Don't do this, please," she whimpered softly. Dawson still held onto her.
Heaving heart is full of pain.
Oh, oh, the aching.
'Cause I'm kissing you, oh.
I'm kissing you, oh.
Just as Joey had done only a few weeks before, Dawson moved his face to hers and softly kissed her.