Part Five A
 
 
It was the week before the end of the year formal. Nicole and Joey had been
working 
hard to push Dawson towards Joey. At first, he had seemed reluctant, but he
was 
definitely warming up to the idea now. Pacey and Joey still spent a lot of
time together. 
Pacey had gotten into the habit of taping General Hospital every day for him
and Joey to 
watch on Fridays. Nicole had a crush on Pacey that seemed quite unrequited ,
so she 
hadn't told anyone.
 
 
Dawson took a deep breath. "So, Jo, I was thinking, maybe we could go to the
dance 
together." He smiled brightly, then shook his head. "No." He looked back into
the mirror. 
"Hey, Joey! You, me, dance. What do you think?" He grinned at sexily as he
could. 
"ARGH!" He groaned, dropping back onto his bed. Who would have thought that
asking 
his best friend to a dance could be so hard? Nicole's not so subtle comments
for the past 
month had gotten him to thinking that maybe Joey wasn't just his best friend
anymore. He 
sighed. He had to make this perfect. Absolutely perfect. He sat up, looked
into the mirror, 
and started again.
 
The next day at school, Pacey, Joey, Dawson, and Nicole ate lunch together as
usual. 
Nicole and Joey had debated over the seating arrangements at great length.
Finally, they 
decided that it was best for Dawson and Joey to be sitting across from each
other rather 
than next to each other. So, Pacey and Joey were next to each other, with
Dawson across 
from Joey. Unfortunately, Dawson had not gotten the clue, and was debating
over which 
film angles were best with Nicole, who tried to change the subject with no
avail. Finally, 
lunch was over. Joey pushed her chair back, intending to get as far away from
Dawson 
Leery as possible, the sooner the better. Dawson's voice pushed its way
through her angry 
thoughts.
 
"Hey, Joey, I'll walk you to your class," Dawson offered.
 
Joey stood stock still for a moment. Had he really said that? She and Nicole 
simultaneously looked at each other and grinned. "Uh, sure," she said, giving
him a slow 
smile. 
 
Dawson kept the conversation going with meaningless chatter as they walked,
and Joey 
was getting increasingly frustrated. "Is there a point to all of your
ramblings, Dawson?" 
she finally broke in, as they reached her class. 
 
He paused. "Um, yes, actually. I was leading into something."
 
"Well?" she asked, annoyed.
 
"I want to go to the dance. With you. Together," he mumbled, looking away.
This was 
not how it was supposed to go!
 
Joey could not believe her ears. "Excuse me?"
 
"I knew it was a stupid idea," Dawson said, blushing as he shook his head.
 
"No, no! Wait. Wait. I'm sorry. Really." She smiled at him. 
 
"Okay. I'm going to try this again." He covered his face with his hands, and
Joey gaped at 
him. He pulled his hands down a second later, and gave Joey a brilliant smile.
He took a 
deep breath, and said it just like he had practiced. "Joey, I've been thinking
about you 
lately. About us. I was wondering if you wanted to go to the dance with me.
You know, 
as a couple." He ended his speech with another well rehearsed killer smile.
 
Joey blinked. Well, that had sounded only a little rehearsed! He was just
nervous, she 
reasoned. There was this little voice in the back of her mind, though, and it
was telling 
her that maybe he just thought of this as part of the script of his life,
following things like 
"When Harry Met Sally" or "Silk Stalkings", where best friends realized they
were in 
love. She brushed that thought away almost immediately. Dawson wouldn't do
that. 
Would he? No. She smiled back at him. "I'd love to go to the dance with you,"
she told 
him.
 
"Really?" Dawson could hardly believe it. "Great! I'll see you later then," he
grinned, and 
quickly walked off to his class before he was late.
 
Joey turned to enter her classroom, ecstatic that Dawson had finally asked her
out. She 
couldn't wait to tell Pacey. She knew how happy he would be for her.
 
~*~
 
The rest of the day passed slowly for Joey, who was completely in a fog.
Finally, the last 
bell rang, and she shot out of her seat. She knew that Dawson had left earlier
for an 
appointment, so she didn't bother looking for him. She headed straight for
Pacey's, nearly 
floating the whole way because she was so happy. She knew where the Witter's
kept their 
spare key, so she just let herself in and raced up the stairs to Pacey's room.
 
"Pace! Hey, Pacey!" She went into his bedroom, where he was flipping through a
magazine while laying on his bed.
 
"Hey, Jo," Pacey smiled at her. "You're in a really good mood today. What
happened? 
Did Jen Lindley jump into the creek and drown? School burn down?"
 
"No, but almost as good," she laughed. "It's Dawson! He asked me to go to the
dance 
with him as a couple," Joey said excitedly.
 
Inwardly, Pacey groaned. He wanted to see Joey happy, of course, but he wanted
her to 
be happy with him! Still, "I'm happy for you, Joey. That's so great," he said
sincerely. 
 
"Isn't it?" she grinned. "I'm completely euphoric. I don't even want to think
about the 
inevitable let down." She noticed his TV wasn't on. "Hey, no GH?"
 
He grinned. "I'm waiting until Friday with you. It's agony, I'm telling you.
Agony. " He 
paused. "We are still on for Friday, right?"
 
"Of course we are," Joey reassured him. "We can't miss GH, you know. And until
Bessie 
lets me tape, which isn't likely since she doesn't want to get hooked, you're
stuck with me 
every week," she laughed. Pacey grinned to himself. At least he would still
get to spend 
time with her. "But I have to get to work now, before Bessie has a heart
attack. I just 
wanted to come tell you first." 
 
"Thanks," he told her, surprised that she had thought of him first. "See ya."
 
She was at his door before she thought of something and turned to face him.
"Hey, Pace. 
What's happening with Mac and Felicia now? Have you heard anything?" she
asked, 
feeling somehow that the answer was important. 
 
He shrugged. "I heard that Frisco, her first love, is coming back soon. Once
he does, Mac 
doesn't stand a chance. Felicia still thinks that she's in love with Frisco."
 
She didn't know why that disappointed her, or why she felt so invested in the
question. 
"What if she realizes that she's in love with Mac?"
 
Pacey shook his head. "Nah. No way. She's convinced herself that she's in love
with 
Frisco, and so she can't believe that she's gotten over him."
 
"But you said that Mac and Felicia are already in love, and that they belong
together!" 
Joey exclaimed.
 
"Mac has always been in love with her. He's just been too scared to let her
know, because 
he knows she can't get over Frisco. No matter how many times Frisco
disappoints her, 
Felicia gives him another chance. Even though she loves Mac now, she's so hung
up on 
Frisco that she just can't admit it. Until she gets over the idea of him, Mac
doesn't stand a 
chance." He shrugged again. "That's just the way it goes sometimes, Joey.
People are 
blind to what's right in front of them. Sometimes they just don't see it until
it's too late."
 
"Yeah," Joey whispered. "Too late."
 

Part Five, B

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