Part 6

It was January of Dawson, Joey, Pacey, and Nicole's freshman year in college.
Jen had 
decided not to go on to college just then, but to wait a year or so. Dawson
and Nicole had 
been accepted by NYU's Film School, Joey had decided to go to Columbia
University to 
study business and French language, and Pacey had been accepted into Boston 
University's education program.

Pacey and Joey had stayed together through out high school, but problems had
developed 
near graduation. With Joey's help and support, Pacey had become a much better
student, 
but still was rejected by most of the schools where he applied. The day after
they 
graduated, things blew up. When Joey opted for Columbia, which was near NYU,
Pacey's 
insecurities got the best of him and he accused her of wanting to be with
Dawson. Joey 
lost her temper, and left for New York much earlier than planned. She hadn't
seen him at 
all that summer of fall, but Christmas break a few weeks earlier had been
hell. Joey, who 
was at a club with Dawson and Nicole, sighed. Christmas. Dawson, who was
sitting next 
to her, rolled his eyes. She noticed.

"Now what's your problem, Dawson?" she asked in exasperation.

"My problem?" he repeated, amazed. "What do you mean, *my* problem? You're the
one sighing like life's not worth living anymore!"

"Bite me," she snapped.

"Oh, yeah. Real mature, Jo," Dawson returned sarcastically. "It's been 6
months. Either 
get over it, or just go back to him."

"Like you can talk!" Joey exclaimed. "Three short years ago, you were
completely 
obsessed with Jen Lindley-before, during, and after your break-up."

"Jo, I was _15_! She was my first girlfriend," he explained.

"Dawson, I'm 18, and Pacey was _my_  first boyfriend! And we were together a
hell of a 
lot longer than you and Jen. If I want to sigh about it, that's my choice,"
she said angrily.

Now it was Dawson's turn to sigh. He ran his hand through his short blonde
hair. "Okay, 
Jo. Truce, all right?" He looked at his best friend's still stony face. "I
really am sorry." He 
gave a sudden grin. "If you don't forgive me, I'll start babbling using
excessively 
grandiloquent terms," he threatened teasingly. She glanced at him and gave a
tiny smile. 
"That's better. Come on, let's dance."

"Wait," Joey said, putting her hand on his arm. "Where's Nicole? She's been
gone for 
awhile," she asked, worried.

"She said she had a headache and needed some air. She probably went for some
Tylenol."

 Joey hesitated. "One song, and then we look for her," she decided. 

Dawson nodded and led her to the dance floor. Joey lost herself in thought as
she danced 
with Dawson to Vonda Shepherd's "Searchin’ My Soul."

	I’ve been down this road walkin’ the line
	That’s painted by pride
	And I have made mistakes in my life 
	That I just can’t hide

	Oh I believe I am ready for what love has to bring
	Got myself together, now I’m ready to sing
	I’ve been searchin’ my soul tonight
	I know there’s so much more to life
	Now I know I can shine a light
	To find my way back home

	One by one, the chains around me unwind
	Every day now I feel that I can leave those years behind
	
	Oh I’ve been thinking of you for a long time
	There’s a side of my life where I’ve been blind and so

	I’ve been searchin’ my soul tonight
	I know there’s so much more to life
	Now I know I can shine a light
	Everything’s gonna be alright
	I’ve been searchin’ my soul tonight
	Don’t wanna be alone in life
	Now I know I can shine a light
	To find my way back home

	Baby, I been holding back now my whole life
	I’ve decided to move on now
	Gonna leave all my worries behind

	Oh I believe I am ready for what love has to give
	Got myself together now I’m ready to live

	I’ve been searchin’ my soul tonight
	I know there’s so much more to life
	Now I know I can shine a light
	Everything’s gonna be alright
	I’ve been searchin’ my soul tonight
	Don’t wanna be alone in life
	Now I know I can shine a light
	To find my way back home

After the song was over, the words kept going through Joey’s mind. //Oh, I
believe I am 
ready for what love has to give/ Got myself together now I’m ready to live//
She knew 
what she had to do now. She had always known, but now she was ready. She
looked up at 
Dawson, but he already knew.

“Your face is like an open book, Jo,” he said a little sadly. “Good luck.”

She smiled. “Thanks, Dawson.” She gave him a kiss on his cheek and headed for
the 
door, just missing Nicole, who had been watching them dance, a little
jealously. 

She walked up to Dawson. “Hi,” she managed to smile. “Miss me?”

“There you are, Nic,” he said, his relief evident. “I was just going to go
look for you.”

“Where did Joey go?” she asked carefully.

“To Pacey,” he explained, as Joey pushed her way back to them.

“Uh, Dawson?” she began, embarrassed. “Can I-“

She stopped when he held up his car keys. “Crash it and buy me another one,”
he warned, 
only half joking. 

She took them. “Thanks again, Dawson.” She noticed the petite brunette next to
him. 
“Nicki! Are you feeling better?”

Nicole gave her a genuine smile. “Much better, thanks. Good luck with Pacey.”

“Thanks. Bye, guys.” With that, she was gone again. 

“I’m glad you feeling better,” Dawson said, leading Nicole to a table. “Is it
a cold, you 
think? You’ve been feeling down for a while now.”

Nicole took a deep breath. Now or never. “No, it’s not a cold, Dawson. I went
to the 
doctor today.”

Instantly, he was concerned. “Are you okay?”

“That depends on your definition of okay,” she responded. “I’m pregnant.”

He sat there, stunned. “P-pregnant? How far?” he asked.

“15 weeks,” she told him nervously. 

He sat back. “Wow. That far along. I just can’t believe it.” He noticed
Nicole’s heart 
broken expression. He knew she had always wanted a child, even though not this
early. 
“Oh, Nicki. I’m sorry. It’s good news. I am happy. It’s just…” he trailed off.

“I know,” she told him softly. “I know.”

*** 

Joey was driving down the expressway, heading towards Boston. She turned on
the radio, 
scanning through the channels until she found her favorite station. 

“And this one is going out to David from Shelley,” the DJ boomed. “She’s loved
you for 
years, and hopes you hear this song and love her too.”

	Here’s a photo I’ve been looking for
	It’s a picture of the boy next door
	And I loved him more than words can say
	Never knew it ‘til he went away

	Faded pictures in my scrapbook
	Just thought I’d take one more look
	And recall when we were all
	In the neighborhood
	Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

	Here’s a photo of the neighborhood
	Here’s the corner where we stood
	Here’s a snapshot of Dad’s old car
	Never got us very far

	Faded pictures in my scrapbook
	Just thought I’d take one more look
	And recall when we were all
	In the neighborhood

	And all those friends
	Where did they go, I don’t know
	All those friends we used to know
	In the neighborhood

“Well, David, don’t be a stranger! Call Shelley now,” the DJ said, as Joey
shook her 
head. There was a limit to the amount of Vonda Shepherd songs one person could
tolerate 
in one day. She scanned through the stations again, not finding anything that
held her 
interest. She finally ended up listening to a mix tape that Dawson had made
and left in his 
car.

A few hours later, she was finally in Boston. She pulled her address book out
of her purse 
to look up Pacey’s address. She had been to Boston enough times to have a
fairly clear 
idea of where his dorm was. 10 minutes and only one wrong turn later, she
pulled into the 
parking lot and headed for the dorm. She walked through the doors that someone
held 
open for her, and made her way to room 137. She knocked on the door, and her
mouth 
dropped open in surprise when the door was opened.

Part Seven

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