Pacey Whitter could count on one hand the number
of experiences in his life more frustrating than
his current situation: lying in bed mere centimeters
away from Joey Potter, not touching her, and trying
to sleep, even though he and Joey had just spent the
better part of the evening kissing each other madly,
like the world was about to end.

Which, Pacey reflected, shifting the pillow beneath
his head, it probably was.

He glanced to his right, taking in the still form
of Joey beside him. As near as he could tell she
had already fallen asleep, her shoulders rising and
falling slightly with each breath. Multiple sounds of
sleep filled the room, in fact, rising softly above
the comforting crackle emanating from the fireplace:
Andie's gentle snoring, Will's tossing and turning,
Dawson's...no, Dawson was perfectly silent, as
everyone's favorite child should be. Typical.

Pacey placed his hands behind his head and stared
at the stuccoed white ceiling. He had grown up in
the shadow of Dawson Leery, lurking in the shade
cast by Dawson's pure sun. And for the most part,
he'd been fine with it. Pacey knew his place in
the world, and had no illusions of rising above it.
Dawson could have all the accolades and respect and
dreams that he desired: Pacey would make due with a
glib retort and a stolen sip of beer. All was as it
would be; as it should be.

But for the first time in his life, Pacey found that
he was determined to claw his way out of that shadow,
to stand in the light. And to stand there with Joey,
holding her hand, if she would allow it.

He shook his head, disgusted with himself. Well, Mr.
Whitter, isn't this a fine mess you've gotten us into.
Even when you're trying to do something that could
finally change your life for the better, could once
and for all drag you up out of the Pacey Whitter mire
in which you so gleefully wallow, you still manage to
screw things up. Because you manage to fall for the
one girl you're not supposed to have. The one girl
that belongs to Dawson Leery.

Why couldn't he fall for the captain of the cheerleading
squad like everyone else? Then he remembered that the
captain of the cheerleading squad was Jen, and suppressed
a snicker. Even that option was unavailable.

It might have been easier, he thought, if Joey hadn't
kissed me back, if she'd just told me to go to hell.
I'd have sucked it up and gotten over it, eventually.
Failure is a companion with whom I am all too familiar,
as any teacher at Capeside High would attest. But she
didn't. She...

He basked in the memory of it, remembering the way her
soft lips felt against his, the way she reached her arms
up around his neck and arched her back ever so slightly,
her skin cold in the spring night but her breath hot
against his cheek. He thought he could live forever on
the memory of that kiss, but with any luck he wouldn't
have to. With any luck it would happen again tomorrow.

He grinned in the low light of the dying fire. It would
happen again. He'd make sure of that.

And he'd worry about Dawson later. For now, it was his
time in the sun.

end.