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Trudging through the endless sea of students, Pacey couldn't help but
notice the intense glares he was receiving from people he had never spoken
more then two words to. He dismissed this all as figments of his overactive
imagination continuing down to his locker.
"Where's Joey?" Anne Brady asked materializing next to him as he flipped
around the dial.
"Why would I know?" He questioned strangely focusing his attention back
on his combination.
"Typical," she huffed dramatically stalking away from him.
Furrowing his brows his eyes followed her before returning to the task
at hand, which he had to restart after missing the second number.
"Pace, can I talk to you?" Jen asked gripping onto the straps of her
backpack nervously.
"Look if this is about the whole Dawson situation, I rather not talk
about it. I like you Jen but Dawson has been my friend for as long as I
can remember, so if you're going to drag this br—."
"God no," she cut off, "this has nothing to do with Dawson it's just…"
she trailed off worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. "Have you talked
to Joey lately."
"Actually no," he replied still working with the combo, "she hasn't
been in school for a few days." With a few more spins he cracked the code,
before pulling the locker handle open he turned to Jen, "Why is everyone
asking me that anyway?"
She opened her mouth to speak but no sounds came out as he swung the
door open and widened his eyes. "Because of that I assume," Jen finally
worked out cringing slightly.
“Baby shoes?” He questioned dangling the small shoes by the laces over
his finger.
“The rumors are back in full force,” she offered sympathetically taking
the footwear from him. “And they’re only fueled by Joey’s unexplainable
absence.”
He set his jaw his eyes following a group of girls who were whispering
and pointing in his direction as they passed before glancing back at Jen.
“They aren’t true whatever they are,” he said with a tone of desperation
as he snatched the shoes from her throwing them roughly back into his locker.
“It’s okay Pace, I’m sure there’s a logical explanation to this all,
but even if it were true it’s not the end of the world,” she attempted
to comfort.
“Joey’s not pregnant,” he sneered in a hushed voice the words only striking
more fear within him. But suddenly he remembered the conversation they
had on the phone after Alexander was born, the strange tone that it had
contained.
“Are you two back together?” she asked furrowing her brows from his
reaction.
“Why would you think that?” He retorted shuffling fiercely through the
small quarters of his locker.
“The detention kiss and reports of the two of you staggering off from
a beach party hand in hand,” Jen explained her intuition. "But in reality
it's the way you look at her, and the way she talks about you, it's strange,
sometimes sex does it to you."
He sighed heavily the sudden realizations washing over him terrifying
as he shut the locker lightly, "Yes," he whispered sliding past her and
heading towards the door.
~*~
"Joey!" He pounded heavily on the door before twisting the knob and
easily slipping through the door. "Joey," he repeated heading down the
hall of her house.
He met her halfway in the doorframe of her room slumping slightly in
an oversized tee-shirt and a pair of boxers that he immediately recognized
as his own bundled loosely under a thick wool robe. "What are you doing
here at eleven in the morning, on a school day no less," she lectured rubbing
another tissue under her running nose.
"That's not the important thing, the important thing is what are you
doing here?" He redirected pacing frantically.
"I think my question is more in context with the situation that we're
in, in the middle of school, in my living room."
"That's not the only question I have for you," he continued following
her as she rolled her eyes crawling back under her covers in her bed.
"Alright if the Spanish Inquisition is upon us."
"What was with all the baby talk?"
"The baby talk?" She inquired with an arched brow.
"Yes, when your nephew was born you started to go all 'motherly what
if on me'," he explained.
"What are you getting at?"
"Jo why haven't you been in school for the past few days? Because according
to our peers you're loosing in a heavy case of morning sickness."
Her eyes widened, "You think I'm pregnant?" She questioned incredulously.
"Yes!"
"I have the flu Pace, contrary to popular belief people do come in conflict
with their immune system every now and then," she paused shaking her head.
"How could you think that we're safe."
"No we're reckless and irresponsible and we should have known that our
raging hormones would screw us over," he refuted.
"Pacey, everything's fine," she said her voice soothing in a comforting
tone.
He sighed heavily dropping his head as he ran his fingers through his
hair; "I was just scared that's all."
Turning down the covers she patted the empty space next to her, he smirked
kicking off his shoes and cuddling into the warm bed she provided. Throwing
an arm over her waist he nuzzled into her chest, "I'm sorry you had to
deal with the judgmental comments of the typical hypocritical Capeside
teen." She said softly running her hands through his hair.
"It wasn't too bad, just a few jackass father abandonment comments and
evil glares… nothing that I'm not used to."
"How I'm looking forward to tomorrow when I show up, knowing Mrs. Tringle
she'll have the home-ec classes make me baby clothes."
"It wasn't the rumors that scared me, I've learned to take these peoples
opinions with a grain of salt," he took in a sharp in take of breath. "I
was just so afraid that they were true, I mean granted I would love a kid,
I would adore it, it's just I'm fifteen years old," he paused tightening
his grip on her, "I still am one."
"Shh, it's alright Pace, everything's fine," she repeated placing a
light kiss on his forehead.
He couldn't bury himself deep enough into her, longing for this sense
of comfort which suddenly seemed only she could give him. It was then he
realized that he wasn't worried about himself, this kind of behavior was
expected from him. His potential was to become a deadbeat dad. But Joey,
she had the brightest future of anybody in Capeside, she was destined to
do great things not slump around the village streets bounded by the child
he burdened on her. He couldn't do that to her, she deserved better, hell
he didn't even deserve to touch her but he could and she like it.
"Don't breath on me," he mumbled into her chest, "I don't want to get
sick, people may think I'm pregnant."
She chuckled lightly, "I'll try not to, those rumors are killer."
He scoffed catching himself before the words tumbled off of his tongue,
because suddenly the first comeback that came to mind was, Potter, I love
you.
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