The Sheriffs Son and The Convicts Daughter

Chapter Ten ~

 "Feelings? For Pacey?" Jen asked Joey, who was getting books out of her locker.
Joey turned around, a blush creeping up her neck. "What are you talking about?" she deflected, her eyes darting nervously around the hallway.

Jen cocked an eyebrow, leaning against the locker next to hers. "Don't play dumb, Joey. The way you two look at each other..." she trailed off. "I saw the way you two looked when you got out of his car this morning."

Joey sighed and closed her locker before turning back to her friend. "Alright, you got me there. But so what? Pacey just sees me as his best friend..."

"...and that's all she's ever gonna view me as, McPhee," Pacey finished as he and Jack walked towards their gym class.

"No offense, Pace, but you are just about the most clueless person I've ever met. Anyone who's anyone can clearly see the chemistry between you two," Jack said, a hint of frustration creeping into his voice.

Pacey just scoffed in disbelief, casually dismissing his friend's claim. "Whatever you say, Jackers.

Back with Jen and Joey, they were walking towards their history class.

"You know, you're single-handedly creating these roadblocks, Joey. You've known Pacey for years, and as far as I can tell, you two clearly have something more than just friendship," Jen defended her point.

Joey sighed, playing with the strap of her backpack. "Jen, it just wouldn't work out between Pacey and I. We're two friends who basically hated one another for the past four years, then became friends again. And with the whole Dawson and Andie drama, he's probably not in the mood for a relationship right now. And I don't blame him."

Jen rolled her eyes and stopped Joey in her tracks, holding onto her shoulders. "Stop analyzing everything, Joey. A) Friendship formed out of initial hatred is actually the best type of friendship. That's the first sign you're compatible. B) I thought we agreed that your initial hatred for each other over the past four years was a misunderstanding. And C) Drama? Girl, when has there ever not been any drama in our lives since I met you all?"

"All very good points, Jen, but you're missing the point. Pacey is my friend. I don't want to ruin what we have by adding... feelings into the mix," Joey protested. But by the look on Jen's face, she wasn't quite buying it.

On the other side of the school, Jack and Pacey had reached the gym. Pacey looked almost skeptical at what Jack was trying to tell him. "You're reading too much into this, Jack. Just because Joey and I hang out, doesn't mean we're on the road to romance. We're friends, that's it," he defended, grabbing a basketball from the rack.

Jack sighed, crossing his arms. "See, that's where you're wrong," he insisted, snatching the ball from him. "You seem to forget that 'just friends' don't look out for each other the way you guys do. Joey is more than 'just a friend' to you... and you know it."

Pacey rolled his eyes, taking a seat on the bench. "Yeah, yeah... whatever, Jack."

As the girls entered their history class, Joey retorted, "Jen, I appreciate your concern, but really, it's not like that. Pacey and I are just really good friends and if anything, I'm just grateful to have a friend who understands me and doesn't need me to explain every little thing."

Jen sighed, still not convinced. "Okay, Joey. But remember, life isn't about always playing safe. You never know, because love sometimes comes in the form of the most unexpected person, in your case, it could be Pacey," Jen said as they took their seats.

...

Later that evening, Joey found herself at her dining table studying with Pacey. As she tried to focus on her textbook, the words of Jen were silently reverberating in her head. She glanced at Pacey, who was scribbling on his notebook, scratching his head every now and then. She couldn't help but smile, hiding it just in time before Pacey turned to talk to her.

"So, I had the weirdest talk with Jen today," she told him.

Pacey looked up, curious. "Oh yeah? About what?"

"About... us," she managed to whisper, her heart pounding in her chest. She could see the slight surprise on Pacey's face.

"Us?" He arched an eyebrow, fingers freezing over his pencil.

"Yeah. She said... well she thinks there is something more than friendship between us," Joey admitted, looking down at her hands.

Pacey was silent for a moment, before chuckling softly. "Jack was saying the same thing earlier, too. Seems like everyone is trying to play matchmaker these days," he replied, looking back at his textbook.

"Yeah," Joey muttered, a faint blush creeping up her neck.

"Look, Joey," Pacey began, setting his pencil down, "You're my best friend and I don't want to ruin that either. But do you... I mean, is that what you think?"

"What do you mean?" Joey asked, feigning ignorance despite knowing exactly what he meant.

"Do you believe what Jen said? That there could be something more between us?" Pacey asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

His question caught her off guard, causing her to pause before answering. "I don't know, Pacey. Do you believe what Jack said?"

Pacey sighed, running a hand through his hair. "To be honest," he paused for a moment, seemingly contemplating his next words, "I hadn't really thought about it before they pointed it out."

Joey found herself slightly relieved at his response, though she wasn't exactly sure why. "So, we're on the same page then?" she asked, her voice shaky.

He nodded, offering her a small smile. "Yeah, we're on the same page," he replied. "We're friends. Good friends."

Joey nodded, a small smile playing at her lips, matching his. "Good friends," she echoed. It seemed as though an invisible weight had been lifted off their shoulders, leaving them in a comfortable silence.

But later that night, as she lay in bed, Joey couldn't help but be tugged by the words of her friends. Could there be something more between her and Pacey? She shook the thought off. They're just really great friends, she reminded herself. Yet, in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but replay her entire conversation with Pacey again.

Meanwhile, across town, Pacey found himself in a similar predicament. He was now lying awake, staring at his bedroom ceiling. As much as he told himself they were just friends, he couldn't help his mind from wandering. He reminded himself of the conversation he'd had with Joey. But Jack and Jen's words seemed to echo in his mind, reigniting a spark of curiosity he didn't know existed.

Friends. That's all they were, Pacey thought to himself, hoping with all his might that he would soon believe it. After all, risking their friendship wasn't something he was willing to do. But what if there really was something more to their friendship?

As the night dragged on, Pacey and Joey both found themselves lost in thoughts, unknowingly starting to question the boundaries of their friendship, opening the doors to a path they thought they had never tread upon. Would they dare to take a step forward and risk proving their friends right? Or would they stick by their reaffirmed belief and remain just friends?

In the end, only time would tell what the future held for them. Perhaps it was simply a story of friendship that their friends had misunderstood. Or perhaps, just perhaps, beneath the surface, a romance was waiting to bloom. But for the time being, they were Pacey and Joey. Good friends. And they were content with that.