Big thanks to Shack for sitting in for me last week! I surely appreciate it. Previously on Dawson's Creek Has Got To Be Almost Over For The Season Because, My God, My Fingers Hurt: Jack had an unfortunate run-in with Ambiguously Gay Eric (tm C-Span), which led to Jack leaving his fraternity; Dawson met the fairly cute, basically non-annoying film critic Amy Lloyd; Jack confessed that he was flunking out of school; and Sherilyn Fenn took over Liberty Hell, fired Audrey, and kissed Pacey.
Fade in on Pacey, still living at Chef Danny's, taking groceries out of a bleached cotton tote bag. Nothing's manlier than a nineteen-year-old boy carrying cutesy little tote bags full of arugula. Jack's studying at Pacey's breakfast bar. He looks pained. Studying will do that to you, I find. Especially when you haven't been to class. I once threw my linguistics book (Pintupi Country, Pintupi Self) against the wall. I still have it; the side is all smashed in. Anyway, Pacey makes some snippy comment about Jack's silly spring break suicide attempt; Jack retorts that having Dawson heave you out of the bottom of a pool forces you to change your ways. Pacey takes some canned tomatoes out of his Environmentally Friendly Bag O' Organically Grown Fruits And Veg and agrees that Jack's spring break shenanigans "do qualify [him] for rock bottom." Jack tells Pacey that all he has to do is master "advanced multivariable calculus" in order to stay in school, and therefore get his life back. Here's my question: why the hell is Jack taking multivariable calculus? According to the Desktops (and just insert the standard "why are plot points explained on the Desktops and not the show?" rant here), he was enrolled in the class by his fraternity brothers. Leaving aside the fact that they'd have to know, like, his security code and student ID or Social Security number to do that, there's no explanation for why Jack didn't drop the class as soon as he found out he was enrolled. Pacey tells Jack he'll be at the restaurant all night, and he's welcome to study at Chef Danny's. Jack shakes his head and gets up, putting his math book into his backpack. "I think it's okay to get back to Grams'," he says. "She and Mr. Smalls have to be done practicing choir by now." Pacey snorts that he doesn't think Grams and Clifton are really just singing songs about Jesus. Jack stares at him. "Please. Don't try to take the myth away from me, all right? There are some things we just don't have to know about," he says. He turns to go. "Does being propositioned by your boss count as one of those things?" Pacey calls after him.
Jack turns around. "New boss? Boss that fired Audrey?" Jack asks. "Boss that kissed me directly after I asked her to give Audrey her job back, boss," Pacey clarifies. Jack sputters that this is "sexual harassment!" Pacey snorts that he thinks Audrey would concentrate more on "the sexual and not the harassment." Jack thinks about this, then advises Pacey to keep his mouth shut about the entire thing. Pacey spews some crap about honesty being the cornerstone of his relationship with Audrey, which is totally true except for the part where Audrey lies to him every week about, say, the number of men she's slept with or the nature of her relationship with stupid faux movie stars. "She kissed her old boyfriend at spring break and told me," Pacey says. No, Pacey, you walked in on that. Although I suppose you could argue that she was planning to tell you, but I suspect that's just because she knew you were going to figure it out anyway. And how quickly has the worm turned for Audrey and me! Three weeks ago, she was delightfully sassy. Now, she just won't stop screeching and I sort of want to duct tape her mouth shut. I think it all stems from how irritated I still am at the way the writers handled her sexual history. See, she loves Pacey! And she's really not slutty at all! Feel free to embrace her as a proper consort for Prince Pacey! Embrace her! LOVE HER! And when I once adored her, now I'm all, "Audrey, shut up." Jack asks Pacey if the Kissing His Boss thing is going to happen again. Pacey hems and haws. From this hemming and hawing, Jack deduces that Alex must be "hot." Pacey's brows race toward his hairline. "I was a victim of unwanted sexual advances!" he squeaks. "So, how hot is she?" Jack asks. Pacey just gestures with his chin. Alex, of course, is standing right behind Jack, because Rule #7 of Predictable Television is "Whomever you are talking about will turn out to be standing right behind you 80 percent of the time." Jack turns and gets an eyeful of the erstwhile Audrey Horne, who is starting to look like Courteney Cox Arquette to me, all bony face and flat hair and really overplucked eyebrows. It's sad, because Sherilyn Fenn was so spectacular as Audrey Horne. And actually I saw a spread on her house in InStyle a couple of months ago, and she looked stunning in that, too. I think that maybe the blown-out hair is the culprit; she needs some volume around her face. Or something. Anyway. "Hi," Alex purrs at Jack. Who stammers and stutters and forgets his name. No, really -- he introduces himself as "Jake" before managing to remember that his name is Jack and he's SUPPOSED TO BE GAY. He turns to Pacey. "You, my friend, are in trouble," he says.
Credits.
Back to Pacey's, where he makes a nervous little "no means no" joke. Alex twitters that she didn't come over to "jump [Pacey's] bones," but to apologize. She gives him a bottle of champagne as a peace offering. Because nothing says "I'm sorry" like contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Alex wanders around the living room, murmuring that she feels terrible for coming onto him like she did, but she's all alone in a new town, and she's just so vulnerable right now. "I feel like a fool," she sighs. Pacey halfheartedly tells her not to beat herself up about it. "This is exactly why I'm still single," Alex sighs, waving her arms around. "Why? Because you kiss the help?" Pacey asks. "No, because I take getting what I want for granted," Alex purrs. But she reiterates that she "respects Audrey," and she'll even give the girl her job back! "No matter how cute you are in your uniform, I promise, from now on, complete professionalism. Deal?" she asks. Pacey agrees; they shake on it. Alex looks around the apartment appraisingly and wonders if she's paying him "too much." Because the place is all nice and whatnot. Pacey explains that he's just "squatting" there while Chef Danny tries to put together the shattered pieces of his shallow life. Alex chirps that maybe she'd like to take over the lease. And why not? She's already taken over Danny's restaurant. Not that I'm all broken up that they rode Chef Danny out of town on a rail, since watching that guy interact with anyone was about as involving as watching paint dry. Alex says that maybe she'll let Pacey stay on, too. Rent-free. "We'll work something out," she coos. "Work something out?" Pacey squeaks. "Lighten up, Pacey! I'm talking about the apartment!" Alex says. "Of course," Pacey grumbles.
Worthington Library For Girls With Yellow, Yellow Teeth And The Soulmates Who Haunt Them. Joey is studying for finals and gnashing her teeth and tearing out her hair, so stressed is she. to her sits Dawson, watching a DVD on his laptop in preparation for his final on "First-Time Directors And The Way They Connect To Dawson Leery's Lifelong Dreams Of Becoming A Big Fancy Artiste." Yada yada yada, Dawson's all laughing at his movie and chomping loudly on his potato chips and Joey just can't concentrate on Beowulf, so she tells him to cram it and kicks him out of the library. He decides to go catch a movie downtown. Maybe he'll luck out and meet a singing car thief or something while he's down there!
Grams's. Jack is knee-deep in calculus. Grams hands him a big cozy mug full of gingko-biloba-enriched tea. Which I'm sure tastes horrible. She's under the impression that it will help Jackers concentrate on The Mysteries Of Math. Jack thinks he's beyond a place where tea can save him. "I'm deep into fear and panic," he says. Grams exposits that all of Jack's other exams went well; surely this one will, too. Jack sputters that he can't "BS" this like an essay exam and it's not multiple choice and he doesn't have any notes and he doesn't know any of his classmates and blah blah blah Jack's Going To Fail Math. Don't ask me why Grams doesn't call her love thang, Clifton Smalls, Geometry Teacher, as I'm fairly sure that he's probably taken calculus at some point in his life, or knows someone who has. Instead, she casts around for an appropriate Biblical homily. "I love you, Grams, but please don't launch into a speech about Daniel and the lion's den," Jack asks plaintively. "David and Goliath?" she asks. Jack shakes his head. "Need some new material, eh?" Grams smiles, then gets up and takes the mug of tea away from him. "To hell with herbal tea," she says. "You need coffee and a lot of it. Now, hit those books. One way or another, we're going to get you through this." Yay, Grams said a bad word. Maybe Jen's tragic off-screen death has rocked her to the very core, leading her to use words like "hell" and "damn" with a newfound reckless abandon.
Dawson walks out of the movie theatre and right into Perky Film Critic, Amy Lloyd. "In all the movie joints in all the towns in all the world," she says to him by way of greeting. Dawson is pleased to see her, and they start walking together. Amy, it seems, was on a rather disastrous date. In fact, she left the guy in the movie theatre. There's some in-jokey commentary about the movie she walked out on (Storytelling, a film James Van Der Beek was cut from entirely), and the two of them head off companionably. "What sort of man sucks a Jordan almond?" Amy wonders. Heh. I can't help it; I like her. "Did anyone ever tell you you're a very critical person?" Dawson wonders. "We all have our gifts," Amy responds. I think I'm going to take that as a shout-out. Dawson muses that, in fact, she was recently quite critical of him, as she called Charlie Todd Flashes His Unit "imitative, derivative and full of unexplored potential." Amy wrinkles her brow and then points out that the review wasn't "a slam." She smiles at him winsomely. "I like your work, Dawson. More than you know," she tells him, before asking if he's at the movies on a date himself. He shakes his head, explaining that he's actually studying. Amy nods, and asks him back to her place to watch one of her favorite movies. It's called Amy The Film Critic Boffs The Big Giant Head. "How do you know I'm not a Jordan almond sucker?" Dawson wonders. Amy assures him that she knows. I didn't even know Jordan Almonds were available for purchase at the movies. I thought they were only used as tiny projectile missiles at wedding receptions.
Cut to Liberty Hell and Audrey's Rapid Descent Into Pain-In-The-Assosity. She's flailing her arms all around the kitchen, as Pacey gives her the good news that she's got her job back. Audrey emits a series of high-pitched squeaks and squeals, which I can barely translate, but it has something to do with Audrey not thinking Alex is quite on the up-and-up. Pacey chops stuff and calmly opines that Audrey may have misjudged Alex, and he got her job back for her, so why isn't she happy? "I think she wants you," Audrey declares. "I've seen the way she looks at you. This woman would only be nice to you if it served her." Can I get a show of hands of people who care? Hi? Hello? Anyone? I didn't think so. I don't care if Pacey stays with Audrey. I don't care if he hooks up with Alex. I don't care if he leaves Boston, moves to Washington D.C., joins the FBI, is partnered with Special Agent Dennis/Denise Bryson, is assigned to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Special Agent Dale Cooper and THEN hooks up with Sherilyn Fenn in the guise of Audrey Horne, who convinces him to live in Twin Peaks for the rest of his life and act as the head chef at the Double-R Diner. As long as that show replaces this one in the WB's Wednesday night line-up.
While I was trying to decide what to name said spin-off, Audrey says something about someone's "boobs," and the thing you know she's taking Pacey's pulse while peppering him with questions about the nature of his relationship with Alex. Was Audrey always this hysterical? I don't mean "hysterical" as in "funny," either. I mean "hysterical" as in "shut up." The way this is going, I wouldn't be surprised if she hauled a lie detector into the kitchen and hooked Pacey up. Which reminds me of one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes, the one where Jerry denies to his cop girlfriend that he watches Melrose Place and she submits him to a lie detector, and he just totally loses his shit, and that all just makes me think that this particular Alex/Audrey/Pacey plot would be a lot more interesting if Sherilyn Fenn would just go balls-out Amanda Woodward on us, all walking around in miniskirts and flinging people down on tables and buying and selling her own family members to get ahead. "Your pulse is racing!" Audrey squeals, interpreting this to mean that Pacey's been lying to her. Pacey quite rightly points out that his pulse is racing because she has "[her] fingers on [his] jugular and [he's] afraid of dying!"
The commotion draws Alex into the kitchen. She basically tells the two of them to cut the histrionics, then welcomes Audrey back into the fold. She walks back into the restaurant, and Audrey does some more narrow-eyed complaining. Pacey clasps his hands to his head. "What is it that I'm missing?" he asks. "God! Everything!" Audrey yelps. "I'm quitting," she then says, and stomps out. I'm not quite sure what she wants from Pacey, here; does she want him to quit this plum job that he never should have in the first place because she can't trust him not to bone his boss? Because that sounds more like her problem than his, frankly.
, Amy and Dawson have a long and boring conversation with no relevance to the plot at all. It's peppered with references to movies, however, and Dawson's knowledge of film makes Amy want to have sex with him. So she does.
Apres le sex. It's going to be hard for me to recap the rest of this episode -- nay, this season -- because I am now totally stone blind. The last thing I saw before God turned out the lights was Dawson's nipple hair. Blindness is sweet, sweet relief. He and Amy talk some more about movies before Dawson spies Amy's thesis film, just oh-so-conveniently sitting there on the bedside table although she's surely been out of school for a good five to ten years. I know I certainly don't leave my senior thesis paper sitting around my living room, and it was pretty good. And funnnnnnnny! Okay, not really all that funny. Dawson suggests that they pop it in the VCR and take a look-see. Amy refuses. Don't ask me why the tape is lying around if Amy hates it so much. Contrivance must have left it out last time it came by.
Library. Audrey plops down in a chair to Joey, complaining that "boys suck." Joey really doesn't care, but she's "legally required to be here for [Audrey]," so she sets aside Beowulf to listen to Audrey do her Alvin and the Chipmunks routine, squealing and squawking that she thinks Pacey is cheating on her. Joey rolls her eyes and tells Audrey that Pacey's no cheater. Audrey points out that Alex is a powerful force. "She's a femme fatale with an MBA on How To Take Your Man Away," she says. There are so many things wrong with this plot, not the least of which being that Audrey has become yet another girl who is completely defined by her relationship with one of the boys on the show. I liked her much better when she was a smart-mouthed tramp. Joey rolls her eyes and opines that Audrey "needs to be medicated." For once, Joey and I are in agreement; the way Audrey's been shrieking like a harridan lately, I'm beginning to think that she needs a happy pill. Or some weed. Audrey muses that she's sure Pacey is "keeping something" from her. Joey wearily suggests that maybe he's having problems with his coworkers or something. "Not everything is about you, Audrey," she says. Audrey, of course, doesn't buy that theory. Joey, clearly desperate to get back to cramming, offers that maybe Pacey is planning a surprise for Audrey or getting her a present. This, of course, appeases Audrey, who reacts like a two-year-old with a set of car keys and starts cooing about all the nice things Pacey might be buying her. Joey finally reminds her that they have finals to prepare for, and Audrey gets her books out of her bag.
Liberty Hell. Through a series of contrived circumstances, Pacey ends up walking Alex home in the middle of the night, so as to protect her from the Bantering Bandit Version 2.0.
Stepford Frat; Jack walks into a party, bold as you please, and asks Blossom and Bull if he can get into "the notes and tests closet" for some semi-legal assistance for that multivariable calculus test. Blossom and Bull play dumb, accuse Jack of "needing a drink," and toss him out of the house with nary a note or a test. Ambiguously Gay Eric watches in silence as Jack stomps off.
Over at Amy's, Dawson answers the door with a blanket wrapped around his waist. The pizza delivery guy is struck blind and stumbles away, eventually falling into the bushes with an anguished cry. "Look at you, all Harrison Ford in Working Girl," Amy coos. "I'd rather be him in Raiders," Dawson says, setting the food down on the coffee table. "Cuter in the former," Amy says. "Cooler in the latter," Dawson counters, and as much as this may get me fired, I agree with Dawson. In fact, I think Harrison Ford was cuter in Raiders of the Lost Ark, too. And he had a whip! And no Melanie Griffith. Raiders it is! Dawson wonders why Amy won't let him see her movie. She hems and haws and finally explains that it's just really, really, really bad. "So you just never wanted to make another one?" Dawson asks. That is correctamundo, Amy says. Dawson thinks about this, then reminds her that…oh, screw this. Do any of us really care if Amy Film Critic makes another movie? I didn't think so, especially as she is, by her own admission, happy being a writer. "Sometimes, you just have to let things go like that," she tells him. "Very smart and practical," Dawson agrees. "And a little sad," Amy smiles. "A little," Dawson says.
So, Pacey finally gets Alex to her apartment. There are forty thousand people wandering the streets, by the way. It looks pretty safe to me. They stand on Alex's stoop for a moment, and Pacey asks her to consider taking over Danny's apartment just like she did his restaurant, offering to let her come by and look it over if she likes. Alex says that maybe she will, and offers that it's "nice" to have Pacey as a friend. They hug. For a long, long time. In fact, it looks like both of them are considering kissing the other. Snore. "I guess I should be going, Alex," Pacey husks. Then he leaves.
Library, where Audrey is still yammering about Pacey's "surprise" for her. Joey finally cracks and tells Audrey to either shut her piehole or go find Pacey and drive him crazy. Audrey leaves. Joey gets back to studying. She's barely had a moment to read when Jack plops down to her, all in a state over multivariable calculus. Joey just stares at him. She's sort of amusing me, loath as I am to admit it.
Back in the bedroom, Dawson confesses to Amy that he's never had a date like this, with all the sex. She lies that she hasn't, either. Dawson wonders what makes a girl decide to spend the night with a boy she barely knows. Amy tells him it's the same things that make a boy want to spend a night with a girl (giant hooters, for those of you keeping score), but for a girl, "the deciding factor is usually the shoes." Um, I think I speak for all women when I say, no. It's really not. I mean, if the shoes are bad, that hurts your chances. But I've never been all, "Dude, those flip-flops are boss! Let's have sex." Dawson is as incredulous as I am. "You decided to sleep with me because of my [product placement removed]?" he asks. Amy tells him his sneakers reveal that he is "safe, genuine, a kindred spirit." The problem with Jen, Amy thinks, is that she didn't "appreciate quality footwear." Also that, apparently, she's dead. "Does breaking up bite, or what?" Amy asks. Dawson launches into his patented "it wasn't that bad" story. He and Jen are still friends. "It's the same as before." Except they know what the other looks like naked now. Amy muses that when she broke up with her boyfriend, she threw a Cuisinart. Dawson insists that he's a lover, not a fighter. Amy can't believe he's never had a "knock-down, drag-out fight." He swears he hasn't. "Doesn't seem like there was much there with this girl," Amy muses. Dawson takes the mildest offense at this. "You are a passionate guy, Mr. Leery," Amy explains. "The secret is out. And someday, you're going to meet someone who drives you absolutely mad, who you are going to fight with and laugh with and do totally insane things for. Someone who turns your life wildly upside down." Dawson makes his thoughtful face. "I think I've already met that person," he says. Amy, bless her heart, does not assume he means her, and simply wonders why he's not with that person. "Bad timing," Dawson shrugs. Amy nods. "I had a chance awhile back and I blew it. And I guess she felt the same way you do about your life and moved on," he explains. Amy wonders how he knows that the girl moved on. Dawson answers that she's with a new guy. Charlie? She's not exactly with him. Isn't he on his world tour now? At any rate, Amy wisely points out that just because this girl is dating someone else, it doesn't necessarily mean she's moved on. After all, he's spending the night with her. "Does that mean that you've moved on?" she asks. Dawson just smiles.
Grams's. Jack shuffles inside, defeated by the power of math. Grams is waiting for him. "Where have you been?" she asks. "The Worthington library. Turns out this stuff is even beyond the academic ability of Joey Potter," Jack grouses. No! Joey has a flaw! "Well, we have been waiting for you," Grams announces primly. "'We'?" Jack answers. He peeks into the dining room to see Ambiguously Gay Eric sitting at the table, surrounded by books.
Pacey's naked and soapy in the shower, all rubbing himself and getting all lathered up and clean for you, the viewer who loves him. Just for you! The doorbell rings. Pacey sticks his head out of the shower, a quizzical expression on his face. Shortly thereafter he answers the door, fully clothed in a nicely coordinated ensemble. It's Alex, smiling perkily. She knows it's late, but she totally wants to look over the nifty apartment! Pacey points out that it's nearly two in the morning. Alex skips into the apartment and chirps that she knows he's a night owl and he just walked her home anyway, and…her voice trails off. "What?" she asks. "Oh my God! I'm sorry!" Pacey wearily tells her that it's okay. "I misjudged this whole thing again! I'm leaving! I feel terrible," Alex squeaks. Is she really this dumb, or is it all an act? You make the call. Pacey stops her and says it's fine, she can take a look around. He offers her a drink, saying that he has OJ and water. She suggests they break open the champagne she brought him earlier. Pacey half-heartedly agrees that "a little champagne between colleagues never hurt." Pacey? In order to make that "no means no" comment you're so fond of, it helps for you to actually say no to Alex at some point. Alex purrs that Pacey is "a doll" and she has "so much respect" for him for being strong enough not to act on "this thing." Pacey's all, what thing? "This thing, this heat," Alex says. "I felt it tonight when you hugged me. I felt it when we kissed." She smiles at him. Behind them, Audrey clears her throat. "You might want to shut the door, Pacey," she snaps. "It'll keep the heat in!" So she shuts it for him. Hard. "Audrey," Pacey groans. He heads after her.
Pacey catches up with Audrey on the street. Screaming. Squalling. Squealing. "You kissed her!" Audrey yelps. "She kissed me! It didn't mean anything!" Pacey retorts. "It meant your tongue in her throat," Audrey spits. "It was her tongue in my throat, for what it's worth," Pacey points out. "I don't want to hear this!" Audrey screams so loudly that my eardrums burst and blood runs down my neck and into my shirt. Thanks, Audrey! I love this damn shirt! This show ruins everything! Audrey runs away. Again. Pacey grabs her, begging her to listen.
"Why should I?" she asks. "You lied to me!" Um, Audrey? You are, likewise, a big fat liar, so why don't you…actually, I don't care what you do, as long as you stop with the yelling. Pacey yelps that he never told her about The Alex Thing because he didn't think it would happen again. Audrey brats that if he wanted to stop it, he could have, and he thinks Alex is hot, and if he didn't want it to happen again, why didn't he quit? Pacey points out that he needs the job. "I'm not some rich college girl who can quit when the mood strikes me," he snips. Audrey purses her lips so hard. "Screw the girl, keep the job, have your cake and eat it too, that's fine," she squeaks, and tosses her hair and stomps off. Pacey looks like he has a mild case of indigestion.
Pacey comes back to the apartment to find Alex on his leather sofa, drinking her champagne. Pacey appears less than thrilled to see her. "I thought you might need a friend," Alex says. "Come and sit," she says, patting her lap -- er, the sofa. Pacey sighs. "You realize she may never talk to me again," he says. "I told you nineteen is too young to be settling down," Alex says, rubbing his cheek. Pacey sighs. "You're driving me crazy, Alex. You realize that?" he asks. Alex can't help it, she says. Pacey is practically licking her arm. Alex tells him that she thinks people should "listen to their urges." If that was really a good idea, by the way, half of the people I run into on a daily basis would be dead right now. "Everyone already thinks you did it, Pacey, so why don't you just do it?" Alex asks. He stares at her. He kisses her. They mack. And she pulls away after a moment. "God, this is great. Too bad we have to stop," she says. Pacey looks stunned. "What about the heat?" he asks. Alex shrugs. "Well, just knowing that we could do it is enough," she says, peeling herself off the sofa. "It is?" Pacey yelps. "It is. It would just be inappropriate," Alex says, and leaves. Pacey looks very, very frustrated. Alex? Insane. I mean it. I think she's mental. I think she's Kimberly-ripping-off-her-wig-in-Michael's-bathroom-then-stealing-Jo's-baby-crazy.
Library. A couple is making out to Joey, all smacky and giggly. She looks at them, disgusted and horrified. "Could you guys get a room?" she asks. The Kissyface Couple roll their eyes and huff and puff and leave. "It's a library," Joey says to the air, a hilarious expression on her face. That one scene almost redeemed her for me. Not quite. Almost. It was pretty close, though.
Grams's. Ambiguously Gay Studying. Jack wonders how Ambiguously Gay Eric got the notes and the tests out of The Notes And Tests Closet. ["Well, it's a closet. QED. Heh." -- Sars] AGE shrugs that he just put them in his backpack and walked out. Jack points out that AGE could get kicked out of the frat if his perfidy is revealed! AGE points out that he hears it's possible to leave the Greek system and survive. "Why are you helping me?" Jack wonders. "Because you helped me," AGE says. How ambiguous of him.
Daylight. Dawson leaves Amy's cute, cute Bridget Jonesean apartment, but before he goes she gives him a gift: herpes. Not really. It's What's Up, Tigerlily?, Woody Allen's first film. Blah blah it's derivative, imitative, and full of unexplored potential, just like Dawson! And I just can't wait for the episode when Dawson marries his stepdaughter, can you? Dawson thanks her, and Amy gives him the "we're in different places in our lives and I need someone more sexually experienced than you are" speech, but Dawson insists that he wants to keep in touch. "Then do," Amy says. "I'd like that." He kisses her and leaves. Amy smiles as he goes. I think she can do better.
Joey paces around the library.
Jack heads off to his test. Grams hands him his lunch, and he takes it, nods confidently at her, and heads for the door. He turns at the last moment, and comes back and kisses her on the forehead. Grams smiles and places her hand over her heart. I burst into tears. I'm sorry; that was just a really nice moment and I miss my own Grams sometimes.
Dawson walks along the docks, looking for sailors.
Pacey calls Audrey, who lets the machine pick it up. She looks miserable as he pleads on the tape for her to talk to him.
Joey sleeps over her book in the library. She opens her eyes to see Dawson, holding a cup of coffee for her. She takes it gratefully and wonders how the movie was. "Fun. Inspiring. Completely unexpected," he muses. He stares for a moment, and wonders if he can sit with her for a little bit. Joey agrees, and thanks him for the coffee. Then she starts bitching about all the morons at the library, and how she really needs to do well on these finals or her life will be over and she'll have to go back to Capeside and become a crack whore, eventually ending up in jail with her father. She looks over at Dawson, and notices that he's totally asleep. "Dawson?" she asks. He wakes up and smiles sleepily. He wants to ask her something: "Do you like my shoes?" Joey smiles, furrowing her brow. "Yeah. Why?" Dawson looks at her. "Just wondering," he says. Joey shoots him a weird look. He drifts back to sleep. She goes back to her book. Wow, well, then! They must be meant to be!