Cut to inside Professor Hetson’s advanced English class. Joey enters the room and takes her seat, getting her books ready.
Someone taps on her shoulder from behind. She spins around, and receives a surprise.
JOEY: You?
Chris Wolff grins at her.
CHRIS: We’ve got to stop meeting like this.
JOEY: Very funny. Could you sit somewhere else?
CHRIS: I was here first. Besides, I’m new here…it would help if I knew someone who could show me around.
He gives her his best ‘sincere’ look, but she doesn’t buy it.
JOEY: I’m wise to your game, Chris. What crime could I have possibly committed to have the ‘James Bond of Capeside’ following me around?
Chris scoffs.
CHRIS: Don’t flatter yourself, Joey. I’m immune to your charms.
JOEY: Oh, really? Why, may I ask, is that?
CHRIS: Simple. Your ‘it’ can’t affect me because I have an ‘it’ of my own. They cancel each other out.
JOEY: An ‘it’?
She laughs.
CHRIS: Don’t believe me? Watch this…
Chris turns towards the side, where a girl is sitting nervously.
CHRIS: First day?
The girl looks at him, surprised.
GIRL: (quietly) Yeah.
CHRIS: I know the feeling. I’ve only been here a week, and this place is still imposing. The architecture makes it look like a castle at night. Really creepy.
She laughs. Joey rolls her eyes.
CHRIS: What’s your name?
GIRL: Julie.
Chris smiles.
CHRIS: That’s a really pretty name, Julie.
She blushes.
CHRIS: Being new at school is kind of daunting. It’s important to make friends quickly. I’m hoping I can be yours in the near future.
She smiles at him.
JULIE: Me too.
Julie goes back to her books, now seeming more relaxed. Chris turns back to Joey.
CHRIS: What’d I tell you?
Joey scoffs.
JOEY: You’re proud of that?
CHRIS: Hey, if you’ve got it, flaunt it! It’s what separates people like you and me from the rest of the rabble.
Joey gives him a cold stare.
JOEY: If you believe you and I are anything alike, you are seriously delusional, Chris.
She turns back towards her desk.
CHRIS: Suit yourself.
However, a second later, he taps her on the shoulder once more. Joey spins around angrily.
JOEY: What?
CHRIS: I’ve got a question…
Joey groans, and tries to turn back around.
CHRIS: No, wait…I’m serious. This is a serious question.
JOEY: What do you want to know?
Chris bites his lip.
CHRIS: That girl Audrey…she’s your roommate, right?
Joey looks at him strangely. She’s surprised he even knows who Audrey is.
JOEY: Yeah.
CHRIS: Well, then you know a lot about her, right? Is she, um…is she seeing anyone right now?
JOEY: Oh, yeah…yeah, she is. Big guy. Tall. Handsome. A wrestler. Goes by the name of ‘Tiny’.
Chris sighs.
CHRIS: So she isn’t?
JOEY: Why do you care?
Suddenly, it clicks for her. Joey rolls her eyes.
JOEY: Of course. Predictable.
CHRIS: What?
JOEY: How about I give you a friendly warning, Chris. Stay away from her, ok? Audrey’s had a rough year, and the last thing she needs right now is to be made one of your ‘conquests’. You even try to hurt her like you have those countless others, you answer to me.
Chris seems genuinely hurt by her comments, but quickly brushes it off. Joey turns back towards the front of the class.
CHRIS: Hey, one more question.
She sighs, not turning to face him.
JOEY: What?
CHRIS: You really went out with Witter? How desperate could you have been…?
Joey grabs her textbook, with the full intention to causing it to collide with Chris’s skull.
She never has the chance, though, because at that exact moment, Professor Hetson enters the class.
HETSON: Morning, people.
Joey quickly replaces her textbook, as if nothing had happened.
HETSON: Now, let’s get one thing straight here…this is the advanced class. It’s ‘advanced’, because someone in scheduling is convinced that you all learn at a higher level than most students in this particular subject. So if any of you are expecting me to hold your hands here…forget it! I expect each and every one of you to give me 110%. Got it?
He receives nods from several of the students.
HETSON: All right, then…let’s open up to page five!
*****
Cut to after class. Joey exits the room, not noticing Chris is following her.
She wanders over to the tower and ascends it. Chris stays near the bottom, listening in to what’s happening above his head.
At the top of the tower, Dawson, Pacey, and Audrey are all waiting for her. Pacey’s leaning over the edge, his hands in the air.
PACEY: I’M KING OF THE WORLD!!!
Pacey laughs, stepping down.
PACEY: This place rules! Why didn’t anyone tell me about it?
Dawson laughs at his obvious enthusiasm. The girls don’t seem that impressed.
PACEY: You know, with the absence of Dawson’s bedroom, I nominate this as our new meeting place. What do you say?
JOEY: You do realize that only half of us are actually supposed to be here, right?
PACEY: There you go with the kicking us out thing, again! So, what’s up with you in the land of higher education?
Joey shrugs.
JOEY: Just Chris making my life miserable.
Pacey raises an eyebrow.
PACEY: Who’s Chris?
DAWSON: Chris Wolfe. He’s here.
Joey and Pacey both look at him, surprised.
JOEY: How did you know?
DAWSON: We kind of ran into each other last week.
Pacey sighs.
PACEY: Man, they’ll let anyone in here, won’t they?
Feeling left out, Audrey speaks up.
AUDREY: Um, excuse me…I’m kinda out of the loop here. Who’s Chris Wolfe?
PACEY: You don’ t wanna know.
JOEY: Think of him as the ‘anti-Dawson’. Back in Capeside, he was this spoiled rich kid who got his jollies by tormenting us peons. He has this weird charm that gives him the uncanny ability to make any girl fall for him.
DAWSON: Yeah. He went after Jen right after her grandfather passed away.
AUDREY: So he’s the rich man’s Charlie with more charm?
PACEY: Makes laughing boy look like an amateur.
JOEY: Eh, I can deal with him. Lord knows I’ve dealt with worse.
AUDREY: So, how goes the job hunt, boys?
Pacey sighs.
PACEY: Still looking. I’m trying to decide whether I should hit the local restaurants or try my hand at the shady world of business again.
JOEY: Ugh. Just as long as you don’t regrow that fungus that was infesting your face.
Pacey’s mouth hung open.
DAWSON: Well, she does have a point. That thing was hideous.
PACEY: Why’s everyone so down on the beard? I thought it was very distinguished.
JOEY: It was smarmy!
DAWSON: It was lame!
JOEY: It was ugly!
AUDREY: It was sexy!
Dawson and Joey stare at Audrey in disbelief. Pacey points at her.
PACEY: See? She thinks so!
Dawson rolls his eyes.
JOEY: (muttering) Give me a break…
DAWSON: As for me…I’m headed off to LA.
JOEY: Already? And we were just getting used to your constant presence again.
Dawson smiles.
DAWSON: I will be back, though. This is a round trip, just to wrap a few things up. I also have this idea I wanted to throw around a bit.
Pacey raises an eyebrow.
PACEY: This is the first I’ve heard of it.
Dawson grins.
DAWSON: Let’s just say I have an idea. I also have a second ticket…
Joey eyes go wide.
JOEY: Me?
DAWSON: Come on…you said you wanted to see LA, right?
JOEY: I meant on spring break or the holidays or something.
DAWSON: Come on! It’ll be fun. We can climb the Hollywood sign like we said we would.
JOEY: We were eight years old.
DAWSON: So?
Joey bites her lip.
JOEY: I can’t.
Dawson’s face falls.
JOEY: It’s my first week in Hetson’s advanced class, and I don’t want to screw this up, Dawson. You understand, right?
DAWSON: Oh, yeah…definitely understand.
The tone of his voice doesn’t make his response believable. He quickly turns to Audrey.
DAWSON: How about you? Care to drop in on the folks?
AUDREY: About as much as I’d like spending spring break in hell! Besides, I need to show up for drama rehearsals.
Pacey raises his eyebrows in surprise.
DAWSON & PACEY: Drama rehearsals?
AUDREY: Yeah. I’m really getting into this stuff. Been reading plays all summer. What, you don’t think I can cut it?
Pacey chuckles.
PACEY: Make no mistake, Audrey…you’re definitely dramatic.
Audrey playfully punches him in the shoulder.
PACEY: Ow!
Dawson sighs.
DAWSON: Well, I guess I’ll go it solo.
AUDREY: Why don’t you bring Pacey?
Dawson looks at Pacey curiously.
DAWSON: I didn’t think he’d want to go.
PACEY: Hell yeah I’d want to go! The land of swimming pools and movie stars is much more inviting than bumming around this place. Maybe it’ll give me the chance to clear my head.
DAWSON: Well…ok! You wanna go to LA?
Pacey grins. Dawson turns back towards Joey and Audrey again for a moment.
DAWSON: You two going to be all right by yourself?
Audrey gasps mockingly.
AUDREY: Oh, whatever shall we do without the big, strong men to provide comfort for us, Josephine?
Dawson laughs.
DAWSON: You are dramatic, aren’t you?
She grins.
AUDREY: You know it, handsome!
*****
Cut to inside one of the classrooms. Chris is standing in a line-up, when Joey and Audrey show up behind him.
JOEY: (grumbling)This is not happening…
Chris turns around, smiling.
CHRIS: Hey, Joey…what are you doing here?
JOEY: What am I doing here? What are you doing here?
CHRIS: Registering for drama.
JOEY: Why? On what precedence?
He sighs.
CHRIS: Joey, Joey, Joey…does the name ‘Creek Daze’ ring any bells? I played the lead…which was hard to do, considering the screwball dialogue.
JOEY: That’s what you get when you work for a wordy director. But may I remind you that stage acting takes a bit more than standing there and looking pretty.
Audrey smirks.
AUDREY: Ah, so this is the famous ‘Chris’, huh?
Chris finally notices her there. He stares at her, mesmerized.
CHRIS: Uh…hi!
She laughs.
AUDREY: Oh, yeah Joey…he’s real smooth.
Chris snaps out of it, collecting himself.
CHRIS: Sorry. Yeah, I’m Chris. Audrey Liddell, right?
She smiles.
AUDREY: Pleased to meet you.
CHRIS: Likewise.
Joey rolls her eyes.
JOEY: Will you be ok alone with the dipstick? I need to get out of here before someone tries to cast me.
Audrey waves, as Joey takes off.
AUDREY: Later, Bunny!
Chris raises an eyebrow.
CHRIS: ‘Bunny’?
She turns back towards him.
AUDREY: It’s a thing with us.
CHRIS: Sorry. Just getting used to the fact that Joey has actual non-guy friends. Back in Capeside she always looked at other girls as either annoying or competition.
AUDREY: Well, it’s lucky I came along, then. My sunny disposition set her straight.
Chris laughs.
AUDREY: I’m not that impressed.
Chris appears confused.
CHRIS: Not that impressed? By what?
AUDREY: By you. Sorry, but from Joey’s description I pictured you as this suave seducer. You’re barely registering on my creep scale.
He seems almost insulted.
CHRIS: Never judge a book by its cover. I may end up surprising you.
She smirks at him.
AUDREY: I doubt it!
*****
Cut to an airport. A montage of scenes show a plane taking off, and flying through the sky.
Eventually, it ends up at another airport, though the surroundings are much different. There’s a large city there, with freeways and palm trees
This is Los Angeles.
As Pacey and Dawson leave the airport, bags in tow, Pacey can only stare in amazement as his surroundings.
PACEY: Wow!
Dawson grins.
DAWSON: Yeah. That was pretty much my reaction the first time I came here.
Pacey shakes his head disbelievingly.
PACEY: Dawson, this is just…it’s incredible. This place makes Boston look like Capeside. How could you NOT want to live here?
Dawson sighs.
DAWSON: It’s not so much the architecture, but the people.
They continue walking, as Pacey stares out at the ocean nearby. He notices some people playing Volleyball on the sand.
PACEY: There’s a beach right by the shopping mall. You can see gorgeous women in bikinis out your hotel window, man!
Dawson laughs.
DAWSON: I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this impressed before.
PACEY: Oh, I have been. Just never by you!
Dawson rolls his eyes.
PACEY: Seriously, Dawson. The enormity of what you’re doing is suddenly dawning on me. I am impressed…you’ve succeeded in impressing me.
DAWSON: Mission accomplished, then. Come on…just wait until you see the studio.
As they continue walking down the street, Pacey expression quickly changes. Suddenly, everything he’s done so far in his life seems pale next to the things Dawson takes for granted.
He suddenly feels very small in the grand scheme of things.
*****
Cut back to Boston. Joey and Audrey are wandering off the edge of Worthington campus, hanging around the trees.
AUDREY: No, I’m serious. Do they put something in the water down in Capeside? There has to be some reason every guy there turns out to be a mega babe.
Joey sighs.
JOEY: Oh please.
AUDREY: Look, Joey…Jack showed me some pictures of himself before he met you. The guy was a geek. Cute geek, but a geek nonetheless. He moves to Capeside, and suddenly he’s a dreamboat. Then there’s hunky Dawson, dreamy Pacey, and yummy Chris.
Joey has a disgusted look on his face.
JOEY: Ew! Please tell me you did not just refer to Chris Wolfe as ‘yummy’.
AUDREY: Why not?
JOEY: Because he’s slime, Audrey! He hurt Jen, and who knows how many other people. He’s scum wrapped in a pretty package.
AUDREY: Maybe. But it’s an extremely pretty package.
Joey sighs.
JOEY: Whatever!
They pause.
AUDREY: So you never went out with this guy?
JOEY: (deadpan)Apparently he’s immune to my charms.
Audrey laughs.
AUDREY: Glad someone is. But I’ve got to ask.
JOEY: Ask what?
AUDREY: Well…which one do you want? Dawson or Pacey? Call me curious.
Joey groans.
JOEY: If I had a dollar for every time somebody asked me that…
AUDREY: Well?
She crosses her arms.
JOEY: What’s wrong with just being friends? Isn’t it possible to be connected to a guy without romance ever entering the picture?
AUDREY: Yeah. But when the guy has feelings for you and you know it, isn’t it like leading them on or something? They’re both good friends. Great friends. The best. But they’re also guys, too. You have to remember that.
JOEY: Well, right now the answer is ‘reply hazy, try again’.
AUDREY: Come on…I know you, Joey. You don’t have to study, you just didn’t want to be alone with Dawson right now. And from his expression, he probably knows that was the reason, too.
She sighs.
JOEY: Every time I’ve hung out with either of them this past week, I’ve made sure they were both there. That way the thought of us doing more than ‘hanging out’ never entered the picture. I need to figure out some things by myself right now. I don’t like distancing myself from either of them, but I don’t see any other options.
AUDREY: You could try trusting them not to have ulterior motives, maybe?
Joey scoffs.
JOEY: Like you said, they may be my friends, but they’re guys, too.
AUDREY: And you don’t think they’d understand you needing to be single for a while? Come on…Dawson’s the ultimate sensitive guy. And Pacey, well…he can deal with it. Just give them a chance.
Joey considers it.
JOEY: I just don’t want our pasts creeping up on us when we least expect it all the time.
Her words are almost prophetic, because at that moment, a familiar face enters campus. A small, young woman with blonde hair, bright eyes, and a wide smile. She sees Joey and waves excitedly.
ANDIE: JOEY! HEY! OVER HERE!
Joey turns around, in shock. Her eyes go wide as she sees the last person she ever expected.
JOEY: Oh my god…
She grins ear to ear.
JOEY: ANDIE!
Andie McPhee runs towards Joey and pulls her into a huge hug.