Cut to the Creek. Dawson and Pacey are sitting in a rowboat out in the middle, talking.
PACEY: Is it just me, Dawson, or has this been the weekend from hell?
Dawson chuckles.
DAWSON: Hey, it could be worse. Life could be boring.
PACEY: I think I’d prefer boredom right now. Never thought I’d live to see Andie get drunk. It was weird.
DAWSON: What? Her drunk?
PACEY: No. She started mumbling something. Then she kissed me, and passed out.
Dawson’s eyes go wide.
DAWSON: Wait a minute…back up for a second, Pace. She kissed you?
PACEY: Yeah.
DAWSON: What, was in a peck on the cheek, or…?
PACEY: No, she just…kissed me, you know? Didn’t mean anything…the girl’s mind wash mush at the time, so she probably thought I was Tom Cruise. Which is a reasonable mistake, since we both possess that dashing quality.
Dawson starts to laugh.
PACEY: What’s so funny?
DAWSON: You. God, Pace, you haven’t got a clue, do you? Andie didn’t think you were some actor. Miss McPhee is completely head over heels for you, and you don’t even see it!
Pacey’s eyes go wide.
PACEY: Wait a minute…you think Andie’s in love with me? Dawson, that’s just…
DAWSON: I don’t think it, I know it!
Pacey rolls his eyes.
PACEY: You’re nuts, you know that? Andie and I…we’re friends. Sure, it gets a little weird sometimes, but that’s what happens when you know someone that long.
DAWSON: Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt, Pacey.
PACEY: (muttering) Oh, give me a break…
DAWSON: Listen to us right now. You spent all day stressing about Audrey, but at the end of it we’re talking about Andie. Doesn’t that tell you something?
PACEY: As amusing as this all is, no it doesn’t. I’m in love with Audrey, all right? It’s new, it’s passionate, it’s exciting…it’s…well, it’s a relationship. With Andie it’s different. Believe me, there’s a fine line between friendship and love.
They pause.
DAWSON: Well, I’ve got a newsflash for you, Witter. You have no idea where that line is!
Pacey scoffs.
PACEY: You don’t know what you’re talking about!
*****
Cut to the next day, at Capeside high. Pacey walks towards Audrey, who’s standing at her locker.
PACEY: Hey, Audrey…?
*****
Suddenly, the scene changes. Instead of the school, it’s a fancy penthouse. Pacey is replaced by Chris Wolfe.
CHRIS: I had to drive all over town, but…
He hands her a shopping bag. She kisses him.
AUDREY: Everything in here?
CHRIS: Streamers, confetti, noisemakers.
AUDREY: And those little party hats?
He grins.
CHRIS: Like I could forget those?
She giggles, then hugs him.
AUDREY: I don’t even know half the people that are coming to this thing. This party is so going to rule. Thanks again.
CHRIS: You can repay me by not letting it get trashed.
She scoffs.
AUDREY: What kinda party would that be? However, I will help you clean up afterwards. Deal?
CHRIS: Deal. Good way to work off the hangover we’ll obviously have.
He takes out a bottle of champagne. Audrey has a worried look.
AUDREY: Um…Chris? About the champagne.
CHRIS: Don’t worry…I only bought one bottle. I tiny glass on New Year’s Eve won’t hurt, will it? The ‘hang over’ comment was just me being clever.
AUDREY: I guess it’ll be ok. Come on…you can help me hang the sign up.
Chris grabs the 2004 banner and walks over to the ladder with her. They begin hanging the sign.
*****
Cut to the highway. A tacky-looking yellow car is pulled out on the side of the road, with smoke coming out of the hood.
A few feet away, at a phone booth, Andie looks up the road. In the booth, Dawson hangs up the phone angrily.
DAWSON: This is not happening! This is not happening!
ANDIE: Can’t they fix the rent-a-car?
Dawson exits the booth and looks at her.
DAWSON: They can tow it back to the station. But that would mean…
She sighs.
ANDIE: That we’d have to start over?
He nods.
ANDIE: Well, can’t you fix it? I mean, you’re a guy, right?
Dawson laughs.
DAWSON: I’m an artist. I know squat about mechanics! I’m lucky I can paint houses!
They stay there for a moment. Until…
DAWSON: Come on!
They start walking down the road.
ANDIE: What are we doing?
DAWSON: What do you think?
Andie’s eyes go wide. She panics.
ANDIE: No, we are not hitchhiking!
DAWSON: Why not?
ANDIE: I do not want to get picked up by some balding, tattoo encrusted child molester named Bubba who preys on poor, defenceless girls who just happen to be stranded in the middle of nowhere with a guy with no physical prowess whatsoever!
Dawson looks at her, offended.
DAWSON: I do so have physical prowess. I just can’t fix a rent-a-car. It was probably broken to begin with!
ANDIE: Pacey could have fixed it!
Dawson chuckles.
DAWSON: I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.
At that moment, they do hear something. A loud horn from the opposite end of the road.
Simultaneously, they turn to see a train racing off in the distance. They turn to each other…
…then take off running in its direction.
*****
Cut to Capeside. A blue truck crashes into a police car.
Inside said car, Dawson curses under his breath.
DAWSON: (muttering) This just isn’t my day…
He climbs out to inspect the damage. Almost immediately, Joey jumps out of the truck.
JOEY: Oh no! Oh god…I’m sorry. You just pulled out and…I didn’t see you, but that’s still no excuse…
Dawson gives her an angry look.
JOEY: Look, officer…it was an accident.
Dawson raises an eyebrow, then smiles.
DAWSON: Is that a fact, young lady? I’m going to have to see your license and registration.
Quickly, Joey hands it to him. He reads it.
DAWSON: Josephine Potter, huh?
JOEY: It’s Joey, actually. Or Josephine, if it’d prevent me from getting a ticket.
DAWSON: A ticket? You should be so lucky. You know I could have your driver’s license revoked for something like this, Josephine?
Joey starts to get worried.
DAWSON: However…I’m going to let you off with a warning. But next time you might want to be more careful driving down these streets. Officer Dawson might not be there to bail you out next time.
She sighs in relief.
JOEY: I will. I promise. Thank you so much.
She gets back in her truck and drives off. Dawson chuckles to himself.
DAWSON: Now that was too easy.
*****
Cut to Capeside High, at Andie’s locker. Pacey walks up to her.
PACEY: Hey.
She smiles.
ANDIE: Hi Pacey.
There’s a sudden awkwardness between them.
ANDIE: Um…I think I might have made a huge mistake.
Pacey looks worried.
ANDIE: That Europe thing, remember? I decided not to go.
Upon hearing that, Pacey grins ear-to-ear.
PACEY: Oh? Is that a fact?
They hug.
PACEY: (whispering) Thank god.
They break apart.
PACEY: So…what happens now? With us, I mean?
They start walking.
ANDIE: I don’t know, really. I mean, I haven’t gotten that far yet. You?
PACEY: Clear sailing from here.
She raises an eyebrow.
ANDIE: You believe that?
She smiles.
PACEY: Yep. The hard part’s over.
ANDIE: And you don’t think the transition from friends to ‘more than friends’ isn’t going to be…?
PACEY: Weird? Maybe a little, but we can manage. Right?
They move closer to kiss. However, at that moment, Audrey shows up.
AUDREY: Hey?
They both look at her, surprised and nervous.
ANDIE: Hey…
PACEY: …Audrey
BOTH: What’s up?
But before she can answer, they hear a loud ‘BOOM’
*****
Cut to Creek Side Pictures…
PACEY: We’re dating now!
Pacey snaps to attention, and slowly realizes where he is. Joey is looking at him, somewhat confused.
JOEY: Oh-kay. That’s new.
Pacey shakes his head, clearing it.
PACEY: Sorry, Potter.
JOEY: That’s the third time you’ve zoned out on me. Anything you want to talk about?
He sighs.
PACEY: Not really.
She crosses her arms in defiance.
PACEY: Ok, fine! But you’ve gotta promise you won’t laugh, ok?
JOEY: Ok.
He takes a deep breath.
PACEY: I’ve been having these daydreams of things from the past.
She raises an eyebrow.
JOEY: Flashbacks?
PACEY: Kinda, but not really. In them, I’m not me. Well I am, but things are different.
JOEY: Different?
PACEY: I’m Dawson and Dawson is me.
Joey covers her mouth, causing Pacey to point at her accusingly.
PACEY: No laughing! You promised!
JOEY: Ok…ok, sorry. So, you’re dreaming you’re Dawson?
PACEY: Kinda, but not really. It’s screwy. I’m the kid director, and he’s the slacker. Audrey’s my next-door neighbour, Andie’s my best friend and she’s got a huge crush on me…it’s like the twilight zone!
Joey stares at him.
PACEY: What?
JOEY: Sorry, I’m just having a hard time picturing Andie as me. I’m having an even harder time picturing you with an ET doll.
PACEY: It’s a collector’s item!
There’s an uncomfortable pause.
JOEY: Ok, this has just passed very weird and has entered a realm of obscenely weird.
PACEY: I don’t get it. I make fun of this stuff…why am I reliving it? Heck, I wasn’t even in the room during half of it!
JOEY: Maybe your subconscious is trying to tell you something?
PACEY: What, that I should frost my tips again?
JOEY: No…that maybe you dwell and your friend’s lives too much and not enough on your own? We’re not that interesting, Pacey.
Pacey sighs.
PACEY: Knew I should have talked to Audrey about this.
Joey gets up and heads upstairs.
JOEY: What part are you at?
PACEY: First date.
JOEY: Let me know when you get to the birthday party.
Pacey rolls his eyes.
*****
Cut to somewhere else, inside a train car. Dawson and Andie are sitting amongst a pile of hey.
DAWSON: You know what this is missing? A banjo.
Andie laughs.
DAWSON: What?
ANDIE: (singing) I got the blues…
Dawson laughs along with her.
DAWSON: I think that was our sole bonding moment in high school. I don’t think I can even remember the lyrics.
ANDIE: I can. I think I told everyone in that club that Pacey made me ‘randy’?
Dawson laughs again.
DAWSON: Stop…stop…you’re killing me!
She smirks.
ANDIE: And now, my brother staring in his very own rendition of ‘in and out’…
DAWSON: He’s in, he’s out, he’s in, he’s out, he’s in, he’s out…
BOTH: …nice hair, by the way!
They giggle.
DAWSON: That was fun. Ok, so it was one of my lowest moments of all time. I felt miserable afterwards. But looking back on it now, I’m glad it happened.
She smiles.
ANDIE: That was weird how the airport lady thought we were a couple, huh?
DAWSON: Yeah, especially since we’re the only people from our circle of friends who haven’t been. Although, there was a time I considered it…
Andie looks at him disbelievingly.
ANDIE: You’re kidding me? When?
DAWSON: When Pacey and Joey were together, during that one summer the rest of us hung out. I had this notion that the perfect way to ‘pay him back’ was to take from him the same thing he took from me.
ANDIE: So, what stopped you?
Dawson smiles.
DAWSON: I didn’t want to be like him. Something Joey said to me. She said that she wished I was ‘who I used to be’, and I didn’t really understand what that meant.
ANDIE: You’ve lost me.
DAWSON: Ok, here it goes. I started out that year under the notion that the reason nothing ever changed or went right for me was because of who I am. That being reserved and a…well…a hopeless romantic was why I was so unhappy. So I tried being exactly the opposite. I used Pacey as a blueprint to reinvent myself.
Andie looks at him disbelievingly.
ANDIE: Come on, Pacey wouldn’t try to cheat on a test…despite all his bravado. And he wouldn’t get involved with someone like Eve.
DAWSON: I know that now, but I didn’t then. I saw Pacey as someone who wasn’t afraid of the consequences, so I tried to be the same. It didn’t win me anything. In fact, it lost me everything. It took me a long time to realize was that the person Joey fell for was the exact same person I had written off. The dreamer. The naive romantic. My point is that I was horrible at being Pacey…but at being Dawson I excel.
Andie smiles.
ANDIE: Just be yourself, huh?
They look at each other…
*****
…until…
PACEY: Tell me what?
Dawson and Andie, now on Pacey’s yard, look up at him.
DAWSON: Pacey?
ANDIE: We were just…
PACEY: Having an argument? About what?
Pacey clearly looks upset about something. He’s holding back a rage that could shake the ground. Andie realizes what it is almost instantly.
ANDIE: Oh my god…you know?
He nods.
PACEY: Yeah. I know!