Cut to the beach.
There’s a wooden stage set up, with a drum set placed in the very middle. Above it is a sign ‘Spring Fling’, circled with symbols of flowers, suns, and surfboards.
JOEY: I feel like I’m in a cheesy 80’s movie. I half expect Molly Ringwald to come jogging across any minute now.
Joey, Dawson, Jen, Jack, Andie, Pacey, Audrey, Chris, Eddie, and Todd are seated on a blanket, around an open cooler.
TODD: Gotta tell you, Leery…this is the life. Why you don’t wanna be out here twenty-four seven, I’m never going to get.
Eddie’s eyes move towards a quartet of girls playing volleyball. One of them looks at him and smiles.
EDDIE: He does have a point.
Joey rolls her eyes.
PACEY: Come on. It’s nothing compared to the Caribbean. Let me tell you guys, now THAT was paradise! Nothing but the best food, beautiful women, and crystal blue water as far as the eye could see.
Andie gives Pacey a warning look.
PACEY: No one as beautiful as you, of course.
She smiles.
ANDIE: That’s better.
Todd shakes his head.
TODD: You’re bloody whipped, Witter.
PACEY: Eh, take a long walk off a short pier, Todd. I thought I saw some down aways.
Jen laughs.
TODD: No respect for your elders…I respect that.
JACK: So, Eddie? You’re working for Todd now?
EDDIE: Yeah. Pay’s great…experience is better. Plus I can still go to classes at the same time. Beats bartending, that’s for sure.
JEN: So you get Dawson’s job, and Dawson gets Joey. Sounds like an even trade.
JOEY: Jen…
Jen laughs.
JEN: Sorry, guys. Slip of the tongue.
EDDIE: No biggie. We sort of have an understanding.
DAWSON: Yeah. No fighting.
JEN: Aww…that’s boring. Joey Potter can’t make guys fight over her anymore?
JOEY: Bite me, Jen!
PACEY: Hey! What, Lindley’s replacing me now, Potter?
The girls laugh. Suddenly, their attention goes towards the stage.
VOICE: May I have your attention, please?
The voice sounds familiar. Jeoy and Jen look up in shock.
AUDREY: Hey? Isn’t that…?
JOEY & JEN: Charley?
Charley Todd, his band behind him, walks back and forth on the stage.
CHARLEY: Glad you could all make it here. Let me introduce myself: I’m Charley, and I’ll be your host for the weekend. And let me tell you, it will involve the three S’s. Surf, sun…and songs.
The band starts to play.
JEN: Please tell me this is a nightmare.
JACK: (imitating Bogart) In all the gin joints in all the world, we had to walk into this one.
Jen looks at him.
JEN: Not funny.
Eddie looks at Dawson.
EDDIE: I take it you know this guy?
Dawson bites his lip.
DAWSON: That would be Charley. Slickster playboy Joey went out with.
EDDIE: Hate him already.
Jen keeps looking at Charley.
JEN: Smart boy.
*****
Cut to later on.
Jen and Joey walk by the stage, on their way to the ‘Snack Shack’. Suddenly, Charley jumps off the stage.
They freeze.
JEN: (muttering) Please don’t let him see us…please don’t let him see us…?
CHARLEY: Joey? Jen? Well, this is a surprise!
Jen sighs, forcing herself to turn around.
JEN: Hi, Charley.
CHARLEY: You didn’t come all this way just to see me perform, did you?
JOEY: Pure coincidence. Audrey’s parents own a cabin nearby.
CHARLEY: Wow. That is a coincidence. Listen, if you’re not doing anything later…
Joey cuts him off.
JOEY: I’m seeing somebody.
Charley’s face falls.
CHARLEY: Oh…well, congratulations.
Joey smiles.
JOEY: Thanks.
She pauses.
JOEY: Jen isn’t, though.
Jen’s eyes go wide, as she gives Joey a look that says ‘are you insane’.
*****
Only a few minutes later, Jen verbally repeats the sentiment.
JEN: Are you insane, Joey?
Dawson, Chris, and Audrey are sitting with the two of them at one of the tables.
JOEY: What? What’d I do?
JEN: Told Charley I was single.
Dawson and Chris cringe.
JOEY: What? What’s so bad with that?
CHRIS: Guys interpret that as ‘I’m looking for someone’.
JOEY: I only told the truth.
JEN: It was completely unnecessary! Now he’s going to be sniffing after me all weekend.
JOEY: Is that really such a bad thing?
JEN: Please tell me you’re joking?
DAWSON: Weren’t you complaining about being single earlier?
Jen sighs.
JEN: Dawson, I said I want a guy. Charley falls under the definition of ‘Cro-Magnon man’. He’s the type of guy mothers warn their daughters about. Good looking, but after one thing and one thing only.
CHRIS: You mean like me?
JEN: No, Chris…you at least had the decency not to be sleeping with somebody else at the same time. You were Dawson compared to Charley.
JOEY: Come on, Jen. Isn’t it possible he’s changed? Give him a chance.
JEN: Oh yeah, sure Joey…you’re such an expert of a boy’s true intentions, aren’t you? Just because he’s been living the ‘rock star’ life for the past year means his intentions are completely noble? Haven’t you ever seen ‘Almost Famous’?
Realizing the direction the conversation is heading, Dawson gets up.
DAWSON: I need to use the men’s room.
CHRIS: Me too.
Audrey doesn’t budge. The guys grab her arms pulling her away.
AUDREY: Hey…wait a minute. I’m not even allowed in the men’s room!
Once they’re gone, Joey looks at Jen.
JOEY: He hurt you…I get that. But I also think you’re just running away.
JEN: Don’t project your problems onto me, Joey.
JOEY: I’m not. I’m just trying to spare you from going through what I did. You’re only going to be here a few days. Who’s it going to hurt?
Jen considers this.
*****
Cut to a small convenience store a few miles away.
The place appears to be trying too hard to look like an old-fashioned log cabin. Complete in a sign out front with an ‘old-style’ Coke bottle.
Dawson and Pacey exit the front door, each carrying a pile of firewood.
PACEY: You know what I don’t get, Dawson? With all the modern technology, why some people don’t just switch to gas fireplaces. They’ve got a DVD player here, but you have to burn wood? Knowing our luck, we’ll probably burn the joint down.
DAWSON: Did you talk to Jack?
Pacey sighs.
PACEY: The guy hates me, Dawson! Tell you the truth; I’m not sure I blame him.
DAWSON: He’s just shaken up. Give him time.
PACEY: I can’t stand Jack being mad at me, y’know? We used to be like this.
Pacey moves his thumb and index finger close together, to give Dawson a visual explanation.
PACEY: What can I do to fix this?
DAWSON: I don’t think you can. Just wait it out.
They toss their piles of wood into the jeep.
PACEY: So, what’s your plan for tonight?
Dawson gives him a look.
PACEY: What?
DAWSON: First Jen, now you…what makes you think I even have a ‘plan’?
Pacey chuckles.
PACEY: I know you, bro. You’ve gotta script everything in your head ten days ahead of time.
DAWSON: That was the old Dawson. The new Dawson is satisfied with letting everything happen around him.
Pacey crosses his arms.
PACEY: That’s a load of bull. The only difference between the new Dawson and the old Dawson is a slightly better haircut. And I mean ‘slightly’ in the broadest of terms.
Dawson rolls his eyes.
Pacey sighs.
PACEY: I didn’t wanna do this; cause lord knows the concept itself makes me want to spew…but you leave me no choice.
Pacey reaches in the glove compartment, pulling out a small box.
Dawson’s eyes go wide.
DAWSON: You keep them in the glove compartment? What if one of the girls looked in there?
PACEY: ‘What if’ nothing. Jen was looking for a flashlight…then referred to me as a cute little snout-nosed animal that you kill to make bacon. Here…
DAWSON: No! Pacey, I have absolutely no intention of…
PACEY: Consider it a precautionary measure. You’ll thank me later.
Dawson takes the box, giving Pacey a cold look. They get back into the jeep.
PACEY: And remember…we never had this discussion.
DAWSON: Just shut up and drive.
*****
Cut to the beach, at dusk.
Jen approaches the band, who is in the process of packing up.
JEN: Excuse me?
The drummer looks at her.
DRUMMER: Yeah?
JEN: Is Charley still here?
He nods, and then turns around.
DRUMMER: Hey, Charley? There’s some girl here to see you.
Charley walks up from behind the stage. He sees her and smiles.
CHARLEY: Hey. Couldn’t stay away, could you?
Jen rolls her eyes.
JEN: Call it morbid curiosity.
*****
Cut to sometime later, as the two of them walk along the side of the beach.
CHARLEY: At first I thought I’d miss the college life, you know. But being on the road all the time, it’s this huge experience. Just a few weeks ago we stopped in New Orleans.
JEN: Mardi Gras?
He grins.
CHARLEY: How’d you guess?
JEN: Call it a hunch.
CHARLEY: So, what happened to that guy you were seeing? And Joey’s guy…who’s he?
Jen laughs.
JEN: Those questions have the same answer.
He raises an eyebrow.
CHARLEY: Wow. That must be pretty weird, huh?
She smirks.
JEN: I’m used to it by now.
He looks at her a moment.
JEN: What?
CHARLEY: Nothing. I’m just curious how someone as hot as you doesn’t have someone.
Jen sighs.
JEN: Here we go again…
CHARLEY: What?
JEN: You forget that I’m wise to your ways, Charley Todd. Compliments are just one of your tools to get some girl to…
He shakes his head.
CHARLEY: No…no, I promise. Trust me, if I was trying to hit on you I wouldn’t use the word ‘hot’. Cute…beautiful, maybe…
Jen crosses her arms.
JEN: And I should believe you, because…?
He smirks.
CHARLEY: Because a magician never plays the same trick twice.
She stares at him for a moment.
JEN: Damn, you’re good.
He laughs.
JEN: You wanna go somewhere?
*****
Cut back to the cabin.
Dawson, Pacey, and Eddie have just finished carrying the firewood inside, placing it near the fireplace.
DAWSON: Where’s Todd, anyway?
EDDIE: Couldn’t make it. He wanted to spend the night with some friends. Just so happens those ‘friends’ are all female.
DAWSON & PACEY: Ohhhhh.
DAWSON: Too bad…I would have appreciated this.
Dawson pulls a DVD out, showing it to them.
EDDIE: You come all this way and you’re just going to watch movies?
PACEY: Ed, let me introduce you to Dawson’s world. The man is obsessed.
Eddie takes it from Dawson, examining the label.
EDDIE: ‘The Evil Dead’? I love this movie.
Dawson smiles.
DAWSON: The cult horror classic.
Suddenly, they hear a gasp behind them. Andie is staring at the case in Eddie’s hands.
ANDIE: You didn’t?
PACEY: He did.
ANDIE: Ouuuu…I hate that movie. Gives me the Wiggins.
DAWSON: Andie, I promise that my intention is not to scare you.
ANDIE: It isn’t.
PACEY: Nope. His intention is the scare you.
Dawson smirks.
DAWSON: You catch on quick.
Andie sighs.
ANDIE: So you want to give your girlfriend the Wiggins?
EDDIE: What’s that mean, anyway? Wiggins?
PACEY: I prefer heebie-jeebies, myself. What’s this movie about, anyway?
ANDIE: A group of friends who visit a cabin in the woods on the weekend, and get turned into zombies.
EDDIE: And yet, here we are, staying the weekend…
PACEY: …a group of friends…
ANDIE: …in a cabin…
The three of them all look at Dawson.
DAWSON: What?
Pacey sighs.
PACEY: Heeeeeee’s baaaaaaccckkk!
DAWSON: Huh?
PACEY: I knew the day would come. Mr. Prankster has returned.
Dawson shakes his head.
DAWSON: Come on, Pace…when would I have time to set anything up. I don’t need to scare anybody. I have the ambiance to do that for me.
Pacey, Eddie, and Andie all look at each other, while Dawson makes a sinister laugh.