"The Sea Creature From the Deep remains incommunicado."

Joey had kissed Dawson. She wanted to, she supposed, or she wouldn't have. Dawson, Jack, and Jen had been great at helping her keep her mind off of missing Pacey. The familiarity helped. Watching movies and hanging out with Dawson was like second nature. It was safe. He was safe.

Joey has been reckless. She'd gone out on a limb and followed her heart only to have it broken. Shattered into a million pieces. While logically she knew that Pacey was hurting too, which was probably why he hadn't reached out, her heart broke a little more with every day that passed without hearing from him. So, she focused on Dawson.

Until he left for USC.

It would be a few weeks before she could get out of Dodge. Until then, Joey would have to suffer through all the reminders of what was and what could have been.

Nearly every place in town, including her bedroom, was a reminder of Pacey. But the worst was the wall. No one else had leased it so his SOS - Ask me to Stay - remained, though faded over time.

Last summer he intended to leave without telling her, but Doug screwed up his plans by warning her. This summer, he did just that. His "See ya," at the graduation party was a goodbye. When she found out from Andie after the ceremony that Pacey had graduated and was heading to the Caribbean to go sailing over the summer, it took everything in her not to lose her shit in front of everyone.

He went from telling her everything to sharing nothing. And it hurt like a mofo.

Since Jack and Jen moved to Boston with Grams right after Dawson left, Joey suffered in silence. She worked as much as humanly possible between the club and the B&B and when she wasn't working, she focused on the reading lists for her classes. If she was busy, she couldn't think. If she didn't think, she wouldn't miss Pacey.

By the time she left for Worthington, she managed to think about him every 30 seconds instead of 10. Progress.

###

He missed Joey. Pacey felt like his heart was ripped from his chest. The worst part is that it was his own damn fault. He hated himself for being an insecure bastard and for hurting the one person he couldn't live without. But she was destined for greatness. He wasn't. He'd managed to graduate by the skin of his teeth. He did it for himself, but he couldn't have done it without her. He owed Joey so much, yet all he did to repay her for her help and her love was crap all over their relationship.

He was an ass.

Getting out of Dodge was the only way he'd regain his sanity and equilibrium. He couldn't be in the same town as her and not be able to touch her and kiss her and make love to her. Not yet anyway.

Pacey called Dawson to wish him well in film school. He hated that he asked about Joey, but he couldn't help himself. Pacey knew that despite Dawson's protests to the contrary, he'd be there for her no matter what when it fell apart. He felt a little relieved to know she felt as shitty about their situation as he did. He wanted to reach out, but it was just too painful a prospect. Come fall, he'd keep his promise to be where she was, even if from a distance. But, until then, he would stay busy.

He worked. He drank. He frolicked.

Melanie Shea Thompson, the Dean's niece, was hitting on him.

And he let her.

She was totally out of his league.

It wouldn't lead to anything except physical release.

He enjoyed her company, but he would never love her.

And that was fine with him. Because he had learned the hard way that love only mucked things up.