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[Prom - Dance floor. Pacey goes to find Joey and he sees her dancing with Dawson, laughing and having a good time. Gretchen joins him and also gets a serious look on her face. Joey finally notices Pacey and she stops dancing. She gets a serious look on her face and Dawson looks over his shoulder and see them approaching.]
Pacey: What's going on?
Joey: Pacey, we were just dancing.
Pacey: Yeah, that's what it looked like to me, just dancing.
Joey: Oh, come on. This isn't about Dawson, and you know it. Pacey, why don't you just tell me what is going on?
Pacey: You know what I actually realized when I saw the two of you dancing there together? That is the happiest I have seen you all night. I mean, I think it's actually the happiest I've seen you in weeks. You want to know what's worse than that? I don't care. I saw the two of you dancing together, and I just don't care. I'm not angry. I'm not jealous. I'm not upset. I'm really not much of anything.
Joey: Pacey, fine. Let's just take this nothing outside.
Pacey: Why--why because you want to clean up my mess again? No. You wanted me to take off the happy mask, and the happy mask is off. So answer me this one question because this is what I've been wanting to ask you, Jo. Why are you with me?
Joey: Pacey.
Pacey: Why are you with me? Because I don't know why I'm still with you. I mean, I used to know, but I don't anymore.
Joey: I'll make a note of that.
Pacey: What I do know, Jo, I feel like I'm Josephine potter's little charity project. I feel like I'm the designated loser, the fail (Dawson starts to move in) --just back off!
Joey: Pacey, I never said that, but this isn't about me. This is about you.
Pacey: No, it is about you! It's about you and how you make me feel when I'm with you! Ok? I feel like I'm stupid and I'm worthless and I'm never right. But you know what I realize? That it's not my fault! That it's not my fault. Because when I'm with you, it's poor Pacey. He didn't get into college, and it's stupid Pacey forgot the limo and ripped the dress and messed up the corsage.
Joey: I told you I didn't care about any of that.
Pacey: But I want you to care! I want you to care! I don't want you to just accept it like that's the way it's supposed to be. We are not trapped on this boat. You and I are trapped in this relationship. I can't take it anymore, Joey. When I'm with you, I feel like I'm nothing. I feel like I'm nothing. That's why I flinch when you come to touch me. It's why I never touch you. Why I never even think about it. Because when I start to, it just reminds me that I'm not good enough.
Joey: You done?
Pacey: Done? Oh, no, I'm not done. I am just getting started.
Joey: Well, you can stop right now. You can go to hell. (Joey walks out and Dawson follows her.)
Pacey looked around at his frozen classmates. "Yes, people. That did just happen." He told their shocked faces and stormed away. After Pacey left Gretchen stood there motionless for a few moments. She didn't want to bother her brother, and she didn't know what to do now that Dawson had run after Joey. She felt herself beginning to choke up and she didn't know why. Again she felt eyes on her but this time it wasn't like "wow who is she," but "what is she doing standing there all by herself." So she swallowed the lump that was rising in her throat and walked back out onto the deck.
Taking slow strides she made her way to the edge of the boat and leaned against the railing. That was it. Dawson running after Joey was just the last straw. Gretchen had had great expectations for tonight, they were cliché expectations but they were still great. But now it was all coming together, there would be no more denial, no more telling herself she was crazy and insecure. She didn't want to be insecure anymore and she didn't want to feel so under appreciated, underrated, second best, like the god damned fall back girl. It was all the more obvious now that she couldn't be with Dawson anymore. For once, she was going to do something selfish in this relationship. She was going to end it.
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