SUCKER PUNCH 🛶 PACEY WITTER [book one]

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF FAILING

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SITTING in her brother's room, Heather sat on the bed, eyes wide as she stared at the boy before her "I can't believe you're saying this." She let out a shaky breath "I mean, after all these years of hiding behind high-brow analytical posturing."

"I'm saying it." Pacey paused, his expression intense as he leaned forward on the bed "I love you. I know it's nonsensical."

"Nonsensical?" Heather scoffed "It's insane. We've known each other for 15 years and you couldn't find another time to freudian-slip this cat out of the bag?!"

"I've wanted to!" Pacey defended "So many times. You have no idea how long I've been wrestling internally with the psychological repercussions of my feelings."

The Leery girl looked to the floor overwhelmed "I-I need time to process this. I mean, my electrical synapses are on overload here. My brain is telling me one thing but my heart, it says another. It's telling me that I should consider the unequivical, highly irrational, possibly damaging, proposition..." she raised her gaze to meet Pacey's "of loving you back."

Heather and Pacey began to lean forward, their lips mere inches apart when Dawson suddenly sat forward between them, script in hand "Wait, you missed a line. You forgot 'hypnotically scarred'."

"Excuse me, Shakespeare." Heather rolled her eyes "Didn't mean to butcher your sonnet."

Dawson ignored her jibe as he looked between the pair "So what do you think? Think it would make a good movie?"

"You're writing too many syllables." Pacey shook his head "I mean, what's with all the psychobabble insight? How many teenagers do you know that talk like that?"

Dawson rolled his eyes "Grumbles, aside, do you think it would make a good movie?"

"Yeah, it's great." Heather nodded "However, you did make Joey a little on the angry side."

Pacey agreed "Even for her."

"It's not Joey."

Heather and Pacey shared a look "Right."

The Witter boy sighed "That's not Joey, the guy's not you, and you're not disecting you two's relationship on the page just like every other narcissistic writer through history."

Dawson sighed heavily "Just tell me what you think."

"I think it's dark. It's obtuse." Pacey admitted before smiling "It's very un-Dawson Leery."