You and me | Pacey Witter

twenty-six

LUCAS WALKED down the school hallway wearing his jersey from the team. He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw Joey and Pacey walk out of the school doors together. The two of them had never gotten along and now all of sudden they were cutting classes together, something had to have been going on.

He went to his locker and his eyes didn't leave the two of them until the door slammed close. Lucas put his textbook up in his locker and slammed it shut afterward. He noticed his sister not too far away, walking down the hallway with Jack by her side and frowned. 

Aurora looked up at the Mcphee boy and sighed. "Jack, can I talk to you about something?" she asked and when he nodded, she continued talking. "Uh," she cleared her throat, "how did you realize that you liked guys?"

Jack was about to answer the question until he processes what she had just said, "wait, Aurora, do you?" his voice trailed off from saying the last part, but she knew what he had meant. 

Aurora frowned and shrugged, "I don't know," she replied, truthfully as tears began to well up in her eyes. "A few nights ago, me and Haley, we almost kissed," she confessed. "And in the moment, it felt so right to me. And-"

Jack knew the hallways were quick to spread gossip, so he interrupted the girl, "hey, hold on, let's get somewhere else, okay?" he stated, before he led the two of them out of the school building and to one of the benches in the courtyard.

Aurora sat down and rested her hands on her knees. "I'm so confused, Jack. I mean that moment, being up there on the docks with her. It didn't feel wrong at all. I feel so comfortable being around her. When I'm with her, everything feels perfect, and part of me wanted to kiss her back that night," she admitted.

Jack nodded, understandingly at the girl, more and more tears were filling her eyes. "I get it, Aurora, and it is completely fine. You're allowed to like who you want to like," he stated. "I was scared to admit to myself at first that I way gay, but I realized I don't have to be. I feel so much happier now that I'm out, and able to be myself. To tell you the truth, you are going to get some comments and looks, but it doesn't matter, as long as your happy, then no one else's opinion should matter."

Aurora sniffled as she nodded, "I'm scared though, Jack. I mean how am I going to tell my uncle?" she asked. "And what about Pacey? I mean do you think he'll support it. I don't want him to hate me."

Jack shook his head, "Pacey could never hate you," he informed. "And your uncle? That man loves you so much, Aurora. There is no way he is going to judge you; he's going to love and support you through all of it. Same with Lucas, he's your twin, he'll always support you, and if they don't? Then screw them and their hypocrisy, if they can support me, they can support you too."

Aurora didn't say anything, she couldn't. She looked out at the people who walked around the courtyard as she wiped a tear out from underneath her eye. Jack frowned and wrapped his arm around her shoulders and leaned her into his side. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Just know, that I'll be by your side every step of the way, okay? Whether you are or not, I'm here, and if you need to talk to anyone, and I mean anyone about it, you can come to me. I'll love you no matter what."

Aurora sniffled, "thank you, Jack." Before she let him respond, she knew what he was going to say 'oh, no problem' but she didn't want that response. "I mean it. I'm really glad that I had someone to talk to about this, and I'm glad that someone was you," she smiled at him. "And I love you too."

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

IT WAS the day for the homecoming game. Aurora sat on the bench, blocking out the conversation between Jen and Dawson beside her. So far, the game wasn't looking too good, especially for Jack, the rival team, even his own team was up against him. It wasn't right, and if they wanted to win the game, they needed to stop being immature, and include Jack.

It was halftime and the minute men needed to step up their game if they wanted to win. Aurora got down to go to the concession stand and get a drink. She was next up in line and walked up to the counter, "uh, bottle of Pepsi, please."

The man at the counter nodded and reached back to the fridge to grab a bottled Pepsi. He looked back down at her and set the bottle on the counter. After she gave him the money for it, she picked it up and began to walk back to her seat. 

Aurora felt her body collide with someone else's, a familiar someone else. As she looked up, Haley stood in front of her, just as she had guessed. "Wow, Hales, we've got to stop meeting like this," Aurora tried to joke.

Haley chuckled, awkwardly as she nodded, "clearly, I haven't gotten any less clumsy from a few months ago," she added to the joke. 

The two fell silent before the sound of the game starting interrupted them. Aurora looked over at the field before she turned back to the girl, "uh, I should get back. Have fun at the game," Aurora said with a small smile before she turned around and began to walk back to her seat.

The pep talks from the locker room seemed to have been pretty good because the team was doing a lot better than they were doing in the first half. "21-4! With seven seconds left, the minute men have one last chance," the announcer stated.

Aurora and Jen stood together; their hands were interlocked with anticipation as the last play was called. Lucas threw the ball to Jack, who caught it, "go, Mcphee!" Lucas shouted. Jack sprinted, knocking down any of the people who came in his way, but eventually one stopped him. Jack flipped over his shoulder, successfully landing in the end zone. "Touchdown! It's a touchdown!"

The applause erupted from the crowd in the stands. Aurora and Jen's hand broke a part as they both clapped. This was the first victory for Cape side in the last three years ago. People from the stands began to run out toward the field.

Aurora ran down to the field and rushed over toward her brother and Jack. Jack held out his arms for the girl, and as she grew closer, he scooped her up into his grip and spun her around. "Congratulation, Mr. Touchdown," she exclaimed.

Lucas scoffed from the other side of them before either of them had gotten to say something else. "Uh, I made a touchdown during the game too," he reminded, "why don't I get a celebration?"

"Did you score the winning touchdown?" Aurora questioned. "Didn't think so."

Principal Green stood in the middle of the field with a microphone in his hand. "All right! Okay, okay!" he attempted to calm down the crowd. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment that you've all been waiting for-- the winner of the silent auction who is entitled to one ride on the minuteman mule and one heart-stopping kiss from our head cheerleader. And here he is!"

Henry Parker came out on the mule, but the crowd laughed as he collapsed to the ground, along with the two in the costume. Aurora laughed when she realized it had been Pacey and Joey in the suit.

"Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!"

After a small exchange from Jen and Henry, the two had finally leaned in for a kiss. Aurora chuckled as she clapped along with everyone else. Jen was the first to pull away, "okay, okay! Everybody go home! Show's over, folks!"

"No, no, no. Not quite yet," Principal Green spoke up. "We have a little unfinished business yet here. Ladies and gentlemen, presenting to you your choice for Cape side's 1999 homecoming queen, miss Jennifer Lindley!"