SUCKER PUNCH 🛶 PACEY WITTER [book one]

CHAPTER ONE

FOUR'S COMPANY, FIVE'S A CROWD

...🛶...

SATURDAY night movies at the Leery household were a common occurrence, and if Mitch and Gale weren't at work, they would fool around like lovesick teenagers downstairs whilst their twin children, Dawson and Heather, would have their two best friend's over for Spielberg and popcorn.

Heather's head hung backwards from the edge of her brother's bed as she lay across the bottom "How many times are we going to have to watch this movie?"

Pacey Witter smirked as he turned his gaze to the girl beside him whilst he sat on the chair "Until Dawson realises that there are other directors besides Spielberg."

"A girl can dream." Heather muttered before turning onto her stomach to shovel a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

"I'll be right here..." Joey Potter quoted along with E.T "I love this movie." She paused, glancing to Dawson on her left as the two sat up against the headboard of his twin bed "This won the Oscar didn't it?"

"Ghandi." Dawson corrected, switching the movie over to the local news, watching his mother and her co-anchor closely "Spielberg was robbed. This was before he outgrew his Peter Pan syndrome."

"But Ghandi?" The Potter girl frowned "I mean why give an Oscar to a movie you can't even sit through?"

Dawson held his arms out in the relief that someone understood his plight "Thank you."

Pacey nodded towards the television, nudging Heather's shoulder "New do?"

"Yeah." Heather snorted as she looked to her mother smiling on screen "Gale likes big hair."

Joey frowned as she moved to the edge of the bed and slipped on her tennis shoes "That must weigh a tonne. How does she walk upright?"

The three laughed before Dawson noticed Joey getting ready "Wait, where are you going?"

"Home."

Dawson smiled "Spend the night."

But Joey shook her head "I can't."

"Come on, you always spend the night." Dawson protested.

"Not tonight."

As the pair bickered back and forth, Heather and Pacey watched silently, sharing the bowl of popcorn between them "Why not?"

Joey sighed "I just don't think it's a good idea for me to sleep over anymore, you know?"