"So...." "Anyway, here's the thing." "I messed up and I'm really sorry you know, for my insane behaviour the past couple of months for any pain or worry I might have caused you guys for pushing you away when you were just trying to be my friends." "So the thing is-- ls that after the whole Christmas debacle you know, I went home to Los Angeles." "And this one night, this one horrible, horrible night I found myself at this party in Malibu on this beach full of strangers." "And the sun was coming up and I was just drunk off my ass and I remember looking around and thinking, "You know what?" "Maybe the problem isn't Joey or Pacey or Jen, C.J or Jack or Dawson or anyone else." "Just maybe...." "Maybe it's me."" "I don't expect you to forgive me right away because I do realize how bad I've messed up." "And, you know, I just-- lf you guys wanna call me sometime you know, just to say hi, that would be really cool." "Because I really love you guys and I miss you." "And I'm just really sorry." "Audrey." "Hey, Audrey, come on." "Come back here." "Audrey." "Hey." "We missed you." "Yeah." "I missed you, sweetie." "It's okay." "Oh, God." "What are you doing?" "I was just having a sexual fantasy about the new bartender." "We were out in the alley and doing it against the wall by the garbage bins." "Interesting." "Because to me, it's totally the pool table." "Joey Potter, I am shocked." "What?" "I am not above the occasional sexual fantasy to help the otherwise glacially paced workday." "Believe me." "Don't let the prim exterior fool you." "Underneath it all, I'm actually less prim." "Oh, while we're on the subject of bartenders with lust-worthy asses..." "...whatever happened to Eddie?" "What do you mean?" "He got fired." "Well, I know that." "But he never even came back to clear out his locker." "Why would I know where he was?" "Well, weren't you two...?" "Oh, we had a little fling." "A barely significant fling." "I mean, it was nothing." "l guess I must have got it wrong." "Yeah." "Me and Eddie, way over." "It was over before it started." "Okay, well, good." "Then you wouldn't mind clearing out his locker." "The boss has been asking about it and we do need the space." "I'd do it myself, but I was hoping to cut out early for band practice." "Yeah, sure." "That's no problem." "Good." "Okay." "I guess you can throw everything into the garbage." "If there's anything of any worth, he would have come back for it." "Right." "You're a love." "Have fun then, Joey." "So continue watching, to see if the merger takes." "In the meantime, advise caution to your clients." "Now, one final note." "Keep pushing Stepatech lndustries." "It's about to shoot through the roof." "When their new drug gets approved on Monday anyone who holds the stock is going to be very, very rich." "And I don't need to remind you that Stepatech itself is a client here and we'd like to keep them happy." "All right, let's go out there and make some money." "Witter, can I talk to you for one second?" "Please." "Here's the thing." "We've had our problems in the past but don't think that because of that, I'd let your work go unrewarded." "Rich, please, the huge commissions are reward enough for me." "Spoken like a true acolyte." "So I have an extra reward in store for you." "There's a shindig tomorrow, at Roger Stepavitch's home." "Do you know who Stepavitch is?" "Of course I do." "He's the CEO of Stepatech." "Very good." "He asked me to bring my most promising seller to this shindig." "Which puts me in a tough position because, well, it's you, Pacey." "You're my best seller." "Let's face it." "You have a natural gift for this." "Which, unfortunately, is matched only by your ego and attitude." "And I'm torn because on the one hand, I see flashes of greatness in you." "And on the other hand, I see you freaking out on me at the French Quarter in New Orleans." "Or you suddenly pretending to get sick and blowing off work for a few days for no apparent reason." "As you can see, I'm in a bit of a bind." "I want to bring you to this party, Pacey." "But first, I need to know something." "Can you be a team player?" "Rich, I mean-- l don't know what to say here." "l'm honoured." "Yeah." "I'm honoured by the trust that you've placed in me." "And I know that we've had our differences." "But you should know that, now I'm 1 00 percent committed to this job and everything that it has to offer." "And I fully realize what an enormous opportunity you're giving me here..." "...by taking me to this-- -l don't need your life story." "A simple "yes" or " no" would have sufficed." "Well, in that case, yes, absolutely." "You can count on me 1 00 percent." "Good. lt's settled, then." "You're coming." "I appreciate that." "That's" " This is fantastic." "Hi." "Whatever." "Sorry to keep you all waiting, l-- Oh, hello." "Dude, what is up with all the Courtney Love wannabes?" "It's like an Audrey convention out there." "Yes, well, why don't you come on in and I'll explain about that." "Hey." "Okay, you guys, what's up?" "Why are you looking at me like somebody died?" "I don't know how to say this." "Those girls out there?" "They're out there because they're auditioning to be lead singer of this band." "But we already have a lead singer." "Yes, we did have a lead singer." "Unfortunately, she flaked out so terribly, she had to be replaced." "You know, got drunk a lot, messed up on stage and disappeared to California without so much as a phone call missing several band rehearsals." "You know, the usual bit that gets lead singers kicked out of bands." "The thing is, we have a gig tomorrow night." "A real gig." "Well, we're third on the bill." "But we're opening for a band that's opening for a band that's really good." "Amazing, actually." "This could potentially be huge for us and we can't afford to muck it up." "What band?" "Loudermilk." "I love that band." "Don't we all?" "And we're playing at the Bent Elbow." "The place is, like, famous." "l know." "It's all fairly monumental." "Which is why we needed a new lead singer." "One with the talent, minus the drama." "Okay." "I got it, but the thing is that you guys should know, is that there was this lead singer the one who flaked out, messed up and deserved to get fired but, you see, that lead singer-- She's gone." "She had this moment of clarity on a beach in Malibu and she realized that the drinking and the partying and the mayhem was costing her the things that were important in her life like her friends and this band." "You guys, I'm sorry." "I'm really sorry, because this band is one of the few things that I care about in the whole stupid world." "Okay, and you have got to admit that I may be part of the reason why you guys got that gig." "And you know that none of those girls out there are gonna be half as good as me when I'm good." "I promise you, if you give me another chance I will be better than good." "I will be the best." "Please." "You guys, just give me-- Just give me another chance, please?" "Okay." "But if you make me regret this, I will kill you." "No, I won't, I won't." "That actually sounded very good." "All right." "So, everyone meet back here at 8: 1 5?" "Sure." "Okay." "Hey." "Hello." "You girls rock." "Oh, well, thanks." "So..." "...you like to have fun?" "l guess." "Well, I'm with the other opening band, Satan's Tampon." "You ever hear of us?" "l can't say that I have." "Right." "Well, there's a party happening on the tour bus, if you wanna come." "Okay, Harley, all you have to do is follow the formula. it's simple." "A-squared plus B-squared equals C-squared." "Forget it." "I'm never gonna get it." "Yes, you will." "You just follow the formula." "Screw the formula." "The formula can lick my ass." "Nice." "You kiss your father with that mouth?" "Gross." "Why would I kiss my father?" "You know what?" "Fine." "Why don't we take a break." "You want a soda?" "l'd rather have a vodka." "Oh, sorry." "We're out." "What?" "Wondering how you're holding up." "How I'm holding up?" "We could sit here all night pretend that I don't know about you and Eddie or you could realize that I might be a good confidante or shoulder to cry on." "We could talk about it." "I appreciate the offer, but there's nothing to talk about." ""There's nothing to talk about"?" "The boy just disappeared with no explanation." "He broke your heart." "You're dying, wanting to know what happened." "Thanks for the recap." "Joey, I may be a 1 5-year-old idiot, but I'm also your friend." "I understand the situation with Eddie better than you're giving me credit for." "You're my friend?" "Yeah." "We're friends." "Aren't we?" "Yeah, I guess we are." "Cool." "So how's the search going?" "Any new leads?" "What search?" "What, am I supposed to hire a detective to find a guy I dated for two months, who never wants to see me again?" "How do you know that?" "Maybe he just got bonked on the head and now he has amnesia." "Or maybe he got kidnapped by international jewel thieves." "Point is, you have to be the detective." "Well, now that you mention it, and I can't believe I'm telling you this but I sort of found a manuscript he wrote." "It had an address on it in Worcester, where his parents live" "What are you waiting for?" "What, just call them up and ask?" "Yes, duh." "Don't you think it seems a little desperate and pathetic?" "It's romantic and heartfelt." "I guess it wouldn't hurt." "At least I'd know where he was." "That he was alive." "Go." "Call." "What's going on?" "lt's all very exciting." "The phone, it's actually ringing." "Shut up." "Hello?" "Welcome to the big leagues, my friend." "Please don't embarrass me." "Rich Rinaldi." "Hi." "Hey." "How you doing?" "Good to see you." "Congratulations on landing the account." "Roger's singing your praises." "That's certainly appreciated, Carl." "We do our best." "This is Carl Rosen, VP of marketing at Stepatech." "This is Pacey Witter, one of our most promising young sellers." "I have a feeling you're gonna be hearing a lot from him." "Pleased to meet you." "Pleasure to meet you, sir." "Well, gentlemen, keep up the good work." "Thank you." "Thanks." "I see someone that I'm gonna need to powwow with." "You gonna be okay on your own for a little while?" "Okay." "Save me." "l'm sorry?" "There's this 98-year-old man over there that won't stop grabbing my ass." "So just until he stops lurking, pretend we're having a conversation." "Okay." "Hi." "That's it?" "That's it?" "That's all I get?" ""Okay." "Hi"?" "Okay." "Hi, I'm Pacey Witter." "Well, so you're Pacey Witter." "What, you've heard of me?" "Your reputation precedes you." "Now, I've heard that you are quite the up-and-coming young talent." "A real boy wonder." "And just where did you hear that?" "Let's just say that I make it my business to know these things." "So then, you work for Stepatech?" "Nope." "So.... lt must be an honour, picking you out of everybody to come here tonight?" "I see." "You know Rich." "Do not believe a word that man says about me." "So tell me, Pacey." "You're new at this, right?" "Tough business?" "Lot of sharks?" "It's not so bad." "Why this?" "A smart kid like you could be in college." "l mean, is it the money or--?" "No." "No." "Not really." "Well, that's a lie." "In the beginning, it was the money." "And then it was the thrill of the hunt the adrenaline." "And now I guess it's a combination of the both." "And what about you?" "What do you do?" "l guess he's gone." "Wait, that's it?" "You're just gonna leave?" "I don't even know your name." "Well, you're gonna have to try a little harder than that." "I'll see you later, Pacey." "Where is she?" "Who?" ""Who?" Who, she says." "You know damn well who." "Harley?" "Harley, get your butt out here this instant!" "Harley isn't here." "You don't have to cover for her, Joey." "The school called." "She cut class again." "Fourth time this month." "Harley?" "Come on, I know you're hiding." "Don't be afraid." "Just get your ass out here so that I can kick it into oblivion." "You know, I hate to interrupt your effective parenting techniques..." "...but I'm afraid she's really not here." "Well, where do you think she went?" "I mean, she's probably okay, right?" "I mean you think she's okay?" "Where is this coming from?" "Look, Joey, I admit that I haven't been the most present parent to this point but sometime-- l don't know, one minute it was Barney and Elmo and now, well, I'm kind of starting to realize that my little muffin might just be a juvenile delinquent." "All right, calm down." "She's not a juvenile delinquent." "I mean, she talks a good game, and she may skip school occasionally but it's all just a front." "Trust me." "Still doesn't change the fact that she's missing." "My little girl is missing." "Hey, Daddy." "Harley." "Where have you been, young lady?" "l just had an errand to run in Worcester." "Hey." "Big gig, huh?" "Yeah." "You nervous?" "No." "That's a lie." "Yeah, actually, tremendously." "I don't think I've ever done this sober before." "Well, in that case...." "l quit." "Quit?" "l'm re-assessing my life..." "...something." "Bummer." "You know what?" "Actually, can I just have a sip?" "Sure." "Thanks." "Want one of these?" "There you go." "So do you think maybe you could stop ignoring me so we could go and talk?" "Oh, I'm sorry." "Was I ignoring you?" "My compliments to the chef on the buffalo wings." "They're excellent tonight." "Shouldn't you be punishing her?" "l am punishing her." "I'm making her sit and have a meal with me." "By the way, we're out of root beer." "Ask the bartender." "Hey." "Thank you for driving her back." "But do me a favour." "Next time she visits you in the gutter shut the door, slither off and stay away from her." "So that's it?" "You're just not gonna talk to me?" "lf you want to talk, go ahead." "Fine." "Look, Joey, I'm here because I know." "And I wanna help you deal with this." "l mean, it's my problem too." "What?" "Look, Harley told me, okay?" "I know." "Know what?" "About...." "About the whole, you know, the whole pregnancy." "Oh, the whole fake pregnancy thing she made up to lure you here under false pretences." "That whole pregnancy thing." "So wait a minute." "Wait a minute." "You're not--?" "You mean you're not pregnant?" "No." "Oh, thank God." "Even if I was, I certainly wouldn't tell Harley." "Hey, is this my...?" "Where did you get this?" "One of many non-valuables you left behind for someone to clean up." "I leave you behind and you send your little minion to come after me?" "If you didn't wanna be found, Eddie you should've covered your tracks a little better." "Did you--?" "Did you call my house and hang up yesterday?" "No." "You know, I mean, it makes sense." "I mean, you're obviously pissed off by the way things ended between us." "Oh, you know what?" "That's where you're wrong." "Because things actually never really ended between us, Eddie." "You just moved to Worcester for no reason without even informing me, which to me, if you ask me that's not really an ending, now, is it?" "I don't care." "Now that I know you're alive, the mystery's solved." "I left, but did you ever stop to think that maybe I did that for you?" "Are you dying, Eddie?" "No." "Were you protecting government secrets?" "Were you kidnapped by international jewel thieves?" "is that it?" "Because otherwise, the only person you did that for was yourself." "It was a nice easy out." "I get it." "You know what, you got it." "You're out." "God, you think it was that easy?" "lt was the hardest thing I've done." "Really?" "You know what?" "Forget it, okay?" "I'm just gonna go." "Fine." "Fine." "Fine." "So why, Eddie?" "Why?" "Because, okay?" "Because?" "Because." "Because I couldn't even face you." "Okay?" "Because I was ashamed." "Ashamed?" "Ashamed of what?" ""Ashamed of what?"" "Joey, I couldn't even find a job." "I couldn't pay rent." "My electricity was turned off." "I had cockroaches crawling on my arm." "But why would you think that would make a difference to me, Eddie?" "I mean, I'm poor too, remember?" "I'm just like you." "No, okay?" "You are not just like me, because you actually have a future." "You have a life ahead of you." "So do you." "No." "No." "Don't you see?" "That's why I punched Hetson that time because he was right and I knew he was right." "I mean, why is it that you're the one who can't see it?" "Joey, I'm nothing." "I'm just a guy with no job, no money in the bank no prospects, no education, no talents, nothing." "I even got the rejection letter to prove it." "They said you had promise." "They say that to everyone they reject." "Yeah, but in your case, it's true." "I appreciate the pep talk and all, I do." "But let's face facts." "I mean, you and I, we're headed for two very different futures." "And the truth is, Jo, is" "You deserve to be with the best guy in the room." "Not the one who picks up his trash or buses his table." "You're gonna have whatever you want in this life, Joey." "I wanted you." "No." "No, you wanted that guy you met in English class." "And I'm not him." "I got-- l gotta go." "Let's hear it for Hell's Belles." "What is up, Bent Elbow?" "Well, I got in on the ground floor." "Sort of had an instinct about it." "lnstinct or luck?" "l don't believe in luck." "Come on, we got some business to attend to." "Do you know her?" "Who?" "Her." "Well, from the back of her head, I'd say I have absolutely no idea." "Now, perhaps, you'd like to join me in the office of Roger Stepavitch to discuss ways you and I can get closer to being millionaires." "l can do that." "Good." "So, Pacey, Rich tells me you have quite a raw talent." "Everything I learned, I learned from Rich." "Well, I appreciate all your hard work." "You've sold a lot of stock for us." "Because I believe in your company." "Tell me, Pacey, were you surprised when Rich told you that we decided you should take a more prominent role in the handling of the Stepatech Corporate account?" "Actually, Roger, I hadn't mentioned it to him yet." "And I'm really sorry, gentlemen, but I don't think I follow." "What do you mean?" "It's like a promotion, Pacey." "Your title will stay the same, but you will get a substantial raise." "And from now on, your name will be on all transactions that we handle for Stepatech Corporate." "That's" " That's fantastic." "Do you think I'm ready for something like that?" "I just finished those Series 7 s, and I'm a little green...." "But if you think I can do it-- -l thought that you said that...." "l'm surprised by your attitude, Pacey." "l'm sorry. I'm really sorry." "I think I misspoke." "It's just such a fantastic opportunity for a man as young as myself." "It caught me a little flatfooted." "But let it not be said that Pacey Witter is not about stepping into the future which, if I'm correct, is actually the slogan for your fine company." "That'll do." "Excellent." "Well, welcome aboard, young man." "l predict great things for you." "Thank you, sir." "I hope that I live up your expectations." "I have no doubt that you will." "You're mad at me, aren't you?" "No." "Yes, you are." "I know I messed up." "I'm sorry." "You were so sad, I just thought I could help." "I know, Harley." "It's just that in the future, maybe you could obtain my written consent before you go off telling boys that I'm pregnant." "Or on second thought, maybe you could just not do it at all, okay?" "l won't." "Promise." "Thanks." "So, what happened?" "He's gone." "He just left and he's given up." "And the thing that sucks about it is I read those stories, and they're really good and he's never gonna do anything with them." "He's probably just gonna rot away in Worcester and there's nothing that I can do." "Look." "What?" "Hello?" "No." "Why not?" "Because I'm...." "l'm not asking your dad to read his stories." "He'd never help him, and if he tried, Eddie wouldn't let him." "It's worth a try, isn't it?" "If my dad hates them, Eddie never has to know." "And if he loves them, maybe he can help him." "It's better than him rotting away in Worcester forever." "Professor Hetson." "I was wondering if you could read these short stories and tell me what you think." "You are aware that I'm honest to a point some have called brutal?" "Yes." "And that I've crushed more than one would-be Sylvia Plath's ambitions into oblivion?" "You're still willing to take that chance with yours?" "They're not really my ambitions." "No." "Come on." "Just read them." "They're really good." "They're amazing, actually." "l don't care." "You're his last chance, professor." "I know that you have connections." "Just give him some encouragement, at least?" "Miss Potter, let's get something clear." "Not only is he not a student at Worthington not only did he try to defraud our hallowed university..." "...not only did he kidnap my" "He didn't kidnap her." "He gave her a ride home." "Potato, potato." "The thing is, I could forgive all that, if it were not for one fatal mistake." "He punched me in the face." "There could have been scarring, broken bones." "We're talking serious disfigurement of one of my most cherished assets." "And that is not cool in my book." "Come on, Harley." "We gotta go." "Don't worry. I'll work on him." "Don't forget your bag." "Feel better?" "Sure." "Good." "You're out of the band." "Emma, you can't kick me out." "I can do better because I had this moment of clarity on a beach in Malibu and I know that I need to do better-- l don't want to hear it, Audrey." "You're out." "I'll call you a cab." "Go home and sleep it off." "Yes." "Yes, I am back." "Can you believe it?" "Harley forgot her backpack." "Oh, yeah, I'll get it for you." "It's right behind the bar." "So your little plan worked." "Harley annoyed me into reading a couple of Mr. Doling's stories." "Really?" "Yes." "And while I found them to be perhaps a little overwrought and derivative they do show, at their core, a writer with potential." "You think he has potential?" "Don't make me say it again." "Well, I mean, there's gotta be something you can do to help him." "You could show them to a publisher." "He's not ready for that." "You could pull strings at Worthington." "No." "Come on, there's gotta be something you can do, anything." "All right." "There is someone I know at the California Writer's Workshop." "Can you get him in?" "l think Eddie could get Eddie in with my recommendation." "lsn't that kind of, like, prestigious?" "Kind of, like." "He doesn't have a degree." "l know. I still think he has a shot." "Let me know what he says." "Well, actually, Professor Hetson, I think he'd rather hear it from you." "Joey, he punched me." "I'll try and get him into this program..." "...but I think that that's enough." "Yeah, but, Professor Hetson he's kind of given up, and I don't think he'd listen to me. I really...." "We're not on the best of terms." "lt's a fascinating saga." "It's up to you." "You want to convince him tell him I'll write a recommendation." "Ball's in your court, kid." "Look, I'm off." "I've got Harley chained to a radiator." "Kidding, Joey." "Get a sense of humour." "So I guess this is good night." "I'm not going to be able to call you unless you tell me your name." "That was a big night for you in there." "Yeah, I guess it was." "So I saw you and Rich going into Roger's private office." "l'm sorry?" "Let me guess." "You're moving up in the world, maybe he offered you a promotion?" "A big raise?" "Are you a reporter?" "Look, I just think maybe you should ask yourself why this has all been so easy." "Or if it's just a little too good to be true." "Good luck, Pacey." "Hey." "Hey." "What are you doing here?" "I thought that you should have this." "It doesn't belong in the garbage." "Thanks." "Sure." "I gave it to Hetson and he said he could maybe get you into the California Writer's Workshop." "You gave this to Hetson?" "Yeah, that's right." "What's the point, Joey?" "They won't let me in." "If they did, I can't afford that place." "Maybe there's a scholarship, okay?" "Or financial aid." "The point is to at least try." "This is a shot, Eddie, a real shot." "I suggest you take it." "If you want to be a coward about our relationship and run out on me that's fine, but don't be a coward about this." "I mean, this is your life." "Don't give up so easily." "I guess I should go." "You know what?" "I'm not gonna go because that's just what you want me to do." "A long time ago, you told me that you wanted to be a person who really lived life, but I guess that was a line, huh?" "Because as far as I can see, you're just afraid." "Of me, of yourself, of actually living your life." "You're right." "What are you gonna do about it?" "Are you just gonna sit here and rot away in Worcester?" "No." "Wrong answer." "I'm just doing what you told me to do." "That's not what I meant." "It's too late for that, Eddie." "l gotta go." "Wait, Joey, wait." "I love you." "Please, Joey, don't" " Don't go." "I don't want it to be too late." "I love you too." "Bye." "Audrey." "Audrey." "Audrey, wake up." "Audrey." "Audrey."