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CHAPTER TWO - Weekend Plans

While Jen and Joey had been thinking about Dawson, Pacey and Dawson had been thinking about something different. Earlier in the day, they had started to make a plan. Now they talked to Jen and Joey about it.

“Next weekend will be a long weekend,” Dawson told the girls. “We don’t have to go to school on Monday. It’s President’s Day - a holiday. Pacey and I are planning to leave town next weekend. But we don’t know where to go. What do people do at this time of year?”

“They ski,” Joey replied. “Why don’t you go skiing somewhere?”

“That’s a great idea,” Dawson replied. “I love skiing. I’m a good skier. And now I want to ride a snowboard. Pacey can teach me. He’s a really good snowboarder. But the hotels in the mountain towns are so expensive.”

“That’s not a problem, Dawson,” Jen said. “I have a great idea. My parents own a cabin at Steep Mountain - a little mountain town in Vermont - I’ll phone them tonight. I’ll ask them to loan us the cabin for the weekend. All four of us can go together. I love skiing too, and Joey wants to learn to ski - I know that.”

“Oh, I won’t be able to go,” Joey said sadly. “I have to work here on the weekend. But you three must go. You can tell me about it when you get back. Don’t worry about me. You go and have some fun.”

But at that moment, Bessie brought their cheeseburgers to their table. She heard Joey’s last words.

“What’s the problem, Joey?” she asked.

Dawson quickly told Bessie about their plan for the long weekend.

Bessie smiled at the four teenagers.

“Joey, go to Vermont with your friends,” she said. The cafe isn’t busy at this time of year. Bodie and I will take care of things here. Go and have some fun.”

Joey put her arm around her sister.

“Oh, thank you, Bessie,” she said happily. “You’re very good to me.” But in school the next morning, Dawson thought of another problem.

“How will we get to Steep Mountain?” he asked the others. “My family has two cars, but I’m not old enough to drive one on the roads yet. I don’t have a driver’s license.”

“You’ve forgotten something,” Pacey said, smiling. “I’m sixteen years old now.”

“OK, you’re sixteen,” Joey said slowly. “What other great news do you have for us?”

Jen laughed. Joey was always rude to Pacey. “Well, I’m sixteen and I’ve passed my driving test, Pacey said proudly. “I’m the owner - the very proud owner - of a driver’s license from the state of Massachusetts.”

“Yes, we had forgotten. That’s great!” Jen said. “If you can borrow your dad’s truck, you’ll be able to take us all to Steep Mountain.”

“Mmm - yes. Well, there’s the problem,” Pacey said. “My dad won’t loan me the truck. My dad hates me.”

“Oh, he doesn’t hate you Pacey,” Joey said. “But we understand your problem.”

Pacey’s life at home wasn’t easy - they all knew that. His father and his older brother, Doug, were both police officers. They didn’t enjoy Pacey’s jokes. And they didn’t like people who were lazy. They became angry when Pacey did not do well at school. They became angry when he stayed out late in the evenings. They didn’t change their ideas easily. And they certainly would not loan Pacey their cars.

“My friends, there’s no problem here!” Dawson said happily. “I’ll ask my dad to loan us one of his cars. Then Pacey can drive us to Steep Mountain.”

On Friday afternoon, when school finished, the four friends loaded their bags into Mitch Leery’s car. Dawson and Jen put their skis in after the bags, and Pacey added his snowboard. He wasn’t taking any skis. Joey wasn’t taking any skis either. She didn’t own any. She was going to rent some skis at Steep Mountain. And Dawson didn’t own a snowboard. He was going to rent a snowboard there.

The four teenagers were excited. Everything had been easy for them. Dawson’s father had been happy to loan them a car. Jen’s parents had been happy to loan them the cabin. Joey was going to have fun with her friends and Bessie was happy. Pacey’s family was happy to be without him for the weekend.

Three hours after they’d left Capeside, Pacey stopped the car outside a big wooden cabin. The house was at the end of a road in the little town of Steep Mountain. Behind the cabin, the huge mountain rose up against the sky.

“Welcome to the Lindley family’s cabin,” Jen said. “We’re going to have a great weekend!”