After the movie, Dawson walks Jen home. He offers to take her right to the door, but she says he needn’t bother, what with "Grams waiting to pounce" and all. Thus begins the awkward kiss/non-kiss moment, as they both stand there shifting their weight and saying "so" and "uh" and "yeah." Dawson says, "It was a really repulsive evening," and Jen chuckles lamely. Dawson leans in for the kiss, but Jen loses her nerve at the last minute and starts babbling as Dawson jerks his head back in frustration: "You know, this is, this is all my fault. I know I don’t possess much power in the universe, but I feel completely responsible for tonight, Dawson." Dawson says, "No, no, I pulled the pin, I tossed the grenade," and then makes an "L" sign on his forehead with his hand. Word, word, a thousand times word. Jen starts laughing and tells him, "You’re not a loser, Dawson, you’re very sweet, and smart, you’ve got a great sense of humor -- you’re cool, without being really obnoxious about it," and I agree, except that he isn’t cool, and he is really obnoxious, about everything, but other than that I think Jen’s got something there. She also calls him "talented" and mentions his "clear skin -- big plus." Yeah, most twenty-two-year-olds have gotten past the acne, but whatever. Jen thanks Dawson, referring to things in New York as "not so great" and things here at Grams’s as "kind of scary," and Dawson considers leaning in again, but the porch light goes on and Grams appears under it, so Jen says she should go but "thanks for everything," and Dawson flails, "But, um," and Jen says, "I’m just gonna pretend we kissed, okay?" and heads inside. Dawson and his Ethan Hawke hair smile but don’t know quite what to make of it.

Over at the waterfront, a dejected and black-eyed Pacey scuffs along, hands in pockets. He comes upon TaMAHra staring out at the marina and mutters to himself, "What are the chances?" When she sees him, TaMAHra gasps, "Pacey! Are you okay?" Pacey tersely says he’ll live, and TaMAHra says, "Wait, talk to me a second." Pacey snaps, "About what, The Graduate or The Summer Of ’42, which would you rather discuss?" TaMAHra wants to "clear up this misunderstanding," and Pacey bitterly comments that he understands "perfectly well, ‘Miss Jacobs,’" and she tries to apologize but Pacey accuses her of lying and wants to know how she can say she was "just renting a movie," and she says, "Because it’s the truth." Pacey doesn’t buy it: "The truth is you’re a well-put-together knockout of a woman who’s feeling a little insecure about hitting forty." TaMAHra doesn’t like the sound of that, but Pacey is on a roll, continuing, "So when a young virile boy such as myself flirts with you, you enjoy it. You entice it [sic]. You fantasize about what it would be like to be with that young boy on the verge of manhood, because it helps you stay feeling attractive, makes the aging process a little more bearable," and if Pacey uses that phrase one more time, I don’t know what. TaMAHra looks beaten down by the force of Pacey’s contempt, but he hasn’t finished with her yet: "Well, let me tell you something, you blew it, lady, ‘cause I’m the best sex you’ll never have." She looks at him as he fumes and says, "You’re wrong about one thing, Pacey. You’re not a boy," and she kisses him, and he kisses her back, and she pulls away and says, "Oh god, I’m sorry, oh god," and runs away down the dock, and Pacey chuckles almost drunkenly, "I’ll see you in school, Miss Jacobs." As if he’d act so nonchalant.