First Quarter
Returning from a summer internship in Philadelphia, Dawson meets a stripper named Eve. He spent the summer getting over Joey, and Eve, who is also traveling to Capeside, offers to help him. When we catch up with the other characters, we find that Jack has moved in with Jen and her Grams, and Andie is still out of town recovering. Jen then pulls one of her biggest stunts when she tries out for cheerleading as a joke. She insults the head cheerleader at tryouts, and the rest of the squad promptly votes to replace her with Jen. While Jen spends her time playing games with people, Joey gets a new job to help out her family. She’s back in love with Dawson, but now he’s not interested. Turns out he’d rather go out to a stripclub to see Eve than be with Joey (oh Dawson, we thought you were different).
This new woman really gets Dawson to let his hair down. She’s a senior at Capeside High, and the two get physical pretty quickly, to Joey’s dismay. Eve wants to help Dawson lose his virginity, and he’s not complaining. He’s in such hormone-overdrive that when Joey practically throws herself on him, he pushes her away. Dawson asks Pacey to look out for Joey, so she goes with Pacey to visit Andie. He learns that Andie cheated on him, and soon after, Pacey breaks up with her.
Meanwhile, for some strange reason, Mitch becomes the new football coach. He spies Jack on the sidelines talking to head cheerleader Jen, and he notices that Jack has talent. So Jack joins the team, along with new guy Henry. Turns out this weird little sweetie (Henry) has the hots for Jen, but he’s only a freshman. Jack’s dad, who is back in Capeside, likes his son’s new macho activity, but Jack refuses to move back home.
Things heat up for Eve and Dawson, who decide to go for it at the school pep rally. Of course they are discovered in front of the whole school, and Joey is horrified. Pretty soon, he’ll learn how bad a replacement this new girl is. One clue comes in the form of a stolen PSAT test Eve gives Dawson. Most of the Creeksters are over-privileged or at least overachievers, and this found gold fuels plot lines for several episodes. The test is stolen, leaving everyone to wonder who took it. Pacey, in bad shape after his break-up with Andie, is not too happy when Dawson accuses him of stealing the test. They hurl cruel insults at each other, and then punches. Joey comes out and goes to Pacey, the first inkling we get of the increasing friendship between them.
After all this trouble Dawson lashes out at Eve, ending their fling. The day of the test we finally learn that it was goody-two-shoes Andie who stole the test. Without Andie, Pacey and Joey grow closer. They cut class together, and they engage in that “I hate you” back-and-forth Andie and Pacey used to do. A sure TV sign of true love, we can only wait. Meanwhile, Henry starts making his play for Jen. As head cheerleader, she’s supposed to kiss the highest bidder of an auction. She finds out the highest bid is from sweet-but-obsessed Henry. To make things even weirder, Jen gets voted homecoming queen.
