"I'm leaving," Jess said suddenly. Rory followed him out, glaring at Logan.
"He had better not come back out here!" He yelled.
Rory looked taken aback by his tone. "This isn't him. He's having trouble with him family, he's had a lot to drink-"
"Rory, what's going on?" Jess used the same tone.
"I told you, he's having trouble with him family, he has to-"
"I don't care about him! Okay? Screw him! What's going on with you?"
"What- what do you mean?"
Jess rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. Living with your grandparents, being in the DAR? No Yale? Why did you drop out of Yale?!"
Rory had tears in her eyes. "It's complicated! You don't know!"
"It's not! It's not complicated! I know you, Rory. This isn't you! What's going on with you."
Rory paused, and Jess moved his head to look in her eyes. "I don't know... I - I don't know." She looked up at him just as he turned to leave.
"Maybe we'll... maybe we'll catch up. At a better time?"
Rory nodded, and Jess started to walk away, before turning back again. "Happy Birthday, by the way. You birthday was a couple weeks ago?" He walked out, and sat in his car, before seeing Rory storm back inside.
He couldn't make out what was said, but he guessed that Rory and Logan were yelling at each other because he could hear yelling even from in the club. Within a few minutes, Logan stormed out followed by Rory, and after some more indistinguishable yelling Logan threw some money at her and walked off to his car. He sped off, and Rory was left crying on a park bench trying to contact a taxi company. Jess wanted to help her, but he knew he should have left by now and Rory shouldn't know what he had just seen. He drove off slowly, just as a cab pulled up and Rory got in.
Rory got out of the cab at Hartford and headed into the DAR function that her grandmother forced upon her. Storming in, she caught her grandmother's eye. Emily rushed towards her with an angry look on her face. "Young lady, where have you been? You almost missed the party!"
"No Grandma. You mean, I missed your inspection of me before the party!"
"Those inspections are for your own good! You're not even wearing the dress!"
"I didn't have time to go home and put it on."
"You spend far too much time at Paris' house. When your father gets home, we'll go over the house rules."
"Don't you mean my grandfather?"
"You're becoming more like your mother every passing day!"
"And you're becoming more like your mother every passing day! Besides, I don't stay with Paris 3 nights a week! I've been at Logan's! And besides I would have to be living with you to go over house rules, now wouldn't I?"
Emily looked angry but also confused. "You do live here, what are you talking about? Rory, come back here!" Rory had stormed off back to the house, and she got a few things into a duffel bag and headed out. That was when she realised that she had no place to stay, but she followed her nerve and took out The Subsect. Inside, in his neat blocky handwriting, Jess had written his cell and office number. Rory took out her cell phone, knowing that Jess would be close to Philadelphia by now.
"Hello?" Jess' voice came on the second ring. Rory opened her mouth but couldn't bring herself to answer. "Hello? Look, I'm driving, so whoever you are make a noise or I'm hanging up."
"Jess..." Rory's voice filled the phone, and Jess got a warm feeling in him knowing that she used the number he gave her, that he was needed.
"Rory, hi. Why didn't you say anything?"
"I don't know what to say. I moved out of the grandparents place. Left the DAR."
"Rory, that's so great! I'm really happy for you. So, why did you call?"
"I didn't know who else to call, I..." her voice died away.
"Rory?"
"I don't have a place to live," she finally admitted, and Jess sighed.
"Do you want to come to Philly? It's a bit late, but if you're not too tired and your desperate, I can wait for you and let you in. You know the address, I put it in the book too."
"Thanks so much, Jess. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"Yeah, I do. Now get your butt in the car, I don't want to be up all night." She laughed lightly at this, and got in the car.
"See you in a couple hours," She said, hanging up.
As she drove to Philly, Rory thought of all the ways this could go wrong, but she knew she had to put them out of her head in order for this trip to be beneficial. She had to get a job, she had to enrol back to Yale, she had to find a roof to put over her head.
The 4 hour drive went really quickly, and Rory decided to go to the Liquor Store and pick up some scotch. She didn't normally drink that, but it was strong and that was what she needed. After buying it and shoving it in her duffel, she headed to the address on the book, which was apparently Jess' apartment.
"Hello?!" She called up the stairwell. "Jess?"
"Hold on, Rory. Jeez." He got some shoes on, then opened the door to let her in. What he wasn't expecting was a Rory shaped figure to come flying at him, embracing him in a massive hug. He was suprised at first, but then he returned the embrace.
"Thankyou so so sooo much for letting me stay, Jess! I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate -"
"Rory, just get inside. It's freezing out here, I'll show you the couch."
After a tour of the apartment, Rory settled herself in on the couch.
"Goodnight, Rory."
"Night Jess."
With that, Jess and Rory went to where they were sleeping, but neither of them shut their eyes.