Chapter 1
{{This is just a starter chapter setting up the story of Jess living in Stars Hollow. It's short, but more will come}}
"You're going to stay with your uncle. I can't deal with you anymore."
Liz was bustling around from room to room, throwing his clothes and books to the floor while ranting with a level of disgust in her voice that couldn't be rivaled. Jess just stared at her feet blankly, his throat too tight to allow for enough breath to respond.
"Jesus Christ, Jess. I mean, of all the ways you could have screwed up…" She stopped right in front of him with her arms tightly hugging her body.
A beat passed before Jess worked up the necessary courage to meet her dangerous eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words were lost somewhere between his constricted chest and dry mouth. Liz waited for the words to come for about one second before scoffing furiously and jabbing a finger in his face, warranting a proper flinch from her son.
"You're just as useless as your father was, you know it? And just as eager to hop into a bed that isn't yours to take." She practically spat the words at him.
Jess closed his eyes from the complete shock of the day and shuddered hard at her last comment. He had begged her to believe him when he said he hadn't wanted it, that Kent (Liz's latest sleaze) had been forcing him into bed with threats of hurting Liz more if he resisted. Jess finally found his voice somewhere deep down and worked up the nerve to use it.
"He said he would hurt you if I didn't-"
"Oh, cut the crap, Jess, really! Stop playing the damsel in distress. You knew exactly what you were doing in there." She sighed heavily, pinching the bridge on her nose. "He's a good man, Jess. A good man that you ran off, a good man who isn't going to be paying the bills for me anymore. Do you honestly expect me to believe that you, a perfectly capable seventeen year old boy, were forced to have sex? You're not a child anymore, Jess, and lying isn't going to get you any apologies or forgiveness here."
Jess stared with wide, wet eyes at the floor, feeling his legs become more and more wobbly with each passing word. His mind couldn't help but wander back half an hour to the moment Liz had walked in on her boyfriend plowing into an utterly non-responsive Jess. He shook slightly as her shouts filled his pounding head.
"You killed me, kid. You just ruined the only good thing I had in my life. I can't even look at you." She threw her hands in the air with emphasis, letting him know just how awful he truly was in her eyes.
Jess nodded his head softly, his big eyes focused intently on the ground. He took in a shaky breath and mumbled a very soft 'sorry.'
Liz whipped back around to face him, venom practically dripping from her lips.
"What did you say, you mistake? You're sorry now? After you successfully screwed every aspect of my life up in one afternoon? Now you feel sorry?"
She moved closer to Jess, who remained perfectly still, his hollow brown eyes staring emptily into hers. She reached up and smacked him hard across the face, over and over. He tried to cover the blows with his arms, but he was so tired from it all that he decided to accept the beating his mother dealt him.
When she had finished wailing on his, both his cheeks were flushed a deep shade of crimson and his nose was dripping thick drops of blood. He gave a small cough and wiped absently at his face, meeting his mother's glare once more.
"Pathetic. You're just pathetic, Jess. You can take your apologies and excuses to someone else because you are done staying with me. You hear me? Done. Get the hell out of my house."
She turned and walked to the counter, snatching her purse. She dug around and fished out her worn wallet. She pulled out a few wads of cash and threw them aimlessly at Jess' feet.
"I mean it, get out. Go get a bus ticket for Stars Hollow and stay with your uncle. I'll call and make the arrangements."
Liz stalked back to the bedroom and slammed the door hard enough to knock a picture off the wall next to Jess.
Jess stood there a moment, trying to catch his breath. He bent over gingerly, his body still aching from Kent's hands digging deep into his flesh, and swiped up the bills. With one last pitiful glance at his mother's bedroom door, Jess walked out of the apartment and began his miserable journey to a new place.