Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls.

A/N: This is just a one-shot written for a challenge I got off of the Lit forum. I hope you like it. So without further ado, here's the story. (Don't forget to review.)

A Day at the Mall

It was a week before the Firelight Festival, and I had absolutely nothing to wear. I wouldn't normally stress about this kind of thing, but after last year, well I couldn't go unprepared. There was only one tiny dilemma; I had no ride. Lorelei was out of town, and wouldn't be coming back until two hours before the festival, and that just wasn't going to do. I had to find an alternate way. Jess! Granted, he was the one I wanted to look pretty for, but he was also the only one with a car. It's only bad luck for the groom to see the bride before a wedding, it doesn't work the same way for dates, right? Oh well, I hoped not. The only other issue was getting him to agree.

At least the diner was empty that day. It always makes talking to him a lot easier. The bell dinged and he looked up.

"Hey," he said. Well, he seemed happy. That was a plus too.

"Hey. Um, can we talk?"

"Uh oh. I don't like the sound of that." He kissed me.

'Why is he acting so nice?' I thought as we made our way up to the apartment.

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

"As you know, the Firelight Festival is next week…"

"Huh. All of the signs and people talking didn't tip me off. Thanks for the update."

'That's my Jess.' I thought. "I know. I just need a ride."

"To the Firelight Festival? Why don't you just walk?"

"I mean to the mall. I need clothes for the Firelight Festival."

"Not for what I want to do."

"Jess!" I slapped him. I always have hated it when he talks like that. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah, fine, alright. I'll take you to the mall."

"Thank you!" I squealed and kissed him on the lips. Well, then he kissed me. Then I kissed him some more. But before we could get into anything major, Luke came storming upstairs.

"Alright, you two have been up here for 8 minutes. If you don't come out within the next 12 seconds in the exact same state that you went up there in there will be hell to pay."

"Yes Uncle Luke." Jess said sarcastically.
"Okay, I'll be back around 1. Will you be ready by then?"

"Sure."

"Alright, see you then."

I came back around 12:30. I was in an extreme need of coffee, and I didn't even care if I had to wait around for a half hour.

"You're early." Jess said as I entered.

"Yeah. I need some Happy Coffee, so that I can be a Happy Rory."

"Coming right up." Jess handed me a mug of coffee.

"Thank you."

I drained the coffee and he came over to refill it. "When will you be ready?" I asked.

"Any time. Why, bored of waiting?"

"Extremely."

"All right, I'm ready."

"Cool." I drained my coffee, and we left.

It only took about a half hour before we were at the mall. We didn't say much- just me complaining about songs on the radio, and Jess complaining about my complaining. It was kind of sickening, now that I reflect on it. Oh well, we were young. People change, right?

"Where are we going?" He asked once we were inside.

"I don't know. Um, that place looks good." I pointed to the store next to us. There was a cute blue, knit top and a pair of jeans in the window.

It was quite an interesting experience- shopping in that store with Jess. In movies, when a boyfriend and his girlfriend go shopping the boy holds the girls purse while the girl tries on her outfit. It didn't quite work like that with Jess. I tried my hardest to get him to stay still and hold my bag, but he just wouldn't. I went to find my size for the top on the mannequin, and when I turned around to say something, Jess wasn't there.

"Jess, where are you?" I stood on my tiptoes, and I caught sight of his overly gelled hair. "There you are." I said as I approached him. I had grabbed my size for that outfit, and was fiddling with the top when I noticed where we were. "Why are you looking at ladies' underwear?"

"Because it's fun."

"No way. This so isn't right."

"What? You get to have fun shopping, why don't I get to have fun too?"

"Because your fun is perverted."

"I'm sorry that my fun has an edge and yours is boring."

"Grrrr. Okay, well I'm going to go and try this on. You hold my purse, and don't play around with the ladies' underwear too much."

"Yes ma'am." He saluted me as I walked away.

As I got into the changing room, I got a really back chill in my spine. I just shook it off as nothing and began to undress. I had just taken my shirt off when someone pulled the curtain back. "What the…"

"Guess who."

"Jess! You are…" I was infuriated. I couldn't believe he would do that. My actions weren't quite controlled by my mind after that point. I just started going and didn't stop. Sometime before I exited the changing booth, I put my shirt back on and pushed past Jess. My feet then took control when I started running. I ran out of the store and all the way to the opposite end of the mall before I stopped for a breather. This was quite a remarkable feet considering Gilmore Girls don't run. But I wasn't so lucky by time I reached the other end. See, I was completely out of breath and I needed to stop. However, that breather gave Jess the necessary time to catch up. Apparently he had been chasing after me the entire time.

"Rory…" He said as he approached.

"Don't talk to me."

"C'mon. You can't be that mad."

"Oh yes I can."

"I didn't think it would upset you this badly. I wouldn't have done it if I had."

"Yeah, well you should've thought about it." I looked into his eyes at this point and saw the remorse. 'I really hate those eyes. I can't stay mad at those eyes.'

"I just thought it would be fun. Fun equals good, right?"

"Yeah, well, all good has a bad…"

"But all bad must come to an end." He smiled. It was a hopeful smile, and genuine smile.

"Yeah, all good has a bad, but all bad must come to an end. But you owe me."

"Anything."

"You have to…" I looked around. Then I saw it- the ultimate payback. It was in the window of a costume store. "You have to dress up like one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the rest of the day."

"You can't be serious."

"As a heart attack."

"Are you sure?"

"Are you scared?"

"Absolutely."

"Well then, you really don't want to hear the next part."

"There's more?"

"Yes, there's more. You have to get up on top of one of the tables in the food court-"

"While dressed like a turtle?"

"While dressed like a turtle, and sing Candy man from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

"No."

"Fine, then never speak to me again."

"I'll do it."

"Yay. Come on. We have to get your costume."

"Fine."

The costume was cheap. I guess no one wanted to be a turtle. I definitely know that Jess didn't. We walked into the food court, and Jess went into the bathroom to change. When he came out, all eyes immediately went to him. I started to regret what I had done a little bit, but only just a little bit. He looked so stoic and hard as he climbed on top of a table. When he started to sing, I was surprised. Jess had a beautiful voice.

'I hate this! Even when he looks like a complete dork, he looks sexy. That is so not supposed to be the outcome.' I thought.

Jess finished the song eventually and I gave him a reprieve; I didn't make him wear the stupid costume all day. His little performance was enough.

"So what are you going to do with the costume?" I asked once he had changed again.

"Toss it."

"Why? You could be a turtle for next Halloween."

"No." He threw the bag with the costume in the trash.

"I'm hungry."

"So."

"Feed me!"

"What do you want?"

"Something sugary and coffee."

"So, Starbucks?"

"Absolutely."

We went over to Starbucks. I swear there were 5 at the mall. Anyways, I got a triple chocolate donut, a triple chocolate muffin, and the biggest coffee they would give me. We found a table in the outskirts of the food court where hopefully people wouldn't see Jess and we started to talk. Well, I talked and ate; he pretty much just stared off into space for a while.

"Jess…Earth to Jess." I waved my hand in front of his face.

"What?"

"Are you okay? You've been staring at the back wall for like an hour."

"Yeah fine."

After he said that I just started laughing- uncontrollable, fitful laughter. I didn't even know why. I was just laughing.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I…don't…know!" I said between laughs.

"Well stop. People are staring."

"I…am…trying!"

"Okay, if you don't stop before I count to three you don't get anymore sugar or coffee."

"What!" That snapped me out of it real quick.

"I thought you'd see it my way."

"You would never take my coffee away." I quickly grabbed the container and held it close to me. "My precious. My precious." I repeatedly whispered.

"Alright, stop that. It's weird."

"My precious."

"So what else do you need?"

"Well, I just need to go grab that outfit from the store and I'm done."

"Then that's what we'll do."

We walked back to the other end of the store, and I walked into the store to retrieve the outfit. Once that was done, we left.

It was a quiet ride to Stars' Hollow. It also seemed a lot shorter, but that was because I fell asleep. Jess pulled up to my house and woke me up.

"Hey, wake up. You're home."

"Huh?"

"We're at your house."

"Ah, you take good care of me."

"I guess I do."

"You do." I gave him a short kiss, grabbed my bags, and left.

Once I got inside I yelled, "Mom I'm ho… Oh wait, you aren't."

"I'm not what?"

"MOM! I thought you weren't going to be back until next week."

"Well, see I wasn't supposed to be, but that convention was boring, so I told them that I caught something. Some kind of sickness I think, and I left."

"That is so cool."

"What are the bags from?"

"It's a long story."

"Well then, I'll make the coffee and you get ready oh wise one."