Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, and any references that are similar to the show will be credited as they come.
Rory flung open the door to her home, dragging herself to the kitchen.
She tosses her book bag down on the floor and flops onto the chair at the kitchen table.
"Good day, hon?" Her mother quips, turning around with a sweet smile.
Rory grumbles and crosses her arms.
"I have to go to anger management."
"Because you finally realized that you want to fight your battles with words, not fists?"
"Very funny, Ann Martin."
"I try to keep up with the best of them."
Rory pouts, pulling her binder out of her backpack as Lorelai sits down across from her, coffee and poptarts in hand.
"So that's what you got for your social engagement class, huh?" She asks sympathetically, pushing over a poptart to Rory as a peace offering.
Rory grabs the poptart and pops it into her mouth as she opens the binder on the table.
"Yeah, I was really hoping to get Alcoholics Anonymous or something with less…" Rory trails off, trying to find a word.
"Anger?" Lorelai offers, sipping her coffee.
"Yeah," Rory admits, scanning her assignment before handing it over to her mom.
"I mean, I guess it won't be all bad," she says, shrugging. "Maybe there won't be any outbursts or anything."
Lorelai's eyes light up as she reads the paper aloud.
"'Make note of any particular power struggles between group members and how they're resolved.' Hey, maybe you can use some of this shrinky stuff on Luke!"
Rory raises her eyebrows and chuckles.
"First of all it's not shrinky stuff, and second of all, Luke doesn't need anger management, he just needs to live in a soundproof bubble where Taylor can't reach him," she giggles, snatching the paper out of Lorelai's hands.
"Yeah, well, don't we all," Lorelai sighs, frowning down at her empty coffee mug.
"So when do you have to start going?" She continues, getting up to pour herself another mug full. She gestures towards Rory with the pot and Rory nods.
"Next week," she explains, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Thanks!" She chirps, taking the coffee gratefully from her mom.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, but there really aren't a lot that are nearby," Rory explains thoughtfully, chewing on her poptart. "And my teacher expects a lot out of us because she's also a Professor at a university, so she doesn't really care if it's far away."
"How far is far away?" Lorelai asks, furrowing her eyebrows.
"She recommended the Intrepid Center in Norwalk," Rory grumbles, wincing at her mom's reaction.
"Rory! That's a far ride," Lorelai protests, grabbing the paper back from Rory's clutches. "There isn't anywhere closer than that? One that's just as good for your project?"
"Not really. Apparently they've all had to be approved to have a high school student sit in on the groups. They're supposed to be closed to anyone who isn't a social work student in college. It's slim pickings," Rory admits, staring down at her coffee.
"And there's nothing you can do to get another assignment, huh?" Lorelai asks, trying not to sound so defensive. Norwalk was nearly an hour away driving, and Rory had only recently started using the jeep a few months back.
"It's pretty frowned upon."
"And you have to go how many days a week?"
"Two, but I don't know which days yet because I have to pick an anger management group. I can either choose a Tuesday, Thursday all men's group or a Monday, Wednesday all women's group."
"Okay, well, honestly the men's group would be better with my hours at the inn, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with you going to a place with a bunch of angry dudes," Lorelai sighs softly, giving Rory her best worried mom look.
"But they're going there to learn to control their anger, mom. Besides, I get enough of angry women from working with Paris every day," Rory points out, picking at her poptart.
"True. Well, if you're really okay with it, we'll figure the Jeep out."
"Thanks mom!" Rory exclaims gratefully, offering her a winning smile. "Besides, I've heard the men's group students tend to do well on their papers."
Lorelai smiles back and places her hand over Rory's, squeezing lightly.
"No problem, kid. Just make sure you don't get hit by anymore deer."
"That was one time!"
"Yeah, but I heard that the Intrepid Center is where Santa sends Rudolph to blow off steam when the others won't let him play any reindeer games."
"Are you done?"
"Imagine, he wants to play Candyland but the others want Monopoly, and suddenly he storms out and sees our car and he says to himself, 'I'll pass Go alright - on your hood! And then BAM -"
"I'm going to study now," Rory deadpans, squinting her eyes menacingly at her mom as she pushes herself away from the table.
"Or Bambi, you know, having to deal with his mother's death and all, he might come out in a blind rage, angry at the world and there you are in your Jeep, innocent and unsuspecting!" Lorelai calls, pacing after her daughter.
"Go away!"
"No."
"Jess, you don't really have a choice," the principal deadpans, folding his hands together on his desk.
"I'd rather pay for the damages," Jess groans, running his hands through his hair.
"With what money?" His mother quips from next to him, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows. "'Cause I don't got it, Jess, you know that."
"I'll take the suspension," he counters, looking at his principal.
"No, he will not," His mother insists, looking away from her son.
"Then I'll pick up a second job, Liz," he bargains, looking at her with eyes that betray his too-cool-for-this attitude. They're pleading a little, rebelling a lot.
"Jess, I think this might be a good thing," Liz offers, leaning over to rest her hand on his knee. "Maybe you'll stop getting into fights-"
"Harrison started it, I didn't slam myself into the trophy case," he snarls.
"Yes," his principal interrupts, gesturing towards the door. "And Harrison didn't put his own face through the glass. He is being given the same ultimatum as you."
Jess raises his eyebrows and his eyes widen a little.
"Yeah and that little shit's parents are loaded, they can afford to replace half of the school's floors if they wanted," Jess protests, crossing his arms smugly over his chest.
"Language," Liz warns, earning her an eyeroll from her son.
"While that might be true, I didn't give one of you an option that I didn't give the other," his principal says dully. Jess swears he can see the hint of a smirk playing at his lips and wishes he could deck the guy.
"Further," he continues, "Harrison will still have to complete 10 hours of anger management on a different day than when you are expected to."
Jess taps his leg impatiently, side eyeing Liz. She gives him a defeated look and crosses her arms over her chest.
"C'mon, Jess, this way you'll stay out of trouble," Liz urges.
"Trouble finds me," he mutters, looking at his feet. He glances at his mother and is met with big, sad eyes.
It makes him nauseous to see her looking at him like that. He didn't like his mom a lot, but he also knew that this was just as embarrassing for her as it was for him, knowing they couldn't afford to contribute to replacing the trophy case. It also made him nauseous when anyone made puppy dog eyes to get what they wanted, and at this point, he just wanted to get the hell out of this office.
"Fine."
"Really?" Liz can't hold back her surprise or her excitement. She'd wanted Jess to get his fighting under control for the last year.
"I said, fine."
"Great," his principal chirps, grabbing a folder from a stack of papers. Jess glares at his smug smile, grinding his teeth to keep from saying anything.
"I can give the Intrepid Center a call today," his principal continues, matching Jess's glare with a sickeningly sweet smile. "The group is Tuesday's and Thursday's from 5:30 to 7. You'll be expected to stay until 7:30 for a personalized session depending on which day you choose."
"That's three hours a week!" Jess protests, flying up from his seat.
"It's either that or you do less hours each week and cut into your summer time, too," the principal shrugs, giving Jess a bored look. "It's up to you whether you want to waste the summer after you graduate having to check in here every week."
If looks could kill, Jess would have murdered his principal several times already. If it wasn't for Liz and her jovial mood and active stance as a witness, he might have tried.
"Three hours is just fine, Principal Jeffreys, isn't it Jess?" Liz says suddenly, breaking up the intense stare happening between her son and the school principal. She looks intently at Jess, who balls his hands into fists before shoving them into his pocket.
"Whatever," he growls, walking towards the door.
"You start next week!" Principal Jeffreys calls after him.
Liz scrambles to get up and grabs Jess's folder from the principal. She was really hopeful that this would help Jess, that he wouldn't become reckless like his father. She wanted nothing more than to see the kid do more for himself than she could for him.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Jess," Principal Jeffreys says with a smile, looking smug as ever as Jess grabbed the doorknob, opening the entryway to freedom from the office.
He turns and looks at him casually, smirking.
"For you, a thousand times over," he says sarcastically, waving the principal off. Liz thanks the principal before scurrying behind Jess, rambling something about turning over a new leaf and the good feeling she had.
Principal Jeffreys frowns, shaking his head. Not even a week before Jess had sat in his office, being lectured by his English teacher about how he never read for class. Jess had sat there with a smug look on his face, his only comment that he wasn't going to read any of the lame readings they were forcing down his throat.
Jess's departing words were a challenge, and had Principal Jeffreys not personally read and approved all of the curriculum, he might have missed that. Jess had basically just wasted his time that day, he saw that now.
"I don't understand why he can memorize lines from his required readings but can't turn in a single Goddamn assignment," he mutters before busying himself with anything but thoughts of the Mariano kid.
AN: This is a slight alternative universe. Rory will not meet Jess in the traditional way, but they will still connect with other aspects of the canon storyline. I'm not planning on changing familial relations, mostly just how folks meet. I'm pretty excited for this story. Thanks in advance for any feedback :)