Disclaimer: As much as I wish I did, I didn't make up the majority of the characters or the show, they all belong to WB and whoever else is involved. Only Jane and the guides are my own. No infringement intended, so don't sue me.
Colorado
Chapter 1
It was that time of the year again. Spring break. And while hundreds of teens all around America were packing their skimpiest swimsuits and hitting the road for such exotic locations as Cancun and Hawaii, Rory Gilmore sat in her room, carefully storing what could be called a small library in several layers of plastic bags. Having focused all her attention on the task at hand, she failed to hear the telltale thumping coming closer and closer to her room. Suddenly, the door burst open, an unexpected gust of wind sending all remaining bags flying. Books soon followed, along with a pile of clothes and several cans of bug spray. In the middle of this new disaster area was a very out of breath Lorelei, now struggling to escape from the dent she had made in her daughters bed.
"Mom…" Rory sighed wearily, and with a hint of exasperation. She had been trying to pack all day, and this would set her back at least another hour. However, she couldn't deny that she had been longing for a break. Besides, this seemed the perfect opportunity to ask her mother something that had been bothering her for quite a while. "What exactly made you decide to sign me up for this trip?" Chilton offered an extensive list of class trips for all vacations, but out of all these, her mother had taken the initiative of signing her up for a trip down the Colorado River…in canoes.
"Oh come on! It'll be great. Just picture it. Five days on a boat with the beautiful scenery, and campfires on the river bank with hot dogs and s'mores…" Lorelei rambled on excitedly.
"If I know Chilton, I'll probably be fillet minion and tiramisu…which actually sounds pretty good." Rory cut her off, before she got carried away. Usually a conversation like this would be fun, but it was late, and she had to be at Chilton by five a.m. if she didn't want to miss the bus.
"Goodnight mom." She said, indicating that it was time for Lorelei to leave. With that, she quietly turned on her CD player, switched off the light and curled up under her blanket. Rory had her qualms about this trip, not the least of which was the lack of friends accompanying her to the middle of nowhere and her strong dislike of physical exertion. Not to mention the mosquitoes. But she didn't want to worry about that tonight. Those were problems for tomorrow. The words of PJ Harvey drifted through her head, clearing it of any doubts, and she finally slipped into dreamless sleep.
At three am on the dot the following morning, a bleary eyed Rory rolled out of bed and struggled to shut off her blaring alarm. She then proceeded to drag herself to the kitchen, where a steaming pot of coffee beckoned to her. After several cups (she lost count after three) she returned to her room to get dressed. She already had her outfit laid out, a red tank top and bellbottom jeans, perfect for a six-hour bus ride. After several attempts, she finally managed to hoist her duffle bag over her shoulder and navigated it out to her car without destroying too many valuables in the process.
Lorelei was still asleep. She had worked late the previous night, and Rory had decided to let her sleep in, leaving a note to dispel any worries of kidnapping that her mother might conceive of. With that, she hopped in her car and headed to Chilton.
As she pulled up to her school, Rory saw a crowd of people standing on the curb outside the front gates. Everyone was clustered into groups, and the closer she got, the more people she recognized. Closest to her, standing near a street sign, were the ever present trio; Paris, Madeline, and Louise. Further back were Tristan and several of his friends, including Henry. Eying Tristan's group were some girls that Rory had definitely not expected to be there. The Puff Girls, Francie, Ivy, Dijur, Lily, Seline, Lana, Asia, Anna, and Lem. Finally, off in a corner by herself, with her nose buried in a book, was a girl Rory had seen around school a few times. She had been the one to join Rory at lunch after the Puff fiasco some time ago.
This seemed like as good a time as any to meet her, so Rory headed in the girls direction, duffle bag in tow.
As she approached, the girl lowered her book, a look of frustration flashing across her face. Rory was still a few feet away when she spun around to face her.
"Why won't you just-" she questioned sharply, only halting when she realized who was in front of her. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were one of them." She said, looking pointedly at Tristan's group. "They've been bugging me all morning. Seems to give them some kind of weird kick. Again, sorry. I really didn't mean to bite your head off. I'm Jane, by the way. Jane Vishgard."
"I'm Rory. Gilmore. And don't worry about those guys, they're jerks, but they'll get bored sooner or later. I hope." She added wishfully, spotting several of the said jerks approaching them.
"Morning ladies. And what are you doing all the way over here? I'm sure you'd have a much better time with us." Tristan said, leering at the two completely uninterested girls. "Isn't that right Jon?" He added, looking over at one of his friends, who had come to see what was going on.
"Absolutely. I'm sure the five of us would be much more interesting then that little book your reading." He said, draping his arms around Rory's shoulders to deftly pluck the book from Jane's grasp.
Just as Jane was ready to spit back a particularly vicious response, Henry appeared, grabbing the book before Jon had a chance to stop him.
"Hey man, practicing pickup lines again? Cause I've got to say, that last one was really pretty terrible." Henry said lightly, handing Jane her book back and giving the girls an apologetic smile.
Tristan and Jon walked back to the rest of their group, muttering unintelligibly under their breaths. "Sorry for that. I'll try to keep them off your backs, but I can't promise anything." Henry said, shaking his head. Just then, Mr. Medina pulled up, followed by a Coach bus. As everyone struggled to once again shoulder their luggage, Henry turned to Rory and Jane. "Good luck." And with that, he picked up his bag and joined the throng of people vying for a seat on the bus.
Jane looked over to Rory, smiling sardonically. "This should be interesting."