A/N: Well, Fate's Wide Wheel is more popular than this fic so far, which is backwards to what I thought would happen, but whatever! lol Still got some real nice comments on this so thank you all. Hope I can live up to all your expectations! Now, on we go :)
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 2
Rory was in two minds about the first meeting of the Franklin. She was so glad to be on the paper, but with Paris as editor, it was never going to be easy. Their run in first thing when Ms Geller had gone kind of crazy about her step-family had been followed by a brief and stilted conversation at lunch about trying to get along whilst they worked together on the Franklin. Paris had begrudgingly agreed that it was better to put all energies into the paper (and hating on her step-brother in her own case) instead of battling each other, and had shaken hands with Rory. She told her the first meeting was at four and she would see her there, and Rory had walked away with a smile of triumph.
Now it was a quarter to four, and she was hanging out in the library. She had completed one homework assignment and knew she hadn't the time to start another right now. Rory daren't start reading a book because she knew she would get engrossed and miss the Franklin meeting, so in the end, she decided to head down to the newspaper room and wait outside until everyone else showed up. She got up from her seat and turned to pick up her bag. When she turned back she found she was no longer alone.
"What are you trying to do? Scare me to death?" she asked Jess in a harsh whisper, knowing speaking any louder would just gain unwanted attention. "Geez. Lurk, much?"
"You like that?" he asked, nodding towards the book on the table in front of her that Rory had yet to pick up.
Apparently he was ignoring her questions to pose one of his own. She really couldn't be bothered to call him on it right now.
"So far, yeah," she nodded, smiling as she picked up The Holy Barbarians. "Do you read much?"
"Not much," Jess shook his head.
Rory shifted awkwardly, giving him a look. Finally he moved out of the way and let her go. She thought that was the end of the conversation until she reached the library door and realised Jess was right on her heels, moving fast to open the door for her like a gentleman.
"Thank you," she said politely as she passed through and still he followed her. "So, how do you like Chilton so far?" she asked as they headed down the hallway together.
"Oh, it's a riot," he dead-panned. "And the teachers love me. You can't see all the gold stars plastered on my forehead?" he joked.
Rory didn't find it all that funny, at least she tried not to. Jess had this way of talking that made her want to smile and she couldn't help it, but it shouldn't be so amusing. School was to be taken seriously, especially a school like Chilton that did not come cheap.
"Y'know, you're pretty lucky to be here," she told Jess as they walked. "Mr Geller must think you're smart enough if he paid out the tuition for you to even come to Chilton. You shouldn't blow this chance..."
"Wow, I had no idea you were a cheerleader," said Jess then, throwing Rory completely off what she was saying.
"I'm not," she frowned.
"Then maybe put down the pom-poms," he suggested with a look. "You do realise that you're giving me the 'go, fight, win' speech, right? And that's pretty presumptuous seeing as we only met today," he reminded her. "You don't know me," he pointed out, said in such a way as to suggest Rory was dumb for ever presuming such a thing.
She did not care for that attitude at all, even though he did have a point.
"Well, excuse me for trying to be friendly," she snapped. "I just thought since you're Paris' step-brother, I would make an effort, but hey, never mind."
She stormed away from Jess then, or she would've done if she had the space to do so. Unfortunately, they were within three paces of the newspaper room and she had to stop right outside of it. She sat down on the seat there and deliberately turned her body away from Jess who was still stood staring at her. Opening up The Holy Barbarians, Rory set to reading, or trying to. It was difficult when she was feeling so wound up, and when Jess was still there, watching her. She saw him move in her peripheral vision, and then suddenly he was stood right by her chair. Rory didn't want to give him the satisfaction of looking his way, at least not until he spoke.
"You do know the newspaper meeting started at 3.15, right?" he checked.
Rory narrowed her eyes at him, sure he was lying. Paris had said four o'clock, and Paris wouldn't lie to her. The realisation struck Rory then that lying is exactly what Paris would do in order to make her look stupid after the idiotic falling out they had recently. Jess sure didn't look like he was kidding anyway. Rory closed her book fast and leapt up from the seat, turning to the door and opening it. Lo and behold, behind it she found the Franklin meeting which had been going on for a good while without her. When she glanced back at Jess then, he was already gone.
"Nice girl that Paris," said Lorelai with a sigh, after Rory explained what had happened at school.
Between lying about the time of the Franklin meeting and then sticking her with an article on paving, Ms Geller had certainly pulled out all the stops in trying to make her life difficult, but Rory wouldn't yield. This she told her mother as they sat down on the couch to enjoy a movie, complete with popcorn and jelly beans.
"I'm going to write the greatest article on paving that anyone has ever read!" she said definitely.
"That'll show her," Lorelai agreed, all full of support, as she patted Rory's hand.
"It should," she nodded. "Although, Paris has enough suffering of her own right now, I guess. You know her father got remarried over the Summer?"
"Remarried?" her mother checked with a frown, stopping half way to putting on the movie. "He's not married to Paris' mom?"
"Well, he was, but they've been getting divorced for months now. It got finalised during the Summer, and then Mr Geller went to New York and came back with a new wife, and a step son!"
"Wow! Drama, drama, drama!" Lorelai exclaimed, pulling her legs up under herself and getting comfortable with the popcorn on her lap. "This is getting more interesting than the movie. Tell me more!"
Rory grinned at her mother's enthusiasm, as it tended to be both over the top and infectious.
"I don't know much," she admitted. "Apparently the wife was a waitress. Some say in a diner, others say in a strip club. Paris didn't confirm either way, mostly because everybody is afraid to ask," she explained. "As for the step-son, he goes to Chilton now."
"Ooh, I'll bet Paris loves that!" Lorelai laughed around a mouthful of kernels. "What are we talking? Anthony Michael Hall or James Dean?"
"Definitely James Dean," said Rory, nodding vigorously. "He's seventeen, his name is Jess, and he's just... I don't know, I kinda get that 'too cool for school' vibe, but he seems sort of studious in a weird way."
"Ah, the smart-but-I-wish-I-wasn't-'cause-it's-just-so-embarrassing type," said Lorelai knowingly. "Is he cute?"
"I don't know," Rory shrugged and looked away. "I don't notice things like that, I have a boyfriend."
"Oh, come on!" her mother argued. "Being in a relationship does not stop you noticing if other guys are cute. Hell, I'm pretty sure being married doesn't stop that. So...?"
"I guess he's kinda cute," Rory admitted then, grinning too much. "He's got that dark, mysterious thing going on, and he does this smirking thing that I just hate but somehow it's kinda sexy too."
"Ooh, the Chilton faculty are not gonna like that, but the girls are gonna go wild," Lorelai giggled like a girl half her own age. "Methinks Junior year just got interesting."
Rory laughed too because she just couldn't help it. She couldn't deny her mom was probably right. Jess Mariano was bound to shake things up at Chilton. Not rich and privileged like most of the students there, and the child of a step-parent with a questionable background - he was always going to make waves. Rory felt a little bad for being happy that Paris had to put up with the repercussions, and yet she couldn't help but think she kind of deserved a little pay back. Paris Geller put a lot of other people, Rory included, through a whole lot of a crap. A little of her own medicine might even do her good.
Jess almost got the door in his face as he followed Paris into the house. She was pissed enough at gaining a step-mother and a step-brother the way she had, Jess knew that, but she really did not like being told by her father to drive Jess back and forth for school. Jess didn't take it personally. Honestly, he wasn't so sure he wanted to come here in the first place. Leaving New York, his home, his school, his friends, all the things he knew, to come to some fancy house in Hartford, Connecticut? It wasn't his idea of a good time, and given Liz's track record, the guy she was marrying was doubtless going to be another idiot. As it turned out, Mr Geller wasn't so bad. He had to be pretty smart to run businesses the way he did, and it didn't suck to have a decent sized room in this fancy house, complete with new stereo and TV installed. Jess didn't have much to complain about, even if he didn't much care for going to private school in a dorky uniform.
"Hey kids!" said Liz as she emerged from the living room with a glass in her hand. "How was the first day, honey?" she asked Jess, reaching out to him.
He easily dodged her advance and headed for the stairs.
"Fine," he told her sharply.
"Paris?" she called after her new step-daughter.
She stopped two paces ahead of Jess on the stairs and turned around with the world's most fake grin plastered on her face.
"Just ducky, thank you," she said snarkily and then continued walking.
"Oh, okay," said Liz, trying to force a smile. "Well, I guess you have homework to do so... Okay!" she finished lamely as the teens disappeared from sight.
Paris and Jess hit the landing and headed to their own separate rooms. The doors were right across from each other, and since Liz and Jess moved in, there had been a padlock on Paris' door. Jess wasn't offended so much as amused. As if he would, for any reason, want to get into her room! He leaned on the opposite wall by his own door as she fumbled with the lock.
"So what's the story with you and the Gilmore girl?" he asked casually.
Paris finished unlocking her door and then turned to glance at him.
"No story," she said simply. "She's the competition."
"Academic or romantic?" smirked Jess, curious as to whether Paris even had some semblance of a dating life - he highly doubted it somehow.
"Both," she told him, sticking out her chin like she just proved something. "Why do you care?"
"I don't," he shrugged.
"Good," she nodded.
It seemed as if their conversation was over, and yet Jess wasn't quite done. Paris had got her door open but only one foot inside when he spoke again.
"You made her late for that meeting of yours on purpose, right?"
Paris sighed heavily as she faced him again.
"Maybe," she admitted. "What does that have to do with you?"
Jess didn't answer her at first and then pushed off the wall with a shake of his head and turned to his own door. He opened it up and went to head in when Paris spoke up.
"She's not perfect, you know?" she said of Rory. "She has this reputation, all sweet and innocent, like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, but it's not true. She's clever, devious even. Y'know her mother was involved with our English teacher. I wouldn't be surprised if she got together with him to try and up Rory's grade point average. To think my father could have done something similar for me after the divorce, but no. I get the ditzy waitress and the beatnik loser," she groused.
Jess turned to her with a smirk on his face that wouldn't shift.
"I love you too, sis," he teased her, ducking into his room and closing the door before she could react.
He wouldn't be surprised if Paris was capable of a full on physical attack if provoked enough. It might be worth pushing her just to see what she would do. Jess found her very amusing, for now. Throwing himself down on the bed, he stared up at the ceiling and contemplated his life. This last month had been pretty crazy, but not as bad as he thought. This new life that his mother had gotten for them, it was unlikely to last all that long. Her relationships rarely lasted, not even when there were vows and rings involved. Still, for as long as they were here, Jess would enjoy the perks that came from being a rich man's step-son. Geller was fine, a decent kind of guy that just wanted what was best for people, apparently. He felt moved to buy both Jess and Liz whatever they wanted, and Jess wasn't going to argue with that. For once he was actually getting something good out of one of his mother's marriages and that was nothing short of a miracle.
As for attending Chilton, he could handle that. Jess was smarter than most people would reckon on. He could pass his classes without all that much effort, he always had before. Sure, he had to wear the dumb clothes and put up with being surrounded by rich bitches and trust fund losers, but they could be used for sport if all else failed.
Of course, not everybody at Chilton was rich or an idiot. Rory Gilmore seemed different and interesting. Getting to know her better probably wouldn't be so bad, and it didn't hurt that it drove Paris crazy. Jess couldn't keep the smirk off his face as he thought of all the fun he could have here yet. Maybe it wasn't so bad being moved to Hartford and handed a rich kid's life for a while. For as long as it lasted, he may as well try to enjoy it.
To Be Continued...
