I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one. Sorry it's a little short! I did have one comment about how quickly Rory and Jess made things official and I see the point, but honestly I think they would have moved pretty fast into it. She didn't even blink after Dean broke up with her at the Dance Marathon before she got together with Jess. Plus, they're seventeen. I'm not going to necessarily make it easy on them, either. This chapter, however, is entirely self indulgent fluff. Let me know what you think!
Small Changes
Chapter Three
"Curse this stupid uniform!" Rory yells as she looks at herself in the mirror. Lorelai pokes her head in the room.
"What's wrong sweets?" Rory gestures to her Chilton uniform.
"This is the problem! It's so ugly and unflattering! I thought I liked not having to decide on a different outfit every day, but not anymore. I look ridiculous and I have a hot boyfriend and I doubt he cares what I wear to school, but I want to look good for him and I just can't and don't in this horrible skirt and jacket!" Lorelai grins at her daughters rant.
"Well, hon, it's kind of not optional." At Rory's desperate look, Lorelai laughs a little.
"Mom! You are the queen of fashion! You have to do something with this! You can fix this!" She pleads with her mother.
"I do have that extra skirt that I hemmed to a length that you deemed inappropriate. I can also probably take in your shirt so it isn't frumpy. The knee socks will be very becoming with the shorter skirt and you can wear your all black vintage wing tipped shoes because they're sleeker than your saddle shoes. You can wear the grey Chilton sweater that I accidentally shrunk and hid in my closet if you get cold, but I really think your best option would be that cute black scarf over your newly shaped shirt. Also, leave the tie off and the top buttons undone until you get on the bus. Just the top two, because you're still a lady. You put on some good tasting lipgloss and a little mascara and leave your hair down, okay?" Rory throws her arms around her mother.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best mommy and best friend a girl could ask for!" She runs up to the restroom to follow her mother's instructions to a tee.
"Well, what do you think?" Rory does a little twirl for Lorelai after she's gotten the newly altered outfit on.
"I change my mind. It's too appealing." Lorelai jokes, and grins at the blush on her daughter's face.
They walk quickly to Luke's because the alterations cost them seven minutes of their allotted breakfast time. Not that it's too much of an issue, though, because they can always just speed up their eating.
"Hey!" Rory greets Jess, who is waiting by the counter with two coffee mugs and the pot in his hand.
"Hey! I saw you two coming." He lifts the pot by way of explanation.
"You're nice!" Rory dives in for a sweet kiss on his lips and then joins her mother at their favorite table.
"He comes bearing coffee. I'm glad I'm finally reaping the benefits of having a daughter! Hi, Jess!" Rory rolls her eyes at her mother's joke.
"Hi." Jess isn't entirely sure what to do with his girlfriend's eccentric mother.
"Lorelai, Rory. Morning! What can I get you?" Luke asks, approaching their table.
"Pancakes with bacon and toast and a side of bacon, please!" Lorelai answers enthusiastically.
"Same here, Luke! Can we get a muffin to share while we're waiting too?" Rory looks up at Luke hopefully.
"Two orders of death and a muffin. Jess, will you grab their muffin?" He walks away to do just that.
"He's totally trying to play it cool, but he definitely noticed the outfit." Lorelai whispers to her daughter.
"You think?" Rory isn't as sure.
"I know!" Lorelai conspires, getting joy out of Rory looking so pleased.
"One chocolate chip muffin. I assumed that was the right choice. You two don't seem big on fruit." Jess sets the muffin down between them.
"Only if it's gummy, or on top of a cocktail." Lorelai confirms.
"So. When does your bus leave?" Jess directs his question to Rory.
"In about forty five minutes." She informs him sweetly.
"Well I know it's not gonna take you two that long to eat your breakfast. Can I walk you to the bus stop and give you my notes on the little bit of The Fountainhead I've been able to force myself to read?" He doesn't exactly make eye contact with her, which Rory finds unusual. She chalks it up to him being a little uncomfortable around her mother, though.
"I think you better! Oooh! Bacon!" She snags a piece off the plate before Luke even sets it in front of her on the table.
"I guess I'll leave you to your artery clogging then." Jess shakes his head and turns to walk away.
"Jess!" Lorelai calls after him. "Why don't you join us?"
He looks to Luke to confirm this is okay and, receiving a shrug in response, grabs a doughnut and sits down next to Rory.
"So how's Adrian doing?" Lorelai directs to the teenager.
"Mom!" Rory protests.
"Hanging out with Paulie, I think." Jess doesn't miss a beat.
"Hey, I'm just messing with him. If I would have been around to hear Dean say that to you… Well, I wouldn't have hit him because I know prison and I would not agree, but I would have been pissed too. Just, try to limit your Stallone impressions from now on, okay kid?" Jess inwardly bristles at being called kid, but nods in response.
"Okay. Mommy has to go meet some crazy lady about some luncheon at the Inn, so I will see you later?" She stands up and passes some money to Rory then calls out a thank you to Luke on her way out.
"Your mom is kind of strange." Jess says lightly, watching the brunette leave.
"That she is. She'll grow on you, though. Ask Luke. He couldn't stand her when he first met her." Rory assures him.
"Yeah, and now he's in love with her, so I suppose we'll be buds in no time." Jess deadpans and almost laughs at Rory missing her mouth with her bite of pancake.
"What are you talking about?" She demands.
"Luke. He's in love with your mom. I think she's probably got a thing for him, too, judging by the hair flip she did to get his attention." Jess doesn't understand why this is coming as such a shock to Rory.
"She did a hair flip? I didn't see a hair flip! That's her best non-verbal move! She's been trying to teach it to me for years and I can't get it down. Does Luke know this? I don't think my mom knows this. She would have told me, I think. No, I know. She would have told me if she knew she had feelings for Luke." Jess isn't quite sure if he'll ever get used to her rants, but he has to admit she looks pretty cute flustered and out of breath. It inspires him to make her that way for an entirely different reason.
"I don't think either one of them is aware of it. I do, however, intend on mocking him about it until he gives in and just asks her out already. Think of it: our guardians are so busy dating each other that they won't care we're spending time alone." Rory blushes profusely at the implications of his words.
"Well, if it would make them happy, I suppose it couldn't hurt to encourage the relationship. For purely selfless reasons, of course." She smiles slyly at him and he can't resist kissing her softly.
"Strawberry kiwi?" He asks, winking at her.
"Guess you'll have to check again to find out, won't you?" She unconsciously bites her bottom lip as she flirts, and he obliges.
"You two! Go to school!" Luke barks, seeing them lip-locked. Rory ducks her head and apologizes, then pays him and gathers her things. Jess grabs his jacket and backpack from behind the counter and follows her out of the diner.
They walk hand-in-hand to the bus stop and take a seat.
"I didn't want to say it in front of your mother, but that uniform is really working for me. It's the intelligent version of a Catholic school girl and I like it!" Jess sneaks a kiss that is decidedly less chaste than the ones in the diner.
"Well thank you!" She squeaks, thoroughly enjoying his compliments, even though her face is quite red.
"I'm surprised they sell them that short, though." Jess teases.
"They don't. I had a growth spurt!" Rory assures him, giggling slightly.
"Would this growth spurt go by the name of Lorelai and be handy with a needle and thread?" Jess inquires, kissing her cheek.
"Alright! I admit it! I had my mom shorten my skirt and take in my shirt so I didn't look so frumpy for you!" She huffs and then her eyes narrow in suspicion. "How did you know?"
"I saw a picture in your house of you wearing a much longer skirt and much larger shirt." He admits.
"I feel like an idiot now. You weren't supposed to know!" Rory exclaims dejectedly.
"Why do you feel like an idiot? I think it's flattering that you did it for me. Completely unnecessary, but flattering." He assures her without voicing his explicit opinion on just how good she looks.
"Unnecessary how?" She questions.
"Unnecessary in the way that it's not necessary. I love the shorter skirt and the tighter shirt, don't get wrong, but you look great in anything, Rory." He doesn't know how these saccharine things keep coming out of his mouth as it's not really his style, but seeing her light up at his words makes the internal hit to his pride worth it.
"You're sweet!" She says it like she knows he won't take it as the compliment it's meant to be.
"Don't go spreading that around. I have a reputation to uphold, you know." He mumbles in false displeasure. Truthfully, he wants nothing more than to please this girl, which is an entirely new concept to the teen.
"My bus is here, so I've got to go. I'll see you at Luke's this afternoon, though, okay?" She kisses him swiftly.
"If you must!" She just laughs at him.
"Stay out of trouble, Dodger!" She warns as she steps onto the bus. He watches her take a seat next to an open window and wave at him.
"Save your trouble for me, Britney!" She rolls her eyes at his lame reference, but he can tell she's secretly pleased.
