A/N: Read! Review!
Monday morning, Jess pushed his way into the sweaty-smelling halls of Stars Hollow High, late as usual. Even though he was aware that they could technically still keep him from graduating, he couldn't help himself – he had to push the envelope. Sure enough, Principal Merton came stomping around the corner just as Jess let the doors slam behind him.
"Ah, Jess Mariano," he said calmly. "Who else?" Jess shrugged.
"Were you expecting someone else?" Stop it, he internally demanded. Don't get expelled. "I mean, yes, sir." The sir pained him, it physically pained him, but Principal Merton raised his eyebrows, looking surprised – and pleased.
"Now that's more like it," he said, gesturing for Jess to follow him. "I've given you a lot of slack here, Jess. I know you don't believe that" – he hadn't even turned to see the skeptical expression on Jess' face – "but I have. Now, it would be painfully easy for me to tell you that you're not graduating in two weeks. Fun, even. However, I took an oath when I became a teacher that I would never let a smart, worthy student slip between the cracks. And, unfortunately for me, you are smart. And worthy. I think." He sounded uncertain. Jess tried to keep his face neutral. He'd just been expecting another detention that he would, of course, skip out on.
Principal Merton continued: "So, Jess Mariano, I have come up with an adequate punishment for your constant tardiness." Oh, Jess thought sullenly, so I am getting a detention. "Prom is this week, you know. Are you going?" Startled by this seemingly irrelevant question, Jess didn't answer for a moment.
"Uh, um, yes, I'm going," he said once he'd recovered. Principal Merton nodded. They were standing outside the gym.
"Well, you'll have an even bigger part in it than you expected." Confused, Jess looked past the principal into the gymnasium. About a dozen students were in there, gathering materials and fetching scissors, tape, and glue.
"An art project?" Jess asked. Principal Merton laughed.
"Well, sort of. You're going to help the prom-planning committee set up for Saturday," he said, somewhat gleefully. Jess' knee-jerk reaction was anger – how dare he force him to do something dumb like this? He'd take the detention over this any day. But the quick burst of fury was gone as quickly as it had come. He realized this unexpected turn of events could actually help him. He smirked.
"Sure thing, Princi-PAL Merton," Jess said, unable to resist the little jab. But the principal looked too taken aback at Jess' agreeableness to notice.
"Uh – well – okay then. You have permission to skip your first class. As long as you help out these guys," he said, indicating the students in the gym. Jess nodded, and Principal Merton walked away, looking a little dazed.
Jess wandered into the gym, glancing around at the other students there. He knew all of them by sight but had never paid enough attention to learn their names. A girl came up to him.
"Hey, are you Jess?" she asked. He realized it was the same girl who had sold him the prom tickets a few days ago.
"That's me," he said drily. She nodded.
"Hey. I'm Sandy. So. Here's what we're working on." Sandy led him over to a pile of fake pearls. "These are all tangled up. We want to hand them out to everyone as they come in, so we need someone to untangle them." She looked at Jess expectantly. Really? he was thinking. But he had to remember his plan. He took a deep breath and shooshed it out. Rory, he thought. Rory.
"Sure," he said, smiling tightly. He set to work.
An hour later, the necklaces were neatly organized and Jess felt like his brain was going to combust from the pure monotony of it all. He turned to Sandy, who was painting a banner a few yards away. "Hey," he called. "I'm done." She looked over.
"Good job! I guess you should head to your next class. In fact, we all should," she said, glancing at her watch. Jess stood and shuffled over.
"Hey, uh…I was wondering." Sandy looked at Jess expectantly. He entered suck-up mode. "This is gonna be our only prom, you know? Then we're all going off to college, or – wherever, and it's the last hurrah before graduation."
"Uh-huh," Sandy said slowly.
Jess continued, "So I was thinking. Why let this prom be just as lame and boring as every other prom out there? I was rereading Gatsby – " Sandy looked confused all of a sudden. "The book the prom is based on?" Her face cleared.
"Oh right," she said. It took everything Jess had not to roll his eyes.
"I was rereading Gatsby and all the parties they have in the book are these lavish, indulgent, expensive affairs. I was just hoping our prom could be something…better," he finished lamely, seeing that he was losing Sandy's attention.
"That's not a bad idea" said a voice from behind Jess. It was a teacher; Mr. Carraway, if Jess remembered correctly. He taught English. "I like the way you think," he said, looking at Jess.
"You wouldn't say that if you knew me," Jess assured him. Mr. Carraway laughed.
"Let's see if we can't do something about that," he said, looking thoughtful. Jess smiled.
A/N: A teacher Jess likes?! Unheard of! But I think even the "rebellious" types had their favorite teachers in high school too. I wonder what else Jess has up his sleeve...?
P.S. Anyone catch the Gatsby reference?