A/n - just to clarify, I've had a lot of questions about the 'status' of
Rory and Jess' relationship; no, they're not sleeping together...yet. :)
and another thing, I'm getting a lot of anti-Lorelai reviews, and I was just wondering if she's coming off all that bad. I don't intend for her to be anything other than a concerned mother; is it too much? Hopefully this chapter will help with that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10 - Swallowing My Pride
"You can do this. Just walk in there and smile. Everything else will be the same. This morning didn't change anything." Lorelai was mumbling to herself as she paced in front of the diner. Glancing in the open windows for the fifteenth time in the last ten minutes, Lorelai noted that Luke was still nowhere in sight. "Maybe he ran away from home to join the circus." Without thinking, she theorized aloud as she once again approached the door. "Cub-napped a defenseless little lion and skipped town in his pick- up. Right now he's probably speeding down route seventy in hot pursuit of the Ringling Brothers- "
"Talking to the doorknob?" A voice behind her made Lorelai jump about five feet off the ground, and she turned angrily towards the smirking culprit, "Cause fair warning here; I tried it last week and the damn thing is just really antisocial."
Unable to decide whether she was embarrassed or annoyed at the youth's presence, she retorted, "Why aren't you in school?"
Shrugging noncommittaly, Jess started into the diner without another word. Lorelai, irritated by his evasion, followed suit.
"Did you pass every class there and have been sent home with a certificate stating that you've learned all there is to know, and you must now spend your time inflicting said knowledge on the rest of the world?" Sarcasm dripped from her voice as Lorelai trailed behind the teen.
"Nope." Another uninspired response found Jess at the foot of the stairs, heading upwards.
"Well, if you're not out of things to learn, I just don't understand why you wouldn't be at that little place most kids your age are actually learning them."
"Been there, done that, got yelled at for forgetting the books." Jess turned around, obviously more than irritated with her insistence.
"So you're coming back here to pick up your books?"
"Sure." Jess' tone clearly implied that he had no such intention, and he couldn't help but enjoy the way the two frustrated wrinkles began forming on her brow.
"Then what was the point of even bringing it up in the first place?" With her hands on her hips, Lorelai was beginning to look more and more like her mother.
"I think the point was to distract your stimulating conversation with the doorknob as to Luke's imaginable career goals." Jess smirked at her, pleased with the embarrassed blush spreading over her cheeks. "Speaking of which... I think I see the lion tamer exiting Doose's right now, and that would be my cue to get out of here. Later." With that, Jess turned towards the stairwell. But he didn't get very far because, before she knew it, Lorelai was stopping him... again.
"Hey, Jess."
Not turning around, he stalled his movements, the words coming over his shoulder. "You need something?"
Sighing, she swallowed the pride that was stubbornly anchored in her chest and spoke. "Listen... I was thinking maybe you and I should, uh... start over."
Lorelai would've been tempted to laugh if it hadn't been for the pit of nerves building in her stomach. Jess' jaw was hanging a full inch below it's normal location as he spun around to face her.
"Start over?"
"Yeah... you know, 'Hi, I'm Lorelai; I hear you're new to Star's Hollow." Lorelai couldn't help but tense her jaw as she spoke. It would still be a while before she could forget what he had done to Rory, but at least she was willing to try. Holding out her hand, she watched Jess consider her extended hand.
Finally, after what seemed like a century, he reached his own palm outwards, grasping hers tightly and saying, "Yeah, I've heard a lot about you..." Releasing her hand and glancing at the window behind her, Jess smirked as he added, "...but for now, I'll leave you and the Lone Ringling Brother alone."
And before she could digest what had just happened, he was gone . Turning around, she was plagued with a whole new set of butterflies as she watched Luke enter the door. Lorelai suddenly remembered what she was here for.
"Okay... here goes. Just remember... they can smell fear."
* * * * *
"You're late."
Rory glanced down at her watch which read exactly two minutes until three. "No I'm not."
"Yes, you are. I said to meet me here after school and school has been out for exactly seven... no, eight minutes." Paris gestured towards the large clock on the wall and Rory rolled her eyes.
"And I suppose it's pointless to argue with you over the fact that I can't just snap my fingers and magically transport myself here at the exact second the bell rings?" Knowing the answer, Rory trudged towards the table Paris had somehow, in less than eight minutes time, managed to cover with carefully laid out folders and research materials.
"So I thought we'd start by reviewing all our info and then move on to the videos I got of Easton Reed's past debates. They are good, Rory. Much stiffer competition than Br..." Paris stopped talking when she realized Rory wasn't listening. The girl was staring longingly at the clock hanging on the wall. "What are you doing?"
"Oh... uh, nothing Paris." Forcing her line of sight away from the clock, Rory looked at her partner pleadingly. "Do we really have to review all that again? I'm already scarred for life. It's unhealthy for a girl to know this much about euthanasia."
"If that's how you feel, maybe I need to find myself another partner, one with more commitment. One who cares about beating those guys over at Easton Reed. One who actually comes to school every now and then." Paris was getting angrier by the second. "Seriously Rory, what is going on with you?"
"Nothing is 'going on with me', Paris. I just have a lot of things on my mind." Avoiding the prodding gaze set on her, Rory began arranging papers on the desk.
"More important than winning this debate and making it to the finals?" Her tone was incredulous and Rory couldn't fight a smile from nudging the corners of her lips up.
"As shocking as it may be, there are more important things than debate finals. And despite all your foregoing assumptions, I do actually have a life outside of this school."
Placing her hands on her hips, Paris moved in closer before hissing in Rory's face. "Are you implying that I don't?"
"Paris, you know that's not what I meant, I was only..." Rory sighed impatiently as she searched for the right words to smooth down Paris' easily ruffled feathers. "I was just saying-"
"That's right, I forgot. Insulting people is against the Girl Scout Code, isn't it? We wouldn't want you getting in trouble with troop leaders Donna or Bitty; they might make you miss reading to the blind orphans this week."
Exasperated enough over her own problems, Rory just sighed at Paris' latest attempt to pick a fight. She just really wasn't in the mood to deal with this. Deciding that Paris was going to fight whether she grovelled or not, Rory turned her back on the girl. "Actually, you know what? I changed my mind. That was exactly what I meant." Rory stared defiantly into the angry brown eyes as she continued, "Honestly, when was the last time you did something that wasn't school related, Paris?"
A second passed where the girl in question just stared at Rory with an indecipherable look in her eye. Then, quickly recovering, Paris resumed her dictatorial demeanor. "That, Rory Gilmore, is none of your business. And don't think for a second that I don't see what you're trying to do. Use reverse psychology so I get mad and kick you out so you can go home and see your motorcycle riding boyfriend."
"I don't want to go home Paris. I need to go get something, and I'm running out of time." Rory bit her tongue on the last words, cursing herself for letting that part slip. She didn't want to tell Paris the real reason why she was so distracted.
But Paris could always be counted on to catch each and every detail. "Something. How astoundingly specific of you." Rolling her eyes, the girl frowned at Rory's frazzled expression.
"Don't be sarcastic, Paris. It's important."
"And maybe if I grasped the importance of this 'something' it would be a different story, but unfortunately I am preoccupied by the overwhelmingly important debate coming up in TWO WEEKS that my partner seems to care NOTHING about." Paris was getting loud and Rory glanced nervously at the three students at the next table shooting them dirty looks. Sighing, she realized that there was no way Paris was going to let this go until she found out what it was.
Pulling her over towards the stacks, Rory whispered feverishly. "If I tell you what's so important, you have to promise not to tell anyone else. NOBODY." The intensity in the normally easygoing girl's tone intrigued Paris' internal journalist and the girl quickly agreed.
"Of course. But I'm warning you, just because you tell me doesn't mean I'm letting you leave."
"Okay..." Rory paused and took a deep breath before spitting the words out rapid fire. "Last night was Jess and my two month anniversary and we said that we weren't going to get each other gifts. But he went and bought me a second edition Hemingway book AND this gorgeous necklace and all I did was show up. So I have to go get him something so I can avoid the title of 'most terrible girlfriend on the planet'. AND I have to buy and deliver the gift to him before seven o'clock when I have to be at home to leave for my grandmother's dumb dinner." Finishing it all in one breath, the brunette looked curiously at the astounded girl in front of her. It wasn't everyday one struck Paris Gellar speechless.
A few second passed and Paris regained her poise. "Jess, as in mac and cheese dinner boy Jess, is your boyfriend?"
Rory fidgeted uncomfortably as she worked up the courage to meet Paris' prodding eyes. "Yeah."
"For two months? How could I not have known this?" Her tone was curt and unemotional, typical Paris. Strangely enough, it calmed Rory's nerves to see that Paris wasn't overly disturbed by the revelation.
"It's a secret. Even my mom and Lane don't know." Smiling conspiratorially at the blonde, Rory reveled in the how great it felt to tell someone about Jess, finally. "And Luke just found out last night."
"Wow." Paris paused and stared at the girls' table, heaped with research somewhat regretfully. Finally, she let out a deep breath and offered a tiny smile. "So do you know what you're getting him?"
Rory's smile widened as she took in the meaning of Paris' words. "Yeah! I mean, no! Or actually, I think so, but I need to go to a few places and check prices and time frames and stuff." Rory was already packing up her backpack as she spoke.
"Well... I suppose we could work on this Monday. It's not like you're going to be very useful this afternoon." The surly tone disappeared as Paris spoke again, avoiding eye contact. "So... do you need a ride? Cause if you don't mind some company..."
"I'm pretty sure I know which bus goes in that direct..." Rory trailed off as she realized what Paris was asking. The earlier accusation must've had a more dramatic effect than she'd expected. "Oh! Would you mind coming along? I'm really terrible making decisions on my own and a second opinion would be fantastic." Rory finally finished clearing the table and turned around to see Paris already heading out the door.
"So I was thinking we could go towards the South Mall, because it's the closest to your house and they have some of the best-stocked and affordable prices around..." Paris' voice trailed off as she disappeared around the corner.
Rory grinned at her friend's back and hurried to catch up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
okay, i know it took forever, but i totally thought i had posted ten, and it wasn't until i got this urge to work on 11 that i realized i hadn't. i know, i know, ::ducks the flying vegetables:: but in order to make up for that i'm making the next chapter VERY literati, AND i'm posting it tomorrow. yay! so u guys love me again, right?
okay, so until then, feel free to let me know what u thought of this chapter.... that is, review!
and another thing, I'm getting a lot of anti-Lorelai reviews, and I was just wondering if she's coming off all that bad. I don't intend for her to be anything other than a concerned mother; is it too much? Hopefully this chapter will help with that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10 - Swallowing My Pride
"You can do this. Just walk in there and smile. Everything else will be the same. This morning didn't change anything." Lorelai was mumbling to herself as she paced in front of the diner. Glancing in the open windows for the fifteenth time in the last ten minutes, Lorelai noted that Luke was still nowhere in sight. "Maybe he ran away from home to join the circus." Without thinking, she theorized aloud as she once again approached the door. "Cub-napped a defenseless little lion and skipped town in his pick- up. Right now he's probably speeding down route seventy in hot pursuit of the Ringling Brothers- "
"Talking to the doorknob?" A voice behind her made Lorelai jump about five feet off the ground, and she turned angrily towards the smirking culprit, "Cause fair warning here; I tried it last week and the damn thing is just really antisocial."
Unable to decide whether she was embarrassed or annoyed at the youth's presence, she retorted, "Why aren't you in school?"
Shrugging noncommittaly, Jess started into the diner without another word. Lorelai, irritated by his evasion, followed suit.
"Did you pass every class there and have been sent home with a certificate stating that you've learned all there is to know, and you must now spend your time inflicting said knowledge on the rest of the world?" Sarcasm dripped from her voice as Lorelai trailed behind the teen.
"Nope." Another uninspired response found Jess at the foot of the stairs, heading upwards.
"Well, if you're not out of things to learn, I just don't understand why you wouldn't be at that little place most kids your age are actually learning them."
"Been there, done that, got yelled at for forgetting the books." Jess turned around, obviously more than irritated with her insistence.
"So you're coming back here to pick up your books?"
"Sure." Jess' tone clearly implied that he had no such intention, and he couldn't help but enjoy the way the two frustrated wrinkles began forming on her brow.
"Then what was the point of even bringing it up in the first place?" With her hands on her hips, Lorelai was beginning to look more and more like her mother.
"I think the point was to distract your stimulating conversation with the doorknob as to Luke's imaginable career goals." Jess smirked at her, pleased with the embarrassed blush spreading over her cheeks. "Speaking of which... I think I see the lion tamer exiting Doose's right now, and that would be my cue to get out of here. Later." With that, Jess turned towards the stairwell. But he didn't get very far because, before she knew it, Lorelai was stopping him... again.
"Hey, Jess."
Not turning around, he stalled his movements, the words coming over his shoulder. "You need something?"
Sighing, she swallowed the pride that was stubbornly anchored in her chest and spoke. "Listen... I was thinking maybe you and I should, uh... start over."
Lorelai would've been tempted to laugh if it hadn't been for the pit of nerves building in her stomach. Jess' jaw was hanging a full inch below it's normal location as he spun around to face her.
"Start over?"
"Yeah... you know, 'Hi, I'm Lorelai; I hear you're new to Star's Hollow." Lorelai couldn't help but tense her jaw as she spoke. It would still be a while before she could forget what he had done to Rory, but at least she was willing to try. Holding out her hand, she watched Jess consider her extended hand.
Finally, after what seemed like a century, he reached his own palm outwards, grasping hers tightly and saying, "Yeah, I've heard a lot about you..." Releasing her hand and glancing at the window behind her, Jess smirked as he added, "...but for now, I'll leave you and the Lone Ringling Brother alone."
And before she could digest what had just happened, he was gone . Turning around, she was plagued with a whole new set of butterflies as she watched Luke enter the door. Lorelai suddenly remembered what she was here for.
"Okay... here goes. Just remember... they can smell fear."
* * * * *
"You're late."
Rory glanced down at her watch which read exactly two minutes until three. "No I'm not."
"Yes, you are. I said to meet me here after school and school has been out for exactly seven... no, eight minutes." Paris gestured towards the large clock on the wall and Rory rolled her eyes.
"And I suppose it's pointless to argue with you over the fact that I can't just snap my fingers and magically transport myself here at the exact second the bell rings?" Knowing the answer, Rory trudged towards the table Paris had somehow, in less than eight minutes time, managed to cover with carefully laid out folders and research materials.
"So I thought we'd start by reviewing all our info and then move on to the videos I got of Easton Reed's past debates. They are good, Rory. Much stiffer competition than Br..." Paris stopped talking when she realized Rory wasn't listening. The girl was staring longingly at the clock hanging on the wall. "What are you doing?"
"Oh... uh, nothing Paris." Forcing her line of sight away from the clock, Rory looked at her partner pleadingly. "Do we really have to review all that again? I'm already scarred for life. It's unhealthy for a girl to know this much about euthanasia."
"If that's how you feel, maybe I need to find myself another partner, one with more commitment. One who cares about beating those guys over at Easton Reed. One who actually comes to school every now and then." Paris was getting angrier by the second. "Seriously Rory, what is going on with you?"
"Nothing is 'going on with me', Paris. I just have a lot of things on my mind." Avoiding the prodding gaze set on her, Rory began arranging papers on the desk.
"More important than winning this debate and making it to the finals?" Her tone was incredulous and Rory couldn't fight a smile from nudging the corners of her lips up.
"As shocking as it may be, there are more important things than debate finals. And despite all your foregoing assumptions, I do actually have a life outside of this school."
Placing her hands on her hips, Paris moved in closer before hissing in Rory's face. "Are you implying that I don't?"
"Paris, you know that's not what I meant, I was only..." Rory sighed impatiently as she searched for the right words to smooth down Paris' easily ruffled feathers. "I was just saying-"
"That's right, I forgot. Insulting people is against the Girl Scout Code, isn't it? We wouldn't want you getting in trouble with troop leaders Donna or Bitty; they might make you miss reading to the blind orphans this week."
Exasperated enough over her own problems, Rory just sighed at Paris' latest attempt to pick a fight. She just really wasn't in the mood to deal with this. Deciding that Paris was going to fight whether she grovelled or not, Rory turned her back on the girl. "Actually, you know what? I changed my mind. That was exactly what I meant." Rory stared defiantly into the angry brown eyes as she continued, "Honestly, when was the last time you did something that wasn't school related, Paris?"
A second passed where the girl in question just stared at Rory with an indecipherable look in her eye. Then, quickly recovering, Paris resumed her dictatorial demeanor. "That, Rory Gilmore, is none of your business. And don't think for a second that I don't see what you're trying to do. Use reverse psychology so I get mad and kick you out so you can go home and see your motorcycle riding boyfriend."
"I don't want to go home Paris. I need to go get something, and I'm running out of time." Rory bit her tongue on the last words, cursing herself for letting that part slip. She didn't want to tell Paris the real reason why she was so distracted.
But Paris could always be counted on to catch each and every detail. "Something. How astoundingly specific of you." Rolling her eyes, the girl frowned at Rory's frazzled expression.
"Don't be sarcastic, Paris. It's important."
"And maybe if I grasped the importance of this 'something' it would be a different story, but unfortunately I am preoccupied by the overwhelmingly important debate coming up in TWO WEEKS that my partner seems to care NOTHING about." Paris was getting loud and Rory glanced nervously at the three students at the next table shooting them dirty looks. Sighing, she realized that there was no way Paris was going to let this go until she found out what it was.
Pulling her over towards the stacks, Rory whispered feverishly. "If I tell you what's so important, you have to promise not to tell anyone else. NOBODY." The intensity in the normally easygoing girl's tone intrigued Paris' internal journalist and the girl quickly agreed.
"Of course. But I'm warning you, just because you tell me doesn't mean I'm letting you leave."
"Okay..." Rory paused and took a deep breath before spitting the words out rapid fire. "Last night was Jess and my two month anniversary and we said that we weren't going to get each other gifts. But he went and bought me a second edition Hemingway book AND this gorgeous necklace and all I did was show up. So I have to go get him something so I can avoid the title of 'most terrible girlfriend on the planet'. AND I have to buy and deliver the gift to him before seven o'clock when I have to be at home to leave for my grandmother's dumb dinner." Finishing it all in one breath, the brunette looked curiously at the astounded girl in front of her. It wasn't everyday one struck Paris Gellar speechless.
A few second passed and Paris regained her poise. "Jess, as in mac and cheese dinner boy Jess, is your boyfriend?"
Rory fidgeted uncomfortably as she worked up the courage to meet Paris' prodding eyes. "Yeah."
"For two months? How could I not have known this?" Her tone was curt and unemotional, typical Paris. Strangely enough, it calmed Rory's nerves to see that Paris wasn't overly disturbed by the revelation.
"It's a secret. Even my mom and Lane don't know." Smiling conspiratorially at the blonde, Rory reveled in the how great it felt to tell someone about Jess, finally. "And Luke just found out last night."
"Wow." Paris paused and stared at the girls' table, heaped with research somewhat regretfully. Finally, she let out a deep breath and offered a tiny smile. "So do you know what you're getting him?"
Rory's smile widened as she took in the meaning of Paris' words. "Yeah! I mean, no! Or actually, I think so, but I need to go to a few places and check prices and time frames and stuff." Rory was already packing up her backpack as she spoke.
"Well... I suppose we could work on this Monday. It's not like you're going to be very useful this afternoon." The surly tone disappeared as Paris spoke again, avoiding eye contact. "So... do you need a ride? Cause if you don't mind some company..."
"I'm pretty sure I know which bus goes in that direct..." Rory trailed off as she realized what Paris was asking. The earlier accusation must've had a more dramatic effect than she'd expected. "Oh! Would you mind coming along? I'm really terrible making decisions on my own and a second opinion would be fantastic." Rory finally finished clearing the table and turned around to see Paris already heading out the door.
"So I was thinking we could go towards the South Mall, because it's the closest to your house and they have some of the best-stocked and affordable prices around..." Paris' voice trailed off as she disappeared around the corner.
Rory grinned at her friend's back and hurried to catch up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
okay, i know it took forever, but i totally thought i had posted ten, and it wasn't until i got this urge to work on 11 that i realized i hadn't. i know, i know, ::ducks the flying vegetables:: but in order to make up for that i'm making the next chapter VERY literati, AND i'm posting it tomorrow. yay! so u guys love me again, right?
okay, so until then, feel free to let me know what u thought of this chapter.... that is, review!