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On Saturday morning Rory gets ready to drive to Stars Hollow. She puts on a pink dress, gives Jess a kiss goodbye and heads down to where the car is parked. The groundsheet is only partially covering the car and when Rory pulls it all the way off she gasps. Someone has keyed the side, leaving an ugly scar on the silver, and as Rory runs her fingers over it it feels like someone has hurt her too. Tears prick at her eyes and she considers running back in and telling Jess, but Rory guesses there's nothing he can do. A cautious examination shows no further damage and with trembling hands Rory unlocks the door and gets slowly inside. No one has tried to break into it. It seems they keyed it for some ugly thrill.
Rory feels a little better as she drives out of New York and into Stars Hollow. The streets are bright and cheerful with children running around, and Rory feels a pang. No one would consider damaging a car here. Rory parks the car and treats herself to a coffee from Weston's which she sips while walking. It's not as good as Luke's but Rory can't fathom going into the diner, how awkward it would be. The heat of the day is pressing down on Rory, but it's a gentle kind of warmth, not choking air like New York. The silence of no traffic rings in Rory's ears with each step.
Hep Alien are just finishing band practice as Rory comes in. Lane lets out a shriek of excitement but finishes the set, pounding the drums with enthusiasm before bouncing out of her seat and going to give her friend a hug.
"You're here!" she squeals and Rory laughs, hugging her back.
"Of course I'm here! Wow, the place looks great!"
"Just a couple of new posters," Lane says but the apartment looks dazzling compared to Rory and Jess's. Lane hustles the boys out, pushing a grocery list into their hands and reminding them not to buy anything with a brand name. Rory awkwardly waves at Zach and Brian as they leave and watches Lane sigh, shut the door and fall dramatically onto the couch.
"Finally, some girl time!"
Rory groans in amusement as Lane pushes a rug aside and emerges with two cans of chips from below.
"Are you kidding me? You just got away from the floorboard life!"
"Boys will eat everything," Lane declares. "I bought vanilla-almond body lotion the other day..."
"No," Rory exclaims and wrinkles her nose as Lane continues, "On chips - mine, by the way."
"Yuck."
"That's living with guys. Which you should know," Lane says, nudging her friend's leg. "You're living with Jess! Tell me everything!"
"I don't know what to tell..."
"Well, is going okay?"
"It is," Rory says shyly and blushes as Lane asks, "And you slept with him?"
"Yeah. It was..." Rory's voice trails off as Lane looks at her expectantly and she says, "It's good. It was good...it is good." Good seems to be her favourite adjective.
"Was it like how you pictured it? I mean, you pictured it right?" Lane giggles a little and Rory smiles.
"Yeah. It was kind of like how I imagined but also totally different."
"A good different?"
"I think so," Rory says. "It still feels kind of new, but we've done it a lot now."
"A lot?"
"Well, once you've done it it's pretty easy to duplicate."
"Wow," Lane says, pausing with a chip halfway to her mouth. "And it was okay?"
"Yeah. I mean, it was a little scary the first time...I was kind of nervous. But Jess was really...he loves me and I love him. And I've gone on the pill so all those after school specials really sunk in. So everything's good."
"It sounds perfect," Lane sighs. "So romantic, the whole thing. Moving in with him just like that...I don't think a guy would ever ask me that."
"Yes they would," Rory argues and Lane smiles.
"But has it been amazing?"
"Yeah," Rory says hesitantly. "Just..."
She puts down her mostly empty coffeecup and avoids Lane's eyes. She does love living with Jess, she loves him, period, but it's been lonely, here and there, and working as a waitress is not all it's cracked up to be. Plus there's the whole fighting with Lorelai thing. But Rory doesn't want to dwell on that.
"Just?" Lane prompts and Rory shakes her head, giving her a quick smile.
"Nothing. It's just a big change, is all."
"But it's an adventure, right?"
"Definitely, an adventure." Rory drinks the last of her coffee and she and Lane eat the chips. As Rory finishes one she adds, "I've been working in a cafe."
"You have? Is it like Luke's?"
"More like the polar opposite."
"Really?"
"Waitressing is not as fun as old movies make it seem, let's leave it at that," Rory says fervantly. Her feet are still sore from the shift yesterday and no matter how hard she scrubs, she's sure there's still a scent of cooking oil on her.
"Maybe you can find another job."
"Maybe...there's not a whole lot going. Not in our neighbourhood at least."
"That's too bad. What's Jess doing?"
"He's washing dishes in a restaurant. It's all money, so..."
"Right."
Rory focuses on eating a chip. The taste is bright and salty and almost forgotten.
"I saw Lorelai yesterday," Lane says, trying to sound casual.
"Really?"
"Yeah. You know, we haven't seen her much lately. Everyone's calling her The Blur - she's never not doing something."
"That sounds like Mom," Rory says with a nervous laugh. She changes the subject to Hep Alien and listens to Lane talk about a problem with a chord.
The girls chat for a while longer about this and that and reluctantly Rory gets up to go. Lane walks her to the main street and gasps when she sees the Prius.
"Oh Rory, what happened?"
The mark looks even uglier than before but Rory tries to brush it off.
"Some jerk in New York, I don't know..."
"Your beautiful car," Lane says sadly. "Hey, do you want to see Gypsy? I'm sure she could fix it up."
"That's okay," Rory says uncomfortably. "I don't have enough money with me."
"I'm sure she could do you a favour."
"I can pay her," Rory insists. "Maybe next time."
"Well...okay."
The friends hug goodbye and Rory doesn't voice her gnawing doubt. She has barely any money to spare and doesn't want to ask Gypsy to do it now when Rory can't promise when to pay the money back. It seems pitiful to admit that. She shouldn't have had that coffee, Rory thinks guiltily. Money should only go on necessities. It's a good thing she doesn't want to go in Luke's because Rory could murder some fries right about now. She considers going in anyway, if only to promise Luke he doesn't have to worry, but it feels too awkward. Rory is just about to open the door to drive back when she looks up to see Lorelai staring at her, a Doose's bag in her arms.
Rory gazes back for a moment, unwilling to drop it. It's like those staring contests as a kid, but then Lorelai is walking over to her and Rory tries to smile.
"Hey."
"Hi," Lorelai says shortly. "I didn't know you were in town."
"Just seeing Lane."
"You heading back?"
"Well, I wasn't going to stay," Rory says defiantly. Lorelai snorts a little, resting one hand on the car and the grocery bag in her other.
"So how's it going?"
"Fine."
"Still waitressing?"
"Yes."
"Still happy with Jess?"
"Of course."
"Still being careful?" Lorelai asks and Rory narrows her eyes.
"I'm fine, Mom."
"Good. Glad to hear it. I'm fine too."
Rory wonders if Luke told Lorelai about coming to see Jess, but doubts it. She thinks Lorelai would have said something by now and Rory's certainly not going to mention it. Instead she remarks, "Lane said everyone's calling you The Blur."
"Guess all the other superhero monikers were out," Lorelai says, clearing her throat. "I saw Grandpa yesterday."
"How is he?"
"Buried in a sea of pipe smoke while Emily runs wild around Europe."
"I can't imagine Grandma running wild."
"That's how he described it. He described it for an hour while I tried to get him to check my insurance papers."
Rory almost smiles but it's curtailed by Lorelai adding, "He asked when you're coming home."
"Mom, I don't want to do this."
"Do what?"
"Talk about living with Jess."
"All I did was ask if you had a date for coming home."
"Well, I don't."
"Fine."
"Great."
"Good."
Lorelai turns to leave when she glances down and sees the mark on the car.
"Rory! What happened?"
"Nothing..."
"It doesn't look like nothing! Who did this?"
"I don't know! Some jerk with too much time on his hands...they didn't take anything."
"I don't like you living there," Lorelai says. She rests the bag on the ground and the anger in her tone switches to concern as she says, "It's not safe."
"Mom, some creep messed up my car. That could happen anywhere."
"It wouldn't happen here."
"I can't live here forever though!" Rory exclaims. "Do you want me to stay in Stars Hollow forever?"
"No, of course not, but Rory, there's better places to go inbetween!"
"I can handle it," Rory says staunchly and Lorelai says, "You can. But I'm your mom. You were supposed to spend summer here."
"I changed the plan," Rory says, her voice trembling. "You know all about that."
Lorelai folds her arms and Rory folds hers too. Mother and daughter stare at each other for a moment and finally Lorelai says, "You've got too thin."
"I'm fine," Rory says staunchly, resisting the urge to adjust her dress. She can tell the fabric is bagging at the chest.
"Are you eating properly?"
"Of course I am. I mean, we're not having snack nights in front of a movie, but we're eating."
"Somehow that doesn't reassure me."
"Mom, I'm really fine," Rory says after a moment. "How's the Dragonfly going?"
"The Dragonfly is great," Lorelai says, sounding almost amused. "It's keeping me very busy."
"The Blur."
"Yes. The Blur."
They look at each other a moment longer and Lorelai says, "Here."
She hands Rory a box of poptarts from the Doose's bag and says, "You shouldn't be without those. A kitchen is empty without them."
"Can't argue with that," Rory admits and nods when Lorelai asks, "Do you have enough coffee?"
"Yes," Rory lies. "We've got plenty of coffee."
She looks at the box in her hands but shakes her head when Lorelai offers, "You want me to ask Gypsy if she'll look at your car?"
"It's fine."
"It's all beat up. It was from your grandparents."
"It's just a scratch...I'll get it fixed. Mom, I have to go."
"Okay," Lorelai says quietly as Rory gets back in her car. She doesn't argue any further but she watches, waiting, as Rory drives away, her blur becoming stationary and still.