A/N: I'm doing a small dance over here because it's already chapter 20! I never thought I'd stick with this for so long and it's mostly because of all of your awesome reviews so thank you so, so much! Big hugs and kisses to all of you! :'D

Chapter 20

As Jess navigated the hallways with ease, Rory took in the empty school. It was definitely a bigger school than Stars Hollow, with more lockers and classrooms. Even with the hallways so empty, she could see from the walls that the school was much more lively. There were posters everywhere and for everything; for sports tryouts, school plays, concerts, school clubs, school dances. To some, the walls would've seemed worn, but to Rory, they had a feel of individuality, of being lived in, of being vocal and expressive. The place was so different from Chilton, with its grand, proud halls, where newsletters and posters were stuck neatly on bulletin boards, where the rebellion was scrubbed clean, painted over neatly and never outwardly visible. It was also nothing like Stars Hollow High, whose walls seemed much duller and blander in comparison.

She was starting to hear music and an excited buzzing coming from within the walls. The ground felt like it was beating with excitement beneath her feet. She couldn't contain the smile breaking out on her face.

Giving her a small lopsided smile, he leaned in closer, kissing her cheek. 'You still have to act like you don't know. My reputation's at stake here.'

She smiled back, but noticed his eyes had moved to something behind her. 'What are you staring at?'

'There they are.' Jess said, nodding to a couple who were heading towards them. He whispered to Rory. 'I guess I should've had you close your eyes or something… Would've made for a better –'

Rory barely heard him as she squinted her eyes. 'Lane?'

At first, she thought she'd lost it. Lane in New York? Lane in New York? It was all too crazy.

But then the girl smiled. 'Rory!'

She squealed in excitement. 'Lane!'

The two girls let go of their boyfriends and ran to greet each other. They crashed into a hug, giggling and talking over each other, nearly toppling down into the ground.

'How did you –' Rory was in disbelief.

'—how awesome New York is –' Lane was grinning from ear to ear, explaining in a rush that Rory barely heard.

'But you're grounded –'

' – and then Jess suggested –'

'—can't believe you're –'

'Of course, there was my mom –'

'— and this dress, you look amazing –'

'— believe I'm going to two proms!'

They ran out of breath at the same time, only to start hugging and jumping again. Rory took in Lane's delicate floor-length violet dress, with a square neckline and a fitted bodice. The material was soft and flowing, with silver threads adorning the neckline elegantly. Her hair was pinned up and she was beaming with joy, looking beautifully radiant.

Lane was still clutching Rory's arms when she seemed to catch Jess's eye. She immediately snapped into action. 'Oh, right. So Rory...' She cleared her throat ceremoniously, as Dave handed her a large, zipped bag. 'I have your dress here. And everything else you need is all packed up. So come on, bathroom's this way.'

'Bathroom's the other way, actually.' Jess said lightly.

Rory was confused. 'But wait, are we all crashing? Won't someone notice?'

'I'll tell you everything while you get dressed.' Lane reassured.

Rory's mind still turned. 'But… we don't have tickets.'

'Actually, we do.' Dave held up four tickets, waving them lightly.

Rory turned to shoot Jess a bewildered look. 'I can't believe you did this!' She couldn't stop herself from laughing. 'How?'

He just shrugged, cool as ever.

She let Lane lead her away, watching his eyes follow her softly.

'You what?'

'Snuck out the window! It was terrifying, I never climbed down a tree in my life.' Lane said, holding out two mascaras.

Rory picked the one with the gold sticker on it, smiling at her mother's careful packing. 'I don't believe this.'

'It could've ended with me in a neck brace and then stabbed by my mother… but it was so wild! I never imagined I could be wild. I felt so rock and roll.'

'You are! Lane, oh my God, you look beautiful!'

'The dress turned out amazing, I love your mom! Since I have no money, I'm paying her back in installments, but it's totally worth it. Lorelai did all the shopping and picked it out for me. Even the shoes.' Lane laughed excitedly, showing off her silver heels. 'Seriously, your mom helped a lot. She planned things out with Jess, packed all your stuff, bought my dress, hid it in her closet, gave everything to Dave. She's awesome.'

'I can't believe you guys did all of this.' Rory She shook her head in wonder, looking at her reflection in the mirror, smoothing down her own dress. She had a feeling Lorelai hadn't picked that particular dress out herself, but she had a pretty good idea who did. The rich petroleum blue dress didn't look like a typical prom dress and she was sure her mother would've tried telling Jess just that. It was the dress she'd worn at Sookie's wedding, soft to the touch and adorned with little golden leaves at the waist. She recognized her mother's editing touches though. The dress was a bit shorter than she remembered, now falling a few inches above her knees and the skirt was a little fuller, with a tulle underlayer. But it was still the same dress. She'd kissed him for the first time wearing that dress. And he was making sure she knew he remembered.

She was smiling when she realized she still hadn't asked Lane an important question. 'Wait, but Lane. You were grounded. It was the mother of all groundings… How'd you set this up with Jess in the first place?'

Impressed and in awe, she listened as Lane filled her in on the careful planning that had gone into this night. Apparently, Jess had laid out the plan with Dave. Dave then set it up with Lane over their every-other-day 15-minute phone calls. The food poisoning plan was all Jess's idea, of course. Dave had snuck Lane the laxatives and once they were melted into the tofu, the plan was in motion. They'd still needed someone to cover for Lane though, in case her mother woke up to ask her for something. As it turned out, Jess knew someone from his old school, an exchange student he'd met in detention a few times, who could help. Though she looked nothing like Lane (Chinese, not Korean!), the backs of their heads looked quite similar and they sounded plenty alike. Fake-Lane would only have to stay in bed, with her back to the door, feigning sickness, and answer Mrs. Kim's questions with as few words as possible. Mrs. Kim typically ate lots of tofu for dinner, so given her irritated state, they figured the plan might just work for tonight.

'So then, you and Dave took his car and drove here? Does Dave have a car?' Rory asked again, as she applied her lip gloss.

'We took Zach's car. It was three hours of great music and alone-time with Dave.'

'Is this... Is this your first date? With Dave?'

Lane blushed, twirling around excitedly. 'I think it is.'

'I can't believe we're really here. At prom.' Rory repeated, blinking at her best friend.

'In New York.' Lane squealed. She sprayed her best friend's hair with hair spray and they both fell into another fit of giggles as the glitter fluttered around them, onto their hair and arms and dresses.

Once Rory was fully dressed, with her makeup and hair all done, she followed Lane to rejoin the guys. Jess was nodding at something Dave was saying, momentarily unaware of her presence, which gave her a few seconds to admire him unabashedly. He had his hands in his pockets and she could see that the black tux fit him perfectly, even though he didn't seem entirely comfortable in it. He wasn't wearing a tie and the top button of his white shirt was undone, making him look slightly more casual than everyone else. She was glad to see that his hair was the same wild, crazy mess it'd been all day, she would've been disappointed if he'd smoothed it down.

When he noticed her approaching, he stared admiringly and gave her a small smile, before greeting her with a quick kiss.

She slipped her arm around his waist and leaned in close, saying. 'I like the tux. It's very James Bond.'

He shook his head lightly. 'Dave forgot the tie.'

'Looks better without it.'

'Oh yeah?'

'Yeah,' she nodded slowly, her eyes glancing over his body again. She was too excited to even hide that she was checking him out.

He was blatantly doing the same. 'Guess that makes you a Bond girl, right?'

She looked away, but tried to tease nonetheless. 'So, you like the dress, do you?'

He didn't respond, but gave her another appreciative look, as she felt him run a finger down her spine. She couldn't help the blush that spread from her stomach all the way to her face, painting her face a deep scarlet color. She looked away and met Lane's beaming smile.

When they walked into the big dancing hall, the prom was already in full swing. It was a crowded scene, with most kids dancing or swaying to the upbeat music under colorful spotlights or holding red plastic cups. The room was beautifully decorated in elegant black and golden colors, with balloons, banners and elaborate wall decorations. Her eyes followed several couples as she admired the beautifully flowing dresses, the shimmering satins and fluffy tulles. She noticed easy confidence in the way these New York kids carried themselves, the way they seemed taller and laughed a little louder than she was used to in Stars Hollow. Still, the whole atmosphere was much more relaxed than Chilton and there were definitely fewer eyes staring at her.

'I love this place. The lights, the coloring, the decorations, everything looks so cool and professional.' Lane gushed over the music.

'This school has a big art department.' Jess agreed.

Lane nodded and continued. 'And it's so great that they have an actual band and not just a DJ. I don't know many proms that do that.'

Rory craned her head to the stage where the band was playing. 'Did you get to talk to them?'

Lane nodded, sharing a look with Dave. 'We did. We got here early while they were setting up. Apparently, they're called Take Them To The Moon And Beyond.'

Jess scoffed. 'That's a name that wouldn't fit on an album cover.'

'Yeah, Zach would've really loved that.' Dave laughed.

'But it kind of makes me wonder, are longer band names a thing right now?' Lane wondered.

'Well, they could abbreviate it.' Rory suggested.

'Even if they shorten it to like To The Moon And Beyond. Still a terrible name.' Dave shook his head.

'Yeah, that gives me Toy Story vibes.' Rory agreed.

'Still better than Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe.' Lane argued.

'Who?' Rory and Jess asked in unison.

'Rock band from the late eighties. They had a few good songs, but the terrible law-firm name really overshadowed that.' Dave explained.

'Yeah, some bands really shot themselves in the foot there. Like… Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.' Lane said.

Dave added. 'And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. The 'and' is part of the name.'

'Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet.' Rory joined in.

'When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water.' Lane rolled her eyes, then added. 'Imagine Brian saying that.'

'Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band.' Dave grimaced.

'Oh come on, you're making that up.' Lane accused.

'I really wish I was.' Dave laughed.

'Dogs Die in Hot Cars.' Jess added.

'Seriously, that's a band name?' Dave asked.

Jess nodded. 'I saw their album back at the record store.'

'Gosh, that makes me think of tiny puppies dying in cars.' Lane made a face. 'No wonder no one's heard of them.'

'I feel like Red Hot Chili Peppers definitely belong on this list.' Rory said.

'Oh, yeah. And they were originally called something even worse.' Dave said.

Lane nodded somberly. 'Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem.'

'Would've been quite a circus name.' Rory grimaced.

'Hey, so where's this record store?' Dave asked Jess.

Lane and Rory smiled as Dave and Jess started talking. The two girls looked towards the dancefloor, then at each other, and had the same thought.

'Come on. Let's dance.' Lane said excitedly, just as the two girls did what they'd promised each other since the second grade; dance together at prom.

'Please. Please.' Rory pouted at him, slightly breathless from dancing, pulling at his jacket.

'Oh no. Ask Lane.' Jess shook his head.

'I can't slow dance with Lane.' Rory said, looking adorably offended.

'As long as you don't kiss her on that dancefloor, I'm ok with it.' Jess nodded in the direction of the dancefloor. He was holding a plastic cup. Punch or maybe soda.

Rory was suddenly parched. She took the cup from his hand and had a sip, then coughed, grimacing at the pungent taste. 'That is not soda.'

'Well, I'm not the one who'll be driving tonight.' He pried the cup from her hands, raising his eyebrows in his typical up-to-no-good look. For all his swagger, he didn't seem drunk though, just amused.

She looked around. 'Where's the soda?'

'I think it's all spiked by now.' He said and laughed as Rory wrinkled her nose.

'Damn those New York punks.'

'Hey, your life would be pretty dull without at least some New York punks.' He removed a bunch of red-vines wrapped in tissue paper from his pocket. He must've saved her some.

They shared a knowing look and she munched on some of the red candy. 'Hmm. That might be true.'

'Yes, it might.'

'You're still not getting out of dancing with me.' Rory wasn't relenting.

He looked away with a smile. 'Nope. Marianos don't dance.'

'I'm sure they dance under some circumstances.'

'Not when they're this sober.'

'You're smiling. I can tell you want this.'

He bit his cheek to hide his smile. 'Trust me, Lane's a much better dancer.'

'Yes, she is, but she's dancing with Dave. I'm not interrupting their first date.' She paused as he made an annoyed face, then she argued again. 'You won't have to do much, trust me.'

'I don't like these things, Rory.' He tried to argue.

Rory insisted again. 'One dance.'

He shook his head, his hands deep in his pockets. 'Nope.'

'Please.'

'Sorry.' He shook his head.

'You can't play Mr. Cool anymore, Romeo.' She shook her head somberly. 'That ship's sailed. Train's left the station. Horse's already bolted.' She poked his chest with every statement.

He rolled his eyes and grabbed the offending hand. 'Hey, I brought you here. That's the extent of my –'

She cut him off with a kiss, warm and eager. It was sudden and insistent, making him stumble back, off-balance and out of breath, before finding his bearings and steadying her head against his. Her lips tasted like candy, or sugary vanilla, something sweet and sugary. They didn't usually taste like candy. He had to ask. 'Candy?'

'Marshmallow lip-gloss.' She whispered against his lips.

'Ah.' He half-said, half-grunted, all while somehow not letting go of her lips.

The kiss built up in intensity and he was having a hard time not reaching for the zipper of her dress until she bit his lower lip and drew back smiling. 'Two songs.'

'Hmm?' He was lost for a moment, blinking. He'd been thinking about how she was getting bolder and he was getting hornier and how maybe they should find a room or a closet or... He blamed the candy lips. Or maybe that one drink had gotten him a bit more drunk than he thought.

She looked smug. This time it wasn't a question. 'Two. Songs.'

'You're getting way too good at this.' He grumbled.

In the end, of course, Rory got her way. She led him into the dancefloor, to a corner, away from the spotlight, relatively undisturbed. He pretended to roll his eyes as she guided his hands to her waist and settled her hands on his shoulders, but if he was being honest, the position was anything but unpleasant. He pulled her waist closer, so her torso was flush against his.

'So… You have some explaining to do.' She raised an eyebrow. They were almost exactly at eye level, courtesy of her high heels. He could tell she was enjoying it.

'Those candy lips are making you bossy.'

'I wanna know the full story.'

'I might be too drunk to tell you.'

'Your cup was half full and I'm starting to think it was the only one.'

'That's very optimistic.'

She snuck her hands around his neck. 'How'd you plan all this? How'd you even get tickets?'

He sighed, then explained. 'I know a couple of guys here. They got us the tickets.'

'I'm surprised no one cares that we don't go to this school. It's like no one noticed we're complete outsiders.'

'Well, big schools aren't all that strict about who shows up to these things. Half the people here don't know each other anyway.'

'So this is where you went to school?' She asked curiously.

'Only for about a year.' He said. He'd been here for freshman year, the year Liz married douche husband #4. She'd moved in with him and of course, Jess had had to follow. He'd spent most of that year in the park or working at the bike shop, but the school hadn't been as bad as the others and back then, he'd been making some effort to attend. When Liz's marriage unsurprisingly crumbled yet again, they'd moved with one of Liz's friends and he'd had to change schools, a couple of weeks before finals. Was that when he stopped really attending classes in high school? He couldn't quite remember.

'Did you like it?' Rory's voice was soft.

He rolled his eyes. 'Do you know me at all?'

'Fine. Fine. My bad.' She laughed, her body fluttering against his, before asking. 'But I mean, you must've had some good memories here, right?'

'I do now.' He said, nudging her cheek with his nose. He watched her smile shyly and sink her head into his shoulder, her soft breath warming his neck. He instinctively held her tighter.

They stayed like that for a while, silently swaying to the music, neither of them really making any effort to change positions. Jess couldn't even hear the music anymore. He could only focus on her. Everywhere she was touching was warm and electric, her arms gripping his shoulders, her chest rising and falling against his, her cheeks against the side of his neck, her hair brushing against his jaw, her knees occasionally bumping into his.

When the third song started playing, Rory raised her head slightly and said. 'So, we have a good vantage point here. Tell me who's who.'

'The people here? It's been three years. I don't think I have any good gossip.'

'Well, then make something up, like at the park.' She said.

He should've known she'd bring it up eventually. He'd told her he usually watches people passing by when he's reading at the park, which hadn't seemed like a big deal at the time, but to Rory, his people-watching skills were endlessly fascinating. He shook his head slightly. 'Okay… Let's start with the people I know.' He met Rory's eyes and nodded towards the table with the chips and popcorn. 'That guy over there, Steve, he got us our tickets.'

'Good old Steve.'

'His dad owned the bike shop, where I worked.'

'You worked at a bike shop? I thought it was a record store.'

'Yeah, well, the bike shop came after.'

'Ah. After the record store closed down?'

'Yeah. Anyway, Steve's been staring at Marla, so I think they're dating now. She used to play hockey, I don't know if she's still on the team, but she was pretty good.' He continued. 'Her twin brother, Mike, he was very good at skipping out of detention.'

'So your best friend then?'

'We got along okay.' He turned his head to the other end of the room and waited for Rory's eyes to follow. 'And the couple getting their photos taken… Sam and Cassie. Cassie wasn't blonde three years ago and Sam was a lot chubbier.'

'Also your friends?'

'Nah, more like Stars Hollow's Chuck Presby and Macy Brown.'

'Ah, the school jerks.'

He nodded, then scanned the room for other interesting people. He noticed many new faces, maybe new students. Either that or he'd been going to school a lot less than he thought he'd been.

When he was done pointing out half the jocks, all the couples he knew, and three potential prom queens, Rory asked. 'So do I get to meet anyone?'

'You don't have to. That's not really why we're here.'

She stared at him, willing him to elaborate. He sighed and squeezed her waist, pulling her a bit closer, part of him hoping this would be enough to steer her away from any more questions.

'So, we're not here 'cause you wanted to show me off?'

'That's just an unintended perk.' The corner of his mouth quirked.

'And this dress is also an unintended perk?'

He glanced over the dress again. The way it clung to her curves, the way the fabric slipped between his fingers, the way the blue matched her eyes. 'Maybe.'

'My mom has very strong opinions about wearing the same dress twice, so I think it's strange she'd pick this one.'

His shoulders shifted slightly. 'Huh.'

'Plus, you know, this is a bridesmaid's dress, not a prom dress.'

'Is it?'

'Jess, You picked this dress. I know you picked it out.' She inched her face closer to his.

'I may have suggested it.' He said evenly.

'You picked it out.' Rory murmured, her voice soft.

'It was just there, in your closet, that's all.'

'You picked it out.' She was smiling, teasing.

'It was short notice. There wasn't enough time to buy another dress. It was a snap decision.'

'You picked it out.' She teased again, before giving him a surprisingly soft kiss on the lips.

He tried to roll his eyes, but she just hugged him with an amused laugh.

She then asked, with none of her usual shyness, as if it was the most natural question in the world. 'You wanna get outta here?'

He barely hid his smile. 'Let's go.'

A/N: I'm so glad this chapter is finally out there! I've been writing this chapter forever so I'm a bit nervous about it. :') I hope it wasn't underwhelming! Is this how you imagined Rory and Jess at prom? Did you have other expectations? Please, please tell me if there was anything you particularly liked or disliked here :') As always, thanks so much for reading!