A/N: I haven't given up on this story! Life keeps getting in the way, but I'm determined to finish it. Enjoy and please leave me a few words if you're still reading :)

Chapter 26

Standing in front of the large brick building, Jess understood what Rory had meant when she called it intimidating. With its giant metal gate, gothic columns and gargoyle statues lining the roof, it looked like it belonged in a Shirley Jackson novel. He imagined the inside was just as foreboding.

This was exactly why private schools should be outlawed.

He was still staring in disdain at the school building when he saw her appear through the door. Her hair was pulled back, but thin strands of hair were loose, framing her face chaotically. Since she was caught in a struggle with her overflowing backpack that wouldn't zip properly, she didn't immediately spot him. She was walking like she was on auto-pilot, not even glancing at the path in front of her.

It was such a Rory thing, the huffing and groaning about her schoolbag, the muttering to herself as she walked, the tripping over her shoelaces. He could probably stare at her forever and he'd still not be able to get his heart to stop doing whatever it was doing. She was so engrossed in being her and it was endlessly captivating.

He wanted to say something smart or funny to make her notice his presence. But as it happened, he was so busy staring at her until she nearly passed him and all he could say was a quiet 'Hi there.'

Lame, lame, lame. He shoved his hands in his pockets, wondering whether she would think that of him too.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked up. 'Jess? What are you doing here?'

'Just thought I'd come pick you up from –'

He never finished his sentence because, right then, she dropped her school bag to the ground and flung her arms around him, falling right into him.

Jess had imagined (or at least, hoped) she'd be happy to see him, but he hadn't anticipated she would cut circulation from his neck and throw her full weight onto him. He had to stumble back a step to support them both, but she hardly noticed. She buried her face in his neck and refused to let go.

Not that he was complaining. Having Rory's body pressed against his was always a welcome thing, a fantasy come true. Though he'd never admit it, a large number of those fantasies had been about her wearing that school uniform. And most of them started with her jumping at him the way she did at that wedding at the inn a long time ago. Very similar to the way she did just now.

But he doubted she'd appreciate him undressing her in front of her school, so instead, he tried to direct his thoughts into returning her hug and brushing her silky hair with his fingers. But the feat proved next to impossible given how good her hair smelled. He wished his pulse would just stabilize already, because he was sure she could feel it through his shirt. But then again, he could feel every curve of her body against his and it was making his whole body respond and he never wanted it to stop.

He recognised a scowling Paris looking at them curiously as she walked to her own car. A brief look of concern passed across her face, but it quickly smoothed into a mask of boredom. A group of adults, most likely teachers, gave them disapproving frowns as they filed out of the school.

They stood there wrapped in each other's arms in the school parking lot for a long time. While he didn't mind the PDA, as the minutes passed, he was finding the intensity of her hug a little worrying. In fact, his fantasies were starting to seem badly timed given how upset she seemed to be. He was also not very good at the whole consoling thing. Was he supposed to say something? What if she started crying? Did he have any tissues in his car? What was he supposed to do with his hands?

She clung tighter to him and he decided to improvise. Pulling the elastic in her hair loose, he stroked the loose hair gently, massaging her scalp. It thought that maybe he'd done something right, because a moment later she finally relaxed her arms and laid her cheek on his shoulder.

It was much later, when the parking lot was nearly empty that she lifted her head and whispered with a heavy voice. 'I didn't get the Yale money.'

She didn't really want to go for ice cream, but Jess had made it seem like ice cream in cones (in cooones, Rory) was the solution to life's every problem. And when he gave her one of his subtle there-but-not-there smiles, it was hard to do anything but agree and smile back like a blushing idiot.

Maybe it was the ice cream or the soothing way he was rubbing her knee, but as they sat in the car – parked this time, because no, they weren't taking any chances – she took a breath and let herself talk.

'— and I told her to show them our couch, because if these people saw the state of our couch, they'd change their minds. I mean, you sleep on that couch so you agree, right? No one at Yale will think we have money after looking at our couch.'

'True. It's one ugly-ass couch.' He agreed wholeheartedly.

'Anyway, then Paris walked in and went all Rosemary's baby on me while I'm on the phone with mom. I snapped at her, she yelled back and then Madeline started crying and Paris stormed off and then Mr. Medina confiscated my cell phone. It was very dramatic and a little reminiscent of the fencing fight we had a few weeks back.' She said in one long breath, then added. 'I feel so awful.'

'College offices are full of idiots.'

'I meant my dramatic meltdown at Chilton. I made such a scene.'

He shook his head. 'I'm sure Paris will get over it.'

'I was talking about Madeline.'

'No, you weren't.' He smiled gently.

'I was.'

He stared at her silently.

She yielded. 'Fine. I wasn't.' She sank deeper in her seat. 'She just looked so shocked that I picked Yale over Harvard... But she doesn't really care. She's just being Paris.'

'Right. About the Yale thing –'

'She wouldn't tell me where she's going. It must be Princeton. Her boyfriend's at Princeton. Not that it matters, where Paris is going, I mean.'

'Okay, but Rory–'

'But then again, it wouldn't be like her to pick the same school as her boyfriend. I think she'd purposely pick anywhere but Princeton just to make a point.'

'That's not –'

'Which is pretty stupid, right? Because not going to a school your boyfriend goes to just to prove a point is just as bad as going to a school your boyfriend goes to just 'cause he is there.'

He nodded slowly, looking amused.

She sighed, finishing the last bite of her ice cream cone. 'God, I'm so glad I won't be seeing her next year.'

'Sure, you are.' Jess said. The sarcasm in his voice was more than clear.

'I am! I've had enough of her for a lifetime. She's like those Final Destination movies no one asked for.'

'Although you did say you liked those. Not that I'm judging, but they're seriously –'

Rory interrupted again. 'And I'm sure she'll hold a grudge for days. As if it's all about her. Did I tell you about the fencing fight we had?'

'Several times, yes.'

'She can be seriously insane. She makes the guys from Shutter Island look sane in comparison.'

'So you're gonna keep talking about Paris to avoid the Yale thing, huh?'

'Shush. I'm venting.' She narrowed her eyes at him.

He didn't skip a beat. 'You're evading. Funny how you always say I'm the one doing that.'

'Don't rush me.'

'You seem tense.' He observed.

She crossed her arms. 'I'm getting to my point.'

'Are you ever gonna get to it before we're eighty?' He teased, pulling her arms towards him gently.

'See? You are rushing me.' She argued, but slid across the seat to sit on his lap anyway, stretching her legs across her now empty seat.

He rolled his eyes as his arms slid around her shoulders, pulling her into a long kiss. The slow, relentless way his lips were kissing hers was making her wonderfully dizzy and incoherent. When his tongue brushed her own, she just wanted to melt into his chest. She loved how he seemed to sense it, as he rubbed her back, gradually easing her closer. He touched her so unhurriedly, like they would keep doing this forever. Rory hoped they would. As he slipped a cool hand on her thighs, under her skirt, she was only vaguely aware that they were still parked in front of an ice cream shop, about ten minutes away from her school. She turned her waist toward him, giving him a better angle.

He didn't go any further though. All too soon, he was rubbing her nose with his before pulling back. He looked as flushed as she was and his hair was noticeably messier. His lips were moving, his voice gentle. Something about scholarships and reapplying, but she could only think of how she'd love to bury her hands in his hair and resume their kissing. Plus, his hand was still under her skirt and that just wasn't fair.

She nodded dismissively at words she wasn't listening to and leaned forward to kiss him again. She had no idea how long they continued to kiss, but she thought the sun was definitely lower in the sky when they pulled away.

'Rory…' He started breathlessly, smoothing her hair back.

She sighed. 'I don't wanna talk about Yale. And I don't wanna go home and fight about it with my mom. Maybe I shouldn't go at all.'

He kissed the top of her head, while still rubbing her thighs. 'Okay.' He searched her face with soft eyes, then shrugged. 'Well, I'm here if you wanna make a run for it.'

She had to laugh at that. It was such a Jess thing to say. 'And go where?'

'Anywhere within driving distance.'

She couldn't tell if he was serious. 'I can't just run.'

'It usually works for me.' He said confidently.

'When has that ever worked for you?' She scoffed, crossing her legs.

'You can't mock me then hitch up your skirt. I'm not that easy.' He raised an eyebrow, looking into her eyes as if it was taking a lot of effort not to look somewhere else.

She fought a smile, but obliged, uncrossing her legs and smoothing out her skirt. She felt a little proud to have discovered another way to tease him. 'You're not kidnapping me, Mariano.'

He smiled into her shoulder, then looked up and murmured. 'At least let me take you to a bar and get you really, really drunk.'

'And that will help me, how exactly?'

'It's likely to end in amazing drunken sex.' He explained slowly.

Rory tried not to blush. 'After which my mom will chase you out of town with an axe, all Jack-Nicholson-like.'

'Ah, but that's when we make a run for it.'

'Become fugitives?' She raised her eyebrows.

He nodded solemnly. 'On the run from axe-wielding Stars-Hollow mad townspeople.'

'Where would we go? North or south?' She whispered conspiratorially.

'We'll make a pro-con list.' He whispered back.

She nodded, impressed. 'But where would we sleep?'

'Here.' He nodded towards the backseat. 'But we'd have to take turns keeping watch… from the crazy townspeople.'

She shook her head with a smile. 'Probably a little silly, huh?'

He was quiet for a moment, staring at her pensively before agreeing. 'Probably, yeah.'

They were silent for a moment, before Rory sighed. 'It's just… I know mom's gonna want to pay for Yale, but she can't pay for Yale and open her own inn. She'll say she can give up the inn, but I can't let her do that. I don't know what to do.'

'You should reapply. You'll definitely get it if you do.'

'The next application round is in 6 months.' She said miserably. 'And I don't know if I'll get the money no matter how many times I apply –'

'Rory, come on. Of course you will.'

'Maybe they don't wanna give financial aid to someone with the Gilmore family name. My grandpa went to Yale. They know he has money. Financial aid isn't for people with rich grandparents.'

He shook his head. 'It's not like you grew up with them.'

'Maybe I should change my name to Hayden.'

'You're being a little paranoid.' He said gently. 'Plus, Rory Hayden sounds very… wrong.'

'Yeah, it does.' She frowned, staring out into the street. 'I just don't want my mom to give up the inn. She'll resent me for it.'

'It won't come to that.' He reassured. 'I'll help you look for scholarships. Or a bank loan. Something's gonna work out.'

She sighed again, laid her head on his shoulder and let him rub her back, as she closed her eyes and wrapped herself in his warm body.

Rory wanted to buy more time before going back home. So of course, they went for food, to a burger joint nearby. Then, when the portions turned out to be really small, she led Jess to a taco place. He shrugged lightly when she suggested walking around the park, letting her talk about the time she took down the entire Corps de Ballet in one uncoordinated swoop. She thought she might be pushing it when she asked him to teach her how to change a car tire. But no, Jess's good mood persisted. Though the sun was starting to set and she didn't have a car or anything that would require changing a tire, he agreed easily to her strange request. And all afternoon, she never even had to use her Bambi-eyes once.

She liked how he explained things. He made it look easy without making her feel stupid. She also liked how nimble his fingers were, how his lean muscles flexed. He shed various layers as he worked. First, his jacket, then his sweater, until he was only wearing a thin t-shirt. She really liked seeing the contours sof his shoulders through the shirt. Plus, he held her hand the whole time as he showed her how to use the wrench, which was both distracting and very sweet. He even gave her one of his rare smiles, as if he thought she was both fascinating and endlessly adorable.

Rory stepped close to him, admiring the spare tire they'd put in as she kissed his cheek. 'Who knew I'd be so good at changing a tire?'

'You tightened two nuts.' He rolled his eyes.

'I was taking it in while you worked. Now I remember all the steps.'

'You mean you weren't just ogling me like a hot piece of –'

'Jess!'

'Relax. I don't mind the ogling.' He leaned casually against the door of his car, ever so cool while she blushed deeply. 'I can change the second tire too if you wanna stare some more.'

'How come you're being so nice to me?'

He rolled his eyes. 'I'm not.'

'Is it 'cause you feel bad for me?' She asked.

'What are you talking about? I'm enjoying the spontaneous date.'

'I feel like I'm dragging you around. I'm sorry.' She pouted.

'Rory. I don't mind. I get it.' He said, sounding sincere. When he pulled her elbows closer, she could see that he did get it. The need for avoidance, the random distractions. Of course, he'd get it. Hadn't he always done the same?

She looped her arms around his neck, swaying gently. 'But I don't want this to always be about my stuff. I want you to tell me what's on your mind too. How come you never talk about work?'

He sighed, remarking. 'Aren't we in a sharing mood.'

'Please?' She asked with a pout. 'It'll make me feel much better to know this isn't all about me.'

'I don't know. There's nothing to tell. Walmart's not really interesting.' He shrugged.

'No inner gossip? Conspiracy theories?' She coaxed.

'Nope.' He paused, then at her pouting, he continued uneasily. 'Well, I crashed a forklift today.'

He held up his hand, showing her a blue bruise on his wrist.

'What? Oh, Jess, are you okay?' She rubbed his arm soothingly.

He seemed amused by her concern, wrapping his other arm around her back. 'Yeah, I just crashed into a few boxes, got my hand jammed against the dashboard. No biggie.'

'God, you're a terrible driver.' She murmured, as she touched his hair. She wondered if it was a guy thing or just a Jess thing, being so nonchalant about physical injuries. Probably the latter. 'Are you in trouble?'

The question made him smile. When he smiled like that, it was so easy to see how he could get himself out of all kinds of trouble. 'Nah. My manager likes me. They'll just cut my pay for today.'

'Mr. Employee-of-the-month.' She teased.

He groaned, hiding his head in her shoulder. 'That was one time. And it's not happening again.'

'That's only because you're quitting in like a week, right?' She said.

'At the end of the month.' He confirmed. 'Not gonna be a Walmart slave forever.'

She nodded, but then hesitated, wondering whether to ask what was on her mind.

He replied, as if he could read her thoughts. 'I'm getting another job, not going to school. Don't try.'

She sighed. 'You can't rule that option out.'

He cocked his head. 'Is this payback for trying to get you to talk?'

She ignored him. 'You're so smart, Jess, you can't be stuck at a boring Walmart job. You can do so much more.'

'I already had this talk with Luke.' His voice was soft. 'And no.'

'Are you saying no just to get back at Luke? Or at your mom?'

'I'm not. I'm really not.' He defended.

She sighed. 'I'm very, very good at applying for schools… We can look at schools together. I can help with college applications. There is so much out there, you'll find something that doesn't suck. I'm sure of it.'

He shook his head. 'All this academic stuff is more your thing, not mine.'

'But then, what are you gonna do after?'

'I'll figure it out.' He reassured her.

She stared at him, remembering all the other times he'd said everything was under control at school, that he knew what he was doing. 'Jess…'

'I will. I promise.' His voice dropped lower, as he kissed her shoulder, nuzzling his nose into it. If there was ever a please-don't-make-me-talk-about-this signal in Jess-language, this was it.

'But –'

'Rory.'

'How about –'

'Drop it.'

'Just try for –'

'No.'

She dropped her shoulders dejectedly. 'So we're both decidedly not talking about the future, huh?'

'I guess so.'

She nodded, still dejected, then sighed. 'Just, please keep me in the loop. Let me know what it's in your head sometimes. Please?'

Nodding solemnly, he pulled her head down, kissing her deeply, like a silent promise.

She was breathless and red when she pulled away slightly. Only because if she didn't, she knew they wouldn't stop. She cocked her head, curiosity eating at her. 'So what made you crash the forklift?'

His shoulders twitched slightly, but he said nothing.

'Did you get distracted ogling some pretty girl?' She joked.

'It's a Walmart warehouse. It's like 47 guys in there.'

'Did you get distracted thinking about some pretty girl then?'

He stared at her pointedly, leaned in close to her lips and said. 'Yes.'

She couldn't help but smile when he kissed her again, but then furrowed her brows, trying to act serious. 'No, really. Tell me what happened.'

'Nothing happened. I was just tired, I guess.'

She traced the circles under his eyes. 'Was it your headache?'

'It's fine.' He scoffed, but she knew he was faking. She could also tell he was now enjoying her attention.

'It's withdrawal.' She said gently.

'It's not that bad.'

'Jess, you crashed a forklift.'

'Only 'cause I couldn't sleep last night.'

'So the headache was bad.' She furrowed her brows in worry. 'Am I making it worse by talking? Do you want me to stop?'

He kissed the side of her head. 'Hell, no.' He held her eyes for a moment and pushed a strand of her hair over her shoulder. 'Now, if you're really avoiding going home, then at least let's put that skirt to good use.'

'School uniform fantasies, Mariano?'

'Get in the back seat, I'll show you.' His voice turned sultry.

She laughed as she let him lead her back, whispering. 'Dirty.'

A/N: Review, review, review! Please, please, please! *Cue Lorelai's coffee, coffee, coffee*