Jess sat at the counter, reading Seymour, an Introduction, waiting for his
shift to start. Although he was almost finished with it, he found the book
to be disappointing considering Salinger wrote it. Normally he would have
gone out for a walk, or gone over to Rory's house, but since she had left,
he practically hadn't left the diner once. He didn't exactly have any
friends in Star's Hollow except Rory. And he wasn't even sure if that still
qualified as a friendship.
After reading the same paragraph five times, still having no idea what it was about, Jess threw down the book and walked out the door; he had to get out of that diner sometime, especially with all the construction going on. Anything was better than sitting in there. But soon Jess found that paying attention to where he was walking was just as hard as paying attention to that book; he suddenly crashed into something. It was Dean's back.
"Hey, what the. . ." Dean turned around to see Jess. The look on his face showed that he was even angrier now that he had discovered Jess of all people was the one who ran into him.
"Sorry," Jess mumbled as he kept walking past Dean. Jess wasn't in the mood to deal with Dean at this particular moment. But Dean wasn't going to let him off that easy.
"Aren't you going to say anything to me?" he asked, pulling Jess back by his arm.
"Say anything about what?" Jess asked, playing dumb as usual. He had a feeling this had something to do with Rory.
"I don't know," Dean returned sarcastically, towering over Jess. "Maybe you could explain to me why you kissed my girlfriend?"
Jess found himself getting very angry; he was beginning to feel very protective of Rory. Even though he had every right to break up with her for what she had done, Dean had still hurt her, and Jess couldn't stand to see Rory get hurt.
"You better get your facts straight. She kissed me." And with that, Jess turned around and began to walk away. As much as he wanted to punch Dean in the nose, he was determined to control himself. He was having enough trouble with Rory as it was; he didn't need to add breaking her ex- boyfriend's nose to the list.
But all of a sudden, the decision was no longer in Jess' hands. Dean swung Jess around with one arm and punched him right in the lip with the other. Jess reeled back from the impact. His hand went immediately to his lip and he found that it was bleeding. Before he had a chance to respond, a blond girl Jess had never seen before was standing between them.
"Come on guys. Whatever this is about you can resolve it some other way," she said, directing her gaze at Dean. Before Jess knew it, Luke and Caesar were out in the street, pulling Dean away.
"Dean, get out of here or I'm going to call the cops," Luke said in a tone of voice that meant he wasn't kidding. Dean just walked off in a huff.
The girl who had stood between them turned her gaze towards Jess for the first time. He noticed how pretty she was. Not pretty like Rory. More sexy than pretty. And from her demeanor, she knew it.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Come on. My mom's a nurse; she can fix that cut up for you. Our house is just down the street."
And so, the two of them walked off to the girl's house where her mom was more than willing to help Jess with his lip. The woman was a cross between Joan Cleaver and the millionaire's wife on Gilligan's Island, Jess thought. He had been watching a lot of re-runs since Rory left.
"I'm Phoenix, by the way," the girl said when her mom left the room to throw out the bandage wrappers and cotton balls she had used on Jess' lip.
"Jess," he responded. Under normal circumstances, all Jess would have been able to think about was: who in the world would name their kid Phoenix? But at this moment, all he could think about was that girl. Okay, that girl's body. "You just move here?"
"Yeah, from LA. Bel-Air, actually."
Phoenix' mother came back into the room.
"Why don't you stay for lunch?" she asked. Cooking a meal for a guest was probably the highlight of her day.
"Sure," Jess responded. Luke would understand if he wasn't on time for his shift after the fight with Dean.
Jess and Phoenix spent most of lunch talking. They didn't seem to have much in common, but then again this was only their first conversation. Jess thought about maybe asking her out before he left, but quickly dismissed the thought. Phoenix ended up making the decision for him.
"Your lip should be fine. Does it hurt?" she asked as she walked him to the door after lunch.
"No, it's fine."
"That's good." And with that, Phoenix leaned in and kissed him. It was a good kiss. It wasn't like the kiss with Rory where there was passion and emotion and anticipation of more to come. Phoenix was just really good at kissing and was clearly experienced at it. Jess thought of pulling away, but then he remembered what Lorelai had said: Rory still loved Dean. And hadn't Rory said the same thing herself?
"Would you like to go out some time?" he asked.
"I'd love to."
Next time: Rory comes back from Washington, ready to tell Jess how she feels. But has he moved on to Phoenix?
After reading the same paragraph five times, still having no idea what it was about, Jess threw down the book and walked out the door; he had to get out of that diner sometime, especially with all the construction going on. Anything was better than sitting in there. But soon Jess found that paying attention to where he was walking was just as hard as paying attention to that book; he suddenly crashed into something. It was Dean's back.
"Hey, what the. . ." Dean turned around to see Jess. The look on his face showed that he was even angrier now that he had discovered Jess of all people was the one who ran into him.
"Sorry," Jess mumbled as he kept walking past Dean. Jess wasn't in the mood to deal with Dean at this particular moment. But Dean wasn't going to let him off that easy.
"Aren't you going to say anything to me?" he asked, pulling Jess back by his arm.
"Say anything about what?" Jess asked, playing dumb as usual. He had a feeling this had something to do with Rory.
"I don't know," Dean returned sarcastically, towering over Jess. "Maybe you could explain to me why you kissed my girlfriend?"
Jess found himself getting very angry; he was beginning to feel very protective of Rory. Even though he had every right to break up with her for what she had done, Dean had still hurt her, and Jess couldn't stand to see Rory get hurt.
"You better get your facts straight. She kissed me." And with that, Jess turned around and began to walk away. As much as he wanted to punch Dean in the nose, he was determined to control himself. He was having enough trouble with Rory as it was; he didn't need to add breaking her ex- boyfriend's nose to the list.
But all of a sudden, the decision was no longer in Jess' hands. Dean swung Jess around with one arm and punched him right in the lip with the other. Jess reeled back from the impact. His hand went immediately to his lip and he found that it was bleeding. Before he had a chance to respond, a blond girl Jess had never seen before was standing between them.
"Come on guys. Whatever this is about you can resolve it some other way," she said, directing her gaze at Dean. Before Jess knew it, Luke and Caesar were out in the street, pulling Dean away.
"Dean, get out of here or I'm going to call the cops," Luke said in a tone of voice that meant he wasn't kidding. Dean just walked off in a huff.
The girl who had stood between them turned her gaze towards Jess for the first time. He noticed how pretty she was. Not pretty like Rory. More sexy than pretty. And from her demeanor, she knew it.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Come on. My mom's a nurse; she can fix that cut up for you. Our house is just down the street."
And so, the two of them walked off to the girl's house where her mom was more than willing to help Jess with his lip. The woman was a cross between Joan Cleaver and the millionaire's wife on Gilligan's Island, Jess thought. He had been watching a lot of re-runs since Rory left.
"I'm Phoenix, by the way," the girl said when her mom left the room to throw out the bandage wrappers and cotton balls she had used on Jess' lip.
"Jess," he responded. Under normal circumstances, all Jess would have been able to think about was: who in the world would name their kid Phoenix? But at this moment, all he could think about was that girl. Okay, that girl's body. "You just move here?"
"Yeah, from LA. Bel-Air, actually."
Phoenix' mother came back into the room.
"Why don't you stay for lunch?" she asked. Cooking a meal for a guest was probably the highlight of her day.
"Sure," Jess responded. Luke would understand if he wasn't on time for his shift after the fight with Dean.
Jess and Phoenix spent most of lunch talking. They didn't seem to have much in common, but then again this was only their first conversation. Jess thought about maybe asking her out before he left, but quickly dismissed the thought. Phoenix ended up making the decision for him.
"Your lip should be fine. Does it hurt?" she asked as she walked him to the door after lunch.
"No, it's fine."
"That's good." And with that, Phoenix leaned in and kissed him. It was a good kiss. It wasn't like the kiss with Rory where there was passion and emotion and anticipation of more to come. Phoenix was just really good at kissing and was clearly experienced at it. Jess thought of pulling away, but then he remembered what Lorelai had said: Rory still loved Dean. And hadn't Rory said the same thing herself?
"Would you like to go out some time?" he asked.
"I'd love to."
Next time: Rory comes back from Washington, ready to tell Jess how she feels. But has he moved on to Phoenix?