0.8 The Band-Aid Theory
Raine woke up with Jess' arms around her, cradling her head. A tear made its way down the pillow. Her shaking must have woken him up because she felt his hold go tighter around her. When he gently kissed her forehead, she lost it. She broke out into hacking, gasping and coughing.
"Are you really crying, or are you just trying to gross me out?"
His comment remained ignored. Raine was still crying.
"Why are you so…nice, Jess?" she managed to hack out.
He gave her a tiny grin, "Because you're a sister to me."
Jess thought that that would finally cheer her up, but it only resulted into even more crying, if that was possible.
He sighed. He'd never understand Raine; never in a thousand years.
"Hey, do you think you could tell me why you left last time?"
Ah, crap.
"Because… ah, I, ah, I just had to?"
"Come on, you leave without saying a word. Then a year after, you suddenly pop up again, out of nowhere and treat me like I'm some guy you didn't spend a whole lot of time with. I know you've been avoiding me: taking the shifts when I'm most likely at school; that music bit so we don't have to talk when we're working together, what happened, Raine? Tell me. Please, don't lie to me."
"I don't want to lie to you," she said, "but I have to." Raine sat up and flung the covers away. She exited his room quickly.
Leo was still on the couch, sleeping. He woke up to Raine's footsteps. He also saw Jess standing by the entrance to his room.
"Uh, I think I'm going to go. You guys have to talk," he said groggily. Jess nodded to him slightly and then Leo left.
They both stood there, waiting for each other to verbalize his and her own thoughts. Finally, Jess spoke.
"Raine, we used to be so close. I was your best friend; not Luke, not Lorelai, not Dean, not Kirk. ME."
"Yeah, but that was before Rory came back, huh?"
The remark surprised him.
"Rory?"
"I have to go." Raine walked to the door.
"You're not doing this again, Raine. You can't just leave me hanging like last time."
"Hanging? You practically forgot I existed," she hissed.
Raine opened the door and walked away from Jess. Again. But as Jess had said, she wasn't doing it again. Not this time.
Raine got as far as the outside of the diner before she heard Jess calling her name. She looked back, "Shit," and broke into a sprint.
Jess was a fast runner. He was gaining on her. Soon, she ran out of options. She headed towards Taylor's market and stole a cantaloupe. She took aim.
"I'm so sorry, Jess."
"I hit him with a cantaloupe, Leo!" Raine cried.
Leo's arms went around Raine as she cried, yet again for the same day.
"I mean, what kind of a person am I? He was just trying to talk to me, and what do I do? Attack him with fruit! Oh, my God, Leo! I'm a terrible person! I probably broke his leg!"
"Raine, shut up. You were frantic. Why was he chasing you anyway?"
"He wanted to know the truth. I couldn't to that! It would destroy his relationship with Rory! And Rory's, like, the perfect girlfriend!"
"Are you sure Raine?" Leo thought for a moment, "I don't know… she kind of talks a lot. And she slouches when she walks. Strikes me as sort of a nerd, actually."
"I'm serious! I can't be Rory no matter how hard I try."
"You don't have to be! You are not perfect, alright? And neither is Rory Gilmore! God! She KISSED another guy while she was with the tall doof, right? Isn't that cheating?"
Raine was quiet.
"And I'm sure she's done a lot more, okay? So don't beat yourself up. You're trying to save him from a ruined relationship, but look what's happened. He's more determined than ever to find out. He even took a cantaloupe for it. He's getting hurt, literally, because of you, Raine. Do you really want that?"
"So you think I should tell him?"
"I think it's for the best. Kind of like that band-aid theory, y'know, where you pull it off all at once so it doesn't hurt as long."
"I can't do it."
"Yes you can. You've been running all your life, aren't you tired yet?"
Raine woke up with Jess' arms around her, cradling her head. A tear made its way down the pillow. Her shaking must have woken him up because she felt his hold go tighter around her. When he gently kissed her forehead, she lost it. She broke out into hacking, gasping and coughing.
"Are you really crying, or are you just trying to gross me out?"
His comment remained ignored. Raine was still crying.
"Why are you so…nice, Jess?" she managed to hack out.
He gave her a tiny grin, "Because you're a sister to me."
Jess thought that that would finally cheer her up, but it only resulted into even more crying, if that was possible.
He sighed. He'd never understand Raine; never in a thousand years.
"Hey, do you think you could tell me why you left last time?"
Ah, crap.
"Because… ah, I, ah, I just had to?"
"Come on, you leave without saying a word. Then a year after, you suddenly pop up again, out of nowhere and treat me like I'm some guy you didn't spend a whole lot of time with. I know you've been avoiding me: taking the shifts when I'm most likely at school; that music bit so we don't have to talk when we're working together, what happened, Raine? Tell me. Please, don't lie to me."
"I don't want to lie to you," she said, "but I have to." Raine sat up and flung the covers away. She exited his room quickly.
Leo was still on the couch, sleeping. He woke up to Raine's footsteps. He also saw Jess standing by the entrance to his room.
"Uh, I think I'm going to go. You guys have to talk," he said groggily. Jess nodded to him slightly and then Leo left.
They both stood there, waiting for each other to verbalize his and her own thoughts. Finally, Jess spoke.
"Raine, we used to be so close. I was your best friend; not Luke, not Lorelai, not Dean, not Kirk. ME."
"Yeah, but that was before Rory came back, huh?"
The remark surprised him.
"Rory?"
"I have to go." Raine walked to the door.
"You're not doing this again, Raine. You can't just leave me hanging like last time."
"Hanging? You practically forgot I existed," she hissed.
Raine opened the door and walked away from Jess. Again. But as Jess had said, she wasn't doing it again. Not this time.
Raine got as far as the outside of the diner before she heard Jess calling her name. She looked back, "Shit," and broke into a sprint.
Jess was a fast runner. He was gaining on her. Soon, she ran out of options. She headed towards Taylor's market and stole a cantaloupe. She took aim.
"I'm so sorry, Jess."
"I hit him with a cantaloupe, Leo!" Raine cried.
Leo's arms went around Raine as she cried, yet again for the same day.
"I mean, what kind of a person am I? He was just trying to talk to me, and what do I do? Attack him with fruit! Oh, my God, Leo! I'm a terrible person! I probably broke his leg!"
"Raine, shut up. You were frantic. Why was he chasing you anyway?"
"He wanted to know the truth. I couldn't to that! It would destroy his relationship with Rory! And Rory's, like, the perfect girlfriend!"
"Are you sure Raine?" Leo thought for a moment, "I don't know… she kind of talks a lot. And she slouches when she walks. Strikes me as sort of a nerd, actually."
"I'm serious! I can't be Rory no matter how hard I try."
"You don't have to be! You are not perfect, alright? And neither is Rory Gilmore! God! She KISSED another guy while she was with the tall doof, right? Isn't that cheating?"
Raine was quiet.
"And I'm sure she's done a lot more, okay? So don't beat yourself up. You're trying to save him from a ruined relationship, but look what's happened. He's more determined than ever to find out. He even took a cantaloupe for it. He's getting hurt, literally, because of you, Raine. Do you really want that?"
"So you think I should tell him?"
"I think it's for the best. Kind of like that band-aid theory, y'know, where you pull it off all at once so it doesn't hurt as long."
"I can't do it."
"Yes you can. You've been running all your life, aren't you tired yet?"