0.9 Ugly Hair and Books
[if you'd actually gone far enough in the story to see this message, i'd hug you until your eyes pop! thank you so much for reading my story/stories! an even more for reviewing! mwah!]
Jess adjusted his falling backpack on his shoulder. There was a slight limp to his stride, courtesy of the enormous thing Raine had slammed his shin with. "Could have hit me with something smaller; an apple or something. But NO. She had to take the biggest fruit she could find and hurl it at me with the speed of sixty-kilometers per hour."
"Jess."
He looked up and saw his attacker, "What, came to finish me off with a baseball bat?" It suddenly struck him that there was something different about her today. "Are those high heels?"
"Yeah. Uh, Leo made me wear them to keep me from running away."
"Nice of him to suggest so."
An awkward silence came upon them as they walked towards a park bench.
"I wanted to apologize for the cantaloupe, and explain everything. You deserve it, I guess."
"I'd better. I put up with your new scary-ass image of Punk, your drunken fits, and your impeccable aim."
"Do you want to know or what?"
Jess shut his mouth.
"Thank you," after a moment of thought, "I left because when Rory came back, I became invisible to you. I stayed two weeks after you guys got together. You were always off to her house, or on a date, or something that had to do with you, her, and shmoozing. I couldn't take it anymore. I was your friend, Jess, but I could never compete with your girlfriend."
Jess' face softened. "Oh, Raine."
"And that is exactly why I didn't tell you I was leaving. You'd feel sorry for me! I would just like to inform you that I am not in love with you. Anymore."
Jess looked surprised, "You were in love with me?" he said. Then he smirked at Raine's appearance. Aghast.
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and said, "Y-yes, I was. But not anymore. You're more like my brother now. Besides, you still have ugly hair and-and you read too much." Her eyes darted from side to side, revealing her nervousness.
The smirk still stayed. "If I'm as atrocious as you say," he eyed her carefully, "why'd you come back to Stars Hollow then?"
He could have laughed out loud, but he didn't. The look on Raine's face clearly said, "Ah, crap."
"Well, if you must know, I came back because I was losing my identity." She said it so matter-of-factly, it sounded like she was proud of losing herself.
"Damn, right. You're not the same, Raine. You're different."
"Mature?" she suggested, hopefully.
"No. I mean DIFFERENT. It's like you're a whole other person. It didn't seem like you've grown, it seems like you've CHANGED."
"How?"
"Like I said before, you used to be sweet and kind and modest. Now you're noisy and careless."
"Oh. Really?"
In the diner, Leo sat on a barstool and waited for Luke to come out. After a while, he did.
"Hey, Mr. Danes?"
"What do you want, Beer Boy?"
"I wanted to apologize for last night. Raine and I never meant to, um, disrupt your evening, sir."
"Look, kid. Just don't do it again." A wave of fatherliness washed over Luke. "Either stop drinking or stay the hell away from Raine."
"For, you, I'll give up drinking, sir."
"That's nice. But don't just do it for me, do it for yourself and for Raine, too. Do you know how many brain cells one swig of beer can kill?"
"You are sounding like a cross between a concerned father and an anti-beer commercial right now."
"Go away or order something."
"A burger and some fries, please."
The door gave its familiar jingle and announced a customer. Leo turned to see who it was.
"Hey, Dean. What can I get you?" Luke asked, taking an order pad in his hand.
"The weirdest thing happened, Raine! This guy came in and my sweat glands suddenly went into overdrive! Crap! My heart was pounding like a stinking jackhammer! What the hell is wrong?!"
"Leo, shut up. You're hysterical."
"And I think I may also be gay."
[if you'd actually gone far enough in the story to see this message, i'd hug you until your eyes pop! thank you so much for reading my story/stories! an even more for reviewing! mwah!]
Jess adjusted his falling backpack on his shoulder. There was a slight limp to his stride, courtesy of the enormous thing Raine had slammed his shin with. "Could have hit me with something smaller; an apple or something. But NO. She had to take the biggest fruit she could find and hurl it at me with the speed of sixty-kilometers per hour."
"Jess."
He looked up and saw his attacker, "What, came to finish me off with a baseball bat?" It suddenly struck him that there was something different about her today. "Are those high heels?"
"Yeah. Uh, Leo made me wear them to keep me from running away."
"Nice of him to suggest so."
An awkward silence came upon them as they walked towards a park bench.
"I wanted to apologize for the cantaloupe, and explain everything. You deserve it, I guess."
"I'd better. I put up with your new scary-ass image of Punk, your drunken fits, and your impeccable aim."
"Do you want to know or what?"
Jess shut his mouth.
"Thank you," after a moment of thought, "I left because when Rory came back, I became invisible to you. I stayed two weeks after you guys got together. You were always off to her house, or on a date, or something that had to do with you, her, and shmoozing. I couldn't take it anymore. I was your friend, Jess, but I could never compete with your girlfriend."
Jess' face softened. "Oh, Raine."
"And that is exactly why I didn't tell you I was leaving. You'd feel sorry for me! I would just like to inform you that I am not in love with you. Anymore."
Jess looked surprised, "You were in love with me?" he said. Then he smirked at Raine's appearance. Aghast.
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and said, "Y-yes, I was. But not anymore. You're more like my brother now. Besides, you still have ugly hair and-and you read too much." Her eyes darted from side to side, revealing her nervousness.
The smirk still stayed. "If I'm as atrocious as you say," he eyed her carefully, "why'd you come back to Stars Hollow then?"
He could have laughed out loud, but he didn't. The look on Raine's face clearly said, "Ah, crap."
"Well, if you must know, I came back because I was losing my identity." She said it so matter-of-factly, it sounded like she was proud of losing herself.
"Damn, right. You're not the same, Raine. You're different."
"Mature?" she suggested, hopefully.
"No. I mean DIFFERENT. It's like you're a whole other person. It didn't seem like you've grown, it seems like you've CHANGED."
"How?"
"Like I said before, you used to be sweet and kind and modest. Now you're noisy and careless."
"Oh. Really?"
In the diner, Leo sat on a barstool and waited for Luke to come out. After a while, he did.
"Hey, Mr. Danes?"
"What do you want, Beer Boy?"
"I wanted to apologize for last night. Raine and I never meant to, um, disrupt your evening, sir."
"Look, kid. Just don't do it again." A wave of fatherliness washed over Luke. "Either stop drinking or stay the hell away from Raine."
"For, you, I'll give up drinking, sir."
"That's nice. But don't just do it for me, do it for yourself and for Raine, too. Do you know how many brain cells one swig of beer can kill?"
"You are sounding like a cross between a concerned father and an anti-beer commercial right now."
"Go away or order something."
"A burger and some fries, please."
The door gave its familiar jingle and announced a customer. Leo turned to see who it was.
"Hey, Dean. What can I get you?" Luke asked, taking an order pad in his hand.
"The weirdest thing happened, Raine! This guy came in and my sweat glands suddenly went into overdrive! Crap! My heart was pounding like a stinking jackhammer! What the hell is wrong?!"
"Leo, shut up. You're hysterical."
"And I think I may also be gay."