Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the story. They are all property of Amy Sherman-Palladino and the WB.
Distribution: I'm all for it, but please ask for my permission first.
Feedback: Please, read and review. I love the criticism, whether it is positive or negative.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: The season finale "I Can't Get Started" and anything prior to it.
Synopsis: Rory and Paris don't win the student council elections, thus meaning that Rory spends her summer in Stars Hollow. And, as the weather warms, unexpected passion arises...
Chapter three ~ Accosting the Unexpected
The next morning, Rory quickly showered and got dressed. She had been careful to be quiet as not to awake Lorelai, but her mother had heard her rummaging through the bathroom drawers. Groggily, Lorelai got out of bed and, still in her leopard print pyjamas, made her way downstairs to find Rory running around like a madman.
"Whoa, slow down there, Speedy Gonzalez!" she said as she stepped onto the landing.
Startled, Rory looked up at her mother.
"I'm sorry mom," Rory apologized, "I didn't mean to wake you."
"Don't worry about it, hon," Lorelai insisted. She yawned. "Where to so early in the morning? We Gilmores tend to only get up at these unearthly hours on a Saturday when something big is up. Care to share?"
Baffled by her mother's question, Rory began to answer.
"I promised Lane that I'd meet her early this morning to help her go shopping for a dress for her cousin's christening. We were thinking of driving up to Hartford to check out the mall there," Rory lied. "Which reminds me, can I borrow the jeep until tonight?"
"Sure, Rory," Lorelai responded, eyeing her daughter suspiciously. "When exactly were you planning on asking me that? You know I don't get up this early."
Rory shrugged her shoulders. "I was going to leave you a note."
"Right," Lorelai mumbled. "And if I would have needed the jeep today, how would I have let you know if you'd only left me a note?"
"What's with the fifty questions, mom? Do you need the jeep or not? If you do, it's not a problem. I'm sure Lane's mom won't mind if we take her car, since we need it for a church related activity."
"No, no, go ahead and take it. I don't need it."
Rory gave her mother an odd look, grabbed the keys and her purse and walked out the door. In the house, Lorelai watched from the living room window as her daughter opened the jeep door and put the key in the ignition. And, as her daughter backed away, she sighed, knowing that Rory's story wasn't entirely true.
Rory felt bad about not telling her mother the entire story, but she didn't feel like having Lorelai quiz her with yet some more questions. The truth was she needed to talk to someone her own age about this.
Rory pulled into the driveway at Mrs. Kim's antique store and killed the engine. She sat in the driver's seat for a few moments, taking a few deep breaths to collect herself. Just then, Lane came bounding out of the front door, yelling to her mother that she'd be home later on that evening.
"Hey, Ror," Lane said as she got into the passenger seat. "How goes it?"
Rory looked at her best friend with a sad smile. "I've been better. Let's grab some coffee and I'll tell you all about my situation on the way to Hartford."
Rory drove down the street to Luke's and waited in the car as Lane ran in to get six cups of coffee. She returned several minutes later, balancing a one tray in her left hand and another tray and a bag of chocolate muffins in the other.
"You are a saint," Rory told her friend as she took a long swig of the warm liquid and bit into a sticky muffin.
As they drove, Rory told her best friend all the particulars about what she'd been feeling and experiencing over the past few weeks: Sookie's wedding, the kiss, the foreign feelings. She poured her heart out to Lane, who listened intently the entire time, only muttering a periodic sign of acknowledgement when necessary. By the time Rory was done, they had reached Hartford and were pulling into the mall's parking lot.
"So, what do you have to say about all of that?" Rory inquired.
"It sure sounds like you've got some serious re-evaluating to do," commented Lane. "But you'll pull through, with my help of course," she said, shooting Rory one of her dazzling smiles.
Weakly, Rory grinned the sad grin that had become her proverbial smile. "Yeah, I know. But I still have no idea what I should do. I mean, choosing between the boy I already love and the boy I possibly have a small thing for isn't going to be easy. It'll be the hardest thing I've ever had to do, and, frankly, I have no idea where to start," whispered Rory, close to tears.
"At the risk of sounding trite, you have to do what your heart tells you to do. Remember, there are no rules in the game of love. Sometimes, you just have to close your eyes and jump, and this is one of those times. Just follow what's in your gut. Deep down, you know what you want; you're just not ready to admit it to yourself yet. I can't make the decision for you on this one," said Lane. She took Rory's hand. "Sounds like you've gotten yourself into a real pickle here, Ror," said Lane, her other hand thoughtfully on her chin.
"Really? I hadn't noticed that my life has turned into a sappy soap opera episode," replied Rory sarcastically, annoyed by her friend's last comment.
Looking slightly bruised, Lane simply reached down and unbuckled her seat beat and opened the door, swinging her slender right leg out of the jeep and onto the scarcely bumpy asphalt that made up the mall's parking lot.
"Okay you, we're here to have some serious fun today. No mothers, no boys. It's just me and you honey. Now hurry up and get out of the car before I come over there and drag you out," Lane said, smirking at her best friend.
Rory couldn't help but smile. The energy that radiated from Lane always seemed to rub off on her, and at this point, she gratefully accepted any mood boosters that came along. Turning off the engine, she opened her door and stepped out, locking the vehicle behind her. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she and Lane skipped towards the mall entrance, linked arm in arm.
Goose bumps covered Rory's arms as the stylist gently rubbed in a cool slimy cucumber mask onto her already flawless skin. The day had been wonderful so far. First, they had picked out a pretty dress for Lane's cousin's christening. It was a made of a beautiful light blue fabric that hugged her curves in all the right places. It fell to above her knee and had a V-neck front and a high back, with a slit up the side that showed off her toned leg. They had bought a matching pair of baby blue sandals with a two inch heel. The outfit was certainly sexy enough for the boys to notice, but would surely be a winner with Lane's mother, who was a tough woman to please. Next, they had browsed at the Gap, where Rory bought herself a new pair of khaki shorts with a drawstring and a pink and yellow striped halter. Then, they had eaten lunch on the veranda at Chez Jean-Eugène, sipping on their iced tea with a lemon twist and giggling about nothing in particular. Finally had come Lane's big surprise. They had made their way to The Orchid, the mall's salon, where Lane treated her best friend to two hours of absolute pampering. They had both gotten manicures, deep hair conditioning treatments and now they were getting facials.
"Thank you so much for doing this for me today." Removing one of the pieces of cooling cucumber that covered her eyes, Rory looked at her friend gratefully and smiled.
Lane looked over at her companion and grinned. She had known that this was the exact kind of day that Rory needed to forget about her problems. Smiling smugly, she rested her head against the soft pillow on the back of the reclining chair and closed her eyes.
Three quarters of an hour later, Lane and Rory walked out of the salon, their hands filled with bags and boxes from the purchases they had made that day. Before leaving for Stars Hollow, Lane suggested they go browse at the mall's bookstore. Eagerly, Rory led the way through the semi-crowded halls, past the waterfall and up the escalator. They browsed in the bookstore for nearly an hour and a half, and Rory treated herself to three new novels and a book of Shakespearian plays.
The two girls made their way out of the store, chatting about their day and how much good it had done them both. As they walked around the corner, Rory suddenly bumped into a muscular arm, and found herself face to face with Jess. Astounded, she stuttered a hello.
"J-jess... what are you doing here?" she asked.
It was then that she noticed the petite blonde clinging to his arm. The girl wore a short denim skirt, a navel bearing pink tee that showed way too much cleavage and a daring pair of wedge heeled sandals.
He stammered, "Rory, hi. Um, this is Karaley..."
Assuming the worst, Rory didn't even give Jess the chance to finish what he had started saying. Hurt, she briskly turned on her heel and, giving Jess a deathly look, stormed out into the parking lot, with Lane close behind.
Distribution: I'm all for it, but please ask for my permission first.
Feedback: Please, read and review. I love the criticism, whether it is positive or negative.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: The season finale "I Can't Get Started" and anything prior to it.
Synopsis: Rory and Paris don't win the student council elections, thus meaning that Rory spends her summer in Stars Hollow. And, as the weather warms, unexpected passion arises...
Chapter three ~ Accosting the Unexpected
The next morning, Rory quickly showered and got dressed. She had been careful to be quiet as not to awake Lorelai, but her mother had heard her rummaging through the bathroom drawers. Groggily, Lorelai got out of bed and, still in her leopard print pyjamas, made her way downstairs to find Rory running around like a madman.
"Whoa, slow down there, Speedy Gonzalez!" she said as she stepped onto the landing.
Startled, Rory looked up at her mother.
"I'm sorry mom," Rory apologized, "I didn't mean to wake you."
"Don't worry about it, hon," Lorelai insisted. She yawned. "Where to so early in the morning? We Gilmores tend to only get up at these unearthly hours on a Saturday when something big is up. Care to share?"
Baffled by her mother's question, Rory began to answer.
"I promised Lane that I'd meet her early this morning to help her go shopping for a dress for her cousin's christening. We were thinking of driving up to Hartford to check out the mall there," Rory lied. "Which reminds me, can I borrow the jeep until tonight?"
"Sure, Rory," Lorelai responded, eyeing her daughter suspiciously. "When exactly were you planning on asking me that? You know I don't get up this early."
Rory shrugged her shoulders. "I was going to leave you a note."
"Right," Lorelai mumbled. "And if I would have needed the jeep today, how would I have let you know if you'd only left me a note?"
"What's with the fifty questions, mom? Do you need the jeep or not? If you do, it's not a problem. I'm sure Lane's mom won't mind if we take her car, since we need it for a church related activity."
"No, no, go ahead and take it. I don't need it."
Rory gave her mother an odd look, grabbed the keys and her purse and walked out the door. In the house, Lorelai watched from the living room window as her daughter opened the jeep door and put the key in the ignition. And, as her daughter backed away, she sighed, knowing that Rory's story wasn't entirely true.
Rory felt bad about not telling her mother the entire story, but she didn't feel like having Lorelai quiz her with yet some more questions. The truth was she needed to talk to someone her own age about this.
Rory pulled into the driveway at Mrs. Kim's antique store and killed the engine. She sat in the driver's seat for a few moments, taking a few deep breaths to collect herself. Just then, Lane came bounding out of the front door, yelling to her mother that she'd be home later on that evening.
"Hey, Ror," Lane said as she got into the passenger seat. "How goes it?"
Rory looked at her best friend with a sad smile. "I've been better. Let's grab some coffee and I'll tell you all about my situation on the way to Hartford."
Rory drove down the street to Luke's and waited in the car as Lane ran in to get six cups of coffee. She returned several minutes later, balancing a one tray in her left hand and another tray and a bag of chocolate muffins in the other.
"You are a saint," Rory told her friend as she took a long swig of the warm liquid and bit into a sticky muffin.
As they drove, Rory told her best friend all the particulars about what she'd been feeling and experiencing over the past few weeks: Sookie's wedding, the kiss, the foreign feelings. She poured her heart out to Lane, who listened intently the entire time, only muttering a periodic sign of acknowledgement when necessary. By the time Rory was done, they had reached Hartford and were pulling into the mall's parking lot.
"So, what do you have to say about all of that?" Rory inquired.
"It sure sounds like you've got some serious re-evaluating to do," commented Lane. "But you'll pull through, with my help of course," she said, shooting Rory one of her dazzling smiles.
Weakly, Rory grinned the sad grin that had become her proverbial smile. "Yeah, I know. But I still have no idea what I should do. I mean, choosing between the boy I already love and the boy I possibly have a small thing for isn't going to be easy. It'll be the hardest thing I've ever had to do, and, frankly, I have no idea where to start," whispered Rory, close to tears.
"At the risk of sounding trite, you have to do what your heart tells you to do. Remember, there are no rules in the game of love. Sometimes, you just have to close your eyes and jump, and this is one of those times. Just follow what's in your gut. Deep down, you know what you want; you're just not ready to admit it to yourself yet. I can't make the decision for you on this one," said Lane. She took Rory's hand. "Sounds like you've gotten yourself into a real pickle here, Ror," said Lane, her other hand thoughtfully on her chin.
"Really? I hadn't noticed that my life has turned into a sappy soap opera episode," replied Rory sarcastically, annoyed by her friend's last comment.
Looking slightly bruised, Lane simply reached down and unbuckled her seat beat and opened the door, swinging her slender right leg out of the jeep and onto the scarcely bumpy asphalt that made up the mall's parking lot.
"Okay you, we're here to have some serious fun today. No mothers, no boys. It's just me and you honey. Now hurry up and get out of the car before I come over there and drag you out," Lane said, smirking at her best friend.
Rory couldn't help but smile. The energy that radiated from Lane always seemed to rub off on her, and at this point, she gratefully accepted any mood boosters that came along. Turning off the engine, she opened her door and stepped out, locking the vehicle behind her. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she and Lane skipped towards the mall entrance, linked arm in arm.
Goose bumps covered Rory's arms as the stylist gently rubbed in a cool slimy cucumber mask onto her already flawless skin. The day had been wonderful so far. First, they had picked out a pretty dress for Lane's cousin's christening. It was a made of a beautiful light blue fabric that hugged her curves in all the right places. It fell to above her knee and had a V-neck front and a high back, with a slit up the side that showed off her toned leg. They had bought a matching pair of baby blue sandals with a two inch heel. The outfit was certainly sexy enough for the boys to notice, but would surely be a winner with Lane's mother, who was a tough woman to please. Next, they had browsed at the Gap, where Rory bought herself a new pair of khaki shorts with a drawstring and a pink and yellow striped halter. Then, they had eaten lunch on the veranda at Chez Jean-Eugène, sipping on their iced tea with a lemon twist and giggling about nothing in particular. Finally had come Lane's big surprise. They had made their way to The Orchid, the mall's salon, where Lane treated her best friend to two hours of absolute pampering. They had both gotten manicures, deep hair conditioning treatments and now they were getting facials.
"Thank you so much for doing this for me today." Removing one of the pieces of cooling cucumber that covered her eyes, Rory looked at her friend gratefully and smiled.
Lane looked over at her companion and grinned. She had known that this was the exact kind of day that Rory needed to forget about her problems. Smiling smugly, she rested her head against the soft pillow on the back of the reclining chair and closed her eyes.
Three quarters of an hour later, Lane and Rory walked out of the salon, their hands filled with bags and boxes from the purchases they had made that day. Before leaving for Stars Hollow, Lane suggested they go browse at the mall's bookstore. Eagerly, Rory led the way through the semi-crowded halls, past the waterfall and up the escalator. They browsed in the bookstore for nearly an hour and a half, and Rory treated herself to three new novels and a book of Shakespearian plays.
The two girls made their way out of the store, chatting about their day and how much good it had done them both. As they walked around the corner, Rory suddenly bumped into a muscular arm, and found herself face to face with Jess. Astounded, she stuttered a hello.
"J-jess... what are you doing here?" she asked.
It was then that she noticed the petite blonde clinging to his arm. The girl wore a short denim skirt, a navel bearing pink tee that showed way too much cleavage and a daring pair of wedge heeled sandals.
He stammered, "Rory, hi. Um, this is Karaley..."
Assuming the worst, Rory didn't even give Jess the chance to finish what he had started saying. Hurt, she briskly turned on her heel and, giving Jess a deathly look, stormed out into the parking lot, with Lane close behind.