Chapter 2: Slip of the Tongue
"TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS!! You have got to be kidding me!" Rory felt slightly faint looking at the long list of repairs that had to be done on her car before it was driveable again. There was no way she could afford that. At the moment all she had to her name was about sixty bucks and a change of clothes. The mechanic gave her a sympathetic look.
"I'm sorry miss, but that's the best I can do. I even knocked a bit of the labour costs off because Luke sent you over."
"It's okay, I understand…Thanks anyway."
Rory trudged back to the diner where she had eaten earlier. Best cheese fries she's ever had. Plus, it turned out that that Jess guy worked there too. His uncle Luke owned the place. He seemed like a nice enough guy himself, a little grumpy but still likeable.
As soon as Rory entered the diner, she slumped herself down at one of the tables, leaned forward and banged her forehead repeatedly on the table top.
"Rough day?" came a voice from beside her. It was Jess.
"Wow. I do believe you've just made the biggest understatement in the history of understatement. You should get a cookie," Rory replied, not bothering to even lift her head.
"That bad huh?"
"Yup."
"Anything I can do to help?"
"Not unless you've got two thousand dollars you'd like to part with…Ooh, but if you've got a salad bowl full of coffee I could drown myself in, I would be eternally grateful."
"Okay then, one waiter-assisted suicide coming up." Jess walked behind the counter and reappeared with a big mug of coffee. Rory took it gratefully in her hands and was about to take a sip but then stopped, remembering something.
"Um, Jess?"
"Yeah."
"Do you think I can get this in decaf instead?"
"Sure. But you do realize that decaf lacks the wonderful pick-me-up side effect that you so desperately need?" Rory shrugged.
"Ya, but apparently its not good for the baby…" The words were barely out of her mouth before realized what she'd said.
Jess' jaw practically hit the floor. Did she just say what he thought she said?
"You-you're pregnant?!"
Rory could have kicked herself in the ass. How did she just let that slip? Sure, Jess was easy to talk to, but he was still a virtual stranger. 'Very stupid, Hayden!' she mentally chastised herself.
"Rory?"
"Umhmm," she mumbled from behind her hands.
"Are you?" Jess came and sat next to her at the table, while Rory stared intently down at her shoes.
"Yeah, about two months."
"Um, wow," was the only response Jess could come up with.
"I know."
"So what are you gonna do? I mean, judging but the fact that you spent last night in your car, I'm guessing you're not going back home; wherever that is."
A few tears slipped down Rory's cheeks and Jess covered her hand with his trying to offer her some comfort.
"I actually don't have the slightest clue what I'm going to do. My car would be worth more as pop cans and I don't have a job or any means of taking care of myself of this baby."
"Well what about the father or your family?" suggested Jess wanting desperately to make things better for this girl; a girl her hardly even know for that matter. He couldn't explain it; he was just drawn to her.
"Ha," Rory laughed bitterly, "When I told Tristan that I was pregnant he told me that it was my problem and that he never wanted to see me again."
"Asshole," cursed Jess under his breath. Rory smirked in agreement and continued.
"Oh then there's my family. Hell, I don't even know if we could be called that. I haven't spoken to my father in almost six years and my mother is a pathetic drunk that can't even help herself, never mind me. I might as well face it Jess, I'm screwed." Rory buried her face in her hands sniffling slightly. As hard and embarrassing as all that was to say, she had to admit it still felt good to let it out. Jess' heart ached at the sight of her hopeless expression. Then suddenly and idea hit him. He hastily excused himself from the table and ran up the stairs at the back of the diner. Rory just shrugged and went back to brooding.
~UPSTAIRS~
"Uncle Luke!"
"I'm in the kitchen…and why aren't you working?" came Lukes voice from inside the apartment.
"I need to ask you a favor," Jess asked as he entered the kitchen.
"Did you piss Taylor off again? I swear Jess, if you-"
"Would you just listen for a second please? This is important."
"Alright but make it quick. If Kirk's left unsupervised down there, he'll start stealing danishes."
"Thank you. Now as I said I need a favor. Do you remember that girl who came in earlier, the one you sent to Mike's Auto Shop?" Luke's brow furrowed as he tried to remember.
"Oh yeah, Lori or something right?"
"Rory. But anyway, she needs a job and a place to crash for a while."
"And what does that have to do with me?" asked Luke already dreading Jess' response.
"Well…I was wondering if you'd let her stay in one of the apartments and work in the diner?" Jess looked at Luke pleadingly.
"Jess! You don't even know this girl! And more importantly, I don't even know this girl. No. Absolutely not Jess."
"Oh come on! It'll only be for a few months. Just until she can save up enough money to her car fixed and-"
"No," interrupted Luke as her walked out the kitchen. Jess followed close behind him.
"She has no where else to go."
"No."
Jess stepped in front of Luke and blocked his path downstairs to the diner.
"Uncle Luke…She's pregnant and spent last night in her car." Luke was about to say no again but Jess' words caught him off guard.
"What! But she's just a kid."
"Yeah, I know. I wouldn't have asked you to do this if it wasn't this important. Now PLEASE can she stay?" Luke ran his hand through his hair nervously and relented with a sigh.
"Alright. She can have apartment 2B and work in the diner for room and board."
"Thanks Uncle Luke! I owe you big time!" Jess almost hugged him, but he instead turned to descend the stars.
"You're damn right you owe me. And don't make me regret this Jess!" Luke called to his back as her raced down the stairs to tell Rory the good news.
"TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS!! You have got to be kidding me!" Rory felt slightly faint looking at the long list of repairs that had to be done on her car before it was driveable again. There was no way she could afford that. At the moment all she had to her name was about sixty bucks and a change of clothes. The mechanic gave her a sympathetic look.
"I'm sorry miss, but that's the best I can do. I even knocked a bit of the labour costs off because Luke sent you over."
"It's okay, I understand…Thanks anyway."
Rory trudged back to the diner where she had eaten earlier. Best cheese fries she's ever had. Plus, it turned out that that Jess guy worked there too. His uncle Luke owned the place. He seemed like a nice enough guy himself, a little grumpy but still likeable.
As soon as Rory entered the diner, she slumped herself down at one of the tables, leaned forward and banged her forehead repeatedly on the table top.
"Rough day?" came a voice from beside her. It was Jess.
"Wow. I do believe you've just made the biggest understatement in the history of understatement. You should get a cookie," Rory replied, not bothering to even lift her head.
"That bad huh?"
"Yup."
"Anything I can do to help?"
"Not unless you've got two thousand dollars you'd like to part with…Ooh, but if you've got a salad bowl full of coffee I could drown myself in, I would be eternally grateful."
"Okay then, one waiter-assisted suicide coming up." Jess walked behind the counter and reappeared with a big mug of coffee. Rory took it gratefully in her hands and was about to take a sip but then stopped, remembering something.
"Um, Jess?"
"Yeah."
"Do you think I can get this in decaf instead?"
"Sure. But you do realize that decaf lacks the wonderful pick-me-up side effect that you so desperately need?" Rory shrugged.
"Ya, but apparently its not good for the baby…" The words were barely out of her mouth before realized what she'd said.
Jess' jaw practically hit the floor. Did she just say what he thought she said?
"You-you're pregnant?!"
Rory could have kicked herself in the ass. How did she just let that slip? Sure, Jess was easy to talk to, but he was still a virtual stranger. 'Very stupid, Hayden!' she mentally chastised herself.
"Rory?"
"Umhmm," she mumbled from behind her hands.
"Are you?" Jess came and sat next to her at the table, while Rory stared intently down at her shoes.
"Yeah, about two months."
"Um, wow," was the only response Jess could come up with.
"I know."
"So what are you gonna do? I mean, judging but the fact that you spent last night in your car, I'm guessing you're not going back home; wherever that is."
A few tears slipped down Rory's cheeks and Jess covered her hand with his trying to offer her some comfort.
"I actually don't have the slightest clue what I'm going to do. My car would be worth more as pop cans and I don't have a job or any means of taking care of myself of this baby."
"Well what about the father or your family?" suggested Jess wanting desperately to make things better for this girl; a girl her hardly even know for that matter. He couldn't explain it; he was just drawn to her.
"Ha," Rory laughed bitterly, "When I told Tristan that I was pregnant he told me that it was my problem and that he never wanted to see me again."
"Asshole," cursed Jess under his breath. Rory smirked in agreement and continued.
"Oh then there's my family. Hell, I don't even know if we could be called that. I haven't spoken to my father in almost six years and my mother is a pathetic drunk that can't even help herself, never mind me. I might as well face it Jess, I'm screwed." Rory buried her face in her hands sniffling slightly. As hard and embarrassing as all that was to say, she had to admit it still felt good to let it out. Jess' heart ached at the sight of her hopeless expression. Then suddenly and idea hit him. He hastily excused himself from the table and ran up the stairs at the back of the diner. Rory just shrugged and went back to brooding.
~UPSTAIRS~
"Uncle Luke!"
"I'm in the kitchen…and why aren't you working?" came Lukes voice from inside the apartment.
"I need to ask you a favor," Jess asked as he entered the kitchen.
"Did you piss Taylor off again? I swear Jess, if you-"
"Would you just listen for a second please? This is important."
"Alright but make it quick. If Kirk's left unsupervised down there, he'll start stealing danishes."
"Thank you. Now as I said I need a favor. Do you remember that girl who came in earlier, the one you sent to Mike's Auto Shop?" Luke's brow furrowed as he tried to remember.
"Oh yeah, Lori or something right?"
"Rory. But anyway, she needs a job and a place to crash for a while."
"And what does that have to do with me?" asked Luke already dreading Jess' response.
"Well…I was wondering if you'd let her stay in one of the apartments and work in the diner?" Jess looked at Luke pleadingly.
"Jess! You don't even know this girl! And more importantly, I don't even know this girl. No. Absolutely not Jess."
"Oh come on! It'll only be for a few months. Just until she can save up enough money to her car fixed and-"
"No," interrupted Luke as her walked out the kitchen. Jess followed close behind him.
"She has no where else to go."
"No."
Jess stepped in front of Luke and blocked his path downstairs to the diner.
"Uncle Luke…She's pregnant and spent last night in her car." Luke was about to say no again but Jess' words caught him off guard.
"What! But she's just a kid."
"Yeah, I know. I wouldn't have asked you to do this if it wasn't this important. Now PLEASE can she stay?" Luke ran his hand through his hair nervously and relented with a sigh.
"Alright. She can have apartment 2B and work in the diner for room and board."
"Thanks Uncle Luke! I owe you big time!" Jess almost hugged him, but he instead turned to descend the stars.
"You're damn right you owe me. And don't make me regret this Jess!" Luke called to his back as her raced down the stairs to tell Rory the good news.