Full Circle
AN: Sorry it's been so long, but school is crazy and I've got college apps and tons of stuff to do! Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed so far, it really means a lot to me!!
** Chapter 6- Truly Stupid Sometimes
The next morning, things were very awkward. When Rory walked out of her room and into the kitchen for breakfast, Jess didn't even look up from his cereal. In fact, when she took her own seat at the table, he grabbed his bowl and walked out the door to sit in the living room. She didn't know what to do, but she figured that he just needed some time to cool off, so she dug into her cereal in silence.
Rory was surprised when, after several days, Jess had not yet come to her to talk about what had happened. She was a little hurt because, in the few days she had known him, she felt like they were forming a friendship and had some kind of connection between them. She decided to talk to him the next day, so that they could work things out before school started up again. It took all her patience and composure to wait those twelve hours or so, but somehow she managed to hold out.
After the same morning breakfast ritual the next morning, Rory went to find Jess. He wasn't sitting in the living room as usual, nor was he in his room or the bathroom. She had no idea where he could have gone, so she grabbed a book and went out to the fire escape to wait for him. Much to her surprise, however, as she approached the living room window she saw Jess leaning against the railing, looking out over the horizon. She didn't want to disturb him, but she knew that they needed to work out their problems, so she slid silently out the window and shut it behind her. She couldn't give him a way out.
The thud as the window hit the ledge caught his attention and he turned his head to see what had happened. When he saw that it was Rory, his face became hard and he turned back towards the skyline. She refused to give up, though, and just began to speak. "Jess, look I'm sorry about what happened. I guess I should have told you about Dean." He didn't look at her, but she could distinctly hear his snort at that statement. "I don't want you to be mad at me. I thought we had something going between the two of us, we were getting along really well. We don't need to let the fact that I have a boyfriend get in the way of us being friends."
"Huh." That was all he said in response. Rory was more confused than she had been before, and she was hurt that he wouldn't talk to her. "What? Why won't you talk to me? I already told you I'm sorry!"
This time, he turned his body around completely and leaned his back against the railing, with arms crossed on his chest. At that moment she thought that if looks could kill, she would already be six-feet-under. Jess didn't say anything for a few minutes, he just stared, possible to determine whether or not she was being serious. Then he drew in a deep breath and began.
"Geez Rory, I don't know. Maybe it's because you were making out with me when you had a boyfriend, and you didn't even deign to let me in on that little fact. Here I am, being completely open with someone for practically the first time in my life and then I realize the reason to keep yourself, and all your emotions, bottled up inside."
She smiled a small, very sad smile. "You're right. I was so completely wrong, I never should have hooked up with you when I've been going out with Dean since, well, forever. But, honestly, what could I do? I find someone who is intriguing and smart and I know that there's this connection. My heart and my body takes over, leaving my brain in the dust. When I finally came to my senses, I knew that I couldn't justifiably throw away two years of my life because of some 'connection'. But I couldn't just, I don't know, let it go like that, just let 'us' go. I couldn't see you hurt if I told you that I was dating someone else."
Jess did his famous snort again. "Well golly-gee Rory, I'm glad that you were looking out for my feelings so much that you let me walk in on you and Frankenstein."
"I know, I know. For all the books I read, and the amount of school work that I do, it's amazing how truly stupid I can be sometimes. But I just didn't know what to do, and I still don't. I'm on the verge of losing something no matter what path I choose. On one hand, I could jump into something new and lose a huge chunk of my past, of a relationship that has been there for me. Granted, it hasn't been the most exciting thing at all times, but it's been stable and comfortable."
Here, Jess felt the need to interrupt her monologue. "Do you love him?"
She hesitated for a minute, struggling over her response. "I guess I do. I mean, I've told him that I love him, and in a way I do. But its more like the way you love your brother or your best friend. I don't know that I'm IN love with him. And if I were to stay with Dean, I would be losing the possibility for something great here with us, something new and exciting and completely different. And I couldn't just make up my mind in an instant, so I did the safe thing, which was to avoid the situation at all costs. Obviously my plan did work as well as I would have thought."
Jess seemed to turn back into 'silent Jess', grumpy and brooding. "Well I'm sorry that I caused so much turmoil in your life."
"Why would you say something like that? It's not your fault, if anything, I brought this upon myself for not addressing the situation earlier. It's just not the easiest decision to make."
A pained expression appeared on Jess' face before he spoke again. "Yeah, well you won't need to worry about your 'tough decision' any longer." He could tell by the way her forehead wrinkled and her eyebrows came together that she was confused, that she didn't understand what he was implying. "I'm not going to break you and your precious boyfriend up. I'm leaving."
** AN: Ahhh! Cliffhanger!! I'm sorry!! Don't hate me, I'm the biggest lit fan in the WORLD! It will get better! I suck at dialogue, so this chapter was less than great. Ugh. And I promise that the idea for this chapter came in no way from another show which I may or may not be obsessed with! It's all mine, it just happens to seem familiar to some of you. I promise to get the next chapter up as soon as possible, and it will be much better written! Please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter. Thank you!
AN: Sorry it's been so long, but school is crazy and I've got college apps and tons of stuff to do! Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed so far, it really means a lot to me!!
** Chapter 6- Truly Stupid Sometimes
The next morning, things were very awkward. When Rory walked out of her room and into the kitchen for breakfast, Jess didn't even look up from his cereal. In fact, when she took her own seat at the table, he grabbed his bowl and walked out the door to sit in the living room. She didn't know what to do, but she figured that he just needed some time to cool off, so she dug into her cereal in silence.
Rory was surprised when, after several days, Jess had not yet come to her to talk about what had happened. She was a little hurt because, in the few days she had known him, she felt like they were forming a friendship and had some kind of connection between them. She decided to talk to him the next day, so that they could work things out before school started up again. It took all her patience and composure to wait those twelve hours or so, but somehow she managed to hold out.
After the same morning breakfast ritual the next morning, Rory went to find Jess. He wasn't sitting in the living room as usual, nor was he in his room or the bathroom. She had no idea where he could have gone, so she grabbed a book and went out to the fire escape to wait for him. Much to her surprise, however, as she approached the living room window she saw Jess leaning against the railing, looking out over the horizon. She didn't want to disturb him, but she knew that they needed to work out their problems, so she slid silently out the window and shut it behind her. She couldn't give him a way out.
The thud as the window hit the ledge caught his attention and he turned his head to see what had happened. When he saw that it was Rory, his face became hard and he turned back towards the skyline. She refused to give up, though, and just began to speak. "Jess, look I'm sorry about what happened. I guess I should have told you about Dean." He didn't look at her, but she could distinctly hear his snort at that statement. "I don't want you to be mad at me. I thought we had something going between the two of us, we were getting along really well. We don't need to let the fact that I have a boyfriend get in the way of us being friends."
"Huh." That was all he said in response. Rory was more confused than she had been before, and she was hurt that he wouldn't talk to her. "What? Why won't you talk to me? I already told you I'm sorry!"
This time, he turned his body around completely and leaned his back against the railing, with arms crossed on his chest. At that moment she thought that if looks could kill, she would already be six-feet-under. Jess didn't say anything for a few minutes, he just stared, possible to determine whether or not she was being serious. Then he drew in a deep breath and began.
"Geez Rory, I don't know. Maybe it's because you were making out with me when you had a boyfriend, and you didn't even deign to let me in on that little fact. Here I am, being completely open with someone for practically the first time in my life and then I realize the reason to keep yourself, and all your emotions, bottled up inside."
She smiled a small, very sad smile. "You're right. I was so completely wrong, I never should have hooked up with you when I've been going out with Dean since, well, forever. But, honestly, what could I do? I find someone who is intriguing and smart and I know that there's this connection. My heart and my body takes over, leaving my brain in the dust. When I finally came to my senses, I knew that I couldn't justifiably throw away two years of my life because of some 'connection'. But I couldn't just, I don't know, let it go like that, just let 'us' go. I couldn't see you hurt if I told you that I was dating someone else."
Jess did his famous snort again. "Well golly-gee Rory, I'm glad that you were looking out for my feelings so much that you let me walk in on you and Frankenstein."
"I know, I know. For all the books I read, and the amount of school work that I do, it's amazing how truly stupid I can be sometimes. But I just didn't know what to do, and I still don't. I'm on the verge of losing something no matter what path I choose. On one hand, I could jump into something new and lose a huge chunk of my past, of a relationship that has been there for me. Granted, it hasn't been the most exciting thing at all times, but it's been stable and comfortable."
Here, Jess felt the need to interrupt her monologue. "Do you love him?"
She hesitated for a minute, struggling over her response. "I guess I do. I mean, I've told him that I love him, and in a way I do. But its more like the way you love your brother or your best friend. I don't know that I'm IN love with him. And if I were to stay with Dean, I would be losing the possibility for something great here with us, something new and exciting and completely different. And I couldn't just make up my mind in an instant, so I did the safe thing, which was to avoid the situation at all costs. Obviously my plan did work as well as I would have thought."
Jess seemed to turn back into 'silent Jess', grumpy and brooding. "Well I'm sorry that I caused so much turmoil in your life."
"Why would you say something like that? It's not your fault, if anything, I brought this upon myself for not addressing the situation earlier. It's just not the easiest decision to make."
A pained expression appeared on Jess' face before he spoke again. "Yeah, well you won't need to worry about your 'tough decision' any longer." He could tell by the way her forehead wrinkled and her eyebrows came together that she was confused, that she didn't understand what he was implying. "I'm not going to break you and your precious boyfriend up. I'm leaving."
** AN: Ahhh! Cliffhanger!! I'm sorry!! Don't hate me, I'm the biggest lit fan in the WORLD! It will get better! I suck at dialogue, so this chapter was less than great. Ugh. And I promise that the idea for this chapter came in no way from another show which I may or may not be obsessed with! It's all mine, it just happens to seem familiar to some of you. I promise to get the next chapter up as soon as possible, and it will be much better written! Please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter. Thank you!