"Rory, get up."
"No, don't want to," Rory moaned, trying to pull the comforter over her head to block out her mother's voice.
"Rooooory!" Lorelai teased her daughter, peeling the blanket back and exposing Rory to the early morning chill in the air.
"It's Saturday. I'm tired," Rory whimpered, blindly reaching for the comforter. Lorelai held a cup of coffee and held it under Rory's nose. She inhaled the scent, trying to grab it.
"Nope!" Lorelai teased, pulling the mug out of Rory's reach. "Come into the kitchen."
"Fine," Rory conceded, sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of her bed.
Lorelai backed out of the room, holding the coffee in front of her as bait for the stumbling, still half-asleep Rory.
Rory grabbed the cup out of her mother's hands and took a deep sip, then asked "What is it dearest mommy?"
"You got a letter."
"From who?" Rory asked, not knowing who would write her.
"CMAA."
"What's that?"
"Conneticut Modeling and Acting Agency. You, my dear, are going to be famous!"
Rory looked at her mother with disgust and concern. "You're so very crazy it scares me."
"Come on! It'll be fun! There's a pageant! You can wear a pretty dress and prance around in a bathing suit! You'll have to find a talent…"
Rory walked back into her room, yelling "I'm not listening!"
"You're going to be so pretty!"
"Leave me alone!" Rory laughed at her overly enthusiastic mother. She closed the door in Lorelai's face but could still hear her going on and on about makeup brands and bikinis.
Rory crawled into bed, muffling her mother's laughing voice with a pillow over her ears.
"Dean!" Rory smiled at her boyfriend when she ran into him at the diner.
"Hey, Ror," Dean smiled, kissing her quickly. He grabbed his takeout from he counter and started to head towards the door.
"Dean, where are you going?" Rory asked him, confused.
"I have to go home and study," Dean explained. "Finals."
"Oh…" Rory said, disappointed. "I thought we had a date."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Dean said, genuinely upset. "I forgot….but it's the history one and you know how I always forget dates…." Rory laughed at his unintentional joke.
They kissed goodbye, and Dean left the diner.
"Two nights in a row, huh?" Jess said from behind the counter, pouring a cup of coffee for Rory.
"What do you mean?"
"You were supposed to go out last night, too."
"You were listening to my conversation?" Rory questioned indignantly, crossing her arms.
"Rory, you were talking loud enough for the entire diner to hear."
Rory blushed, and took a sip of her drink.
"So I take it you're free tonight, huh?" Jess asked her. *Am I actually gonna do this?* he thought to himself.
"Um, yeah, I guess."
"Well Luke's letting me off work tonight, so do you want to watch a movie or something?"
Rory nodded, "Sounds good."
Jess wondered what she was thinking of it. As a date, or just friends?
"Well, you can just come by here around 7?"
"Uh, sure." Rory said, wondering how Dean would react if he knew the night she was supposed to be with him she was going to hang out with Jess.
"Hey," Jess said as Rory entered the diner that evening. "Let's just go on up to the apartment." They walked up after Rory looked around and didn't see any townspeople who would make a big deal out of that fact.
"So I got Brokedown Palace and O, sound good?"
"Sounds depressing, but of course."
The two settled into the couch, Rory not making a point to sit far away from Jess. She didn't notice his body tense as she leaned over for the popcorn and brushed his knee.
They watched the movies, got something to eat from downstairs, and near the end of the second film Jess glanced over at Rory, who's cheeks were streaked with tears.
She turned to look at Jess, and said defensively, "What?"
"Oh, nothing," Jess said innocently. "I just didn't know you cried at movies."
"It's sad! I'm allowed to cry if a movie is sad."
"Sure, sure," he smiled.
The movie finished, and Rory went into the bathroom to wash off her face.
"What time is it?" she asked Jess when she emerged, tying back her hair.
"Uh…" Jess glanced at his watch. "Almost 12."
Rory nodded, "I should probably get home. I have to study all day tomorrow." Rory said goodbye to Luke when they went downstairs, who was wiping down the tables, and to Jess.
"Nah, I'll walk you home," Jess said, exiting the diner with her.
"You don't have to."
"Come on. Stars Hollow is dangerous. Muggers and such." Rory laughed, and the two started walking through the courtyard.
They walked home in quiet, and then they arrived at Rory's house.
"So, I'll probably see you tomorrow at the diner," Rory said.
Jess nodded, and they said goodbye.
Rory entered the house, and Jess walked back home, romantic thoughts running through his head he'd never thought he would have. And gloating at his small victory over Dean.
The maroon truck pulled over at a cheap hotel with a blinking blue sign. He got out of the car, and went in to the main office. He looked around at the stained carpet and peeling walls.
"Room for one," he gruffly told the overworked, underpaid woman at the front desk.
She tossed him the key, told him 20 bucks a night, and he went up to his room.
He pulled out a cigarette and lighted it, deeply inhaling.
Looking at the map he held, he figured out it would take him a little less than a week.
Then he'd be there.
"No, don't want to," Rory moaned, trying to pull the comforter over her head to block out her mother's voice.
"Rooooory!" Lorelai teased her daughter, peeling the blanket back and exposing Rory to the early morning chill in the air.
"It's Saturday. I'm tired," Rory whimpered, blindly reaching for the comforter. Lorelai held a cup of coffee and held it under Rory's nose. She inhaled the scent, trying to grab it.
"Nope!" Lorelai teased, pulling the mug out of Rory's reach. "Come into the kitchen."
"Fine," Rory conceded, sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of her bed.
Lorelai backed out of the room, holding the coffee in front of her as bait for the stumbling, still half-asleep Rory.
Rory grabbed the cup out of her mother's hands and took a deep sip, then asked "What is it dearest mommy?"
"You got a letter."
"From who?" Rory asked, not knowing who would write her.
"CMAA."
"What's that?"
"Conneticut Modeling and Acting Agency. You, my dear, are going to be famous!"
Rory looked at her mother with disgust and concern. "You're so very crazy it scares me."
"Come on! It'll be fun! There's a pageant! You can wear a pretty dress and prance around in a bathing suit! You'll have to find a talent…"
Rory walked back into her room, yelling "I'm not listening!"
"You're going to be so pretty!"
"Leave me alone!" Rory laughed at her overly enthusiastic mother. She closed the door in Lorelai's face but could still hear her going on and on about makeup brands and bikinis.
Rory crawled into bed, muffling her mother's laughing voice with a pillow over her ears.
"Dean!" Rory smiled at her boyfriend when she ran into him at the diner.
"Hey, Ror," Dean smiled, kissing her quickly. He grabbed his takeout from he counter and started to head towards the door.
"Dean, where are you going?" Rory asked him, confused.
"I have to go home and study," Dean explained. "Finals."
"Oh…" Rory said, disappointed. "I thought we had a date."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Dean said, genuinely upset. "I forgot….but it's the history one and you know how I always forget dates…." Rory laughed at his unintentional joke.
They kissed goodbye, and Dean left the diner.
"Two nights in a row, huh?" Jess said from behind the counter, pouring a cup of coffee for Rory.
"What do you mean?"
"You were supposed to go out last night, too."
"You were listening to my conversation?" Rory questioned indignantly, crossing her arms.
"Rory, you were talking loud enough for the entire diner to hear."
Rory blushed, and took a sip of her drink.
"So I take it you're free tonight, huh?" Jess asked her. *Am I actually gonna do this?* he thought to himself.
"Um, yeah, I guess."
"Well Luke's letting me off work tonight, so do you want to watch a movie or something?"
Rory nodded, "Sounds good."
Jess wondered what she was thinking of it. As a date, or just friends?
"Well, you can just come by here around 7?"
"Uh, sure." Rory said, wondering how Dean would react if he knew the night she was supposed to be with him she was going to hang out with Jess.
"Hey," Jess said as Rory entered the diner that evening. "Let's just go on up to the apartment." They walked up after Rory looked around and didn't see any townspeople who would make a big deal out of that fact.
"So I got Brokedown Palace and O, sound good?"
"Sounds depressing, but of course."
The two settled into the couch, Rory not making a point to sit far away from Jess. She didn't notice his body tense as she leaned over for the popcorn and brushed his knee.
They watched the movies, got something to eat from downstairs, and near the end of the second film Jess glanced over at Rory, who's cheeks were streaked with tears.
She turned to look at Jess, and said defensively, "What?"
"Oh, nothing," Jess said innocently. "I just didn't know you cried at movies."
"It's sad! I'm allowed to cry if a movie is sad."
"Sure, sure," he smiled.
The movie finished, and Rory went into the bathroom to wash off her face.
"What time is it?" she asked Jess when she emerged, tying back her hair.
"Uh…" Jess glanced at his watch. "Almost 12."
Rory nodded, "I should probably get home. I have to study all day tomorrow." Rory said goodbye to Luke when they went downstairs, who was wiping down the tables, and to Jess.
"Nah, I'll walk you home," Jess said, exiting the diner with her.
"You don't have to."
"Come on. Stars Hollow is dangerous. Muggers and such." Rory laughed, and the two started walking through the courtyard.
They walked home in quiet, and then they arrived at Rory's house.
"So, I'll probably see you tomorrow at the diner," Rory said.
Jess nodded, and they said goodbye.
Rory entered the house, and Jess walked back home, romantic thoughts running through his head he'd never thought he would have. And gloating at his small victory over Dean.
The maroon truck pulled over at a cheap hotel with a blinking blue sign. He got out of the car, and went in to the main office. He looked around at the stained carpet and peeling walls.
"Room for one," he gruffly told the overworked, underpaid woman at the front desk.
She tossed him the key, told him 20 bucks a night, and he went up to his room.
He pulled out a cigarette and lighted it, deeply inhaling.
Looking at the map he held, he figured out it would take him a little less than a week.
Then he'd be there.