"He's creepy."
"Yes."
"He's sneaky."
"Yes."
"He's horny."
"Ewww, Mom!"
"He's slimy."
"Yes, Mummy. He's all things that end in 'y. Can I go now?"
"He's greasy."
Rory sighed, covering her ears with her hands and blocking out her mother's voice.
"I don't want you to hang out with Jess."
"WHAT?" Rory cried, tearing her hands away.
"IF Grant is with him. I don't want you near him, Rory."
"You're right, we don't like him, but I can handle myself."
"I know you can. But I don't trust him."
Grant tapped his foot impatiently as Jess finished putting plates down at a full table.
"Dude, let's go. It's already almost 9."
Jess nodded, tossing his apron away.
They started walking out of the diner, but were stopped by Luke's voice . "Where do you two think you're going?"
"Out." Jess said.
"No out, you're working."
"Come on man, it's summer. Let us live!" Grant drawled.
Luke shrugged. "Fine. Lose money. Just be back by 12."
Grant let out a snort, and said, "Right, Luke. 12. That'll happen."
He walked out the door, followed by Jess. Luke groaned in frustration.
"Why HELLO Luke dahlin."
"Don't call me that."
"Why not?"
"Because."
"Where's Jess?" Rory asked, looking around at the diner.
"And the wanna-be Grease-man?" Lorelai pitched in.
"They left. NO idea where they went."
Rory commented she was going to the bathroom, and she stood up and departed.
"You're worried, aren't you?" Lorelai asked, taking in Luke's contorted face and compulsive wiping of the counter.
"No."
"Sure you are." Lorelai argued. "I'm intuitive. I know these things."
"You pronounced the word wrong," Luke insulted her.
"Right, right, Mr. CINMAN!"
Luke frowned, wringing the towel in his hands.
"You wanna know what I think?" Lorelai asked him.
Luke looked at her incredulously, then said flatly, "No."
"I think you're worried he's going to go back to the way he was. Not that he's much better now, but he's a little bit, and—"
"He already is."
"Is what?"
"The way he was before."
Grant and Jess pulled up in Grant's truck in front of a warehouse.
"How'd you find out about this?" Jess asked as they got out of the car and began walking towards the building.
"I eavesdropped on some conversations in the diner. Don't tell me you've never done that." Jess shrugged, thinking *Only Rory's conversations.*
"Okay, party. Fun. Be the Jess I used to know, alright?" Grant demanded.
They entered the building. Their eyes adjusted to the dark atmosphere and watered at the smoke drifting throughout the room. Green light fell over the building, illuminating the dancing bodies.
"Alright! This is the life," Grant smiled, watching a leggy brunette stroll by.
Jess nodded uncomfortably. He hadn't been in this kind of atmosphere in awhile, and he wasn't sure how to act.
The two guys strolled over to a table, beers and cigarettes littering the surface between food plates and bowls of punch.
Grant grabbed two beers out of a tub of ice, handing one to Jess as his gray eyes traveled over the packed room.
Jess took it. He hadn't had one since that night at Lorelai's. Luke got rid of all of his. Jess sighed, popping the lid off and taking a deep swig. He relished the familiar taste.
"My man, duty calls," Grant said, looking over at a petite girl with dirty blonde dressed in a tight black dress and her companion, a voluptuous brunette in leather pants and a crop top.
Grant headed over, and Jess followed.
Grant and the brunette, who's name was Emma, were engaged in a tight, lip-locked embrace on one of the couches. Jess awkwardly smiled at the blonde, Cara, who winked at him.
Grant came up for air, looking at his friend and Cara, sitting on opposite ends of the couch. He sighed, whispered something in Emma's ear that made her giggle, and instructed Jess to come with him.
"Come on, dude. She's hot!" Grant said as they grabbed beers off the table.
Jess replied, "Yeah, I guess."
"This town has poisoned your mind. Get back to the way you used to be, Mariano. It can't be too difficult." Jess nodded resolutely, and they returned to the girls.
"He's better now," Grant said to Cara, smiling. He leaned over his girl, kissing her neck.
Jess sat down close to Cara, a winning smile on his face.
She leaned in, and their lips locked.
"Yes."
"He's sneaky."
"Yes."
"He's horny."
"Ewww, Mom!"
"He's slimy."
"Yes, Mummy. He's all things that end in 'y. Can I go now?"
"He's greasy."
Rory sighed, covering her ears with her hands and blocking out her mother's voice.
"I don't want you to hang out with Jess."
"WHAT?" Rory cried, tearing her hands away.
"IF Grant is with him. I don't want you near him, Rory."
"You're right, we don't like him, but I can handle myself."
"I know you can. But I don't trust him."
Grant tapped his foot impatiently as Jess finished putting plates down at a full table.
"Dude, let's go. It's already almost 9."
Jess nodded, tossing his apron away.
They started walking out of the diner, but were stopped by Luke's voice . "Where do you two think you're going?"
"Out." Jess said.
"No out, you're working."
"Come on man, it's summer. Let us live!" Grant drawled.
Luke shrugged. "Fine. Lose money. Just be back by 12."
Grant let out a snort, and said, "Right, Luke. 12. That'll happen."
He walked out the door, followed by Jess. Luke groaned in frustration.
"Why HELLO Luke dahlin."
"Don't call me that."
"Why not?"
"Because."
"Where's Jess?" Rory asked, looking around at the diner.
"And the wanna-be Grease-man?" Lorelai pitched in.
"They left. NO idea where they went."
Rory commented she was going to the bathroom, and she stood up and departed.
"You're worried, aren't you?" Lorelai asked, taking in Luke's contorted face and compulsive wiping of the counter.
"No."
"Sure you are." Lorelai argued. "I'm intuitive. I know these things."
"You pronounced the word wrong," Luke insulted her.
"Right, right, Mr. CINMAN!"
Luke frowned, wringing the towel in his hands.
"You wanna know what I think?" Lorelai asked him.
Luke looked at her incredulously, then said flatly, "No."
"I think you're worried he's going to go back to the way he was. Not that he's much better now, but he's a little bit, and—"
"He already is."
"Is what?"
"The way he was before."
Grant and Jess pulled up in Grant's truck in front of a warehouse.
"How'd you find out about this?" Jess asked as they got out of the car and began walking towards the building.
"I eavesdropped on some conversations in the diner. Don't tell me you've never done that." Jess shrugged, thinking *Only Rory's conversations.*
"Okay, party. Fun. Be the Jess I used to know, alright?" Grant demanded.
They entered the building. Their eyes adjusted to the dark atmosphere and watered at the smoke drifting throughout the room. Green light fell over the building, illuminating the dancing bodies.
"Alright! This is the life," Grant smiled, watching a leggy brunette stroll by.
Jess nodded uncomfortably. He hadn't been in this kind of atmosphere in awhile, and he wasn't sure how to act.
The two guys strolled over to a table, beers and cigarettes littering the surface between food plates and bowls of punch.
Grant grabbed two beers out of a tub of ice, handing one to Jess as his gray eyes traveled over the packed room.
Jess took it. He hadn't had one since that night at Lorelai's. Luke got rid of all of his. Jess sighed, popping the lid off and taking a deep swig. He relished the familiar taste.
"My man, duty calls," Grant said, looking over at a petite girl with dirty blonde dressed in a tight black dress and her companion, a voluptuous brunette in leather pants and a crop top.
Grant headed over, and Jess followed.
Grant and the brunette, who's name was Emma, were engaged in a tight, lip-locked embrace on one of the couches. Jess awkwardly smiled at the blonde, Cara, who winked at him.
Grant came up for air, looking at his friend and Cara, sitting on opposite ends of the couch. He sighed, whispered something in Emma's ear that made her giggle, and instructed Jess to come with him.
"Come on, dude. She's hot!" Grant said as they grabbed beers off the table.
Jess replied, "Yeah, I guess."
"This town has poisoned your mind. Get back to the way you used to be, Mariano. It can't be too difficult." Jess nodded resolutely, and they returned to the girls.
"He's better now," Grant said to Cara, smiling. He leaned over his girl, kissing her neck.
Jess sat down close to Cara, a winning smile on his face.
She leaned in, and their lips locked.