A/N:: Ready to see who the mysterious person is?? Do you know who it is yet?? I bet you do. Read, enjoy, and please review!! You guys rock. Oh, and, sorry if this chapter doesn't meet up to...your hopes or whatever, lol. I, personally, liked it, but my proofreaders, I think, expected a little more. Apparently this chapter is a bit dull. Sorry about that!! ;/
Chapter 7
Jess sighed, setting down his book. He had just read two full pages, but he couldn't remember a single sentence in it. He just had other things on his mind. Usually reading helped him forget those things, push them to the back of his mind. Not this time.
He couldn't stop thinking about Rory. His head had been spinning since they kissed. And then today she breaks up with Dean? What does that mean? Even though he was more confused than he'd ever admit, he couldn't bring himself to talk to the one person who could set him straight again-Rory.
Every time he saw her, he either ran away or ignored her. She probably hated him by now. For all he knew, she might have even already gotten back together with Dean.
The more he thought about it, the more Jess wanted to see Rory, to talk about what happened, and what happens next.
Gathering up all his courage, and before he could change his mind yet again, Jess headed back downstairs. He passed Luke, said he was going 'out', and left the diner.
With newfound resolve, Jess walked the familiar path to the Gilmore house. He didn't know what to expect to happen on this visit, but one thing was for sure-he DIDN'T expect the door to already be opened, with Rory standing beside it. Jess started to walk up the walkway, until he noticed the target of Rory's gaze. She wasn't alone.
Jess stopped dead in his tracks. Some unknown guy casually held out his arm for a hug. Rory hesitantly hugged him, almost in a daze.
Jess's eyes narrowed. Who was this guy? Feeling himself growing a little jealous, he stepped back into the shadows, a dejected frown on his face. Apparently their kiss had meant nothing. A spur of the moment, never-to-happen-again...kiss.
How had he let this happen? Something about this girl got to him, from the moment he first saw her. God, how cheesy was that?
Jess kicked an empty soda can on the ground, watching as it bounced to a stop about twenty feet away. It seemed so out of place. He looked around but didn't see another piece of trash.
It was at that moment when he realized he had to get out of that town-of the state altogether. He had to go back to New York.
"What are you doing here?" Rory asked breathlessly. She made no move to step aside and let him in.
"I don't know, to tell you the truth."
"Are you just visiting?" Rory asked. She finally, reluctantly, stepped aside and Tristan followed her inside.
"I'm just visiting," he confirmed, looking around the room.
"Oh, okay. Well, um, just sit down and I'll be right back. I'll go get some sodas."
Tristan nodded, sitting down on the couch and reaching for the TV remote.
Rory hurried into the kitchen, where Lorelai was hiding out.
"Mom!" she hissed.
Lorelai, who had been trying to escape out the kitchen door, turned around, a guilty smile on her face. She looked at Rory, her expression turning to one of innocence. "Hey, Ror, I was just checking the, um...lock." She coughed. "Yeah, just making sure it works good, since...our key is missing." Lorelai stopped, trying to think of a better-sounding excuse.
"Don't leave me here!" Rory cried. She lowered her voice. "You shouldn't have let him in in the first place," she muttered.
"But you did, I didn't," Lorelai said defensively.
"Okay, fine. How do we get rid of him?"
"I don't know..." Lorelai threw her hands up. "Tell him it's your bedtime."
"What?"
"Is he a lowlife?"
Rory slowly shook her head, confused. "He got sent to military school, but-"
"Ooh, lowlife!" Lorelai laughed. "Hun, I'm going to Luke's. Don't forget to hide the lowlife in your room before mommy comes home. Oh wait, did that..." Lorelai grinned and kissed Rory on the forehead.
Rory watched helplessly as her mother cowardly left out the kitchen door. Taking a deep breath, she made her way back to the living room.
"You're what?" Luke asked, wondering if he had heard right.
"I'm going to New York in the morning," Jess repeated, hovering over an unpacked suitcase. He started shoving in some clothes, then placed a few carefully selected books on top, shutting the suitcase.
"I see, and are you planning on coming back?"
"I don't really know yet. But if I decide not to, I'll send for my things."
"And that's it?"
"What's 'it'?"
"You're not going to tell me why you are running away from Stars Hollow?"
Jess glanced up. "I'm not running away," he pointed out. "I just...don't see the point of staying anymore."
Luke nodded. "Does this have something to do with Rory?"
Jess's face clouded briefly, and his jaw clenched. "She can do what she wants."
Luke half-smiled at Jess. "I wasn't talking about her, I was talking about you," he replied, happy to be getting somewhere in this conversation with Jess.
Jess seemed unfazed by it all. "I can do what I want, too. And I want to go to New York. If you can spare me, that is," he said wryly.
"Tell Liz I said Hi."
Lorelai knocked on the door to Luke's diner, spotting Luke's shadow across the room.
He turned and walked over to unlock the door for her. He opened the door and turned on the lights. "Hey."
"Hey," Lorelai replied. "What's going on, why are you closed?"
"No one was here."
"Maybe, but you should have anticipated my arrival."
"Apparently I should have," Luke agreed dryly, grabbing two cups and filling them with coffee. "Where's Rory?"
"She's, um..." Lorelai scratched her head. "She's at home."
Jess, who had been listening from the stairs, finally walked over, making his presence known. He avoided Lorelai's imploring eyes, grabbing his own cup and filling it with coffee.
"Is she okay?"
Lorelai frowned at Luke. "Why wouldn't she be?"
"Well, she broke up with Dean, I thought."
"Oh! Yeah, she's a tough kid. And so is he. They'll be fine."
'She sure found someone to cheer her up pretty quickly,' Jess thought bitterly. He wished they'd just stop talking about Rory already. Did Lorelai think that just because he and Rory had kissed, that he'd want to hear about her all night? Well, he didn't. Because apparently...their kiss had meant nothing.
"I know I'm probably the last person you want to see, but I wanted to see you while I was here," Tristan said with a shrug.
"Okay, as long as you're not expecting anything to happen with us."
Tristan looked at her in amusement. "Like what?"
Rory blushed. "I don't know. I just mean, well, I'm-"
"Seeing someone?" Tristan offered.
"Yeah. No-maybe. Oh, I don't know!"
Rory's eyes involuntarily filled with angry tears at the thought of Jess, but she hastily wiped them away. She hated how he had been ignoring her so much. Had their kiss meant nothing?
"Dean?" Tristan asked, handing her a tissue.
Rory wiped her eyes, crumbling the damp tissue in her fist. "Jess."
"Jess? Who the hell is Jess?"
"Luke's nephew. Do you know who Luke is?"
Tristan shrugged, a blank look on his face.
"Just forget it. It's a long story, anyway," Rory sighed.
Tristan watched as she took deep breaths, fighting to keep the tears from falling.
"I guess you picked a bad time to visit," Rory told him, before her face crumbled and she began to sob.
About half an hour later, Rory was calmed down, leaning back against the couch beside Tristan. He casually placed an arm on the back of the couch, just above her head.
Rory, fully embarrassed over the show she had just put on for Tristan, kept quiet.
He accepted her silence for awhile, but eventually he got bored. He shook Rory, who had almost drifted off to sleep.
"Hey."
"Huh-what?" Rory asked sleepily.
"I have to leave soon, and I am probably going back to Hartford in the morning, and then I won't see you. I thought..."
Rory smiled. "I know, I'm sorry. I'll try to stay awake. So what's military school like?"
"It's...alright, I guess. I'd rather be at Chilton with you and the guys, though. Even Paris. How's she doing? Is she still-"
"Paris? Yeah, she hasn't changed," Rory told him.
"Hey," Tristan exclaimed suddenly, as a thought occurred to him. "One of the guys is throwing me a party tomorrow night. Wanna come?"
"Um..." Rory bit her lip. She didn't have many Chilton friends. At lunch, she was always the quiet one sitting off to the side by herself, engrossed in a good book. She felt no need to make new friends. She already had plenty back home in Stars Hollow. Of course, half of them were twice her age, but that didn't matter to her.
"You can bring whoever you want..."
"Um..."
"Dean, Rain, JESS..."
"It's Lane," Rory said automatically. And she didn't even bother to explain the situation with Dean.
Tristan apologized and searched her face for a definite answer. "Is that a yes?" he asked.
Rory smiled uncertainly. "Where is it again?"
"Hey, Luke," Lorelai called as Jess walked upstairs to go to bed.
"Yeah?"
"What's with Jess? He was moody tonight. I mean, ever more so than usual." She glanced after Jess, even though he was already up in the apartment above the diner with the door closed.
"I don't know. Something happened tonight when he left the diner. He came back and said he was going back to New York in the morning."
Lorelai gasped. "For good?"
"He told me he didn't know."
Lorelai frowned in confusion, staring at the coffee cup she held between her hands. After Jess finally wormed his way to Rory's heard, he just up and leaves? How typical of him!
"But..."
"I even mentioned Rory to him and he said she could do what she wants. Do you know what he meant by that?"
"You're asking ME to explain Jess?"
"Did he fight with Rory or something?"
"Not that I know-OH." Lorelai groaned and let her head fall to the counter.
"What? 'Oh' what?" Luke demanded.
"Nothing. Do you know what time Jess's bus leaves?"
"Eight, I think."
"Okay, thanks," Lorelai said with a smile. She took one last sip of her coffee and stood up. "I better go. Rory has some lowlife over and I have to make sure he didn't seduce her while I was gone."
Luke's eyes widened. "What?"
"Relax, she likes Jess," Lorelai called over her shoulder as she walked to the door.
"She does?"
"Goodnight Luke."
"Goodnight, Lorelai," Luke responded, more than a little confused. Hand it to Lorelai to always be the one to confuse him.
A/N:: Again, sorry if the chapter was boring!! But thanks for the awesome reviews anyway...LoL I would've uploaded this yesterday, but it was my birthday and I was kinda busy. But, yay, it's here, so please review!! ;)
Chapter 7
Jess sighed, setting down his book. He had just read two full pages, but he couldn't remember a single sentence in it. He just had other things on his mind. Usually reading helped him forget those things, push them to the back of his mind. Not this time.
He couldn't stop thinking about Rory. His head had been spinning since they kissed. And then today she breaks up with Dean? What does that mean? Even though he was more confused than he'd ever admit, he couldn't bring himself to talk to the one person who could set him straight again-Rory.
Every time he saw her, he either ran away or ignored her. She probably hated him by now. For all he knew, she might have even already gotten back together with Dean.
The more he thought about it, the more Jess wanted to see Rory, to talk about what happened, and what happens next.
Gathering up all his courage, and before he could change his mind yet again, Jess headed back downstairs. He passed Luke, said he was going 'out', and left the diner.
With newfound resolve, Jess walked the familiar path to the Gilmore house. He didn't know what to expect to happen on this visit, but one thing was for sure-he DIDN'T expect the door to already be opened, with Rory standing beside it. Jess started to walk up the walkway, until he noticed the target of Rory's gaze. She wasn't alone.
Jess stopped dead in his tracks. Some unknown guy casually held out his arm for a hug. Rory hesitantly hugged him, almost in a daze.
Jess's eyes narrowed. Who was this guy? Feeling himself growing a little jealous, he stepped back into the shadows, a dejected frown on his face. Apparently their kiss had meant nothing. A spur of the moment, never-to-happen-again...kiss.
How had he let this happen? Something about this girl got to him, from the moment he first saw her. God, how cheesy was that?
Jess kicked an empty soda can on the ground, watching as it bounced to a stop about twenty feet away. It seemed so out of place. He looked around but didn't see another piece of trash.
It was at that moment when he realized he had to get out of that town-of the state altogether. He had to go back to New York.
"What are you doing here?" Rory asked breathlessly. She made no move to step aside and let him in.
"I don't know, to tell you the truth."
"Are you just visiting?" Rory asked. She finally, reluctantly, stepped aside and Tristan followed her inside.
"I'm just visiting," he confirmed, looking around the room.
"Oh, okay. Well, um, just sit down and I'll be right back. I'll go get some sodas."
Tristan nodded, sitting down on the couch and reaching for the TV remote.
Rory hurried into the kitchen, where Lorelai was hiding out.
"Mom!" she hissed.
Lorelai, who had been trying to escape out the kitchen door, turned around, a guilty smile on her face. She looked at Rory, her expression turning to one of innocence. "Hey, Ror, I was just checking the, um...lock." She coughed. "Yeah, just making sure it works good, since...our key is missing." Lorelai stopped, trying to think of a better-sounding excuse.
"Don't leave me here!" Rory cried. She lowered her voice. "You shouldn't have let him in in the first place," she muttered.
"But you did, I didn't," Lorelai said defensively.
"Okay, fine. How do we get rid of him?"
"I don't know..." Lorelai threw her hands up. "Tell him it's your bedtime."
"What?"
"Is he a lowlife?"
Rory slowly shook her head, confused. "He got sent to military school, but-"
"Ooh, lowlife!" Lorelai laughed. "Hun, I'm going to Luke's. Don't forget to hide the lowlife in your room before mommy comes home. Oh wait, did that..." Lorelai grinned and kissed Rory on the forehead.
Rory watched helplessly as her mother cowardly left out the kitchen door. Taking a deep breath, she made her way back to the living room.
"You're what?" Luke asked, wondering if he had heard right.
"I'm going to New York in the morning," Jess repeated, hovering over an unpacked suitcase. He started shoving in some clothes, then placed a few carefully selected books on top, shutting the suitcase.
"I see, and are you planning on coming back?"
"I don't really know yet. But if I decide not to, I'll send for my things."
"And that's it?"
"What's 'it'?"
"You're not going to tell me why you are running away from Stars Hollow?"
Jess glanced up. "I'm not running away," he pointed out. "I just...don't see the point of staying anymore."
Luke nodded. "Does this have something to do with Rory?"
Jess's face clouded briefly, and his jaw clenched. "She can do what she wants."
Luke half-smiled at Jess. "I wasn't talking about her, I was talking about you," he replied, happy to be getting somewhere in this conversation with Jess.
Jess seemed unfazed by it all. "I can do what I want, too. And I want to go to New York. If you can spare me, that is," he said wryly.
"Tell Liz I said Hi."
Lorelai knocked on the door to Luke's diner, spotting Luke's shadow across the room.
He turned and walked over to unlock the door for her. He opened the door and turned on the lights. "Hey."
"Hey," Lorelai replied. "What's going on, why are you closed?"
"No one was here."
"Maybe, but you should have anticipated my arrival."
"Apparently I should have," Luke agreed dryly, grabbing two cups and filling them with coffee. "Where's Rory?"
"She's, um..." Lorelai scratched her head. "She's at home."
Jess, who had been listening from the stairs, finally walked over, making his presence known. He avoided Lorelai's imploring eyes, grabbing his own cup and filling it with coffee.
"Is she okay?"
Lorelai frowned at Luke. "Why wouldn't she be?"
"Well, she broke up with Dean, I thought."
"Oh! Yeah, she's a tough kid. And so is he. They'll be fine."
'She sure found someone to cheer her up pretty quickly,' Jess thought bitterly. He wished they'd just stop talking about Rory already. Did Lorelai think that just because he and Rory had kissed, that he'd want to hear about her all night? Well, he didn't. Because apparently...their kiss had meant nothing.
"I know I'm probably the last person you want to see, but I wanted to see you while I was here," Tristan said with a shrug.
"Okay, as long as you're not expecting anything to happen with us."
Tristan looked at her in amusement. "Like what?"
Rory blushed. "I don't know. I just mean, well, I'm-"
"Seeing someone?" Tristan offered.
"Yeah. No-maybe. Oh, I don't know!"
Rory's eyes involuntarily filled with angry tears at the thought of Jess, but she hastily wiped them away. She hated how he had been ignoring her so much. Had their kiss meant nothing?
"Dean?" Tristan asked, handing her a tissue.
Rory wiped her eyes, crumbling the damp tissue in her fist. "Jess."
"Jess? Who the hell is Jess?"
"Luke's nephew. Do you know who Luke is?"
Tristan shrugged, a blank look on his face.
"Just forget it. It's a long story, anyway," Rory sighed.
Tristan watched as she took deep breaths, fighting to keep the tears from falling.
"I guess you picked a bad time to visit," Rory told him, before her face crumbled and she began to sob.
About half an hour later, Rory was calmed down, leaning back against the couch beside Tristan. He casually placed an arm on the back of the couch, just above her head.
Rory, fully embarrassed over the show she had just put on for Tristan, kept quiet.
He accepted her silence for awhile, but eventually he got bored. He shook Rory, who had almost drifted off to sleep.
"Hey."
"Huh-what?" Rory asked sleepily.
"I have to leave soon, and I am probably going back to Hartford in the morning, and then I won't see you. I thought..."
Rory smiled. "I know, I'm sorry. I'll try to stay awake. So what's military school like?"
"It's...alright, I guess. I'd rather be at Chilton with you and the guys, though. Even Paris. How's she doing? Is she still-"
"Paris? Yeah, she hasn't changed," Rory told him.
"Hey," Tristan exclaimed suddenly, as a thought occurred to him. "One of the guys is throwing me a party tomorrow night. Wanna come?"
"Um..." Rory bit her lip. She didn't have many Chilton friends. At lunch, she was always the quiet one sitting off to the side by herself, engrossed in a good book. She felt no need to make new friends. She already had plenty back home in Stars Hollow. Of course, half of them were twice her age, but that didn't matter to her.
"You can bring whoever you want..."
"Um..."
"Dean, Rain, JESS..."
"It's Lane," Rory said automatically. And she didn't even bother to explain the situation with Dean.
Tristan apologized and searched her face for a definite answer. "Is that a yes?" he asked.
Rory smiled uncertainly. "Where is it again?"
"Hey, Luke," Lorelai called as Jess walked upstairs to go to bed.
"Yeah?"
"What's with Jess? He was moody tonight. I mean, ever more so than usual." She glanced after Jess, even though he was already up in the apartment above the diner with the door closed.
"I don't know. Something happened tonight when he left the diner. He came back and said he was going back to New York in the morning."
Lorelai gasped. "For good?"
"He told me he didn't know."
Lorelai frowned in confusion, staring at the coffee cup she held between her hands. After Jess finally wormed his way to Rory's heard, he just up and leaves? How typical of him!
"But..."
"I even mentioned Rory to him and he said she could do what she wants. Do you know what he meant by that?"
"You're asking ME to explain Jess?"
"Did he fight with Rory or something?"
"Not that I know-OH." Lorelai groaned and let her head fall to the counter.
"What? 'Oh' what?" Luke demanded.
"Nothing. Do you know what time Jess's bus leaves?"
"Eight, I think."
"Okay, thanks," Lorelai said with a smile. She took one last sip of her coffee and stood up. "I better go. Rory has some lowlife over and I have to make sure he didn't seduce her while I was gone."
Luke's eyes widened. "What?"
"Relax, she likes Jess," Lorelai called over her shoulder as she walked to the door.
"She does?"
"Goodnight Luke."
"Goodnight, Lorelai," Luke responded, more than a little confused. Hand it to Lorelai to always be the one to confuse him.
A/N:: Again, sorry if the chapter was boring!! But thanks for the awesome reviews anyway...LoL I would've uploaded this yesterday, but it was my birthday and I was kinda busy. But, yay, it's here, so please review!! ;)
