Author's Note: Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for the reviews. I really appreciate them. Thank you also for those you who put this story on your favorites list, that means so much! I'll be reading and reviewing your stories too, have no fear. There's one more chapter after this, remember, it's a very short fic. Enjoy!

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It felt like the wind was knocked out of Jess. Confusion swept over him. This was what he wanted all along, but now that it happened, well, what now? He could dump Shane without qualms and restart a friendship with Rory free from the Neanderthal, but would it be the same? No. Did he want a friendship with Rory? No. He wanted Rory. "When?" Jess managed to say calmly.

"About three hours ago," Rory said.

"Why?"

"He said that we had grown apart and that it wasn't right to be with someone if you were holding them back from being with someone they wanted to be with more. He said that he should have done that a long time ago, but he kept on hoping that it was just a phase, that I'd get over it, but I didn't and he knew it. So he broke up with me," she said, trying to hold back the tears.

She wasn't about to cry because she loved Dean and missed him, she was going to cry because she knew he was right. She felt so guilty. She had been such a terrible girlfriend to string him along.

No matter in how many ways she broke the mold in kindness, politeness, intelligence, wit, or analysis of literature, she was a typical teenager when it came to emotions. She was fickle and she now saw it. No matter how many PRO/CON lists she made to convince herself that Dean was right for her and Jess was wrong, she wanted Jess more than anything while still holding onto Dean. How could she be that cruel to him?

And then she kissed Jess and bailed on him without saying anything or actually finishing a letter to him. Nothing. She thought was a terrible friend to string Jess along too. She didn't deserve either of them. She didn't deserve anyone. God, what was wrong with her? Wasn't she a good person? If she was, then why was she feeling this bad? She began to cry.

"Hey, uh, I'm sorry, don't cry, please?" Jess said, not moving towards her to comfort her, though he really wanted to. He really wasn't sorry wither that she and Dean broke up, but it seemed appropriate to say to a crying girl.

Crying girls always made him so uncomfortable. The fact that she was crying after what she just told him verified for Jess that Rory didn't want him but Dean; and now Dean didn't want her thinking that she wanted Jess. God, this was all so confusing.

"Sorry," Rory said, quickly wiping away the tears and composing herself, which she did quite well.

"I guess you really loved him, huh?" Jess asked quietly as he looked out to some bubbles surfacing on the water.

Rory didn't answer immediately. She thought about the pros and cons of telling Jess the truth, but immediately stopped making the mental list and followed her instincts instead.

"No, I didn't," she replied.

Jess' head swung back to her. "What?" he asked, completely confused.

"There was a time, yeah, but three hours ago, no, I didn't love him anymore," she said sadly.

"Then why the hell were you crying?" he asked her.

She didn't respond.

"Rory?" Did that mean that what Dean said was true? Jess' heart leapt for a second, but reality set in again. Rory had said nothing to him to make him think such things.

"It's complicated, Jess," she replied.

Dismissed. She dismissed him, again. He was tired of being dismissed. Jess was so annoyed with her. What kind of game was she playing?

"Whatever, I don't give a shit," he replied angrily, getting up to leave.

Rory sighed with frustration. Why couldn't she just tell him? Cause he was with Shane. But Shane didn't matter to him, he basically said that.

"No, Jess, wait, I'm sorry," Rory blurted out.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Jess replied nonchalantly, though he knew there was so much she should be sorry for.

"Everything. I've treated both you and Dean terribly and it took me staring at the murky water for three hours to finally realize how horrible I've been. I'm sorry, I'm sorry if I hurt you cause I never wanted to," she said.

"Well, you did hurt me, Rory, badly. I leave this crap town and you go to New York to find me just because 'I didn't say goodbye.' Then when I come back, you act all happy and kiss me! A kiss with no explanation, no phone call, no letter, no nothing. How do you think that made me feel, huh? Or did you think that cause I'm the "town delinquent," as Taylor puts it so eloquently, that I don't have feelings?" Jess spat back furiously. He had managed to keep majority of his frustration inside ever since Rory got back, but not anymore; he no longer wanted to.

Rory flinched at his attack. "I...I know you have feelings. I wanted to call, to explain. I have all these unfinished letters to you from D.C. I'm sorry...I..."

"You just basically said to yourself 'screw Jess' feelings, they don't matter' every time you thought about calling or writing but never did," he replied, cutting her off.

"No! Stop, that wasn't it! I was just confused, and I know that's no excuse but it's the truth," she replied desperately.

"The truth is that you don't think I deserve you. You think that that you could have your safety net boyfriend and the me at your fingertips. Dean saw it, and so do I and that's not how it's gonna be," Jess said angrily, immediately regretting saying that to her. Why could he never keep his mouth shut around her? It would be so much easier that way.