Jess scowled, kicking at the dirt behind the Gilmore house and watching the afternoon sky of brisk fall harden to evening. Luke, busy with the diner, had sent him over for the ever necessary repairs, but he'd only had the disapproval of Lorelai to keep him company as he laboured, silent and resentful.
She came around again, now, bearing coffee. "Care for a cup of heaven?"
"Is that Luke's?" He avoided her eyes and kept his scowl in careful place, feeling the air vibrate around him.
"Yeah. Want some?" Lorelai's face wrinkled softly, her eyes open and kind. Here he was again, this demon kid - But she wanted to give him a chance, for Rory, for Luke. Glowering form of satanic hellspawn with shifty eyes in her backyard. She brought him coffee in peace. He wasn't a bad kid, really, but ... Something about him made her nervous. As though he alone could bring the world to a shattering halt.
"You know, someday he might actually stop serving you." He took the coffee with a moment's flash of too deliberate smile.
"Nah. Couldn't happen. His grand love of community would prevent him from ever - Ever unleashing a coffeeless lorelai on the town of stars hollow." Her voice rang out cheerful.
His body heaved out a soft snort of fake laughter. "Thanks for the coffee." He muttered.
"Well -" too loudly, her false cheerful voice -
"Look, i know you don't like me. You don't have to pretend."
She looked at him, suddenly. "W-what?" She sighed. "Jess, I don't think you're a bad person I just worry about Rory -"
"Because I'm too real."
She shifted nervously, bright suprised and mouth ready to intervene.
"You like Dean. Dean is safe. It's like a seventh grade relationship where all they do is hold hands during lunch and fight over trivialities. You don't like me, because I think. Because Rory and I can talk."
"Jess. I dont think it's my business - Rory is her own person and I don't want to tell her who to be friends with -"
"Just let me talk, ok?" His voice hit cold, and his dark form advanced menacingly, head bent down to the ground, but rolling up to look her hard in the face.
"I get that Rory's your best friend. Your whole fucking life. And here she is, 17 years old and one year from college, and all you want to do is keep her a kid. Your kid. Don't hold it against me that she has real things in her life, that she's growing up and all I do is remind you that she can think. And will start to live her own life soon and as much as you'll always be her best friend you won't always be her whole life. Those are your issues. I respect you more than most people in this goddamn town, so leave your own issues out of your judgment of me, okay?"
"Wow, I think that's the most I've ever heard you say, Jess. Are you feeling okay? Need to lie down?"
"Yeah, whatever." He turned away and looked at his work. "I'm done. See ya."
"Hey, wait a second, Jess." He froze, glanced her her with dark eyes.
"You're right. I'm terrified of Rory growing up. You're a smart kid, you read the same kind of books she does, and i bet you think about a lot of things. And - I can understand where you're coming from." She sighed. "Must be hard to have everyone here judging you all the time. I'm sorry, Jess. I was wrong."
"Man, Uncle Luke would kill to hear you say that." His voiced rolled, a halfsmile sneaking across his scowl. "Rory's a great person. I respect her." This last confession falling onto the air, he strode angrily down the street of a, to him, hostile town, and Lorelai looked after him, hands on her hips and hair falling soft and dark over her shoulders. Shaking her head, she turned a strolled with a kickhip walk into the house.
She came around again, now, bearing coffee. "Care for a cup of heaven?"
"Is that Luke's?" He avoided her eyes and kept his scowl in careful place, feeling the air vibrate around him.
"Yeah. Want some?" Lorelai's face wrinkled softly, her eyes open and kind. Here he was again, this demon kid - But she wanted to give him a chance, for Rory, for Luke. Glowering form of satanic hellspawn with shifty eyes in her backyard. She brought him coffee in peace. He wasn't a bad kid, really, but ... Something about him made her nervous. As though he alone could bring the world to a shattering halt.
"You know, someday he might actually stop serving you." He took the coffee with a moment's flash of too deliberate smile.
"Nah. Couldn't happen. His grand love of community would prevent him from ever - Ever unleashing a coffeeless lorelai on the town of stars hollow." Her voice rang out cheerful.
His body heaved out a soft snort of fake laughter. "Thanks for the coffee." He muttered.
"Well -" too loudly, her false cheerful voice -
"Look, i know you don't like me. You don't have to pretend."
She looked at him, suddenly. "W-what?" She sighed. "Jess, I don't think you're a bad person I just worry about Rory -"
"Because I'm too real."
She shifted nervously, bright suprised and mouth ready to intervene.
"You like Dean. Dean is safe. It's like a seventh grade relationship where all they do is hold hands during lunch and fight over trivialities. You don't like me, because I think. Because Rory and I can talk."
"Jess. I dont think it's my business - Rory is her own person and I don't want to tell her who to be friends with -"
"Just let me talk, ok?" His voice hit cold, and his dark form advanced menacingly, head bent down to the ground, but rolling up to look her hard in the face.
"I get that Rory's your best friend. Your whole fucking life. And here she is, 17 years old and one year from college, and all you want to do is keep her a kid. Your kid. Don't hold it against me that she has real things in her life, that she's growing up and all I do is remind you that she can think. And will start to live her own life soon and as much as you'll always be her best friend you won't always be her whole life. Those are your issues. I respect you more than most people in this goddamn town, so leave your own issues out of your judgment of me, okay?"
"Wow, I think that's the most I've ever heard you say, Jess. Are you feeling okay? Need to lie down?"
"Yeah, whatever." He turned away and looked at his work. "I'm done. See ya."
"Hey, wait a second, Jess." He froze, glanced her her with dark eyes.
"You're right. I'm terrified of Rory growing up. You're a smart kid, you read the same kind of books she does, and i bet you think about a lot of things. And - I can understand where you're coming from." She sighed. "Must be hard to have everyone here judging you all the time. I'm sorry, Jess. I was wrong."
"Man, Uncle Luke would kill to hear you say that." His voiced rolled, a halfsmile sneaking across his scowl. "Rory's a great person. I respect her." This last confession falling onto the air, he strode angrily down the street of a, to him, hostile town, and Lorelai looked after him, hands on her hips and hair falling soft and dark over her shoulders. Shaking her head, she turned a strolled with a kickhip walk into the house.