Chapter Two
Jess stood nervously on the front porch at the Gilmore house. He had been
standing there for ten minutes and hadn't got the nerve to knock. Finally, he took a deep
breath and brought his hand up to the door. He knocked loudly and waited.
The door opened and Rory smiled. Jess's heart skipped a beat.
"Hey, Jess."
She came outside into the warm air.
"Rory."
She smiled innocently. Jess's heart skipped another beat. It was like having a heart attack,
being around this girl. He smirked at the thought.
"You wanna sit?"
She was pointing at the porch swing on the far corner of their porch, away from the view
of the neighbors and the road. He followed her to it and they sat down.
"We should talk about… what happened."
It was humid outside, like the calm before a storm, and Jess could feel the tension in the
air. He tilted his head to the side and pretended to be confused.
"What happened?"
And that was it, his walls were up. Rory sighed in exasperation.
"I kissed you."
The way she said it managed to put a little hope back into his heart, and he wondered
what she could possibly have to say.
"Yeah. So?"
Rory's eyes went wide and her heart sank.
"So? Why do you have to act like such an ass sometimes?!"
She got up and started to walk away, but Jess grabbed her wrist and turned her around.
Her heart leapt but her mind sent off warning flares. He let go, seeing the warning in her
eyes. The rain started.
"I just meant that it doesn't mean anything that you kissed me."
He shrugged his shoulder indifferently. She closed her eyes, willing the tears not to come.
"If it didn't mean anything, then why are you here?"
Now Jess closed his eyes. He knew immediately that he'd said the wrong thing, and
wished he could explain what it meant.
"I… It didn't mean anything to you. You have a boyfriend, your mother hates me. Your
life is pretty much perfect without me in it."
Rory felt like laughing, and she did. It came out more bitter than she intended.
"If my life was perfect without you in it then why did I come to New York?"
He shrugged.
"To say goodbye? Get some closure?"
Rory threw her hands up, angry and frustrated. He was acting like he didn't care, and she
was pretty sure he did.
"I wanted to be your friend."
"I don't want that. I'm sorry."
Rory's eyes filled with tears. He was willing to just forget about her if she didn't want to
be with him. Somewhere deep inside her a voice told her that it didn't matter. She could
be with him. But suddenly she didn't want that. Not if he was going to pretend with her.
"So all you care about is that you get a trophy, right?"
His eyes alighted with anger.
"Yeah, Rory, that's exactly what you are to me. You don't mean anything. All I wanted
was to screw you, right?"
He walked out into the rain and away from Rory. She barely registered his last words and
the deep bitter sarcasm before he was gone. She started to cry.
"I love you."
She cried out hopelessly into the pouring rain. But he didn't hear.
A/N: I PROMISE fluff in the next chapter!!! I just had to make a conflict, it was going
too fast. Sorry it was so short.
Jess stood nervously on the front porch at the Gilmore house. He had been
standing there for ten minutes and hadn't got the nerve to knock. Finally, he took a deep
breath and brought his hand up to the door. He knocked loudly and waited.
The door opened and Rory smiled. Jess's heart skipped a beat.
"Hey, Jess."
She came outside into the warm air.
"Rory."
She smiled innocently. Jess's heart skipped another beat. It was like having a heart attack,
being around this girl. He smirked at the thought.
"You wanna sit?"
She was pointing at the porch swing on the far corner of their porch, away from the view
of the neighbors and the road. He followed her to it and they sat down.
"We should talk about… what happened."
It was humid outside, like the calm before a storm, and Jess could feel the tension in the
air. He tilted his head to the side and pretended to be confused.
"What happened?"
And that was it, his walls were up. Rory sighed in exasperation.
"I kissed you."
The way she said it managed to put a little hope back into his heart, and he wondered
what she could possibly have to say.
"Yeah. So?"
Rory's eyes went wide and her heart sank.
"So? Why do you have to act like such an ass sometimes?!"
She got up and started to walk away, but Jess grabbed her wrist and turned her around.
Her heart leapt but her mind sent off warning flares. He let go, seeing the warning in her
eyes. The rain started.
"I just meant that it doesn't mean anything that you kissed me."
He shrugged his shoulder indifferently. She closed her eyes, willing the tears not to come.
"If it didn't mean anything, then why are you here?"
Now Jess closed his eyes. He knew immediately that he'd said the wrong thing, and
wished he could explain what it meant.
"I… It didn't mean anything to you. You have a boyfriend, your mother hates me. Your
life is pretty much perfect without me in it."
Rory felt like laughing, and she did. It came out more bitter than she intended.
"If my life was perfect without you in it then why did I come to New York?"
He shrugged.
"To say goodbye? Get some closure?"
Rory threw her hands up, angry and frustrated. He was acting like he didn't care, and she
was pretty sure he did.
"I wanted to be your friend."
"I don't want that. I'm sorry."
Rory's eyes filled with tears. He was willing to just forget about her if she didn't want to
be with him. Somewhere deep inside her a voice told her that it didn't matter. She could
be with him. But suddenly she didn't want that. Not if he was going to pretend with her.
"So all you care about is that you get a trophy, right?"
His eyes alighted with anger.
"Yeah, Rory, that's exactly what you are to me. You don't mean anything. All I wanted
was to screw you, right?"
He walked out into the rain and away from Rory. She barely registered his last words and
the deep bitter sarcasm before he was gone. She started to cry.
"I love you."
She cried out hopelessly into the pouring rain. But he didn't hear.
A/N: I PROMISE fluff in the next chapter!!! I just had to make a conflict, it was going
too fast. Sorry it was so short.