"So, how's life going?" Jess asked.
"Good, you?" Rory asked. They were on their way to Star's Hollow.
"School's alright," Jess said. "Sometimes I show up to class." He winked.
"Haha," Rory said. She smacked him playfully. "Always the rebel."
"I'm not rebellious, just bored," Jess rolled his eyes.
"Hey..," Rory started.
Jess looked at her. "Yeah?"
"I'm glad we're still friends..," She smiled at him. "Even though we broke up."
Jess shrugged. "It only makes sense. I mean, we're so far away from each other. It just wouldn't work out."
"You're back with Shane aren't you!?" Rory said jokingly.
Jess laughed out loud. "Are you kidding?" Jess rolled his eyes. "Never again."
Rory fidgeted with her hands. "Especially, because after Dean and I broke up, we never even looked at each other. It's kinda
sad actually."
"It's probably 'cause the reason you broke up was me. You guys didn't exactly break up on friendly terms," Jess said.
"True, but it's still kinda sad." Rory sighed.
"Well..," Jess started to say.
"HEY! We're here!" Rory said excitedly. "God, you never realize how much you miss a place until you come back..."
"Yeah," Jess said. 'Or when you see a person.'
***************************
Lorelai wrapped her hands around the mug and sat staring at Luke talking to a customer. 'Do I want to start a relationship with Luke?' She thought. They'd been
friends for long, she didn't know if she wanted to risk losing that. Plus the fact that she ate there everyday. 'Not only would I be sad, I'd
starve to death.'
Luke came back to the counter where she was sitting. "So," He said and swallowed hard. "Uh.. when do you wanna..."
"MOM!!!!" Rory ran into the diner.
Lorelai slowly turned around at the sound of her daughter's voice. "RORRRYYYYYYYYY!!!!" She jumped up and hugged and kissed her daughter. "What are you doing here?"
Rory wrapped her arms around Lorelai and said, "To get a cup of coffee."
"HA! Funny," Lorelai said. "You missed me.. hehe I knew you would. No one can resist my charms." She winked at Luke across Rory's head.
Luke smiled at the two embracing and looked up to see Jess walk in.
"Hey," Jess said nonchalantly and put his duffel bag on a chair.
"Hey," Luke replied. "Good to see you."
"Yeah," Jess said and turned his attention back to the Gilmore girls. "Should we be doing that too?"
"Maybe later, after we hold hands and skip," Luke said. He smiled slightly. "Come here, Jess."
The two guys hugged stiffly. "I actually kinda.. uhh..," Luke said.
"Missed me?" Jess smirked.
"Missed the free labor," Luke said and let his nephew go. "Go put your stuff upstairs."
Jess shrugged and took his duffel upstairs.
Lorelai and Rory were talking excitedly as they left the diner. "The video store or Doose's?" Rory asked.
Luke smiled as he watched the girls leave. "Rory, I missed you!" He heard Lorelai say in her Louis voice.
"Missed me, or missed going into Doose's without protection?" Rory asked.
"Ooo, dirty!"
*************************
"You drove here?" Rory eyed her mother.
"Yeah, it's a far walk when you're alone. Besides, young beautiful, wonderful, smart, amazing...," Lorelai said.
Rory rolled her eyes.
".. women should not walk around in the dark alone," Lorelai said.
"So, why did you drive?" Rory asked, smirking.
"Funny, Drew Carey," Lorelai said. "Don't be jealous of your mother's charms." Lorelai started to turn on the engine, but abruptly stopped. "Wait a second..."
"What?"
"Let me see you pout." Rory pouted."Cute smile!"
Rory smiled. "Whew, still got the touch... Just checking," Lorelai smiled at her daughter and patted her daughter on the head. "Next time, Mommy's gonna teach you how to cross your legs like..." "MOM!" "Okay, sorry, sorry, keeping it PG here." Lorelai smiled and turned the engine on. "Where to?" "Grandma's?" Rory asked hopefully. "I see Harvard has given you a sense of humor," Lorelai said. "Video store?" "K," Rory replied. ************************** "Ugh, I can't believe they put S Club 7 behind the Rory Curtain!" Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Just because they don't wear cardigans, doesn't mean Taylor can discriminate!" "The only thing that's not behind the curtain is 'The Yearling'." Rory commented. "Yeah, and I don't see the Yearling wearing a cardigan," Lorelai replied. "I am outraged! I am going to protest with little picket signs! I am going to..." Taylor walked up to them. "Is there a problem here?" he asked. Lorelai smiled sweetly at him. "Nope, no problem. Nice cardigan." Taylor frowned and walked away. "Rory! ROry!" Lorelai whispered. "What?" Rory asked. "Help me take all these S club 7 videos from inside the curtain. Even little children should watch S Club 7. Very educational. I learned many a life's lesson from them," Lorelai whispered. "Moooom," Rory groaned. "Right now?" "Yes, now help me. Be a good daughter," Lorelai whispered. She handed Rory a stack of videos. Rolling her eyes, Rory plopped them on a shelf outside the curtain. "Is this good?" "Yeah," Lorelai replied. She casually placed a pile of videos on another shelf close by. "Let's go!" They ran out the video store. "Hey, we forgot to get our videos," Rory said. Lorelai shrugged. "Ehhh... let's go decorate flamingoes and put them on Taylor's lawn." "Huh," Rory said. "Flamingoes! With Rhinestones!" Lorelai said excitedly, jumping up and down. "Mom, too much time by yourself has degraded your thinking capacity to zero," Rory commented. "Rhinestones?" Lorelai asked. "Let's go act out The Wonder Years with Kirk!" Rory said, brightening. "Ugh, let's go get videos," Lorelai replied. "Flamingoes later." *************************** "'She's All That' Or 'Clueless'?" Lorelai picked up the two videos and looked from one to the other. "Mmm.. doesn't matter?" Rory put more popcorn in her mouth. "Hm.. lots of chick flickiness at the Gilmore house," Lorelai commented as she looked at the backs of the video covers. "Mom, you've seen these movies like forty times," Rory said. "Forty one. And I only watch to mock. I point and laugh..... hey.. flickiness sounds like a hair thing. Like yucky white thingies. You know, when you scratch your head.....," Lorelai said. "Ewww, that's gross," Rory made a face. "Flickiness. 'I can't go on a date with you Kirk, due to my flickiness.'" Lorelai said. "That's flakiness," Rory corrected. "They're teaching you too much at that school," Lorelai sighed and put a video into the VCR. *************************** "What now?" Rory asked as she popped the video out of the machine. "Whatever!" Lorelai mimicked Alicia Silverstone. She made a 'W' sign with her fingers. "Okay, no more 'Clueless' for you," Rory frowned. "Rory, dahhling, we haven't talked yet," Lorelai said in her Louis voice. "How's everything going at school? Meet any guys?" Lorelai smiled slyly. Tristan popped into Rory's head. "Uh... not much," Rory replied. "Well," Lorelai said. "Not much here either.." 'Except that Luke practically asked me out.' "Well," Rory said. "Well," Lorelai replied. "Okay, new word." "Okay, new word." "Not funny!" Rory yelled. **************************** Later that night, Rory was lying down on her bed when her cell phone rang. "Hello?" "Rory.. it's me.. Tristan." Rory let out a deep breath. "Hey.." "We need to talk..." "Yeah." "Can you come out to the coffee house on the corner?" "I'm in Star's Hollow right now..." "Oh." "I'll call you when I get back," Rory said. "Yeah, k. Bye." Rory let out the breath she was holding and turned off her phone. 'Did I come here to avoid Tristan this weekend?' She wasn't ready to think about how she felt about him. 'Do I want a relationship with him?' She thought back to what he had said. "I like you, Rory. No, I've always liked you. A lot. But I don't think you're ready for me." Rory lay back down on her bed. 'Now the question is, Tristan, do I like you?'
Rory smiled. "Whew, still got the touch... Just checking," Lorelai smiled at her daughter and patted her daughter on the head. "Next time, Mommy's gonna teach you how to cross your legs like..." "MOM!" "Okay, sorry, sorry, keeping it PG here." Lorelai smiled and turned the engine on. "Where to?" "Grandma's?" Rory asked hopefully. "I see Harvard has given you a sense of humor," Lorelai said. "Video store?" "K," Rory replied. ************************** "Ugh, I can't believe they put S Club 7 behind the Rory Curtain!" Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Just because they don't wear cardigans, doesn't mean Taylor can discriminate!" "The only thing that's not behind the curtain is 'The Yearling'." Rory commented. "Yeah, and I don't see the Yearling wearing a cardigan," Lorelai replied. "I am outraged! I am going to protest with little picket signs! I am going to..." Taylor walked up to them. "Is there a problem here?" he asked. Lorelai smiled sweetly at him. "Nope, no problem. Nice cardigan." Taylor frowned and walked away. "Rory! ROry!" Lorelai whispered. "What?" Rory asked. "Help me take all these S club 7 videos from inside the curtain. Even little children should watch S Club 7. Very educational. I learned many a life's lesson from them," Lorelai whispered. "Moooom," Rory groaned. "Right now?" "Yes, now help me. Be a good daughter," Lorelai whispered. She handed Rory a stack of videos. Rolling her eyes, Rory plopped them on a shelf outside the curtain. "Is this good?" "Yeah," Lorelai replied. She casually placed a pile of videos on another shelf close by. "Let's go!" They ran out the video store. "Hey, we forgot to get our videos," Rory said. Lorelai shrugged. "Ehhh... let's go decorate flamingoes and put them on Taylor's lawn." "Huh," Rory said. "Flamingoes! With Rhinestones!" Lorelai said excitedly, jumping up and down. "Mom, too much time by yourself has degraded your thinking capacity to zero," Rory commented. "Rhinestones?" Lorelai asked. "Let's go act out The Wonder Years with Kirk!" Rory said, brightening. "Ugh, let's go get videos," Lorelai replied. "Flamingoes later." *************************** "'She's All That' Or 'Clueless'?" Lorelai picked up the two videos and looked from one to the other. "Mmm.. doesn't matter?" Rory put more popcorn in her mouth. "Hm.. lots of chick flickiness at the Gilmore house," Lorelai commented as she looked at the backs of the video covers. "Mom, you've seen these movies like forty times," Rory said. "Forty one. And I only watch to mock. I point and laugh..... hey.. flickiness sounds like a hair thing. Like yucky white thingies. You know, when you scratch your head.....," Lorelai said. "Ewww, that's gross," Rory made a face. "Flickiness. 'I can't go on a date with you Kirk, due to my flickiness.'" Lorelai said. "That's flakiness," Rory corrected. "They're teaching you too much at that school," Lorelai sighed and put a video into the VCR. *************************** "What now?" Rory asked as she popped the video out of the machine. "Whatever!" Lorelai mimicked Alicia Silverstone. She made a 'W' sign with her fingers. "Okay, no more 'Clueless' for you," Rory frowned. "Rory, dahhling, we haven't talked yet," Lorelai said in her Louis voice. "How's everything going at school? Meet any guys?" Lorelai smiled slyly. Tristan popped into Rory's head. "Uh... not much," Rory replied. "Well," Lorelai said. "Not much here either.." 'Except that Luke practically asked me out.' "Well," Rory said. "Well," Lorelai replied. "Okay, new word." "Okay, new word." "Not funny!" Rory yelled. **************************** Later that night, Rory was lying down on her bed when her cell phone rang. "Hello?" "Rory.. it's me.. Tristan." Rory let out a deep breath. "Hey.." "We need to talk..." "Yeah." "Can you come out to the coffee house on the corner?" "I'm in Star's Hollow right now..." "Oh." "I'll call you when I get back," Rory said. "Yeah, k. Bye." Rory let out the breath she was holding and turned off her phone. 'Did I come here to avoid Tristan this weekend?' She wasn't ready to think about how she felt about him. 'Do I want a relationship with him?' She thought back to what he had said. "I like you, Rory. No, I've always liked you. A lot. But I don't think you're ready for me." Rory lay back down on her bed. 'Now the question is, Tristan, do I like you?'