Title: Rory Gilmore Goes to Harvard
Author: Ice
Summary: This isn't really a certain pairing fic. It's mostly about
Rory's college life.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. It all belongs to some big whigs in the
world of television.
A Few Months Later
"Miss Gilmore could you stay behind for a moment." Professor Grant, no relation to Louise, asked when she dismissed the class. Rory groaned and Paris, who was also in the class gave a semi-sympathic look. Rory knew what this was about. The paper that was handed back that day was, to say the least not Rory's best work. She had gotten a D on it. Her first D ever and it was in English Literature. She was so ashamed. "Yes Professor?" Rory climbed down the steps of the small lecture hall and approached the teacher's desk. "Rory. I'm concerned about your last paper. An analysis of Jane Austen should not have been hard for you. I've seen you around campus, you've read most of her works correct?" Rory nodded. Jane Austen was one of her favorite authors and was ecstatic when she found out the assignment was to analyze her first novel, The Norhthanger Abbey. "I know that you're a freshman and that adjusting to college life is hard. But please do try to do better. From your other assignments I know you can." She gave Rory a small, reassuring smile. Rory smiled back and walked out of the room. She trudged to her and Paris's dorm room trying not to cry. When she got there Paris wasn't. Rory was glad, she burst out crying flopping on her bed. College was a lot harder than she had thought. There were hard classes, harder than Chilton, and that was saying something, people were all up to her level. Sometimes she felt below the level of the other students. Rory had thought that when she had stepped in on a class when she and her mother had visited Harvard that it would give her a taste of what it would be like going here. But she was totally wrong. She had fun that day. Now that she was here, full time, she was miserable. She couldn't keep up in her classes, and when she finally did catch up in one another would pile so much work on her that she got behind in that one. The phone rang, bringing Rory out of her thoughts. She looked at the phone, debating on whether to pick it up or not. It could be her mom, who she didn't really want to talk to right now. She didn't want to let her mom know that she was doing so badly. That it was this hard for her. That she, Rory Gilmore had gotten a D. Then again it could be her dad or more likely, her boyfriend, who she did want to talk to, who she wanted to kiss, who she wanted to tell her everything was gonna be okay. That it was just freshman jitters. The answering machine picked up. "Hey Rory, it's Jess. Lorelai wanted me to call and see if you were coming home for." Rory picked up the phone. "Hello? Jess?" Rory said in a panic. "Hey Ror. Just getting in?" Rory burst into tears again. "Oh. Jess, it's horrible. I got a D on a paper. A D! Don't tell mom." Rory could picture him in his room on his bed in Stars Hollow probably home for vacation, like she would be in a couple days. He was probably leaning against the headboard where they had spent so many nights watching TV, movies and talking about books. "Rory. Calm down," he said in that calm way he had, "It's okay. Everyone gets a D on a paper once in a while. What was it on?" "That's the worst part Jess, it was on Jane Austen. I can't do it I wanna come home." She was calming down a little bit. Talking to Jess had that effect on her, it always did. "Calm down. How about I come up for the weekend ok? We can go to your Dad's for dinner one night and I'll help you catch up a little. Then we can drive back to Stars Hollow for Winter Break ok?" Rory looked at her desk calendar. It was December 11th. Break started the 17th. She grabbed a tissue from her nightstand and rubbed her eyes. "Ok. You'll come tomorrow?" Jess smiled. "Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow. Ok?" She nodded but then remembered that he couldn't see her. "Ok." She said. And they hung up. She picked up the phone again to call her father. Issac picked up after 2 rings. "Hewwo?" Rory had to smile. "Hi Issac. Is Daddy there?" "Rory! Guess what? In school we learned how to add! I can add 100 + 100!" "That's great Zach, is Daddy there?" "Yes. Hold on." She heard him yell for their father. "Hello?" "Hi Dad." "Rory! It's great to hear from you. What's up?" "Umm.Jess is coming up from Stars' Hollow and I need a break. Do you think we could come for dinner on Saturday?" "Yeah I would love that! And Issac would love to see you and Jess again." In the background Rory could hear Issac yelling, "Jess is coming! Jess is coming!!" Rory laughed. "See on Saturday then. Bye Dad." "Bye Ror." Rory hung up the phone and Paris walked in the door with a guy. College had agreed with her. She was noticed by and dated all sorts of guys and somehow she still kept up with her work, as far as Rory knew.
"Hey Rory. You know Lance Morriston from our journalism class right?" Rory nodded as Paris handed her a Starbucks cup of coffee. "I knew that if we came back to the room without one for you, you'd start yelling so here." Rory nodded a thanks and sat at her desk to start some research. She started typing as Paris and Lance started talking about the next assignment for the school paper, which was a requirement if you took the class. "Oh Paris," Rory interrupted. Paris looked up from her notes, "Jess is coming for the weekend then he's driving back to Connecticut with us. Paris nodded and went back to her notes. Rory started on her assignment for the paper which was due before she left for vacation the coming Wednesday.
A few hours later, Paris and Lance where making out in the corner of the big room, and Rory was trying her hardest to ignore them by putting her headphones on and blasting Lifehouse. She wished that she had something louder but anything metallish her mother had 'borrowed' on her last visit. Finally Paris and her latest boy toy pulled apart and Paris taped Rory on the shoulder. Rory pulled off her headphones. She had one more paragraph for her essay in American Lit, and she had already printed her article out.
"We're going to Lance's. I'll be back later." Paris got a small smirk on her face and pulled Lance out of the room. Rory sighed wishing that Jess was there to keep her company, she turned back to her computer and finished the final paragraph. After rereading her essay to make sure it was up to her standards she got into her pj's and got into bed. She turned the TV on and let it Nick at Night lull her to sleep.
A Few Months Later
"Miss Gilmore could you stay behind for a moment." Professor Grant, no relation to Louise, asked when she dismissed the class. Rory groaned and Paris, who was also in the class gave a semi-sympathic look. Rory knew what this was about. The paper that was handed back that day was, to say the least not Rory's best work. She had gotten a D on it. Her first D ever and it was in English Literature. She was so ashamed. "Yes Professor?" Rory climbed down the steps of the small lecture hall and approached the teacher's desk. "Rory. I'm concerned about your last paper. An analysis of Jane Austen should not have been hard for you. I've seen you around campus, you've read most of her works correct?" Rory nodded. Jane Austen was one of her favorite authors and was ecstatic when she found out the assignment was to analyze her first novel, The Norhthanger Abbey. "I know that you're a freshman and that adjusting to college life is hard. But please do try to do better. From your other assignments I know you can." She gave Rory a small, reassuring smile. Rory smiled back and walked out of the room. She trudged to her and Paris's dorm room trying not to cry. When she got there Paris wasn't. Rory was glad, she burst out crying flopping on her bed. College was a lot harder than she had thought. There were hard classes, harder than Chilton, and that was saying something, people were all up to her level. Sometimes she felt below the level of the other students. Rory had thought that when she had stepped in on a class when she and her mother had visited Harvard that it would give her a taste of what it would be like going here. But she was totally wrong. She had fun that day. Now that she was here, full time, she was miserable. She couldn't keep up in her classes, and when she finally did catch up in one another would pile so much work on her that she got behind in that one. The phone rang, bringing Rory out of her thoughts. She looked at the phone, debating on whether to pick it up or not. It could be her mom, who she didn't really want to talk to right now. She didn't want to let her mom know that she was doing so badly. That it was this hard for her. That she, Rory Gilmore had gotten a D. Then again it could be her dad or more likely, her boyfriend, who she did want to talk to, who she wanted to kiss, who she wanted to tell her everything was gonna be okay. That it was just freshman jitters. The answering machine picked up. "Hey Rory, it's Jess. Lorelai wanted me to call and see if you were coming home for." Rory picked up the phone. "Hello? Jess?" Rory said in a panic. "Hey Ror. Just getting in?" Rory burst into tears again. "Oh. Jess, it's horrible. I got a D on a paper. A D! Don't tell mom." Rory could picture him in his room on his bed in Stars Hollow probably home for vacation, like she would be in a couple days. He was probably leaning against the headboard where they had spent so many nights watching TV, movies and talking about books. "Rory. Calm down," he said in that calm way he had, "It's okay. Everyone gets a D on a paper once in a while. What was it on?" "That's the worst part Jess, it was on Jane Austen. I can't do it I wanna come home." She was calming down a little bit. Talking to Jess had that effect on her, it always did. "Calm down. How about I come up for the weekend ok? We can go to your Dad's for dinner one night and I'll help you catch up a little. Then we can drive back to Stars Hollow for Winter Break ok?" Rory looked at her desk calendar. It was December 11th. Break started the 17th. She grabbed a tissue from her nightstand and rubbed her eyes. "Ok. You'll come tomorrow?" Jess smiled. "Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow. Ok?" She nodded but then remembered that he couldn't see her. "Ok." She said. And they hung up. She picked up the phone again to call her father. Issac picked up after 2 rings. "Hewwo?" Rory had to smile. "Hi Issac. Is Daddy there?" "Rory! Guess what? In school we learned how to add! I can add 100 + 100!" "That's great Zach, is Daddy there?" "Yes. Hold on." She heard him yell for their father. "Hello?" "Hi Dad." "Rory! It's great to hear from you. What's up?" "Umm.Jess is coming up from Stars' Hollow and I need a break. Do you think we could come for dinner on Saturday?" "Yeah I would love that! And Issac would love to see you and Jess again." In the background Rory could hear Issac yelling, "Jess is coming! Jess is coming!!" Rory laughed. "See on Saturday then. Bye Dad." "Bye Ror." Rory hung up the phone and Paris walked in the door with a guy. College had agreed with her. She was noticed by and dated all sorts of guys and somehow she still kept up with her work, as far as Rory knew.
"Hey Rory. You know Lance Morriston from our journalism class right?" Rory nodded as Paris handed her a Starbucks cup of coffee. "I knew that if we came back to the room without one for you, you'd start yelling so here." Rory nodded a thanks and sat at her desk to start some research. She started typing as Paris and Lance started talking about the next assignment for the school paper, which was a requirement if you took the class. "Oh Paris," Rory interrupted. Paris looked up from her notes, "Jess is coming for the weekend then he's driving back to Connecticut with us. Paris nodded and went back to her notes. Rory started on her assignment for the paper which was due before she left for vacation the coming Wednesday.
A few hours later, Paris and Lance where making out in the corner of the big room, and Rory was trying her hardest to ignore them by putting her headphones on and blasting Lifehouse. She wished that she had something louder but anything metallish her mother had 'borrowed' on her last visit. Finally Paris and her latest boy toy pulled apart and Paris taped Rory on the shoulder. Rory pulled off her headphones. She had one more paragraph for her essay in American Lit, and she had already printed her article out.
"We're going to Lance's. I'll be back later." Paris got a small smirk on her face and pulled Lance out of the room. Rory sighed wishing that Jess was there to keep her company, she turned back to her computer and finished the final paragraph. After rereading her essay to make sure it was up to her standards she got into her pj's and got into bed. She turned the TV on and let it Nick at Night lull her to sleep.