Title: Expect The Unexpected
Chapter 17: The Reunion Part 2
~~~~~~
Margaret Forester tried as hard as she could to get the serious Jess and Rory Mariano back, but they were giggling like little kids, so Margaret left them to see if she could find someone who could tell her what Dean did now. He was always "going for drives" after fights they had at home, but he had never stayed out all night before. The way the couple had looked, so serious, that Margaret was afraid he had broken something. Someone's arm, maybe. Margaret caught Dean's eye and shook her head for him to stay where he was. She had him whipped, and so he stayed there, staring at a poster of some Korean girl in a cheerleading costume. She headed to the table where she'd gotten her nametag.
"Hi."
"Hi and welcome to Stars Hollow High School Class of 2003 twenty-fifth year reunion! Wait, didn't I already give you your nametag?"
"Yeah. I just wanted to ask you a few questions."
"Kay. 'Bout what?"
"Well, Cindy," Margaret glanced at the older woman's own nametag, "you seem like the kind of person who knows about everyone in the class."
"Yeah, I guess so."
"What do you know about Dean Forester?" Margaret used her latent reporter skills she'd used in high school (before she'd gotten pregnant) and pounced (figuratively) on poor little Cindy.
"Ooh, Dean Forester! Okay, so he had this girlfriend, Rory, who went out with him for like three years, and they broke up when he hit her and she went to this trouble-making kid, and so Dean left, and then he came back a few days ago, and then he jumped through the window of Luke's Diner, this little diner in town that the trouble-making kid's uncle used to own, and the trouble-making kid's uncle married Rory's mom and Rory married the trouble-making kid, and now the trouble-making kid and Rory own the diner." Cindy said all this in practically one breath, using her latent gossiping skills from high school. She then picked up a beat-up yearbook from next to her seat and passed it to Margaret. "Sign my yearbook?"
"Later," Margaret responded absently. She leapt up from the table and wandered back into the gym. She saw the Marianos, who looked slightly more serious, talking to a blonde ditzy-looking woman, and she headed over to the trio.
~~~~~
Jess spotted someone he thought he recognized and squinted. When he realized he did know who she was the color drained out of his face and he grabbed Rory and pulled her into a huge kiss as the other girl passed by. But it didn't work.
"Jess?"
"Shane." Jess nodded and tried to pull Rory away from her. But Rory didn't want to go.
"Hi, Shane."
"Who the hell are you?" Shane glared at Rory.
"Your worst enemy." Rory flashed her left hand's ring finger at Shane.
"Is it true, Jess?"
Jess, with his back to the girls, nodded slightly.
"Why would he marry you?"
"Why would he make out with you? He doesn't even know your last name."
"That's not true!" Jess protested. "It's, uh, Slutty Girl?"
Shane huffily whirled around and walked off; Rory faced Jess and they were once again interrupted by Mrs. Forester.
"Hi, again!"
"You're too perky. Don't you know about your stupid husband yet? If you don't, I'll tell you. He jumped through the window of our diner, which is the downstairs part of our house, and it formerly belonged to my uncle and before him my grandfather. It's been in my family for three generations and it's loved by the town. Oh, and when he was eighteen, he slapped my wife in the face. That's how much fun he is, okay? If I were you, I'd run away. Now. Okay, now can you leave us alone?"
"Jess! That was rude."
"No, it's okay. I knew most of that. I'm really sorry about the whole thing. I'll pay you for it if you want me to."
"Oh, no, that's okay. It's not you we're mad at, anyway." Rory smiled at Margaret and she smiled back.
"We are mad at your son of a--"
"Jess!" Rory interrupted his mumblings. He shrugged and left, offering the explanation that he was going to find someone to talk to. Rory smiled apoligetically at Margaret. Margaret shrugged.
"Who's this?" Lane asked from behind Rory.
"Oh, hey Lane. Margaret, this is Lane Cho. Lane, this is Margaret Forester."
"As in Dean Forester?" Lane paused before she shook Margaret's hand. Margaret nodded. Lane looked at Rory.
"Oh, no, it's okay. She's nicer than him. And she apoligized for the little scene."
"That makes it all okay?"
"Okay!" Rory clapped her hands, ignoring Lane's question. "Who wants to see what they've got to eat?"
~~~~~~
Jess bumped into Dean, unintentionally for once. They both turned to apoligize, but stopped when they saw each other. Then Jess smirked.
"Bag boy needs his wife to fight his battles."
"What?"
"You heard me. You're not man enough to apoligize to us yourself, so you have to get you wife to do it. I do have to say, man, that you've got a nice wife. She even offered to pay for the window. Of course, my too-nice wife declined."
"What?" This was all news to Dean. He was completely lost.
"Yeah. It's a lot of money, too. But I'm sure you already knew that."
"No, I didn't know that. I have no idea what the hell you're talking about."
"Your wife apoligized for you running through the window and offered to pay. She's over with Rory right now."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You mean, you didn't tell her to do that?"
"No. I didn't even know where she went. She just told me to stay here, so I've been staring at this poster of Lane for half an hour." Dean waved at it. Jess looked up at it. He realized that it was Lane, and she was a cheerleader.
"Oh, it's gonna be fun teasing her about this."
"Oh, I wouldn't. She's kind of sensitive about it."
"How do you know?"
"Well, when Rory was 'friends' with you, Lane was my only link to her. So I got to know her real well."
"Really? I never knew that."
"Yeah, I bet." Dean started walking away, but Jess called out.
"Hey."
"What?"
"Well, our kids are kind of together, and our wives are friendly, so do you think we should call a truce?"
"Our kids are together?"
"Well, they've just been hanging out for the past couple of days."
"Your son better not do anything to my daughter."
"He won't! And if he does, I get first dibs at killing him. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Truce?" Jess stuck his hand out.
"Truce." Dean took it.
Chapter 17: The Reunion Part 2
~~~~~~
Margaret Forester tried as hard as she could to get the serious Jess and Rory Mariano back, but they were giggling like little kids, so Margaret left them to see if she could find someone who could tell her what Dean did now. He was always "going for drives" after fights they had at home, but he had never stayed out all night before. The way the couple had looked, so serious, that Margaret was afraid he had broken something. Someone's arm, maybe. Margaret caught Dean's eye and shook her head for him to stay where he was. She had him whipped, and so he stayed there, staring at a poster of some Korean girl in a cheerleading costume. She headed to the table where she'd gotten her nametag.
"Hi."
"Hi and welcome to Stars Hollow High School Class of 2003 twenty-fifth year reunion! Wait, didn't I already give you your nametag?"
"Yeah. I just wanted to ask you a few questions."
"Kay. 'Bout what?"
"Well, Cindy," Margaret glanced at the older woman's own nametag, "you seem like the kind of person who knows about everyone in the class."
"Yeah, I guess so."
"What do you know about Dean Forester?" Margaret used her latent reporter skills she'd used in high school (before she'd gotten pregnant) and pounced (figuratively) on poor little Cindy.
"Ooh, Dean Forester! Okay, so he had this girlfriend, Rory, who went out with him for like three years, and they broke up when he hit her and she went to this trouble-making kid, and so Dean left, and then he came back a few days ago, and then he jumped through the window of Luke's Diner, this little diner in town that the trouble-making kid's uncle used to own, and the trouble-making kid's uncle married Rory's mom and Rory married the trouble-making kid, and now the trouble-making kid and Rory own the diner." Cindy said all this in practically one breath, using her latent gossiping skills from high school. She then picked up a beat-up yearbook from next to her seat and passed it to Margaret. "Sign my yearbook?"
"Later," Margaret responded absently. She leapt up from the table and wandered back into the gym. She saw the Marianos, who looked slightly more serious, talking to a blonde ditzy-looking woman, and she headed over to the trio.
~~~~~
Jess spotted someone he thought he recognized and squinted. When he realized he did know who she was the color drained out of his face and he grabbed Rory and pulled her into a huge kiss as the other girl passed by. But it didn't work.
"Jess?"
"Shane." Jess nodded and tried to pull Rory away from her. But Rory didn't want to go.
"Hi, Shane."
"Who the hell are you?" Shane glared at Rory.
"Your worst enemy." Rory flashed her left hand's ring finger at Shane.
"Is it true, Jess?"
Jess, with his back to the girls, nodded slightly.
"Why would he marry you?"
"Why would he make out with you? He doesn't even know your last name."
"That's not true!" Jess protested. "It's, uh, Slutty Girl?"
Shane huffily whirled around and walked off; Rory faced Jess and they were once again interrupted by Mrs. Forester.
"Hi, again!"
"You're too perky. Don't you know about your stupid husband yet? If you don't, I'll tell you. He jumped through the window of our diner, which is the downstairs part of our house, and it formerly belonged to my uncle and before him my grandfather. It's been in my family for three generations and it's loved by the town. Oh, and when he was eighteen, he slapped my wife in the face. That's how much fun he is, okay? If I were you, I'd run away. Now. Okay, now can you leave us alone?"
"Jess! That was rude."
"No, it's okay. I knew most of that. I'm really sorry about the whole thing. I'll pay you for it if you want me to."
"Oh, no, that's okay. It's not you we're mad at, anyway." Rory smiled at Margaret and she smiled back.
"We are mad at your son of a--"
"Jess!" Rory interrupted his mumblings. He shrugged and left, offering the explanation that he was going to find someone to talk to. Rory smiled apoligetically at Margaret. Margaret shrugged.
"Who's this?" Lane asked from behind Rory.
"Oh, hey Lane. Margaret, this is Lane Cho. Lane, this is Margaret Forester."
"As in Dean Forester?" Lane paused before she shook Margaret's hand. Margaret nodded. Lane looked at Rory.
"Oh, no, it's okay. She's nicer than him. And she apoligized for the little scene."
"That makes it all okay?"
"Okay!" Rory clapped her hands, ignoring Lane's question. "Who wants to see what they've got to eat?"
~~~~~~
Jess bumped into Dean, unintentionally for once. They both turned to apoligize, but stopped when they saw each other. Then Jess smirked.
"Bag boy needs his wife to fight his battles."
"What?"
"You heard me. You're not man enough to apoligize to us yourself, so you have to get you wife to do it. I do have to say, man, that you've got a nice wife. She even offered to pay for the window. Of course, my too-nice wife declined."
"What?" This was all news to Dean. He was completely lost.
"Yeah. It's a lot of money, too. But I'm sure you already knew that."
"No, I didn't know that. I have no idea what the hell you're talking about."
"Your wife apoligized for you running through the window and offered to pay. She's over with Rory right now."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You mean, you didn't tell her to do that?"
"No. I didn't even know where she went. She just told me to stay here, so I've been staring at this poster of Lane for half an hour." Dean waved at it. Jess looked up at it. He realized that it was Lane, and she was a cheerleader.
"Oh, it's gonna be fun teasing her about this."
"Oh, I wouldn't. She's kind of sensitive about it."
"How do you know?"
"Well, when Rory was 'friends' with you, Lane was my only link to her. So I got to know her real well."
"Really? I never knew that."
"Yeah, I bet." Dean started walking away, but Jess called out.
"Hey."
"What?"
"Well, our kids are kind of together, and our wives are friendly, so do you think we should call a truce?"
"Our kids are together?"
"Well, they've just been hanging out for the past couple of days."
"Your son better not do anything to my daughter."
"He won't! And if he does, I get first dibs at killing him. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Truce?" Jess stuck his hand out.
"Truce." Dean took it.