Rory and Jess sat at their usual table in Luke's Diner. Rory, as always was laying out all her Chilton problems to Jess. The two were now closer than they had ever been. It was weird, not many couples that dated then broke up stayed friends. It was just different with Jess and Rory. Perhaps it was because it was a mutual thing, but when Jess and Rory had tried the dating thing, they both found it too awkward. There were no hard feelings, they were just happier as friends.
"So Matt told me that I was overly nice." Rory complained to Jess. She took another fry.
"Overly nice? Is there such a thing?" Jess asked leaning back in his chair.
"He said I like everyone and I need to find a happy medium of niceness and being mean."
Jess looked at Rory amused.
"Urg! This is just stupid. WE both know I'm not overly nice." she continued. "I'm perfectly balanced. The votes are in and Matt is wrong... That's right I said wrong!"
Jess looked thoughtful. "Well, you are too nice."
"Oh no he got to you too!"
"Common, your nice to everyone."
"Am not."
"Yes you are. You're nice to Kirk for God sake."
"Kirk may be annoying, but he means well."
"See, that's what I mean. You're annoyingly optimistic."
"No I'm not; look this coffee cup is half empty, not half full. So, you can go get me some more now."
"Don't think so."
"Why can't you be overly nice?"
"Its not in my job description."
"Oh, I suppose it's in your job description to sit down and talk with each and every costumer."
"No, just you."
"Well don't I feel honored."
"As you should."
"Yeah well I may be an optimist, but you're a pessimist."
"One of my finer qualities." Jess pointed out.
"Really? I always thought it was your patented grunt and nod that drove the girls crazy."
"Oh it's the grunt and not that does that?"
"Yup, 'fraid so."
"I'll have to work on that then."
"Guess you will. But you'll have to work on it without me. I got dinner with my grandparents tonight."
"Friday already?"
"Yup."
"Well, have fun with that."
Rory got up and picked up her book bag from the floor and walked over to the door and pushed it open.
"Bye Jess. Bye Luke!" She said as she walked out the door.
Two grunts and two nods.
Rory rounded the corner and saw Dean. He was in his Doose's Market apron dumping some trash.
"Hey Rory."
Rory looked up, surprised to be addressed by Dean. Things with then had not worked out so well as it had for her and Jess. They hadn't talked to each other since the break up.
"Oh... hey Dean. How are you?"
"I'm fine."
"Good, that's good."
"So, how are you?"
"I'm dong... good."
"That's a popular word with you isn't it?"
"Well good is a good word."
"So it appears."
"Yeah..."
"Listen Rory, I just...never mind." Dean said turning back to the dumpster and hoisting the last of the trash into the bin.
"What?"
"I just... I'm sick of passing you on the street and both of us pretending like we don't see each other."
"I know. But I thought that's what you wanted."
"I did... I guess. I just, I miss you."
"Really?" Rory asked shocked. "I miss you too."
"I just don't know if I'm ready to be friends with you yet."
"Look, Dean I know I hurt you. I'm so sorry you have no idea. The whole thing with Jess was just stupid."
"Yeah it was. But now you know you have no feelings for him, which was basically what our whole break up was about."
"Yeah, I guess it was."
"So I guess I have no reason to be mad at you still."
"I guess not."
"Then I guess, I think I'd like to try to be friends with you again."
"I'd like that too." Rory said smiling.
"So, I'll call you. Maybe we can do something this weekend." Dean said turning back to go into the market.
"That sounds good. I'll talk to you later."
Rory walked to her house and pondered a bit. She was happy, freakishly happy. Her and Lane were great. Her and her mother were great. Her and Jess were great. And her and Dean were starting to become friends again. Life was good. Rory pushed open the door to her house and walked in.
"Honey, your home!" Lorelai called from the living room.
"Hey! That's my line." Rory retorted as she walked to join her mother.
"Rory! My love, my life, my better half, my smiling ray of sunshine, my--" Lorelai was cut off.
"What do you want?"
"Can I borrow your blue shirt?"
"Which one?"
"The on that says 'Lorelai Gilmore or Cher?' "
"Why do you want to borrow the Cher shirt?"
"Because last time I wore it to dinner it really drove my mom crazy."
"Ah, I see. And since when did you start asking to borrow my stuff?"
"Since the last time you said 'Hey mom, could you ask before you just take that?'"
"I said that?"
"I'm afraid so my child."
"What was I thinking?"
"You weren't thinking."
"Apparently."
"So I can borrow it?"
"Of course! What's mine is yours. And what is yours is most defiantly mine. Which is why I'm going to be borrowing your brown pants to wear to dinner tonight."
"Not my Shakira pants!"
"Yup, hand em over sister."
"You drive a hard bargain."
"I'm firm but fair."
"You're built Ford tough."
"Like a rock."
"Fine, Fine. I'll get you the pants." Lorelai said heading up the stairs to her room.
"No need, I already took them. I'll get you the blue shirt though."
"Already got that." Lorelai called from her room.
"What was the point in asking then?" Rory called up after her mother but it was fallen on deaf ears. Lorelai was already up getting ready for the usual Friday night with the family.
"So Matt told me that I was overly nice." Rory complained to Jess. She took another fry.
"Overly nice? Is there such a thing?" Jess asked leaning back in his chair.
"He said I like everyone and I need to find a happy medium of niceness and being mean."
Jess looked at Rory amused.
"Urg! This is just stupid. WE both know I'm not overly nice." she continued. "I'm perfectly balanced. The votes are in and Matt is wrong... That's right I said wrong!"
Jess looked thoughtful. "Well, you are too nice."
"Oh no he got to you too!"
"Common, your nice to everyone."
"Am not."
"Yes you are. You're nice to Kirk for God sake."
"Kirk may be annoying, but he means well."
"See, that's what I mean. You're annoyingly optimistic."
"No I'm not; look this coffee cup is half empty, not half full. So, you can go get me some more now."
"Don't think so."
"Why can't you be overly nice?"
"Its not in my job description."
"Oh, I suppose it's in your job description to sit down and talk with each and every costumer."
"No, just you."
"Well don't I feel honored."
"As you should."
"Yeah well I may be an optimist, but you're a pessimist."
"One of my finer qualities." Jess pointed out.
"Really? I always thought it was your patented grunt and nod that drove the girls crazy."
"Oh it's the grunt and not that does that?"
"Yup, 'fraid so."
"I'll have to work on that then."
"Guess you will. But you'll have to work on it without me. I got dinner with my grandparents tonight."
"Friday already?"
"Yup."
"Well, have fun with that."
Rory got up and picked up her book bag from the floor and walked over to the door and pushed it open.
"Bye Jess. Bye Luke!" She said as she walked out the door.
Two grunts and two nods.
Rory rounded the corner and saw Dean. He was in his Doose's Market apron dumping some trash.
"Hey Rory."
Rory looked up, surprised to be addressed by Dean. Things with then had not worked out so well as it had for her and Jess. They hadn't talked to each other since the break up.
"Oh... hey Dean. How are you?"
"I'm fine."
"Good, that's good."
"So, how are you?"
"I'm dong... good."
"That's a popular word with you isn't it?"
"Well good is a good word."
"So it appears."
"Yeah..."
"Listen Rory, I just...never mind." Dean said turning back to the dumpster and hoisting the last of the trash into the bin.
"What?"
"I just... I'm sick of passing you on the street and both of us pretending like we don't see each other."
"I know. But I thought that's what you wanted."
"I did... I guess. I just, I miss you."
"Really?" Rory asked shocked. "I miss you too."
"I just don't know if I'm ready to be friends with you yet."
"Look, Dean I know I hurt you. I'm so sorry you have no idea. The whole thing with Jess was just stupid."
"Yeah it was. But now you know you have no feelings for him, which was basically what our whole break up was about."
"Yeah, I guess it was."
"So I guess I have no reason to be mad at you still."
"I guess not."
"Then I guess, I think I'd like to try to be friends with you again."
"I'd like that too." Rory said smiling.
"So, I'll call you. Maybe we can do something this weekend." Dean said turning back to go into the market.
"That sounds good. I'll talk to you later."
Rory walked to her house and pondered a bit. She was happy, freakishly happy. Her and Lane were great. Her and her mother were great. Her and Jess were great. And her and Dean were starting to become friends again. Life was good. Rory pushed open the door to her house and walked in.
"Honey, your home!" Lorelai called from the living room.
"Hey! That's my line." Rory retorted as she walked to join her mother.
"Rory! My love, my life, my better half, my smiling ray of sunshine, my--" Lorelai was cut off.
"What do you want?"
"Can I borrow your blue shirt?"
"Which one?"
"The on that says 'Lorelai Gilmore or Cher?' "
"Why do you want to borrow the Cher shirt?"
"Because last time I wore it to dinner it really drove my mom crazy."
"Ah, I see. And since when did you start asking to borrow my stuff?"
"Since the last time you said 'Hey mom, could you ask before you just take that?'"
"I said that?"
"I'm afraid so my child."
"What was I thinking?"
"You weren't thinking."
"Apparently."
"So I can borrow it?"
"Of course! What's mine is yours. And what is yours is most defiantly mine. Which is why I'm going to be borrowing your brown pants to wear to dinner tonight."
"Not my Shakira pants!"
"Yup, hand em over sister."
"You drive a hard bargain."
"I'm firm but fair."
"You're built Ford tough."
"Like a rock."
"Fine, Fine. I'll get you the pants." Lorelai said heading up the stairs to her room.
"No need, I already took them. I'll get you the blue shirt though."
"Already got that." Lorelai called from her room.
"What was the point in asking then?" Rory called up after her mother but it was fallen on deaf ears. Lorelai was already up getting ready for the usual Friday night with the family.
