A/N: No need to panic people, I just thought I'd spice things up a little.
After all
The course of true love never did run smooth. Thanks for the
reviews.
Chapter 17
Or maybe not
~~~
Rory couldn't run fast enough, the tears that were threatening to spill, getting closer to fulfil to that threat.
How could she not have seen it? There in front of her all the time. How could she have been so blind, so stupid?
She couldn't hold back the tears any longer and she was making her way through the streets blindly, almost falling a few times in her haste to get away, away from the lying bastard that he was.
"Rory!" she heard him call but she didn't look back, she couldn't, she wouldn't.
"Rory! For crying out loud will you stop!"
She eventually did stop but not because of him. Because the pain was unbearable and her chest and throat were clogged with tears not yet shed.
She was so lost in her misery that she didn't realise he'd caught up with her and she flinched when he took hold of her arm.
"Don't touch me!" she said vehemently.
He jerked back as if scalded, his eyes clouding in bewilderment.
"Rory what the hell?"
"Don't you dare act all innocent with me."
He lifted his hands up in surrender, "Okay." He said taking a step back, "we've obviously got our wires crossed here so why don't you tell me what's going on."
"You know perfectly well. You've been taking me for a fool. Both of you, what did you think you'd play a game with the small town girl to amuse yourself while you're off circuit?" she bit out in resentment.
The anger was beginning to mount within her.
"Both of us?" he asked incredulously.
Oh he was good, so good she almost believed him. Almost but not quite.
"You and Skye!"
"What?" he spluttered, "Are you out of your ever loving mind?"
His words only added to her ire, she turned around and one look at their surroundings caused a fresh batch of tears to flow. This time she couldn't stop them even if she had wanted to.
They were on the bridge, a place that she thought of as theirs.
Rory was shaking uncontrollably and so she didn't see the stricken expression on Jess' face as he watched her.
The more she tried to calm down the more she couldn't and it was all because of him.
"Rory please." He said gingerly, moving towards her a step at a time. "Tell me what's wrong so I can make it better."
"You can't." she said between sobs.
"Why not?"
"Because it's all your fault." She said brokenly.
She was such an idiot. All the time she'd thought that the song was meant for her and Jess, a sign that they belonged together and all the while it was the exact opposite. It was Skye singing to Jess telling him how she felt about him.
She hadn't even stood a chance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jess was utterly lost. He didn't know what was going on and it was an effort to get anything that made sense out of Rory.
She was talking in riddles and if her intention was to befuddle him she was doing a bang up job.
"What's my fault?"
She stared up at him with eyes limpid from the tears and he felt his heart break with each passing moment.
Finally she pointed to his shirt and for the first time he noticed it was torn.
Torn above his hip.
The tattoo's.
What luck! For the first time he didn't have a damn T-shirt on underneath and it proved to be his downfall.
"Rory wait - "
"Are they the same as Skye's?" she cut him off.
"It's not what - "
"Are they?"
"Yes." He admitted reluctantly.
He saw as her shoulders slumped and Jess had never felt so helpless in his life.
"What do they mean?' one would think she was making polite conversation but her tone and body belied that.
"We don't have to do this now Rory."
"Just answer me."
"Trust and love."
"I see."
But she didn't. She didn't see that she was blowing it all out of proportion and hurting them both in the process.
"Do you really?" he asked softly.
"What's not to? You two are obviously closer than you let on. All those times you went to her to 'talk'." She said acerbically.
Jess' hurt was beginning to be replaced by anger, he wasn't a liar and these accusations were unmerited.
"Skye and I are just FRIENDS Rory. Friends who've been through a lot of crap together." He said menacingly.
"Like getting matching tattoos," she shouted, "of love and trust? Love Jess?"
"Yes love dammit Rory I love her! Does that make you feel any better?" he remembered the last time he'd asked her that very question on that very spot. It added fuel to the fire.
"Does it make you feel justified in hurling all this at me? Does it?!"
"You could've told me!" she said evading the question.
"Why? What's to say I wouldn't have received the same reaction?"
"We won't ever know now will we?"
"G-d Rory why won't you just admit it? You accuse me of being untruthful but you're not exactly being a saint here are you?"
"What - "
"You still think of me as the outlaw that rode into town on his black horse one day to terrorise the townsfolk don't you?
"The lost cause, the no good bad ass who's only okay for company when you can't be with you precious Dean," he sneered.
"The one you feel should count himself so damn lucky to get to spend a freaking afternoon with you!"
Rory stood in front of him speechless and he had to remind himself he was pissed off with her even if she was beautiful.
"Well you know what 'princess' you can take your snotty behind and go to hell!"
"I guess I'll see you then won't I?"
He raked his hands through his hair in sheer frustration.
"You're not even gonna give me a chance to explain are you?'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"For what so you can think of another bunch of lies to tell? I may not be the most sophisticated wordly person but I'm not that big of a fool."
"You are a fool Rory! You're so blinded by what you want to see that you can't see what's really in front of you!"
"Don't patronise me Jess Mariano!"
Jess Mariano . J Mariano.
Something clicked in Rory's brain and for perhaps the first time she realised the extent of his deception.
"You -"
"What now?"
"You're J Mari aren't you? Oh my G-d!" she said stepping backwards.
"Rory -"
"Don't you dare try to explain this one!" she said scornfully.
"You're overreacting."
"Am I? Is that why I wasn't clued in 'cause you thought I'd overreact?" she spat out.
"No I didn't think it was that important."
She heard the slap before she even realised she'd raised her hand.
His cheek sported the imprint of her palm.
Rory stood there motionless, she'd never done anything like that in her life."
"Do you feel better?" he asked sardonically.
Rory felt so tired all of a sudden as the truth dawned on her.
He didn't care about her at all.
He wrote songs with and had matching tattoos with Skye and he didn't think to tell her.
But what hurt most of all was seeing the look of contempt in his eyes as he turned and walked away from her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Harsh words were spoken I know. Don't worry I'm still 100% Literati but keep in mind the Summary.
Chapter 17
Or maybe not
~~~
Rory couldn't run fast enough, the tears that were threatening to spill, getting closer to fulfil to that threat.
How could she not have seen it? There in front of her all the time. How could she have been so blind, so stupid?
She couldn't hold back the tears any longer and she was making her way through the streets blindly, almost falling a few times in her haste to get away, away from the lying bastard that he was.
"Rory!" she heard him call but she didn't look back, she couldn't, she wouldn't.
"Rory! For crying out loud will you stop!"
She eventually did stop but not because of him. Because the pain was unbearable and her chest and throat were clogged with tears not yet shed.
She was so lost in her misery that she didn't realise he'd caught up with her and she flinched when he took hold of her arm.
"Don't touch me!" she said vehemently.
He jerked back as if scalded, his eyes clouding in bewilderment.
"Rory what the hell?"
"Don't you dare act all innocent with me."
He lifted his hands up in surrender, "Okay." He said taking a step back, "we've obviously got our wires crossed here so why don't you tell me what's going on."
"You know perfectly well. You've been taking me for a fool. Both of you, what did you think you'd play a game with the small town girl to amuse yourself while you're off circuit?" she bit out in resentment.
The anger was beginning to mount within her.
"Both of us?" he asked incredulously.
Oh he was good, so good she almost believed him. Almost but not quite.
"You and Skye!"
"What?" he spluttered, "Are you out of your ever loving mind?"
His words only added to her ire, she turned around and one look at their surroundings caused a fresh batch of tears to flow. This time she couldn't stop them even if she had wanted to.
They were on the bridge, a place that she thought of as theirs.
Rory was shaking uncontrollably and so she didn't see the stricken expression on Jess' face as he watched her.
The more she tried to calm down the more she couldn't and it was all because of him.
"Rory please." He said gingerly, moving towards her a step at a time. "Tell me what's wrong so I can make it better."
"You can't." she said between sobs.
"Why not?"
"Because it's all your fault." She said brokenly.
She was such an idiot. All the time she'd thought that the song was meant for her and Jess, a sign that they belonged together and all the while it was the exact opposite. It was Skye singing to Jess telling him how she felt about him.
She hadn't even stood a chance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jess was utterly lost. He didn't know what was going on and it was an effort to get anything that made sense out of Rory.
She was talking in riddles and if her intention was to befuddle him she was doing a bang up job.
"What's my fault?"
She stared up at him with eyes limpid from the tears and he felt his heart break with each passing moment.
Finally she pointed to his shirt and for the first time he noticed it was torn.
Torn above his hip.
The tattoo's.
What luck! For the first time he didn't have a damn T-shirt on underneath and it proved to be his downfall.
"Rory wait - "
"Are they the same as Skye's?" she cut him off.
"It's not what - "
"Are they?"
"Yes." He admitted reluctantly.
He saw as her shoulders slumped and Jess had never felt so helpless in his life.
"What do they mean?' one would think she was making polite conversation but her tone and body belied that.
"We don't have to do this now Rory."
"Just answer me."
"Trust and love."
"I see."
But she didn't. She didn't see that she was blowing it all out of proportion and hurting them both in the process.
"Do you really?" he asked softly.
"What's not to? You two are obviously closer than you let on. All those times you went to her to 'talk'." She said acerbically.
Jess' hurt was beginning to be replaced by anger, he wasn't a liar and these accusations were unmerited.
"Skye and I are just FRIENDS Rory. Friends who've been through a lot of crap together." He said menacingly.
"Like getting matching tattoos," she shouted, "of love and trust? Love Jess?"
"Yes love dammit Rory I love her! Does that make you feel any better?" he remembered the last time he'd asked her that very question on that very spot. It added fuel to the fire.
"Does it make you feel justified in hurling all this at me? Does it?!"
"You could've told me!" she said evading the question.
"Why? What's to say I wouldn't have received the same reaction?"
"We won't ever know now will we?"
"G-d Rory why won't you just admit it? You accuse me of being untruthful but you're not exactly being a saint here are you?"
"What - "
"You still think of me as the outlaw that rode into town on his black horse one day to terrorise the townsfolk don't you?
"The lost cause, the no good bad ass who's only okay for company when you can't be with you precious Dean," he sneered.
"The one you feel should count himself so damn lucky to get to spend a freaking afternoon with you!"
Rory stood in front of him speechless and he had to remind himself he was pissed off with her even if she was beautiful.
"Well you know what 'princess' you can take your snotty behind and go to hell!"
"I guess I'll see you then won't I?"
He raked his hands through his hair in sheer frustration.
"You're not even gonna give me a chance to explain are you?'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"For what so you can think of another bunch of lies to tell? I may not be the most sophisticated wordly person but I'm not that big of a fool."
"You are a fool Rory! You're so blinded by what you want to see that you can't see what's really in front of you!"
"Don't patronise me Jess Mariano!"
Jess Mariano . J Mariano.
Something clicked in Rory's brain and for perhaps the first time she realised the extent of his deception.
"You -"
"What now?"
"You're J Mari aren't you? Oh my G-d!" she said stepping backwards.
"Rory -"
"Don't you dare try to explain this one!" she said scornfully.
"You're overreacting."
"Am I? Is that why I wasn't clued in 'cause you thought I'd overreact?" she spat out.
"No I didn't think it was that important."
She heard the slap before she even realised she'd raised her hand.
His cheek sported the imprint of her palm.
Rory stood there motionless, she'd never done anything like that in her life."
"Do you feel better?" he asked sardonically.
Rory felt so tired all of a sudden as the truth dawned on her.
He didn't care about her at all.
He wrote songs with and had matching tattoos with Skye and he didn't think to tell her.
But what hurt most of all was seeing the look of contempt in his eyes as he turned and walked away from her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Harsh words were spoken I know. Don't worry I'm still 100% Literati but keep in mind the Summary.
