Chapter 16- Opportunities

It turned out that Rory's roommate was a little different than she had expected.

"Rory?" She asked in her whiny tone of voice.

"Yes, Melissa?" She replied.

"I've told you a million times, call me Mel. Anyway, did you use my toothpaste?"

"No---Mel, I did not use your toothpaste."

"Well, it must have just gotten up and wandered off them, 'cause I sure as heck can't find the darn thing."

Rory sighed and rolled her eyes. Roommates were supposed to be annoying she realized, but did she have to get stuck with this one? Melissa, or Mel as she liked to be called, was from Texas. She talked with kind of a whiny, twangy drawl. She was mostly your typical southern prep, but she seemed more the ditsy blonde type. You'd think a girl like her couldn't get into Yale, but she did have the grades to prove it. In the first two weeks alone, she had showed Rory dozens of papers that she had written and they all had A's on them. How she did it was beyond comprehension.

"You can use mine if you want, Mel." Rory replied.

"Oh, that is mighty nice of you. I think I will."

"I've gotta go to class, Mel. See you later." She pulled on a black hoodie and shut the door behind her.

"Bye!" Mel replied after Rory had left. She didn't notice that though.

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"Could I get some more coffee over here, Jess?" Kirk requested as Jess walked past.

"In a second, I've gotta take this guys order." He stepped up to a table. "You know what you want?" He asked

"Yes, I'll have two eggs on wheat toast, and an orange juice."

"Okay." Jess set the slip on the counter for Luke to give to Caesar, but instead he picked it up and read aloud:

"Caesar, we need two hen fruits down, with a squeeze."

Jess stopped dead in his tracks in front of Luke. "What was that?" He asked.

"Oh, it's diner talk. Lorelai taught it to me. Fun huh?"

"Not exactly what I would have called it." He grabbed a coffee pot and refilled Kirk's cup.

"Since we're doing this whole diner talk thing, can I get---ah---two life preservers with a lighthouse on the side, wreck 'em and throw 'em in mud?" Kirk requested.

"Luke! I don't know what he's trying to say." Jess screamed.

"You want two donuts with ketchup on the side, scrambled and covered with chocolate syrup?" Luke asked.

"Oh, no that's not exactly right. I want two life preservers with a touch of Vermont on the side." He corrected. Luke thought for a second.

"That I can do" He replied.

Jess threw his arms up in the air in frustration. "I work in a madhouse." He grabbed the coffee cup and poured a few more cups for people. "I gotta get to school, Luke." He glanced at his watch. It was 15 minutes till eight.

"Fine, have a good day."

"I always do." He replied sarcastically.

"Have you heard from Rory?" Luke asked.

"Not since last week. Why?" He replied.

"Just wondering," He said.

"She'll call when she's got time. We're not the most important things in her life anymore, Luke."

"I know." He replied.

"You don't know the half of it. At least your girlfriend is still here." He retorted.

"Jess, she still cares about you. She's just---"

"Yeah, I know, she's just 22.8 miles away. I know she does. I'm just saying." He grabbed an apple. "Figure I should get a little something for my lit teacher, maybe then I'll get an A+" He said sarcastically, made a face and left the diner.

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*Cold concrete apartments

Rise up from wet black asphalt

Below them a few carcasses

Of the long gone age of privacy*

Dave walked up the sidewalk to where Lane had said she'd meet him. He noticed all the buildings, all dark and dreary. It seemed kind of like a prison. This was Lane's mother's idea of college? Just when he thought everything looked grey and dreary a familiar face in a pink t-shirt and capri's came bounding down the steps. She ran into his arms.

"Lane!" He exclaimed.

"Dave, it's so good to see you!" She replied.

"I think anything would be a sight for sore eyes, after being in this place for weeks." He smiled and kissed her. "It's good to see you though. How'd you get away with the electric pink shirt, and jeans?" He asked.

"Oh, they're not jeans, they are capri's. And I wore them under my dress today. Mama Kim never suspected a thing when I left this morning." She opened the basket she'd been carrying. "See it's in here, under our lunch." She replied.

"Clever."

"I thought it was. So how are things at Hartford University?"

"Good. I'm majoring in music and minoring in theology."

"And I'm doing the complete opposite." She added. "But why are you taking theology?"

"So I can tell your mother that I am doing something Christian related."

"Oh, that's a good idea." She smiled.

"I thought so." He smiled back.

"So, do you want to have some of this lunch I packed?"

"Sure. But how'd you get that past your mother?" He asked

"Oh, I just told her I had my lunch and some books in it, which is not entirely a lie."

"Nope, so what do we have?"

"Two waters, a few sandwiches, and some baked chips." She made a face at him. "It's all I had on hand in the house on such short notice. I'll come more prepared next time, I promise."

"It's fine. I'm sure it's good, as long as I get to see you." He replied. They ate sitting on a blanket that Lane had in her basket. "So this place isn't as bad as I think it is?" He asked.

"No, there are a few other people here I can talk too. I mean it's not prison; I like to think of it as my own personal adventure into the life I would have all the time if I wasn't like those parent trap girls, ya know?"

He laughed a little. "Yeah, double life. I get it."

"Yeah, exactly" She replied. "Sure, it's not my first choice, but it's not so bad." She glanced at her watch. "I better get going. I've got class in a few minutes." He helped her fold up the blanket and pack the basket again.

"Lane, could you do something for me?" He asked. "Put the dress on, now." She smiled and pulled out a tan-brown dress with a faint red floral print on it. It was nearly floor length, so it covered up her capri's.

He smiled a little. "You look gorgeous." He replied.

"I do not." She smacked his arm playfully. "But thank you for saying so." She kissed him and waved goodbye.

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"Luke? Could you come over here?" She requested into the phone.

"Why?" He asked. He wouldn't have asked if he had seen her current position.

"Because there is a spider here, who I am fairly sure is a good friend of King Kong." She stepped off the chair she had been on and sat down in the middle of the dinning room table.

"Lorelai, I'm just about to close up. Can it wait maybe fifteen minutes?"

"No, it's looking hungry." She replied. "Please!"

Jess heard Luke on the phone talking to Lorelai. "I can close up." He offered.

"Fine" He replied to Jess. "Lorelai, you are so overdramatic. I'll be right there." He said into the phone.

"Yay, see you soon!" She replied and pressed the talk button on the phone. "Hopefully Goliath will wait till you get here, to start attempting to devour me."

Luke grabbed his coat, walked over to her place and knocked on the back door.

"Come in." She yelled. He opened the door to find her there sitting on the table.

"What are you doing on the table?" He asked.

"It's called high ground, Luke." She replied.

"Where is this spider, now?"

"He's over there by the door to Rory's room."

"Okay, what can I kill him with?" Luke asked.

"Don't kill him! Just catch him. You can use a glass."

"You don't want me to kill him? But you want him out of here?"

"Yes."

"Fine" Luke tried a few times catching him in a cup, on the fourth try he did.

"Yay! Luke caught Goliath!" He brought it outside and came back in.

"You named it?" He asked.

"I name everything." She replied smiling.

"Oh, that's true."

She walked up to him. "So, since you're here. And the big, bad spider is gone; maybe you want to stay a while."

"I should probably go back and help Jess close up." He answered.

"Oh, he'll be fine." She replied kissing him.

"I guess I could stay." He smiled kissing her back.

Luke Danes did not return to the diner an hour later. Nor two hours later, not even three. Jess just went to bed without even waiting for him to come home. Rory was coming tomorrow. He needed sleep.

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She walked into the diner at exactly 9:35. He was filling coffees as he usually did.

"Morning, Jess." She said sitting down at the Gilmore's usual table. He finished filling the cup of the customer he was attending to, grabbed another cup and brought it to her. He filled it.

*These notes are marked return to sender

I'll save this letter for myself

I wish you only knew

How good it is to see you*

"Good morning! How are you, Rory?" He kissed her, after filling the cup.

"I'm good; better now that I'm home." She smiled. "Where's Luke?"

"He didn't come back in last night."

"He didn't?" She was surprised.

"Nope" Jess replied.

"You're serving all these people on your own?" She asked.

"Well, yes. Caesar is doing the cooking, but I am doing the serving."

"I'll help you." She replied setting down her cup. He touched her shoulder.

"You don't have to do that, you just got home. Sit down, relax and drink you're coffee."

"No, it's fine. I want to help. I had some coffee before I came, in case of emergency." She smiled. "What can I do?"

"Well, you can get those orders that Caesar just finished." He replied.

"Okay!" She went over and picked up the orders. "Who ordered eggs and bacon?" She asked. She gave the plate to the person who responded. "What about the pancakes?"

A small elderly woman raised her hand. "Me." She replied.

"There you go ma'am."

"Thank you. It looks delicious, and might I add that you are a very pretty young lady?"

"I'd have to agree with you, ma'am." Jess replied kissing Rory's cheek before he went back to working.

"Is that your boyfriend, dear?" The woman asked.

"Yes." Rory answered, she began to blush a little.

"He's cute." She winked.

"I know." Rory smiled. "Enjoy your food, and come back anytime!" She replied.

A few minutes later, Luke and Lorelai entered the diner together.

"Where have you been?" Jess asked.

"I was killing a spider for Lorelai." Luke replied.

"Are you wearing the same shirt you were wearing yesterday?"

"No, I have tons of these shirts. They all look the same." He knew what Jess was implying.

"Right, well thanks for leaving me to watch the diner all by myself." Jess shot back.

"But I'm helping." Rory added.

"Thank you, Rory." Luke replied.

"It's no problem." She replied. "Luke?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think maybe I could work here on Saturdays? I kind of enjoy it. Plus it looks like you might want some more help, now that you have a girlfriend to think about."

"Sure, that'd be a big help." He replied. "We'll discuss wages later."

"You don't have to pay me." She said.

"Of course I do. Why shouldn't I?"

"Fine, I won't turn away money." Rory smiled.

"Let's get working then! I'm just gonna go change my shirt---because this one---this one doesn't fit very well." He replied as he went up stairs. They all stifled a laugh.

"Mom, did what I think happened, actually happen?" Rory asked.

"There was a really large spider. I named him Goliath." Rory laughed. She knew the truth without her mother telling her.

"Sit down; I'll get you a cup of coffee." She went back to the coffee machine and grabbed the pot. Jess came over to get a clean cup.

"It looks like we'll be working together." He said.

"It does look that way." She replied.

"I'm glad you're home."

"Me too" She said.

*One thing is always true

How good it is to see you

See you.*

A/N: Hey! Lyrics are "This Could Be Anywhere" By Dead Kennedy's, "See You" by Foo Fighters. Hope you enjoyed. I don't want to offend any southerners or people from Texas, I just needed a setting and that was the first one that came to mind. I'm sure southerners are great. Actually, I know a few. They are nice. She's just a character who happens to be southern, and blonde. Just thought I'd put that out there. Love y'all! -- See? I even talk like them? Bye!