Author's note: Oh wow! Response is so totally cool! I LOVE YOU GUYS! And to those of you, who guessed that I was naming my chapters after precious stones/ jewels, you guys are right!

I just wanted you to know that I read every single review, and consider all of your feedback as a means to improve.

Isle, karin, coffeechick87, Chilton Puff, RoryJess4evea (Jess left before the kiss), midnightqueen6, jess's gal, *star, antarian pixie, Ilovegilmoretrory, indigo-chica, goin2damall, Too Lazy To Sign In, dev, cricri, Laura-lynn4, shadowcat15, Jessica, Fallen-angel488, helon, smile1, jen.

Chapter 3: Pearl

You have the power to choose -

to love rather than to hate,

to laugh rather than to cry,

to praise rather than to condemn,

to heal rather than to wound,

to act rather than to talk,

to grow rather than to rot,

to pray rather than to curse, and

to live rather than to die.

- Source unknown

-= Previously =-

He turned to face her, and gently touched her cheek. Rory stopped breathing, all of her nerves seemed to have flown over to the spot which Jess's finger was currently touching. She became very heightened and aware of Jess and how close he was currently sitting next to her. His finger ran down to her lips, and he traced the outline of her soft lips ever so lightly. He leaned forward slowly, but before his lips could touch hers, she heard a shout from behind her.

"STOP THAT!"

***

Rory felt like she was stuck in a movie, because the way that her life had been going recently felt like a darn movie script. She had immediately stood up as soon as she heard the very loud feminine voice shout out "Stop that". Rory turned her head around to look at the person who had said that, and then saw a girl, around the same age as her, looking as if a storm cloud was above her head.

She was dressed rather startlingly in a bright red top, and purple hot pants, making her look seriously like a person who sold their body. Her blue eyes flashed in warning, and her bleached blond hair looked so false compared to her brown eyebrows that Rory wanted to give her a lecture.

The girl also looked angry, almost as if she was ready to burst into flames. She strode forward demandingly, as if she expected Rory to bow down to her, and stood in front of Rory, her hands on her hips. Her lips were pursed invitingly, and her eyes raked over Rory's form.

Rory was startled, she didn't quite know what to say or do. The girl just appeared from nowhere. The girl then focused her gaze to Jess, who had stood up sometime between the "stop that" and the blatant appraisal.

Jess raised his brow at her. "What are you doing, Kerianaz?"

The girl pouted at Jess, thinking wrongly that her pout was very sexy. In fact, it looked as if she had just sucked a lemon. "That girl -" she glared at Rory fantastically-" was about to kiss you."

Jess wanted to laugh at the absolute hilarity of the situation. "Her name is Rory."

She ignored his comment, and carried on. "You're my boyfriend. That means that the only person allowed to kiss you is me."

If Rory was shocked before, she was even more shocked now. She didn't know that Jess had a girlfriend, but then again even if she did know… She groaned silently, privately asking God if he had something against her.

Jess shrugged, pulling the nonchalant act off to a T. "Okay then. I don't think that arrangement is working out with me."

Kerianaz's mouth dropped open. "Are you breaking up with me over this-this--- hoochie?"

Rory wanted to say something, but then Jess shot a glance towards her, telling her with his eyes not to say anything.

"Bye, Kerianaz."

Rory was about to walk off, preferably somewhere far, far away from Kerianaz, when the girl raised her hand and slapped her.

Rory's hand automatically went to cover her fast reddening cheek. It hurt a lot, but she guessed she could live with it, besides it wasn't in her nature to whine a lot.

Jess shouted, "What the hell is fucking wrong with you, Keri?"

He walked over to Rory, and gently pried her hand off, scrutinizing the damage done.

Kerianaz sneered at him, her features drawing tightly to a scrunch. "Payback is a bitch, Mariano."

She then stomped off, platforms and all back to wherever she came from. A moment after she fled the scene of the crime, Paris came running over to them.

"Oh my god, Rory, are you all right?" asked Paris, her hand clasped over her mouth.

Rory muttered, "Yeah, just peachy," under her breath.

"I was - uh - assigned to Kerianaz - but we didn't get along too well, so I suggested a walk, and then she saw you guys, and she ran over to you - and oh my god - I am so sorry, I didn't know…" Paris trailed off.

Rory gave Paris a painful smile, but she figured that it probably came out as a grimace. "Paris, it's okay. I know it's not your fault."

"Oh, okay, that's good, very good. I'm going to go back to Kerianaz now." Paris walked off after the girl.

Rory sighed and slumped to the ground, Jess sitting concernedly opposite her. They didn't talk, preferring to let the silence overtake them. Finally, when the silence got a bit too overbearing, Jess talked.

"I'm really sorry about that, I know you don't deserve that." He couldn't look away from the bright red spot on her left cheek, knowing that he was a prime factor in the existence of it.

Rory nodded, carefully measuring her words. "It's okay."

"That's going to turn out to be a nasty bruise."

Rory touched her cheek, feeling the slight swell under her skin, knowing that he was right.

She nodded again. "Yeah, I guess."

Her thoughts drew back again to the fire-breathing dragon who packed a mean slap. "So, uhm, I didn't know that you had a girlfriend."

Jess look at her, conservatively letting a wall go up in his eyes so that she didn't know what he was thinking. "She wasn't a girlfriend."

"You know, for someone who's not a girlfriend, she was really enraged over the fact that we were about to kiss."

Jess was at a loss for words. He didn't think that Rory would acknowledge the near-kiss so openly like that. "Oh, yeah… umm… she was someone I talked to sometimes."

Rory tried a smile. "And you guys probably did more than talking sometimes as well."

Jess nodded. "I really am sorry." His voice turned out contrite, as if he believed that it was his fault that she got slapped.

"I'm sorry you had to break up with her," said Rory, although that was the furthest thing she was feeling. It was more like; I'm so glad you decided to break up with that ass-on-a-stick that I feel like doing something unlike me.

Jess glanced at Rory and smirked. "Yeah right, you are."

Rory laughed, but stopped as soon as she felt a slight pain in her jaw. "You caught me."

Silence again.

"Anyway, I'd rather have you as a friend than her as a girlfriend."

"Friends?" asked Rory, holding her hand out for a handshake. Her heart had dropped down to her stomach as soon as he had said those words, but she figured that if that was the way he wanted it to be, that was the way she'd go too.

He didn't know why her agreement made him feel so disheartened. He had half expected her to reject his offer as 'friends', and then what? Well, in his dreams she would passionately proclaim her love for him, but then again, this was real life. And nothing would urge Rory to say anything like that.

He looked at her hand for a while, focusing on the delicate pale skin, and then shook it.

"Friends," he agreed.

Neither of them knew that the other was lying.

To be continued…

SHAZ