Run to the Bridge

Chapter 5 – Literary list

Disclaimer: I don't own GG, any books, movies, etc.

This chapter is dedicated to everyone at Stars-Hollow.org, especially everyone at the lit thread, for being so nice and fun to talk to all the time, and patient with me while I've been posting there constantly, lately! lol. You guys rock.

A/N: I'm sorry it's been SO long!! I've been so busy with school…and making banners…lol. And I didn't want to type this looonnngg chapter. At least it seemed that way to me…I wish I could type faster. But I hope you like this, and I will try to be quicker from now on! FYI, Rory and Jess decided on the bookstore trip when they were "talking about something else" on the bridge. Enjoy! ETA – This was gonna be up yesterday, but while I was developing my film, I slammed my finger in the darkroom door…it was kinda hard to type yesterday. But I'm pretty lucky; considering it's me I could have killed my entire hand. lol. On with the story! ~Arianna

Jimmy kind of disappeared for a while. When Jess and I left the bridge, he wanted to go to my house and watch a movie or read or something. I was hungry, and insisted on going back to the diner, promising that if I saw Jimmy there when I went in, we would leave, even without coffee. Jess gave in, as I can always get him to.

Jimmy wasn't there. I knew Jess was relieved; so was I. And I secretly thought that even Jimmy couldn't be stupid enough to come back right away; not after what had happened that afternoon.

Luke was once again busy with the toaster when we went in.

"That toaster really hates you, doesn't it?" Jess remarked.

Luke scowled. "Apparently."

Jess unplugged it, picked it up, and set it on the counter beside me, sitting down in front of it. He bent over it, while I watched, amused by Luke's reaction.

Mom walked in just as Jess set it back next to Luke, saying, "There, fixed."

"The student surpasses the master," she teased.

"I'm not his student!" Jess exclaimed, at the same time as Luke: "I'm not his teacher!" Mom and I both laughed.

"What can I say? I'm good with toasters." Jess grinned. I was so glad things were finally seeming back to normal. And I couldn't help wishing Jimmy had already gone back to wherever he'd come from. Sure, maybe Jess wasn't Luke's student, but I knew Jess didn't hate Luke as much as he sometimes pretended he did. And Jimmy was no father…right?

"What do you want?" Luke asked impatiently.

"Burger and cheese fries," I said.

"Same," Jess replied.

"Some of hers," Mom said.

"I'll have two burgers then," I said quickly.

"Got it." Luke went back to the kitchen. He came out a few minutes later with three plates of burgers and fries.

"But—" Mom began.

"Fine, the extra fries are free," Luke told her.

"Aren't I lucky."

"No, I'm lucky," I said. "Now I get dinner."

"It's a miracle," Jess agreed. I think he was trying to forget what had happened these past few days; enjoying the playful normalcy as much as I was.

We finished our food and got up. I looked over at Jess for a second, a small smile on my face. He smiled back the same way, the way that only Jess can. I could almost read his mind, and I was sure he knew what I was thinking.

I turned and left with my mom, still smiling.

"So," Mom said, after we were a ways away from the diner, "is Jess okay?"

I went up the stairs to our porch; she followed me. I nodded. "Yeah. I guess he's okay…"

"What were you guys doing at the bridge today?" I didn't ask how she knew we were there. It's an unspoken rule that that's where we always go.

I shrugged. "Not much. Just talking." Mom opened the door and we went inside.

"…Have you met him?" she asked cautiously. I knew who she meant.

"Yeah, I've met him. He asked me about Jess, earlier…"

"And you answered?"

"Not really." I sighed and turned around to look at her. "I hate him!" I burst out. "I've barely even met him and I hate him. Isn't that awful?"

"Rory—" Mom began.

"I mean, what is he doing here? What's with just randomly coming? He's had sixteen years to come and he never has and no one knows anything about him except Luke, and Luke hates him, so what does that tell you? He keeps hinting that he has something important to say but he never says it and then he runs away because he's scared and he deserves to be because he's hurting Jess—"

"Whoa there, calm down."

"And he can't even ask him anything, won't tell anyone why he suddenly showed up, but he'll ask Jess' best friend—what a way to avoid it—"

"Rory, Rory, it's okay."

I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I…I just hate that…"

"He hasn't said anything?" Mom asked gently.

I shook my head. "No. Nothing. Just…" I told her about my brief conversation with Jimmy.

Mom smiled a little; a strange look on her face. "You seem more incensed than Jess is."

"I don't think so, not really. He just knows how to hide it, and he wants to hide it, and he's willing to hide it, and I'm not! I wanna know what he wants to say, you know?"

She nodded. "I think it'll be fine. I haven't seen him for a while anyway."

"Neither have I." I was worn out from all my shouting.

"Who knows, maybe he left," she said, with a falsely cheerful smile.

"Maybe." I wanted to believe that.

I got up and walked to my room, glancing over at my desk. I picked up my favorite picture, in its dark wooden frame: Jess and I, my arm around him, both smiling, sitting in the diner. Luke behind the counter, slightly out of focus, pouring coffee for my mom, who was leaning over the counter to talk to him. Probably trying to convince him to get coffee bowls—I didn't remember.

I grinned and put it back on the desk to get ready for bed.

I woke up the next morning, feeling better. I showered, dressed in jeans and a shirt, and headed upstairs.

"Good morning!" I said loudly.

"Ugh."

"Don't you want coffee?"

"When I'm awake," Mom said sleepily.

"That's what coffee does; it gets you awake!"

"Then you don't need it."

"Luke's coffee…"

"Maybe at a reasonable hour." She turned over, facing away from me.

"It is a reasonable hour," I argued. It's nine o'clock!"

"It's summer."

"Mom."

She groaned. "What's the hurry?"

"I'm hanging with Jess today and there's this great used bookstore on the way to Hartford that we want to go to," I explained.

"Go at ten."

"But I need breakfast because we're gonna need several hours, plus an hour for going and coming back, and for breakfast I need Luke's!"

"Ugh," she said again.

"Coffee. Your friend. Wonderful, delicious coffee! You know you want it…"

"Yeah, sure, later."

"Get up!"

"Argh. Fine. You're evil," she told me.

"And proud of it!" I called after her, going downstairs.

We finally got to Luke's and took our usual table. It wasn't as busy as most mornings. While we waited for Luke, Mom remarked, "You seem to be feeling better."

"I am."

"Anything happen last night?"

"I was thinking."

"What else is new?" she joked.

"Mom! I guess I just have to wait and see what happens."

"Good philosophy," she agreed.

"Maybe. I don't want to get all upset over nothing…maybe he just realized…he wanted to get to know his kid?" I said uncertainly.

"Yeah, maybe."

Luke walked over. "What do you want?"

"French toast," I said.

"Pancakes, side of scrambled eggs," Mom answered.

"Okay." Jess came down the stairs from the apartment, reading a sheet of paper as he did.

"Ooh, you finished it!" I said excitedly, going over to him.

"Yeah." He showed me the list of books we were gonna look for at the store. Some things you can never have too many copies of. It read:

Please Kill Me

A Moveable Feast

A Farewell to Arms (Jess insisted)

We the Living (I insisted)

Atlas Shrugged (like I said, I can always get Jess to give in)

Humboldt's Gift

The Great Gatsby

Oliver Twist

On the Road

The Sound and the Fury

"Oh, I have to add one," I said quickly. Jess handed me the wrinkled sheet of paper and a pen he found in his pocket. I put it on the counter and wrote 'The Professor.' "My copy's falling apart," I explained.

"Right. You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"Eaten? You're lucky we're here by now."

"Well, I counted on your persuasive abilities, Ror."

"Yeah, but they work best on you."

"They do not!"

"I need coffee, Jess." He poured me a cup, grinning. "Thanks."

"How much do you think I'd make if I patented a coffee bowl?" Mom mused.

"On Earth, or your planet?" Luke asked sardonically.

Mom gave him her trademark look.

He grinned. "I mean, want more coffee?"

"Of course."

Luke went back to the kitchen for a moment, coming out with our plates.

"Jess, you aren't eating?" I said, with my mouth full.

"I already ate," he said pointedly.

"See? Reasonable hour," I told my mom, while Jess, thinking that maybe, in some alternate universe, I wasn't looking, tore off a piece of my French toast. "Hey!" I exclaimed, but didn't attempt to get it back; just laughed.

"Hey Ror, we better get going. I know how long it's gonna take to get you out of there."

"True," I said, making a face at him. "Speak for yourself." I took another bite and jumped off the chair. "Mom, we won't be back too late."

"Okay, have fun." She looked at us strangely for a second.

"Luke, can we borrow the truck?" I asked.

"Sorry," he said. "I have to take it to Gypsy today. Something about the engine or the air conditioning or something."

"Yeah, we noticed that," Jess told him. "Uh, Lorelai—"

"Can we use the Jeep?" I finished for him.

"Yeah, sure, I'll get Michel to come get me. He'll be so annoyed…" She grinned wickedly and got out her cell phone.

"Thanks, Mom."

"Hey—" Luke protested.

"See you guys later!" she called, over Luke's complaining.

Jess put his arm around me, I did the same, and we walked outside together. We went back to our house to get my set of keys.

"You drive," I said.

"Sure." I tossed him the key ring, which he reached up and caught.

I put a CD I'd burned into the car CD player, "Human Behavior," by Bjork, started playing, and Jess drove away. We talked all the way there, until we pulled into the parking lot, got out of the car, and walked inside, Jess holding the list. Books lined the windows, and I could see stacks of them inside.

I noticed an old billboard nearby: "Get your dad a present he'll love for Father's Day…"

 I hate Jimmy! I thought again, furiously. I hate that he hurt Jess. I hate that he's ignored Jess all his life. I wish he'd go away; I like things the way they are! And if Jess…if he… But no, that wasn't a possibility. He was my best friend…I smiled, putting that thought away for another time, excited about exploring a new bookstore. Finding another world to lose myself in, with Jess.

I happily led the way inside; Jess right behind me.

"What's first on the list?" I asked.

"Well…"