A/N: Hello my little lovelies! I hope this chapter is better than my last one. I like it more at least. :) It takes me a while to write a chapter since I spell check and rewrite stuff all the time, plus I have a time limit on the computer now that school has started, so it would be hard for me to update more than one chapter at a time, but this is the longest chapter I've ever written, so this is for you frackandbonechick!





Rory stared at Jess in shock, "W-what?"'

"I didn't say you were going to fall for Tristan, you did. I said not to let him get to you. I didn't say you were falling for him."

"I'm not. I mean, I've only known the guy for a day. It's not like I even know him. I can't like him and I don't!"

"Whoa, chill Gilmore, like I said before, I never said you were falling for him. I stay neutral."

"Fine. So tell me, how is your relationship with Shane going?"

"Well, she's Shane. That's it."

"Not so well, huh?"

"Not worse or better than it ever was. Just the same."

"So she's pretty much a go to girl?"

"Huh?"

"Well, she doesn't want to label you two as a boyfriend/girlfriend thing, but she likes you more than anyone else?"

"Um, yeah, I guess so."

"But you like her like that?"

"Yes, definitely."

"Have you ever asked her out?"

"Yeah, we've been on dates before."

"No, not like that. I mean, have you ever asked her to be your girlfriend."

His jaw dropped, "I've never thought of that." She smirked and shook her head. "I'll see you later, Ror." He jumped the stairs and hurdled the bushes.

"Bye!" She went inside, smiling to herself. She always knew how do drive the topic of conversation away from herself.

NEXT MORNING, DINER

"And she said that she'd been waiting for me to ask her to be my girlfriend since our first date! Just like that. And now we're going out." Jess finished telling her the story, smiling. She smiled back, her best friend had the girl he'd been chasing for weeks. She was happy for him.

"Jess!"

"Yes uncle Lukey?"

"Don't call me that!"

"Okay Uncle Lukey."

"Go to the storage room and get some napkins."

"Yes Uncle Lukey."

"GO!" Jess walked to the back and Rory smiled, sipping her coffee. She stood up and casually walked to the kitchen. It was a slow morning and Ceasar was no where to be seen. She walked to the large fridge and pulled out a package, throwing some of it on a plate and put it in the microwave. Jess came up a few moments later and was shocked to see Rory watching a plate in the microwave. He walked over to her.

"What are you doing?"

She looked up at him with a crooked grin and pointed to the microwave, "Bacon."

Jess nodded, "I see that." He grabbed the coffee out of her hand.

"NO!"

"Yes. Rory, this stuff is frying your brain!"

"Jess, I need that!"

"No you don't. Caffine'll kill ya!"

"You've seen Batman too many times."

"I love that movie."

"And I love coffee, now give it back."

"No." he turned and poured it in the sink, only to turn around and see her with a fresh cup, watching the bacon again. "How did you do that?"

She nodded to the side of the microwave, "I brought the whole pot with me."

"Of course." And sure enough, when he walked to the other side, there was the coffee pot. "You know, you're not even allowed back here."

"I'm allowed anywhere I want, silly."

"It's seven."

"That's nice."

"The bus leaves two minuets late everyday."

"That's nice."

"The bus is supposed to leave at seven."

"That's nice."

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Kind of."

"The bus leaves in two minuets. Wait, correction, one minuet and twenty three seconds." he said, looking at his watch.

Her head snapped up, "No."

"Yes."

The microwave beeped and she grabbed her bacon. "Bye Jess," she kissed him on the cheek and grabbed her coffee, running to the diner, "Bye mom." she kissed Lorelai on the cheek. "Bye Luke." she called.

"Were you just in the back?" he asked, but she was already out the door, sprinting to the bus stop.

CHILTON

Rory was at her locker with ten minuets to spare. Jess had lied. The busses came every fifteen minuets and it had been six forty five when he told her it was seven, so she took the earlier bus.

Tristan walked into the school and saw Rory at her locker. "Hey Mary."

"Hey Tristan."

"Do you need some help?" he asked upon seeing her struggling with the locker.

"No, I'm fine."

"Yes you are." he looked her over.

"Oh, shut up."

"You said it, not me."

She pulled one more fruitless time and sighed, moving away, "Go ahead." motioning to the locker.

He smirked and hit it with his fist once at the top and once at the bottom, and spun her combination. The door sprang open, "Happy Birthday Mary."

"My birthday isn't for months, you dork."

He smirked, "How about I give you an early present?"

She turned to him and bit her lip, smiling softly, she leaned in as if she would kiss him, but instead whispered in his ear softly, "How about, no?" she pulled away and turned back to her locker.

"That was cold, Mary."

"Sorry."

"No you aren't."

"You're right, I'm not." she closed her locker and looked up at him.

"What's your first class Mary?"

"Mythology."

"Mrs. Billingsley?"

"Yes."

"Well then, I'll see you in homeroom."

She fake groaned, "Lovely."

"Oh, you know you like it Mary."

"Lies."

"Nope, you want me and it kills you to admit it."

"Right. Don't you have to go to your locker or something?"

"I already did."

"Liar."

"Why do you say that?"

"I saw you walk in. You didn't do anything but come to my locker."

"So?"

"Well, don't you have to? Or do you have all your books?"

"No."

"Then go away."

"Evil."

"Only when I'm around you."

He left to go to his locker and some one came up behind Rory. "What did I tell you?"

She didn't even look up, "Good to see you too Summer."

"Look Gilmore, he's MY boyfriend, stay away."

"You know, that's funny because yesterday I asked him if you two were going out."

"And what did he say?"

"Well, it took a little while to get an answer out of him considering how hard he was laughing."

"Whatever. We just don't really have a name on the relationship."

"You mean the relationship you don't have?"

"Minor details. Look, just stay away from him, okay?"

"Um, how about no?"

"I already told you, stay away from him, you have no idea how much power I have over the students of Chilton. I'm warning you, let the popular date the popular, and the nerds date the nerds. You're the new girl, a nobody, go date a nobody."

"What in the world makes you think that I'll listen to you?"

"Just stay away, all right?"

"Whatever." Summer left an annoyed Rory standing there.

LUNCH

Rory walked into the lunchroom and went straight to an unoccupied table. She pulled out her headphones and book. After not eating lunch since sixth grade, she was never hungry. Tristan came and sat beside her. She ignored him so he took off her headphones, she still wouldn't pay him any attention, so he leaned forward and licked her ear. She jumped in surprise and looked at Tristan, who leaned back in his seat. "I don't like being ignored."

"Obviously."

"Now why would an incredibly attractive girl like you be sitting all alone, Mary?"

"Because I'm at an incredibly snobby prep school where a I have no friends."

"You have me."

"Correction: Friends that I can stand sitting with all through lunch."

"Well, lucky you, because I'm not the only one at my table." He motioned to a round table where about eight or nine guys were sitting.

"I don't think so."

"Why?"

"They won't like me."

"Yes they will."

"How do you know?"

"I know them, come on." He grabbed her book from her.

"I could have you arrested for stealing."

"You love me too much."

"Nope, I just don't feel like going through the trouble of calling the police."

"Come on." he stood up and she had no choice but to follow him. As they walked, she was getting glares from every girl in the room. She was going to sit at the coveted 'Soccer Team' table full of the hott team mates. A girl had never sat there before, and it didn't help that Tristan Dugrey, the captain and leader of the group had invited her. She sat down beside Tristan and all the guys looked at her.

"Hey, Rory, right?"

"Yeah."

"I'm Jamie Patterson."

"Hi." she recognized him from a few of her classes, he was a Junior, one grade above her.

Tristan introduced her to everyone, "Rory, this is Austin Green, Hunter Silverman, Connor Pikes, Blake Colier, Grayson Monroe, Landon Wages, Casey Shiver, and David Hannah. You guys this is Rory Gilmore."

The guys each said hey to her and within five minuets they were in a comfortable conversation. Connor, Blake, David, Jamie, and Grayson were Juniors. Tristan, Austin, Hunter, Casey, and Landon were Sophomores.

AFTER SCHOOL, PARKING LOT

Rory was sitting on the front of Blake's car, talking to him, Austin, Tristan, and Grayson. "Hey Mary, we're all going to my house after school and then to see a movie, want to come?"

"Sure. Will I ride with one of you?"

"You can ride with me." Grayson offered.

"Thanks, I need to call my friend and tell him not to pick me up first, okay?"

"K."

"I'll be right back." she walked away a few yards and pulled out her cell phone, dialing Jess' number.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

"Hey Ror. Am I still picking you up?"

"No, I'm going over to Tristan's with some of his friends and then we're seeing a movie."

"Are you going back to his house after the movie?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"I'll pick you up from his house."

"You don't have to. I can get a ride."

"I want to."

"Why?"

"It's my brotherly duty." She laughed slightly, "You're not my brother."

"Close enough!"

"Okay, you need directions, right?"

"Yup."

"Okay, hang on." she walked back over to the guys and handed Tristan the phone, "He wants to pick me up from your house tonight, he needs directions."

"One of us can take you home Rory."

"I know, I told him that, I think it's his brotherly instincts."

"But I thought you were an only child." Austin said, confused.

"I am, Jess is like my brother."

"Okay, Jess? You get onto the Hartford exit and turn right." Tristan walked away to finish giving Jess directions.

DUGREY ESTATE

"You've never been to Tristan's, have you Rory?" Grayson asked, pulling into the driveway.

"Nope."

"He's crazy rich, just to tell you."

And he wasn't exaggerating, at all. Her jaw dropped when the house came into view. It was three stories with a finished basement and a living area in the attic. Making it like it was five stories. There was a game room in the basement. Two pools, indoor and outdoor, a sauna, a hot tub, and a basement theater. Two bedrooms in the basement, three on the main floor, five on the second, six on the third, and two in the attic. Each room had a full bathroom and two walk-in closets, a dvd player, video games, a top of the line computer, and was practically big enough to fit the whole second floor of her house. Needless to say, it was a castle.

After getting a tour, Tristan gave her some of his thirteen year old sister's clothes to wear to the movies so she could get out of the Chilton uniform.

After the movie she, Austin, and Tristan rode with Connor back to the house. She fell asleep sitting in Tristan's lap. Austin, who was in the front seat, looked back at them and then up to Connor. "I like her."

"Yeah, me too."

"Tris, we know you like her, you're the one who introduced us. But yeah, she's cool, I like her too." Grayson said.

"You know how many girls will hate her, right?" Austin asked his best friend.

"Yeah, I know. That's why we need your girlfriend."

"What?"

"Maddy, Louise, and Paris hang out with Summer and them. But only because of the social status. None of Summer's friends even like Paris, they put up with her for the other two."

"I know, what's your point?"

"We need Madeline to convince the other two to hang out with us. And Rory."

"Why?"

"If Summer or her friends ever see Rory alone, they won't hesitate to do something to her. You know that."

"Yeah, but where do the girls come in?"

"He wants the three of them to hang out with her so she won't be alone, and even if Summer's friends do something, she'll have people to help her." Connor said, looking at Tristan in the mirror.

"Exactly."

"Okay, I'll try. They probably will. Oh, We need Jamie to ask Paris out though."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why? She likes you, and seeing as how you will obviously eventually date Rory,"

"Hey!"

"But she also likes Jamie, so it would be easier on every one if he asked her out."

"I'll get him to. He likes her, right?"

"I think so, he talks about her sometimes."

"Connor, do you want to talk to him or should I?"

"You, you're way more manipulative."

"Thanks." They were the second ones to pull in, they'd taken three cars. Tristan picked Rory up and carried her inside before waking her. "Mary."

"Hmm?"

"Wakey wakey, Mary."

"I'm awake, I'm awake." she rubbed her eyes and yawned, "I'm guessing I fell asleep?"

"Yep. In my lap. I bet you wanted it to look like an accident."

She yawned again, "You know me too well. Can I use the phone?"

"Sure." he handed her the cordless.

"Ror, are you sure you don't want me to take you home?"

"Yeah David, Jess will want to come get me." she dialed the number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, you sure you want to drive to Hartford?"

"Yes."

"People have offered to take me home, you know."

"I'll be there in fifteen minuets."

"Okay. Bye luv you."

"Luv you too. I'm on my way."

"Bye." she hung up the phone and laid on the couch, her head in Landon's lap. Everyone left but Austin, Landon, and Grayson, who were staying for the night. Fifteen minuets later the door bell rang and Rory stood up, "I'll see you guys tomorrow." She hugged each one of them and kissed Tristan on the cheek. "Bye."

"Bye Rory."

"See you tomorrow Ror."

"Later babe."

"Bye Mary."

She opened the door and hugged Jess before introducing him to the four guys still there. Rory could tell they would probably get along with him pretty well.

"You know," she said after they got in the car, "That is the longest we've been apart in the past three years, other than when you went to New York."

"Yep."

"So, what did you think?"

"Damn! His house. It's the size of a castle! I mean, my whole family, cousins and all could live there with room to spare. And the only people who live there are him, his parents, and his little sister. While I live with my uncle in a tiny two room apartment over the diner. Why is the house so much bigger than it needs to be? I don't get it."

"I know, it's crazy," she looked out the window at the trees speeding by, wondering what had caused her mother to run from this life of glamour and beauty, "But that's how the other half lives."

A/N: Now you see why the story has the title it does. And before you tell me how different Jess is, remember that he's been friends with Rory for years, which means he's been around her and Lorelai for a long time. Also, if you guys have read my story 'I Hate Everything About You' then can you tell me if I should continue or not? In a few month I might write another chapter to it, but if people want me to then I'll update sooner. Review. Muah.