*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I
own is my imagination and the plot.
*A/N: Hey!!! :-) You can open your eyes now, this is another chapter! And it took me a little less time to update than last time. And you know what I've just realized ? That I really love to write, even if it's not as good as some authors on this site. And that maybe I do have some talent. I hope you enjoy this chapter. :-)
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)
The next morning, Rory woke up with a headache. The result of a restless night that had been full with tossing and turning and seconds that seemed hours when she had found herself lying awake. Her mind had been processing thoughts all night, sometimes even causing her to wake up out of her dreamless sleep. And while she had been lying in bed, with her eyes closed, trying to force herself to go back to sleep, she had subconsciously known that she wouldn't be able to find peace until she had studied every thought and made up a believable answer that she would be satisfied with.
Rory moaned as she sat up straight, her hair falling in front of her face, trying to block out reality, shielding her from the light and the day that lay behind her window. Suddenly she got an urge to talk to someone. Maybe talking would help her figure out the meaning of her thoughts and untangle the few, yet incessant doubts.
She grabbed the end of her curtain and pulled it up, squinting her bedroom eyes at the amount of light they met. When she saw that her mom's jeep wasn't in the driveway, she sighed and released the curtain. If she didn't talk to someone her thoughts would keep haunting her throughout the day.
She laid back down on the bed and stared at the plain ceiling for a minute, before reaching for the phone, which was lying on her bedside table. Her mom always put it there when she had to leave before Rory had risen yet. Lorelai said that it gave her a safe feeling, knowing that she could reach her daughter whenever she wanted. Which she took a little literally sometimes, calling her every free minute she had, just to complain about Michel and Sookie's frustrating cooking tactics. Rory quickly touched the digits she needed and rested the phone upon her ear.
''Kim's Antiques. Everything's old and breakable, so you break, you buy.''
''Mrs. Kim, it's Rory, may I...........''
''Rory who ?'' Mrs. Kim interrupted.
''Rory Gilmore.''
''You should always say your entire name. That way I won't be confused and know for sure that you're Rory and not...............''
''Gilmore,'' Rory said quickly, not sure yet if she was mocking Mrs. Kim or not.
''What ?''
''Nothing.''
''It's rude to interrupt people in the middle of their conversation,'' Mrs. Kim said in a disciplinary voice.
''Right, sorry. May I please speak to Lane ?''
''We just got back from church. She might still be praying.''
''Please, I need to talk to her about something.''
''About what ?'' Mrs. Kim asked, not even trying to hide the suspicion in her voice.
''Well.........uhm.....,'' Rory started, trying to give herself some time to come up with a convincing answer. ''I was reading a magazine and I saw this picture, a biblical picture. But I don't really know which story it represents, so I thought I could describe it to Lane and she could help me.''
''What's the name of this magazine ?''
''I don't really remember. Lane lend it to me.........''
''Ah, must be 'Heaven's Gate','' Mrs. Kim said, a pleased tone finding its way into her voice.
''Yes, 'Heaven's Gate'.''
''Fine, you may talk to Lane. Understanding those pictures and connecting them to the right story is difficult.''
''Thank you,'' Rory uttered.
She heard Mrs. Kim's rapid footsteps on the stairs, as she made her way to Lane's room. When she knocked on the door, it took Lane a couple of seconds to open the door. Rory knew that she had probably been listening to her favorite rock band of this week, instead of praying.
''It's Rory. Maybe she wants to go to church with us some time ?'' Rory heard Mrs. Kim say, smiling at the thought of Lane's confused face.
''Rory Gilmore ?''
''Yes.''
''Maybe. Thanks mama.''
As soon as the door closed behind Mrs. Kim, Rory heard Lane's bemused voice on the other end of the line. ''Church ?''
''Heaven's Gate ?'' Rory shot back.
''I know.'' Lane sighed. ''Could my life be any more pathetic ?''
''Religion's not pathetic.''
''Believe me, me being able to quote practically the entire bible isn't impressive to anyone except Mama Kim.''
''Hey, I can quote Shakespeare,'' Rory said, trying to reassure her friend.
''Yeah, but we don't read the bible for English Literature.''
''Good point.''
''So, what's the reason of you interrupting my oh so important prayer ?'' Lane asked, the sarcasm evident in her intonation.
''I just have to talk to someone and my mom wasn't here so........''
''I was your second choice ?'' Lane asked, trying to sound offended.
''My very first second choice.''
''You've got five minutes while I think of a story that could be stuffed into one picture.''
''It's about Dean..............and Jess,'' Rory admitted.
''A love triangle, how dramatic.''
''It's not a triangle, it's a...........straight line.''
''What happened ?'' Lane curiously asked.
''Well, Dean asked me out...........''
''When ?!''
''Yesterday,'' Rory answered.
''And you lost your capability to dial ?''
''I was confused,'' came Rory's explanation.
''Obviously.''
''Anyway, Dean asked me out, but when I saw Jess again he made this weird comment about Dean not appreciating how smart I am..........''
''Conceited,'' was Lane's quick response.
Rory however ignored Lane's interruption and continued with her clarification. ''.......and how he knows guys like Dean. Knows guys like Dean ? What does he mean by that ? He hardly even knows Dean.''
''Unless they have met in another life before, I would say that Mr.Tactic is green with envy of the-boy-next-door, literally.''
''No......... Jess and me just play basketball and talk......occasionally,'' Rory defended.
''How often do you play basketball ?''
''Every night.''
''And Jess is there every night too ?''
''Yes.''
''Think about it, Rory. A basketball court at night with only the two of you......... it's the perfect scene for a could be date. Also known as the pre-date,'' Lane explained.
''Lane.......... a pre-date ? There's no such thing as a pre-date.''
''If there's a magazine that actually has a game which goal is to connect a picture to a story, then there's definitely a pre-date, trust me.''
''But that doesn't make any sense, I mean he's not........and I'm not...........and then there's Dean,'' Rory rambled.
''Sounds like a triangle to me.''
''How can there be a triangle when the third party doesn't know about any of this yet ?''
''Because the third party, which can either be you or Jess, is in denial,'' Lane said, stretching the last word.
''So........what do I do ?''
''Trace those lines,'' was Lane's cryptic response.
''Okay, thanks,'' Rory said, not quite understanding Lane's answer.
''Any time.''
''I'll talk to you later.''
''Sure, we'll make plans for church.''
*~*~*
When Rory entered Luke's, she nearly collided with Jess, who was taking someone's order. His closeness caused her to feel even more confused about the conversation she had just had with Lane and it even caused her to have doubts about her date tonight. She still wasn't sure if there even was a triangle. If there was, she hadn't witnessed the connection of the three lines. She had possibly remained purposely blind, not wanting to create any more tension between her and Jess. She liked their relationship as it was. It was safe and as of yet there were no strings attached.
Jess acknowledged her presence with a slight nod of his head, catching her by surprise, since she thought that they weren't speaking after the words they had exchanged last night. And technically they weren't. Rory closed the door and leaned against it, as she looked around the diner for her mother, knowing that there was a large chance that she would be here. At the same time, she gave Jess more space to move. By the time she spotted her mother, Jess was already on his way back to the counter. Rory shot him one more look, before letting go of the door and heading over to the table her mom was occupying.
''So, your feet couldn't manage to walk the ten steps to Luke ?'' Rory asked, as she sat down across from her mom, hoping that their conversation would distract her from her thoughts.
''I can explain. Apparently I had been sleepwalking last night, cause when I woke up I found myself sitting in front of the steering wheel.''
''Then how come you aren't wearing your pajamas ?''
Lorelai lowered her gaze to her shirt. ''Well...........I always keep a spare change of clothes in the jeep.''
''Since when ?''
''Since that day.''
''What day ?'' Rory asked.
''The....eh....day before that night when we were supposed to be at my mother's house at seven, but we.......uhm.......were late, but we still had to go home to change, therefore being even more late. And I never wanted that to happen again, so.''
''Amazing how you're able to lie to your own daughter like that,'' Rory commented.
''I had years to practice on my mom and dad. So, are you excited about your date ?'' Lorelai asked, before taking a sip of her coffee.
Jess didn't even blink when he walked passed their table, but inside he had lost all control. Last night at the bridge it had been clear that there had been something that she had left unsaid. And though he had already suspected that she was going on a date with Dean, hearing it made him even more frustrated.
''Could I have some orange juice ?'' Kirk asked, when Jess reached the counter.
Jess didn't pay any attention to Kirk and just slammed the coffeepot down on the counter.
''I changed my mind, coffee's fine too.''
''I'm taking my break now,'' Jess said to Luke, as he came out of the back.
Without waiting for his approval, Jess grabbed his jacked, which contained a book and his cigarettes, and left the diner. Luke shook his head, as he walked over to the door to close it. The first day Jess got here, he really wanted to figure him out, but now he realized that Jess' persona was much more complicated than he had thought. Luke turned around and walked over to Lorelai and Rory's table, to take their order.
''Where's he going ?'' Lorelai asked, unable to remain quiet.
''He probably couldn't contain his nicotine craving anymore.''
''He smokes ?!'' Lorelai asked with disbelief.
''Apparently. Now, what can I get you two ?''
''Another coffee. What about you, sweets ? Want some brunch ?''
''Actually, could you take a coffee with you when you go home. I just remembered that I still have a report to write for Monday.''
''Yeah, sure,'' Lorelai said, not asking an questions, cause she already knew where Rory was going.
''Thanks. I'll see you at home. Bye Luke,'' Rory said, before getting up and leaving the diner.
Rory headed for the bridge, figuring that he wouldn't be going to the basketball court without his ball. When she reached the shielded location, she found him sitting near the end, holding a cigarette between his fingers that wasn't lit. Before she even said a thing, he turned his head and looked at her. Rory didn't lower her eyes, but did feel uncomfortable under the weight of his eyes.
''Can I talk to you ?'' she asked, taking another step towards him.
''Isn't that what you're already doing ?''
Rory never liked it when people answered a question with another question, it never seemed to get you anywhere. It just left you with a bunch of riddles that you had to figure out on your own.
''Jess, can we talk, please ?'' she tried again.
''Would my answer matter ? You don't care about my opinion, remember ?''
Rory watched him as he took out his lighter and lighted the cigarette.
''I'm sorry about what I said, I didn't mean it. I'm just..........confused.''
''Confused ?'' Jess asked, after taking a drag of his cigarette. ''About what ?''
''About you, and me...........and Dean,'' Rory said, hating how much it did sound like a triangle.
''That's a lot of confusion.''
''Jess................''
Jess locked eyes with Rory. ''You're not going to get an apology.'' He averted his eyes away from her, missing the frustrated expression on Rory's face. She turned around and headed in the opposite direction without saying a word. She hadn't been fishing for an apology, but she had been hoping for a little compassion and maybe a glimpse of..........something.
*~*~*
''You look..........the same,'' Lorelai said, as she took in Rory's appearance. ''Sweetie, changing is when you actually put on another pair of clothes.''
''I'm not changing anymore. I'm sick of changing,'' Rory said, as she dropped herself on her mom's bed. ''Besides all these clothes look weird..........''
''You've just hurt their feelings and now they'll take it out on me.''
''Their clothes, how will they take it out on you ?''
''They'll suddenly become too tight or purposely shrink or something,'' Lorelai explained, as she sat down next to her daughter.
''That's why you don't do laundry.''
Lorelai stuck out her tongue at Rory. ''Are you sure you don't want to try on something else ?''
''No,'' Rory said. ''We're just going to an arcade, nothing fancy...........''
''So, you've said.''
Downstairs the doorbell rang. Lorelai patted Rory on the leg before getting up. ''Let's open the door before your date thinks that you're standing him up.''
''What about the clothes ?''
''Leave them. It just makes the bed softer.''
Rory rolled her eyes and followed her mom downstairs. For some reason she wasn't nervous. She didn't know what it meant not to be nervous for a date, cause both her mom and Lane told her that being nervous is the most important thing of a date. Rory shrugged and followed her mom to the door, which she had already opened.
''Hey Dean. New watch ?'' Lorelai asked, as she glanced down at Dean's watch.
''Excuse me ?''
''Never mind my mom. She's obsessed with watched.''
''Yeah, I own fifty-three,'' Lorelai chipped in.
''Okay............are you ready ?'' he asked Rory.
''Yeah, let's go.''
''Have her home by 11.30 okay ? You have a watch, so I don't expect you to be late.''
''Sure, it was nice meeting you,'' Dean said.
''I'll be sitting at home staring at my fifty-three watches, so when you're late, I'll know.''
''Bye mom,'' Rory said, before pulling Dean outside and closing the door.
Dean put his hands in his pockets and looked at her. ''So, you look.........normal.''
''Yeah, thanks,'' Rory said, a little taken back by his choice of words.
''Shall we go ?''
''Lead the way.''
*~*~*
Rory sighed as the pinball machine lighted up again. By now she couldn't stand the ringing noise of it anymore. She had been standing behind this machine ever since they had entered the arcade. She had thought that Dean was a little shy, so she didn't mind, thinking that he would approach her after one or two games, but he didn't. They hadn't talked all night.
Rory walked over to the small eating area, deciding to get a drink. As she sat down at the counter and ordered a milkshake, she gave Dean one more chance to redeem himself. She didn't exactly know how dates were supposed to go, since this was her first one, but she was pretty sure that spending time on separate sides of the arcade wasn't a good sign.
She put some change on the counter and took a sip of her strawberry milkshake, thinking that this was the high point of her evening. Though she liked the arcade, she wished that she had stayed home tonight, so she could play a little one on one with Jess. But as soon as she thought that, she realized that there was still some tension between her and Jess. And maybe she wasn't being fair towards Dean. Maybe he hadn't talked to her all night, because he was too busy having fun. Rory shook her head at how lame that sounded and looked at her watch. 11.17. She quickly finished her milkshake and scanned the room for Dean. She was more than surprised to see him talking to a girl, who was only a couple of inches shorter than Dean.
Rory got up and walked over to them. ''Dean..........''
Dean stopped talking and looked at Rory, as if he was realizing that she was still here.
''Rory, this is Christy.''
''Hi,'' Rory quickly said, before returning her attention to Dean. ''I'm sorry to spoil your fun, but I have to get home.''
Dean nodded. ''That's cool. I'll walk you. See you around, Christy.''
''Bye, see you around, Dean.''
Rory couldn't help but glance at Christy once more, before following Dean outside.
*~*~*
''So, you had fun ?''
''Yeah,'' Rory lied. ''You ?''
Dean shrugged and smiled at her. ''I always have fun at an arcade.''
As Rory saw his childish smile, she forgot about the horrible evening for a few minutes. Instead she started to think of the scenes she had seen in movies, that resembled their position right now. The end of a date. When Dean took a step towards her, she thought that he would kiss her, but instead he just awkwardly hugged her.
''I'll call you.''
''Yeah, night.''
''Bye,'' Dean said, as he put his hands in his pockets and left.
Suddenly Rory remembered something Lane told her. Guys never mean it when they say that they'll call you. It's a facade, they're just being nice. Then another thought crossed her mind. Did she even want him to call her........
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) I know, no Lit action yet, but I really wanna stay true to the plot (if there is one) and not rush in to things. Which you all know by now. But things will be evolving in the next chapter. I hope you guys are still reading. Thanks again for leaving such nice reviews!!! :-)
*A/N: Hey!!! :-) You can open your eyes now, this is another chapter! And it took me a little less time to update than last time. And you know what I've just realized ? That I really love to write, even if it's not as good as some authors on this site. And that maybe I do have some talent. I hope you enjoy this chapter. :-)
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)
The next morning, Rory woke up with a headache. The result of a restless night that had been full with tossing and turning and seconds that seemed hours when she had found herself lying awake. Her mind had been processing thoughts all night, sometimes even causing her to wake up out of her dreamless sleep. And while she had been lying in bed, with her eyes closed, trying to force herself to go back to sleep, she had subconsciously known that she wouldn't be able to find peace until she had studied every thought and made up a believable answer that she would be satisfied with.
Rory moaned as she sat up straight, her hair falling in front of her face, trying to block out reality, shielding her from the light and the day that lay behind her window. Suddenly she got an urge to talk to someone. Maybe talking would help her figure out the meaning of her thoughts and untangle the few, yet incessant doubts.
She grabbed the end of her curtain and pulled it up, squinting her bedroom eyes at the amount of light they met. When she saw that her mom's jeep wasn't in the driveway, she sighed and released the curtain. If she didn't talk to someone her thoughts would keep haunting her throughout the day.
She laid back down on the bed and stared at the plain ceiling for a minute, before reaching for the phone, which was lying on her bedside table. Her mom always put it there when she had to leave before Rory had risen yet. Lorelai said that it gave her a safe feeling, knowing that she could reach her daughter whenever she wanted. Which she took a little literally sometimes, calling her every free minute she had, just to complain about Michel and Sookie's frustrating cooking tactics. Rory quickly touched the digits she needed and rested the phone upon her ear.
''Kim's Antiques. Everything's old and breakable, so you break, you buy.''
''Mrs. Kim, it's Rory, may I...........''
''Rory who ?'' Mrs. Kim interrupted.
''Rory Gilmore.''
''You should always say your entire name. That way I won't be confused and know for sure that you're Rory and not...............''
''Gilmore,'' Rory said quickly, not sure yet if she was mocking Mrs. Kim or not.
''What ?''
''Nothing.''
''It's rude to interrupt people in the middle of their conversation,'' Mrs. Kim said in a disciplinary voice.
''Right, sorry. May I please speak to Lane ?''
''We just got back from church. She might still be praying.''
''Please, I need to talk to her about something.''
''About what ?'' Mrs. Kim asked, not even trying to hide the suspicion in her voice.
''Well.........uhm.....,'' Rory started, trying to give herself some time to come up with a convincing answer. ''I was reading a magazine and I saw this picture, a biblical picture. But I don't really know which story it represents, so I thought I could describe it to Lane and she could help me.''
''What's the name of this magazine ?''
''I don't really remember. Lane lend it to me.........''
''Ah, must be 'Heaven's Gate','' Mrs. Kim said, a pleased tone finding its way into her voice.
''Yes, 'Heaven's Gate'.''
''Fine, you may talk to Lane. Understanding those pictures and connecting them to the right story is difficult.''
''Thank you,'' Rory uttered.
She heard Mrs. Kim's rapid footsteps on the stairs, as she made her way to Lane's room. When she knocked on the door, it took Lane a couple of seconds to open the door. Rory knew that she had probably been listening to her favorite rock band of this week, instead of praying.
''It's Rory. Maybe she wants to go to church with us some time ?'' Rory heard Mrs. Kim say, smiling at the thought of Lane's confused face.
''Rory Gilmore ?''
''Yes.''
''Maybe. Thanks mama.''
As soon as the door closed behind Mrs. Kim, Rory heard Lane's bemused voice on the other end of the line. ''Church ?''
''Heaven's Gate ?'' Rory shot back.
''I know.'' Lane sighed. ''Could my life be any more pathetic ?''
''Religion's not pathetic.''
''Believe me, me being able to quote practically the entire bible isn't impressive to anyone except Mama Kim.''
''Hey, I can quote Shakespeare,'' Rory said, trying to reassure her friend.
''Yeah, but we don't read the bible for English Literature.''
''Good point.''
''So, what's the reason of you interrupting my oh so important prayer ?'' Lane asked, the sarcasm evident in her intonation.
''I just have to talk to someone and my mom wasn't here so........''
''I was your second choice ?'' Lane asked, trying to sound offended.
''My very first second choice.''
''You've got five minutes while I think of a story that could be stuffed into one picture.''
''It's about Dean..............and Jess,'' Rory admitted.
''A love triangle, how dramatic.''
''It's not a triangle, it's a...........straight line.''
''What happened ?'' Lane curiously asked.
''Well, Dean asked me out...........''
''When ?!''
''Yesterday,'' Rory answered.
''And you lost your capability to dial ?''
''I was confused,'' came Rory's explanation.
''Obviously.''
''Anyway, Dean asked me out, but when I saw Jess again he made this weird comment about Dean not appreciating how smart I am..........''
''Conceited,'' was Lane's quick response.
Rory however ignored Lane's interruption and continued with her clarification. ''.......and how he knows guys like Dean. Knows guys like Dean ? What does he mean by that ? He hardly even knows Dean.''
''Unless they have met in another life before, I would say that Mr.Tactic is green with envy of the-boy-next-door, literally.''
''No......... Jess and me just play basketball and talk......occasionally,'' Rory defended.
''How often do you play basketball ?''
''Every night.''
''And Jess is there every night too ?''
''Yes.''
''Think about it, Rory. A basketball court at night with only the two of you......... it's the perfect scene for a could be date. Also known as the pre-date,'' Lane explained.
''Lane.......... a pre-date ? There's no such thing as a pre-date.''
''If there's a magazine that actually has a game which goal is to connect a picture to a story, then there's definitely a pre-date, trust me.''
''But that doesn't make any sense, I mean he's not........and I'm not...........and then there's Dean,'' Rory rambled.
''Sounds like a triangle to me.''
''How can there be a triangle when the third party doesn't know about any of this yet ?''
''Because the third party, which can either be you or Jess, is in denial,'' Lane said, stretching the last word.
''So........what do I do ?''
''Trace those lines,'' was Lane's cryptic response.
''Okay, thanks,'' Rory said, not quite understanding Lane's answer.
''Any time.''
''I'll talk to you later.''
''Sure, we'll make plans for church.''
*~*~*
When Rory entered Luke's, she nearly collided with Jess, who was taking someone's order. His closeness caused her to feel even more confused about the conversation she had just had with Lane and it even caused her to have doubts about her date tonight. She still wasn't sure if there even was a triangle. If there was, she hadn't witnessed the connection of the three lines. She had possibly remained purposely blind, not wanting to create any more tension between her and Jess. She liked their relationship as it was. It was safe and as of yet there were no strings attached.
Jess acknowledged her presence with a slight nod of his head, catching her by surprise, since she thought that they weren't speaking after the words they had exchanged last night. And technically they weren't. Rory closed the door and leaned against it, as she looked around the diner for her mother, knowing that there was a large chance that she would be here. At the same time, she gave Jess more space to move. By the time she spotted her mother, Jess was already on his way back to the counter. Rory shot him one more look, before letting go of the door and heading over to the table her mom was occupying.
''So, your feet couldn't manage to walk the ten steps to Luke ?'' Rory asked, as she sat down across from her mom, hoping that their conversation would distract her from her thoughts.
''I can explain. Apparently I had been sleepwalking last night, cause when I woke up I found myself sitting in front of the steering wheel.''
''Then how come you aren't wearing your pajamas ?''
Lorelai lowered her gaze to her shirt. ''Well...........I always keep a spare change of clothes in the jeep.''
''Since when ?''
''Since that day.''
''What day ?'' Rory asked.
''The....eh....day before that night when we were supposed to be at my mother's house at seven, but we.......uhm.......were late, but we still had to go home to change, therefore being even more late. And I never wanted that to happen again, so.''
''Amazing how you're able to lie to your own daughter like that,'' Rory commented.
''I had years to practice on my mom and dad. So, are you excited about your date ?'' Lorelai asked, before taking a sip of her coffee.
Jess didn't even blink when he walked passed their table, but inside he had lost all control. Last night at the bridge it had been clear that there had been something that she had left unsaid. And though he had already suspected that she was going on a date with Dean, hearing it made him even more frustrated.
''Could I have some orange juice ?'' Kirk asked, when Jess reached the counter.
Jess didn't pay any attention to Kirk and just slammed the coffeepot down on the counter.
''I changed my mind, coffee's fine too.''
''I'm taking my break now,'' Jess said to Luke, as he came out of the back.
Without waiting for his approval, Jess grabbed his jacked, which contained a book and his cigarettes, and left the diner. Luke shook his head, as he walked over to the door to close it. The first day Jess got here, he really wanted to figure him out, but now he realized that Jess' persona was much more complicated than he had thought. Luke turned around and walked over to Lorelai and Rory's table, to take their order.
''Where's he going ?'' Lorelai asked, unable to remain quiet.
''He probably couldn't contain his nicotine craving anymore.''
''He smokes ?!'' Lorelai asked with disbelief.
''Apparently. Now, what can I get you two ?''
''Another coffee. What about you, sweets ? Want some brunch ?''
''Actually, could you take a coffee with you when you go home. I just remembered that I still have a report to write for Monday.''
''Yeah, sure,'' Lorelai said, not asking an questions, cause she already knew where Rory was going.
''Thanks. I'll see you at home. Bye Luke,'' Rory said, before getting up and leaving the diner.
Rory headed for the bridge, figuring that he wouldn't be going to the basketball court without his ball. When she reached the shielded location, she found him sitting near the end, holding a cigarette between his fingers that wasn't lit. Before she even said a thing, he turned his head and looked at her. Rory didn't lower her eyes, but did feel uncomfortable under the weight of his eyes.
''Can I talk to you ?'' she asked, taking another step towards him.
''Isn't that what you're already doing ?''
Rory never liked it when people answered a question with another question, it never seemed to get you anywhere. It just left you with a bunch of riddles that you had to figure out on your own.
''Jess, can we talk, please ?'' she tried again.
''Would my answer matter ? You don't care about my opinion, remember ?''
Rory watched him as he took out his lighter and lighted the cigarette.
''I'm sorry about what I said, I didn't mean it. I'm just..........confused.''
''Confused ?'' Jess asked, after taking a drag of his cigarette. ''About what ?''
''About you, and me...........and Dean,'' Rory said, hating how much it did sound like a triangle.
''That's a lot of confusion.''
''Jess................''
Jess locked eyes with Rory. ''You're not going to get an apology.'' He averted his eyes away from her, missing the frustrated expression on Rory's face. She turned around and headed in the opposite direction without saying a word. She hadn't been fishing for an apology, but she had been hoping for a little compassion and maybe a glimpse of..........something.
*~*~*
''You look..........the same,'' Lorelai said, as she took in Rory's appearance. ''Sweetie, changing is when you actually put on another pair of clothes.''
''I'm not changing anymore. I'm sick of changing,'' Rory said, as she dropped herself on her mom's bed. ''Besides all these clothes look weird..........''
''You've just hurt their feelings and now they'll take it out on me.''
''Their clothes, how will they take it out on you ?''
''They'll suddenly become too tight or purposely shrink or something,'' Lorelai explained, as she sat down next to her daughter.
''That's why you don't do laundry.''
Lorelai stuck out her tongue at Rory. ''Are you sure you don't want to try on something else ?''
''No,'' Rory said. ''We're just going to an arcade, nothing fancy...........''
''So, you've said.''
Downstairs the doorbell rang. Lorelai patted Rory on the leg before getting up. ''Let's open the door before your date thinks that you're standing him up.''
''What about the clothes ?''
''Leave them. It just makes the bed softer.''
Rory rolled her eyes and followed her mom downstairs. For some reason she wasn't nervous. She didn't know what it meant not to be nervous for a date, cause both her mom and Lane told her that being nervous is the most important thing of a date. Rory shrugged and followed her mom to the door, which she had already opened.
''Hey Dean. New watch ?'' Lorelai asked, as she glanced down at Dean's watch.
''Excuse me ?''
''Never mind my mom. She's obsessed with watched.''
''Yeah, I own fifty-three,'' Lorelai chipped in.
''Okay............are you ready ?'' he asked Rory.
''Yeah, let's go.''
''Have her home by 11.30 okay ? You have a watch, so I don't expect you to be late.''
''Sure, it was nice meeting you,'' Dean said.
''I'll be sitting at home staring at my fifty-three watches, so when you're late, I'll know.''
''Bye mom,'' Rory said, before pulling Dean outside and closing the door.
Dean put his hands in his pockets and looked at her. ''So, you look.........normal.''
''Yeah, thanks,'' Rory said, a little taken back by his choice of words.
''Shall we go ?''
''Lead the way.''
*~*~*
Rory sighed as the pinball machine lighted up again. By now she couldn't stand the ringing noise of it anymore. She had been standing behind this machine ever since they had entered the arcade. She had thought that Dean was a little shy, so she didn't mind, thinking that he would approach her after one or two games, but he didn't. They hadn't talked all night.
Rory walked over to the small eating area, deciding to get a drink. As she sat down at the counter and ordered a milkshake, she gave Dean one more chance to redeem himself. She didn't exactly know how dates were supposed to go, since this was her first one, but she was pretty sure that spending time on separate sides of the arcade wasn't a good sign.
She put some change on the counter and took a sip of her strawberry milkshake, thinking that this was the high point of her evening. Though she liked the arcade, she wished that she had stayed home tonight, so she could play a little one on one with Jess. But as soon as she thought that, she realized that there was still some tension between her and Jess. And maybe she wasn't being fair towards Dean. Maybe he hadn't talked to her all night, because he was too busy having fun. Rory shook her head at how lame that sounded and looked at her watch. 11.17. She quickly finished her milkshake and scanned the room for Dean. She was more than surprised to see him talking to a girl, who was only a couple of inches shorter than Dean.
Rory got up and walked over to them. ''Dean..........''
Dean stopped talking and looked at Rory, as if he was realizing that she was still here.
''Rory, this is Christy.''
''Hi,'' Rory quickly said, before returning her attention to Dean. ''I'm sorry to spoil your fun, but I have to get home.''
Dean nodded. ''That's cool. I'll walk you. See you around, Christy.''
''Bye, see you around, Dean.''
Rory couldn't help but glance at Christy once more, before following Dean outside.
*~*~*
''So, you had fun ?''
''Yeah,'' Rory lied. ''You ?''
Dean shrugged and smiled at her. ''I always have fun at an arcade.''
As Rory saw his childish smile, she forgot about the horrible evening for a few minutes. Instead she started to think of the scenes she had seen in movies, that resembled their position right now. The end of a date. When Dean took a step towards her, she thought that he would kiss her, but instead he just awkwardly hugged her.
''I'll call you.''
''Yeah, night.''
''Bye,'' Dean said, as he put his hands in his pockets and left.
Suddenly Rory remembered something Lane told her. Guys never mean it when they say that they'll call you. It's a facade, they're just being nice. Then another thought crossed her mind. Did she even want him to call her........
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) I know, no Lit action yet, but I really wanna stay true to the plot (if there is one) and not rush in to things. Which you all know by now. But things will be evolving in the next chapter. I hope you guys are still reading. Thanks again for leaving such nice reviews!!! :-)
