Author's Note: Here is the next chapter, Rory's phone call to her mother.
Enjoy and be sure to review............
"Hello?"
"Hi mom."
"Hey Rory." Lorelai's voice was obvious in her anger and disdain. She was never any good at masking her emotions very well.
"How did the graduation go?" Rory sat on a couch in the girl's bathroom. She thought it was strange to have couches in a bathroom but grateful for it. She had decided to call in there rather than outside.
"Fine. I got my diploma and took the traditional graduate picture with proud parents." Lorelai didn't want her parents there; she wanted Rory there.
"They came?"
"Why do you sound so surprised? You were the one who invited them weren't you?"
"I did only out of love for you."
"Yeah, nothing says I love you like 'Sorry I skipped town on one of the most important days of your life, but I did invite your parents whose dysfunctional relationship rivals a Tennessee Williams play'."
"Mom c'mon." Rory didn't want to get into it again. She already felt bad enough already.
"No seriously, I think they have Hallmark cards that say the same thing."
"Mom please believe that I will make this up to you." Rory was already making a list in her mind how to make it up to her mind. She decided when she got to Jess' apartment she would put it down on paper.
"How?"
"I don't know but I will." All the things on her mental list suddenly seemed trivial.
"How will you ever make this up? You can't. This was once in a lifetime. And the reason they have that phrase is because some things really do only come like once in your life. Birth, Death, Hailey's Comet and this."
"I'm sorry." Rory felt tears sliding down her cheeks. A woman walked through the room and into the bathroom where the toilets were. She stared at the girl in uniform on the couch crying into the phone. She felt pity for Rory. But she said nothing and went through the doors to pee.
"Why'd you call?" Lorelai suddenly became aware that her daughter did not call to get lectured. That something else must have happened. Something involving Jess.
"What?" Rory wasn't sure if she could tell her mom.
"Did something happen? You sound upset."
"That is because you just yelled at me."
"But there is something else. Isn't there?"
"Sorta." Rory was trying to arrange the words in her mind so that they wouldn't sound so bad but either way they did. She cheated on Dean.
"What?"
"I don't think you want to know." Rory was sure her mother didn't want to know.
"Does it involve Jess?"
"Yes," Rory said meekly.
"What?"
"Well...we...um..."
"...went and saw Cats?"
"No we kissed." There I said it, Rory thought.
"Oh my God." Lorelai did not want this to be happening. It was like a bad movie, Lorelai thought, and it was happening to me.
Except that it wasn't happening to her, it was happening to Rory but Lorelai couldn't tell the difference.
"I know this is bad. Look mom I really need your advice right now. And I know you don't like Jess and you think that he is bad for me, but you are my best friend, so as a best friend will you please give me some friendly advice. Jess and I kissed. Which means I cheated on Dean. Which means I am freaking out here."
"Okay." Lorelai knew that she couldn't fight it anymore. It was futile.
"Okay?"
"Okay...so did he kiss you or you kiss him?"
"It was mutual."
"Where?"
"On the lips."
"No where, as in what location."
"Oh, in the museum." Rory cringed when she said it. She felt guilty for going to a museum with Jess when she should have been at her mother's graduation. It was another betrayal she did today.
"You went to a museum?" Lorelai couldn't believe it.
"Yeah, the Met."
"And that is your idea of a romantic atmosphere? Making out in front of Picasso's weird naked chicks." Lorelai's tongue was full of spite.
"It was in this room in front of this gigantic stained glass window from the middle ages. There was this blue light and it was incredibly beautiful." Rory thought it was unbelievably romantic.
"Well I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. Seeing the sights. You should re- consider taking a show in. I hear RENT is absolutely fabulous." The sarcasm was oozing out of Lorelai's voice and through the phone to her daughter who felt like she had been slapped.
"I'm sorry okay. Believe me I feel really horrible." And Rory sounded horrible.
"That hasn't stopped you from running around New York City with Jess all day and cheating on Dean."
"It just happened." More tears were falling and Rory wiped them away with the sleeve of her sweater.
"And how was it?"
"The museum?"
"The kiss."
"Good."
"Good enough to dump Dean?"
"Mom, stop."
"Sorry, but... you kissed another guy who wasn't your boyfriend and you said the kiss was good. So the obvious question is which one? Jess or Dean? You have to pick; you can't avoid this any longer."
"I know that."
"Do you, because it doesn't sound like it."
"You are officially not helping."
"Rory I am the last person in the world who wants to say this, believe me, but I think you are falling for Jess." Lorelai said the words as if in great pain.
"How can you be sure without a pro's con's list?"
"Because you went on a bus to see Jess in New York City spontaneously. You kissed him and liked it. You missed my graduation for a boy."
"Mom this is so unlike me, you know I am not a cheater. You know that I do not miss once in a lifetime things. I would never do anything to hurt you, and I did." Rory was crying again.
"Rory, people do crazy stuff when they are in love. I know." Lorelai could hear the tears in her daughter's voice and felt bad.
"So you think that I love Jess?"
"I think all the evidence points in that direction."
"I think so too." Rory wiped her tears away.
"So you love Jess."
"Yeah, I love Jess." Rory couldn't believe she said it. But when she did she felt better. A lot better.
"Wow."
"Yeah, hey I have to go. I am supposed to meet Jess in the gift shop and I think he will freak out if I don't show up."
"Rory, listen, if you are not comfortable spending the night with Jess go to The Plaza and put it on the emergency American Express card you have in your wallet. I think stranded in New York City qualifies as an emergency." Lorelai was now worried about her daughter spending the night alone with Jess.
"I don't think that will be necessary."
"Well it is always an option."
"Bye mom and thanks."
"Bye Rory and you're welcome."
"Hello?"
"Hi mom."
"Hey Rory." Lorelai's voice was obvious in her anger and disdain. She was never any good at masking her emotions very well.
"How did the graduation go?" Rory sat on a couch in the girl's bathroom. She thought it was strange to have couches in a bathroom but grateful for it. She had decided to call in there rather than outside.
"Fine. I got my diploma and took the traditional graduate picture with proud parents." Lorelai didn't want her parents there; she wanted Rory there.
"They came?"
"Why do you sound so surprised? You were the one who invited them weren't you?"
"I did only out of love for you."
"Yeah, nothing says I love you like 'Sorry I skipped town on one of the most important days of your life, but I did invite your parents whose dysfunctional relationship rivals a Tennessee Williams play'."
"Mom c'mon." Rory didn't want to get into it again. She already felt bad enough already.
"No seriously, I think they have Hallmark cards that say the same thing."
"Mom please believe that I will make this up to you." Rory was already making a list in her mind how to make it up to her mind. She decided when she got to Jess' apartment she would put it down on paper.
"How?"
"I don't know but I will." All the things on her mental list suddenly seemed trivial.
"How will you ever make this up? You can't. This was once in a lifetime. And the reason they have that phrase is because some things really do only come like once in your life. Birth, Death, Hailey's Comet and this."
"I'm sorry." Rory felt tears sliding down her cheeks. A woman walked through the room and into the bathroom where the toilets were. She stared at the girl in uniform on the couch crying into the phone. She felt pity for Rory. But she said nothing and went through the doors to pee.
"Why'd you call?" Lorelai suddenly became aware that her daughter did not call to get lectured. That something else must have happened. Something involving Jess.
"What?" Rory wasn't sure if she could tell her mom.
"Did something happen? You sound upset."
"That is because you just yelled at me."
"But there is something else. Isn't there?"
"Sorta." Rory was trying to arrange the words in her mind so that they wouldn't sound so bad but either way they did. She cheated on Dean.
"What?"
"I don't think you want to know." Rory was sure her mother didn't want to know.
"Does it involve Jess?"
"Yes," Rory said meekly.
"What?"
"Well...we...um..."
"...went and saw Cats?"
"No we kissed." There I said it, Rory thought.
"Oh my God." Lorelai did not want this to be happening. It was like a bad movie, Lorelai thought, and it was happening to me.
Except that it wasn't happening to her, it was happening to Rory but Lorelai couldn't tell the difference.
"I know this is bad. Look mom I really need your advice right now. And I know you don't like Jess and you think that he is bad for me, but you are my best friend, so as a best friend will you please give me some friendly advice. Jess and I kissed. Which means I cheated on Dean. Which means I am freaking out here."
"Okay." Lorelai knew that she couldn't fight it anymore. It was futile.
"Okay?"
"Okay...so did he kiss you or you kiss him?"
"It was mutual."
"Where?"
"On the lips."
"No where, as in what location."
"Oh, in the museum." Rory cringed when she said it. She felt guilty for going to a museum with Jess when she should have been at her mother's graduation. It was another betrayal she did today.
"You went to a museum?" Lorelai couldn't believe it.
"Yeah, the Met."
"And that is your idea of a romantic atmosphere? Making out in front of Picasso's weird naked chicks." Lorelai's tongue was full of spite.
"It was in this room in front of this gigantic stained glass window from the middle ages. There was this blue light and it was incredibly beautiful." Rory thought it was unbelievably romantic.
"Well I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. Seeing the sights. You should re- consider taking a show in. I hear RENT is absolutely fabulous." The sarcasm was oozing out of Lorelai's voice and through the phone to her daughter who felt like she had been slapped.
"I'm sorry okay. Believe me I feel really horrible." And Rory sounded horrible.
"That hasn't stopped you from running around New York City with Jess all day and cheating on Dean."
"It just happened." More tears were falling and Rory wiped them away with the sleeve of her sweater.
"And how was it?"
"The museum?"
"The kiss."
"Good."
"Good enough to dump Dean?"
"Mom, stop."
"Sorry, but... you kissed another guy who wasn't your boyfriend and you said the kiss was good. So the obvious question is which one? Jess or Dean? You have to pick; you can't avoid this any longer."
"I know that."
"Do you, because it doesn't sound like it."
"You are officially not helping."
"Rory I am the last person in the world who wants to say this, believe me, but I think you are falling for Jess." Lorelai said the words as if in great pain.
"How can you be sure without a pro's con's list?"
"Because you went on a bus to see Jess in New York City spontaneously. You kissed him and liked it. You missed my graduation for a boy."
"Mom this is so unlike me, you know I am not a cheater. You know that I do not miss once in a lifetime things. I would never do anything to hurt you, and I did." Rory was crying again.
"Rory, people do crazy stuff when they are in love. I know." Lorelai could hear the tears in her daughter's voice and felt bad.
"So you think that I love Jess?"
"I think all the evidence points in that direction."
"I think so too." Rory wiped her tears away.
"So you love Jess."
"Yeah, I love Jess." Rory couldn't believe she said it. But when she did she felt better. A lot better.
"Wow."
"Yeah, hey I have to go. I am supposed to meet Jess in the gift shop and I think he will freak out if I don't show up."
"Rory, listen, if you are not comfortable spending the night with Jess go to The Plaza and put it on the emergency American Express card you have in your wallet. I think stranded in New York City qualifies as an emergency." Lorelai was now worried about her daughter spending the night alone with Jess.
"I don't think that will be necessary."
"Well it is always an option."
"Bye mom and thanks."
"Bye Rory and you're welcome."