Paris didn't have a clue what to do or say or even what she walked in on.  She couldn't believe that Rory was actually going through with this; she was only going to get hurt again.  Paris swore to herself that when Rory came to her crying there wouldn't be a single bit of sympathy only an 'I told you so.'

          Rory and Jess broke their kiss to see Paris standing there and suddenly the room became very awkward.

          "Paris…how long have you been standing there?" Rory asked very flustered.

          "Long enough," the blonde responded angrily as she stormed to her room.

          Paris didn't know what to do in order to protect her friend from trouble.  She though about calling Lorelai, she'd know what to do…or maybe Lane, but Lane had gone to California to see Dave and was unreachable for another week.  Lorelai was dating Jess's uncle so she had to know that Rory was with Jess…didn't she?  She thought back to her conversation with Tristan; his feelings for Rory were something that she really deserved.  Sure, Jess loved Rory, but he didn't love her enough to not hurt her.

          In the common room, Rory was thinking about the kiss her and Jess just shared.  It didn't have the sparks or the passion as when Tristan had kissed her a few days earlier.  She almost felt like the kiss was incestuous…Jess was one of her best friends, her brother.  Rory wondered what Jess was thinking and hoped that he felt the same way.  Hurting him was the last thing that she wanted to do; not that he didn't deserve it.  The kiss with Tristan had been so amazing, if only she wasn't a prize to him.

          Jess stared at Rory in amazement of that kiss.  Even when they were dating she hadn't kissed him with so much passion…but he noticed her reaction wasn't the same.  He tried to convince himself that it was because Paris walked in the room, but he knew that wasn't it.  This time around he was in the same boat as Dean; Rory didn't want to be with him.  The two had hated each other because of this girl and she brought them together by not wanting either anymore. 

          "Rory…do you still love me?"

          "What?"

          "Do you still love me?"

          "Of course I do, Jess.  But…"

          "That's what I thought.  Is there someone else?"

          "No…yes…I don't know.  Whatever was between us, I don't feel it anymore."

          "Who is it?  It's Tristan, isn't it?  You're setting yourself up with him."

          "Jess…please!  You're my best friend, next to my mom of course, but you're up there with Lane…I don't want to lose you."

          "I don't want to lose you either, but just friends is going to be hard.  I love you Lorelai Leigh Gilmore."

          The full name.  He knew that he was going to get to her with that.  No one called Rory by her full name, it was too proper.  She knew that she loved Jess too, but she didn't feel the sparks when she kissed him and she knew loving him would mean losing him.  The two talked and Jess left pretty upset but accepting that he wasn't going to have Rory again.

          Rory walked into the bedroom to find Paris on the phone with who she assumed to be Alex.  She zoned out and thought about Tristan and how sweet he was until she brought up his past.  Even after she'd gotten upset with him, Tristan still tried his hardest to make the best out of anything.  She wasn't going to go for it though; she didn't want to be Tristan DuGrey's prize.  Her thoughts were cut off when she realized who Paris was talking to."

          "I know, Lorelai, but can you talk to her…"

          Why was Paris on the phone with Rory's mother?  Rory knew that she had a problem with the Jess thing, but didn't think she needed Lorelai's guidance.

          "Rory…your mom wants to talk to you."

          Rory hesitantly took the phone from Paris.

          "Hi, Mom."

          "So Jess was there again.  Sweetie, I love you and I love Luke, but Jess is no good for you."

          "Hello to you too, Lorelai," Rory heard in the background.

          "Are you at the diner?" Rory questioned.

          "No, Luke's apartment, but that doesn't matter.  Paris told me what happened before, now I want to hear it from you."

          "Ask Jess, he's right there."

          "Rory!"

          "Fine.  Nothing's going on with Jess and me.  We ended it for good and now I probably lost one of my best friends."    

          "I'll talk some sense into the boy."

          "I'm going now, mom.  I love you."

          "Goodbye sweetheart."

          Rory glared at Paris wondering what she told Lorelai.  Paris quickly came to her own defense and told Rory that she didn't like walking in on that kiss and knew that Lorelai should hear about it.  Rory told her that she could talk to her mother on her own, but she knew there was more that Paris wasn't telling her.  Paris changed the subject to how good Tristan looks now that he's back from military school and wondered what happened on their date.

          "Why are you pushing Tristan on me?  He's the reason you hated me in Chilton."

          "He's changed and he's better now, why not give him a chance."

          "I did…and he blew it."

          "What happened the other night?"

          "I'm nothing more than a prize to him.  I was the one girl that didn't drool over the great Tristan 'King of Chilton' and that just made him feel the need to get in my pants.  I've been hurt enough by guys that I don't need to deal with that."

          "Maybe there's more to Tristan that you're not seeing."

          "He basically said it, Paris."         

          Paris grew silent; she couldn't tell Rory about her conversation with Tristan earlier.  It was exactly what Tristan thought it was; now it was time for the two of them to figure out a way to prove to Rory that Tristan was crazy about her.

          Tristan sat in his room alone, Marty was at class.  He didn't know what to do especially not after his conversation with Paris.  Rory hated him and believed something that was the furthest thing from the truth.  I guess it's my fault. Tristan thought in reference to the way he acted in Chilton and just his attitude towards her.  She made him nervous, that was something no other girl had been able to do.  In his nerves, Tristan would just go into 'King Mode' and act like a complete ass.  That's where he lost her.  That's where he would lose her forever.

          Tristan's thoughts were interrupted by the phone…he answered it to hear Noah on the other line.

          "Hey man, about the other night…I'm sorry."

          "Don't worry about it.  I fucked it up anyway."

          "With your Mary?"

          "Yeah.  She thinks I'm you."

          "Ouch.  But I know a guy who used to be just like me."

          "Don't remind me."

          "Listen DuGrey, if this girl's worth it just try again."

          "For once, Carlisle, you make sense."

          Tristan talked to his military school buddy for a while then decided that he had to try again with Rory if he was going to get his other chance.  He knew her schedule by heart so he would cut her off at her coffee stop.  Hold a cup of coffee over that girl's head and she'll do anything you want.  At least Tristan hoped that would work.

          Meanwhile in Luke's apartment Lorelai stood there and stared at Jess who looked like he had tears in his eyes.  She'd never seen the tough boy cry and couldn't bear to think that it was her daughter that caused it.

          "Jess, what happened?"

          "Didn't Paris just tell you?  That girl really has to mind her own business."

          "She only cares.  I want to hear it from you…what happened?"       

          "You got your wish and I lost the love of my life?"

          "My wish?"

          "You know you don't want me with Rory so don't give me any bullshit about caring about me."

          "Jess…"

          "No, Lorelai.  You hated me from the day I got here – you didn't want me corrupting your baby girl.  But it was really that goody two shoes bag boy that did.  Do you know that he was the one who always started with me over her?  I left because I was confused; hurting her was the last thing on my mind.  You never gave me a chance no matter what Rory said or Luke said you hated me.  So be happy, Rory only wants me as a friend.  I can't do friend so no you get me out of her life."

          Lorelai was left speechless…Jess was right she'd never given him a chance.  Rory loved him, she knew that, but why didn't she want to be with Jess? 

          "Lorelai Gilmore…speechless…that's a new one.  I'll leave you to your thoughts."

          With that Jess walked out of the apartment where he saw Dean standing at the bottom of the stairs in the diner.

          "You yell pretty loud, Mariano.  What happened to peace between us?"

          "Maybe you should've thought of that a few years ago.  I was thinking about Rory and what she wanted.  But she didn't want us to be friends…she didn't even want either of us."

          Even Dean could tell that Jess was hurt by something Rory said.  She only wanted to be friends but Jess loved her too much for that to be possible.  He hoped that one day she'd realize she loved him too.

          Rory left her afternoon class at Yale and was writing in her 'things-to-tell-Lane' notebook that she'd been keeping while Lane was away.  She wrote a single word…

          "Nice to know my name is important to you, Mary.  Could I interest you in some coffee?"

          "Will you ever get over yourself, Bible Boy?"

          "As soon as you get over me."