Here's the new update, sorry about the wait!
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It was Friday, the day of Rory's last final. She and Lorelai had stopped at Luke's for a cup of coffee and a wish of luck from both Luke and Jess before Lorelai had driven Rory to Chilton.
"It's your last high school final! I want to drive you there," Lorelai had said, struggling to put on a pump as she walked down the stairs.
"You really don't have to. I can take the bus. . ."
"Nonsense!" Lorelai had exclaimed, "I'll drive. But first. . . to Luke's!"
Now Rory was sitting in one of many desks that had been set up in the cafeteria. The tables that had usually occupied the room had been moved to allow for the small desks with little table room.
Rory's last exam was English, and she was fairly sure that she would ace it, considering her love of reading, but she didn't want to count her chickens before they hatched. As she went through the multiple choice questions and moved on to the short answer, she made sure to use all of her good test-taking skills and to check all of her answers twice before handing in her test paper. After everyone had handed in their booklet, the principal came into the room.
"Chilton seniors. I wish to congratulate you all on the completion of your last final exam here at Chilton. I also would like to remind you that the graduation ceremony is this Monday at three o'clock. Congratulations once again."
There was a huge amount of cheering and whooping in the room, as every senior stood and jumped up and down, hugging and high-fiving their neighbors. Rory cheered a little and smiled at her neighbors, and then began to collect her notes and books and put them into her bag. She looked up to see Paris approaching her.
"Gilmore. What did you put for number seven in the multiple choice? I thought that A or B could have been the answer, but I chose A. I really don't think that it was right to have two answers that could have been legitimately correct. I'm considering bringing the matter up with Mr. Humphrey. And the short answer. . . do you really think that the answers have to be 1 or 2 sentences? Because I really felt as if that limited my ability to express my true feelings about Shakespeare's work. . . I know that Harvard will always have a limit on papers, and sometimes it is necessary to consolidate your work, but-"
"Paris, you really need to calm down. I'm sure you did fine. Great even. Harvard is going to love you."
"Yes. Yes, of course. And Yale. . . it was Yale wasn't it? You chose to go to Yale?"
"Yes, I kind of wanted to be closer to home."
"Well, that's fine for you. I hope you've finished your part of the Valedictorian speech?"
"Yes, I have, mostly. Just have to go over some finishing touches this weekend."
"Have you timed it? Because mine is exactly 2 minutes and thirty eight seconds, and I feel as if they should be within a five second margin of one another. . ."
"Paris, I will make sure that my speech is within that time frame. But, I kind of have to go. . . I'll see you Monday?"
"Yes, of course."
"Have a good weekend, Paris."
"You too."
Rory walked out of the room with her bag and walked straight for her bus stop. She didn't have to wait too long before the bus arrived and she could climb aboard. She found a seat near the back and pulled out a copy of Atlas Shrugged and a pencil. She held the pencil between her teeth as she flipped through the thin pages, looking for the spot where she had last left off.
She had read this book many times, and there were coffee stains and juice stains and sticky pages from glazed doughnuts. The book seemed lived-in, like a favorite pair of jeans. She was lost in her book, until, out of the corner of her eye, she began to see the familiar houses and street corners. She marked the paragraph that she was reading with a small dash from her pencil and closed the book, replacing it in her bag. She stood and went over to stand by the stairwell to exit the bus. It pulled up to her stop, and she pressed the yellow tape on the doors to open them. When she looked up, who did she see, but Jess.
She was partly surprised, but so much of her was just plain happy to see him. She bounded off the bus and into his arms, planting a kiss on his smiling mouth. He reached for her bag and took it, lacing his other arm around her waist, holding her close to him as they walked together.
"So, how was your last final?" Jess asked, steering her towards the diner.
"It was good, I think. At least it's over. Graduation on Monday, and then I'm free for three months."
"Lucky private school kids. I don't get out for another two weeks."
"And then you graduate!"
"And then I graduate," Jess echoed, looking down amused at Rory's happy face. He had never been able to make another person so happy before he met Rory. And he had never been able to be made happy by another person until he met Rory. He leaned down and kissed her, and then she rested her cheek on his shoulder. They walked like that until they reached the diner.
They walked over to the counter, where they split from each other, Rory finding a seat at the counter, and Jess walking straight over to the coffee pot and filling up a cup for Rory.
"Bless you," Rory said, drinking from the cup, "Mmm. . . my first cup since this morning."
"You're a little behind today. Only two cups?" Jess joked.
"Hey, be nice. I'm addicted. I can't help it."
"Just a sec, I have something for you. Wait here."
"No objections," Rory called after him, gulping down her coffee.
Jess came back down the stairs in a few minutes, carrying a book. He walked behind the counter and slid it over to her.
"The Bluest Eye," Rory read, and then looked up at Jess.
"I've never read it, but I saw it when I was browsing this bookstore. The title made me think of you."
Rory wanted to say something, but instead she just leaned across the counter and kissed him. She pulled back slightly, and said, her lips moving gently across his, "Thank you."
-----
It was Friday, the day of Rory's last final. She and Lorelai had stopped at Luke's for a cup of coffee and a wish of luck from both Luke and Jess before Lorelai had driven Rory to Chilton.
"It's your last high school final! I want to drive you there," Lorelai had said, struggling to put on a pump as she walked down the stairs.
"You really don't have to. I can take the bus. . ."
"Nonsense!" Lorelai had exclaimed, "I'll drive. But first. . . to Luke's!"
Now Rory was sitting in one of many desks that had been set up in the cafeteria. The tables that had usually occupied the room had been moved to allow for the small desks with little table room.
Rory's last exam was English, and she was fairly sure that she would ace it, considering her love of reading, but she didn't want to count her chickens before they hatched. As she went through the multiple choice questions and moved on to the short answer, she made sure to use all of her good test-taking skills and to check all of her answers twice before handing in her test paper. After everyone had handed in their booklet, the principal came into the room.
"Chilton seniors. I wish to congratulate you all on the completion of your last final exam here at Chilton. I also would like to remind you that the graduation ceremony is this Monday at three o'clock. Congratulations once again."
There was a huge amount of cheering and whooping in the room, as every senior stood and jumped up and down, hugging and high-fiving their neighbors. Rory cheered a little and smiled at her neighbors, and then began to collect her notes and books and put them into her bag. She looked up to see Paris approaching her.
"Gilmore. What did you put for number seven in the multiple choice? I thought that A or B could have been the answer, but I chose A. I really don't think that it was right to have two answers that could have been legitimately correct. I'm considering bringing the matter up with Mr. Humphrey. And the short answer. . . do you really think that the answers have to be 1 or 2 sentences? Because I really felt as if that limited my ability to express my true feelings about Shakespeare's work. . . I know that Harvard will always have a limit on papers, and sometimes it is necessary to consolidate your work, but-"
"Paris, you really need to calm down. I'm sure you did fine. Great even. Harvard is going to love you."
"Yes. Yes, of course. And Yale. . . it was Yale wasn't it? You chose to go to Yale?"
"Yes, I kind of wanted to be closer to home."
"Well, that's fine for you. I hope you've finished your part of the Valedictorian speech?"
"Yes, I have, mostly. Just have to go over some finishing touches this weekend."
"Have you timed it? Because mine is exactly 2 minutes and thirty eight seconds, and I feel as if they should be within a five second margin of one another. . ."
"Paris, I will make sure that my speech is within that time frame. But, I kind of have to go. . . I'll see you Monday?"
"Yes, of course."
"Have a good weekend, Paris."
"You too."
Rory walked out of the room with her bag and walked straight for her bus stop. She didn't have to wait too long before the bus arrived and she could climb aboard. She found a seat near the back and pulled out a copy of Atlas Shrugged and a pencil. She held the pencil between her teeth as she flipped through the thin pages, looking for the spot where she had last left off.
She had read this book many times, and there were coffee stains and juice stains and sticky pages from glazed doughnuts. The book seemed lived-in, like a favorite pair of jeans. She was lost in her book, until, out of the corner of her eye, she began to see the familiar houses and street corners. She marked the paragraph that she was reading with a small dash from her pencil and closed the book, replacing it in her bag. She stood and went over to stand by the stairwell to exit the bus. It pulled up to her stop, and she pressed the yellow tape on the doors to open them. When she looked up, who did she see, but Jess.
She was partly surprised, but so much of her was just plain happy to see him. She bounded off the bus and into his arms, planting a kiss on his smiling mouth. He reached for her bag and took it, lacing his other arm around her waist, holding her close to him as they walked together.
"So, how was your last final?" Jess asked, steering her towards the diner.
"It was good, I think. At least it's over. Graduation on Monday, and then I'm free for three months."
"Lucky private school kids. I don't get out for another two weeks."
"And then you graduate!"
"And then I graduate," Jess echoed, looking down amused at Rory's happy face. He had never been able to make another person so happy before he met Rory. And he had never been able to be made happy by another person until he met Rory. He leaned down and kissed her, and then she rested her cheek on his shoulder. They walked like that until they reached the diner.
They walked over to the counter, where they split from each other, Rory finding a seat at the counter, and Jess walking straight over to the coffee pot and filling up a cup for Rory.
"Bless you," Rory said, drinking from the cup, "Mmm. . . my first cup since this morning."
"You're a little behind today. Only two cups?" Jess joked.
"Hey, be nice. I'm addicted. I can't help it."
"Just a sec, I have something for you. Wait here."
"No objections," Rory called after him, gulping down her coffee.
Jess came back down the stairs in a few minutes, carrying a book. He walked behind the counter and slid it over to her.
"The Bluest Eye," Rory read, and then looked up at Jess.
"I've never read it, but I saw it when I was browsing this bookstore. The title made me think of you."
Rory wanted to say something, but instead she just leaned across the counter and kissed him. She pulled back slightly, and said, her lips moving gently across his, "Thank you."