Hey all! Sorry this took so long to get up. I've had no internet for a
while. I know that everyone keeps saying this story is moving slow, and
believe me, I know. Rory's story will be speeding up fairly soon, but Jess
is going to be pining for a little while longer. I promise you won't be
disappointed though.
-----
Rory was sprawled in the middle of the living room as music blasted from a boom box. Lorelai carried a huge pile of clothing over and dumped it on the floor.
"OK," Rory said, "we're gonna do this methodically. You hold something up, I'll tell you if it goes."
"But what about when my arms get tired?"
"Then I'll start holding stuff up."
"I'm bored. . ."
"Mom! You said you'd help me pack!"
"OK, OK."
They went through article after article of clothing, placing things in trunks and casting others aside. Finally, they were done, and Rory closed and locked each of the trunks and restored the clothing that she wasn't taking to her room.
Lorelai collapsed dramatically onto the couch. "That was so TIRING!"
"Mom," Rory said, dragging the trunks to the corner of the room and stacking them one on top of the other, "You barely did anything."
Lorelai ignored her. "Let's get coffee."
"Just hmmph one second." Rory dragged the last trunk to the corner of the room.
"Alright, let's go." Rory walked towards the door.
"No!" Lorelai said, "Help me up first!"
Rory rolled her eyes, but she gave her mother her hand and hoisted her up out of her chair.
"Better?" Rory asked.
"Much. C'mon, let's go."
@@@@@
Only a few short days later, and Rory and Lorelai were moving the trunks from the living room out to the car.
"OK," Rory said, "One. . . two. . . three. . . lift!" Rory's end of the trunk came off the floor about two inches, but Lorelai's didn't budge. "Mom!"
"Yeah. . . I'm calling Luke." Lorelai went over to the sofa and dug through the cushions to find the phone. She searched the bathroom, the kitchen, and Rory's room, but she couldn't find the phone.
"Mom! Just use your cell phone. And hurry. I want to go soon."
"OK, OK.
Lorelai pulled her cell phone out of the pocket of her jeans and dialed the familiar number.
"Luke?" she whined, "Can you come help us get Rory's stuff into the car? . . . Now?. . . Like, five minutes. . . let Caesar. . . OK. See you soon. Bye."
She flipped the phone shut and slid it back into her pocket. "He's coming," she announced.
"Oh, good," Rory responded. After that, she was quiet for a while. Lorelai came over to where she was sitting on the couch and sank down next to her.
"What's wrong baby cakes?"
"Nothing. I'm just. . . I've been thinking for so long about this. Waiting for it. And now. . . well, now I'm just scared."
"Oh, sweetie," Lorelai leaned in and hugged her, "You'll be fine. You'll be great. Don't even start to worry about that."
They heard a coughing noise and saw that Luke was standing in the doorway. "Sorry," he said, embarrassed at interrupting their mother-daughter moment.
"No problem Luke," Rory said, "thanks for coming."
"Oh, it's fine. What did you need me to help you carry?"
Lorelai pointed at the trunks in the corner, and Luke picked one up and carried it to the door. "Can one of you get the door for me?" Rory got up and ran to the door, opening it and holding it for Luke.
She then followed him outside and opened the trunk for him. He finished loading the car and then he slammed the trunk shut. "That should do it," he said.
"Thanks Luke," Lorelai said.
"OK, well, I should be getting back. . ." He started off for the diner. Rory surprised him by wrapping her arms around him in a hug. "Thanks Luke."
Luke paused for a moment before he wrapped his arms around Rory too. "We'll miss you around here, kiddo. Don't be a stranger."
"I won't be. I'll be back soon."
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Luke reached into his back pocket and pulled out a book. Rory drew a ragged breath, remembering someone else who used to carry books in his back pocket. "Jess left this here. It was the only thing that was left in his room when he left. I don't know why. . ." Rory reached out and took the book. She saw that it was A Farewell to Arms, Hemmingway. One of Jess' favorites.
"Thanks Luke."
"All right, well, there's a thermos for you two in the front seat. So I think you're all set. Bye."
"Bye Luke," they said, climbing into the car.
"Ooh, isn't Luke perfect?" Lorelai asked, taking a huge sip from the thermos of coffee Luke had left them.
"Hey! Hey! Don't hog it all!" Rory said, taking the thermos. They fought over it until every last drop was gone, and then they just sat in silence for a while, each lost in thought.
To Rory, it seemed like only minutes before they had unpacked her room, found the phone that had been misplaced at home in one of her trunks, and she was saying goodbye to her mother for the longest time they had ever been apart. Both were teary as they shared last goodbyes, and Rory watched out the window as her mother walked away from the dorm to catch a train back to Stars Hollow, leaving the blue Prius in the school parking lot.
Rory's roommate did not arrive until one o'clock that afternoon. She knew from a card she had received in the mail that her name was Lexie and that she was from Los Angeles. Rory was reading Emma on her bed when Lexie arrived.
Lexie was a slight blond girl with piercing green eyes and several silver earrings in each ear. Her hair was so curly it looked like it was in dreads. Lexie arrived alone. No one was there to help her carry her stuff up the room, so as soon as Rory saw her enter, she went over, introduced herself, and helped her carry her stuff up from the green station wagon that she had brought to school.
Lexie was an extremely friendly, outgoing girl, and as she was unpacking, Rory sat cross-legged on her own bed and they got to know each other. By that evening at dinner time, both girls felt as if they had known each other forever.
After dinner, each girl went into her own part of the suite they were sharing and went to bed. Rory put her head on the pillow and immediately felt a severe feeling of sadness wash over her. She identified the source almost immediately. It wasn't her mother. Though she missed Lorelai, that wasn't what was making her sad. It wasn't the quirky little town she had grown up in, or the familiar bed she had left behind. No, it wasn't something she had left, but rather something that had left her. Someone. Jess. She was crying for Jess, for she was crying by now, and she couldn't figure out why. Then suddenly, like a slap across the face, she felt it. She realized what it was. She was in love. And she had realized it only a few months too late.
-----
Rory was sprawled in the middle of the living room as music blasted from a boom box. Lorelai carried a huge pile of clothing over and dumped it on the floor.
"OK," Rory said, "we're gonna do this methodically. You hold something up, I'll tell you if it goes."
"But what about when my arms get tired?"
"Then I'll start holding stuff up."
"I'm bored. . ."
"Mom! You said you'd help me pack!"
"OK, OK."
They went through article after article of clothing, placing things in trunks and casting others aside. Finally, they were done, and Rory closed and locked each of the trunks and restored the clothing that she wasn't taking to her room.
Lorelai collapsed dramatically onto the couch. "That was so TIRING!"
"Mom," Rory said, dragging the trunks to the corner of the room and stacking them one on top of the other, "You barely did anything."
Lorelai ignored her. "Let's get coffee."
"Just hmmph one second." Rory dragged the last trunk to the corner of the room.
"Alright, let's go." Rory walked towards the door.
"No!" Lorelai said, "Help me up first!"
Rory rolled her eyes, but she gave her mother her hand and hoisted her up out of her chair.
"Better?" Rory asked.
"Much. C'mon, let's go."
@@@@@
Only a few short days later, and Rory and Lorelai were moving the trunks from the living room out to the car.
"OK," Rory said, "One. . . two. . . three. . . lift!" Rory's end of the trunk came off the floor about two inches, but Lorelai's didn't budge. "Mom!"
"Yeah. . . I'm calling Luke." Lorelai went over to the sofa and dug through the cushions to find the phone. She searched the bathroom, the kitchen, and Rory's room, but she couldn't find the phone.
"Mom! Just use your cell phone. And hurry. I want to go soon."
"OK, OK.
Lorelai pulled her cell phone out of the pocket of her jeans and dialed the familiar number.
"Luke?" she whined, "Can you come help us get Rory's stuff into the car? . . . Now?. . . Like, five minutes. . . let Caesar. . . OK. See you soon. Bye."
She flipped the phone shut and slid it back into her pocket. "He's coming," she announced.
"Oh, good," Rory responded. After that, she was quiet for a while. Lorelai came over to where she was sitting on the couch and sank down next to her.
"What's wrong baby cakes?"
"Nothing. I'm just. . . I've been thinking for so long about this. Waiting for it. And now. . . well, now I'm just scared."
"Oh, sweetie," Lorelai leaned in and hugged her, "You'll be fine. You'll be great. Don't even start to worry about that."
They heard a coughing noise and saw that Luke was standing in the doorway. "Sorry," he said, embarrassed at interrupting their mother-daughter moment.
"No problem Luke," Rory said, "thanks for coming."
"Oh, it's fine. What did you need me to help you carry?"
Lorelai pointed at the trunks in the corner, and Luke picked one up and carried it to the door. "Can one of you get the door for me?" Rory got up and ran to the door, opening it and holding it for Luke.
She then followed him outside and opened the trunk for him. He finished loading the car and then he slammed the trunk shut. "That should do it," he said.
"Thanks Luke," Lorelai said.
"OK, well, I should be getting back. . ." He started off for the diner. Rory surprised him by wrapping her arms around him in a hug. "Thanks Luke."
Luke paused for a moment before he wrapped his arms around Rory too. "We'll miss you around here, kiddo. Don't be a stranger."
"I won't be. I'll be back soon."
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Luke reached into his back pocket and pulled out a book. Rory drew a ragged breath, remembering someone else who used to carry books in his back pocket. "Jess left this here. It was the only thing that was left in his room when he left. I don't know why. . ." Rory reached out and took the book. She saw that it was A Farewell to Arms, Hemmingway. One of Jess' favorites.
"Thanks Luke."
"All right, well, there's a thermos for you two in the front seat. So I think you're all set. Bye."
"Bye Luke," they said, climbing into the car.
"Ooh, isn't Luke perfect?" Lorelai asked, taking a huge sip from the thermos of coffee Luke had left them.
"Hey! Hey! Don't hog it all!" Rory said, taking the thermos. They fought over it until every last drop was gone, and then they just sat in silence for a while, each lost in thought.
To Rory, it seemed like only minutes before they had unpacked her room, found the phone that had been misplaced at home in one of her trunks, and she was saying goodbye to her mother for the longest time they had ever been apart. Both were teary as they shared last goodbyes, and Rory watched out the window as her mother walked away from the dorm to catch a train back to Stars Hollow, leaving the blue Prius in the school parking lot.
Rory's roommate did not arrive until one o'clock that afternoon. She knew from a card she had received in the mail that her name was Lexie and that she was from Los Angeles. Rory was reading Emma on her bed when Lexie arrived.
Lexie was a slight blond girl with piercing green eyes and several silver earrings in each ear. Her hair was so curly it looked like it was in dreads. Lexie arrived alone. No one was there to help her carry her stuff up the room, so as soon as Rory saw her enter, she went over, introduced herself, and helped her carry her stuff up from the green station wagon that she had brought to school.
Lexie was an extremely friendly, outgoing girl, and as she was unpacking, Rory sat cross-legged on her own bed and they got to know each other. By that evening at dinner time, both girls felt as if they had known each other forever.
After dinner, each girl went into her own part of the suite they were sharing and went to bed. Rory put her head on the pillow and immediately felt a severe feeling of sadness wash over her. She identified the source almost immediately. It wasn't her mother. Though she missed Lorelai, that wasn't what was making her sad. It wasn't the quirky little town she had grown up in, or the familiar bed she had left behind. No, it wasn't something she had left, but rather something that had left her. Someone. Jess. She was crying for Jess, for she was crying by now, and she couldn't figure out why. Then suddenly, like a slap across the face, she felt it. She realized what it was. She was in love. And she had realized it only a few months too late.