The shaft of light from the curtain burned through Rory's eyes, agonizingly, turning her whole world red. Grumbling, she sleepily pulled the plush doona over her head, "Mum, it can't be time to wake up yet," she murmured.
"Sure it is, sunshine!" Lorelai grinned, perky as ever, "C'mon, if you get ready now we can stay longer at Luke's!"
"I'm not sure I want to go to Luke's today Mum," Rory mumbled.
"Sure you do!" Lorelai pulled at Rory's hand, "Come on! Hurry up, sleepyhead - you have to get to school in time - don't forget, you were late yesterday!"
"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Rory forced herself up and out of bed. Dressed in blue teddy bear pajamas she sleepwalked sleepily to the bathroom, "I'll be out in a sec."
***
When Rory came out, the two set off to Luke's, "Mum - honestly, I really don't want to go to Luke's - please, please, can we go somewhere else? Like to the Inn or something? Don't you serve breakfast there?"
"Na'uh, Rory, it's too far away - besides, we always go to Luke's in the morning! It'd be like breaking a family tradition."
Rory stopped short in her tracks, "You go ahead then, I'll just get to school. I have to go early to do some homework."
Lorelai stopped too and turned to face her daughter, "Look - Rory. You're sleepy. You know what sleepyheads need? Caffeine! It's good for the system!" She rubbed her stomach, "Yum, yum, rich, milky coffee...Mmmm..."
"Okay, okay, but can we please do it really quickly?"
"I am insulted, Rory Gilmore! I am the Queen of the Swift."
Rory rolled her eyes as Lorelai pushed through the doors inside to Luke's diner.
"Hey, Luke."
"Lorelai. Rory," Luke acknowledged them warily, "What'll it be?"
"The usual - and this time - hurry - yesterday I was joking but, oh, ho, no, today we really need to be quick! Rory has to do some homework before school."
"Coming right up..."
The two girls sat down at their usual table, Rory facing Luke's bar. She kept her head down, and yet, not low enough to completely miss 'all' signs of people - as much as she hated to admit it, she was looking out for Jess. She cursed herself for being so atttracted to him.
Yesterday she had admitted to herself (to her horror) that, yes - she did like Jess. No - she loved Jess. With all her heart. With Dean it had been a teenage crush - a long-lived teenage crush, to be sure, but with Jess - it was different. They were so...so far apart, and yet so right. "Opposites attract," she snorted ironically.
Luke came up to them with two steaming cups of coffees in his hands.
"Thanks, Luke," Lorelai said.
"Whatever," Luke turned away, and then came back and whispered to Rory, "Are you okay? I just wanted to make sure that Jess wasn't harrassing you. Yesterday he came back all weird-looking, and he didn't even go out to meet that girlfriend of his."
"I'm fine," Rory mumbled into her coffee, and proceeded to burn her tongue on the bitter liquid, "Ouch."
"Okay - but you tell me the moment he starts provoking you, I know how much of a handful he can be - believe you me," Luke promised.
"I'll remember," Rory said as lightly as she could.
Suddenly, Rory noticed that another figure had come into her immediate vision.
Jess...
"Erm, I have to go now, Mum," Rory said hurriedly.
"What? Now?! But you haven't even had a sip of your coffee!" Lorelai protested, latching herself onto her daughter's arm.
"It's okay, Mum, you can have the extra. See you after school," Rory grabbed her schoolbag and left as conspicuosly as she could, looking at Jess through the corner of her eye.
She walked out and breathed in the light, spritzy summer air, "Please don't follow me, please don't follow me," she murmured under her breath, like a chant.
"Rory!" she heard her name being called.
She braced herself for Jess' overpowering frame to just tower over her, and unavoidably provoke her so much. She turned around, feeling as uncomfortable as possible, wishing she could just sink into the gravel. When she saw what greeted her, her eyes widened, her mouth dropped, and a half-formed word wormed it's way out of her mouth.
"Tristan...?"
"Sure it is, sunshine!" Lorelai grinned, perky as ever, "C'mon, if you get ready now we can stay longer at Luke's!"
"I'm not sure I want to go to Luke's today Mum," Rory mumbled.
"Sure you do!" Lorelai pulled at Rory's hand, "Come on! Hurry up, sleepyhead - you have to get to school in time - don't forget, you were late yesterday!"
"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Rory forced herself up and out of bed. Dressed in blue teddy bear pajamas she sleepwalked sleepily to the bathroom, "I'll be out in a sec."
***
When Rory came out, the two set off to Luke's, "Mum - honestly, I really don't want to go to Luke's - please, please, can we go somewhere else? Like to the Inn or something? Don't you serve breakfast there?"
"Na'uh, Rory, it's too far away - besides, we always go to Luke's in the morning! It'd be like breaking a family tradition."
Rory stopped short in her tracks, "You go ahead then, I'll just get to school. I have to go early to do some homework."
Lorelai stopped too and turned to face her daughter, "Look - Rory. You're sleepy. You know what sleepyheads need? Caffeine! It's good for the system!" She rubbed her stomach, "Yum, yum, rich, milky coffee...Mmmm..."
"Okay, okay, but can we please do it really quickly?"
"I am insulted, Rory Gilmore! I am the Queen of the Swift."
Rory rolled her eyes as Lorelai pushed through the doors inside to Luke's diner.
"Hey, Luke."
"Lorelai. Rory," Luke acknowledged them warily, "What'll it be?"
"The usual - and this time - hurry - yesterday I was joking but, oh, ho, no, today we really need to be quick! Rory has to do some homework before school."
"Coming right up..."
The two girls sat down at their usual table, Rory facing Luke's bar. She kept her head down, and yet, not low enough to completely miss 'all' signs of people - as much as she hated to admit it, she was looking out for Jess. She cursed herself for being so atttracted to him.
Yesterday she had admitted to herself (to her horror) that, yes - she did like Jess. No - she loved Jess. With all her heart. With Dean it had been a teenage crush - a long-lived teenage crush, to be sure, but with Jess - it was different. They were so...so far apart, and yet so right. "Opposites attract," she snorted ironically.
Luke came up to them with two steaming cups of coffees in his hands.
"Thanks, Luke," Lorelai said.
"Whatever," Luke turned away, and then came back and whispered to Rory, "Are you okay? I just wanted to make sure that Jess wasn't harrassing you. Yesterday he came back all weird-looking, and he didn't even go out to meet that girlfriend of his."
"I'm fine," Rory mumbled into her coffee, and proceeded to burn her tongue on the bitter liquid, "Ouch."
"Okay - but you tell me the moment he starts provoking you, I know how much of a handful he can be - believe you me," Luke promised.
"I'll remember," Rory said as lightly as she could.
Suddenly, Rory noticed that another figure had come into her immediate vision.
Jess...
"Erm, I have to go now, Mum," Rory said hurriedly.
"What? Now?! But you haven't even had a sip of your coffee!" Lorelai protested, latching herself onto her daughter's arm.
"It's okay, Mum, you can have the extra. See you after school," Rory grabbed her schoolbag and left as conspicuosly as she could, looking at Jess through the corner of her eye.
She walked out and breathed in the light, spritzy summer air, "Please don't follow me, please don't follow me," she murmured under her breath, like a chant.
"Rory!" she heard her name being called.
She braced herself for Jess' overpowering frame to just tower over her, and unavoidably provoke her so much. She turned around, feeling as uncomfortable as possible, wishing she could just sink into the gravel. When she saw what greeted her, her eyes widened, her mouth dropped, and a half-formed word wormed it's way out of her mouth.
"Tristan...?"
