I decided to quit my job at Wal-Mart, maybe just to understand that complex woman known as Lorelai Leigh Gilmore just a little bit more, or maybe just because the job sucked, or maybe just because I had decided to. For whatever reason, I knew that I was going to quit tomorrow.
Chapter Twelve: I've Given All I Can
I lay on the couch in the apartment, with Rory lying on top of me. I was running my hands through her hair as she buried herself into my chest, breathing heavily. She and Lorelai had just returned from dinner with the grandparents, which hadn't gone well.
"You finding any solace in that piece of cotton you're clinging on to?" I asked her.
She laughed slightly and loosed her grip on my shirt. "Well, I kind of was…" I stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. "God, I hate it when mom and Grandma fight. And this time, I was caught in the middle, more so than ever before, because they were fighting about us and it was just… terrible. Ugh, I wish this night would just end."
"So, are you going to leave me hanging, Gilmore, or what? Talk to me."
"I'm surprised that this fight actually happened this week, I would've expected it to happen last week, you know, after you came for dinner. But, it didn't. It happened this week, just when I thought she was going to get over the fact that we're together."
"You're rambling."
"Yes… anyhow, we started eating when Grandpa, who wasn't there last week either, asked how dinner had been since he was gone. Grandma mentioned that you had come for dinner and he asked how it went. Grandma started going off on how you are an ungrateful hoodlum who shouldn't be allowed out in public, let alone dating me, and then Mom started defending us and I was just sitting there, kind of shocked, considering she and I had recently had a fight about you and I'm rambling again, aren't I?"
"Run-on sentences are cute."
"Yeah well, Grandma said that being with you would affect how I did in college and that I should break it off as soon as possible in hopes to save my future." Now this part shocked me. I knew that her grandmother didn't like me; after all I didn't leave a very good impression. But to know anyone had said that was just painful. Rory looked up at me, looking hurt, possibly thinking what I was thinking. 'That's just plain wrong.' "Then Mom got up and said that although she didn't like the fact that you and I are together, she wasn't going to stand by and let Grandma say anything like that. Then, of course, Grandma said that I'm going to end up just like her, pregnant and alone, if I stay with you. That you didn't care what happened to me as long as you could get me into bed."
Okay, that completely shocked me. Lorelai would've been pissed by then, obviously, causing even more badness to arise, and Rory just had to sit by and listen to them say all this. "Wow…"
"Yeah." She seemed quiet for a moment, but then continued, muffled, for her head was buried into my chest again. "Mom just sat there, mouth open completely in awe. The last time they had this fight was when I had accidentally stayed out all night with Dean. The next thing I knew, I was saying how she doesn't know you and that you're not like that and the one time she met you, you were having a really bad day. All three of them looked at me like I was crazy."
"Maybe you are."
"Yes, but not in the way that they thought I was crazy. That is a grammatically incorrect sentence, but I don't care."
"Oh, who cares about grammar these days?" Rory smiled sweetly up at me and I kissed her.
"Emily's wrong. You know that."
"Yeah… I do. It's just…annoying."
"Rory?"
"Yeah?"
"I wanted to tell you something…" she looked up at me quizzically, and then repositioned herself so that she could look me in the eye. A lock of hazel hair fell in front of her face, and, of course, as I always do, I pushed it behind her ear and cradled her face in my hand. Her skin was soft and light and warm beneath it. I pulled her closer to me and pressed my lips against her, slowly, almost sadly. She fell limp under my hold and let me pull her closer, and a breath of hot air escaped from her mouth as I goaded it open with my tongue. I could feel her body reacting to mine as she put her weight on me cautiously. I stroked the nape of her neck with my thumb as my other fingers entwined themselves in her hair.
I pulled away and kissed her forehead gently as she, once again, fell against my chest. I absentmindedly ran my hand up and down her back.
"What were you going to say?"
I stammered, "I…uhm, I…"
Just then, at that exact moment, there was a knock on the door and Lorelai came in, bandaged and looking defeated. She threw a glance at Rory who immediately got off me and kissed my forehead, departing with her mother, as I had seen her do before.
Before the door could close, Rory shot me a sad good-bye and I tried to smile at her. Lorelai pulled her away and the door closed shut. I lay on the couch, tired, confused. Lorelai just knew how to ruin the moment, didn't she?
Luke came in then, and I looked at me. I was just laying there, on my back, staring up at the ceiling, lost in my thoughts. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him smile and walk over to me. I kept my eyes averted as he sat down at the end of the couch. "Fun day, huh?" he asked all father-like.
"Yeah, sure," I was attempting to keep staring at this one spot on the ceiling, but Luke wasn't giving up.
"Rory's going to Yale." I looked up at him, confused. "I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier with all the excitement going on everywhere, and I wasn't sure what she told you… and she obviously didn't tell you considering the look you're giving me so… what?"
"She didn't tell me…" I knew Rory was upset, but she had had other chances during the day to tell me about her decision. I was definitely happy that she'd be closer to home, closer to me but I wasn't sure why she hadn't told me.
"Jess? It's no big deal, I'm sure she just didn't have time to tell you earlier."
"Yeah…" Luke looked at me, searching for some response, but it wasn't there. I was tired and confused and pissed off at Emily and aching for Rory and lost and I wanted to get away.
So I did. I stood up and picked up my jacket and walked out, with Luke looking after me.
THE END of chapter twelve