Hiatus over. This is getting going again.

Rudy Can't Fail Chapter 18

"You're gonna lose," Annette giggled as she slurped her soda.

Jess rolled his eyes and steadied his bowling ball. "Shut up, Annette."

Nadia grinned. "I wonder what would happen if I pinched his butt right now."

Her sister rolled her eyes. "Please don't. I'd like to keep my dinner in my stomach."

"Ladies and gentlemen, my wife Sheila," her husband, Travis announced.

"Will you guys shut up?" Jess snapped. "I'm trying to bowl!" At that moment, his cell phone rang, and he dropped his bowling ball out of surprise. "SHIT!" He turned away as the ball rolled slowly down the lane and pulled out his cell phone. "What!"

"Jess?"

"Luke?"

Nadia, Annette, Travis and Sheila all watched the ball roll slowly toward the pins.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I just need to talk to you," Luke replied.

The group watched as Jess's ball knocked over all ten pins, and then they started screaming.

"OH MY GOD!"

"THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE!"

"WHAT THE FUCK, MAN!"

"I love my boyfriend!"

Jess turned back around to the bowling lane and blinked. "Well, son of a bitch…"

"Jess? You there?"

"What? Oh, yeah. Hold on, I gotta get away from my girlfriend and her crazy buddies." He kissed Nadia on the cheek on his way out of the bowl-o-rama. When he was safely standing outside on the sidewalk he pulled out a cigarette. "So, long time no talk."

"Yeah," Luke agreed. "Sorry it's been such a long time…I just got real busy and-"

"Me, too," Jess cut him off. "So how are things in the world of Luke?"

"I uh…" Luke sighed. "Jeez, I'm just gonna come right out and say it…Lorelai and I are engaged."

The cigarette he had placed in his mouth fell to the ground, and he stood completely still.

Luke blinked. "Jess? Jess…you there?"

"Yeah…did I hear you right?"

"Lorelai and I are getting married."

"Huh."

"That's all you can say?"

"Congratulations?"

"That's better."

Jess blinked and picked up his cigarette, twirling it in his fingers. "So…wow…that's…sudden."

"You're tellin' me! One minute we're talking about how Rory's not going to college, and what we're gonna do about it, and the next minute we're celebrating with Zima."

Jess cracked a grin. "You drank-" It faded. "Wait…Rory's not going back to Yale?"

"Some…guy told her she didn't have what it takes to be a journalist, and she stole a boat and now she's living in Emily and Richard's pool house, and she's not going back to college."

"How very OC of her," Jess muttered.

"You did not just reference that."

"Annette and Nadia watch it every Thursday night," Jess grumbled. "It's not my fault." He paused. "So she's really dropping out of school."

"Looks like it."

"I thought that was my job."

Luke groaned. "This isn't funny, Jess. This is serious."

"So she's taking time off," Jess said. "She'll come to her senses."

"That's what I thought about you when you were cutting class," Luke snapped. "'He's a smart kid. He'll come around and realize how important it is…'"

"Rory and I are two different people."

"Lately, she's acting like you, circa 2002."

"How is Lorelai taking all of this?" Jess asked, changing the subject.

"She says she's fine with it, but she's lying," Luke sighed. "She looked really upset when I gave her the engagement ring."

"Well, Rory's living with the people she tried really hard to keep Rory away from," Jess said. "I can see how that might be upsetting."

"Are you sympathizing with Lorelai?" Luke asked, confused.

Jess paused. "No."

"You are! Wow. Never thought I'd see the day."

Jess rolled his eyes, and watched Nadia and her friends walking out the door. "Hey, I gotta go…call me next week or something, okay?"

Luke smirked. "Yeah. I'll do that."

"Bye." He closed his phone and looked over to his group. "We done?"

"You won," Travis said. "I don't know how the hell you did it, but you won."

Jess smirked and shoved his phone back into his pocket. "Talent."

Nadia wiggled her eyebrows at him as she latched onto his arm. "Why don't we go home, so we can put your talents to better use?"

Jess sighed. "Work, work, work…"

"Oh, gross!" Sheila cried.

"You're grosser," Nadia giggled. She took Jess's hand and led him to the car. "Bye, guys!"

Annette smiled and waved. "Bye, lovebirds! See you Thursday for some OC!"

Jess groaned as he followed Nadia.

"So, how's Luke?" she asked.

"How'd you know it was Luke?" Jess countered, unlocking the door.

"You never stay on the phone with anyone who isn't Luke for more than a minute," Nadia pointed out. "So?"

Jess smirked as he got into the car. On the way home, he recounted the main points of the conversation.

Nadia frowned. "Rory's not going back to school?"

"Nope."

"Because some guy said she doesn't have what it takes to be a journalist?"

"Yup."

"That's stupid."

Jess nodded. "You know, when I first met her, she wouldn't let anything get in the way of the whole journalist thing. I mentioned to her once that I didn't think she really had it in her, and she snapped at me. This isn't like her to just give up. She's wanted this since she was little."

Nadia frowned again. "That's sad. Maybe she'll just get over this."

"I hope," Jess replied.

Nadia's frowned turned into a grin. "Luke and Lorelai are getting married."

"Looks that way."

"Does that mean I get to wear a pretty dress?" Nadia asked. "I like going out and finding pretty dresses."

Jess nodded again. "Yeah, you'll probably get to wear a pretty dress."

"Yay!"

When they made it back to their apartment, Jess automatically shut the door and caught Nadia's lips with his, backing her up toward the bedroom.

"My, aren't we eager?" she teased.

"You're the one who wanted the use of my talents," he reminded her.

She grinned and kissed him again, letting her arms wrap around him.

And then the there was a very loud pounding on the door.

Jess blinked. "What the hell?"

"Open up, Mariano, I know you're in there!"

Nadia blinked at her boyfriend. "Something you wanna tell me?"

Jess let go of her, and walked to the door, opening it up. "Paris."

"Jess." She pushed past him into the apartment.

"How the hell do you know where I live?"

"I have my ways," she replied tersely. "We need to talk."

"I'm a little busy," he replied, gesturing towards Nadia.

"Harpy of the week?" Paris asked, sizing the other girl up.

Nadia's eyebrows rose, and she held out her hand in greeting. "Nadia Henderson. Long-time, live-in girlfriend. And you are…?"

"Paris Gellar," she snapped. "I need to talk to your boy here."

Nadia gave Jess a confused look.

Jess shrugged back. "I have no idea."

Nadia gave a nod. "I'll be waiting in the bedroom."

Jess sighed, disappointed, and then turned to Paris. "What?"

"Rory's not going back to school."

"I'm aware."

"You have to do something."

Jess stared silently.

"Well!" Paris cried. "You have to do something!"

"No, I really don't," Jess replied. "Rory and I are…barely friends…we're…Jeez. We're not in each other's lives anymore. She's gonna do what she's gonna do."

"No! This is all Logan's fault, and you have to do something!"

Jess squinted. "Logan? The boyfriend?"

Paris nodded.

"What do you want me to-No." Jess stepped back. "No way. I have a girlfriend, and a life, I am not putting myself in-between her and another boyfriend."

"Oh, come on…"

"We are not seventeen anymore!" Jess cried. "And I'm not in love with her anymore! God! How many times do I have to tell you people!"

"I just need you to cause a ruckus!" Paris pleaded. "I don't want you to woo her! Just…sway her!"

"No."

"Please?" Paris asked.

"No," he said firmly. "Go home."

Paris glared. "Fine. But if she winds up flipping burgers for a living, just remember that it's all your fault." With that, she twirled on her heel, and stormed to the door, slamming it behind her as she left.

Jess sighed wearily and walked into the bedroom, where Nadia was sitting on the bed.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," he replied.

"You look sad," she observed.

He nodded. "Just tired."

She smiled sympathetically. "We could watch a movie? Almost Famous…your favorite."

He gave her a small grin and nodded.