Chapter Seven
Thanks everyone for your reviews of support for my slow updating...I'd also like to thank my anonymous reviewer from the last chapter, I'd love to talk to you sometime...maybe you could email me sometime and give me a little perspective, cause I am kinda just making it up...
"Rory I really don't see the point of you doing this, you want to go to Harvard. You don't owe these people anything," Luke is still ranting about Rory going on the tour of Yale with the Gilmore's.
"He's not wrong," Lorelai appears in the doorway of the apartment, "and you know how much we don't get along."
"Come on guys," Rory sighs staring at her reflection as she applies gray eye shadow, "I'm not doing this because I feel like I owe anyone anything." Rory pauses for a second before continuing, "it's just...I've never had grandparents before, it's not like they're going to change my mind about wanting to go to Harvard."
"Kid, it's just that Emily and Richard aren't easy people to get along with."
Rory pulls her hair into a ponytail, "would you both just stop? I'm going, it'll give me a chance to get to know them."
"They've got you trapped, so that you can't say no," Lorelai warns.
"I told them no when they invited me to Thanksgiving dinner."
"Because you had that handy-dandy excuse, wish I had one," Lorelai mutters.
"Um, Rory," Lane's head appears just behind Lorelai, "there's a woman downstairs looking for you."
"Me?" Rory asks.
"Yeah, she says she's your grandmother."
Lorelai smacks her head, "I told her that I would pick you up and meet them on campus."
"Oh geez, here we go," Luke sighs, "I can't believe you brought them here."
"Brought them here?" Lorelai demands, "do you just have a block on your brain that prevents you from hearing the words that come out of my mouth?"
Rory rolls her eyes and walks out of the apartment and begins down the stairs until she's stopped in the stairwell by Lane, "so Emily seems..." Lane trails searching for the right words.
"Scary and inaccessible?" Rory asks.
"Yeah," Lane nods, "makes me want to go home to the soft and cuddly Mrs. Kim. You okay?"
"What? Oh, yeah," Rory shrugs.
"You don't have to be okay with all of this, because I'm freaking out for you. It's all very worthy of the best freak-out anyone could come up with."
Rory shrugs, "I just keep telling myself that all of this is like a really long interview, putting my best face forward even if I'm uncomfortable with this sudden rush of family members. Besides I just keep reminding myself that next weekend, you me and our adorable boyfriends will be going to New York City."
"If you need anything, I'm here, literally here because I work all weekend."
"Lorelai, really, must you be so patronizing?" Emily demands at lunch just off of Harvard's campus.
"No," Lorelai shakes her head, "but it's a lot more fun this way."
"Lorelai, Rory is expressing more maturity than you've shown in your entire life," Richard adds.
"I guess it's just another factor in that nature vs. nurture theory then huh?"
"Lorelai," Emily says nothing else and Rory takes a sip of her coffee to hide the smirk on her face but as Lorelai sends her a look over her own coffee cup she can't help but laugh out loud. "You're already having a horrible effect on her," Emily sighs and Rory was beginning to think that whenever she was around Lorelai Emily did this often.
"So, Rory, I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of setting up an interview for you with the Dean of Admissions, he's an old friends of mind. He really..."
"Oh my God!" Lorelai exclaims, drawing a fair amount of attention from the other patrons of the expensive restaurant, "I can't believe you do this!"
"I didn't do anything, Lorelai, I just made a few phone calls. Harris Fellows is an old friend and was more then willing to see her on such a short notice."
"I should have known there was a catch," Lorelai sighs out of frustration, "I'm a complete idiot for not seeing this coming. Rory you don't have to do this, you are under no pressure to do this."
Rory bites her lip, but then shrugs, "I have my Harvard interview coming up anyway, so it'll be like a trial run."
"Rory..." Lorelai begins.
"Excellent," Richard interrupts and Rory forces a smile.
"Great."
Rory sits uncomfortably across from the dean as he quickly reviews her files that sit on her desk, but finally he looks up at her and smiles. "So you think you'd like to follow in the footsteps of your parents."
"My parents?" Rory asks.
"Of course, Lorelai and Christopher shook up this campus while they were here."
"They went to Yale?"
"Of course, didn't you know? And of course Richard is one of our favorite alumni." Rory nods although she had known about Richard she was surprised by the news that this had been Lorelai's school as well. "Your transcripts are quiet impressive, you attend Chilton?"
"Yes," Rory responds, she could handle this part of the interview she'd practiced for it a million times.
"Well, how'd it go?" Richard asks when Rory walks out of the dean's office.
"It went," Rory shrugs, "okay, I guess."
"Dad you can't just surprise people with interviews to colleges they're not actually interested in attending and expect it to be an amazing interview."
"It was fine, really," Rory assures.
"Good," both Emily and Richard nod before Emily adds, "we have this party to get to but you two enjoy yourselves on campus and we'll meet you right back here in two hours, okay?"
"Coffee?" Lorelai asks once Richard and Emily have headed back toward the parking lot.
Rory nods, "coffee sounds great."
"Listen kid..."
"Please stop apologizing," Rory requests as they begin the walk toward a coffee kiosk not far away. "It's not a huge deal, the interview went well, I survived, it's okay."
"It's just I should have known that he would do this, he tricked me into going to Yale too."
"Really?" Rory asks before the both pause in the conversation to order their coffee.
Lorelai nods, "he tricked me into the interview too, by the time I got accepted Christopher had been accepted as well, so..." Lorelai shrugs, "I went, for a year."
"Just year? What happened?" Rory blushes, "if you don't mind my asking."
"Of course not, it's public knowledge anyway. My freshman year I got pregnant with Sydney so Christopher and I got married." Rory nods, but she's not sure how to respond, as much as she loved her life growing up she can't get rid of the questions that push their way into her head about what life would have been like if she hadn't been adopted. "Rory..."
Rory waves her off, "you don't have to explain to me why the situations were different."
"You were the reason the situations were different," Lorelai disregards Rory's words and launches into the explanation. "After giving you up I couldn't do that again," Lorelai pauses, "before the adoption was finalized there was a time where I almost took you back."
"I had no idea...my dad never said anything..."
"He doesn't know," Lorelai responds, "I went to the diner one day. You were ten months old and it was chaos there, the breakfast crowd I guess, but Luke had you strapped into one of those baby carriers around his front. And then you woke up and started fussing and he stopped everything he was doing just to take care of you, and I knew then that I couldn't take you from that no matter how much I was hurting. So when I found out I was pregnant again I knew I wasn't strong enough to give another baby up."
Rory wipes at her wet cheeks, "thank you."
"Thank you?" Lorelai looks puzzled.
"For giving me my life then and not making me choose between life with you and with my dad when I was older."
"I'd never do that," Lorelai shakes her head, "I just want to be a part of your life now, if that's what you want."
Rory nods, "that's what I want."
"Good."
"The Phantom of the Opera is..."
"Lane, you may want to stick to the drums," Dave teases as they step out of the limo Adam had borrowed from his parents for the night in front of a 24 hour diner in NYC.
"Hey!" Lane teasingly pushes Dave off of the curb.
"Thank you guys so much, best birthday present ever, hands down."
Adam places a hand gently on her waist, "you had a good time?"
Rory grins and leans against him, "the best, without a doubt. Lane told me it was your idea," Rory laces her fingers with Adam's.
"She wasn't supposed to do that," Adam raises his voice slightly so that Lane can overhear.
Lane grins and shrugs, "she's my best friend, she asked I couldn't lie to her."
Adam rolls his eye but smiles as he says, "sell-out."
"Hey, this way you receive thanks that I can't share with Lane or Dave," Rory wraps her arms around Adam's neck before kissing him,
"Aw you two, get a room!" Dave calls out from the doorway of the diner.
"That was my suggestions," Adam states after breaking the kiss.
"Try floating that one past my dad," Rory laughs.
"Hence the borrowing of the parents chauffeur and driving back to Stars Hollow tonight," Adam responds. "I like your dad, but I'm not ashamed to admit that he scares me."
"Luke scares everybody," a voice states from behind the group.
They turn around and Rory shrieks, "Jess!" Before throwing her arms around his neck.
"Aurora Danes what the hell are you doing in New York City at midnight?"
Rory laughs, "causing all sorts of trouble."
"In formal wear?" Jess laughs before greeting Lane and Dave, but he stops at Adam, "you I don't know."
"Jess this is my boyfriend Adam, Adam this is my cousin Jess."
"Ah the boyfriend your emails talk about so much," Jess comments.
"You're the cousin that lived with Rory last year, right?" Adam asks.
Rory nods, "yes on both accounts. Jess lived with us last year until he got accepted to a "special" school and left us to move to the big city."
"Well, it's good to finally meet you," Adam responds, "why don't you eat with us?"
"Yes, Jess, eat with us, it'll make up for not coming down for my birthday or Thanksgiving."
"I suppose, since next year you'll be at Harvard and too good to hang out with your loser cousin."
"Actually..." Rory begins, now was as good a time as any to tell them the idea she had been wrestling with all week.
"Actually what?" Adam asks as the rest of the group stares at Rory, in fact he'd been expecting this actually since Rory had gotten home from her interview and explained what had happened.
"Why don't we sit?" Rory asks motioning to an open table. Once they've all settled at a table Rory begins, "my interview at Yale got me thinking."
"Rory, you can't possibly be thinking about not going to Harvard," Lane states, "that's all you've ever wanted."
Adam sighs, "I should have gone with you on that trip and not let them talk you into that interview. Alma Maters are all that matter to these people."
"Rory, all you've ever wanted your whole life was Harvard, don't let some old good for nothing rich ass change your mind about that." Jess adds.
"I'm not sure I see the problem," Dave decides to give his two cents as well, "Yale is a hell of a lot closer then Harvard and Adam aren't you going to Yale?"
"Whoa, guys, hello," Rory draws the attention back to herself, "remember how it's my life."
"Sorry," all four apologize.
"But Dave is right, Yale is closer and I could come home on weekends."
"Rory, I already said I could come get you whenever you wanted to come home," Adam reminds gently.
"I know," Rory nods, "but it's more then that. I have a chance to get to know Lorelai nod, but I won't really have that if I go to Harvard. And I'm not saying that I'm positive about anything yet, it's just in my thought process."
"A thought process that your dad is going to kill you for," Jess responds, "but it's your life."
"That's right," Rory nods, "it is my life and Dad might be mad about it at first but he'll adjust. Anyway, Jess when are you going to get your ass back to Stars Hollow? I'm starting to think that you'retoo good to hang out with your us."
"Well, that's because I am," Jess retorts with a smirk.
"Hey!" Rory flicks a piece of her napking at Jess as the waitress arrives to take their orders.
Once she's gone though Jess states, "I've got two weeks off at Christmas, then I'll come up."
"Woohoo, an entire month away," Rory rolls her eyes, "but if that's all I can get from my favorite cousin..."
"Only cousin," Jess points out.
"What kind of school do you go to, Jess?" Adam questions, "whenever Rory talks about you she just mentions you and your "special" school."
"It's a school for criminal deviants," Dave states with a laugh, "according to most of the Stars Hollow residents."
"And that's the way the rumors will stay," Jess states.
Rory rolls her eyes, "Jess goes to a culinary school, but he doesn't tell many people that. He doesn't think it's very manly or something, they gave him a scholarship and everything, half tuition waiver along with free room and board."
"Wow, that's great," Adam responds.
"And to think when he came to us he was a troubled youth, all he had to do was find his calling," Rory states dramatically.
Jess shakes his head, "she likes to brag about me."
Rory nods, "I do, because hey I taught him to make his first meal. Of course he surpassed me in like a week in my cooking abilities, he's really amazing Adam."
"So you had a good time?" Adam asks on the drive back to Stars Hollow.
Rory yawns and rests her head on Adam's chest, Lane and Dave are already asleep across from them, "an amazing time."
"Good," Adam places a light kiss on Rory's forehead, "so that's Jess."
Rory nods, "that's Jess."
"You seem close."
"Yeah he's my best friend, we were close when we were little because his mom moved them to Stars Hollow for awhile. But then, in true Liz fashion, they didn't stay for long and ended up moving but we stayed in contact through email and the phone. We told each other everything, still do now. Anyway, last year when he was getting into trouble I convinced my dad to let him come stay with us."
"And so the three of you lived in that apartment?" Adam asks.
Rory laughs, "it was a tight squeeze, that's for sure, I spend a lot of time at Lane's. Dad suggest we move..."
"But you love that apartment more then anything," Adam finishes for her.
Rory looks up at Adam, "yup."
Both fall silent for several moments before Adam states, "I hope you know I support you in whatever decision you come to about schools, I don't have a problem with you coming with me to Yale, I hope you didn't get that impression."
Rory shakes her head, "I didn't. It's just...I have to figure things out for myself. I've never defined myself as adopted before and I don't want to start now."
"Who said you had to start now?" Adam asks.
"How can I not?" Rory asks, "before the adoption wasn't a big deal, I wasn't forced into thinking about it. But now, now, there's all these new people I have to take into consideration and what they want from me."
"No, you don't," Adam shakes his head fiercely.
"I dunno," Rory shrugs, "I guess I just have to take time to adjust."
"Then take time, these people aren't goign anyway, you don't have to rush this process. Take the time to figure out what you want. Not what Richard and Emily Gilmore want. Or Lorelai. Or even your dad, as much as you love him. If you want to go to Harvard then go to Harvard, but if you really would prefer to go to Yale then go to Yale. But do it because it's what you want to do, not because of what other people think is best for you."
"I think I love you," Rory places a kiss on Adam's lips before resting her head on his chest.
"I love you too," Adam responds gently stroking her hair, but it's only minutes later that he can tell she's fallen asleep.