Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea for this story and any characters not recognized. All else is the property of Amy Sherman-Palladino. The quote in the summary is by George Bernard Shaw. "These Are the Days" belongs to O-Town.
Author's Note: Thanks so much for your reviews. I hope everyone likes this chapter. Just a filler, a bit of an explanation because of a jump in time, but this will lead to the moment you've all been waiting for. Anyway, here's chapter 13!
Chapter 13: These Are the Days
Rory sighed as she stepped off the bus. Less than three days. And counting.
Graduation was nearing, and Rory had found out the day before that she'd been named valedictorian. She and Tristin had forged a friendship. They were always together.
Her relationship with Logan had dwindled to nothing. He'd found someone new -- Lindsey Lister, the girl who hated Rory -- only three weeks after Rory had been discharged from the hospital.
She didn't care, though. Tristin had been with her since she'd gotten out of the hospital. He stayed by her side when she'd seen Logan kissing Lindsey in the town square. He'd also been there when Rory had opted to go to Yale instead of Harvard. The decision had been made when Tristin had informed her that he would be attending Yale.
As long as Tristin was by her side, she was okay. And he was.
That was what got to her the most, though.
She still saw Tristin as more than a friend, but he had yet to make a move. She understood when he didn't start making out with her the day Logan broke up with her. But it had been almost nine months, and he hadn't even made a move.
She shook the thoughts from her mind when she walked into Luke's.
"Hey, Ms. Valedictorian," Jess greeted. "How wasyour last day?"
"Hell," Rory deadpanned.
Jess rolled his eyes. "I have a surprise for you. Upstairs."
Rory smiled at Jess. "A big cup of coffee?"
"One track mind much?" Jess asked.
"This from the guy who woke me up at two in the morning to watch the replay of Britney Spears kissing Madonna," Rory responded.
Jess studied the counter and began wiping one spot. Rory watched him as he performed the not-so-difficult task.
"Jess," Rory said. "I think it's clean."
Jess smirked. "Really? I was wondering."
"It's clean," Rory assured him. "Surprise upstairs, you say?"
Jess nodded and grabbed Rory's hand. He nearly yanked her arm out of its socket as he dragged Rory upstairs.
"What's this all about, Jess?" Rory asked.
"Open the door," Jess told her.
Rory eyed Jess cautiously. "Jess…"
"Open the door," Jess repeated.
Rory rolled her eyes and slowly opened the door. "Oh, Jess…"
Inside of the apartment were enlarged pictures from Rory's years at Stars Hollow High and Chilton. Also, on the table, was an unusually large cupcake with pink frosting and black sprinkles.
Rory began to move around the room. She smiled when she saw the first picture taken after she'd moved to Stars Hollow. She and Jess were sitting on the bridge, a place where they both had found themselves often. Lane had been trying to sneak up on them and had snapped the picture when Rory and Jess had turned to see who was making all the noise.
Another was taken from her last day at Stars Hollow High. She and Lane had their arms around one another, and Dave and popped up in between them to join in.
She noted that there were none of she and Logan. She knew that, in some odd way, Jess was protecting her.
After she and Logan had broken up, Jess had stuck by her as well. Pretty much all of her Stars Hollow friends had stuck by her side. Lane had even cancelled a date with Dave to help her wallow.
Rory smiled at the picture taken from Christmas. She and Tristin were standing under the mistletoe. Tristin was holding her hands in his. They'd only been joking around, but after her mother had taken the picture, Tristin had kissed her quickly.
She'd never told anyone, but she had wanted him to kiss her longer.
"Jess, this is amazing," Rory said. "Thank you. So much."
Jess shrugged. "I figured you would need some sort of inspiration for your speech."
Rory smiled. "Yeah. And you, my friend, will be the first person I mention."
Jess brought his hand to his heart. "I'm touched."
Rory hugged Jess. "Thank you. This means so much to me."
Jess hugged Rory back. "Anything for you."
"Does this mean you'll come with me to Madeline's graduation party?" Rory asked.
"I thought Tristin was going with you," Jess said.
"He said he couldn't," Rory replied. "His dad is making him go to a business meeting, since he's going to be working for him this summer."
Jess nodded. "I see."
"So will you go with me, Jess?" Rory asked, pouting her lips. "Please?"
"You know I can't say no to you," Jess replied. "Especially when you do that."
Rory smiled. "Thank you so much!"
She threw herself into Jess's arms. Jess caught her, but they both fell to the ground with a 'thud.' Rory burst into a fit of giggles.
Jess smirked. "You find that funny?"
Rory kept laughing. "Your face… it…"
Jess rolled his eyes and helped Rory up. "Go get dressed. How long until this shindig?"
"It starts at seven," Rory responded, regaining her composure.
"Be ready by seven," Jess said.
Rory mock-saluted Jess. "Yes, sir."
Jess rolled his eyes at Rory. "I'm going to go finish my shift."
"I think I'm going to give Tristin a call," Rory responded, still looking at the pictures.
Jess watched Rory amble around the room. She was off in her other world at the moment, away from all of the crap that life had dealt her.
Rory sat down in a chair at the table and sighed. She dipped her finger in the icing and tasted it. She smiled. Today was her last day of school. She couldn't believe graduation was three days away.
She couldn't believe it was finally over.