A/N 1- I looooooooooove reviews! Even at two-thirty in the morning, when I'm reading reviews I've already read before, they make me happy. So please keep reviewing.
A/N 2- Questions! I have no idea what happened to Sookie. I was actually thinking about that the other day, before you reviewed, and I realized that I just don't follow Lorelai to work and I've had nowhere to put her so far... I'll try and put her in sometime soon... Ummm I wanted to install Friday night dinners of some sort- they're not exactly the same, but they're similar. And I'm glad u liked a little bit of dissention in the ranks. It's all good :) And I actually really do like the idea of Jess' adoption, so I'm gonna see if maybe I can work with that in the future. Thank you so much!
Dedicated to: Everyone who knew that the movie last chapter was Young Frankenstein. That means snowboardbaby526, Nina, Ally, carpanthers21, Bee, Ally, Kate, Chelsea, musicsdream, MsVonnegut, harmmac82, java crazy, and nadeshiko black... loooong list...
New challenge: Who knows what movie Seth's watching in his first scene this chapter! Same rules as always. You guess right, next chapter is dedicated to you... Go on...
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my pretty pink iPod and its pretty pink case...
Beginnings
"Don't move, please."
"So, why are you insisting on doing this?"
"Well, because you're starting private school tomorrow."
"Yes, but I'm going to be wearing shoes. Nobody's gonna see my feet."
"Okay, but everybody knows that private school girls are bad, and bad girls always wear red nail polish." Rory sighed,
"So, what are you gonna do to Jess when you get a hand on him?"
"Because he's a bad private school boy now?" Rory grunted an agreement and squirted whipped cream into her mouth, prompting an accepting nod from her mother, "Well, he's gonna have his tongue pierced, of course."
"And I have the job of cutting all of the sleeves off of his uniforms?"
"Of course," Rory shrugged and pressed the top of the whipped cream can again, coaxing more into her mouth, "Have I told you how proud I am of you for escaping the stupid health kick your father seems to be on at all times?"
"Once or twice," she answered, leaning against the swing. As they settled into a comfortable silence, Jess poked his head around the corner,
"Lorelai, do you know where my copy of The Odyssey is?"
"Greece?" She guessed.
"Not funny." As he began to slip back into the house, Lorelai called after him,
"Jess, honey, c'mere."
"What? Did you find it?"
"No, but the eight-track in your mind has lost seven of its tracks... Come. I want you to sit with us." Jess raised a skeptical eyebrow,
"Can't. Sorry."
"Why not?"
"Getting ready."
"Jess, c'mon. You've been getting ready all weekend. No one is more ready than you... Spongebob called. He wants some tips."
"If I was ready, I'd have my copy of The Odyssey."
"Jess, come sit down. Clear your mind. Then you'll be able to figure it out."
"Nope. Sorry. No can do. Good luck with the whole relaxation thing, though. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors."
"Wow, he's getting really good at public speaking," Rory commented, "Good thing to keep in mind next time a prank goes bad."
"Jess, I'm the mom. And I say sit. So, sit." He hung his head and obeyed. She sighed as he sat next to her and she pulled him close, "Thank you. I miss this." Both of her children looked up curiously at her,
"Miss what?"
"This. Spending time with you two. I feel like, with boyfriends and girlfriends and work and school and the twins now, we never get any time together anymore. Sometimes I feel like I don't know what's going on in your lives outside of the house." Rory shrugged,
"We're starting Chilton tomorrow." Lorelai feigned surprise,
"No joke?" Jess shook his head and turned his head to face Rory, allowing Lorelai to lean him against her,
"Ror, you heard about the new movie night?"
"Yeah. The 'First Annual Star's Hollow Movie for Madness Night'."
"I'm confused, though," Jess said, "Why are we having a movie night to cure insanity?"
"We aren't. It's for road rage."
"Because we all know when Andrew and Mr. Twickham get out there, it gets really dangerous," Lorelai said.
"Why couldn't they said the 'Road Rage Movie Night'?"
"Loses its alliteration."
"That's pathetic."
"Taylor's showing Grease, right?" Jess shook his head,
"Shoah."
"You're kidding, right?"
"Rory, there's so much in this world I could joke about. What makes you think I choose to joke about the alliteration-induced craziness of Stars Hollow?"
"Sad, but true."
"So," Lorelai started slowly, "Are you guys excited for tomorrow?" Rory shrugged,
"A little nervous. A little excited. A little confused."
"Confused?"
"Have you looked at the map of that place?"
"Yeah," Jess agreed, "It's huge. It should be fun looking for a bathroom tomorrow."
"Hold it in," Rory suggested.
"It's good to know we raised you two right," Luke said, walking up the front steps; he had gone to the diner to check on things and make sure they were going to be in working order the next morning, as he (along with Lorelai, Sandy, and Kirsten) was going to drop the kids off at Chilton the next morning. Rory slid over to make room for him on the swing and he sat next to her after kissing Lorelai hello. After kissing Rory on the temple, he asked,
"What's Jess stressed about?" Jess glanced at him in shock,
"How did you...?" Luke shrugged,
"I know you pretty well, kid." Lorelai laughed and rested the baby monitor on her lap,
"Jess can't find his Odyssey."
"The book or his journey in life?" Jess rolled his eyes,
"This whole family is a laugh riot tonight." Luke shrugged off the comment and told Jess,
"It's at the diner. You left it there when you were studying during your break on Saturday." Rory laughed,
"You're such a nerd. Studying between shifts." Jess stood up quickly, shouting,
"I'll be back in a few!" as he ran away. He then added, "You've studied during breaks, too, Rory!"
Rory sighed,
"Sadly, he's right."
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Ryan, bored with his copy of The Davinci Code and Beatles CD, meandered into the den, where he found his brother leaning against the couch, bouncing a ball against the wall, thoroughly engrossed in a movie.
"The sword of Damocles is hanging over my head.
And I've got the feeling someone's gonna be cutting the thread.
Oh, woe is me. My life is a mystery..." Ryan sighed,
"Really, Seth? Again?" Seth shrugged, never peeling his eyes from the screen,
"I can't help it. I'm hooked. And it's my way of winding down before school tomorrow."
"You're pathetic."
"And you're my brother. Which makes you as pathetic as I am. We were raised by the same parents."
"Nature versus nurture, bro. Look at Hannah and Josh. Twins who are completely different from each other, even at three weeks old. Nature." Neither boy really knew what they believed, but they found it useful in discussions. Sandy and Kirsten entered the room, having just closed Kandy's for the night.
"Don't get into this argument again," Kirsten warned, remembering an incident where the boys had decided to do an experiment regarding Nature versus Nurture. It wound up with Seth in the hospital for a broken wrist and Ryan with a scratched cornea. And yet, both boys were in good spirits the entire time.
"Oh, look, honey. It's good that they're watching this. If it rains tomorrow, at least they'll know what to do."
"Hey, the newspaper on the head works best if someone's squirting with a water gun from behind you. It's too messy in the rain," Seth answered, still resisting the vague urge to pull his eyes from the movie. Sandy and Kirsten settled onto the couch and Ryan plopped himself next to his brother.
"Your mother sang this song to me when we first got married," Sandy commented on the now-playing "I Can Make You A Man." Seth made a gagging noise, but kept his gaze transfixed on the television. Ryan glanced at his parents in disgust,
"Ew, dad! Overshare!" Sandy decided to push his luck,
"She told me I was a 'man with blonde hair and a tan...'" Ryan's eyes widened in shock, and even Seth pulled himself away from the screen,
"Dad..." he said preemptively.
"Dad, please. I beg you not to finish that line," Ryan pleaded.
"And that I was 'good for relieving her...'" Kirsten cut her husband off, noting that Seth had gone pale and Ryan had his fingers pushed firmly into his ears,
"Sandy, leave them alone." Sandy laughed maniacally,
"Boys, shouldn't you be going to sleep soon? You're starting a new school tomorrow."
"So are Rory and Jess," Seth started.
"And we can guarantee you that they're not asleep," Ryan continued.
"It's only 9:17, dad," Seth returned his gaze to the television.
"We had a later bedtime than this when we were nine," Ryan finished.
"I'll let you stay up all night if you don't finish each other's paragraphs anymore," Sandy commented.
"We've gotten good at it."
"It's not that we're not impressed, honey. It's just that it's a little bit eerie," Kirsten said, holding her fingers a centimeter apart to emphasize the point.
"And creepy," Sandy added.
"Not nearly as creepy as you two talking about how mom can... You know what? For Seth and my sake, I'm not gonna go near the end of that sentence with a ten-foot pole." Sandy laughed,
"Hey, that's how mom and I feel about your rooms sometimes!"
"Hey! My room's clean," Ryan said defensively. Seth sniggered,
"Mine's not."
"True. I don't understand how someone who's so meticulous at cleaning when he works at the store can be such a slob in his own bedroom." Seth shrugged,
"Nobody's buying food out of my bedroom." Kirsten sighed,
"Boys, dad and I wanted to thank you both for being such big helps with everything. We know we're not home as much and you don't need to be so helpful- working at the store and doing extra chores at home- but you've been great."
"Great enough to get a car when we turn seventeen?"
"Down, boy. You're not even sixteen yet," Sandy commented as the ball Seth was playing with bounced off to the side, "Careful with that thing, Seth." Seth retrieved it and Kirsten continued,
"Great enough to, I don't know... we'll see when the time comes. But you've both been great."
"Rory said I had to or she'd break up with me," Ryan joked.
"Extra prizes are not looking like such a good idea now."
"Kidding, mom. Kidding," she glared at him, grinning slightly. He added for good measure, "I love you, mommy." She started to laugh and blew her son a kiss.
He was about to blow one back (sarcastically, of course. He was a Cohen, after all.), when Seth's rubber ball came flying past his head. He quickly ducked and moved to the side to avoid it,
"It's just a jump to the left."
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On Monday morning, Lane awoke with a start, trying to remember a dream that she'd had during the night.
The boys were all there. And Rory. She thought, straining to remember. And we were playing... Scrabble? Monopoly?... Twister?... Some stupid board game. And then Ryan got up, told me he had to go back to California because his... puppy was sick? That was weird. Then Jess got up, said he had to go back to New York. That much I remember for sure. He said his favorite bus stop had fallen on hard times and needed him to get through. Then Rory got up, told me she had to move back to Hartford, because her grandparents bought a new pool. That wasn't even a good imaginary reason! And then Seth said he had to go to... Oregon? He said the trail needed sweeping. And I told him not to go, that the real Oregon trail doesn't need him to sweep and that I'd buy him the computer game if he really wanted. But he left anyway, and I was all alone. And I just sat there.
She rubbed sleepily at her eyes, trying to push the dream away from her,
"It's only a dream. And they're only going to Chilton. They'll be back by four o'clock. And they'll be home on weekends. And in the summer. It'll be fine," she soothed herself, pulling on a "Trust Jesus" sweatshirt over her Nirvana t-shirt.
She sighed as she brushed her hair into a slick ponytail and put on her glasses, staring into the mirror. She wiped at the corners of her eyes and looked down, where she saw the single piece of decoration that she was allowed in her room.
It was a magazine article entitled "Religion and the Modern Teen" on the face, but behind it was her single favorite picture of all time (except for the one of her and Seth asleep on the couch at Rory's house, her head resting on his lap, but that one was too dangerous to leave out, in the case of a Mrs. Kim invasion). She pulled it out and looked at it, misty-eyed.
It was a picture of her, Seth, Ryan, and Rory on the first day of third grade, before Jess came to live in Stars Hollow, and they stood out front of Rory's house. Lane remembered that day well; Kirsten and Lorelai had made them stand outside for a half-hour, posing with each other in different positions, with different people, for different cameras.
This particular picture was one that Lorelai later told them she and Kirsten had been planning since the Cohens had moved in. It was a picture of Seth and Lane hugging each other tightly, their gap-toothed smiles beaming, and Ryan and Rory doing the same right next to them.
She smiled and wiped away a single tear before tucking the picture into her bookbag and setting off to school for the first time since she was four.
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The Cohen and Danes families pulled up in front of Chilton and stared on in awe as they stepped out of the cars, all four kids in matching uniforms, and the adults dressed nicely (Lorelai's fuzzy blue alarm clock that she had bought hadn't gone off, but she had Luke and the twins to wake her up, so she was awake in time to get everything done).
"I remember it being smaller," Rory commented
"Yeah. And less. . ." Lorelai continued. Seth projected,
"Off with their heads."
"Yeah," Luke breathed as Sandy craned his neck towards the top of the building.
"What are you looking at?" asked Kirsten.
"I'm just trying to see if there's a hunchback up in that bell tower." Kirsten nodded, understanding, as Rory turned to Kirsten and Lorelai.
"So, how do we look?"
"Well, at least when Ryan and Seth finish each other's sentences, it'll make more sense," Sandy answered.
"You look great," Kirsten ignored her husband.
"Really. You are amazing kids. You have earned this. You just go in there and show them what smart really is," Lorelai encouraged, but then turned to her husband, "I actually have to go to the bathroom." Luke shook his head,
"What does that have to do with me?"
"Take the twins' stroller," she said, motioning to the carriage she had in front of her. He nodded,
"I would've figured it out whether you said it or not."
"What about the time when Rory was four and I was holding her hand at the mall, you were right next to us, and I let go to go find something and she wandered away because I didn't tell you to grab her."
"Hey, that was during her hide-and-seek phase. You can't blame me for that," Luke became defensive, instinctively grabbing for Rory's hand.
"Dad!"
"Oh. Sorry, honey. Habit." Lorelai shook her head,
"I'll meet you guys in the office."
She wandered away and fifteen minutes later was finished and looking for the headmaster's office.
"Lost?" A man's voice asked from behind her. She spun around,
"Oh, yeah. Uh, I'm looking for the headmaster's office, the Ambroise building."
"Ah, okay. Well, this is it right here. You just go inside, down the stairs, make a left, and the headmaster's office is at the end of the hall."
"Great. Thank you."
"Mom!" Rory's voice called from a few feet behind.
"You're welcome... Um, I'm Ian Jack. My daughter Julia goes to school here."
"Hi. I'm Lorelai Danes. Um, this is my daughter, Rory," she motioned to Rory, who was now directly behind her.
"Your daughter? Really?"
"Yup."
"Wow, that's great. Uh, I mean, daughters are a great thing."
"We're big fans."
"Speaking of daughters," Rory interrupted, "Hannah needs her pacifier, we have no idea where it is, and I've been appointed to come and find you."
"Hannah?" Ian said skeptically.
"My other daughter."
"Oh. Not too old considering she needs a pacifier, I assume?"
"Two and a half weeks," Lorelai answered. The man whistled and looked downward, seemingly disappointed,
"So, I assume that two kids means you have a husband?"
"Well, it would. Except that I have four kids." The man whistled again,
"Ok, well... I'll tell Julia to keep an eye out for Rory."
"And Jess."
"Who?"
"My kid. He starts today also."
"Oh. Well, I'll let Julia know. Nice meeting you, Lorelai. Good luck, Rory."
"Thanks."
Rory led her mother back through the doors and towards the Headmaster's office.
"Oh, good. More big stuff," Lorelai commented.
"Turn left." They arrived at the office, where they found their friends and family. Lorelai promptly put a pacifier in Hannah's mouth and the group all turned to face the double doors to the office.
"You ready?" Lorelai asked nervously.
"No," said Seth and Rory as Ryan and Jess answered, "Yes." There was a pause before Lorelai repeated,
"You ready?"
"Yes," responded Rory and Seth as Jess and Ryan changed their minds, "No."
Sandy watched them skeptically,
"You've spent every day of the past nine years together. You choose now to differentiate?"
All four teenagers glanced at each other, communicating with their eyes.
Now or never. thought Rory.
No time like the present. mused Jess silently.
Why put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Ryan pondered
An apple a day keeps the... headmaster... Let's just go in. Seth thought in frustration.
"Ready," They all said, one after the other. Lorelai pushed the door open and the group stepped in.
"Hi," Lorelai said sweetly to the bitter-looking receptionist, pushing Josh and Hannah's stroller, "We're new. First day. These are my kids- Jess Mariano and Lorelai Gilmore-Danes... And I'm Lorelai Gilmore-Danes also, 'cause I named her after me. I was in the hospital all whacked out on Demerol. Never mind. Um, but we call her Rory. It's short for Lorelai, but she'll answer to either one, or even 'Hey, you' depending on the..." Sandy interrupted her, preventing her ramblings from causing any further damage,
"And this is Seth and Ryan Cohen. They're starting today also." The woman stood up and coldly regarded them,
"One moment." They all glanced at each other as the woman walked away and Lorelai leaned over to Rory,
"See? Kirsten and I weren't lying to you and Lane. That's what happens when you go to sleep with your makeup on."
"Headmaster Charleston will see you now," the woman told them monotonously.
"Ms. Gilmore-Danes, Mr. Mariano, both Mr. Cohens, I'm Headmaster Charleston."
"Hi. Wow, it's really nice to meet..." Lorelai, the unspoken leader of the day, started, glancing around the room. She stopped short as she caught sight of an older woman seated in a chair, "Mom. Um, excuse me. What are you doing here?" Luke's eyes widened.
"I came to wish my granddaughter luck on her first day of school."
"But -"
"Rory, you look wonderful in that uniform!"
"Three more kids in the room. She doesn't even acknowledge their presence," Lorelai muttered as Luke rubbed her back.
"Well, this gave me a chance to make sure that Hanlin here takes good care of Rory."
"And Jess, Seth, and Ryan," she mumbled, then speaking normally, "You're Hanlin?"
"Hanlin Charleston."
"Luke Danes," Luke introduced himself, "My wife Lorelai, my daughter Rory, my nephew Jess."
"And I'm Sandy Cohen. This is Kirsten, my wife, and my boys, Seth and Ryan."
"You all know each other?" Sandy was tempted to make a joke, but stopped himself,
"Yes. We're neighbors. Been friends for nine years."
"Hanlin, did you know that Rory has a 4.0 grade average?" Emily projected.
"All four of the kids do, actually. And I'm sure he knows, Mom."
"This is a very special girl. You take good care of her," Emily plowed on.
"We'll do our best, Emily. For all of the children."
"Oh, no. None of them are gonna be a problem. They're totally low maintenance. You know, like a Honda. You know, they're just easy, just. . . nice office." Emily shook her head, embarrassed,
"Well, I don't think we should take up anymore of your precious time. Hanlin, it was lovely to see you. Give Bitty our love."
"Tell Richard I'll see him at the club Sunday."
"Have a wonderful day, Rory. I want to hear all about it. You're coming to dinner next Friday night?" Rory nodded, "Lovely." Sandy stepped up to the headmaster,
"Very nice to meet you. Thank you so much."
"Thanks for everything," Kirsten said. Luke took his turn,
"I really appreciate it." Lorelai took Luke's hand and spoke to Headmaster Charleston,
"It's so nice to meet you," she turned to her children, "Have a great day," she kissed each of their foreheads, "Be good, get smart, take over the world for mommy."
"Yes, mother," they said together, joking about the story Lorelai had often told them about her childhood, when she was five and Emily had told her to answer with, "Yes, mother" and "Please, mother" or "No thank you, mother." The five-year-old Lorelai had found it hilarious, and always added an odd inflection into her tone. Yogi Bear had been a personal favorite.
Emily eyed them curiously, but decidedly kept her mouth shut.
"Good luck, you guys. I love you both. I'm really proud of you," Luke told them, hugging Rory and then Jess, "One of the four of us will be back to pick you up at three-thirty."
"Ok. Bye daddy."
"Bye, Luke." Lorelai and Luke stepped back and began to tend to Hannah and Josh, both of whom needed a diaper change. At the same time, Sandy and Kirsten said goodbye to their boys,
"You're gonna be fine. We love you. If you need us, call us. If you can't reach us, call Luke and Lorelai," Kirsten told them.
"Don't talk to strangers, don't pet any dogs you don't know," Seth continued sarcastically.
"Don't stick your fingers in a light socket," Ryan added.
"What?" Kirsten said, confused.
"It's the same speech you've given us since we were six."
"We'll be fine. We love you too. Bye, mom."
"I worry about you two."
"You can worry. Just not so much."
"Ok. I love you," she kissed their cheeks and let Sandy say goodbye,
"You've worked hard to get here. You both deserve this. I'll see you tonight. Bye, boys."
"Bye dad," Ryan smiled as his father pulled him into a tight hug. Sandy then moved to Seth,
"See you tonight."
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After five-minute-long conversations with the headmaster each (alone, of course. Seth had noted that it was more intimidating that way), they were instructed to go see "Miss James in the administration office." They filled out forms, communicating with looks, occasionally giggling and sniggering at inside jokes to break the tension.
After being told of the rules and regulations of Chilton (during which Seth bit his tongue numerous times to prevent the escape of sarcastic comments), the four teenagers stepped out into the hallway, clutching their schedules nervously.
"Everyone trade," Ryan instructed gently. Jess and Rory stood close and compared schedules as Ryan and Seth did the same.
"Nothing," Rory sighed, separating her paper from Jess'.
"Lunch and Chem," Ryan announced, nodding, satisfied, at Seth. Jess and Ryan then compared papers, as did Seth and Rory.
"Nothing," Rory bit her lip nervously.
"Lunch," Said Jess, then reaching for Seth's paper.
Ryan and Rory stood shoulder-to-shoulder, comparing papers.
"Lunch, PE, and band," Seth announced happily.
"What about you guys?" asked Jess. Rory shook her head,
"Nothing."
"You're all alone all day?" asked Seth incredulously. She shook her head again, the fear evident in her eyes; to start a new school alone was terrifying, but to start a new school where you were alone and you knew that your cousin, boyfriend, and one of your best friends were wandering around together was daunting.
Ryan engulfed her in his arms as Jess panicked; he knew how his cousin would react to this kind of situation,
"Don't worry, we can fix this. You could go in and ask them to change your schedule. Or sneak out of your classes and come into ours. Or call mom and dad. They'll know what to do." Rory allowed herself to crack a small smile; though Luke and Lorelai considered Jess their son, it wasn't until recently that Jess came to accept them as truly his parents. Within the past few months, he had begun to refer to them as "our parents" or "mom and dad" when talking about them.
"No, no. They'll freak out and mom will send dad to pick me up and then Kirsten will find out and we'll all be taken out of Chilton. I'll be fine," They were all silent for a few seconds before Ryan pierced the quiet,
"Are you sure you're gonna be ok?" She ignored his question and mumbled into his chest,
"You look weird in this uniform." He laughed and gave her a quick squeeze,
"Judging from that, you'll be fine." She nodded and pulled away,
"I will," she leaned forward and hugged her cousin, then Seth.
"Just remember the plan for Saturday night." She laughed,
"Yeah. Thanks, Sethie." She pulled away and nestled back into Ryan's arms, "I'll see you later." He nodded,
"It'll be over soon." They pulled back and kissed lightly.
"I love you, you know that?" He nodded,
"I know you do," Seth said. They all laughed and Rory threw a tissue planted in her hand at him,
"Shut up, Seth."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Lane settled into her seat and glanced around the now-threatening classroom. She was in Geometry, where she'd usually be sitting with Seth and Rory, talking about what they'd done over the weekend, with Ryan and Jess escaping their study period two or three times each to walk by and try to make them laugh. The teacher, who often found it funny (when she wasn't teaching, but her class was doing individual work (as they did every day)) occasionally invited the boys in and made idle small talk with them.
Lane sighed sadly as she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"You miss them?" asked Ally. Lane shrugged,
"I'm adjusting. It's weird. I have you to talk to... except usually I don't. What are you doing here?"
"I have Geometry this period."
"With Mr. Bowman. This is Teller's class. Why are you guys in here?" She realized the now-enlarged class size.
"Bowman and Teller have a 'teacher's convention.'"
"Looking for Babette's gnome?"
"My money's on it."
"I wonder who the sub will be." As if on cue, a man, holding a bruised apple, an unsharpened pencil tucked behind his ear, his powder blue dress shirt tucked awkwardly into his belted khaki pants (which were too long and dragged lazily behind him on the floor) marched into the room.
"Kirk?" Lane said incredulously.
"That's Mr. Gleason to you, Miss Kim." Lane and Ally exchanged confused, skeptical glances before bursting into hysterical laughter.
"I thought you were gonna be a fireman this week," Lane joked.
"I'm retaking the test next week," said Kirk defensively, "I couldn't get Cinnamon out of the tree," Lane laughed harder, "What? His claws were sharp! And I'm afraid of heights..." Lane wiped at the tears on her cheeks and regained control,
"I'm sorry, Kirk..."
"Mr. Gleason!" He interrupted.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't laughing at you." Kirk stood up straight and pulled the pencil from behind his ear, dropping it hastily on the table. He pulled out a felt-tipped marker. Ally, stifling a giggle, raised her hand,
"Kir... Mr. Gleason? Can I ask why you did that?"
"Not allowed to use sharp objects. Mother won't allow it," he said naturally.
"Really?"
"Yup," he responded proudly, "No sporks or butter knives in my house!" The class laughed and Kirk looked down, confused, "I'm wearing pants! This isn't like the dream!"
Lane sighed.
Seth and Rory would've loved this.
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Ryan glanced around the lunch room during sixth period. As he sat next to Jess and Seth at a vacant table in an abandoned corner of the spacious cafeteria, he reminisced about how his day had gone so far. Since the boys had lunch during seventh period, towards the end of the day, they had finished most of their first day of Chilton already.
Ryan had started his day in Chemistry with Mr. Kent, Seth taking a seat next to him. Both of them had felt the stares and heard the sniggers of the students behind them, their snide comments coming across loud and clear,
"Small towns make for stupid people."
"Brothers? Well, then... this should be fun."
"Excuse me, but your cow is double-parked." Seth leaned over to Ryan,
"See, I would've gone for the classic Monty Python 'What, ridden on a horse? Where's your coconuts?'" Ryan had laughed and felt grateful that his brother was there to back him up.
Spanish class, fourth period, however, had been a completely different story.
As he walked into the room and gave the teacher a note explaining who he was and what he was doing there, he heard whispering noises behind him. Expecting it was more cracks about Stars Hollow and him, personally, he turned around and snuck a glimpse to find something completely unpredicted.
Three girls- two blonde, one brunette, sat staring at him, giggling- they hadn't noticed that he saw them.
"He's really hot. Good thing, too. I was getting bored with what we have around here," one of the blonde girls (whose hair seemed to be dyed blonde) said.
"New meat is always good," the brunette whispered.
"I guess he is pretty good-looking," the other blonde girl admitted.
"What, Paris? You don't like Tristan now, with new boy on the block?"
"No, Louise. And I'd thank you not to say that out loud."
"Why not? The whole school knows you have a thing for him."
"I do not have a thing for him, Madeline. He's attractive and it wouldn't hurt to go out on a date with him. He may be a pleasant conversationalist." The brunette, Madeline, shook her head,
"Too many words for me." Ryan shook his head and laughed silently, but made sure that he didn't make eye contact. He didn't want to get into that conversation- not today.
The rest of the period had been spent in uncomfortable silence, the girls passing notes and staring at him the entire time. When the bell finally rang, Ryan began to pack up his books, hoping that he could catch Rory in the hallway, knowing that she was in the same one this period.
Before he could get out of the room, though, the blonde girl stepped in front of him,
"Hey."
"Hi," he said awkwardly. He moved to step away, but she quickly moved in front of him again, reaching to stroke his forearm,
"You new?"
"Yeah."
"Where you from?"
"Stars Hollow."
"Where's that?"
"Far away from here," he muttered.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing."
"So..."
"I actually should get going."
"Why? You're not going to be late." Ryan sighed,
"Look... I have a girlfriend."
"So?"
"So, I have a girlfriend."
"Your point being?"
"We've been together for two years now."
"Don't you think it's time for a little change?" Ryan snapped his fingers sarcastically,
"You know, if I didn't love my girlfriend and I wasn't completely creeped out by you, I would definitely say yes. But both of those are true. So, sorry." He stepped away and left a shocked and angry-looking Louise behind.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jess scratched at his head as he remembered the incident during fourth-period English with Mr. Medina.
The class had been spent with girls staring at him, boys cracking jokes about him, and people staring wild-eyed at him in the hallway. He blocked them all out, though, and thought only about his family, friends, and the fact that this was a terrific opportunity for him.
He smiled to himself as he thought.
I'm at Chilton. And I did it through good grades. No one's mad at me. I have a girlfriend. And my parents are proud of me... I have parents. I have a mom and a dad who love me and take care of me and are proud of me. It's still a little weird. After five years, it's still a little weird. And I have two sisters and a brother. They're not even my cousins anymore. My brother Josh and my sisters Rory and Hannah. Which is so weird...
He smiled to himself as he rummaged through his new bookbag for his English notebook. What he found, however, was a glossy picture. He pulled it out and read the back to himself,
Dear Jess,
Just a little reminder that we love you and that, as difficult as this first day is gonna be, we're always gonna be there to listen and help. We're the parents. It's what we do.
Love you, sweetie.
Lorelai and Luke
He grinned and flipped the picture over to find a picture they had taken the day before.
It was a family portrait. Jess and Rory stood in front, holding Hannah and Josh respectively. Luke and Lorelai stood behind them, in front of Kandy's. Jess couldn't help but smile broader as he thought of what yesterday had meant to him. It had been the first day he'd referred to Luke and Lorelai as mom and dad to their faces.
When he was unable to get Lorelai's attention, he called her name numerous times,
"Lorelai?... Lorelai... Lorelai!... MOM!" She had turned around and tried to hide the surprised, excited look on her face,
"Yeah, sweetie?"
"Problems with his tie," he said, pointing to Luke.
"Who? You?"
"No. Dad." Lorelai, unable to prevent herself from boiling over with happiness, threw her arms around him,
"I love you, kid."
He glanced up and saw the teacher enter the room.
"Mr. Medina?" he said, getting up and leaving the picture on his desk.
"Yes? Can I help you?"
"I'm Jess Mariano. I'm new. I was told to give you this note," he handed him a slip of paper.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Mariano. I'm sure you'll enjoy the class, if not be terrified by the bulk of the work."
"Nothing can shock me. I'm from a small town." Mr. Medina laughed,
"Take your seat." Jess nodded, glad he had made a good first impression, and turned to head back towards his seat. He found two boys staring at his picture.
"She's hot," one of them grinned manically.
"Very," the other one agreed. Jess ripped the picture out of the boys' hands, "Hey, man, what's your problem?"
"My problem? My problem is that's my sister!" The boys laughed, "What the hell is so funny?" He said quietly.
"That's your sister?" The first boy asked, pointing at Lorelai in the picture. Jess' face turned purple with rage. He couldn't deal with people talking about women he loved in such an objectified way; it went back to his early childhood, when he had witnessed Liz dating men who treated her like crap and were gone in the morning.
"No, that's my mother!" He still spoke quietly, making sure that the teacher didn't know anything was wrong.
"That's your mom? Dude, your mom's hot!" Jess resisted the urge to push the guy with every fiber of his being,
"Shut up."
"You should be happy that we think your mom's hot. It's a compliment."
"My mother gave birth to my brother and sister two weeks ago."
"Really? Then she's even hotter. She's got a great look for someone who just had kids." Jess was about to punch the boys, but thought better of it, remembering Luke's words from earlier, "I love you both. I'm really proud of you." He stopped himself and tucked the picture into his pocket, fuming. Bringing his voice to a low, threatening whisper, he told the boys, "Watch yourself. Say one more word about my mom and you won't be happy. I'm not gonna hit you now, because I'm not that kind of person. I'm gonna spare you. But watch yourself next time."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Seth glanced around the room. He was glad to be back in the company of his brother and best friend; his one encounter so far with being alone hadn't turned out so well.
Fourth period, when Jess was in English, Ryan had Spanish, and Rory had History, Seth was alone in Tech.
At least it's an elective. Maybe they'll let up a bit. he thought as he wandered into the high-tech classroom. There were table saws set up next to computers everywhere. Odd organizational skills.
His thoughts, at least, were deviated from what they had been all day. He had though Ryan and Jess were going to kill him from his constant ponderings about Lane.
How do you think Lane is?... Do you think she's ok without me?... Do you think Ally's taking care of her?... What are the odds she'll be able to help out with Saturday night? I really want her to. She should at least have that with her friends... I can't believe we abandoned her like that.
Jess had told him,
"She's fine! Call her when you get home, but she's fine! I promise you! I told Ally. Ally's watching out for her. She's watching out for Ally. You're neurotic."
His brother hadn't beat around the bush either,
"Seth, I'm gonna kill you. She's fine. You know she's fine. This is just another bump in the road that you're overdramatizing. I'm gonna kill mom for giving you that, too. If you're worried, go find a payphone and call her."
He laughed; he knew they'd react like that (granted, it had taken two straight hours of his talking about Lane before they'd responded).
He found a seat towards the rear of the class and put his books down before walking up the teacher, a crotchety old man of about sixty, deep-set gray eyes peering through bifocals, a button-up flannel shirt tucked into suit pants (Again, odd choice, but whatever floats your boat...), and one finger missing off of his right hand. Seth stood for a minute, not quite sure how to start. As he decided, a gruff voice startled him,
"You gonna say something, or is the reenactment of Cleopatra's victims gonna be it for you?" Seth jumped a little, but stood up straight,
"No, sir. I'm Seth Cohen. I'm a new student."
"Cohen?" The man looked at his grade sheet, "Cohen, Seth. What kind of a name is that? What ethnicity?"
"Jewish."
"Not Cohen. Seth."
"Um... I don't know... I'm named after my grandpa... I think. Anyway, I umm... my dad liked the name and my brother's name is Ryan and they just thought 'Ryan and Seth. Good twin names.' and..."
"Stop babbling," the man grunted.
"I'm sorry, sir."
"Here are the rules. Be careful. No running. No fights. No talking when I'm talking, or you're switched to chorus."
"I like to sing," Seth joked.
"Not that kind of chorus," the teacher, Mr. Bell, said. When he didn't offer any sort of further response, Seth shuddered. He wasn't quite sure he wanted to know what the other kind of chorus was. Mr. Bell continued, "Don't be a smartass. And be careful around the jigsaws," he held up his cut hand, "See this? I wasn't careful. Cut off my finger with a jigsaw."
"That's what made you switch to teaching?" The man laughed evilly,
"Did it during class one day. Idiots just stared at me. Had to wait until one kid vomited before the other kids realized that they had to go get the nurse. Morons," he sized up Seth, "You seem like you'll fit in well." Seth's eyes widened and he nodded; he had no idea what else to do; he was truly afraid of this man,
"Ok... well, I'm just gonna go..."
"Take your seat."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Rory sighed. Her day had sucked so far, and it was only fourth period.
After English, she had been stopped by a blonde girl who seemed familiar to her, yet she couldn't place from where. She knew it wasn't a pleasant memory.
The girl hadn't been friendly or receptive; she'd yelled something about her intentions of being valedictorian and the fact that the school and its newspaper were her domain before Rory escaped, desperate to find a friendly face.
She thought of her parents, brothers, and sister for comfort. The night before, they had spent until ten-thirty sitting on the swing together, bringing Hannah and Josh, bundled in blankets, hats, and coats outside for ten-minute increments every so often. They'd really grown since birth, and had gained a few pounds each. They were big, and everyone told them that Hannah looked exactly like her, though Rory thought Hannah looked like their father. Sitting until late into the night in the comfortable happiness of her family made her smile, and she was distracted as she went to open her locker.
When it didn't open, she pulled at it, frustrated, thoughts of her parents and siblings gone.
"I'm sorry, but you're going to open," she muttered to the locker. Suddenly, she lost her grip and flew backwards as the metal door flew open, knocking down the girl from earlier in the process, "Oh no! I am so sorry. Paris, please, I'm so sorry," she helped pick up the broken project lying on the floor, "It was an accident. My locker, it just slipped. I pulled too hard. I didn't mean to. . .is there water in that moat?" Paris only glared at her,
"Get away from me." As Paris stalked into the next classroom, Rory put her book away and sighed, defeated. She stopped a boy walking by for directions,
"Excuse me, I need Mrs. Ness, History?"
"It's behind you," he pointed to the class where Paris had just disappeared. Rory mumbled,
"Of course it is." She walked purposefully into the classroom.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Paris grunted to her friends as Ms. Ness entered the room,
"Seats now, please... Okay, we left our projects off on Friday with Mr. Gaynor, so today we will pick up with Miss Gellar." Paris valiantly stood up as Rory watched on,
"I don't have my project." Ms. Ness looked at her, confused,
"Miss Gellar, did you have sufficient time to complete your project?"
"Yes."
"And yet you don't have it done?"
"Nope."
"All right, you will receive an incomplete for this project." Rory stood up, guilty,
"It's my fault." Damn you, dad, for giving me this stupid conscience. And mom, for teaching me that we need to stick up for each other to survive in this world.
"Who are you?"
"Rory Danes. I wrecked her project."
"Shut up," Paris muttered.
"I don't have a Rory Danes. I have a Lorelai Gilmore-Danes." Rory nodded, unwilling to go into that,
"That's me."
"You are Rory Danes and Lorelai Gilmore-Danes?" I said yes. What are you not getting, lady?
"Yes. And I wrecked her project. My locker got stuck."
"Just stay out of this." I'm trying to help you, you idiot.
"Do you go by Rory or Lorelai?" Soooo not what's important right now!
"Whatever. It's not her fault."
"I need you to pick one." What?
"One what?"
"One name." Holy crap, lady, get over it! I don't care, neither should you!
"Rory."
"Fine, thank you. Rory, you wrecked Paris' project when?" Finally. Focus on importance first.
"Just before class."
"Very convenient." Shut up.
"No, I did. My locker got stuck and when I opened it..."
"Stop it!" I'm not getting you here, Paris.
"Miss Gilmore, since you say you wrecked Miss Gellar's project, then you may help her fix it. You have until tomorrow." Good. Because my parents don't need my help at the inn and the diner and with the twins... Wait... I got myself into this mess.
"Fine."
"No," Paris said petulantly.
"Why not?" Private schools are soooo strange.
"I don't want your help!"
"But I don't mind doing it." Though I'd rather be home with my boyfriend and friends and brother and baby brother and sister.
"Just stay out of this."
"What is wrong with you? I'm trying to help you." Hannah's less stubborn.
"Well, don't!"
"Ladies, enough. Miss Gellar, if you don't want Miss Gilmore's help, then you may have until tomorrow. If it's not done, you will receive an incomplete. Is that understood?"
"Yes," Paris sat down.
"As long as you're standing. . .class, we have a new student. Say hello to Rory Gilmore-Danes."
"Rory Danes,"she sighed to herself, "No one's called me Gilmore-Danes since I was six."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
At three-thirty, the Kelly Road Posse met outside of the school. Jess quickly hugged his pseudo-sister before allowing Seth and then Ryan to step in.
"You ok?" she nodded,
"I will be. Let's go home." She found her mother standing outside the Jeep, five cups of coffee in hand,
"Daddy thought it might be a good idea," she said quietly. Rory wordlessly ran to her mother and threw her arms around her,
"So... this whole plaid skirt thing? The boys' and my idea?"
"Sucky day?"
"The suckiest." Lorelai nodded,
"Ok. Still hugging."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Have you seen the kids?" Lorelai shifted Josh, bottle in hand, to her other side on Saturday night.
"Seth said something about 'slicking back' his hair, grabbed a leather jacket, and left. Ryan's with Rory... I think..."
"That's comforting... At least they've gotten used to school. Gotten over the shock." Kirsten laughed.
Out of the unseasonably-warm night air, they heard Jess' voice,
"Hello, and welcome to Star's Hollow Movie for Madness night." Taylor looked around, confused,
"I didn't ask for an introduction..." It dawned on Lorelai and Kirsten at the same time,
"Uh-oh."
"Kelly Road strikes again."
"We should've known. In hindsight, the boys were planning something all week."
"So were my kids..." They turned their attention back to Jess,
"So, the movie tonight is Shoah," Taylor and Kirk clapped enthusiastically. Everyone else sighed, but no one moved. They all knew that Luke, Lorelai, Kirsten, and Sandy's kids wouldn't take this "injustice" (Seth's word choice) without a fight. Jess forged on,
"But, we also requested that Taylor show Grease. He told us that he would, but he never pulled through. So we thought we'd take matters into our own hands.
"So, without further ado, the Kelly Road Posse presents 'A Touch of Grease'." He replaced the mike and nodded at Lane (who had escaped her mother's clutches at the movie with an excuse of bathroom necessity and was now hidden with their gear under the gazebo). She hit the strobe lights, which cast a moving red light over the white fixture.
Seth, clad in jeans, a white t-shirt, and a leather jacket stepped onto the makeshift stage and turned to face away from the townies, popping his collar,
"This car is automatic. Systematic. Hydromatic. Why, it's Grease lightning!" He sang the entire song and stepped offstage as Jess and Ally (who had been coaxed into it by a tired Jess) stepped into the middle, the other three around them, and began to sing Summer Loving. Everyone in the audience clapped and sang along as Kirsten and Lorelai laughed.
The big finale had everyone on their feet. Everyone cheered as Rory, dressed in black off-the-shoulder leather, her hair in curls. Ryan, wearing something similar to Seth's earlier outfit, stepped onstage,
"You're the one that I want..." They performed the entire song and dance and grabbed everyone involved (except the hidden Lane) onstage to take a bow. The crowd erupted in cheers as Lorelai kissed Josh on the cheek,
"Sorry, sweetie. There's no way you're gonna turn out normal."