"Uh…" Rory grumbled as she prodded Lorelei, "How long do we have left?"
"10:00 pm," Lorelei moaned distractedly, as she leant heavily on her daughter.
"Huh?" Rory tried to decipher this reply, and eventually came to the conclusion that it wasn't what she'd asked…but she couldn't be bothered to take the conversation any further.
Dean was sat down near to where they were dancing, and every time Rory caught his glance he would endevour to smile encouragingly and earnestly. But, as soon as she looked away, an ominous look of regret and fretfulness swept across his face confusedly.
Jess, who was now on the other side of the gym couldn't help but notice with some slight satisfaction, those uneasy looks passing between the two. Shane was lying down on a bench, gazing absent mindedly around the gym. Occasionally she would make eye contact with Jess and put on her engrossed, intent girlfriend look – that Jess instantly recognised with little concern to be pathetically fake.
Most of the time however, her eyes lingered on the slight brunette girl on the other side of the gym, dancing with her mom. She hated herself for feeling any remote smidgen of jealously towards that freak, but even she couldn't deny how unaccountably often Jess' eyes strayed over to her, rather than herself.
Luke, who was lagging with the pointless exertion of his efforts at this memorable town event, decided to take his mind off of the pathetic assumption over Lorelei that he had been constantly brooding over, and berate his scowling nephew instead.
"You're looking particularly morose today," Luke commented blandly.
"Well, let me see…everyone in this town hates me, I'm flunking school, I hate my girlfriend, I like someone else who, naturally completely despises me, I have to dance for 24 hours and oh yes, I forgot to mention the part where this predicament requires me spending all ofmy time with you!" Jess cried out in frustration.
Luke snorted, this was entertaining. "Wow…there's something I haven't heard before! Oooh, the entire worlds against me, I'm trapped and alone with the gnawing self hatred and oh, so tragically misunderstood! Something tells me a violin would be seemingly appropriate for this novel occasion!" Retorted Luke, amusedly.
To Luke's complete and utter surprise, Jess actually broke out into a smile and made a noise faintly reminiscent of a chuckle.
"Ok, I didn't realize you were like, clinically depressed…I'm sure there are pills for this…hey…hey, why are you laughing Stop it…stop it?" Luke snapped.
" Oh it's nothing…it's just…it's just you'd make the most appallingly dreadful father, you know that right!" Jess laughed.
"Oh yeah, Mr. '17 year old superior connoisseur of all things paternity', I'll have you know that I would, and might well, make a great father some day!" Declared Luke seriously.
Jess just continued smiling.
"Anyway, what's all this about you liking someone else?"
Jess' face immediately darkened back into his scowl.
"None of your business."
"She has a boyfriend you know…"
"You think I haven't noticed already?" Jess yelled back.
"…And you've got Shania over there?"
"Shane," Jess corrected with absolutely no amusement whatsoever. His thoughts were elsewhere… spinning around out of control as he watched with desire, Rory's tousled and sleepy frame, clinging on to Lorelei, fighting to stay awake.
Jess' POV
I'd never let her go…"Fine, Shane then, I just hope you realize how immoral it is of you to just string along this poor girl when you don't have any feelings for her…I mean, Shane doesn't deserve to be treated like your female slave (and don't smirk at me, I am being deadly serious!)" For someone who isn't a father, I think I'm handling this situation very well, thought Luke, proudly to himself.
The horn blew, and the music stopped, leaving a brief moment of quiet…which was just enough time for Jess to angrily yell back before he could stop himself, "I couldn't give a shit about Shane, she's just a slut!"
Several of the elder female dances gasped with indignant disapproval, and there were several "Well I never…the youth of today's…" being muttered about the gym.
"Well I beg your pardon young man, and after that stylish performance of vulgarity would you like to smash up my podium and take hostage my megaphone next? I mean after all, this event was designed just for people like you to wreak you're frolicking havoc? Hmm? Would you young man?" Taylor boomed through his megaphone, sounding outraged.
"Not really," Jess mumbled, his voice going squeaky, as he blushed furiously, his eyes cast to the floor.
On the other side of the gym, Rory found her cheeks burning with Jess' embarrassment, and plus, her mixed emotions at what he'd just blurted out.
Shane, who had conveniently woken up for that impromptu announcement on her behalf, stormed up to jess swinging her hips, with a face like a violent thunder storm. She slapped him harshly, before calling him, "A fucking asshole!" And then she stormed out of the gym, glaring menacingly at anyone who dared to catch her eye.
Rory was startled to find herself wincing when she saw, heard and almost felt the slap.
It was all over in a couple of seconds before Taylor blew the horn once again, to start off the eagerly anticipated (not) run around!
Lorelei kept nudging Rory, with her obvious delight at the sheer entertainment value of what she had just witnessed. "Well, I think that that has just stolen the show…wouldn't you say so?" Lorelei giggled to Rory.
But Rory just groaned feebly, as she was dragged over to the starting line.
"Screw this, I'm outta here!" Jess declared.
"Oh no you're not!" Luke retorted, as he grabbed Jess' collar and made both of their ways briskly to the starting line.
The foursome found themselves next to each other as the endlessly painful racing began.
Rory whimpered and Jess swore, as out of the corner of their eyes they could see each other, flailing exhaustedly, side by side.
When they passed Dean, it was obvious that he had found Jess' humiliation extremely hilarious…and he was very eager to show it too.
When Jess noticed this, and falsely pictured Rory's equally amused face, a sudden fire of anger seemed to ricochet throughout him. He stopped running and stood panting before Dean. Their eyes bored into each other with the purest, most concentrated form of spite and loathing.
Rory had stopped running too, and she stood apart from them, trembling with anticipation and yet a chilling foreboding and anxiety.
Dean turned to Rory, "I told you we should have brought a camera…I mean that was just a classic…must be that old Mariano charm eh?"
"Dean!" Rory warned, although it was in vain because Jess had already lunged at Dean and swung a forceful punch at Dean's laughing face. Dean responded to this by swinging his own livid punch., that skimmed Jess forehead. They grappled eachother, each one of them blown senseless by this severe pressure that had been brewing for months, finally being released, and going off with a BANG!
Rory's eyes were clouded and misted over with tears as she shouted, "Stop it…for God's sake, what are you trying to do?"
Jess broke away from Dean and turned to look at Rory. His heart juddered with a nauseous turmoil to see her looking angry and distraught.
"Rory come on, he's a complete jerk…why do you want to be with him?" Jess implored with a heated passion, lisping slightly with a bruised and bleeding lip.
But, Rory was frozen.
It felt like everything, in the past year of her life had been leading up to this one vital moment. Ever since Jess came to town she'd known it…and now was her chance to speak out… but she couldn't.
Time stood still…
Silence stretched out…
for them anyway, as the dancers kept on running past them, unaware. Even Lorelei and Luke were only just realizing the absence of their partners.
Dean was thrilled and invigorated by Rory's silence when he smugly exclaimed to Jess, "Have you got the message now? Rory's mine, and girls like Rory will never be into people like you, because people like you aren't good enough for them! You don't deserve her!" Dean put his arm protectively around Rory, and Jess noticed her flinch slightly at this.
Jess looked from Rory's dazed face, back to Dean's arrogant beaming grin.
JESS' POV
I can't take this anymore…
Jess slowly stepped back from them both, eyeing them intensely, fighting down with such strain, the urge to give in and uncontrollably beat Dean and then sweep Rory up into his arms, to kiss passionately.
He turned his back on them, and walked out of the gym, still breathing heavily.
RORY'S POV
What am I doing?
JESS' POV
Looks like she's made her decision…
…She knows where to find me…
A/N AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I hoped you like this chapter…it's all getting very dramatic eh? Sorry I haven't updated in a while, and I will try and be prompter this time! PLEASE REVIEW!