A/N: Thanks for the reviews, really. I love getting home from a day at school similar to Rory's first day at Chilton and opening an inbox full of amazing reviews. So, I hate long author's notes, too, so here it goes…

When Rory's face practically smashed itself into the window of the locked car door, Jess turned down the XTC CD and opened the door for her.

"Rory, what happened?" he asked, concerned.

"Can we go, please?" Her words were short. She gasped for air in between syllables. Why had the sight of her ex-boyfriend's sister brought her to such a state? Why was Rory so shaken up? Logan didn't mean anything to her anymore, right? It was Jess.

Jess knew she was fighting back tears, but questioning her would only upset her more. He hit the gas pedal and they were off.

Rory had been in the bathroom for two and a half hours. Jess stood at the door listening for signs of life inside. Every so often, a whimper would come through the door - it was better than the shrieks and crying fits Rory didn't think Jess could hear about an hour ago.

Twenty minutes later, when there was no sign that Rory would ever come out, Jess lied down horizontally across the crack where the two twin beds pushed together met. Because he was asleep in five minutes, he didn't hear the phone call that would've changed the past days' events drastically if it'd occurred earlier.

"Hello?" Lorelai's perky and obviously coffee-quenched voice said.

Rory's next word was soft, blurred, and completely unrecognizable to anyone normal. "Hi."

"Rory?"

"Yeah. Uh, hey Mom."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."
"Why are you calling?"

"To talk."

"To me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I…I missed you."

"You did?"

"Of course."

"I missed you, too, kid."

"I'm glad."

"So…what's up?"

The bathroom door woke Jess up almost 3 hours after he'd fallen asleep. Rory had emerged with luggage…and a smile.

"Rory-"

"Hey, Sleepyhead."

"What's with the bags?"

"You're not going to believe this!"

"Is it good or bad?"

"Ready?"

"Yes, tell me!"

Rory made some kind of incomprehensible noise.

"What was that?"

"That was a drum roll!"

"Sounded more like a sick goat or a helicopter."

"We're going back to Stars Hollow!" she announced.

"Excuse me?"

"I made up with my mom! I can go back home and live with her now."

Jess was silent for almost a whole minute while Rory looked at him eagerly.

"And forget about the past day and a half?" he asked angrily.

"Of course not!" Rory was stunned.

"Then what?"

"Well, you could come with me."

"To live at your mom's?"

"Well, you could live with Luke."

"Oh my God, you ARE serious!"

"Of course!"

"Rory, I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"You know why. All that's happened…"

"I can't believe you're forcing me to choose between you and my mother!"

"I thought you said you loved me."

"Yeah, well, I love my mom, too."

"More than me?"

"You're kidding, right?"

"Answer me."

"Let's see. Some guy or the woman who carried me around in her stomach for nine months, underwent judgment and exile, and abandoned her own parents for most of my life all for me? Hard choice."

"That's all I am? Some guy?"

"Jess, I didn't mean-"

"So when you agreed to come with me away someplace new and exciting…"

"And ended up in Atlanta!" she interrupted.

"You were only doing it to escape from your problems with your mom? To get away from your grandma?"

"No! I-"

"Then I'm leaving too, to get away from YOU!"

"He slammed the door shut and left a teardrop to trickle down Rory's still stained cheek."

A/N: Just don't hate me, and please review.

Next up: The setting changed from Georgia to Stars Hollow, Connecticut, where Lorelai enters our story and someone else re-enters.