And here is another classic hinted at in the previous chapter.
Chapter 2: The Hunchback of Stars Hollow
« L'amour est comme un arbre : il pousse de lui-même, jette profondément ses racines dans tout notre être, et continue souvent de verdoyer sur un cœur en ruines » - Notre Dame de Paris, Victor Hugo
Rory's pencil flitters in his thumb and pointer finger as he stares at the translation of the quote in the book. Love is its proper life with roots to trap one's heart, keeping it beating so it could grow. Even the ugliest monsters with the blackest hearts can find love — or, better yet, implant itself in their bodies and make it impossible to uproot since it's already too deep in there.
Jess pauses, blinking before looking back at the quote to refocus. Blank margins. Unrequited love by Quasimodo to Esmeralda. An outcast pinning for a much more beautiful outcast. People look at her and fawn, marvelling at her existence and what she brings to the town. People look at him and sneer, glare, and mutter under their breaths at his disgraceful self and that he should be hidden.
He should be careful what he reads in books, funny enough. Life imitates art and it's what is already inside that can ignite a change. Like a tree of love with branches gripping his ribs on its quest to look for more room to expand and flourish.
Even alone and unrequited, love is a treacherous feedback loop. The ugly monster is stuck with this internal tree, the enchanting lady unconsciously watering it and providing sun. The tree grows and grows until madness strikes and he throws himself from the bell tower amid the crowds. Then the woman tending the tree gives up because something might've gone wrong.
Jess looks up and out the window to see Rory cross the town courtyard heading straight for the diner. He glances at Luke's old clock from the wall. It's nearly half past three so the school day is done. He's been up here since he got back from Chilton, managing to sneak past Luke who was preoccupied with Kirk. It was something about soft-boiled eggs not being soft enough.
He looks around his bag for Rory's Chilton sweater. He tosses some books around, rushing to the closest to see if he took it off when he arrived, but he didn't.
He's still wearing it.
Jess thought he would've taken it off once he left Chilton, on the bus he had to catch, or when he got back to the diner.
He must've forgotten.
At least nobody noticed, right?
Jess holds it by the collar to slip over his head but a whiff of Rory's scent stops him. Fresh coffee and some light floral scent, maybe some undertones of old books. How does he know what undertones are? Once the sweater's off, Jess shakes it out so it looks like he never wore it let alone kept it on for hours.
He looks out the window and Rory is still outside. She waits on the sidewalk until, as he expected, Dean appears. Jess narrows his eyes as he watches Dean wrap an arm around Rory and pull her close for a kiss. Then they start swaying and gazing at each other, stupid smiles on both their faces.
Anne and Chauvin. Esmeralda and Quasimodo.
Ugly love that could never truly be because there's always a better, more handsome man. One that the beautiful lady and society will pick over him.
Jess peeks outside the closed blinds, seeing Dean standing alone on the sidewalk. A laugh escapes Jess' mouth. Dean looks like a lost giraffe trying to figure out which way is the oasis.
"Jess!" Luke yells from downstairs. "Jess, you up there?"
Jess doesn't move. He holds his breath, peering at the door. Shadows on the other side of the tinted window quicken his heart's pace. He's ready to lunge into the closet and hide. When the movement disappears, Jess relaxes. He looks out the window through the blinds again and sees Rory sauntering back to Dean.
They hold hands and start heading down the sidewalk. Maybe the ice cream shop at the corner. If Jess had to guess, Rory lied to Dean about why she had to stop at the diner without mentioning his name or else the giraffe would throw a hissy fit. All lanky limbs will fly out in outrage as he bumbled his way up here to try and kick his ass.
Maybe Rory lied about wanting a coffee or looking for her mom. Two possible-half truths equal one lie.
Once they're out of his sight, Jess isn't sure why he went to Chilton. Maybe he wanted to see Rory and pester her about books, see what she was up to without the town breathing down his neck, and perhaps admire Chilton as a gothically beautiful building.
He felt as if he and Rory had a moment in the library. Just them and the books. The seed of the stupid tree grew in his heart. Jess isn't sure where he read it, it wasn't in any of Hugo's works, but one should be aware of what or who they hold in their hearts because they have the potential to hurt them; that one must choose things that don't hurt to store and grow in there.
As if Not-Hugo never had an Anne or an Esmeralda plant and cultivate a tree in his heart.
Jess glances at the sweater one more time before heading out. He had to make sure he wasn't wearing the sweater or else Luke would get on his case. He'll already get on his back about being upstairs the whole time and ignoring him (as if that wasn't a daily, or hourly, occurrence).
He finally goes downstairs and enters the diner that's full of after-schoolers and the elderly having their early dinners before bingo. Jess picks up a notepad and pencil from behind the counter to start taking orders.
That is until Luke appears from the kitchen and grabs him by the back of his shirt.
"You treat all your employees like this?" Jess asks, shrugging Luke off with a grin. "I oughta report these unsafe working conditions to my non-existent union."
"After your shift," Luke states.
"Which I'm about to start."
"One moment," Luke stops Jess from walking again. "Why didn't you come down when I called you? Twice."
"Because my shift hasn't started yet."
"Try again."
"You didn't say please."
Luke exhales a short yet unamused laugh. "Jess."
"Should've called again. Third time's the charm."
Luke's signature irritated expression appears and Jess grabs some fresh plates from the heating bar to serve. Once he puts down the club sandwiches with their sides of fries and coleslaw, he turns around and jumps when he sees Luke standing behind him with his hands on his hips.
"Add overbearing boss to my list of issues to discuss," Jess says, worming his way around Luke and the table. "What do you want?"
"Rory stopped by before your shift started and said she accidentally left her uniform sweater at the counter this morning," Luke says.
"Sure," Jess responds. So that's the story Rory probably told Dean when leaving him on the curb.
"There was nothing in our lost and found box except for Kirk's old retainer that he claims isn't his retainer despite it having his name and address on it. So I told Rory that she might've left it at school but then babbled about how she was cold on the bus and all day so it had to be here."
Jess nods. "And you're telling me this because…?"
"I haven't seen an unworn sweater here all day and I hope to God it wasn't stolen because those branded paper bag pullovers are stupidly expensive."
"Relax, it's just upstairs. I saw it here on my way out this morning after she left and brought it upstairs so I could pawn it and get some gas money."
Luke laughs a bit, a smile that adds a good five years back to his life. Jess has never been more threatened and uncomfortable by any expression. Another topic to discuss with his non-existent union.
"Just bring it down later," Luke tells him. "Rory said she'll swing by later to get it."
"Sure."
I'll be updating this story weekly!
