Chapter 3- They Miss Gilmores, Don't They?

Rory slung her yellow backpack over her shoulder as she was stepping off the bus. She walked down the sidewalk until she reached Doose's, where she paused and looked inside through the window.

She saw Dean, a frown on his face, stocking the shelves. It hurt a little to see him there and not be able to do her normal routine of a short visit and kiss, but she also felt a little relieved that she didn't have to put up the façade anymore.

She sighed, and averted her eyes away from the market and onto the diner. There, she saw Jess, scowl on his face, talking to a customer. She rolled her eyes, and smiled thinking about how just looking at Jess could create butterflies in her stomach. She headed towards Luke's, determined to make things right with Jess, whatever they may be.

Jess twisted his heads in the direction of the door as he heard the bells jingle, as he did so many times before. He wasn't expecting it to be her; she'd been avoiding him all week, so imagine his surprise when he saw it was the girl he'd been thinking about since he moved to this crazy town.

She marched up to him, right into his face.

"Hi," she said, teeth biting her lower lip.

He ignored her, expression emotionless and went to fill some more coffee around the diner.

She sighed in frustration before sliding behind him, following him until he stopped at the counter.

"Jess?" she said.

He turned around, jaw clenched.

"Rory."

"Um…can we talk?" she asked him, nervously.

He lifted the coffee pot up in his hand, motioning towards the crowded tables in the diner, "I'm working right now."

"Well, I know. I meant later. Like tonight," she explained, somewhat babbling.

He didn't answer for a minute, but nodded his head, "Fine."

"Okay, so um…how about ten-thirty at the bridge?"

"I'll try to make it," he old her before twisting around and resuming his job.

She stood still for a moment, processing, before dashing out of the diner, wanting to make it home so she could figure out what she was going to say tonight when they finally talked. She knew she had to tell him how she felt, and apologize for a couple of things. She also had to find out what was happening on his side of things, and then put it all together, maybe finally getting what she wanted all along.

When she got to her house, she looked at the clock, and noticing it was only five, got out her textbooks and started on some weekend homework.

Five hours later, two boxes of pizza, and a pot-and-a-half of coffee, she was finally finished with her homework. She saw she only had about fifteen minutes before she had to leave, so she rushed into her room and pulled on some more appropriate and comfortable clothes.

She brushed her hair a couple of times and put on some lip-gloss before grabbing a pad of paper and writing a quick note to her Mom telling her where she was going and not to worry if she wasn't home.

-

-

-

Jess looked at his watched as he sat down at the bridge. He was ten minutes early.

He sighed and nervously ran a hand through his hair. He leaned back against the cold wooden planks, laying down and closed his eyes, apprehensively awaiting Rory's arrival and the guaranteed uncomfortable and possibly scary conversation that she would want to have. He had to admit, though. He sort of wanted to talk, as well. He didn't know what she felt for him, if anything, and he hoped tonight would clear everything up, whether it be over for them, or possibly just starting.

A few minutes later, he heard timid footsteps along the bridge. He squinted one eye open, making sure it was her, but quickly closed it, putting his 'I don't give a damn' front on.

Rory bit her lip, something she seemed to be doing a lot recently, before sitting down next to Jess. She was quiet for a mew moments, not saying a word, before the silent tension got to her, and she broke.

"I'm sorry," she said worriedly, before lying down next to him, both of their feet dangling off the edge of the dock, barely inches from the dark water.

"What for?" he asked after a few seconds, still not turning to look at her.

"Everything. For when I kissed you at Sookie's wedding, then didn't talk to you all summer, for being jealous of Shane, for kissing you that day you fixed the sprinkler, for ignoring and avoiding you all week, and for every awful thin else I did these last few months. I've been a total jerk, and I wouldn't blame you if you were hating me right now, but I can't stand fighting with you. I miss talking to you, and this week has been horrible. Dean and I breaking up, the thing with Sherry' s baby shower, not getting to spend time with you, and on top of that, I'm having to deal with Paris and her boy problems when I already have enough of my own to last a lifetime. Or twelve." She exhaled a deep breath after she finished, and looked over towards Jess, who now had his eyes open, and his forehead furrowed.

"You broke up with Dean?" was the first thing to come out of his mouth a few moments later.

"Yeah. Right after you left Dwight's house," she explained.

"Huh."

"Is that all you've gotta say?" she asked him, a little irritated.

"Nope. I'm trying to process everything, I guess."

She nodded, waiting for him to talk.

"I'm sorry, too," he said finally.

"You didn't do anything. I can't put the blame on you for what happened. It was all me."

"I broke up with Shane," he said suddenly.

"Oh. I'm sorry? What-" he cut her off, smirking.

"No you're not. You never liked her."

"Well, you did, and I…never mind. She was too much of a flake for you anyways. You need someone who smart and witty and can understand what you talk about, and can match you as your equal, intellectually."

He twisted his body so that now he was on his side, and gave her a small and rare smile, "Where can I find a girl like that?"

She turned as well, and looked at his face, "I don't know. Can you think of anyone?"

"Huh. Well, there's this one girl- she's all you described and has the bluest eyes I've ever seen. But, I'm not exactly sure if she feels the same way about me as I do about her."

"If she's that smart, she must. How couldn't she?" she told him, smiling.

"That's good to hear." He paused, thoughtfully, "What do you think I should do about this girl?"

"Maybe you should let her know how you feel," she offered.

He nodded and sighed, before making sure about something "You're definitely broken up with Dean?"

"Yeah, I'm definitely broken up with Dean."

"Good." Pause. "Um, do you want to maybe do something tomorrow, then?" he asked her, running a hand through his hair.

She smiled at him, "Yeah. That'd be great."

He gave her a half-smile and laid back down against the bridge. She followed soon after, and they laid down in a comfortable silence for a while, until Rory, noticing it was almost midnight, decided she'd better head home and fill in her Mom on all that happened.

-

-

-

The next morning, Rory bounded onto a chair at the kitchen table with a huge smile on her face.

"What's gotten you so chipper this lovely morning?" asked Lorelai sarcastically, just putting the phone down, agitated at her daughter's antics, "because I'm not feeling all too great."

"I've got a date with Jess today," she replied happily.

"I know. That's all you were talking about last night for hours when you got home." Pause. "Oh, guess what…Stanley Appleman called. Apparently, Miss Patty showed his wife a picture of me, and she thinks I look like Elizabeth Taylor, which makes her Debbie Reynolds, and Stanley Eddie Fisher," she told her daughter, pouting.

"That's crazy."

"Especially if you've seen Stanley. He's no Eddie Fisher, trust me. Fisher Stevens, maybe," she elucidated.

"Can't you talk to her?" Rory asked, upset that her Mom lost yet another partner for the dance marathon.

"Apparently, only at my own risk." Pause. "I have no partner," she said, letting her head fall against the table.

"You'll find another one," Rory promised, trying to make her feel a little less down.

"I hope so," she said. Suddenly, she got a glint in her eye that scared Rory a little, "Hey. What about you-"

"Forget it," Rory stated shortly.

"Just hear me out. First of all, you love me," Lorelai said, using her fingers to number the points she was about to make.

"Not right at this moment, I don't," she said, getting out of her seat, "hey, I have an idea for someone you can dance with…"

"Oh, who?" asked Lorelai, excited.

"Luke."

"Oh, come on. Luke can't dance, can he?" Lorelai wrinkled her nose in thought.

"I don't know. You'll never find out if you don't ask him," Rory pointed out.

"Huh. Maybe I will. Thanks."

"Welcome." Rory paused, grabbed a pop tart and her book bag, "I've got to get to school early today. We have an A.M. meeting with the Franklin and then I have to study for the AP Physics test that's later this afternoon."

"Okay. I'm working late at the inn again, so I'll leave some money under the rabbi if you want to order some dinner…Is Jess coming over here to hang out, or are you guys going somewhere else in town?" she asked, trying to play it cool.

"I'm not sure yet. We didn't have time to figure any details out, so we'll probably play it by ear," she said obliviously through mouthfuls of food, "I'm going now, so see you tonight." She pecked her mom on the cheek, before saying a quick "Love you" and rushing out the front door.

She walked quickly towards her bus stop, and while passing the diner, flashed Jess a small smile. Sitting down on the bench, she unzipped the pocket of her book bag and pulled out a copy of "For Whom the Bell Tolls," and began reading where she left off the night before…

"It was cold in the night and Robert Jordon slept heavily. Once he woke and, stretching, realized that the girl was there, curled far down in the robe, breathing lightly and regularly, and in the dark, bringing his head in from the cold the sky hard and sharp with stars, the air cold in his nostrils, he put his head under the warmth of the robe and kissed her smooth shoulder. She did not wake and…"

"Whatcha' reading," Jess asked her, jumping over the back of the bench she was sitting at and settling down next to her.

She quickly tried to cover the front of the book, but he startled her enough that he could see the title.

"Hemingway? I thought he was dull enough to be used as a cure for insomnia?" he said, a small smirk spreading across his face.

"Well, this guy I really like has the strange fondness for Hemingway, so I thought I'd give him another try," she explained, grinning.

"You must really like him," he said, eyebrows raised.

"Who- the author or the guy?" she questioned innocently and doe-eyed.

"Both," she stated simply.

"Oh, you know how these things go…one's better than the other, but-" she trailed off, laughing slightly.

"Of course." He paused, "So, what do you think so far of the book?"

Her forehead crinkled as she thought, "It's better than I thought it would be. It does get a little boring and repetitive, I guess, but the descriptiveness does help a lot with picturing certain things throughout the book," she answered, nodding.

"Really? I told you you'd like it if you gave him a chance. He's not so painful anymore, huh?"

"Apparently not," she admitted grudgingly. They spoke for a few more minutes about different types of literature, music, and current events, until she realized that the bus still hadn't come.

"Hey, did you by chance, see the bus go by?" Rory asked him, interrupting his tirade on the Beats.

"Uh, yeah. About ten minutes ago, I think. Why?"

"Oh, no. Oh, no. God, I'm going to get in so much trouble with Paris if I'm late to the meeting. I can't believe I missed the bus. Maybe I can go home and borrow the jeep, or-"

She was cut off by his mouth on hers, "Sorry," he said a few second later, "You were ranting, and I had to get you to shut up."

"Thanks, I think. But I still have to figure out what I'm going to do about getting to school. The next bus doesn't come for another half-an-hour, and it'll be too late by then."

"I'll give you a ride," he offered, "I got a car a few days ago, and it's nothing special, but it gets me from here to there."

"Really? Don't you have school?" she asked him, anxiously.

"Yeah, but it doesn't start until nine. Being a few minutes late isn't a big deal. Come on, I'm parked over there," he responded, motioning to a beat-up car to his left.

"Thank you so much. I owe you," she said, gathering her stuff and lobbing it over shoulder, "I can't tell you how great this is."

"It's no big deal," he assured her, getting on to the driver's seat, "Let's go before you're late, though."

She nodded and threw her stuff in the backseat before getting in herself. She buckled, and he followed suit, and within a few minutes, were heading to Hartford in a comfortable silence. She messed with the radio dial until a not-too-awful station was found, and just relaxed into the seat, feeling at ease with just sitting next to Jess in the car.

Half an hour later, and many song mocking remarks, they were finally at the large Chilton building. Jess looked at it with something akin to awe splayed out on his features, just the enormity and history radiating off the walls of the old structure shocking him.

"Wow," was all he said, pulling up to the front of the school where he could drop her off.

"I know. Impressive, no? When Mom and I first saw this place, we were just as overwhelmed with everything as you are," Rory told him, unfastening her seatbelt and reaching in the back for her bag.

"Yeah. I'd be kind of cool to see what it's like inside."

"Hey, maybe one day I can give you a tour or something. I gotta go, now, though. So, tonight…" she trailed off, eyebrows raised, waiting for him to continue her thought.

"Tonight. Um, how about we meet at the dinner at six and we can get something to eat then go do something from there?" he proposed, awaiting her approval.

"Sounds great. See you then," she said as she was getting out of the car. She gently slammed the passenger side door, and walked around the front of the car towards the building.

"Hey, aren't you forgetting something?" he called out to her as she started marching purposely away.

She turned back, confusion evident on her face. "What? I have my bag, my books, my homework, my lunch money…"

"What about a proper thanks?" he asked, smirking.

"Oh," she nodded, grinning, "Sorry 'bout that."

She walked back to the car and bent down to his window.

"Well," he said after a few seconds, "What are you waiting for?"

"Those guys over there are looking at me," she told him nervously, waving her hand in the direction where a group of jocks were talking.

"Oh. I see." He smirked up at her and grabbed the back of her neck, bringing her face down towards his, "Ignore them."

He kissed her hard, and she dropped her backpack on the ground by the car. They continued kissing for awhile longer, until they heard someone shout.

"Gilmore! I'm glad you dropped Farmer John, but stop making out with your new guy and come to the meeting. You're not going to get accepted to Harvard by skipping out on newspaper meetings to neck your boyfriend in the school parking lot," came Paris' sharp voice, breaking them out of their daze.

Rory blushed, and signaled to her sort-of friend that she'd be right there. She turned her head towards Jess, who was smirking, "Hey Paris," he yelled past Rory, waving.

Paris narrowed her eyes, "Jess, was it? Well at least you can read a book where the words have more than one syllable. Now, go then. I need Rory's article on the locker infestation, and you're holding her up."

"Sorry, Paris," he shouted back to her, before turning his head back to the still-embarrassed Rory, "So, see you tonight?" he confirmed, twisting the keys in the ignition.

"Yeah. See you." She gave him one last peck, and practically ran to Paris' retreating back, trying hard to ignore the stares she was getting from her shocked classmates.

Jess chuckled quietly to his self at her innocence and naivety, before pulling out of the Chilton parking lot, also ignoring the stares coming his way, not at all affected unlike his more timid counterpart.

-

-

-

"Ooh, who was that gorgeous hunk of a guy?" Madeline asked, as soon as they entered the building.

"Um…" started Rory, still flushed with embarrassment.

"Yeah. Whatever happened to your tall guy? Dean, was it? Does this mean he's available and on the market?" questioned Louise, interested.

"Well, I uh...I guess so," Rory said uncertainly.

"Louise, give her time. She just broke up with him, right Rory?" Madeline told her friend, turning to Rory as she said the last part.

"Yeah. Um, I don't think he's your type, anyway." She coughed lightly, "Um, let's get to the meeting. Sorry, I was late," Rory apologized.

"Amen to that," Paris said sharply, "We have to hunker down. This is our last year of high school and we have to make an impression on the colleges-"

She was interrupted by the sound of a gavel. "Hey, who used my gavel?" Paris asked loudly. She ran over to the head of the table, reprimanding whoever was crazy enough to get on Paris' bad side.

Rory rolled her eyes, and sat down in the chair next to where she was standing, leaving Louise and Madeline gossiping about some guy or another, Paris making some freshman burst into tears, and herself, musing about her pending date with Jess. It was going to be an interesting day.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.
A/N: How do you like the chapter? It's really long! Whew! What a doozy! Lol...anyways, please tell me what you think. I'm happily surprised with all the reviews I'm getting and would love to get just as many for this chapter. Thanks for reading!