Chapter 4- Let the Games Continue
"How am I supposed to figure out what to wear if I have no idea where I'm going?" Rory mumbled to herself, digging through a pile of clothes in her closet, "Do I wear a dress, something casual, ugh…I can't do this," she said, throwing the numerous blouses in her hands down onto the bed and then following after them, lying face up, staring at the ceiling.
She crinkled her brow, trying to think of what she was going to do, "Was I ever this stressed out about looking good with Dean? No, not really, was I? What's wrong with me? I see Jess everyday. No big deal."
She sighed heavily, grabbed a simple pair of jeans and an orange top, and ran into the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, she was finishing drying her hair, when she heard the phone ring.
On the second ring, she called out, "Please don't hang up, come on, where are you," looking for the phone under the sofa cushions, "Gotcha!"
"Hello," she said breathlessly into the phone.
"Rory!" Lane squealed, "Why didn't you tell me you were going out with Jess tonight? I heard from Tiffany who heard from Andrea who heard from Lindsay who heard from Shane who heard from- Ugh, never mind. Anyway, I heard that you had a date with Jess. The whole school couldn't stop talking about how 'Too-Smart-for-Us-Rory Gilmore' is with 'Rude-Big City-Never Comes to School-Jess!' Why didn't you tell me?" Lane whined.
Rory cringed, "Sorry! I was going to tell you but then so much happened and then Mom and Paris…"
" Paris. Got it. So..." she asked, eagerly, trailing off.
"Well, last night we talked at the bridge, and I said I liked him, and then he said he liked me-"
"Wait, Jess, Jess Mariano told you he liked you?"
"Well, not in those words, but he said, and I quote, '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.' How cute is that?" Rory said into the phone, walking into her room and picking out a purse.
"Awww. That's sweet," Lane replied happily. "What else happened?"
"Well, he asked me out, and then we just sat at the bridge for a while until I had to go home," she paused, dropping all of her date necessities into the bag she had just chosen, "and then this morning, I went to the bus stop and he came and sat down next to me. We talked some, until I realized it was already past what time it should be for the bus to come. Apparently, I was so absorbed with talking to him; I missed the bus, so he offered to give me a ride. He got a new car, by the way."
"You trust Jess driving a car?" Lane asked, somewhat worried.
"Yeah. I've told you a million times before, the accident was just that; and accident. It wasn't his fault. He swerved to miss the cute furry thing, making us hit the pole. It could just as easily have happened to me or Lorelai."
"I guess you're right," she told her friend, defeated, "Is that all?"
"Uh," Rory wavered, debating internally whether to tell Lane the rest of what had transpired during the day. She shrugged, "Not really. So, we drove to Chilton, just talking and listening to music. When we got there, we confirmed the date, and I left the car. As I was walking away, he said 'Aren't you forgetting something?' and me, being me, had no idea what he was talking about, until he said, 'A proper thanks' while smirking the whole time," she took a deep breath and continued, "so I finally realized what he meant, so I wet back to the car and bent down to kiss him, but there were these guys watching so I hesitated. He just said to ignore them, and then pulled my head down and kissed me. At first it was sweet and short, but we both kinda got carried away, and it sort of lasted longer than appropriate for a high school parking lot."
Rory could hear Lane chuckle at the end of the line, "And…" she prodded expectantly.
"Well, Paris saw and started yelling at me from the school, bringing everyone's attention that wasn't already on us before, on us then, where she told me she was glad I dropped 'Farmer John', Paris' word, by the way, but to stop 'necking my boyfriend' and get inside to the Franklin meeting."
"Sounds like Paris, doesn't it?" Lane said, laughter laced throughout her voice, "What time do you have to meet Jess tonight?"
Rory looked over at the clock on her nightstand, and squealed at seeing the time, "Eh! Like in ten minutes! I gotta go, but I promise I'll give you all the details first thing tomorrow morning. Bye!"
"Bye!" Lane exclaimed, "And don't leave anything out!"
"Kay. Talk later!" She hung up the phone, did a quick mirror check, took the folded bills under the rabbi and stuck them in her purse, and went out the front door, locking it on the way.
She took a few deep breaths, calming herself down, trying to figure out why in the world she would be so nervous. She shook her head, seemingly clearing out any doubts she had, and made her way to Luke's.
Five minutes later, she opened the door to the diner, and heard the bell jingle signifying her entrance. She looked around, not seeing Jess at first, but turning to the curtain leading up to the apartment, she saw him casually walking down the stairs dressed in a pair of faded Levis and a black button down shirt.
"Hey," Jess said a tad bit nervously, coming up towards Rory, "Do you wanna eat something here first or get something somewhere else?"
"Here's fine. I didn't know where we were going, so I just threw something on. If it's not alright then-" she rambled.
He interrupted her, "It's fine. So, uh," he ran hand through his hair, "so you wanna sit down, then?"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry," she answered blushing. She went over to a table in the corner and settled into a chair, him soon following across from her.
"No problem" he waved it off, "You want a soda, coffee?"
"No, I'm fine," she assured him.
"Okay." He looked around apprehensively, "You sure you don't want anything to drink?" he asked almost desperately.
"Yeah, I'm sure," she nodded.
There was an awkward pause, "Please let me get you a soda or something. I gotta do something other than sit here like a moron."
"Take comfort in the fact that you are not doing it alone," she pointed out.
"Okay," he said, sighing, "So, let's just regroup here."
"Yeah, regroup." She bit her lip, "This is dumb."
"You're telling me," he answered, nearly laughing.
"We were fine this morning; what happened?" she asked him.
He shook his head, amused, "I dunno. Maybe we should just get out of the dinner. It feel like I should be getting up and start taking orders or something, and I think Miss Patty is staring at us- What do you say we just get outta here?" he questioned, and expectant look on his face.
"Sounds like a plan. I don't like the idea of the whole town watching our date," she answered, grabbing her purse and standing up, "Feels a little too Big Brother."
He arched an eyebrow as he got up as well, "Date?"
"Well, I just assumed, but if it's not then…um, well, I guess I'll…" she started rambling, flustered.
"I'm just teasing," he said with a smile, "I think it would be considered a date."
"Mean," she said, playfully sticking out her tongue at him.
"Why, thank you, my darling," he exaggerated, gesturing widely with his arms, "I'm glad to know you think oh-so much of me."
"Your welcome." She told him, rolling her eyes lightheartedly.
They continued walking in comfortable silence until she got annoyed not knowing where they were going, "So…what exactly do you have planned for this date?"
"Do you really want to know that badly?" he asked her. At her forceful nod, he sighed, "Fine. I was going to take you to this opening of a new café in Litchfield. It supposed to have this book/music store attached."
"Oh, I think I heard about that. Lane said something about them having a few old records she could never find," Rory said excitedly.
"Good. I also heard a rumor that they have a signed first-edition of The Sun Also Rises."
"Blech. I still don't understand how he can be your favorite author," she complained, wrinkling her nose.
"I never said he was my favorite. I just said that he's a great author. Better than a lot of authors that you've tried to get me to read."
"This is coming from a guy that-" She trailed off, noticing they were finally there, "Wow, this is pretty cool."
"Yeah. Guess it is. Let's check it out." He opened the door, and followed in behind her.
The place was pretty packed, but they managed to find a small table they could sit at. He waved over the waiter, who looked extremely frazzled, and ordered two coffees. They sat and talked for about an hour, before heading over to the shop part, and browsing for books and music.
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"That was a lot of fun," Rory said a few hours later, walking down the street, "I managed to get a few things for Lane and some books I've been wanting to read."
"It wasn't too bad, actually," Jess admitted, "I wish it wasn't so crowded, though. I felt sort of rushed."
"Yeah, that's true." She paused, readjusting the heavy bag in her arms, "So, now what?"
"We could go back, but," he looked down at his watch, "It's only nine fifteen. We can just walk around here for a little while before going back to the prying eyes of Stars Hollow."
"I like that idea," she said, "but this bag is getting heavy. I never realized how lucky I was to live so close to the bookstore back near home."
"Here, let's trade. My bag is a lot lighter…" he offered, handing her his smaller purchase.
"Are you sure?" she asked him, not wanting to bother him with it.
"Yeah. Come on," he said, switching the bags around. She thanked him, finally relieved of the weight on her arms.
"Hey…guess what Saturday is?" she asked him eagerly.
"Um, I have no idea," he looked at her enthusiastic face, "but I'm betting you're gonna tell me, aren't you?"
"Yep. It's the dance marathon. Mom's trying to rope Luke to be her partner, and it would be so fun to stay up and watch them together; dancing."
"A town event? I don't do that kinda thing," he complained.
She pouted, "Aw, come on. It could be a good chance for them. Something might happen to get them to finally admit their feelings. Wouldn't you hate to miss that?"
He wavered, "I dunno. Maybe, I guess. I'll think about it."
She smiled brightly, "That's all I ask."
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"Hey, Mom! I'm home!" Rory called out shutting the door behind her as she stepped into the house, "Marco!"
Lorelai's voice could be heard coming from upstairs, "Polo!"
"I'm coming up," she told her Mom tossing her bag in her room and kicking off her shoes, "I had so much fun."
Rory bounded up the stairs excitedly and jumped up on Lorelai's bed, Lorelai already laying on it, watching something on T.V.
"Not too much fun, I hope," Lorelai warned, slipping off her glasses and sitting up.
Rory glared at her mom, but otherwise ignored her comment, "Guess where we went?"
At Lorelai's shrug, she continued, "He took me to a Book and Music Café opening in Litchfield. We both bought a lot of stuff, and I even got some things Lane's been looking for."
"That's great. Is that all you did? It's pretty late right now- almost midnight," she said looking at the clock on her nightstand.
"No, we started off at Luke's, but that was really awkward, so we left really soon. We stayed at the Café for a few hours, and we're out a little after nine."
"So what'd you do between now and then?" Lorelai asked, eyebrows raised.
"We just walked around Litchfield for awhile. It's like Stars Hollow, but no one knows us, se we weren't be gawked at like a piece of meat. I convinced him to go to the dance marathon so we can cheer you and Luke on." She paused, "You did get Luke to agree, right?"
Lorelai beamed, "Of course. Would I be Lorelai Gilmore if I couldn't charm a guy with my beauty and wit to do whatever I want them to do? I think not."
"Great. But, don't you have to get up really early tomorrow morning? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"
She hesitated, "Uh, well, I was just looking over some of the Inn's books and-"
"You were waiting up for me," Rory accused, waggling her finger in Lorelai's face, "You don't trust me."
"Hey, that's not true. I trust you; I just don't trust him," she explained matter-of-factly.
Rory sighed, knowing she was in a losing battle at this point in time. "Fine. But don't let that get in the way of me being able to spend time with him. I really, really like him. A lot."
Both Lorelai's voice and feature's softened, "I know. I promise I'll make more of an effort." She paused, thoughtfully, "I guess I should go to bed, then. Night." She kissed Rory on the cheek before turning off the lights and snuggling under the covers.
"Night, Mom." She bent down and kissed her Mom on the forehead before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her, leaving it open a crack.
She lumbered down the stairs, the days events finally catching up to her and went into her room. She quickly pulled on some pajamas before settling into bed and falling asleep within minutes.
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It was the morning of the dance marathon, and the girls were beat.
"I have to say, for a couple of modern girls, we have time-warped with the best of 'em." Lorelai told Rory, referring to her own fifties clothes, and the slightly less extravagant clothes she practically forced onto her daughter, assuring her it would be all the more fun to 'get in the mood'. They were walking down the street, leaning on one another, Rory barely able to stand upright without support.
"Mm," Rory mumbled, eyes still half-closed.
"How ya doing there, champ?" Lorelai asked, nudging Rory with her shoulder.
"Early," was all Rory could say, too tired to form coherent sentences.
"Yes, it's a tad early."
"No sun," Rory pointed out, still bleary.
"Well, he's not up yet," Lorelai retorted.
Rory frowned, "I can't even open my eyes."
"That's okay, there's nothing to see. Kirk's in a Speedo, Taylor's in a skirt, Al's in ass-less chaps."
"Oh my God, stop. I'm never gonna be able to close my eyes again," Rory said desperately, trying to rid her self of the disgusting images.
Lorelai laughed, but continued pulling her daughter along to the gym, where everyone was setting up and getting ready.
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"Any couple without a number will be disqualified. All couples must be touching at all times. All couples must remain moving at all times. The only time you may stop moving or stop touching is when you hear this horn." He blew his air horn, "That sound means you have ten minutes. Ten minutes to get a drink, to eat a snack, take a rest, or whatever it is you can do in ten minutes. And in addition to the ten-minute rest periods, every person participating has been issued a yellow emergency card. In case of emergency, a contestant may hold up the card and leave the floor for ten minutes. If your partner remains on the floor and moving the entire time, then the owner of the yellow card may rejoin them and the contest. First aid is available in Miss Patty's. Please, remember, that if you feel yourself getting lightheaded or having shooting pains or any other stroke-like symptoms, please move off to the side so that your collapse will not get in the way of the other dancers. All right, people, lace your shoes, pin those curls, because we only have three minutes left until we start," Taylor announced through his megaphone.
All the dancers were getting situated on the dance floor, Lorelai badgering Luke to hurry up so they could get a prime spot. Rory met up with Jess earlier, he just about as lethargic as her, and they moved off to a corner in the bleachers, laying back and resting their eyes until the marathon began.
"All right, folks. Everybody on the floor. We're two minutes away. I repeat, everybody on the floor, we are two minutes away," Taylor declared.
Jess squinted one eye open when he felt someone sit on his lap.
"Sorry," Rory said, moving to get off, "You were just sitting there, looking all comfortable, and you know me, not thinking-"
He smirked and pulled her back down, "It's okay. I don't mind."
"Thanks," she said blushing, but scooting back into his chest.
A minute later, they both looked up to see Taylor standing at the podium, "All right, everybody, grab your partners, make sure your numbers are securely fastened, and let the countdown begin!"
The voices of almost everyone could be heard counting down, "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!"
"It's showtime!" Taylor called, sitting down, but still watching the dance intently for cheaters or anyone to drop out.
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Six hours later, and many couples had dropped out. Kirk, his partner, Luke and Lorelai were still going strong, and Andrew and his date had just gotten into their annual fight, meaning everything was going pretty smoothly.
"Do you wanna bail?" Jess asked Rory, leaning forward closer to Rory and sticking his book into his back pocket.
She looked at him, sighing, "I guess we can go get something to eat or whatever. Let me go tell my mom and that we're going. But, we have to be fast. I don't wanna miss anything."
He nodded, happy with the situation, and leaned back against the bleachers, watching Rory and her Mom have a conversation while Lorelai was trying to get Luke to flip her. It was pretty amusing, actually.
"Let' s go," Rory said a few minutes later, garbing his hand.
He got up and let her lead him down the metal steps and out into the empty town.
"What's opened?" Rory asked, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight.
"It doesn't matter. We can go to Luke's. I have a key," he said, pulling the said item out of his pocket.
"Won't he get mad?" Rory asked, hesitant.
"Nah. I live there, too, remember?"
"Okay- if you're sure," she said, following him towards the diner, "But whose going to make the food?"
"I work at a diner. This diner," he pointed out.
"You cook?" she asked, wide eyed and surprised.
"Nothing big, but I can cook burgers and stuff like that," he told her, opening the door to Luke's, "Plus we'll get to be alone."
He locked the door after she came in and threw the key on table near the front. Rory sat down at a stool, while he went behind the counter and started a pot of coffee.
"So, what is it that you want to eat?" he asked after a few moments.
"It doesn't matter. Sandwich, burger, fries? Anything is fine."
He nodded, "Two burgers and fries it is."
Jess went to the back and grabbed some frozen patties and a bag of fries. He threw the icy potatoes into the fryer, and turned it up. He then fired up the grill and stuck the two beef hamburgers on it.
She watched him continue to cook silently, admiring his fluid and graceful motions; almost like a cat, she thought.
He turned around when he heard her giggle and arched his eyebrows, "What's so funny?"
"Nothing," she promised him, "Just picturing you as a cat."
He nodded, confused, but didn't pry further. He could never understand that girl sometimes.
"Food's done," he said ten minutes later.
"Yum," she answered, rubbing her hands together, "I'm starved."
He smirked, "Of course." He handed her a plate piled high with food and sat down next to her with a similar plate of his own.
She greedily picked up the burger and took a hungry bite. "What?" she asked him, noting his gaze on her.
"Nothing." He shook his head, "Just watching you eat."
She turned pink and set the patty down, "Why?"
He motioned for her not to stop and took a bite of his own hamburger, "No reason. I just like looking at you," he said simply.
She flushed even brighter, but ignored his comment and proceeded to finish eating, this time at a more lady-appropriate pace.
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"Thanks for lunch," she told him, one arm wrapped around his back walking into the gym. He had his arm slung casually around her waist, as well.
"It was nothing," he told her, brushing it off.
"I wonder if Mom and Luke are still dancing…" speculated out loud, heading back toward there little spot in the bleachers.
"Um…" He brought his gaze down to the dancing couples, "There," he pointed to the wall adjacent to the podium, "It looks like your mom is in desperate need of coffee, though."
"It does, doesn't it?" She looked at Lorelai leaning against Luke's shoulder, both rocking slowly to the music, eyes shut, "But they look pretty comfortable- I don't think we should interrupt them quite yet."
"That's probably the best idea. Luke would kill me if I was the person to separate him and Lorelai," Jess stated, sitting down and pulling Rory down next to him.
"Yeah. But Mom doesn't look to upset, either virtually smashed up against him like that."
Jess gave a small laugh "You're right on that one."
"I like your hair," Rory said, suddenly and out of the blue.
He raised his eyebrows, "Where did that come from?"
With cheeks tinted pink, she looked down, "Sorry. That just kind of popped into my head and came out."
"Like the cat comment earlier today?" he asked her.
She laughed, "Yeah. Sorta.
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Twenty hours had passed when Taylor blew the horn signifying the run-around.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, on your marks. . .get set. . .and go!" Taylor said, a little tipsily, "Round and round they go, but when the song stops, nobody knows! But the last five couples that finish behind the red line are automatically out, so hold onto your partner and move, move, move!"
"You're getting too much pleasure out of this, Taylor," Miss Patty said, settling back down and letting out a besieged sigh.
"What's this supposed to be?" Jess asked Rory, not having been paying attention to what Taylor was saying.
"It's the run-around. They all run, um, around." She giggled, "Sorry, I'm tired. Really, really tired."
He nodded his head, "Me too." Pause. "Do we have to stay for the whole thing?"
"Yeah. Mom would murder me if I left her." She turned to him, "You can go if you want, though; no one's forcing you to stay."
He shook his head, "Nah. I'm good. Only, what, ten more hours?" he shrugged sarcastically.
"Yeah." Ten hours," Rory said sleepily, "Hey, do you mind if I lay down? I'm gonna pass out if I stay upright like this any longer."
"Hold on one second," he said, getting comfortable against the wall. She went to lay down next to him, but he pulled her up and set her head in his lap.
"You don't have to do this," she protested half-heartedly, yawning.
"I know. I don't mind. Take a nap. I'll wake you up if anything big happens," Jess assured her.
"Thanks," she said, before closing her eyes and relaxing against him.
He gently kissed her forehead before leaning back himself and letting his own eyes shut. He succumbed to sleep within five minutes.
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"…think they slept through all of it?" she heard someone talking hazily.
"I don't know…her on his lap…wake them…should…?" was most of what she could make out.
She tiredly opened her eyes, not sure where she was at first.
"Hey, sleeping beauty's awake," Lorelai said, amusement evident in her voice.
She sat up as softly as she could, "Where am I?" she asked, looking around.
"Asleep on Jess," Lorelai stated.
Rory looked down at a waking Jess, and back to the almost empty gym, finally resting her gaze on her mother, who looked like she hadn't slept in days.
"Oh…the marathon. Who won?" she asked, scooting off Jess' lap and next to Lorelai.
Lorelai grinned a hundred watt, exhausted smile, "We did," she said proudly.
"You beat Kirk? Where's the trophy?"
"Luke has it. He's taking it to the diner. I convinced him to set it up so we can shove it in Kirk's face like he always did to me," Lorelai told her before turning to Jess with a smirk plastered on her face, "Have a nice nap?"
He scowled at her, "I'm going home." He stood up and grabbed his coat, "See ya Rory," he said, giving her a quick kiss and strolling out the doors.
"That was cute," Lorelai teased, motioning for Rory to get up as well.
"Shut up," Rory said good-naturedly, "We just fell asleep."
"I know. The whole town was standing there and gossiping about how adorable it was," Lorelai enlightened.
Rory groaned, "Please tell me you're kidding."
"Wish I was, babe," Lorelai said, shaking her head in delight.
"Fine. Let them talk. I just want to go home and sleep until tomorrow morning," Rory stated, following her Mom out the door, "I'm beat."
"You? I did all the dancing!" Lorelai exclaimed.
"All I saw was you practically on top of Luke, It was like your bodies were conjoined or something. It definitely called for a 'dirty,'" Rory said, snickering.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lorelai objected, "It was simply platonic."
"Yeah, and green tea beats coffee any day," Rory snorted.
"Whatever. We'll agree to disagree. Let's get home and sleep. I have a trophy to gloat about tomorrow," Lorelai said, proudly.
"Sounds good to me."
Disclaimer: Don't own a thing.
A/N: Whoo. Longest chapter I've ever written. I was thinking about splitting it up into halves, but decided against it, so- be glad, I guess. Please tell me what you think. I worked hard on this chapter with the Rory/Jess interactions and stuff, so give me some feedback. Anything is great. I love reviews. Love 'em almost as much as Milo. (Crazy, I know) Anyway, thanks for reading!