Title: Somewhere Between Far and Away
Author: Nocturnal
Rating: PG-13 (strong language and sensuality)
Summary: Rory Gilmore and her mother, Lorelai relocate to Tree Hill, a small North Carolina town far from Stars Hollow. Lorelai promises herself that she would escape her parents and make a life she could never regret. Rory has withdrawals after leaving Dean and her best friend, Lane behind in Stars Hollow but made dedicated promises to keep their relationships as strong as ever. Will the Gilmore Girls be able to keep those promises?
Author's Note: Wow! I was pleasantly surprised to get quite a few reviews for Chapter One so I knew I had to continue this! Thanks to all my Chapter One reviewers and this chapter is just for you guys!
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Chapter Two: Lessons in Basketball and Books
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"What should I wear?" Rory fumbled through her newly packed drawers throwing sweaters and pants a muck.
"If you want to impress the boys, I got a great pair of red leather pumps!" Lorelai picked up the thrown clothing and stuffed it back in the drawers.
Rory stopped obsessing and stared at her mother.
"I was kidding!" Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Besides, those are my hooker shoes---only allowed the light of day on Halloween and occasionally at the lovely Gilmore family get-togethers."
"I wonder if you will ever stop teasing Grandma." Rory started stuffing her clothes back into the drawers with her mother.
"It'll be really hard now that she isn't around to tease." Lorelai sighed. "Aw, who am I going to tease merciless now?"
"It's Michel coming to work at your inn, you all ready tease him." Rory pointed out.
"No, Michel decided to take a permanent vacation to the south of France to visit les parents." The last part Lorelai mimicked in a bad French accent.
"At least he loves his parents enough to visit them." Rory pointed out again.
"Hey!" Lorelai slapped Rory's arm playfully. "We went to all those Friday night dinners."
"Yes but against your own stubborn free will." Rory smirked. "How many times did you fake sickness?"
"Ball park figure-- 28 times." Lorelai tucked the last shirt back in the drawer and sat on Rory's bed. "Emily Gilmore is my mother and is a crazed Nazi woman at that, so it's not like that excuse ever worked."
"How do I look?" Rory held out her hands watching her mother scan her body.
"Like Annie Hall." Lorelai simply replied. Rory growled in disgust. "You should lose the white collared shirt. You have heard the meaning of casual, dear?"
Rory pulled the shirt off and flung on the ground.
"Actually, that look just may do it for you." Lorelai pointed to the white bra on her daughter. "I think it sends just the right message."
"I'm just going to wear this." Rory pulled a plain white t-shirt over her head and pulled a gray sweater over that.
"Fine by me but I still think the Victoria Secret look would have gotten some attention." Lorelai stood up and ruffled her daughter's hair as they exited the room.
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"Where did she get this thing!" Rory fumbled with a map in her hands.
It was a map of Tree Hill and had a whole bunch of markings on it that Lorelai had scribbled to help her find her way. It wasn't helping though, it only made the map harder to read. Who needs a map for Tree Hill, anyway? The town is small, if I walk around in circles enough, I should find it soon, Rory thought to herself. River Court. Just head toward the river and she should run into this park,
Shoving the map around her and trying to fold it back up, Rory slammed into a hard body and hit the pavement on her butt. She let out a small cry before she saw a large hand reach out to help her up. It was connected to a young, friendly male face. The boy had short dark hair and looked really freaked out, his eyes wide.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention!" He cried out taking Rory's hand in his palm.
"It's okay, I wasn't either." Rory rose to her feet, the boy's hand holding onto her own.
"Guess it's both our faults." The boy chuckled nervously. "Name's Nathan Scott, in case you feel like pressing charges."
"Rory Gilmore, in case you get a complaint." Rory smiled and let her hand drop from Nathan's own.
Nathan leaned over and picked up Rory's map and his own basketball he dropped in the collision. He looked at the map, his brows furrowing curiously.
"I was looking for River Court." Rory explained.
"And you need a map for that?" Nathan asked handing the map back to her.
"I just moved here. I'm from Connecticut." Rory tucked the map in her sweater pocket.
"Cool." Nathan smiled raising an eyebrow. "You want me to show you down there? I was just heading there myself."
"Sure." Rory sighed. That map was getting her nowhere. "So,you play basketball?"
"Yeah." Nathan spun the ball in this hands. "Tree Hill's Ravens, Number 23."
"Michael Jordan's number." Rory said. "Does it give you much luck?"
"If you count winning playoffs four years in a row." Nathan boasted.
"Wow. You guys must have a really great team." Rory cheerfully said.
"Yeah." Nathan's face fell like she said the wrong thing.
It was quiet for some time as they walked in step, side by side. Rory couldn't help but check Nathan out, trying to remember small details about him. He was dressed in Nike sweat pants and pullover, an assemble that distinctively pegged him as the athletic type. He had short-cropped dark brown hair and gentle eyes that presented a kindness that wasn't in his natural demeanor. He bounced the ball along the pavement, keeping a pace that Rory could only think was from years of practice and patience.
Soon, Rory could hear a distant dribbling and swoosh sound coming from nearby. She looked around to see a large river to her right and a basketball court coming into view ahead of them. It wasn't much of a park, a little barren and sad as if it was once a popular place that rotted away over years.
"This is River Court." Rory stated looking around.
"Not much, I know, but it's one of the few places to play ball and have a little privacy and freedom." Nathan smiled down at her. Rory flushed a bit pink but looked away to hide it.
A cell phone ring tone filled the air and Rory shoved her hand down into her pocket. She viewed into the tiny screen and saw that it wasn't hers. She looked over at Nathan to see his phone up to his ear, answering it politely. Her heart dropped into her stomach, she was hoping that Dean would call her soon. He always talked to her everyday.
Rory looked over to the court and noticed another teenage boy her age standing there looking at the two of them. He had on a pair of gray sweats and a sweatshirt over a lean frame. He looked a little shorter than Nathan but carried himself similarly. Must be a basketball player thing, Rory thought to herself. She walked away from Nathan, who seemed to be deep in conversation on the phone, and toward the other boy.
As she got closer, she saw him a little clearer than before. He had a mane of dirty blond hair that stuck out in a cute bed head way. He had strange, sleepy deep blue eyes that seemed very focused as he shot the ball into the basketball.
"Hey." Nathan called stepping up next to Rory. "Luke, sorry to bail and all but Haley just called, we're gonna catch a movie."
The boy stopped shooting and held the ball firmly in his hands. He eyed Rory intently but talked to Nathan.
"She was suppose to come down here." He replied. "I actually thought she was with you."
Nathan glanced at Rory as if to notice something on her face before looking at Luke again.
"Yeah...I got to go, the movie starts soon, so I gotta jet." Nathan waved at Luke and gave a quick pat to Rory's back before walking back from where they came.
The boy stared at Rory a second longer before turning back to his fun. She lowered her eyes staring at the grass on the ground before scrambling to a picnic table nearby. Great thinking MOM!, She yelled in her head. It was just this boy here and no one else. Also, an extreme importance of basketball that she did not know anything about or how to even play it.
She sat at the table, watching him play. He was very good, hardly missing any of the shots. She was impressed by his natural talent and wondered if Dean had ever played basketball and if he were any good at it.
"So, you're name is Luke?" Rory asked politely.
"Lucas." Lucas strained out as he landed another perfect shot.
"You are very good at that." Rory meekly said.
"Thanks." He smirked a moment, paying attention to the hoop in front of him.
Rory's heart was pounding hard and focusing on what to say next seemed like an impossible task. She pulled Of Mice and Men out of her sweater pocket and flipped to the last chapter and started reading. Reading was the only thing she could think to do, the only thing that kept her sane and probably the only thing that would calm her nerves. After a few paragraphs, she noticed the dribbling had stopped and it was dead quiet besides the crickets chirping in the grass. She pulled the book down and saw Lucas staring at the book in her hands.
"You read." His eyebrows rose and he walked over to the picnic table.
"All the time." Rory replied. Second time that day, someone was interested in her reading.
"Steinbeck too." The corner of his mouth twitched up for a moment to show a small smile.
"Yes, and Bronte, Dickens, Poe..." Rory tilted her head thinking of all the books she had read over the years. "Anyone you could think of."
"Ah." Lucas sighed and set the ball down and settling himself at the table. "That's something I know too."
"You read?" Rory's jaw almost hit the table top.
"All the time." He smiled. He stuck his hand in his sweatshirt pocket and pulled out a small book and pushed it to face Rory. The Great Gatsby. "Required for school but it don't matter I'---"
"I've already read it before." Rory finished. "Read it for school too, but I also bought the book when I was twelve or so. A special leather bounded version. Read it six times...Gatsby's death always got me."
"Why?" Lucas' eyes looked concerned. Rory let out a terse laugh.
"I never really understood why he died." Rory shrugged. "It was inevitable but sad."
"You really into them?" Lucas looked at her intensely, staring her down again.
"Yes!" Rory exasperatedly cried out. "I spent my youth in the Stars Hollow library and book store."
"Stars Hollow?" Lucas tucked his book back into his pocket.
"Stars Hollow, Connecticut." Rory looked down at her book. "I just moved here from there."
"Your name is Rory Gilmore." Lucas stuck a finger out at her accusingly. Rory's eyes widen. "My mom told me about you. Said you came in the shop this morning and was reading Steinbeck."
"Your mom is Karen?" Rory asked remembering the kind middle aged woman from that morning.
"Yes. She runs that cafe." Lucas looked down at his pants and pulled out a cell phone and clicked it on. "Sorry."
Rory watched as he started talking to someone on the other end. She went back to reading but couldn't focus on the words. She was thinking of the boy sitting across from her. He was cute and obviously played ball for fun. He also read and read books by great authors. He was turning into an enigma to her and she was becoming more interested in what he knew and read about.
"Uh, Rory?" He said stashing his phone back in his pocket. "I have to go. Do you need a ride home?"
She was thinking of saying no to spare him the gas but she really didn't know how to get back to her house from there.
"Sure, thanks." Rory tucked the book back in her sweater and stood up.
She followed him to a beaten up tow truck and slipped in the passenger seat as he held the door open for her. He was turning out to be a gentleman too. She would have to remember that. He put the ball in the back and hopped in to the driver's seat.
"Where do you live?" He asked as they started down a road.
"Uh, Carver Street...3467 Carver Street." Rory thought about it a minute. "Yeah, there."
"Sure?" He smirked at her.
"Yeah." She held a blush down.
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"OOo...you got a ride!" Lorelai hopped up and down as she saw her daughter open the door.
"Only because I couldn't find the place." Rory narrowed her eyes at her mother.
Lorelai stopped hopping around and sighed.
"Didn't you use the map I gave you?" Lorelai gestured to Rory's sweater pocket.
"Yes, but it was very un-useful." Rory smacked the map in her mother's hands.
Lorelai unfolded the map as Rory took her shoes off at the door.
"Oh, I was eating PB&J when I was making notes." Lorelai examined the map. "That would explain the globby things there and possible the weird smell over River Court."
"I'm going to sleep." Rory grunted walking off toward the bed.
"Uh-uh." Lorelai grabbed her daughter's arm and stopped her. "I wanna know what happened. Remember that little thing that we use to do when one of us went out on dates and then ate ice cream and talked about it?"
"I don't feel like talking about it very much." Rory frowned at Lorelai.
"Come on!" Lorelai tugged on Rory's hands. "I've been stuck in this house all day with its new house smell and squeaky floor boards and at some point slaving over a hot stove to eat a meal."
"You don't cook." Rory pointed out.
"I don't." Lorelai answered. "But you can't say that to Uncle Sam or Betty Crocker."
"True." Rory wasn't much of a cook either. One of the few hereditary traits she did get from her mother. "So, what about the ice cream?"
"I went out and got some just so when you come home we could have one of those long boy talks." Lorelai smiled. "And that ice cream is part of the essential food group in the Lorelai Gilmore house."
"I knew there was a reason I liked you." Rory smiled as she linked arms with her mother as they walked through the hallway to their new kitchen.
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