Disclaimer: I do not own the Gilmore Girls show, books, characters, or anything like that.

A/N: I am so sorry for the lack of updates lately. But you guys remember to do your part and leave lots of reviews. J Plus I don't watch the new episodes of Gilmore Girls anymore so my stories have nothing to do with what is going on in season 5.

Rory groaned as the alarm beside her head emitted a very loud, annoying, and insistent beeping.

"It so cannot be time to get up yet." Rory whined as she rolled over to face her bedside table with her eyes still shut.

"Rise and shine. You knew morning would come quickly, you shouldn't have stayed up studying so late. Your lamp didn't go out until close to one o'clock." Paris complained as she left the room.

Rory slowly opened her eyes and admitted a horrified scream.

Paris ran back into the room. "Oh my gosh! What? What's wrong?"

Rory sat bolt upright in bed and stared at her bedside table in shock. "How did that get there?"

Paris wrinkled her nose. "What are you talking about?"

"That picture!" Rory pointed a shaky finger to the head shot of Jess, actually smiling at the camera, that was propped up on the table facing her.

"Oh that. I found it on the floor this morning. I guess it fell out of one of those books you unpacked from home yesterday. Who is he by the way?"

Rory closed her eyes as a fresh wave of pain washed over her. She twisted the corner of her blue sheet around her hand as she gazed at Paris. "He's my ex."

"Oh." For one of the first times in her life, Paris was speechless at the naked pain showing on Rory's face.

"You should probably get to class or you'll be late." Rory half whispered.

Paris nodded her head and quickly disappeared out the door.

Rory jumped up and gasped when her feet hit the cold wood floor. For some reason no matter how warm it was outside, their floor always felt like ice underneath bare feet.

Moving as fast as she could in her present numb state of emotions, she snatched the photograph up and slid it into one of her desk drawers. Everything on her desk looked the same as the night before, and now Rory felt the same as the night before.

She had been hoping that she could escape Jess's memory for today at least. But that was obviously not to be the case. She gripped the edge of her desk as memories washed over her in tandem… Her and Jess at the park reading, her and Jess at the Diner eating dinner together. Every memory was painful to her now. Lorelai had told her that these unwelcome memories would fade in importance and pain, but they were as sharp as always.

She tried to shake her thoughts off and got ready for class as quickly as she could. Just as she was going out the door, her cellphone range.

"Hello?"

"Hello, O daughter of mine."

"Mom?"

"Does anyone else call you, O daughter of mine?" Lorelai asked in return.

Rory laughed for the first time in days. "I guess not. What's up? I'm heading to my first class right now."

"I was checking in on you, making sure you were okay. You are okay aren't you?"

"I'll be fine, mom."

"I'll be fine, isn't fine as in I'm fine right now, mom." Lorelai said with concern tinging her tone.

"It's just the same old thing." Rory answered and described the waking up she had received.

"Oh, hun."

"I don't want your sympathy about this right now, mom. I have to learn to get over it and move on with my life. In fact I am moving on with my life, it's just that a bunch of stuff reminds me of Jess, especially his picture." Rory explained patiently, while she impatiently pushed away another wave of memories, this time of the last time she saw him. His I love you still rang in her ears, late at night when she couldn't sleep.

"Well, I'm at class, mom, so I have to get off now."

"Okay, sweets, you're coming home tonight for the weekend aren't you?" Lorelai asked eagerly.

Rory hesitated for a fraction of a second to long.

"Rory?"

"Yes, I'm coming home. I'll see you tonight. Bye, mom."

Lorelai heard the dial tone before she could get another word out. Sighing deeply, with lines of sadness showing across her face, she stared at the phone. "Oh, Rory."

A/N: Hoped you guys liked it. Leave a review please. Keep them clean though. Thanks!