Bright Lights by Mochamint19
"She got out of town, on a railway New York bound, took all except my name, another alien on Broadway. There are somethings in this world you just can't change." Based off the song "Bright Lights" Matchbox 20. Rory is off to New York to find someone that should help her understand why she can't change her fate.
As soon as she had said it she almost regretted it, Jess had gone slightly pale and sat down. Rory debated whether to stand there looking like the nitwit she felt like or just silently leave his life forever. After what seemed like many awkward moments with no one speaking she decided to slip out, to leave and never look back. She had already played every scenario out in her mind, had already made a plan for herself and her unborn child.
"Wait", He finally spoke, softly knowing that the wrong tone could frighten her.
Rory turned, a single tear trailing down her beautiful face.
"I'm sorry"; he said still trying to form sentences.
Rory nodded, biting her lip ever so slightly and turning to leave again.
"Wait", "What are you doing?"
"I'm letting you get back to your life Jess" she voiced with tears now running down her face.
"Wait Rory, you're misunderstanding, I meant I'm sorry I screwed up your life." "Gosh I'm such a screw up, I probably ruined your Harvard dreams."
"I'm not going to Harvard, but it's not your fault." Rory said hopefully. "The thing is my grandfather always wanted me to go his school Yale. I made a deal with my grandparents, they weren't thrilled that they had yet another teen pregnancy in the family, but it was weird. I mean I suppose they didn't want to lose connections with me the way they lost with my mother, my grandfather said that as long as I promise to graduate college and not drop out he would pull some strings at Yale. I'm so grateful for this, I mean I'm lucky I have a chance at a college degree I feel bad because I think it is becoming too easy."
"How did your mother take you not going to Harvard" Jess said with intent as Rory sat at the kitchen table.
"She took it quite well actually, I mean I don't think she thought Yale would be so far away. But she encouraged me to make my own decision." Rory said trying to seem normal
"I already got accepted to both schools, but my grandfather said that he would help me with a loan situations if I went to Yale."
"Oh", Jess said letting all this new information sink in.
"Would you like some coffee?" He questioned trying to find a common ground.
"I probably shouldn't, I already had a cup of decaf this morning, do you have any tea?"
Jess looked up from the coffee machine shocked, "I thought the world would be over before a Gilmore declined a cup of coffee."
"Sometimes I think it really is", she said biting her lip again.
"So what are you doing these days?" she said quickly changing the subject.
"Well", he said wanting to, but not pressing her on her last comment.
"I have two jobs and I'm going to New York Community College, I'm acing all the courses I'm taking. I might get a partial scholarship to Columbia next year."
"I have class from 8:00am until 1:00pm, then after that I'm a bike messenger from 3:00pm until 5:00pm. Then from 9:00pm until midnight I work at a bookstore restocking books and closing up."
"That is wonderful!" Rory said with a sense of proud in her voice.
"So", he said trying to wonder why Rory the usual perky rambler was silent. "What have you been up to?"
"Well I have been mostly been getting ready for Yale, I have no idea what it is going to be like this year." She said pondering how her life was.
"May I ask you a question?" he said hesitantly.
"You mean how long have I been pregnant?" she said with her usual wit.
"Well I found out at the end of May." She said already knowing the next question.
"I found out at the end ofMay that I was one month pregnant, I was so afraid to tell my mother, not of her reaction, but because I hated to disappoint her."
Jess started to say something, but let her continue, watching as she closely remembered.
"I mean I'd been so busy that I thought the stress from college prep was the reason I was feeling crappy, that I was pushing myself too hard. I was late, I thought it was only one time, this isn't happening. I waited one more week and there was no change."
" I remember going to Hartford and grabbing the first test I could, I don't know why, I mean I couldn't be pregnant, but I grabbed it anyway. There was this ugly bathroom in a gas station, it was yellow and looked as if it hadn't be cleaned in weeks. With one single glance I looked at the sink, the test was pink." She paused, swallowing back tears of memory.
"I drove to Lane's, there were so many tears in my eyes I could barely see, I mean I felt so dizzy I shouldn't been allowed to drive, I felt almost drunk."
FlashbackLane opened her door to an obviously devastated Rory. At first she thought someone had died. Lane quickly helped Rory up to her room and sat her on the bed, then sat down herself and let Rory continue to cry.
When Rory had finally calmed down she unclenched the plastic stick in her hand. Lane her best friend since kindergarten looked at the bright pink stick, looked again at Rory. She then sat on the bed and hugged her friend tightly. After much silence Lane finally had to say something.
" I never would guessed." Lane said trying to think of anything better to say.
"Neither would I" Rory said wiping the tears away from her pale face.
"I can take you tomorrow, you just make an appointment and I'll take you." Her best friend said helpfully
End Flashback"So Lane took me to Hartford and sat with me at the clinic, I don't think I have ever felt so sick in my life."
"The doctor came in and looked at me like I was some kind of statistic, did some tests and told me what I already knew."
"You probably hate me right now." Jess commented quickly.
"Why should I have any reason to hate you Jess, I love you, it was as much of my responsibility as it was yours."
"It took me a day before I could tell my mother, she sat there watching in front of her eyes all the things she suffered for to make sure didn't happen to me become obsolete. She started to yell at me, I mean my mother has never truly yelled at me, but at those moments she just yelled."
"Rory how could you be so irresponsible, I mean here I thought I had raised you to be proper, that I had raised you to be someone I could trust. You saw all that crap I went through, the list girl. Rory I don't know how you wanted to..."
Halfway through the statement she stopped.
"Oh my god, I'm Emily" Lorelai said disgusted with her behavior.
Rory continued, "She just apologized and hugged me talking something about a fourth Lorelai."
"But I better get back to my hotel, people are probably worried about me."
"Wait, you should stay" Jess insisted.
"I don't think so, remember the last time you said that", she said with a slight smile.
Jess had always loved Rory's sense of humor when situations seemed nearly impossible. So Rory told him that she'd see him tomorrow and they could talk more at a later time.
It was only 3:00pm by the time Rory got back to her hotel, but she had had a rough day and needed a nap.
Meanwhile Back in Stars Hollow:
"Hi Luke, lovely afternoon we are having." Lorelai smiled brightly as she greeted her favorite baseball capped diner man.
"Why are you being so weird today?" He asked intrigued.
"I'm not being weird" She retorted.
"Yes you are, I mean you didn't even come in this morning for coffee."
"Oh, things were really busy at the Inn, I just had coffee there." Lorelai said awkwardly.
"Really, you seemed weirder than usual today." He questioned "Are you ok?"
"Yes Luke, I'm fine, but there is something I should really tell you." She began
"What is that?" he said amused at the joke he thought she would make.
"Rory went to New York yesterday."
"So she is going to see him isn't she." Luke responded
"Well yeah, she is, but that isn't the only thing."
" Is she going to break up with him, because Rory is good for him. His mother said she is finally proud of him and that Rory is a motivation to him." Luke said quickly loosing his breath.
"She is not breaking up with him, or least I don't think so, How is Liz anyway?" Lorelai spoke cautiously.
"She is good, the Pneumonia is almost all treated, but why are you changing the subject. What do you mean you don't think she is going to break up with him?"
"What Aren't You Telling Me Lorelai!"
"Well, I really don't know what her decisions are, where her mind is at this time."
"What are you talking about, what is going on Lorelai?"
" She is in New York because she is about to change her boyfriend's life."
"What?" Luke said losing his patience
" She's pregnant Luke."
For a moment Luke was silent, but when he finally spoke he spoke low.
"I am going to kill that kid." He said through gritted teeth.
"No Luke, don't get involved, this is their decision, not ours." Lorelai said trying for her own sanity to understand what she was saying.
"But Jess needs to be responsible for his actions, he can't just run out on this." Luke said, his anger rising.
"I know Luke, I highly doubt helping his sick mother is running away, but Rory is not going to force him, you know Rory, do you really think she wants another person like her dad in her life." Lorelai said remembering her own situation for a moment.
" She is going to give him one shot and that is that, she is a smart girl despite this. She'll figure it out and remember she is a Gilmore." Lorelai said
"So how pregnant is Rory?" Luke said unaware of the door opening.
"Rory's pregnant," a familiar voice said.