"No, no Luke, over here," Rory told Luke as she pointed to the exact spot she wanted Luke to place her bed. Rory smiled and looked around her half empty dorm room. Yale was going to be a new experience for her, a place to put her past behind her, a time to move forward. Sure, she would miss her mom, Luke, and the rest of Stars Hollow, but she needed this.
After Jess broke up with Rory, Rory was devastated. And she was even more devastated after he left without telling her. She wallowed for weeks and took a long time to recover from her loss. The rest of the town worried about her. Rory got tired of Babbette and Miss Patty asking questions and the rest of town walking on egg shells around her. Lorelai also was concerned about Rory's emotional state. After all, she had dated Jess for a year and was a devastating break up. Lorelai also worried about the townspeople and their effect on Rory. Emily and Richard also bothered Rory, asking questions and voicing concern. Rory was being suffocated in Stars Hollow, so, Lorelai surprised Rory with a back packing trip through Europe. Rory thought it was a great gesture, but not enough to get her away from the past. Yes, Yale was just the place that Rory needed to be at.
Lorelai was also happy about the transition to Yale. She knew Yale would be the perfect place to distract Rory: school work, parties, cute guys, etc. Even though it had been a long time since the break up, Lorelai could tell Rory was still hurt and afraid of commitment. Lorelai knew it was hard to forget your first love, but Rory needed to. Especially since it was Jess, a town hoodlum that she didn't approve of. Yes, Yale was just the place that Rory needed to be at.
"So, is that everything?" Luke asked Rory.
"Yes, that's everything."
"Ok, remember what mommy told you: have fun, don't let the competition with Paris overwhelm you because you know you will win, sample all of the coffee shops and take out places, so you know which ones suit your mood and the occasion, it's the same way with guys, don't fall for the first cute guy you see…"
"Jeez," Luke interrupted her.
Lorelai smile at him before continuing, "never go to a kegger alone and never leave your cup unattended, if Paris bothers you, you are always welcome to spend the night at home, don't talk about the smell of books, you'll end up eating with the not-so-cool kids…"
"Mom," Rory interrupted her.
"Which leads me to my next point, be careful where you do eat and don't give your lunch money to bullies, and…"
"Mom!"
"If you ever need me I'm just a call away," Lorelai said and hugged her daughter.
"Me too," Luke said.
"Thanks, I'll miss you so much," Rory said hugging her mom. "I love you."
"I love you too kid."
"So, how's Yale?" Chris asked Rory. He hadn't talked to Rory since she decided to go to Yale, and just wanted to check on her.
"Oh my god, Yale is perfect. It's just…so wonderful. The professors are great; the classes are stimulating, even the food is good. New Haven has some of the best take out places and coffee shops around."
"So, you're happy?"
"Yes, I am very happy. I am so glad that I decided to go to Yale," Rory thought about the past four months she has spent at Yale. Lorelai was right. She was busy with classes, the paper, and Paris. But she loved it. She wouldn't trade it for anything.
"So, you're moving forward with your life?"
"Absolutely."
As Rory was enjoying life at Yale, Jess was trying to also move forward. After he left Stars Hollow, he been roaming around, trying to find his place in life. He contemplated whether to visit his father or mother, but decided not to. They didn't want him to begin with, so his place wasn't there. So, Jess headed to New York. He eventually took his GED and got his diploma. He had been taking a few classes here and there, nothing major, still trying to find his place in life. He never stayed at one place too long, always picking up and moving forward to see what awaited him in the next city. He still wondered about Rory: how she was doing and if she missed him like he did. He loved her. He tried not to, to find someone else, but no one could take the place of Rory Gilmore. He debated on whether to go back to Stars Hollow, proclaim his love to Rory, and sweep her off her feet, but he decided he should make something out of himself. He wanted to find something for her to be proud of. So, he continued to move forward to find that something.
Another four months past and it was about time for summer break. Rory was still loving Yale, enjoying all of her classes and excelling in them. Rory was standing outside of her dorm building, talking to her friend Marty. They debating whether to have a movie night in or go to the movies. Marty had become one of Rory's close friends at Yale.
"So, Marty is this the girlfriend you were talking about?" A snobby blonde asked him.
"Huh?" Marty asked obviously confused.
"You know, at Finn's party last night you bragged about your girlfriend. Is this her?"
"Oh…" Marty began, trying to search for the words. Rory looked at Marty and noticed that he was flustered. She felt sorry for him because she knew he didn't have a girlfriend and was now in trouble of being embarrassed.
"Actually, I am. My name is Rory," Rory introduced herself.
"Logan, nice to meet you."
"You too." Logan smiled at Rory and Marty and then left with his two friends following close behind.
"Actually, Rory, I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime," Marty half asked, half said, when Logan had left.
"Oh, um, Marty, I only see you as friend. I mean you're a great friend and all but…"
'No, I get the picture," Marty replied and left obviously crushed.
Rory sighed heavily and went inside her dorm room that she shared with Paris.
"What's wrong?" Paris asked Rory.
"I hurt Marty's feelings."
"How?"
"He asked me out and I turned him down."
"Is this about Jess? Because I thought you were over him."
"No, I just want to be friends with Marty."
"You know, you haven't dated anyone since him either," Paris continued ignoring Rory's response.
"I'm over him Paris. I just don't want some random rebound guy. I want someone, who I can trust and have a relationship with and…"
"Rory, it's been almost a year. I think your rebounding time is over. And the way for you to find a guy that you can have a relationship with is to date around."
"Paris, just drop it," Rory said and went to her room. She was tired of having people give her advice on her love life, especially when it came to Jess. She was over him. She was.
"Mom, I'm home!" Rory said dropping her stuff in her room.
"Offspring!" Lorelai yelled running down the stairs. She hugged her daughter who waited at the bottom of the stairs. "I am never letting you go back to Yale."
"Fine with me but do we tell grandma and grandpa."
"We think of something. So, I have lots of plans for us over the summer."
"Sounds like fun. I'm glad to be home." It was true. Yale was the place she needed to be, to escape her problems, and now that she had escaped them, it was time for her to come home to enjoy her summer vacation, free of problems.
A/N: I know it sucked but I promise next chapter will be better. This is the last chapter Jess will appear in for a while. So, Jess fans you should read my fic "Destiny" and Logan fans prepare yourself because here he comes. Please Review!!