Better in cones

Chapter Eight

'I can't believe you're not going to Washington now, I never would have agreed to spend most of the summer in Chicago if I'd known you were still going to be here. I can't believe we have to spend four weeks apart. You'll call right? And I'll call you and we could write.' Dean repeated the words that he'd spoken over and over again that morning, he was leaving in an hour and Rory was getting annoyed at his clingy actions, his almost begging words to stay in contact.

'Yeah Dean I'll call, and it's only four weeks. Besides you enjoy visiting your family and I have my mum and Lane.' Rory reassured him for the millionth time. She thought of him sending her letters, and couldn't imagine him being good with words, then wondered what it would be like to get a letter from Jess. Which led her thoughts to Jess in general, their frequent phone calls since ending the fight and the prospect of spending four weeks hanging out with him. It was only when Dean took her hand in his that she realised he was still talking, so she forced herself to pay attention to him.

'Are you going to come to the airport to see me off?' Dean asked. There is was again, the clingy attitude. He wanted her attention all the time, he wanted her world to revolve around him and didn't understand that she had other people who meant something to her, over the last week he'd become annoyed when she couldn't meet up with him because she was with Lane or her Mum. That was without mentioning the time she'd spent with Jess. He kept saying that it was their last week together before he left and he wanted to spend all his time with her. He'd call her twenty times a day and got frustrated when she didn't answer, or call him back.

'Uh I don't think I can, I made plans with Lane. Her mum's out of town so we're heading to Woodbury to check out this new music store that's just opened up.' Rory replied, crossing the street and walking in front of Luke's, spotting Jess she waved to him, receiving a small smirk and one hand raised in reply.

'I thought you two weren't talking.' Dean suddenly looked angry.

'We weren't, but we sorted things out. He works at the diner where me and my mum go all the time, I could hardly stay in a fight with him forever, besides he's my friend.' Rory replied, walking past Doose's market.

'Rory I don't want you to be friends with him.' Dean snapped, Rory pulled her hand away from Dean's, furious that they were having this fight again.

'You don't get to decide, nor does my mum or anyone else in this town, the only people who have a say in it are me and Jess, we're friends ok.' Rory folded her arms across her chest.

'Rory, I don't want to fight, I just don't like that guy and I don't think you should be hanging out with him.' Dean calmed his voice down a bit, though it was still loud enough to draw attention from people walking down the street.

'I'm going to go meet Lane.' Rory said heading towards her friends house.

'Rory, we still have a while to spend together.' Dean called after her, but she just carried on walking until she got to Lane's house, going straight up to Lane's room, glad she didn't have to stop to talk to Mrs Kim while she was feeling so worked up. Lane smiled at her friend as she entered but the noticed the annoyed expression.

'What is his problem?' Rory complained dropping onto Lane's bed.

'You may have to narrow it down a little. Who are we talking about?' Lane asked.

'Dean, we're talking about Dean. We just had another fight about me being friends with Jess. I mean it's not like I spend every minute of the day thinking about Jess, and just because I'm friends with him doesn't mean Dean can yell at me, and just because I'm dating Dean it doesn't mean I have to answer the phone all twenty times he calls.' Rory sighed heavily.

'Well he's going to miss you, he really loves you Rory.' Lane tried to reason.

'I know he does, it's just lately I've been wondering if we really have anything in common. He doesn't read, or write and he doesn't like the same movies as me or the same music, we can't debate things and he doesn't make me feel like I'm the only person who matters and...' Rory stopped talking, looking at Lane who's eyes had widened. Lane looked at her friend.

'You mean he isn't Jess. Everything you just described is Jess, or rather what you see in Jess. Rory do you have feelings for Jess?' Lane asked, Rory shook her head, but then stopped.

'I...no....Lane I can't.' Rory said standing up and pacing round the room. 'I'm with Dean and he's sweet and kind, I'm just mad at him for...' Rory trailed off.

'Ok here's what we're going to do, I want you to stand still and close your eyes, I want you to imagine your future, your first day of college, you're in stars hollow about to leave, who do you see?' Lane asked. Rory took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

'Ok, I'm at the diner with my mum and we're eating breakfast. You're there and we've just said goodbye, my mum is talking to Luke...Oh!' Rory's eyes flew open and her hand flew to her mouth.

'What? Rory what is it?' Lane asked almost excitedly.

'Jess, it was Jess. He came down and kissed me and then had his arm around me and he was my boyfriend.' Rory looked shaken, she walked over to the window just in time to see Dean coming towards the house. Sighing heavily. Lane come over and saw who it was and put her arm round her friend reassuringly.

'You need to tell him.' Lane said quietly. Rory nodded her head, her eyes resting on Jess who was walking towards the bridge. She knew what she had to do but it was killing her, she felt sad and excited and guilty all at the same time, but taking a deep breath and getting another hug from Lane, she went down and opened the door to Lane's house ans stepped out to meet Dean.

'This isn't fair Rory, you don't call me back anymore, you don't hang out with me as much, when you are with me it's like your mind is somewhere else. I've tried to ignore this but it's too hard, I'm not stupid Rory. This is it, you walking away from me like that, not listening to me about him. If you're stupid enough to actually think he's better for you than I am, then fine.' Dean was furious, she hadn't expected that. He'd gotten angry before but never this badly, everyone was flooding into the street to watch the fight, she could see her mum, and Luke had just come out from the diner, Miss Patty and Babette were stood close to the house, Lane was behind her at the door. None of them daring to move. Rory was shaken, she just looked at him unable to come up with any words. What could she say to calm him? She'd come out here to break up with him, so he was right about everything, so she stayed silent.

'So that's it? You're really just going to stand there and act like this perfect little princess, but you're not. I thought I was lucky to have you but look what you've done to me, to us. You're so stupid, he's no good for you and now you're letting him get exactly what he wants. I thought I could trust you and then you...' Dean yelled.

'I what Dean? I didn't do anything wrong! Me and Jess are friends, but you know what he is better than you, a million times better. Nobody else thinks so, but I do. But don't you dare say that I did something wrong because I didn't. I never wanted to hurt you.' Rory half yelled half cried. She was aware of her mother coming over to them, and Jess' appearance just behind where Dean was standing.

'You have no idea what you've done....You're just a spoiled little...' Dean yelled fiercely walking closer to Rory, but was cut off by Jess who walked in front of him, knocking him out of the way and made his way to Rory. Rory was visible shaking as Jess took her arm and led her away from Dean. Dean tried to grab her arm, pulling her back, but Jess shoved him aside and led Rory away over to her mother.

'Mummy.' Rory cried, collapsing into her mothers arms. 'I...' Rory cried, she was physically shaken by Dean, and for the first time ever she was afraid of him.

'No! You don't get to walk away from me.' Dean yelled coming after her, and grabbing her away from her mother, that was it, Jess lost it and pulling Rory away and making sure she was safe from him, Jess punched him in the stomach.

'Walk away Dean.' Jess said backing away from him, Rory was now safely in the diner with her mum, and Luke was standing close by making sure Jess didn't end up in a full blown fight.

'Why should I walk away, she's my girlfriend.' Dean yelled.

'No she's not, not now, not after this.' Jess yelled back.

'Why couldn't you just stay away from her? Why couldn't you have gone back to New York where you belong. This is my town, she was MY girlfriend.' Dean was furious, but stayed back knowing that Luke wouldn't let him get into a fight with Jess.

'It's over Dean, just...go' It was Rory's voice that answered his comment, she'd left the diner when she saw Dean and Jess still yelling at each other in the street. 'We're done.' She yelled, then watched as he walked away. Despite how things had ended, she still felt sad. He was her first boyfriend and now it had ended in the worst possible way. She crumpled to the floor in tears, letting her mother wrap her in a hug.

'It's going to be ok honey.' Lorelai said soothingly, rubbing her back as she hugged her. 'Come on let's get you home.' Lorelai added helping her up and steering her towards their house.

*

'I was horrible to him mum, he was so sweet to me and I just treated him terribly.' Rory said after three hours of watching movies, eating junk food and avoiding talking about what had happened. She looked at her mum with tears in her eyes.

'Rory, no matter what you did you didn't deserve him yelling at you like that in the middle of the street.' Lorelai stuck up for her daughter.

'But he was right, I haven't been fair to him stringing him along when I knew that I didn't feel the way about him that I used to, I just thought that if I stayed with him then maybe we could get back what we had, maybe I'd love him again.' Rory cried against her mothers shoulder. 'It shouldn't be this hard to leave someone I don't love.'

'Honey, you're first real break up is always hard. He was your first boyfriend so of course you're going to find it hard, but I promise it'll get better.' Lorelai hated seeing Rory this way, but needed some answers.

'So you don't love Dean, this wouldn't have anything to do with a certain crazy haired, sullen bad boy would it?' Lorelai asked carefully. Rory looked up at her mum, there was no point in hiding anymore.

'Partly. Jess is...well he's so different from anyone else I know, he knows me better than anybody else, we get on so well and he's so nice to me. I know you don't like him, nobody likes him but what I see in him is something special. He's got so much to offer and I really feel like there's a spark.' Rory tried her best to explain her feelings for Jess.

'Right, but nothings happened.' Lorelai asked, dreading the reply.

'No! Mum nothings happened, we're just friend and I think until I figure some stuff out that's how we should stay.' Rory said brushing away a strand of hair that fell across her face.

'Oh boy. So you think that you and Jess will end up dating in the future?' Lorelai asked, knowing that there was nothing she could say to deter her daughter from making this choice. Gilmore's could be stubborn when going after something they really wanted.

'Yeah, I mean I hope so. Wow did I really just say that? I guess...I don't know, I want to be with him but not yet, and he might not want to go out with me, he might not like me that way.' Rory was now worried that she'd broken up with Dean and Jess didn't even feel the same about her.

'Trust me, he likes you. Just be careful, I don't trust him.' Lorelai replied.

'I do.' Rory smiled happily, going back to watching the movie.

A/N- Ok so I was going to have Rory talking to Jess about the whole friend/relationship thing but this is getting long. So I may put it in the next part but I don't know. What do you all think, should they get together now? Or have longer as friends? Let me know by reviewing.