"What, school?" Luke cupped his chin and drew the fingers down. "I, uh ..."
"Yeah, I thought so." Not quite hidden by his folded arms, Jess's thumb pressed and released against the nagging jump in his bicep.
Luke discarded the unanswered question, saying, "So you'd put the work in if I get this ironed out?"
"Why not? Got no place else to go now the car's gone."
Luke picked up the glass and moved to the sink to empty it, not facing Jess when he said, "I wasn't sure you actually quit."
"Didn't. Manager gave away my shift when I got stuck here. Said come back if I remembered how to be reliable," and under his breath he muttered, "Asshole."
Luke turned and rested against the counter's edge. "Then I'll go down to the school on Monday."
"If you want," Jess shrugged.
"Jess, I'm not doing this for my own amusement, so you better -"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Just don't tell him you don't miss the dump," he said, jerking his head in the school's direction. "Doesn't really like that a whole lot."
"I'll tell that guy exactly what he needs to be told, don't you worry."
"Huh."
"And I'm here now, so why don't you stay up here and study and -"
"Yeah, right. When I have no idea if I'm even -?"
"But -"
"Is this because of the fight?" Jess interrupted, pushing himself off the kitchen counter and standing straight. "You can't ground me just because -"
"I'm not grounding you. I should maybe, but -"
"He started it."
"Give it a rest, Jess," Luke said in supplication to the ceiling. "Look, you're hurt, and I don't want -"
"For the last time, I'm not hurt, and I'm not -"
"You need to stay away from Dean." Luke released one of his hands from their lockdown in his armpits and pointed at Jess emphatically.
"He needs to stay away from me."
"Don't say stuff like that, Jess, or you'll talk yourself into getting grounded for real." He stopped wagging the triggered finger and instead wearily pushed his forehead into the V they made, squeezing vertical waves into skin usually cut by horizontals. After a moment he dropped the hand and said, "Come on, it can't hurt to just stay up here for a while until -"
"I am not staying up here."
"Oh, yes you are."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you -"
"That check you're cutting? You're gonna want that back, right? So you better let me work, don't you think? 'Cos there's no way you're cooping me up like some -"
"Fine," Luke broke in exasperated, "you can work, but if he's dumb enough to come by, you -"
"Relax, okay? All's good," Jess said as he backed towards the door showing empty hands to each side.
"We're gonna talk about this stuff with the school later, you know, so don't -"
The door slammed.
Lorelai had clattered the coffee pot on its hot-plate at 5.30 but, as far as she could tell, Rory didn't stir.
She still wasn't up when Lorelai let the front door close meatily when she left for the inn.
The truth was Lorelai had woken every hour until she couldn't bear it.
The truth was Rory was already at her desk in a concerted effort of studying, with each noise bowing her head a little further to the textbook.
... some kind of disturbance at the Gibson place last night, according to the guys down at the station.
Loud music, lotta kids drunk and brawlin' in the front yard, apparently.
Garbage just everywhere.
In the market. In the diner. Across the manicure counter.
Kids.
"You going in or what?"
Jess had nearly walked into him as he threw back the diner's door to leave. The guy just stood there, stooped and squirrelly and showing no sign of getting out of Jess's way.
"Uh ... no," broke off the weird stare. Something not far off ducking as he stepped aside and said, "Sorry," before taking off around the corner.
Jess looked askance at the retreating back then started for the bus stop on 3rd.
"Hey," she greeted him as he appeared and locked step beside her.
"Hey."
"Not working?"
"On break."
"Oh."
"Luke's back."
She stopped abruptly and he turned just ahead of her. "I told her not to. I made her promise - -But you were hurt and I was worried and that bruise started to-"
"Wait. So, she ... ?"
She shook her head. "No, we argued, so I - -God, I'm so mad at her!" she broke out, hopping the rucksack further up on her shoulder in irritation. "I should be able to tell her this stuff without - -I mean, she talks about Lane and Mrs Kim and then she does this! Just because you and Luke need to - -Jess," she said, taking a step closer and lowering her voice, "I didn't tell her your school stuff or any of that, so - "
"I know," he said, looking over his shoulder.
She mirrored him, and it made her quiet "Oh," sound quieter as it was addressed behind her. The bag was hoisted again with habit, a second hand coming across protectively to clutch its strap. She was unconsciously counting the bands of colour on his shirt.
His eyes lifted from the expanse of a white layer that was exposed below where the blue thing with buttons ended on her waist - likely the same thing that showed in a wedge above the buttons, now covered by her crossed forearm.
And having made this journey to where he found she wasn't looking at him expectantly, he said offhand, "Look, you can tell her what you want, I don't care. You like taffy?"
"What?"
Her brows knitted so quizzically his half-smile didn't go unseen as he looked down and delved in his pocket then spread his palm in front of her.
"Taylor's giving out free samples so -"
"Aww, you got me free samples? I love free samples," she said, taking one and turning it appreciatively between her fingers, letting the sunshine flare off the wrapper.
"On an unrelated point: you can't technically steal something that's free, right?"
"Jess!"
"Bet you twenty bucks I don't have that it tastes sweeter 'cos it's ripped off," he said nonchalantly.
She tried for a straight face. "And from Taylor, no less."
"In other words, you hold in your hand the sweetest candy known to man."
The final flash of his eyes loosed the laugh through her nose despite her prim mouth.
"In that case," she said, looking thoughtful, "Maybe I better save it 'til I'm standing next to Brady later."
His eyebrows raised the question.
"So he can stab me with his insulin," she said matter of factly, trying to pin down the corners of the smile.
"Huh."
Her breathing shallowed more and more the longer that look went on.
She swallowed against her drying throat and he heard her say, "You're not mad?"
His brow furrowed. "That you'd receive stolen goods? Yeah, I'm really disappointed you're so easily corruptible, Rory, don't you -"
"That I talked to her. That I -"
"Listen," he said, cupping the underside of her hand with his free one and emptying the rest of the taffy into it, "you'll tell her what you tell her. You think I want to get in the middle of that?"
"Well, ..."
"Doesn't mean I like the fact that she's so chatty with Luke, but ..." His shoulders lifted.
"I'm sorry."
"Not your fault she can't keep her mouth shut."
"No," she said, looking down and closing her hand on the candy. "I guess not."
She twisted her overfull fist into the pocket of her jacket.
"Anyway, I told him," Jess said.
Looking up and quickly raking hair back from her face she said, "You mean, about school or -?"
"Seems about as pissed at Merton as you were." The shrug sent him grimacing up at the too blue sky. "It was kinda funny."
"Really?"
"Yeah, so they're probably going to retroactively flunk him on Monday, but whatever. Don't you have some newspaper thing you're supposed to be at?"
She nodded. "And my grandparents tonight. Ugh, right now I just want to blow everything off and ... and -"
"And what?"
"I don't know, sit by a lake, lay on a beach? Maybe rock back and forth in a nice padded room?"
"You know ninety-nine times out of a hundred I'd say 'Alright, let's go', car or no car, right?"
The pad of her thumb pushed her lower lip into her mouth. She nodded.
"Look good for someone who's exhausted, still," he said with a tilt of his chin at her.
She wrinkled her nose in dissent and was about to speak when she was forced to stifle a yawn.
"Look," he said, "if you're burning out, maybe you should blow some of this stuff off."
It almost sounded serious.
She smiled, rolling her eyes. "I get the feeling we just ticked over from a hundred, didn't we?"
He shrugged and she knew that it meant If you want.
By her side, her fingers curled and gripped the cuff of her sleeve into her palm.
He grazed the bent elbow of her other arm to catch her eye, looking searchingly at her when he said, "You okay though?"
Lifting her heels just slightly off the sidewalk, she leaned to kiss him before dropping back to earth. "I could ask you the same thing."
Her hand unclasped as he felt for her fingers. Blind because he kissed her back. Not undexterously.
"I'm good," he said when she broke off to wheel him round, pointing them in the direction of the bus stop down the block.
"Me too."
"Okay then."
"Oh-kay," she said, grin widening and bobbing her head with the two syllables. "So what flavor's this taffy?"
The truth was he had woken up sore.
She just ached.
"You're late."
Paris confronted her at the door of the Franklin office, the room deserted.
"No, I'm early. I fell asleep on the bus because I've been up since 5am, and I might have had some kind of coronary episode when I woke up two minutes ago, but I am definitely early. So why don't we start over. Good morning, Paris."
Paris narrowed her eyes.
"The issue's late."
Sigh.
"You are both late," Michel hissed as Sookie and Lorelai entered the inn's lobby after their lunch. "You are looking suspicious and strange and you are both very, very late."
"Oh pipe down," Sookie told him. Her eyes lit up and she turned back to Lorelai. "Comfort food! That's about as far from celebrating as you can get, right?"
"Sookie, you can't cook and do math at the same time."
Sookie bit her finger. "That's true."
"Let's just get pizza from Pete and go over the figures -"
"But we won't enjoy it!"
"You two," said Michel, his lip curling in distaste, "You have the dead flower smell."
"Now who on earth is calling at this hour?" Emily said after the sharp, startled breath that pulled in a disdainful chin. "Rory, I'm telling you now, if that's the Philippines or some other frightful place because your grandfather's given out our personal number again, I swear I will -"
The maid entered but said nothing, looking from Rory to Emily and back again.
"Well, who is it Greta? Stop trembling and making those awful shifty eyes at us and announce who has the nerve to call at fourteen minutes past nine?"
"Miss Rory," Greta choked out in a strained voice with her fist over her mouth.
"Are you a fool, Greta? Miss Rory is sitting right here giving you an all too patient look while you splutter away over there. Now tell me this instant who is on the phone."
"Miss Lorelai. For Miss Rory. I think -"
Emily bolted up saying, "That's enough," putting her palm in the air as she said, "Phone."
"... can hear every word you're saying Mom. Greta's going to murder you in your sleep if -"
"What do you want, Lorelai?"
"Just fine, Mom, thanks for asking."
"Lorelai, Rory and I are about ten minutes short of the credits to Roman Holiday, so do please get on with whatever you're calling to say."
"Pizza, actually, with Sookie. Sookie's fine by the way, Mom. Of course she's passed out in a carb coma right now, but she and Jackson are great, and it's so sweet of you to ask. But before we get carried away gabbing about me and my evening, do you think you could put Rory on for a sec?"
"Because you can't let me have her even for one night, can you, Lorelai?"
"Mom ..."
"Rory, it's your mother. Tell her goodbye from me, please."
Rory picked up the phone from the console table where Emily had placed it with pincered fingers. "Hel -"
"Are you staying there?"
"What? Where?"
"Tonight. Are you staying there tonight? Because you did it before and I want to know, so are you staying there tonight or not? Just say."
"I hadn't -"
Emily called out, "What does she want, Rory?"
"To know if I'm staying here, Grandma. But I -"
"What a wonderful idea," said Emily, clasping her hands together, "then we can watch Funny Face too! Oh, Rory, I'd love it if you ..."
"What's she saying?" Lorelai's voice quizzed Rory's other ear. "Is she trying to get you to stay there? Are you staying?"
"I don't know. Grandma wants -"
"Fine," came the short reply. "Okay. Good to know. Next time a little notice would be great, but, you know, whatever. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, I guess you will," Rory said flatly and shut her mouth. The tip of her tongue came to rest on the back of her first right-side molar, setting her jaw.
"Well, Fran died so ..."
There was a pause on the line as they both blanked. Rory taking in the words she had heard; Lorelai wondering what had made her blurt them out.
"Fran?" echoed Rory in a small voice.
"The, uh, ... the funeral's tomorrow. At twelve. So -"
"I can't believe you'd just -"
"Rory -"
"Bye."
Both her thumbs pressed the button that ended the call.
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing.
P.S. Seriously, when did that fence get broken?
Then again, quite a bit about these episodes doesn't make a whole lot of sense: what happens to the ski trip with Nicole? Luke tells Lorelai and Rory the phone kept ringing and ringing, but how did Kyle's dad reach him at the inn? Why is Jess so annoyed at Luke for arriving late at the diner when he was meant to be away for the weekend? Why .. just ... what the hell?
So if you'd bear with me as I try to weave around this stuff, I'd appreciate it!
(And don't even get me started about Jess staying seventeen for a year and half then suddenly turning eighteen when he's talking to Jimmy outside the bookstore.)
Thanks again!