Chapter 16: The Big Apple meets The Windy City
January 5th Monday 12pm Stars Hollow Elementary School
' Okay, I'm officially starving.' Rory announced while packing up her lunch that Lorelai 'Made', which were 2 slices of leftover pizza from last night and a chocolate bar.
Jess and Lane who were sitting on the same table as Rory looked at her with amusement.
Jess took a bite of his turkey cheese sandwich that Luke made, 'You cannot possibly still be hungry, you had two whole slices of pizza and the extra size Kit-Kat Bar!'
'Well I just am..' Rory said innocently. Rory couldn't help but noticed Jess still have another half slice of sandwich and some fruits on another plastic box. Jess noticed Rory looking at his food as if saliva was drooling on the corner of her mouth. Jess slightly pushed his lunch box closer to himself, 'No way Jose! You're not having my lunch. I'm super duper hungry today.'
Rory looked at him with a pout, Jess still refuse to give in and started to chew faster as if Rory would take his other half sandwich any second.
Lane added, ' You can have mines, Rory if you don't mind food that really just have no taste.'
'Thanks Lane, but I'm not that into tofu today.' Rory replied politely and then back to staring Jess with her puppy eyes. 'I'll let you read my copy of Bridge to Terabithia!'
Jess just kept shaking his head with his mouth full while Rory shook his right arm, pleading him. Out of the blue, a boy walked up to their table.
'Hi, can I sit here?' the awfully tall boy with mop haircut, holding his transformer lunch box asked the kids.
'Are you a 5th grader? Cause we don't like 5th graders.' Jess stated after swallowing his food.
Rory immediately added, ' Jess you never pay attention in class, this is Dean, he's the new student Mrs Owen introduced this morning! Dean, you're very welcome to join us. I'm Rory, this is Jess and this is Lane.'
Dean smiled and replied, ' nice to meet all of you.'
'So where you from?' Jess asked ignoring Rory still trying to steal that sandwich from him.
'Chicago, and you? You don't sound like you're from here as well.' Dean replied while unpacking his lunch.
'the center of the universe.' Jess said proudly, he did like Stars Hollow, but he still held some pride in being a New Yorker at heart.
' Jess come on! Please, can I at least take a bite of your sandwich? Pleaseeeee?' Rory pleaded with her hands clammed together begging Jess.
Dean took out his sandwich and split it half and gave it to Rory, 'here you can have mines, Rory. I'm not hungry.'
Rory smiled, 'Thank you Dean. I like you already!'
Jess scoffed at Rory's comment, this was the first ever time he didn't share his lunch with Rory because he was just really hungry after running and chasing around with his friends during recess and then PE lesson after that didn't really help. What the heck.. I give you half my lunch all the time! And you never say you like me! And now you LIKE this guy? Whatever, eat his disgusting sandwich. Argh.
Suddenly a football smashed on to Jess's back. Jess turned back and saw his friend laughing at him. Jess got up threw the ball back and ran to the boys, ' Oh you don't know what you got yourself into!' then started chasing his friends on the playground, playfully wrestling them before they all decided to play some football.
Dean was staring at the boys playing while quickly finishing his lunch. 'I'm gonna go play with them now, my mom's making chocolate chip cookies today, you girls are welcome to come over after school, if you want to.'
' I can't, my mama doesn't like me playing with boys.' Lane said with a sad face on, she was sad cause she seemed to always missed out all the fun because of her mama's rules.
' I might be able to, I'll ask Jess too if that's okay?' Rory replied.
'Yea sure, see you later!' Dean said and ran to the group of boys.
Dean stand on the side of the playground staring at the boys playing football. Jess noticed him and asked, ' Dean you wanna play?' and threw him the football.
Connor from another class pulled Jess back, ' What are you doing! We don't play with 5th graders!'
'Relax! He's new, he's from our class. He's just really really tall.' Jess explained.
The kids were trying to play it as authentic as a real football game, but they didn't really know a whole lot of football, just the tackling someone down, throwing the ball and chasing the person with the ball. Jess, Dean, Johnny, Sean, Caleb and Matthew were in the same team.
'4-2-2, 4-2-2, hut! hut!' Dean shouted, the boys let him be the quarterback because he was the tallest, he could easily see everything.
Dean caught the ball from Matt and ran back a little while Jess was running out from the other team's defence player. Johnny, Caleb and Sean try to block the other two boys so that Jess could run out as fast as he could. Jess broke free from the others, turned back and caught the ball Dean threw him. Jess ran like the lightning to the end of the playground which was their way to identify where the touchdown line was.
After 20 minutes, the lunch bell rang, it's time for the kids to go back in.
Dean high fived his new friends, Jess added, ' You're real good, dude!'
' Thanks! You too! I have never seen anyone our age run that fast!'
'Thanks.'
'Hey you wanna come over to my house after school? I'll show you this football I got from the Bears last year at the playoffs!'
'Yea sure!'
January 5th 3:30pm
Rory and Jess were now upstairs in Dean's bedroom. The two kids were amazed by how much stuff he had in his room. There's a shelf just for all his star wars lego sets display and another display shelf next to the window with all his limited edition hot wheels cars. Also, all these sports awards from baseball to hockey on the other wall.
' Wow! That's a lot of toys you've got here! Your room is really cool, Dean! ' Rory exclaimed. Jess heard that comment and thought to himself, real cool?! There's not even a single book in this room, Rory!
' But these are not my favourite, this, is my favourite toy.' Dean said and taking out his SNES next to his mini TV.
' You've got a super nintendo?!' Rory and Jess both shouted. Jess had only seen one on TV, he never had a chance to play on it.
Dean nodded proudly, 'yup, and my dad just bought me a copy of Super Mario last week!'
' You're so lucky! You know they won't be here in stores in Stars Hollow until next month!' Rory exclaimed.
'Yup, that's the good thing about Chicago.' Dean smiled, switching on the TV and setting the game. Jess and Dean played the first round, Jess wasn't really good at the game as he had never played video games before. Rory just sat next to them, watching them play.
'Dean, you're really good at this!' Rory cheered when Dean beat Jess over and over again at super mario.
Jess rolled his eyes, ' I'm just tired and seriously, this game is pretty boring.'
' No you're not, and the game is not boring, you're just a sore loser!' Rory teased.
'Am not!'
'are too!'
'Am not!'
Dean interrupted the little fight, ' hey do you guys wanna check out the skating rink in the backyard? My dad just made it last week.'
' My uncle also made a skating rink, it's the best skating rink I've ever skated on.' Jess said proudly.
' Do you skate a lot, Jess?' asked Dean.
'Yup, I'm really good at skating, I used to skate almost everyday in New York.' Jess lied, he didn't like Dean being better at him at everything.
'No you don't, you only read a lot, Jess.' Rory corrected him.
' I don't tell you everything Rory, I used to skate all the time after school, I was the best hockey player at school too.' Jess continued lying.
' I play hockey too! What's your favourite NHL team?' Dean asked.
Jess paused for a little while, he knew all the baseball team and most of the football team by heart but he really didn't know anything about hockey but he was sure there must be a New York team, so he said, 'you know, the New York team. That's my favourite team.'
'Well which one?'
'Which one?' Jess was puzzled, there's more than one?!
' Stop bluffing Jess, you don't watch hockey.' Rory confronted Jess on the spot.
Jess got a little mad, ' I do watch hockey! I just...I just couldn't decide which one! I like them both!'
'Okay then Rangers/Islanders fan, do you wanna play?' Dean handed Jess one of his hockey sticks.
'Well I didn't bring my skates anyway, may be next time.' Jess replied, hoping to get out of the situation where his lie would be revealed.
'What size do you wear?'
'8'
'Me too!' Dean replied while searching for his old pair of hockey skates. Jess thought to himself, crap,why didn't you just lie! Jess you're so dumb!
Rory sat on a chair next to the skating Rink while Jess and Dean were playing one on one hockey. Jess could only skate forward and barely backwards, let alone skating with a stick in his hand. Dean on the other hand, was skating naturally, back and forth, doing little hockey tricks. They were trying to play shootout, and the game was 8 to nothing. Jess was getting very frustrated and embarrassed, the girl he like was right there watching him lose.
' Go Dean! You're on a streak!' Rory cheered. Jess gave her a glare, seriously what is wrong with Rory today, does she likes Dean now? But she kissed me that day! SHE kissed me!
It was Jess turn, he tried his best but he couldn't even lift up the puck and slipped onto the ice while trying. He had enough, his ego was completely shattered by this stupid game and Dean, he wished this was baseball so he could easily beat Dean and Rory would cheer for him. Dean skated to Jess and helped him get up, ' Are you okay? You know you don't have to say you've played hockey before if you didn't, this isn't a competition. I can teach you how to play hockey if you want to.'
Rory added, ' See, I knew it, you were bluffing about hockey. It's okay to not know how to play hockey like Dean.'
Dean's reply about 'teaching' him how to play and Rory's ' it's okay to not know how to play hockey like Dean' blew up Jess's temper. Once he got up with Dean's help, he shoved Dean to the ice surface and kneeled down and punch him right on the nose with all his strength, ' Get up Dean! Fight me, if you're so good at everything! Come on!'
'What's wrong with you, Jess!' Rory shouted at Jess and ran over to help Dean up.
Jess ignored Rory's shouting, he pulled Dean's collar, 'come on pretty boy! Fight me!'
Dean was having a nose bleed because of that punch but he calmly replied Jess, 'I'm not gonna fight you Jess! My dad taught me that a gentleman never use his fist. I'm sorry if I did anything to make you this mad. But I'm not going to fight you.'
'Just go away Jess!' Rory shouted angrily while trying her best to lift Dean up.
'Sure I'll go now so you can kiss Dean your pretty boyfriend until his face is eaten up!' Jess shouted back to Rory and took off his skating shoes and stomped back to Luke's.
January 5th 5pm Luke's Diner
Jess opened the Diner door, ran up to the stairs and threw his backpack on the ground once he entered the room. He turned on the radio and turned it up to the highest volume and grabbed the soccer ball in the corner of the living room, he angrily kicked it as hard as he could against the wall as if the ball was Dean.
Luke heard the music blasting upstairs, he put down the coffee pot and went upstairs to see what was going on. He opened the door and was almost smacked by the ball if he didn't duck it in time.
' What are you doing Jess!' he shouted through the music. He walked to the radio and was ready to turn it off before Jess stopped him by pulling the radio off from Luke's hand.
' Give it to me!'
'No! It's too loud!'
' GIVE IT TO ME BEFORE I PUNCH YOU RIGHT ACROSS YOUR FACE!' Jess growled, gripping his fists and glaring at his Uncle. Luke was shocked, he had never seen Jess like this, yes Jess might talk back to him and be all witty but he never said anything this rude to him.
Luke turned off the radio, and scolded him, 'hey what's wrong with you! Sit down on the couch right now and calm yourself down!'
Jess was breathing heavily and still gripping his fists, he normally would do as Luke said when he sensed that he was in trouble, but he didn't care this time, he was on fire. He wasn't tall enough to punch Luke on the face, so he punched him on the stomach, 'Turn it back up! Turn it back up!'
Luke ignored the punching and carried him and put him on to his bed, he warned, ' you better calm yourself down after 15 minutes when I'm back and tell me what the hell is going on with you!'
'No! Go fuck yourself!' Jess shot back at Luke. He didn't really know what the F word mean, he learned it from his mother when she was angry and yelled it to her boyfriends.
Luke started to get mad, 'What did you just say to me!?'
Jess breathe heavily, he was deciding whether to push his uncle further or not. Right now, he hated everyone, he hated the world as he felt like it wasn't treating him fairly. His mother was crazy, his father didn't want him, Dean was better than him at everything, Rory now likes Dean and hates him and Luke yelling at him for the radio was not helping.
'I said go fuck yourself!' Jess growled even louder and clearer than the first time.
'That's it!' Luke shouted angrily and grabbed Jess by the arm and bend him over his knee.
'YOU! DO! NOT! DISRESPECT! ME! LIKE! THIS! DON'T! YOU! EVER! SAY! THAT! AGAIN!' Luke yelled and smacked Jess's bottom along with every word. Afterwards, he put Jess back on his feet.
Jess was still mad, he face was red and was still breathing heavily from being furious, but a tear had dropped from his face, 'I hate you! You are just like Jack!'
Luke felt like his knees were going weak after that comment from Jess, all he wanted to do in the first place was to take Jess away from people like Jack and now Jess said he was no different from Jack. He felt so guilty for spanking the boy out of anger. 'Jess...I'm...'
'I don't want to hear about your big fat lie that you're sorry and everything! You're just like everyone else! You all just hate me! So go away!' Jess screamed while he hid himself under his pillow.
Luke didn't know what to do or say at that moment, he knew whatever he said, the boy wouldn't listen now, so he let Jess calm himself down and walked out of Jess's bedroom.
A/N: To be continued very shortly. I just don't want it to be a 5000+ words chapter so i'm gonna put the other part into part 2 of this story. I didn't want to make Dean this cocky mean kid, even though all along I'm definitely team Jess (if there's teams), Dean is not bad (except the sleeping with Rory when I'm married), he's just not my favourite. Soooo who's fault is this whole Jess meltdown?! Luke? Rory? Dean? Jess himself? nope, nope, nope, it was me, blame it alllll on me :p just thought it was about time to put in a tiny little drama. Let me know what you guys think, reviews are always greatly appreciated! Thank you for reading!
DC Nixon: Thank you for your review and Saving the day! man.. that was embarrassing lol, thank you for your FYI! I'm glad you like the haircut as well :) oh and you did guess it right, it's Dean!
junienmomo: Thank you for your review! I'm glad I made your Sunday morning! I love fluff stories, so a future family would be very possible? but I don't know, may be. And if that happens, there will definitely be a teenage Jess and Rory storyline in the future. And yes I agree, as you can see how much Jess actually like Rory in this chapter, he went nuts! Jess is crazy about Rory and so is Luke to Lorelai, father and son am I right? Let me know what you think of this chapter!
RhizOneill: Thank you for your review! Yup I personally love this haircut (but Jess is one fine looking guy, he looks good in anything ;p) glad you like it too! Let me know what you think of this chapter!
Anon1: Thank you for your review! Absolutely agree with you! At least Jess is 8 in this story, imagine messing up a 17 year old Jess's hair, he would flip hahaha!
niazn: Thank you for your review! Jess does warm people's heart, so you better update your story! Let me know what you think of this chapter!
Droolia: Thank you for your review! Yup, I personally think that line was probably the best line of the whole chapter, when I reread it, that line still kinda melts my heart a little. haha. And yes I did learn so much more from writing GG fanfic! this community is great, you're great, other reviewers, followers are great! Just everything! So for the football stuff, I didn't have to go on youtube and be like, 'how to watch baseball' or something. I know basic stuff of the game, it's unavoidable cause my uncle watches sports centre during dinner and monday, sunday and thursday are always NFL night, so I've been watching quite a bit football these two years. (I'm rooting for Carolina Panthers for the superbowl! Fingers crossed!)Those players were real players, I looked up 1990s players from the packers and cardinals. Let me know what you think of this chapter!
roganjalex: Thank you for your review and support! Let me know how this chapter is for you!
fizco: Thank you for your review! Haha, yup something had to go wrong in order for Jess to get a great haircut from Lorelai! I agree, Jess is very cute, I wish we get to see what Jess was like when he was little in GG. Let me know what you think of this chapter!