2.05

Jess knew his failings. He knew them too well.
His lapses of judgement had earned him a Hell.
For during tenth year of lamentable school,
He ran with a crowd incessantly cruel.

"Cash" Pierce was the one who called all the shots.
His smile for his friends shone ten thousand watts.
He was charismatic, although quite a jerk,
A tyrant, a bully, a real piece of work.

And Jess, for most part, just kept to his reading
But, for Cash's views, was always conceding.
He earned Cash's favour by voicing his wit.
Cash liked Jess's humour and praised him his grit.

But Cash had it out for awkward Greg Pedder
For no other reason than thought himself better.
For nearly a year, Cash teased him and taunted.
Despicable acts he boastfully flaunted.

And all of the guys who followed Cash blindly
Knew lone opposition would not be met kindly.
Cash kept them controlled by keeping them vexed
With worries of who'd become bullied next.

So Jess and the boys who sought out esteem
Were swept up in hate and worked as a team.
The night Cash coerced some brutality,
Jess had succumbed to mob mentality.

So Cash and his lackeys surrounded each side
Of Greg's beat-up car to give him a ride.
They roughed up the car that held Greg therein.
And one of them managed to quickly break in.

Greg tried to escape but they pushed him down
And Greg was quite helpless, laid out on the ground.
And as the group started to kick and to punch,
Then Jess had run off to throw up his lunch.

'Twas not his intention that things go so far!
But sometimes, in life, you forget who you are.
Now Jess's new goal would be to reform:
Never again would Jess try to conform!

Jess was the one who'd called the police
And hoped that the carnage would straightaway cease.
That night, the whole lot were kept under arrest.
When morning arrived, some charges were pressed.

Although, in the crime, was Jess implicated,
Greg deemed that his part was less heavily weighted.
No charges fell to him but, just to be fair,
Jess had to admit that he had been there.

Apologized Jess to poor, young Greg Pedder
By writing his sorry's into a long letter.
(Though Greg still held hate for all of those guys,
That Jess had improved—a bit—in his eyes.)

Since having a part in such awful school hazing,
His mother had freaked at the son she was raising.
She held a disdain for all of his friends.
And nothing Jess did could make his amends.

And though, through his actions, Jess showed his repent,
Still Liz, with a bus, secured banishment.
She went through his room and, with a kerfuffle,
Threw some of his stuff into a large duffel.

So, new to Stars Hollow, young Jess was alone.
Sent from New York to this place unknown.
A supper was planned for his introduction.
The House of Gilmore, the site of induction.

With all he'd been through and all of his shame,
He wanted none of this insufferable game.
It was bad enough his uncle bore down.
The last thing Jess wanted was more from the town.

For whole human race Jess felt rather woeful.
He'd made a decision to stay antisocial.
In spite of his hopes to keep to himself,
His thoughts were affected by books on a shelf.

Allured by her phonics, once stepped through her door,
He decided, of Rory, he'd like to learn more.
But when he proposed co-defenestration,
Rory favoured food over change of location.

When all was laid out, the spread to partake,
The Hollow's cuisine Jess chose to forsake.
Outside, Lorelai's kindness led to a fray.
And shortly thereafter, Jess went away.

Though briefly allayed by a twenty-five cent slight,
Jess's departure irked Rory, next night.
As on they debated, she further was ticked
To learn that her Howl, by him, had been nicked.

But soon Rory saw that Jess was worthwhile:
A bookish new cohort perceived with a smile.
Of what Rory thought, did Jess get the gist:
He's straight out the pages of Oliver Twist.

Three daughters of Zeus watched these two below,
Lachesis, Atropos and also Clotho.
(Greeks called them Moirai; Romans called them Fates.)
They took a great interest in these two young mates.

They judged the mortals deftly, saw something grand,
Began a full study of all the facts and,
After appraisal, they deemed that they be
Together with each other—in eventuality.

For Fates controlled deeds and destiny of man
By weaving life's strands as only they can.
So they got to work, and took tale to heart
And set on a plan for when the two should start.

Young Jess had seen horrors he shouldn't have seen.
And, for his involvement, felt guilt very keen.
He has a good heart, though slightly misguided.
He's lacking direction, the Fates soon decided.

And now in his life we've given him Luke.
And that good connection will not be a fluke.
Sure, Luke will be bumbling but still good for Jess.
Though lacking in skills, he'll start the process.

And Rory is meek. She blindly fulfills
The wishes of others who'd impose their wills.
She's dating her Dean and, with him, she'll stay
Long after she wants to, since Townies have sway.

There's only one dream she has of her own:
To study at Harvard. And that she'll disown
When she will be swayed by those that prevail
And go then instead to rivalling Yale.

To unite them too soon the Fates couldn't allow.
And timing wasn't right for them together now.
So struck they a balance—not enough to bind
But strong enough to keep them in each other's mind.

To show them their fit was what Clotho willed
So their loves of reading she set out to gild.
Her spinning wheel spun both of their thread.
Into each their fibres, gold filament she fed.

Lachesis's shoulders did burden the task:
Measure, apportion and weave the damask.
Allowing mere glimpses of each other's strengths,
His thread then wrapped Rory's at only long lengths.

Last came the task of plait's preservation:
To shield it from tatter and dire degradation.
To save it also from premature fissures,
Atropos did stash her shiny new scissors.

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