Chapter one : Rory

I need a break.

Rory squinted her eyes as she looked at the monitor.

Two hours in front of a computer is just too much. My eyes are sore. Who really cares about the ancient runes in Greece – not me.

No, siree bob…

Even when I’ve been staring at this stupid screen for TWO HOURS and my eyes are so shriveled up and dry they humbly resemble Raisinettes—

Rory jumped as she heard a knock at the door.

“Rory, it’s Luke. Can I come in for a minute?”

She got up and made her way over to the door.

Luke? Diner Luke? Outside the diner… that’s not right!

She opened the door and leaned against the frame -

“Hey, what’s up?”

 “Not much.  Can I…”  He drifted off and gestured towards her room with his hands.

Meh – so much for the no boys in my room rule!

“Uh, yeah, come on in.”

Rory and Luke stood facing each other, saying nothing

Altogether now!

A.W.K.W.A.R.D!

That’s the way that life should be!

Shift to the left – shift to the right;

Life should be awkward day and night!

“So I see you’re studying.”

Ah… so there is life on earth – I had forgotten…

“Yup,” Rory sighed, looking around her room.

Luke nodded, “That’s good. Studying is very, very good. What you’re doing right there with the books: very good”

Are our lives truly that sad that we can only have decent conversations when coffee is in our hands?

Okay, stupid question really.

“Thank you.”

“Okay, look, I wanted to ask you a favor.”

Finally!  The spiky-shiny-oh-so-grimy point!

Luke continued, “Oh. Uh. I was wondering if you could… tutor Jess”

WHAT?

“What?”

Luke’s face suddenly clouded with worry.  “He’s not doing too well in school. The principal said he’s not gonna let him move on unless something changes. I was wondering if you could help.”

Well… I suppose I could… no.

I couldn’t. Dean would die. I would… well- lets not go there…

There’s too much…

Too many…

No.

Can’t.

Eek.

Urrrr…

“That doesn’t make any sense.  He’s smart enough to pass any subject”

HAH, take that… no need to tutor – he doesn’t need me… he’s smart. He reads. I’ve seen it! I have proof AND eye witnesses!!!

Luke persisted and started gesturing wildly with his hands, “I don’t think it’s his lack of smarts, more like his lack of proximity to the actual classes that’s the problem.”

Damn. Damn. Double damn.

Double dam with chocolate sprinkles and a cherry on top – dropped in the gutter so you lose the scoop of ice cream.

That much of a damn!

And that’s saying something.

“Ah.”

“Yes.”

Typical Jess. So smart that he flunks out.

And just HOW does that work, anyway!

God obviously hates me.

ugh

“Okay, what subject does he need help in? “

“I’d say all of them, probably.”

Oh gee, Dean is going to freak.

In the words of the dodger himself: “Huh.”

Luke started huffing, “Look, I don’t expect you to work miracles and it doesn’t have to be a full time everyday thing. If you could just get him through a couple of his next tests, maybe make the school see that he can do it, that would probably help out a lot.”

“Sure.”

Ding dong – Rory Gilmore? Yes, the hand basket has arrived to take you to hell…

“Great.  Tonight?”

It’s no use resisting. The body snatchers will get us all in the end…

“Tonight.”

Luke started backing out of the door, “I really appreciate this. Ah, okay, you should get back to your studying.  Otherwise, you’re completely useless to me.”

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

Okay.

The main thing to do is not panic.

PANICPANICPANICPANICPANICPANICPANICPANICPANICPANIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A whole night with Jess.

Alone.

Alone.

…alone?

Dean’s going to get mad.

Mom’s going to get mad.

The whole town is going to get mad!

…I suppose…maybe it would be that…bad.

Jess is a great guy!  He means well…

I like him, he’s nice… he reads… he is funny…he is smart... he is…

Not Dean.

Oh God…

Rory moved over to her bed and collapsed on it – face down onto her pillow.

Friends. We are just friends.

I am his tutor. He is my student.

Everything is purely platonic.

Really.

Honestly.

Who am I kidding?

Rory heard voices wafting through her open window.

“I know, Rory is a great student, but she’s just a kid. Don’t you need like a professional tutor to help with Jess? You know, somebody with a degree and a pipe and one of those coats with the elbow patches on it?”

It was her mom.

She knows already. Damn she works fast.

Rory could hear Luke’s voice battle her mothers, “I need someone Jess is gonna listen to, someone he’s gonna… I don’t know, look up to. That sure isn’t me and it sure isn’t some tutor. He likes Rory-

“He likes Rory.”

He likes me?

He likes me!

He likes me he likes me he likes me he likes me—  I like Dean.

I. like. Dean.

I … love… Dean.

Right?

^*~--:_________________:--~*^

You know, there are some days when I’m really glad breathing is essential – it gives you something to concentrate on when you don’t want to think.

Or when your mind is cluttered.

Or filled with the one thing…

“Hey Teach.”

Coincidence? Nah.

Rory looked up from her seat in the Diner to see Jess, “Hey.”

“You guys done yet?”

He looked at Lorelai when he said this.  Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him.

Play nice, kiddies…

“Just not yet,” Lorelai said through gritted teeth.

“Okay, well, I’ll be right over there when you are. I just can’t wait for that learning to begin. Hey, are we gonna do some of those Schoolhouse Rocks songs?”

Rory rolled her eyes.

Har de har har.

“I’ll be right there, Jess.”

He wouldn’t give up that easily, “‘Cause they say if you just make learning fun…”

Lorelai really had enough, “Give us a minute, okay?”

Jess smirked as Rory looked warily up at her mother, “Well, hurry – a mind is a terrible thing to waste”

He sauntered over to the table in the corner.  Rory’s eyes followed him.

Nice ass.

Oh, my God.

 I’ve turned into my mother.

She turned guiltily to her mother, “I’ll be home early.”

“Fine. Bye,” Lorelai looked frazzled and upset.

“Bye.”

What’s wrong with her? Jess isn’t that bad! He’s only teasing…

Rory grabbed her coffee and made her way to join Jess, “So, are you ready to start?”

Jess folded his arms in front of him and grinned, “Yes, I am.”

Sure, and I’m Papa Smurf.

“Where are your books?”

Jess looked innocent and surprised, “Huh, I don’t know.”

Rory scowled, “How are we gonna study without your books?”

“I guess we can’t.  Too bad. So, what now?  Movie?”

Har. Har. Ha.

… although… a movie would be great – I wouldn’t mind one bit.

Rory, focus.

Focus.

Dean.

Think Dean.

“Get your books.”

“The cat ate ‘em.”

Hehehe, that was actually a good one…. Eek. Deandeandeandeandeandeandeandean…

“Get your books or I’m going home.”

“Wait there,” and he does a magic trick.

Awww cute!

DEANDEANDEANDEANDEANDEANDEANDEANDEANNNNNNNNNNNN!!!

^*~--:_________________:--~*^

….

Dean….

….Dean…

“Explain to me the political ramifications of the Marshall Plan."

”Pick a card,” he splayed the deck in front of Rory – she picks up the pack and pegs it at the floor, “Huh.  Well, that just made the trick a little bit harder.”

“Jess, focus.”

Says the world’s biggest hypocrite.

“Where’s Dean tonight?”

Don’t know, don’t care…

About Jess.

That’s right.

Love dean.

Dean is great.

“We just went over this. There’s no way you already forgot it.”

He looked at her questioningly with wide eyes, “Work?”

I never realised his eyes were so…

Deandeandeandeandeandeandean…

“I will make you write it out fifty times on the specials board if that’s what it takes.”

“‘Cause if he’s not at work, he must be free, so he doesn’t care that you’re here?”

“No, he doesn’t,” he doesn’t know.   “He’s visiting his grandmother.”

“Where?”

“Chicago.”

Jess smirked, “So, he doesn’t know.”

“It wouldn’t matter,” if he thought I was with Lane.

“So, you’ll tell him when he gets back?”

Enough.  Please.

“We’re studying.”

“You’re studying.  I’m prying into your personal life.”

Really?! I hadn’t noticed! You are doing it so subtly… focus Gilmore.

“Jess, why won’t you at least try to remember the Marshall Plan?”

“Have you ever read, ‘Please Kill Me’?”

“No.”

“Oral history of the punk movement. You’d like it – you can borrow it if you want.”

Wow that sounds really…okay, he’s not helping.

“I’m here to help you study. Now, if you want me to go, I’ll go.  But if I’m going to stay, then you will stop distracting me and start paying attention, understand?”

“I understand.”

“Good. And yes, I would like to borrow it.  Thank you very much. Now, open your book.”

Jess opened his book and proceeded to read the pages, chewing slowly on the end of a pencil. Rory stopped reading and watched him.

He is reading a boring textbook but he still seems engrossed.

His forehead creases as his eyes bore into the print – you can practically see the words seeping through into his brain where he, no doubt, questions and debates every single fact presented…

I have never seen anyone read so intensely in my entire life.

The silent spell cast across the diner was broken as the phone rang.  Both teens jumped.  Rory cursed as she picked up the phone lying on the table and stood up.

Who would call me on my mom’s cell phone?

“Hello?”

“Hey, sweets!”

Rory rolled her eyes, “Hey mom, studying – remember?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know aaall about that – but I’m bored.”

“Mom, the big black box in the living room has a little button on it. When you press it, pictures fly across the screen to entertain and brainwash you. You’ll love it – try it out!”

“Did that.  Nothing on but a Dr. Phil re-run.”

“But you love Dr. Phil.”

“It’s not that interesting to watch him over and over again.”

“Mom…”

“So I thought I’d bring the study group some late night snacks.”

“You can’t cook.”

“Did I say I was going to cook?”

“Sorry.  My mistake”

“I’ll be there in ten.”

“But mom—“ but Lorelai had already hung up.

Great. I’m getting a chaperone.

Woo. Hoo.

She turned to Jess who had already begun reading again, “Hey Jess, my mom is coming over with food.”

“Your mom cooks?”

Ahhh, great minds think alike … and sometimes Jess and I do too.

 “So! She’ll be here in ten minutes – so, while we wait I thought we’d get started on Shakespeare”

“Joy.”

“I’ll read you Othello. Won’t that be fun?”

“You have no idea how much.”

This is going to be the death of me. I can tell.