fool (lester averman)

chapter twenty-six

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chapter twenty-five: 'till our ribs get tough

a/n:

for the eighteenth time in my career i am reminding you that "dating" and "being boyfriend and girlfriend" are not always the same thing! you can kiss and date someone but never be their boyfriend or girlfriend!

tw(s) -- rory vs spiders.

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The six main ducks' parents meet them at the airport with enthusiasm, signs, and bouquets of flowers.

Rory stands off to the side with the other new kids and watches with a strange sort of envy as they get fawned on. Connie's mother holds Connie's face in her hands as the girl animatedly talks and smiles tearfully, and Jesse's dad nearly lifts him off his feet in a hug, and she gets this tight feeling in her chest that forces her to look away. Her lip wobbles pitifully as she realizes that the others (barring Dean) probably have this waiting for them, too. When they go home, they'll be met with hugs and kisses, and she'll be picked up by her father's driver.

Luis wraps an arm around her shoulders and squeezes her tightly just as the massive group in front of them turns their attention toward them.

She turns her head, slightly, and frantically wipes her eyes.

Lester's parents are just like she imagined they'd be-- short, stout, and redheaded, not unlike those little people from those old Rankin/Bass movies. His siblings aren't very different, either, but her thoughts don't linger on them for very long because his mother is wrapping Rory up in a tight hug before any of them can say anything.

Her widened gaze meets his over the woman's shoulder. He petulantly whines mom but is ignored.

"Oh, my god." Mrs. Averman exclaims breathlessly as she pulls away, holding the brunette at arm's length. "Let me get a good look at you-- Uff da, you're just as pretty as my Les said you were."

Rory's face wobbles into an attempt at a smile. Once again, she meets his eye across his mother, and he mouths 'I'm sorry' over and over.

She doesn't want to look like she hates this, because she doesn't. Not really.

"It's so good to finally meet you!"

Rory swallows thickly. "Uh, you too, ma'am."

Does she sound genuine? She hopes she does.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Lorelei." Mr. Averman cuts in. He's smiling warmly at her through the forest of red and white hair on his upper lip.

"Uh, it's Rory, sir. I prefer Rory. But you can call me whatever you want."

He nods. He doesn't stop smiling.

"Rory." Mrs. Averman hums. "I like that. It's a pretty nickname."

Rory really wishes that the ground would just swallow her whole so she didn't have to be the center of attention anymore.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Oh, you're so respectful." The woman pinches her cheek and then pats it. "You don't have to keep up with that 'sir' and 'ma'am' crap, sweetheart. You can just call us Mia and Logan."

For a brief moment, she stands there, unsure of how to proceed. Then she nods and whispers, "Okay."

"Good. Now that the formalities are over with, I have something for you." The woman says and then dips into her bag, digging through the things that are in there.