Inbetween Days (Jess Mariano x Reader)

Chapter 2

Why you gotta say it if you know it's something wrong?

(Why're you sitting over there?)

Says that he'll apologize but it won't take too long

Well, you don't wanna trust nobody else

(Always thinking 'bout yourself)

I heard a lot of rumors about my new classmate over the next few days. Thefts, rudeness, general misbehavior. One particularly nosy neighbor had let slip that he'd left his own welcome party without saying goodbye and he and Luke had gotten into a fight with Lorelai. I saw him in the classes we shared, he looked completely out of his element, and I thought about how much it must suck to be shipped off by your own mom, who according to her brother was a treat to begin with, to a place like Stars Hollow. Our English Lit teacher had dragged out of him that he was from New York City, like that wasn't an adjustment already. I wanted to introduce myself, in a way that didn't feel like a scene from The Stepford Wives, but I figured that for now the best thing I could do for him was back off until everyone else calmed down.

Mom made eggs that morning, which she knew I couldn't stomach, so she encouraged me to grab a muffin from Luke's. I nearly took it to go, but it was chilly outside and the school doors weren't even unlocked until 8:30, so I hovered in a corner to let the people with plates have the tables. Luke looked positively haggard as he filled the mug in midair. I saw him chatting with the Gilmores and rolling his eyes at the stairs. Not long after, Jess came down looking as ready to help as I'd ever seen him. One look at his Metallica t-shirt and Luke sent him up to change. I didn't think it was that bad. He muttered something about it matching his eyes and I nearly spit out my coffee. So, music was clearly something I could level with him on.

After class, I headed out the back door to find several students who had also slipped out for some fresh air. As I looked out across the neighboring lawns I saw a trail of smoke emanating from behind a thick oak trunk and made for it, rummaging in my bag for my book and the bar of Hershey's Special Dark that usually got me through the rest of the morning until lunch, making sure there was enough to split with him - because of course it had to be him.

I sat at the base of the trunk and pretended not to see him, instead taking out my book - Seymour: An Introduction, a reread of a favorite even though my reading list was half a mile long. After a minute, he peered around the corner. His hair gel had dried since this morning, so his head looked less shiny now, and he was wearing a faded gray shirt with the long sleeves pushed up. I averted my eyes from his arms and quickly returned to my book. He didn't speak, he just stood there. I couldn't tell if he wanted me to leave.

"I thought the shirt was great," I said with a smirk, still absorbing my book.

"Excuse me?" his voice was hard, rude. I continued.

"I was in the diner this morning." I explained, "Kinda disappointed that you changed. I would have loved to see a couple of teachers react to it." A long pause ensued. "Do you listen to anything other than metal?" He didn't answer. I didn't make him, I was being very rude by barging in when he clearly wanted to be alone, and I had already sort of lied about not seeing him there. I pulled the chocolate bar out of my bag and snapped it into halves, holding one out to him. "Just if you want. Didn't want to eat in front of you."

"What do you want?" he asked, quite aggressively, and I answered.

"To see if you were someone I could tolerate. Because that would make for about two people in this town, and that sounded kinda nice. But you look like you've been through Hell, and I can go if you want to be alone. I can understand wanting to be alone here."

"Don't bother." He flicked away his cigarette butt and walked back inside. I shrugged and ate both halves of the chocolate.

I took the long way home that afternoon, and as I reached the bridge that seemed in constant need of repair, a figure emerged from the lake like a disgruntled grunge version of the Creature From The Black Lagoon. It was Jess, sopping wet and staring incredulously at a retreating form in flannel and a backwards baseball cap. Luke, I assumed. He whipped off his shirt to wring it out irritably and I spun on my heels to go the normal way through the square, avoiding the sight of him like that for my own good, but he caught me leaving.

"You stalking me or something?" he shouted across the lakeside.

"You city boys sure think a lot of yourselves!" I called back over my shoulder, just as bitingly. I didn't even look at him, but I didn't want to snub him forever. In fact, part of me was hoping he'd follow me, though I knew he wouldn't. 

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Song at the beginning was "Modern Girls & Old-Fashioned Men" by Regina Spektor and The Strokes

Relatively short one but I hope you liked it anyway! 

Also, don't smoke tobacco is bad for you. <3