One In The Same - Jess Mariano

The Wound Won't Close

CW: Mentions of SA of a child
A/N: This chapter is quite dark, and we learn about the truth of Y/N's childhood.

- Y/N's POV

  I'm dazed. My head is spinning, more than when I had to listen to Rory and Paris debate about the US grading curve or something of that calibre. What in the world just happened? It feels like my brain is leaking out of my ears and that I just daydreamed one of those pivotal scenes in a romcom, but shot in a first person perspective. If it wasn't for the sting resonating in my bitten up lips, I could easily convince myself that it all wasn't real - a mere hallucination.

  In my foggy brained state, my body seems to move on it's own, leading me down the stairs into the diner, hair still tussled, lips as still flushed as my peachy cheeks.

  "What the hell happened to you?" Kirk says from behind his white mug. Normally, I would jump at the chance to dish out a sarcastic remark and see the befuddled look on Kirk's face as he tries to decipher if I'm kidding or not. Today, all I do is stare at him until he shrinks nervously under the dead emotion behind my eyes.

  Once his gaze is off me, I look around the mostly empty diner and find the audience of the Gilmore girls. My face must give something away because Lorelai lets her jaw drop and she instantly launches up, a screech of the chair scraping against the floor echoes out.

  "What the hell are you do-" Luke starts but is promptly cut off by the voice of the maternal Gilmore.

  "J'accuse!" Her finger points directly at me, and it feels as though she is piercing into my soul with that action.

  "No," I simply say, but my voice falters slightly. I point back, "No." I head for the door and I can feel Lorelai right on my tail.

  "Will someone please tell me what is going on?" Luke's helpless cry goes unanswered as me and Lorelai exit to the pavement in front of the diner.

  "You can follow me for however long you want, I am not going to talk to you,"

  "Ha! You just did. And I will follow you to the ends of the earth until you turn around and confirm what I think I already know, in heels no less!" This feels like I'm being chased down at a medium pace, and the only thing that stops me in my tracks in the sight of my reflection in the shop window of Doosey's to my side. Lorelai crashes into my shoulder at the abrupt stopping motion.

  "What the-" I start pushing my hands through my hair, smoothing down the flyaways frantically. "I look like someone dragged me through a bush,"

  "And why is that, huh?" Lorelai tries and I give her a death stare before resumed my fast walking again. "Come on just tell me! I can be really annoying you know,"

  "Oh you don't say," I look over my shoulder, and in that moment I collide into a hard mass. I feel hands supporting me at the waist. Then I look up.

- Third Person POV

  "Watch it," Jess says before sealing his lips shut when he notices the wide eyes of the one who just bumped into him, bringing him out of 'Catch-22'. From the corner of his eye, he can see the mischievous face of Lorelai, but he can't pull his focus away from the deer in the headlights in plain view.

  They both just distant themselves, awkwardly looking directly at each other, not saying anything. Their body languages are stiff and fidgety all at the same time, a few beats pass before Jess just wordlessly steps out of the way, leading a path for the pair to pass, hand out and all.

  After the boy has wondered off and the two girls round the corner, Lorelai gasps and taps Y/N's back a couple times with her palms. "I am so totally right! Luke's head is going to explode!"