Ten Things I Hate About You , Jess Mariano

twelve. disastor date

        SISSY COULD FEEL her stomach churn and drop as if she was on a rollercoaster as she looked in the mirror, flattening her skirt. Friday night had creeped up on her, and suddenly, there it was, looking her smack-dab in the face. Behind her, Rory and Lorelai were scrambling to get ready for their beloved Friday night dinners, with Lorelai constantly asking Rory to look for something ( so far, she'd lost her hat, coat, and sweater ).

        "You look pretty, Sissy." She turned around to face Lorelai, standing in the doorway, dressed elegantly. "Thanks," she beamed, teasing her hair for the millionth time that night. "Please be careful." Her eyebrows rose as she hummed in return, looking through her shoes. "I mean it, I know boys like Jess. I know you like him and all but he's bad news," she rambled.

"Jess isn't like that." Lorelai huffed, plopping on her bed. "Sissy, just ... keep that in mind." She nodded begrudgingly, picking up her black leather ballet flats. "I will." Lorelai's tense shoulders dropped in relief as she sighs, lifting herself off the bed. "Have fun!" A small smile grew on her face as Lorelai sauntered out of the room, leaving her alone.

        Lorelai's words echoed in her ears as she went through her collection of candy flavored chapsticks, fogging up her once clear head. Boys like Jess. Boys like Jess? What did that mean? Sure, he could be a jackass when he wanted to be, but he was sweet, at least to her. Just the thought of her hand in his made her feel dizzy, like at any moment she'd wake up and realize it was all fake — or she'd pass out. Either one.

        She could the doorbell ring in the background as she gingerly picked up her peppermint chapstick, Tori Amos' silky Nirvana cover playing softly in the background. She pocketed it, slipping on her ballet flats. "Fuck," she mumbled. She ran out of the room, her chestnut hair flying behind her. "Just a sec!" She yelled.

She looked at the door, her breath shallowing. Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck! She ran her fingers through her hair, her heart thumping louder and louder. Fuck! Her hands hit the cool metal door handle, inhaling. "Hey." Jess gave her a small smile as the door opened, facing each other.

"Hi." She shifted uncomfortably, grabbing her coat which hung by the door, stepping out of the house. The bitter air nipped at her cheeks, painting them a rosy pink. An icy puff cloud exited her mouth with every inhale and exhale as she tucked her hair behind her ear, rocking on the balls of her feet.

"So, Mariano, what's the plan?" She spun on her heels as he followed behind, her dark hair flowing behind her. "Do drugs, break shit, maybe kill each other. You know — the usual." She snorted, eyes glued to her patent leather flats. "Pull a Sid and Nancy, nice" He flashed his usual charming smile, which she returned, feeling her stomach swirl like a blender.

       "So, Sid, what's actually on the itinerary here?" She said cheekily, holding back for a second so Jess could be in the lead. "Who says I'm Sid?" He raised his hands, feigning hurt, as she let out a laugh. "Everyone here thinks you're a Sid, just go along with it," she replied matter-of-fact-ly, playing with her fingers.

          His eyes, however, lingered on her fingers, which was twiddled, grabbing her hand in his. Both hands were freezing cold, the frigid Connecticut air swirling around them, but Sissy felt on fire. She could feel the heat from her hands rise to her once ice-cold cheeks. "Your hands are sweaty," she joked, rolling her eyes. "Even on a date, you can't help but insult me, can you?" He frowned, but she could tell by the mischievous glimmer in his eyes that he was joking too.