❝HE SHOVES, HE SCORES❞
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹ chapter thirty-two,
Gilmore Girls — Season Two

September 12th, 2001

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

[ LUCY'S POV ]

ME AND JESS WALK OUT OF SCHOOL TOGETHER THAT AFTERNOON, and we walk straight into my dad. Dad hasn't picked me up from school in six years as I always insisted that I can walk to the diner alone. Most parents don't pick their kids up, but Dad isn't here to pick me up. No, he's here to pick Jess up and yell.

     I smile towards Dad. "Hey, Dad."

     "Hey, Luce." He looks to Jess who doesn't bat an eye in his direction. "How was school?"

     It's been an interesting day to say the least. The second we walked in together, everybody stared at us, especially because Jess was the new kid. Jess was forced to sit near me, meaning I didn't get to see with Addy in some classes. Despite sitting next to one another, me and Jess didn't speak.

     We've been avoiding each other which isn't surprising. While I've been avoiding him, he's been trying to speak with Addy who— of course— offers him a kind smile and sweet words. She's always good at socialising, always good at making friends with people. Even Jess.

     While Addy and Jess have started to become friends, Nathan has started to stare at my cousin like he's the devil reincarnated. After repeatedly asking me about Jess and Addy throughout the day, I assured him many times— six times— that Jess isn't somebody who would get involved in relationships. Honestly, I don't have a clue what Jess is like, and I don't know why he's only speaking with Addy, but I don't think his intentions are cruel.

     Besides, I'll kill him dead if he touches my best friend.

     Jess strides alongside Dad. "Great," he replies bluntly, and I know for a fact that his day wasn't "great" but whatever.

     "You learn anything good?" Dad asks, and I question why he's decided to come here and question Jess.

     "Oh, yeah, tons of things. I got gold stars plastered all over my forehead." His tone drips with sarcasm, and some part of me wants to just smack him. In fact, I've wanted to hurt him all freaking morning.

"I had an interesting call today," Dad says, and I'm a little afraid for what's to come. How can Jess already be in trouble after a couple days of being here? "Want to know who it was from?"

"Not really."

     Dad tells him anyway, "It was from Taylor Doose. You know— he owns the market." We're walking at a quick pace, and I walk behind them, struggling to keep up. "He said you came in today and he said you took some money out of a donation cup to help repair the bridge. I told him he was crazy. You wouldn't do that, you weren't a thief— that he was just trying to start trouble. Then I hung up on him."

     "Don't you enjoy doing that?" I ask, a grin on my face.

     "Oh, I enjoy hanging up on Taylor. And he is crazy but I was just wondering if maybe any of the things he said were true." He's been here for a few days and he's already stirring trouble. How is that even possible? Why is he stealing money?

"What do you think?"

     "I think if you tell me it's not true, then I'm gonna believe it," Dad says, but Jess will lie either way, I'm sure.

     "It's not true." Liar.

     "That doesn't sound very convincing."

     Jess comes to a sudden stop, and I nearly crash into the back of him. "What exactly do you want from me? You bring me here to this place, you put me in a school that says the "Pledge of Allegiance" in six different languages— two of which I've never heard of before! You take me away from my home, my friends, and now you want what from me?!"

     Jess' outburst had been inevitable. I was just waiting for the moment he'd snap, and now that he has, I'm starting to believe that he's not an emotionless douchebag.

     "I'm trying to help you!"

     "Well, stop trying! Stop talking to me, stop following me, stop asking me questions! Just stop!" If I have to hear the word stop again, I'll throw myself into the lake.

     "That's what you want?"

     "Yes!"

     "Fine. You got it!"

     The aggressive argument comes to an end, and we begin to walk again after a short glaring match between Dad and Jess. I follow behind, watching my dad and Jess storm off in front of me, and I can practically see the anger blowing out of their ears as we walk along.

     As we walk across the bridge, my eyes look from the ground towards the noise I hear. The sound of someone falling into the water.

     Luke Danes— a father— pushes his nephew into the water. He pushes him hard enough to have him stumble and flip straight into the water. Unsurprisingly, Dad continues to walk off, and I stop abruptly. As much as I want to leave my cousin to suffer in the cold water, I know that I have to help him. I'm too kind for my own good, and Jess knows that I'll help him.

     I sigh, and place my bag down on the bridge. I then crouch down and hold my hand out to help him up and out of the water. Jess moves forward, and he reaches for my hand. I expect him to pull himself out, but instead he yanks me forward and I'm hitting the water before I have a chance to retract my hand.

     The water is cold. Colder than I had anticipated, but I should've known better. It's the beginning of autumn, of course the water is cold. However, I hadn't anticipated being pulled in it. I lift my head up from the water, and I move the hair from my face, coughing and spluttering.

     I look over at Jess who laughs. He's laughing. I swear, this is the last time I help someone ever. I'm done being a selfless person. If I wasn't already frustrated with the current situation I'm in, I'd move towards him and drown him myself. I can't drown him, I'm not that horrible.

     I clear my throat. "I hate you," I cough out as I begin to move away from Jess. I need to get out of this water because, of course, I chose to wear jeans today. I love these jeans, but they're sticking to my skin right now, and I wish I hadn't been yanked into this freaking water.

     I lift myself out of the water, catching the eyes of a couple classmates who seem to be grinning, finding this to be the most amusing thing to happen in years. It probably is the funniest thing to happen in years, especially in this school.

     Jess climbs out, and I move quickly to grab my bag. I'm leaving right now before I push Jess back into the water and pull a Luke Danes. I shoulder my bag, and I begin to walk away. "Oh, it wouldn't kill you to laugh, Luce," he calls out, and my ears physically ring.

     Jess picks up his pace and he catches up with me so he can walk alongside me. He tries to match my quick and angry pace. "You know my dad is only trying to help you, but you are too good for help, right? You don't need help. You just want to walk around and be insufferable. Why won't you let us just help you?"

     He scoffs. "Oh, I'm insufferable? Like listening to Liz go on and on about how perfect you are isn't insufferable?" I roll my eyes because I knew he'd bring this up eventually. "She made me come here to learn from you— my dear, perfect cousin."

     "Oh, Liz certainly is sweet. Tell her I said thanks," I joke, picking up my pace so I can try and escape faster.

     "I don't need your help, and I don't need Luke's. I need you both to get off my back, and leave me alone." I shake my head, a scoff leaving her lips as I turn again in the hopes of walking off and leaving his side.

      However, because I annoyingly live with him, he's still following after me, and I really want to push him in front of a car but the speed limit is twelve, meaning no damage would be done. "My dad is only trying to save your ass before you fall off the face of the Earth. If you give him a chance— just one chance— you won't be sorry, okay?"

     "I don't care, Lucy, okay?"

     I turn to him and say, "Go to hell, Jess."

      "Think I'm already there."

      I push open the door to the diner, barge through the space and move towards the stairs that lead up to the apartment. A few customers stare at me— probably because I'm dripping wet— but I ignore them and move up the stairs quickly because I am getting the first shower.

     In fact, I'm using all the hot water.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

❝HE PULLED ME INTO THE WATER,❞ I reiterated for the third time that afternoon. "Because you pushed him in. Now, what on Earth were you thinking, Dad?"

     "He was bugging me," Dad argues.

     "If he's bugging you, yell at him, or ground him, don't give him a baptism!" I yell back, angrily placing a jar of pickles onto the shelf. "And I tried to be nice. I tried to be kind, and be a good cousin and help him out, but he freaking pulled me in with him."

     "Well you haven't been baptised," Dad murmurs, and I glare over my shoulder at him. He immediately clamps his mouth shut, and I turn my head back to the box that I've been trying to unload for the past half an hour.

     "He's been here for one day, and he's already tried to drown me. Imagine what will happen if he stays here for a whole week." I shiver, either from my cold, damp hair— because my hairdryer is missing— or from the idea of Jess killing me slowly.

     "What can I do, Luce? His mother gave up on him, and I'm apparently his only hope— God, help him, but he's family, and Liz asked for my help, so I'm here."

     Believe me, I understand Dad's appeal to help. He's always been helpful, even in this town. Growing up, he was always helping everyone, especially his sister. Over the years, he would send her money for her and Jess, only to receive a phone call saying she needs more, and the older I got, the more I realised that Dad gives in too easy to his sister. He gives her whatever she wants— including taking care of her kid— and he should focus more on himself rather than others. 

     He's a brilliant dad, and I really do consider myself lucky, but I don't know how much help he can be to Jess. I mean, Jess and I are completely different people. Sitting in school today, I could see just how remotely unlike we are. While he was leaning back in his chair, swinging and waiting to fall and crack his head open, I was doing the work. Every now and then, he'd lean over and write something on a piece of paper. I knew he was just copying me, and I was too frustrated to argue with him at school, but I'm now ready to squabble with him to the death.

     Dad turns to me, sitting down on the bench inside the back room, and I continue to unload the ridiculous amount of pickle jars we have. "Okay, maybe I'm just bias, but why do we have this many pickles? I mean, they're gross."

     "Says the girl who liked vanilla ice cream and soy sauce as a kid," Dad retaliates, and I gasp, acting offended. "Now, that was disgusting."

     "You're the one who fed that addiction, don't be mad at me." Dad was the one who bought the soy sauce and the ice cream, and I was the one who just so happened to eat it. His fault, right? "Besides, I distinctly remember you eating cereal with orange juice and—"

     "That was one time," Dad argues, interrupting me, and I laugh. "And you said you'd never bring that up again."

     "Well, don't talk about my previous love for soy sauce and ice cream," I mutter, pushing another jar of pickles onto the shelf. "Ugh, I now really want soy sauce and ice cream. Screw you."

     "Well, we don't have soy sauce."

     "That's why stores exist," I deadpan, cutting open another box to reveal more jars of pickles. "Okay, Dad, why have you bought this many?"

     "Kirk," is all he says, but it's enough for me to understand exactly what he means.

"Is this similar to the time he really wanted you to order in dragon fruit because he had a craving?" I grin, remembering my dad's face when Kirk asked him to order in fruit, especially fruit like that. I mean, who eats dragon fruit? "You have to stop listening to Kirk, Dad."

"It's hard when he's here twenty four/seven."

Kirk is quite the character, probably one of the most entertaining individuals to ever live, and despite all the ridiculousness he puts us through, he's definitely one of the funniest people I've ever met. He might even be one of my favourite people to interact with, and that's saying a lot.

Dad clears his throat, and he continues to fold down the cardboard boxes were unloaded.

I think he wants to talk about something serious, but I don't say anything, letting him say the first words instead.

"Do you think I should've said no to Liz? Do you think I should've just let the kid keep going down this path?" He turns to me, his expression thoughtful and serious. He genuinely wants my opinion on Jess, and I'm willing to give him my full and honest answer.

I sit down in front of him, kicking away a piece of cardboard from my foot. "I think you care a lot, Dad, and I think you see a lot in people. You believe that everyone, good or bad, can become something if they have the right support and you..." I point over at Dad. "You are that support. I think you'll be good for Jess. Honestly."

"Yeah?"

"I can speak from personal experience that you have a really big heart, and you care a lot about others, especially family. If you think you can help Jess, I believe you can help him," I assure him, offering him the most genuine, kindhearted smile. "You're a really great dad, and a really good guy, not to be bias or anything."

He chuckles, and I laugh too. "Thanks, kid."

"I know Jess is already raised, but I also know that Liz isn't exactly the best mother. I think it'd be good for him to have somebody in his life like you," I say, and I think Dad is genuinely surprised to hear me be so supportive after the boy pulled me into a freaking lake. "Just because I nearly drowned thanks to him doesn't mean I want to send him away... yet."

     "He won't do that again," Dad assures, but he doesn't know what Jess will do in the future.

     "You're doing a good thing, Dad. A really good thing, and Jess will realise that one day." He may not realise it yet, but once Luke Danes is in your life, he ain't going anywhere. He will impact it more than anybody else in his life in such a miraculous way. To have my dad be there for you if the greatest gift, and Jess will one day see that. "I mean, look at me. I turned out pretty well, right?"

Dad smiles softly. "Yeah, you did."

"And that's because of you, Dad. You raised me. You gave me support and love. So I know that Jess will be completely fine because he's got you supporting him. Don't stress, okay?"

While me and Jess haven't gotten off on the right foot, I do have blind faith in him.

I can't explain it but I have a strange feeling that Jess Mariano will go off and do pretty incredible things.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

authors note:

fun question: which girl are you?
a jess girl, a dean girl, or a logan girl?

i'm a jess girlie, i always have been but i also love logan. not a dean girl, but jared padalecki who plays dean is absolutely gorgeous. they all are.

also, i've been contemplating writing a One Tree Hill fanfiction, but I'm not too sure. i've been rewatching it and I just kinda wanna do it...

also thankyou so much for 40k reads!!