Dandelion- Jess Mariano

♡Chapter 30: The Talk♡

Jess led Parker out to the gazebo in the middle of town, and they sit down on the bench in the middle. As much as Jess had thought about finally being able to talk to her, and explain, He never seemed to have decided what he would actually say to her.

In the end, it was Parker who spoke first. "You always seemed problematic." She says, and Jess looks at her, confused about what she meant.

"Huh?" He replies.

"I mean, when I met you, you had taken me out of an uncomfortable situation." She explains. "But you definitely seemed like a toublemaker to me. Now I see that I was right."

"You never seemed too upset at joining into the 'troublemaking'" Jess defends. "And I really wish you would let me explain what actually happened."

"That's what I'm here for right?" She says, sarcastically. "Go ahead."

Jess ignores her tone, and begins to talk. "I need you to know, if I could have gotten to the trial, I would have." He starts, and Parker rolls her eyes. "But right as I was about to leave, Rory ran into the diner, sobbing and falls into me."

"Falls?" Parker asks apprehensively. "Did she fall right into your bed too?" He laughs at herself a bit.

"Yes, she stumbled in, crying, and trips over into my arms. And then she walks behind the counter, dragging me along with her." He sits back, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. "And then she grabbed a piece of pie and wiped it across my shirt. I don't have any other fancy shirts, and that's why I was shirtless when you arrived."

"Okay fine that makes enough sense." Parker says. "I mean, it explains why you missed the trial but not why she was in your bed, naked." She raised her eyes at him as he offers her the lit cigarette.

"Come on, for old times sake." Jess says, and Parker shrugs, putting it in between her lips. Jess then explains. "I told her to just go upstairs and sleep it off, the first time I went upstairs after that was when I followed you."

Parker looked down, thinking about what he was saying. "Oh." Was all she said to him.

"Oh?" He asks her.

"I wish I could forgive you." She continues.

"Forgive me? But I explained-" he started to say before she corrected herself.

"I don't mean Rory. I mean the trial. You know how important it was to me, and you didn't make it." Before he can make another excuse, she keeps talking. "I would have been okay with you there in jeans and a T-shirt, I wouldn't care, but it was the most awful day I had to go through, and you weren't there."

"I know. I'm sorry." Jess says, and puts out the cigarette on the ground. "So, what does this mean?" He asks her, worriedly.

"I don't know." She says, and pauses for a moment, debating her next words. "I still love you, I never stopped. But I don't think I can love you and still focus on my future."

"So, what does that mean?" He asks her.

"I have to do 4 years of school, and 4 years of residency to become a surgeon." She explains. "I don't think I can do that if I'm worried about things like love."

Neither of them say anything for a very long time, before Jess speaks. "I love you too."

He waits for a while to continue talking. "Well, we have a bit of time before you have to go off to harvard, right?" He asks her.

"Yes?" She says, confused as to where he was going with this.

"Well, why don't we just spend that time, in as much love as we want until you have to leave?" He offers, and as she seems to think it over, he continues. "Like a 'what happens in vegas stays in vegas' kind of deal."

"I suppose that could work..." She says. "I certainly prefer that to not speaking at all..."

"Then there. It's settled." Jess says, and they both smile at eachother, content.

They both don't say anything for the rest of the night, they just sit, and eventually she leans her head against his shoulder, as he places an arm around her.

_________________

Parker stands in the diner, watching in amusement as Luke apologizes to his girlfriend over the phone. He was creating multiple excuses for acting insane while meeting her parents.

Suddenly, Jess stomps down from upstairs, passes Parker, placing a quick kiss to her lips, and walking off.

"I'm going to school." He says as Luke and Patty and Babette all stare at them, gaping. Parker looks up, realizing.

"What was that all about?" Patty asks her.

"Y'know, we're just friends." Parker decides to mess with them, as they raise their eyebrows in disbelief. "Really good friends who love to have some fun."

Before Patty and Babette can say anything, Jess storms back in, walking quickly up to Luke.

"Get off the phone. I need the phone." He says, reaching a hand out for it. "Get off the phone!" He demands again.

"What's going on, are you okay?" Parker asks, alarmed.

"No! Someone stole my car!" He yells, running around past her to Luke at the phone.

"Nicole, I'm gonna have to call you back." Luke says, hanging up the phone, only for Jess to immediately snatch it back.

"I parked it right around the corner, and now it's gone." Jess explains, dialing numbers into the phone.

"Why'd you park it around the corner?" Luke asks him, confused.

"Because that's where I parked it." He says as though it should be obvious.

"Yeah Luke, because that's where he parked it." Parker laughs, walking past them to refill the donut case.

"How can the police department have an answering machine?!" Jess interrupts, angry.

Luke follows him as he walks back towards the door. "Look, let's just calm down." He says, trying to reason with him.

"Who would steal that car? It hardly ran." Jess said in disbelief.

"Those damn chop shops," Parker says sarcastically. "They can make a buck out of anything."

Jess glares at her a bit as she walks over to them, picking up her backpack as she goes. "I am gonna kill whoever did this. I'm going to find them, and kill them." Jess says.

"Just go off to school with Parker, I'll take care of everything." Luke says, ushering them towards the door.

"No I gotta talk to the cops!" Jess argues.

"Let Luke take care of that, we don't wanna be late." Parker says to him, linking their arms. "I mean, I know how much you just love school."

"You know I hate you, right?" Jess grumbles at her.

"Yeah yeah, I'm sure you do." She answers laughing.

"Have a good day, study hard." Luke says, and ushers them out the door. "Just leave the car to me."

Luke watches out the window as the two walk out of the diner. He watches as Jess starts to branch off, planning to take the bus to work, but Parker grabs the back of his shirt and tugs him back, practically wrestling him into the school.