"Where the hell is he?" I mutter under my breath angrily.
The diner was swamped to say the least. There were people everywhere and every table was full. Luke and I tried our best to accommodate everyone. Well, I tried my best.
Luke was tied up with a phone call behind the counter. Something about his uncle or something like that. He was yelling and waving his hands around like a madman. I decided to let him handle whatever he needed to.
Jess was supposed to be down here and helping us but I couldn't find him anywhere. It was times like these I wish I had some form of superpowers to help me out. This stupid school uniform wasn't making my job any easier.
Lorelai came behind the counter and opened up the donut jar. "What're you doing?"
"Miss Patty wanted a donut, and you seemed quite busy so I got her one." She tells me.
"Thank you," I thank her. "Do you mind holding down the fort here while I go upstairs real quick?" She nods her head before picking up a pot of coffee and tending to other customers.
I ran up the stairs and knocked on the apartment door. "Jess!" I called out when I got no answer. "Open up! I know you're in there."
The door opened to reveal Jess in a brown button up shirt. "My, aren't we all bright eyed
and busy tailed this morning." He leaned against the door frame with a smirk.
I ignored his comment. "You have to come down."
"I'm busy," he says walking back into the room with his eyes glued on the tv.
"We're swamped down there! Luke's got someone on the phone about his dead uncle!"
He doesn't take his eyes on the tv as he speaks. "Can't you see I'm doing something?"
I walk towards him and grab him by the arm. "You are coming with me." I push him in front of me and down the stairs. He made noises of protests as I shoved him.
"She pushed me!" He exclaimed to Lorelai once he had been shoved out the curtain.
"Sue me!" I retort as I come out behind him.
He rolls his eyes at me. "I could've broken my neck."
I hand him a coffee pot. "At least it's not your arm, we need that." I lead him out behind the counter to serve some customers.
I head over to my mum and Rory who sat down at a table. "What do ya need?" They each told me their respective orders and I went behind to tell Caesar.
"You know what Luke?" I asked as the man leaned on the counter with a scowl on his face.
"If you're gonna ask me for a raise, now is not the time."
I roll my eyes at him. "No, that's not what I wanted to ask." I say as I keep my pen and notepad in my pocket. "Why don't I stay here and help you? While you're out arranging the funeral and stuff I could take care of the diner."
He looks at me with a frown on his face. "What about school?"
I shrug my shoulders nervously. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to take a day off. In fact, it'll do me some good." I tried to persuade him. Luke looked like he needed to have a lot of things done and I just wanted to help.
Luke shakes his head. "I don't know, Cassie. I mean, what would your mum say?"
"If she says yes will you let me stay? You have a ton of things to do, and you won't even need to pay me extra."
He sighs before giving in. "Alright, but only if she says yes." He emphasises on the last part.
I grin and head over to my mums table. "Hey, mother dearest." I side into the empty chair next to her.
My mum sends me a suspicious look. "What do you want?"
I shake my head and make a sad tsk sound. "Can't I just sit here cause I love you?" I lean my head on her shoulder affectionately.
She shoves my head away. "Not unless you want something. Now spit it out before I leave for work."
"Do you think I could skip school today?" I rush out, my fingers were crossed as I hope she'd give me a good answer.
"Why?"
Rory piped up from across the table, her fork in her hand. "Yeah, why?"
I send a quick glance her way before turning back to my mum. "Because, Luke could use the help."
"Cassie, we're not paying for that school. You're on a scholarship," she tells me slowly. "If you miss too many days they'll kick you out."
I hold my finger up, a signal for her to hold on. "That's the thing, I've only missed three days this year. And my grades are perfect."
"I don't know, you'll miss out whatever you've got today." My mum says.
"Actually," Rory buts in. "I'll be going to school, so I can just grab whatever work you need." She suggests.
"See?" I tell my mum with a pleading look. "It'll just be one day and it's for a good cause."
She sighs and looks at me with a soft smile. "Okay," she starts as I jump up and hug her from behind the chair. "But only cause it's for Luke."
"Thank you, thank you!" I exclaim with my mum still in my arms. I look at Rory with a grateful smile. "Thanks, Ror."
As she goes to speak, Lorelai comes toward us. "Maria, do you think you could take my place at the inn? I've got to stay and help Luke." She looks at my mother.
My mum nods her head. "Sure, just make sure Cassie actually works and isn't tricking me so that she can go run off with Jess."
"Mum!" I scold and Lorelai and Rory snicker at my discomfort. I look around to make sure Jess hadn't heard any of that. But the minute my eyes locked with his I knew that it was no use. He sends me a smug smirk before going back to his work.
Lorelai puts her hand around my shoulder. "I'll take good care of her," she assures my mum. "Maybe I'll even offer her and Jess a ride."
I groan and walk away from them. I grab my school bag and other belongings. If I was gonna work all I day it sure as hell wasn't gonna be in this skirt. I say Goodbye to my mum and Rory before telling Lorelai and Luke I'll be back soon.
~~~
"Goddamn Luke and his stupid height and his stupid brain for not having any stepladders," I groan as I try to balance myself on the two empty boxes. Two years of working with Luke and he still hasn't gotten a stepladder or even a stool. If I fall and die I'm definitely coming back to haunt him.
The store room was dimly lit from the opened door as I tried to reach the top of the shelves to get some much needed coffee beans. Luke probably stored them so high up so lorelai couldn't reach them. It probably didn't help since they're both the same height.
I could feel the cardboard boxes strain under my heavy weight. "Just hold on a little bit longer," I mumbled as I felt my fingers graze the coffee packets. The packet was in my grasp the same moment I felt the boxes give way under me.
I let out a loud curse as I expected to hit the cold hard floor. But instead I felt a pair of warm arms wrap around me before I could hit the ground. I look up and see Jess standing there, holding me in place. It was like that corny scene in one of those movies where the guy saves the girl from falling.
"Careful, Cherry. Some might think you're falling for me." He joked as he let go of me. He smirked down at me as I blushed profusely.
"Ha ha," I said sarcastically to cover up the frown building inside of me at the lack of his touch. "Jokes on you, cause I managed to get the coffee beans." I triumphantly hold up the bag in my hands.
Jess stifled a laugh as he looked at the bag. I frown, not knowing what was so funny. I look at the bag and let out a loud gasp. The bag had a gaping hole from one side and coffee beans were spilling out. It must've torn open on one of the shelves during the fall.
I quickly kneel down on the floor as I mutter a quick, "Shit!" I tried to gather as much coffee beans in my hand as I could. "Now I gotta pay for this bag of coffee beans."
Jess smiles lightly before heading to the back of the room to retrieve a broom. "Y'know there are many things we could do with these." He says as he sweeps up the mess I made.
Piling the boxes in a corner I decided to humour him. "Oh yeah? Like what?"
"We could pelt them at Taylor during tonight's town meeting," he suggests.
I raise an eyebrow at him. "You're coming to the town meeting?"
He just shrugs. "I thought I should have the full Stars Hollow experience."
We both make our way out of the store room. The whole place was empty except for Lorelai standing behind the counter. "What we're you two doing in there?" She asks accusingly as I feel the heat rise to my cheeks.
"Nothing," Jess dismisses as he leaves to throw away the coffee beans.
Once he left Lorelai made her way over to me. "So," she begins as she wiggled her eyebrows. "What were you and James Dean doing back there?"
"Not what you're thinking, that's for sure."
"Oh come on!" She whines with her hands on her hips. "You're in there, then Jess goes in. There's a big bang and you two come out lookin' all red."
I scoff at her implications. "He was not red, and neither was I," I deny as I take a rag and wipe down some tables.
Lorelai, as persistent as ever follows me. "Hello? You two were so red I thought that the store room had changed into a steam room."
Jess came back into the diner with the now empty dustpan. He took a look around the deserted diner. "Well since this place is a ghost town, I'm gonna head upstairs."
He made his way toward the steps but Lorelai stopped him. "No need, little Romeo." Jess and I both sent her a glare at this. "I'll get going, Luke needs my help for some of the arrangements for tomorrow. You guys gotta close up." She grabs her bag from the hook at the door. "Be safe!" She calls out before leaving the diner. Leaving Jess and I with matching grimaces on our face.
"So," I started awkwardly as we both stood facing each other in the now empty diner.
"So." Jess repeats cautiously, no doubt he heard everything Lorelai had said before he entered.
My eyes gaze around the diner before landing on the stereo behind the counter. "Music?"
He sends me a small smile. "Music." He heads towards the stereo before popping in a cd from under the counter.
"Play some good music," I call out from the seat at the counter.
"The only music I know is good music," he retorts before walking over to me. I let out grin as I hear the all too familiar guitar intro.
'Darling you got to let me know, should I stay or should I go?'