CHERRY. [JESS MARIANO]

Baseball Bats

Jess

He was an idiot. He couldn't believe he actually said that. Luke's Diner was empty when he walked in. Everyone in town was out having their picnics and all that shit. Walking up the stairs to his and Luke's shared apartment, he wished he could run and tell Cassie how sorry he is. How he didn't mean what he said.

Jess opened the door and slammed it behind him before heading over to his stereo. Sliding in a cd by The Shins, he was brought back to how he had to buy a copy of their first album.

When he gave Cassie hers and told her he had another at home he lied. Jess just thought that since she likes them so much she might as well have his copy. Besides, he could always buy a new one.

He turned the volume up as loud as it would go, sure that it would disturb whatever neighbours he had. Grabbing a book from the pile on the bed he walked over to the window.

God, he hated this town. He hated it even more now that Cassie was quite obviously mad at him. Laid out before him were the various wackos of Stars Hollow having their perfect little lunch with their perfect little dates.

He could faintly make out Luke and Lorelai having some food in the gazebo. But what really made his eyes stay there was the fact that there was that unmistakable figure sitting down on the grass.

Her dark hair was blowing slightly in the wind. He couldn't see her clearly but he knew that her green eyes must've matched the colour of the grass. God, how could he say such lies to someone as beautiful as her.

He almost forgot why they were arguing. Almost. There opposite her sat Tristan, and everything he said came flooding back to him. Why did he have to come? Just why? He tried to do a nice thing and spend some time with her.

Then that guy shows up and completely ruins his plans. Not only that, he made him look cheap in front of her. Jess knew for a fact that he didn't have a hundred dollars to spend. But he sure as hell would've kept bidding if it weren't for Cassie telling him not to.

Jess watched as she said something to him before they both stood up. They said a few words before she pulled him in for a hug. It felt like Jess was ready to kill the guy then and there. He would've marched down right into the town square and killed him with one of Caesar's knives.

He didn't like that he cares so much about what happened to her. She was just a friend. She had made that perfectly clear. What he didn't understand was why it affected him so much. So what if he was just her friend.

Deciding that he had enough of looking out the window, he headed back to his bed and started reading. But he couldn't concentrate on the usually welcoming words of Ernest Hemingway. It seemed as if all the letters on the page spelled out 'You're a dick.' Well, they weren't wrong.

Jess still didn't understand why he said those things. It's like the third time he's thought about it in the last ten minutes. If it was anyone else he knew he wouldn't have given them a second thought. But this was Cassie, his Cassie. His friend.

He knew from the look on her face that she was hurt. Even if he didn't her words would've definitely told him. But he couldn't help what he said. It was like his mouth kept moving but his mind went dead.

If reading wasn't gonna help take his mind off her then he had only one thing left to do. Sleep. But then, when you sleep you dream. And his dreams aren't always the best. Taking his chances, Jess closes the book and lays it out beside him. He rests his head on the pillow and closes his eyes. Yet, he had one thing on his mind as he drifted off to sleep.

~~~

Serving coffee to the residents of the small town wasn't how he wanted to spend his Sunday morning. But he and Luke had an arrangement and it provided him some form of allowance.