Diner Girl ~Jess Mariano~

Chapter 13

Third Person POV

"I can't believe you made us come here" Evan complained as she walked toward the Independence Inn with Jess and Luke on either side of her. Mainly to make sure she didn't run away.

"Will you stop complaining" Luke grumbled from the right of the girl.

"It's cold out here" she whined. Jess, instinctively, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer in an attempt to keep her warm.

"Well, look at that, we're about to walk through the door where they have a heating system and tonight you get to sleep in a warm bed they've prepared just for you" Luke responded sarcastically, pulling the door to the Inn open and letting the two teenagers walk through. Evan mumbling remarks under her breath making Jess laugh.

"Oh, guys you made it." Lorelei stated, slightly wide eyed as the group walked up to get their room assignments.

"Yea, sorry we're late, we had a hard time getting Evan outta the house. And in the truck. And outta the truck. And in the door." Luke explained, earning a hit in his arm from the girl. "Don't be so dramatic"

"Jess had to pick you up and out of the truck"

"We don't talk about it"

"Oh no it's completely fine. There's just a slight boarding issue" Lorelei explains, looking down at the book in her hands.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Luke asks, confused trying to peer over her shoulder to get a look.

"Well, long story short, Rory invited my parents without letting me know and so I had to put Babett in another room which was Evan's room so now Evan has to bunk with you, but don't worry, I can have Michelle bring in an air mattress or she can sleep on the couch down here or-"

"Lor, breathe. Breathe. There you go" Evan soothes, realizing the woman is running out of air trying to frantically explain the situation.

"Please don't be mad" Lorelei begs, earning a sympathetic look from the girl in front of her.

"Lor, why would I get mad about this? It's completely fine, I'll sleep on the air mattress or the couch" Evan states, still trying to calm the frantic woman.

"Really?"

"Absolutely," she starts, "I mean, I already live with two cavemen. The worst thing that's happening is it's in a smaller space than usual, but even then it's only one night."

"We're not cavemen!" The two men from behind her exclaim, seemingly offended.

"Oh yea? Tell that to the laundry I wash, the dishes I clean, the smells I put up with, and don't even get me started on what I have found under Jess' bed-" Evan goes, before getting cut off by Jess.

"Alright alright, I think we get it. Thank you, sweetheart." Jess states, an innocent smile on his face as he looks towards his uncle.

"Do I even wanna know?"

"Well let's talk about what I found under your bed-"

"Okay! Alright, I think Jess was right when he said that we understand your point. Why're you going under our beds anyways?" Luke asks, wanting to save himself from the embarrassment of what the girl was going to say.

"It's called cleaning."

"Why under our beds?" Jess questions, this time.

"Well at first it was because I saw clothes under there. You know for guys with a female roommate you people suck at hiding things" Evan explains nonchalantly.

"Okay, here's your room key, feel free to go out your things down. Dinner is gonna be ready in an hour." Lorelei says, interrupting their conversation.

"Thank you" Luke says, as the three of them make it up to their room.

Evan is the first one to walk into the door, a huge smile on her face when she does so, "Guys look, two beds."

"So?" Luke asks, confused as to why the girl would be so excited.

"Well, we can share. Luke, you can take on one bed. Jess and I can take the other one." The girl explains, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. This just confuses the man even more. "Why don't Jess and I share?"

"You toss and turn, you hog all the blankets, you take up the whole bed." Evan explains.

"I do not."

"It's like a starfish. Just-" Jess says, starting to spread his arms and legs out like he's in the middle of a jumping jack.

"Fine, you two can share, but no funny business." Luke says sternly, pointing in between the two.

"Oh, c'mon Luke-" Evan tries to interrupt.

"If I hear funny business, I'm hitting Jess in the head with a frying pan." Luke threatens, the two teenagers having two very different questions.

"Why just me?"
"Why did you bring a frying pan?"

"I obviously can't hit Evan, and don't question why I have things in my bag." Luke says, turning around and setting his bag on the bed.

"Well I'm going to get dressed in the bathroom." Evan states, shrugging the previous statements off.

"Why can't you just wear what you're wearing now?" Jess asks, raising an eyebrow at the girl.

"This dinner is meant to be nice. Sookie worked really hard on it. I don't wanna show up in something disgusting." Evan explains, grimacing down at her outfit.

"Your outfit is not disgusting." Luke says, agreeing with his nephew.

"Luke, today a toddler threw food at me. I didn't get a chance to change before you were pushing us out the door. So, yes, I'm changing." Evan states, leaving no room for argument as she closes the bathroom door.

"I mean, she's not wrong-"

"Read your book" Luke says, slightly upset because he knew she was right. He was in such a rush to get there and see Lorelei he didn't even think about the events that happened that day. He knew Evan didn't care, but that didn't make it okay.
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"Hey everybody, will you gather round? Everyone? Everyone?" Lorelei tries, not getting anyone's attention making Evan step onto the platform and whistle into the crowd. "Hey! Lorelei organized this so you could all eat fancy food and expierence something you never have before for free, so listen up!"

"Her clients canceled. That's why we don't have to pay for it." Taylor Doose. Oh how Evan hated Taylor, almost as much as Luke did, "Y'know what you're right Taylor, her clients did cancel on her, but she easily could've canceled everything, throw everything away, and not shared with any of you so shut up and listen."

"Thank you, Evan" Lorelei says, smiling at the girl as she gets off the stairs.

"Anyway,I want to welcome you to the first annual and probably never ever to be held again because Sookie's on the verge of a nervous breakdown Bracebridge Dinner." Everyone starts clapping before Sookie comes up, clearly and obviously on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"I'm fine, everythings fine"

"I also want to thank Mother Nature for snowing in the Trelling Paper Company in Chicago so I can throw this great party for all my friends instead. It's a very special night. And so, since I don't get to eat unbelievably strange food with my friends everyday, I have arranged a little surprise. Outside, as we speak, is a line of horse drawn sleighs and everybody gets a ride. So, uh, line up and keep it orderly. There's two per sleigh and no cutting in front of each other - that goes for everyone. Except me, 'cause I'll be damned if I'm gonna miss a ride in a horse drawn sleigh. Come on." Lorelei exclaims before rushing outside.

"You two going?" Luke asks, not even looking over at the two.

"I think I'll wait for the clog dancing." Jess replies, looking straight ahead and bored as well.

"What? You guys don't want to go on the sleigh?" Evan asks, obviously being excited.

"No."
"Absolutely not"

"Y'know, you guys should open yourselves up to new and different experiences." Evan tries, and fails at making the boys see it her way.

"I hate new." Jess starts, "I hate different" Luke finishes.

"Fine. I'll ride by myself then. Maybe a cute boy will decide to join me? It looks like Lorelei will be by herself too. Wonder if some handsome man will join her while the two of you just sit here." Evan says, 'innocently'.

"I'm going to kill you." Luke says, glaring at the girl before heading toward the last horse. Knowing that despite what Lorelei said, she'll let everyone go first before she gets on.

"Have fun by yourself, Jess." Evan teased, turning to walk away with a smile on her face, causing Jess to groan before begrudgingly following the girl.

"I knew you'd see it my way" Evan smiles, linking their arms.

Jess rolled his eyes before looking down at the girl with a small smile, the smile falling slightly once they locked eyes with her looking up at him with that adorable smile on her face. One thing going through Jess' mind, even if it had only been a few months.
'You'd have no idea what I'd do for you'