Ten Things I Hate About You , Jess Mariano

eight. pavement kickers club

       KICKING THE PAVEMENT was becoming Sissy's favorite pastime, the picturesque streets of Stars Hallow perfectly fulfilling her needs. She was content with her scuffed up sneakers, the curb in from of Doose's, and her thoughts, which ran rapidly through her mind. She hummed softly to herself, sitting down as she kicked the curb, the satisfying squeak of the shoes hitting it filling her ears. She couldn't stop thinking; about school, about the band, about Rory, about her parents, about Jess—

She rubbed her head, the lights along the streets harsh on her tired eyes. She couldn't sleep, and Rory and Lorelai were out cold; she could go anywhere, do anything, and in peace and quiet for once. She smoothed out her jeans, extending her legs. You could hear a pin drop, and while she wasn't happy by any means, she was alright; alright with where she was, alright with who she was, alright with how silent it was—

       Only it didn't stay silent, because she heard someone call her name, the voice she'd been trying to ignore all day. "Jess, what are you doing up?" She sighed, annoyed that her silence had been interrupted. He sat down next to her, ignoring her raise eyebrows. "Why are you kicking the pavement?" She shrugged, untying her shoes, then tying them again. The two stared at the storybook streets that were dimly lit, with the moon shining down brightly on the two. She could see the lights that decorated the Stars Hallow streets illuminating his eyes — they were a deep dark chocolate brown, with little gold specks.

        Neither of them really fit in that picture. They were two storms in a town where it was always sunny, causing mass destruction, whether they want to not. The difference between them, of course, is she wanted to be painted into the picture. She wanted Stars Hallow to be home, and for the most part it was — she just would never make the town brochure Kurt brags about making. He, however, didn't care who or what he destroyed; he just kept ravaging on. He couldn't wait to get out of that stupid town, finally do whatever he wants whenever. But there he was, sitting next to Sicily Gilmore of all people, who still wouldn't go on a date with him, and he felt a lot less alone in the town where he clearly wasn't wanted.

        "I'm sorry about what I said." It just slipped out of him, surprising her almost as much as it surprised him. "Oh." Her stomach churned in an unknown feeling, something she wasn't exactly sure she could put her finger on. A huge jolt of heat ran through her body, making her look away from the boy next to her. She stared at her shoes, more scuffed then when she left her home. "Thanks," she gave him a half smile, before staring down at her shoes again, digging them into the ground.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you, it's not really my job," she admitted. He only nodded, before turning his focus to her shoes, which swung and kicked the street in perfect rhythm. "Why are you here?" He turned away for a second, which made her panic. "That was really blunt, I shouldn't have—"

       "I'm a burden to my mom, she sent me to Luke to 'straighten me out', that's it." Her eyes softened as she turned to face him, finally making that eye contact she'd avoided for days. "You're not a burden. Annoying? Maybe, but not a burden." He gave her a small smile. "Not at all." She could feel a heat creep up to her cheeks, making her turn away.

        "Please be nice to Luke, he really cares about you," she pleaded, focusing on her shoes once again. "You Gilmore's really care about Luke," he quipped, a smile growing on her face. "Well, of course, he's practically in love with Lorelai, and he's kind of like the dad Rory never had, and the one I used to have."

       "Used to?" She kicked the pavement, her smile fading slowly, but noticeably. "Lorelai's my cousin, she's my guardian technically, because my parents died, so used to have a dad, now I have a Luke." She sounded too cheery to be discussing her parents death, something that bugged him — she wasn't going to open up anytime soon ( but then again, he wasn't either ). She pursed her lips, grinding her shoe into the pavement. Her toes hurt, but she didn't care — the stinging kept her mind off everything else, plus if her toes bled, she would have bloody socks; Hella rock and roll. She pushed back her jet black hair, sighing. 

        "We're both fuckups, how fantastic," she said, her words dripping with sarcasm. This time, Jess was the one to kick the pavement, which made her smile. "See, you're getting the hang of it." He gave her a smile as the two slammed their feet against the curb, the squeaking of their shoes filling the silent streets. "You're in a band, right?" She nodded, blowing a strand of hair out of her face.

"Yeah, I play guitar and sing and write some shit," she laughed, rubbing the front of her shoes. "Cool," he muttered, staring down at his own now-scuffed sneakers. "We're basically the Stars Hallow Pavement Kickers club," she laughed, rubbing her weary eyes. He laughed, kicking the pavement once again. "It's very exclusive, you're so lucky you made the cut. I don't let just anyone destroy their toes with me."

"Gee, thanks Sicily," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. She shoved him playfully, a joking frown growing on her face. "Why do you call me Sicily, you ass?"

"Goddamn Sicily!" He muttered, rubbing his shoulder. "And for your information, it pisses you off." She rolled her eyes, which were heavy. He smiled slightly, knowing that that was a massive fucking lie — her name was pretty; It reminded him of summer, reading by a lake, and strawberries, all things that don't seem like either of them would enjoy, but somehow it just worked. A huge yawn escaped her lips, the clock striking midnight at that exact second. "You should go to bed," he cleared his throat.

"Uh yeah," she nodded, standing up. He sat there, staring at his shoes. She frowned when he didn't stand up next to her, letting out a shaky sigh. "Night, Jess," she whispered, putting her hands in her back pocket. She shifted on the ball of her feet, unsure of what to do. He just sat there, much to her dismay, barely acknowledging her, unlike he had before, but as she walked through the streets of the town that felt a little less lonely at midnight, one thought stayed, swarming her head; Maybe she didn't hate Jess Mariano at all.

authors note: shorty but sissy and jess fluff bc they're so adorable