CHERRY. [JESS MARIANO]

Cedric Diggory

That guy was smooth, I'll give him that. When I got home after going book shopping I had opened the Hemingway book Jess had given me. I was halfway though when a piece of paper slid out from between the pages.

I picked it up from where it fell on my bed sheets. It was folded in half carefully. I opened it up to see a line of numbers and a short sentences below it.

So I don't have to climb through your window anymore.

From the handwriting and it's contents, I could tell that Jess wrote this. I compared it to the notes in the margins of the books in my hand. I wanted to make sure it really was Jess and not some creep.

For some reason, I also felt pretty sad that this meant he wouldn't come through my window anymore. I thought that it was like our little secret. Nonetheless, I was glad I got his number.

I got up from my place on the bed and headed downstairs. My mum was sitting at the kitchen table with some bills in front of her. I didn't want to bother her so I took the phone from its stand and went back up the stairs.

I sat on my bed as I dialled the number. Making sure to double check so that I don't accidentally call someone else. I listened impatiently as the dial tone went on. It seemed like phone before he answered the phone.

"Hello?"

Wow. You know how people sound different on the phone? Some peoples voice get deeper or some sound like a mouse. I know for a fact that my voice sounded higher that it actually is. But Jess? It sounded as if he got 10 times more attractive.

"Hey," I finally said out when I had snapped out of whatever trance I was in.

"Cherry? Hey." I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Just thought I'd make sure you didn't give me a fake number."

I could hear him scoff on the other line. "You know I would never do that."

"Cant be too careful." I retort.

"I'm glad you called."

I sit up straight in my bed. "Why?"

"Then maybe you could tell me if my uncle was always crazy," I heard him chuckle.

"I don't even know what he did but I know that the answer is yes."

"He comes home right, goes through the store room. Takes out a goddamn sledgehammer-"

"A sledgehammer?" I exclaim.

"A sledgehammer," he confirms.

I play with a string of thread from my bedsheets. "He didn't hit you with it did he?"

"Very funny," he fake laughs. "Anyways, I'm reading the book you lent me right then-"

"Oh, how is it?" I interrupt.

"Cherry?"

"Yes?"

"Once you let me get through about what a whacko my uncle is I promise we'll talk about that."

"Fine," I grumble out.

"So I'm pretty concerned he's gonna take a swing at me. But all he does is walk past me and heads towards the wall-"

I interrupt him again. "Which wall?"

"What do you mean which wall?"

"There's four walls in a room, so which one? Is it the one by the bathroom?" I knew I was annoying him but I just kept going. It was entertaining.

"No, it's the one by the fridge."

"So the wall behind the fridge?"

"No, I said the one by the fridge not behind the fridge," I hear him let out an annoyed laugh. "I know what you're doing by the way,"

"What am I doing?" I ask innocently.

"Stop it," he says in between sighs. "Anyway, he takes a swing. At the wall. There a huge whole in the wall and there's plaster everywhere and he tells me that's my room. That's my room!"

"You're telling me, that Luke Danes took a swing at a wall with a sledgehammer and told you that's your room?" I recap.

"Exactly. He went full on Bob The Builder. Then he leaves. Just like that." He confirms. "Now I'm sitting here with the thing in my hands and a big whole in the wall."

"At least he didn't hit you with it," I try to console him.

"Anyway, where the hell did Cedric Diggory come from?"

~~~

My mum and I sat inside Luke's diner waiting for Lorelai and Rory. I didn't work on Fridays. The whole place was buzzing with noise. But not the usual chatter of people. It was buzzing with the sound of construction and yelling. There was tarps and cement everywhere.

"Do you think if I spill coffee all over my bag your grandma will buy me a new one?" My mum asks.

"Considering you're a grown woman with a job I don't think she will," I tell her honestly.

Luke comes over to us with a pot of coffee in his hands. "You can't sit here."

"Why?" My mum asks him.

"The last three people got hit in the head with a nail."

I look up at him. "But their food was okay right?"

My mum phone starts ringing. "Oh, it's the appliance store. They better have a laundry machine for us." She tells me.

Luke points to the door. "Outside."

She sends him a dirty look before heading outside. Luke grabbed two mugs before filling them up with coffee.

"You sure you want to sit here?" He asks again.

"I'll have pancakes."

Luke rolls his eyes before leaving to get my food. I notice Jess come out from behind the curtain with a blue hard hat on. He wore a grey long sleeved shirt. When he noticed me staring he gave me a small wave.

He took and umbrella that leaned by the counter. He opens it and hands it to me. "Wouldn't want to hurt that pretty head of yours," he flirts.

"Aw, Bob the builder thinks I'm pretty." I joke, referencing his hard hat as I take the umbrella from him. He sends me a smirk before leaving to do his job.

Luke notices and sends a glare to his nephew. "Boy, you are real funny. You and Tom should put an act together." He turns to me. "I'd leave it open."

Just then, my mum comes back inside with a grin on her face. "They have the machine but it's all the way in Hartford. So I'll have to spend the night." She tells me. "You think you can stay over at Rory's? Lorelai isn't in town either and you can do some of our laundry there."

Instead of answering her I beckon her closer. She looks at me skeptically before pushing her chair toward me. "Closer."

The minute she was safely under the umbrella some drywall started falling from the ceiling. It just kept coming and wouldn't stop.

"Huh, it's raining pretty heavily today."