Jess hated Stars Hollow, and he hadn’t even been there a week yet. He’d been staying with Luke, who he’d be civil to whenever pigs decided to fly, but that was a given. The other given was: Jess saw you, and he saw himself in you. You two were practically the same person.

Wack job of a mother, absent father… you name it. From what Jess observed, you had the same type of sarcastic personality, too. It was definitely… something. You’d think you’d get along, hell, the whole damned town did. You, however, assumed you’d be at each other’s throats.

And so, you never crossed paths.

Of course, Jess had found a quiet spot in town after dark — the docks near the school. He enjoyed the solitude; he was a quiet kid. Maybe, just maybe, someone like him could give him a different perspective. It was already difficult enough for Luke to deal with him, but he didn’t really know how, at least, not yet.

Anyway, Jess found a spot. That, coincidentally, also happened to be your quiet spot. You tried not to let out an exasperated sigh when you found him in your go-to spot. You knew he spotted you from the corner of his eye, like a hawk. You had no clue what to say to the kid — you’d barely crossed paths. So, you sat down next to him, keeping a respectful distance between the two of you.

From the corner of your eye, you spotted smoke exhaled from his lips. Yes, out of all things, that spiked your interest… for whatever reason. But, you didn’t speak up about it. No conversation was initiated, not even when Jess silently, after noticing your presence, handed you a fresh cigarette from his pack. It was almost as if you were used to him, although you never spoke.

Well, I do believe the little woman cares.