BLANK SPACE ; jess mariano

xᴠɪɪ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴍᴀʀᴀᴛʜᴏɴ

SAGE heard her heels tap against the ground as she walked up to the auditorium. Everyone around her was sipping coffee and yawning, the dark circles under their eyes standing out. She saw Rory and Lorelai stroll in. Rory had her hair in an up-do and it was curled in ringlets. She also had a rose spotted dress on. Lorelai's hair was also curled and her dress was a navy halter neck. Sage was wearing a suede sepia pinafore with a striped top underneath. She passed the Kim's sandwich stall and Lane tossed one at her, allowing her not to pay and winking to her. The dressing room was packed as Sage peeked in. Women were spraying hairspray into their hair and buckling up their shoes and men tightening their ties and polishing their shoes. She walked into the auditorium to find Miss Patty and Taylor frantically trying to find to the wire for the microphone. She chuckled slightly at the frenzied two before sliding along the glossy bench.
"Oh my god, you actually wore that?" a familiar voice came into audible distance.
"Shut up, you actually wore that?" Sage joked as the boy moved down the bench to meet her, "Where's Shane?"
"Getting coffee." Jess answered, motioning to the frizzy blonde paying Luke, who was thankfully monitoring the coffee stall.
"You want some?" Jess asked his friend, who gratefully nodded.
"Hey Shane!" he shouted, his voice ricocheting off the walls. She turned with a grin,
"Get Sage some coffee, babe." Shane turned, biting her tongue, as she payed for only two coffees and rushed back to Jess.
"Shane, where's Sage's coffee?" Shane sighed.
"Sorry, that's what you said? Sorry Sage." Shane responded, putting on a blasé act.
"That's okay." Sage hopped down the stairs and grabbed herself some coffee. She glanced up to Jess and Shane and saw Shane whispering to Jess.
"Why did you choose to sit next to her?" Shane hissed.
"Because, she's my friend."
"But what about what her crazy mother said?" Shane's eyes flickered from her boyfriend to Sage. Jess shook his head, feeling utterly annoyed at Shane.
"What's the matter?" she questioned.
"You're so.." Jess stopped himself from speaking.
"Ugh." Shane grunted before Sage ran up the steps.
"Got my coffee." she said, holding it up to show the two.
"Hmm." Jess smiled, narrowing his eyes at Shane.
"Ooh, it's starting!" Sage bounced on the bench excitedly.

"How long is this thing going on.." Sage wearily muttered.
"I don't know." Shane was already asleep, strewn across the bench.
"Well, it's really boring." Sage absentmindedly rested her head on Jess' shoulder. Jess stared down at the girl's fluttering eyelids as she drifted off to sleep. He raised a shaky hand to her hair and stroked it calmly, not really knowing what he was doing.

"Do you have nothing better to do
than sit inside a gymnasium all day staring at a dance marathon?" Rory's voice came into hearing distance as Sage woke up.
"I wouldn't direct any sort of
comment toward me if I were you." Jess' voice seemed awfully close, "I'm just trying to support my town." the tired girl still refused to open her eyes.
"Good, then go back to New York." she heard Rory retort.
"Zing. I've been snapped."
"You think you're bugging me sitting
in front of me staring like that?" Sage raised her head from Jess' shoulder, although he shoved it back down and whispered into her hair 'go back to sleep'.
"No.." she said, still half asleep and trying to sit up sleep.
"You think you're bugging me dancing
in front of me staring like that?" Jess shouted.
"I'm not staring at you. Why don't you explain why Sage is asleep on you?" Sage rubbed her eyes as Jess flexed his muscles.
"Oh come on now.."
"Whatever, like I give a crap. I'm dancing anyway, I can't control where my glance goes. And the few moments I can control it, it goes to Dean, not you."
"What's going on?" Sage queried, her throat filled with that burning sensation you feel when you just wake up.
"So, you have to can't control yourself when you look at me, but you have to force yourself to look at him?" Jess scoffed at Dean, looking him straight in the eye, "Sorry man, that's cold."
"Stop fighting guys!" Sage screamed, still unclear of what was happening. Jess and Rory folded their arms as they turned away from eachother.
"Jess, what happened?" Sage pondered, letting her chin drop on Jess shoulder.
"It's okay Sage." Jess hushed her.

Sage was surprised to find she had fallen asleep again. And yet, still, she was welcomed by the raised voices of Jess and Rory.
"If you're not gonna participate, then why don't you just leave?" Sage could just make out Rory's inexplainable body language as her eyelashes fluttered.
"No. I'm going to sit here as long as I like and do whatever I like, and if you don't like it? Just ignore me and pay attention to your boyfriend." Sage really forced herself to sit up without falling with her un-coffee filled soul and tired body.
"Sorry, she can't." Dean spoke up, "I'm not her boyfriend anymore."

longer chapter but only bc i love jage <3