Disclaimer: Nope, don't own 'em.

Rating: R

Pairing: Paris/Jess

Author's Ramblings: Okay, so this is a spin-off from my Trory fic Whatever Tomorrow Brings. This is set right after Chapter 14 of that fic and I do suggest that you read that if you haven't already to get a better understanding. Oh and please send feedback people! It's my life! LOL

Chapter 1: Different Worlds

Jess slammed his hand against his desk and then growled in frustration. Studying for his physics test was not going as smoothly as he planned and he blamed it on two girls – Rory Gilmore and Paris Gellar. The latter was the root of his problems and lack of concentration and the former was the culprit who had mentioned the latter's name and sent him into the stupid, can't-concentrate-or-do-anything-remotely-normal state of mind.

He hated girls. Well, that was untrue. He actually liked girls – he liked them a lot. Whether they were blonde, brunette or redheaded. He had kissed a lot of girls, had slept with two and had a very close and caring relationship with one.

But Rory Gilmore had been a breath of fresh air when his life had been utter hell. He still remembered the night they had met, her sparkling blue eyes and perky greeting. He had acted cool and unaffected but the truth was, he had been surprised and bowled over by her simple beauty and friendly demeanor. She was his first best, real friend who knew him inside out. Sure he had believed for a long time that he was in love with her and had actively tried to get her to return the feelings and get her away from Dean. And it had worked - for a while at least.

But kissing Rory had changed their friendship and they had both decided that they liked being friends and he never wanted to mess that up. So she went back to Dean, as much as he advised her against it, and he returned to dating girls who only mildly interested him. He had met Nancy Lanigan at the end of tenth grade and immediately fell in love with her body. They dated for a while and he liked her fine, so he wasn't devastated when she announced that she was moving. They had spent her last night in Stars Hollow in bed – the first time for the both of them. In the morning, he kissed her and wished her a happy life.

His life went on. He knew that his mother was never going to ask him to come back and in one last ditch effort; he managed to strike a bond between him and his grumpy uncle. Of course, Rory Gilmore had been the one to egg him about it and he finally gave in. Although Luke never mentioned it, and rarely ever said it, Jess knew his uncle had grown to love him and Jess returned the feelings as well as the long overdue respect.

Junior year arrived and he met Kathy Smith, a petite, gorgeous brunette who he had grown to care about a lot. They had slept together but the girl had turned out to be quite the deceiver and had cheated on him with the quarterback of Stars Hollow High's football team - nothing short of your average high-school teen drama. Kevin Williamson and Paul Stupin couldn't have scripted it better themselves.

Eventually with the help of Rory, he had gotten over another female disappointing him and had moved on, dating girls but never long enough to grow too attached. Throughout it all, Rory had been his confidante, his friend and often his conscience. And everything had been fine.

Until Paris Gellar strolled into his life.

The first time he had seen her was at the dinner at Lorelai's inn when he had first moved to Stars Hollow but he had been too caught up in the drastic change in his life to notice her. Rory had mentioned her on again, off again friendship with the dirty blonde but Jess had simply been amused. Seeing Paris at Rory's a few days ago – really seeing her, for the first time had thrown him more than he could have known.

Paris Gellar was not a supermodel like Kathy or Nancy. And she didn't have Rory's fresh beauty. But her wide brown eyes, modest clothes and nervous habits had somehow stirred something more deeply in Jess than any other girl he knew. He was attracted to her, although he didn't know why. Somehow he knew, that there was something in Paris that people skipped over – something like a hidden treasure that only the person with the map could discover.

He felt like he had the map.

Jess was an observer by nature, noticing things about people that they were probably unaware of themselves. Rory told him that it was a gift. Luke respected his uncanny ability. Even Lorelai begrudgingly admitted that he was one of the most perceptive people she knew. And he had noticed Paris Gellar's mesmerizing brown eyes, shy smile, blithering speech patterns and hot determination to get whatever it was she wanted.

Grumbling, Jess ran a hand through his hair and flopped down on his bed, throwing an arm over his eyes and wondering when it was he became so messed up that he could barely think about anything else but some stupid girl with pretty eyes.

At first, he told Rory and himself that the only reason he wanted Paris was to see if he could bed her. From what the brunette had told him about the object of his desire, Paris Gellar had a one-track mind about Harvard and getting there. She did little else than study and Rory had often complained that Paris was like a robot and had a very large stick shoved up her butt. When Jess had seen Paris, he challenged himself to mess up with her oh-so-perfectly planned out life.

He turned to his side and stared at the wall, wondering why his uncle had to paint it such a bleak, dull, cream color.

But his date with her had changed everything. The two of them lived in separate worlds and he was given his much needed reality check.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"Paris Olivia Gellar!" a woman screamed from the bottom of the stairwell. Paris scowled at her mother's voice. Angrily, the dirty blonde slammed her English textbook close and stalked out of her room. She marched to the top of the stairs and glared at her mother. The older woman, dressed in a jungle green evening gown looked at her daughter disapprovingly. "You're not dressed!"

"I told you I'm not coming," Paris returned darkly.

Renee Gellar shook her head in disappointment and hooked her gold earring to her lobe. Her face reddened and she huffed. "Fine, don't come. You have pathetic social skills and they're never going to improve if you don't socialize. But if all you want to do is sit in this house by yourself and mope, then be my guest."

"It's my life!" Paris yelled as she came down the stairs. "And maybe I don't want people skills. Maybe I want to stay here and focus on more important things like an education. Lord knows we all can't be like you, Mother!"

Renee's eyes widened and she was about to lift her hand and strike her daughter. Paris flinched and waited for her mother's hand across her cheek, but it never came as the blonde controlled her anger and merely glared furiously at her daughter. "Do whatever it is you want, Paris. I'm sick and tired of you and your life."

As her mother walked away, Paris controlled her emotions just like she had been taught to. Her face was red and her scowl darkened but this mask was just concealing what was inside. What she really wanted to do was scream, thrown something and then run up to her room and cry until she fell asleep.

But she wasn't raised to do that. And Paris Gellar didn't cry. Not for anyone.

Taking in a few deep breaths and steeled her nerves. Slowly, she made her way back to her room and sat down at her desk. But instead of opening her book and finishing her homework, she stared at the cover and let her thoughts drift to a certain dark-haired boy that had walked into her life a few days ago.

She hated the way she felt around Jess because it made her think about all her shortcomings and inexperience around the opposite sex. She had spent six disastrous years hopelessly infatuated with Tristan DuGrey and all of it had ended ugly. Outside, she blamed Rory but deep down she knew that the other girl only had the purest intentions at heart.

Of course, Rory Gilmore was perfect. She had the perfect mother, perfect friends, perfect boyfriend and perfect little life right in the heart of Stars Hollow. The whole quirky town worshipped her and it seemed like she could do no wrong. To top everything off, Rory was just one of those people that you hated to like and respect and admire.

So naturally Paris focused on the hate when Rory first enrolled in Chilton and the whole Tristan/PJ Harvey debacle gave her more fuel to add to the blazing, envious fire. But Rory had a tendency to use an extinguisher and quell Paris' hate with a simple witty remark or kind gesture, like helping her with her date with Tristan and the Bracebridge Dinner. But throughout it all, Paris had kept her distance not letting her in completely – to avoid the risk of getting hurt.

After all, it was the way she was raised. No real emotional bonds, aloof parents, no real friends and of course no boyfriend.

But she had managed. She threw herself into her schoolwork hoping to get into Harvard so she could make her parents' proud and to get their attention. That's how it had started anyway. But then she wanted to go to Harvard because she wanted to get out of her father's house and make it big in the world  - by herself. Sure, the Gellar name would probably do a lot for her chances to get in but Paris only saw that as a means to an end. She didn't care about her family name. She didn't care about her family.

Letting out a frustrated growl, she flung herself on her bed and buried her face in the pillows. But she didn't cry. Lifting her face, she stared at the phone on her side table and wondered if she would be the world's greatest loser if she called Jess.

It's clear that he doesn't want to see you again, Gellar, her conscience reminded. Not after the way he hightailed out of here. She had replayed the night in her head a million times wondering what it was that she had done wrong that made Jess bolt so awkwardly from the mansion when he had dropped her off. And you even wished the night would end with a kiss. One that you could dream about forever.

Dreams were for frivolous, high school girls who were headed nowhere in life.

Maybe she wasn't Jess' type. She knew that he had been into Rory for a while. And she was sure that someone like him had dated and probably slept with a couple hundred girls already. Bad boys were always like that. What was she thinking? How was she supposed to live up to gorgeous supermodels and Rory Gilmore?

Hello, been there and done that with Tristan!

Besides, even if it wasn't anything she did and even if she hadn't misinterpreted Jess' interest in her, she couldn't possibly make it work with him. She knew nothing about dating, making out and sex. Jess was experienced in all of them and he had probably already gotten tired of her.

Jess was apart of a different world and she could have no place in it.

Not matter how badly she wanted to.

She couldn't stand the rejection or the humiliation of not being enough. Not ever again.