Disclaimer: Before this begins, I hope it's clear to all of you that I do not own Gilmore Girls.

IN SOCIETY

1. FRIEND

Dreams are to remain in the confines of your own psyche.

It was doubtful that anything beyond the horizon could be considered a 'possibility'. All possibilities were to remain in the trees, the buildings, and the people around him. Jess didn't need to rely on dreams or what-if's; his future had already been weaved by the Fates, it was already written in the stars. To rely on such matters meant to leave his sphere, and going beyond this almost-unreal bubble could prove problematic. He belonged here and no where else.

As a kid, he once dreamed of venturing off to the 'big cities' around the world and getting that 'dream career'. However, it was almost pitiful to think that he could actually have what he truly desired; the fact that his parents were wealthy socialites and owners of the biggest marketing company on the east coast was the dream crusher. His family and their status, their connections, and their business all made up the pole that he was tethered to by a short leash. His life was laid out for him; much like man's best friend.

He was to go to the best schools, attend the most important soirées so he could (when the time was right of course) become the new owner of the biggest marketing company on the east coast. It was a vicious circle; once he came to reach his destiny his children would do the same when it was their time. It was like man's best friend was now chasing after its own tail.

It wasn't exactly what he wanted; but at least he'd have money. That was what he began to tell himself anyway as early as age six. Money could buy happiness.

The self-absorbed thoughts that he inherited from his parents and their parents before them made him quite the sadist. It wasn't really his fault; it was, after all, all he had known. That was the problem with sending him to an elitist high school in Hartford; they were all just like him and there was no way to prove that everyone else in the world wasn't the same.

-----

Jess' life proved to be uneventful. That's how he pictured it, anyway. Sure, there had been plenty of events; his mother Elizabeth Mariano planned them all the time! They had involved their closest 'friends' including the teenagers he had been hanging out with since birth, as well as his dad's business partners.

He really didn't find these functions particularly interesting and would much rather have hidden in the study or in his room reading a Hemmingway but like his dad always said, "To be in charge of the people, you have to know the people". Apprehensively, he sulked around the downstairs of their larger than life house drifting from person to person with a fake smile plastered over his face. Whenever he got the chance, he would hide behind one of the servers with the trays full of 'gourmet' cheese and hastily look for one of his friends.

A room near the rear of the house seemed to always be reserved for Jess' friends to mingle. Jess once tried to explain to his mother that in order for him to be a proper host, he should be in that particular room to mingle with them. It made sense in his mind, and to any other sane person. However, Jess had concluded long ago that his parents were crazy and was not surprised when his mother told him that he was to remain in the room with his future business partners.

Once in the room designated for his friends, he spotted a lanky blonde girl sitting on the arm of a loveseat. The loveseat had nobody sitting on it, so he thought it was strange that she chose to sit on the arm. As she spotted him looking at her, he smirked and she beckoned him over. With a few strides he was standing next to her, she had stood up and her arms were already looped around his neck.

Before any kind of greeting she attacked his lips fervently with her own and he was soon to respond after placing his hands gently on her hips. Eyes closed, he licked her bottom lip in a request for entry which was immediately given. Moments later they parted, arms still wrapped tightly around each other.

He watched as she harshly opened her powder blue-covered eye lids. A smile came to her face when she saw him grinning back at her. "Hey. You got out of hell I see."

"Looks like it. Any moment now and they'll realize I've gone missing." He removed his arms from around her and grabbed her hand, leading her to the loveseat behind them where he piled her on his lap.

"Oh. You should go back then." She looked down to her feet that were delicately placed in designer pumps. Her toes had been painted with precision.

Jess simply shrugged. "If I'm going anywhere it's to my room to finish my book."

"We could go up to your room to do something else if you want." There was a lustful, devilish look in her eyes and Jess couldn't help but put on one of those fake smiles that he had mastered.

"I don't really feel like it, Caitlyn." That was all he said before loosening his tie, standing up and walking back towards the big room with his hands in his pocket. With his back still turned to her he added one more thing, "We're done now."

He had been dating Caitlyn for about a month. That of course was an approximate estimate as he really didn't care too much for her and still didn't know her last name. Then again, he didn't really care too much about anyone. Not his father, not his mother; he did, however, have a liking for their cook; he liked that he could go down to the kitchen at any hour of the day and eat a gourmet meal. Not that he liked gourmet meals, or ever did go down to the kitchen at any hour of the day; he liked the fact that he could and therefore had a liking for the cook.

This particular event that his mother was hosting wasn't really to make more business plans. It was more of a 'Back to School' thing for Jess and his friends. But, like always, it turned into something business related. Seeing the coast was clear of his parents as he entered the bigger room, he darted up the stairs and swiftly into his room.

-----

He watched as the guests began to leave from his private balcony. Cigarette in hand he blew smoke in the air and pretended he was blowing it in each and every one of their faces. It seemed that his parents hadn't noticed he disappeared. He almost wished they did though; he wanted an excuse to stop his thoughts about the things he wanted out of life.

Ten minutes before, Caitlyn had come upstairs and knocked gently on his door to say good-bye. Instead he pretended that he wasn't in his room and stayed as silent as he could before she finally went away. Nine minutes ago he saw Caitlyn leaving his house. She looked up at his balcony and saw him standing there. From what he could see, she looked somewhat hurt as he just stared back at her with a stoic expression before blowing out a puff of smoke. He was currently on his third cigarette since she left.