Other Girls of Gilmore Girls: The Lindsay Lister Story

Chapter 11

View Along: S3 E19 Keg! Max!

Rory Gilmore was going to Yale. Not only did she get into Harvard, but she also got into Yale and ended up choosing it. Stars Hollow was buzzing with the news of both Yale and Rory's mom's work burning down. Rory's mom worked at one of the nearby inns, and as we were trapped listening to multiple Poes, the inn caught fire. I had probably just as much smoke coming out of me as the inn did. So much for being peaceful.

I logged into my Blogger account and the comments on the last post rolled down the page. People liked this. It was easy to keep going:

||||     His other, past, girl was a Spartan and she was destined to return to Sparta. No matter what part of her I thought was better than me, he thought all of me was better than her. I only had to avoid her until she left. Get those daggers of her eyes off my man. ||||

The post rolled out of my fingers and onto the screen. I let out all the Rory details I had been fuming over, and my peace returned. I looked at the computer screen and imagined all the people who were interested in this. All the people that liked my Athenian girl, who had become an overlay for myself.

Dean invited me over because his parents were going to be gone for the afternoon, and I had to his "post" on this blog and get over to his place. Recently he had overcome his reservations about touching my bare skin, and with his parents being gone I knew I could lift my shirt up and over my head and toss it clear across the room instead of having to work around it in awkward ways. I grabbed a purse and ran to Dean's.

"Are we going to Kyle's party," I asked him as he kissed my neck. "We never decided, did we."

Enough people were talking about Kyle's party that I knew I wanted to be seen at it, but at the same time, I knew Lane's band was playing, and since Lane was Rory's best friend she was certain to be there.

I pulled my pink sweater back over my head. "Should I change?"

"You can wear whatever you want, Lindsay, because it's your face that's the best part."

I rolled my eyes. He was sweet but laying it on thick. "I don't want to stop at home, so I'm wearing this." Dean was still laying down, and he held his hand out. "Come here," he called, and I flopped back down next to him. "I forgot to ask you earlier, but do you want to go to the prom?"

"With you or someone else," I giggled. "Yeah, let's go to the prom."

"Ok, but that you should change for."

I smacked his arm and checked the time. "Let's get to Kyle's."

***

There were so many people at Kyle's house that I knew from school, and a bunch of people I didn't know. How did Kyle get to know all these people? And of course, Rory was there. At least this time she had Jess with her. I was starting to think he had left town or something; I hadn't seen him in school in forever, and he was never with Rory for all her other magical appearances. Whatever. She waved and I waved back.

When Lane's band was getting ready to play, everyone seemed to push their way into the living room to watch them. "Getting crowded," I observed, and Dean gestured that we should move somewhere else, so I followed him. Kyle was in the kitchen saying something about the difference between hand towels and dish towels, but no one seemed to listen. "Hand towels are for hands!" I shouted to him, so he knew someone else understood. "See?" Kyle signaled to me. "She gets it."

"Can I tell you that these months have been the best ever?" Dean asked, staring me straight in the eyes. I told him I wouldn't stop him. "Isn't it weird that we are going to graduate soon?" I told him it was a little surreal. "I'm glad I'm getting to start adulthood with you, Lindsay Lister. I finally feel like we are getting there." Then he leaned into my ear and in a low voice said: "I love you."

That's what it was. That's what I had been feeling this whole time. The awe and the urgency. The excitement and the attachment. "Oh my wow. I love you too! I do!"

Dean grabbed my hand and took me to the back porch so we could kiss in private. I slid my hands into his back pockets to keep them from wandering and he did the same. After, the band had finished playing and we went around saying hi to all of our friends. This included Rory, who looked both sweet and sad at the same time. She asked if I liked Lane's band.

"Sure," I said before confessing I hadn't heard of many of the songs they played. This was true because the first few songs I didn't know and the last several songs I couldn't hear because I was outside with Dean. I shrugged. Dean looked to me and referred to Rory as a music freak, and when she agreed I had to laugh. It was only a little funny, but I liked that Dean protected me in that moment, and I still had his I love you floating around us like a forcefield.

I told her the music I did like, and Jess let out a disgusted sound that cut right through my forcefield. My entire being closed up, and my eyes went straight to the ground. How could she be with him? Was he always like that? I realized he was trying to hurt me, and who was he? Nothing compared to me, especially when I had Dean next to me, so I could handle anything. I lifted up my eyes and said: "You used to go to our school," knowing that he had been missing for so long that he probably dropped out. Which is worse? Liking Matchbox Twenty or dropping out of high school?

Rory looked confused. "He still goes," she said, but now it was Jess' turn to look at the ground. Dean had my back as he replied, "Really? I haven't seen you around much." Jess made up an excuse to leave, and Dean led me away by the hand. I looked over my shoulder as Rory was left standing alone.

I hadn't always gone to parties in the past, even though I had been invited before. I just never wanted to feel awkward or not have someone to talk to. Abby was great for staying by my side most of the time, but Dean was phenomenal. We talked to what felt like every person at that party, and he was always with me, asking if I was ok, holding my hand, and including me in conversations. We went from room to room and up the stairs and down the stairs. In the bathroom line, out on the porch, and then back inside. Taking in all the people, all the fun, and sending out our radiating glow of happiness. "I'm going to the bathroom," I told Dean and made my way back to the line.

When I finally made it both in and out of the bathroom, the house was different. People were yelling, things were knocked over, and I couldn't find Dean. "You see Dean?" I asked Abby. "He is fighting Jess!" she yelled a little too excitedly, as she kept trying to stand taller and taller on her toes to see around the crowd. "Fighting Jess?" I tried to push my way through the house without getting knocked over myself, and when I made it out the front door the police had pulled up. "Dean?"

Dean was standing there, his hair a mess, blood on his face, and rage puffed out of him with each breath. Jess was walking away. "Dean?" I asked again.