Lucille in Stars Hollow

Uninvited

"So, Lorelai? How is that...charming inn of yours?" Emily asked, while we were eating dinner.

"It's fine. Christmastime is our busy season so we're booked—," Lorelai started.

"How is Chilton, Rory?" Emily cut in. I looked at Lorelai. She was rolling her eyes and I heard her murmur, "No, Mom, I've been talking too much about myself," sarcastically.

"What did you say, Lorelai?"

"Nothing, Mom," Lorelai sighed, picking at the vegetables on her plate.

To interrupt the silence, Rory answered Emily's question. "School's great, Grandma!"

"That's good. Lucy, how is Stars Hollow High?" I heard Emily ask, but I was too busy staring into space.

"Lucy? Lucy!" Emily continue to say.

"Huh? Sorry, what did you ask?" I said, popping back into reality. Everyone was looking at me, except for Richard, who looked like he was having a telepathic conversation with the food.

"How was school?"

I shrugged. "It's doing what it's supposed to do."

"Lorelai, is she sleeping? She looks tired," Emily pestered. I was tired. I had been studying a lot and talking to Leo or Lisa until almost midnight. But clearly Lorelai wasn't going to say that.

She opened her mouth, but Richard spoke instead.

"Emily, leave the girl alone. She's probably up studying all night," he said, still looking down at his food. Emily was quiet after that, but I knew what she was thinking.

She wouldn't be tired if she still lived here.

"Your assignment tonight is to read twenty pages of Pride and Prejudice, then write a two hundred worded paragraph by Wednesday," said Mr. Thompson, shutting close Pride and Prejudice on his desk. Just then, the bell rang.

"Do you want to read together?" I turned around and asked Lisa. She shrugged.

"Sure. Can we go to your house?"

"Yeah," I said, standing up and packing my bag.

"Lucy?"

Yeah?" I turned around and saw Dean. "Hi, Dean. What do you want?"

"I have to go home, so can you give this to Rory?" He asked, holding out a book: Jane Eyre. "She gave it to me to read, but I didn't finish it—tell her I did though."

I nodded. "Sure thing!" I took the book from him and packed into my bag.

"Thanks," he said, walking away.

"Where's Leo?" I asked, walking out of the classroom.

"He has an appointment after school," Lisa answered, holding the school door open for me. Why did she know where Leo was and I didn't? That was odd. It didn't matter though.

"Okay. Wait, we have to get Rory," I remembered, as we started to head home.

"We have to get her? Lucy, she's not a child, she can walk home alone."

"I mean, I am the older twin...I just like walking home with her," I explained, waving my hand as Rory exited the bus. Even though I couldn't see her, I felt Lisa rolling her eyes. She was feeling very moody this month. Sometimes, I even got vibes that she was somehow jealous of me.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Nothing much," Rory said. "How about you?"

"Fine. Dean finished Jane Eyre. He asked me to give it to you," I lied, giving her the book from my bag.

"He didn't finish it, did he?"

"Nope, not even close," I laughed.

"Um, Lucy, I think I'm just going to go home. Bye," Lisa whispered, making me remember she was even here.

"Bye?" I said, questionably. That was weird. Something was definitely up, but I would worry about that later.

"I'm hungry, let's go to Luke's," Rory stated, taking my hand and dragging me to the diner.

"Careful, we'll get hit by a car," I warned.

"If a car was going fast enough to hit us, they would be in big trouble with Taylor," Rory pointed out. I laughed. It was true.

"Okay, let go of my hand," I ordered, shaking my sister off of me. When we got in, I saw Luke glaring at Lorelai, who was yelling at someone into the phone, assumably Emily.

"Mom, you don't get it. I want to go to the party, I just would get there later...now you're uninviting me?!"

I looked at Rory, who was sighing.

We went to the counter and sat down next to Lorelai.

"Can you get your mom out of here?" Luke asked, pointing to the sign.

"Calm down, she'll be done in a moment," I barked at him.

"Whatever, I didn't want to go anyway!" Lorelai yelled, then she hung up the phone.

"Well, you two are going to the Christmas Dinner by yourselves now."

"What happened?" Rory asked, giving our mother her danish, which she nibbled on like a squirrel.

"I told her that I would get there later and she thought that meant I didn't want to come, so she uninvited me," Lorelai sighed dramatically. "Will you two bring me back an apple tart?"

"Of course," we said like she went through something terrible and we had to support her.

"Lucy, Rory, time to go!" Lorelai yelled. I ran out of my room, putting my shoe over my heel.

"Coming!" Rory yelled.

"Already here," I added, jokingly.

"Promise you'll have a horrible time and that you'll bring me a tart back?"

I nodded. "Maybe I'll bring two tarts."

"Oh, now you're being saintly," Lorelai said.

"Okay, lets go. I'm ready. Keys," Rory reminded Lorelai as we began to walk out.

Lorelai hovered the keys over my hand. "I don't know who I trust more...Lucy." She dropped the keys in my hand. "Drive safe!"

"We will!" Rory yelled over her shoulder.

Once we were out of sight, I turned to Rory. "Here. Keys." I gave the keys to her. She was a lot more better a driving.