𝙑𝙄𝘾𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙞𝙊𝙐𝙎 | 𝙂𝙞𝙡𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨

05 •

AS TORI WATCHED HER SISTER, RORY AND THEIR MOTHER..  At the diner, a sense of unease washed over her. From afar, she had witnessed an awkward encounter between Rory and a new boy, but had decided to stay out of it. Now, seeing the tension between her she felt compelled to intervene. Tori's voice cut through the silence. "Okay, what's up?" But her question went unanswered as Lorelai and Rory continued to pick at their food..

"So, you were late getting home tonight," Lorelai said, her voice strained.

"Yeah, I went to the library," Rory replied, her eyes downcast.

Lorelai's tone softened. "Oh. Oh, I forgot to tell you, we're having dinner with your grandparents tomorrow night."

"We are?" Rory asked, surprise evident in her voice.

Tori couldn't help but interject. "Wait, tomorrow is Friday?" No, why? Why Friday that was her nights with her grandparents.. Just her!

Lorelai nodded. "Mmhmm." Tori took a bug chuck of lettuce in her mouth annoyed at what she heard.

"But it's September," Tori said. "What holiday's in September?" Rory looked at her mother and nodded with agreement to her sisters question.

Lorelai sighed. "Look, it's not a holiday thing. It's just dinner, okay?"

Tori voice grew defiant. "Fine, sorry."

Tori watched as the Luke brought their main courses to the table. "Red meat can kill you," He muttered before leaving.

Lorelai turned to Rory. "So, Rory, I finished hemming your skirt today."

Tori noticed Rory's lack of response.

"A grunt of acknowledgment might be nice,"  Lorelai said, her voice laced with sarcasm. Tori couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and walked over to the counter, where Luke poured her a cup of coffee. As she sat down, she observed there interactions with a heavy heart...

Rory's voice rose again. "I don't understand why we're going to dinner tomorrow night. I mean, what if I had plans? You didn't even ask me."

Lorelai's voice grew sharp. "Well, if you had plans, I would have known."

"How?" Rory challenged.

"Well, you would have told me," Lorelai replied.

"I don't tell you everything," Rory said, her voice trembling. "I have my own things."

Lorelai's voice hardened. "Fine, you have things."

"That's right," Rory said, her voice defiant. "I have things."

"Hey, I had dibs on being the bitch tonight," Lorelai said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Just tonight?" Rory asked, her voice laced with anger.

Lorelai's voice grew louder. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Rory's voice broke. "I'm not sure I want to go to Chilton."

Lorelai's heart thumped in her chest, a frantic rhythm that mirrored the chaos swirling in her mind. "What?"
"The timing is just really bad," Rory had said, her voice laced with concern. "And the bus ride to and from Hartford, it's like thirty minutes each way."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing."

"Plus, Its not fair if, I can't go and Tori can't"

"She is going to Chilton! A another spot opened yesterday afternoon." Lorelai had declared, her voice firm but trembling. Tori's eyes had widened in surprise, then lit up with excitement.

"I am?" she had asked, her voice barely a whisper. Lorelai had nodded, and Tori had thrown her arms around her mother, burying her face in her chest. Rory, however, had simply smiled, a fleeting flicker of joy before her face fell.

"I don't think we should be spending that money right now," Rory had said, her voice quiet but resolute. "I mean, I know Chilton's got to be costing you a lot, especially now there's two of us going"

Lorelai's throat tightened. "Oh, you have no idea,"  she had said, her voice cracking...

"All of your money should be going toward buying an inn with Sookie," Rory had continued, her eyes fixed on the table.

"What about college? What about Harvard and Yale?" Lorelai had countered, her voice a desperate plea.

"We don't know that we can't get into Harvard and Yale if I stay where we are"

"But it's Chilton" Tori says looking at her sister glaring, Rory looked at her and looked down.

"Okay, enough," Lorelai had finally snapped, her patience wearing thin. "Enough of the crazy talk, okay? I appreciate your concern but I have this covered."

"I still don't want to go," Rory had mumbled, her gaze fixed on the floor.

'l"Why?" Lorelai and Tori had asked in unison, their voices filled with confusion.

"Because I don't," Rory had replied, her voice barely audible.

"I have to get out of here," Lorelai had whispered, her voice choked with emotion. She stood up, taking Tori's hand, and started to leave.

"We have to pay first," Rory had reminded her, her voice devoid of any warmth. Lorelai had dropped some money on the table, her hand trembling. She linked her arm with Tori's, and they walked out of the diner, the weight of Rory's words hanging heavy in the air. As they walked down the street,

The hayride wagon lumbered past, a kaleidoscope of autumn colors and excited chatter. But in the back, sandwiched between two Korean boys, Lane Kim sat slumped, her face a mask of misery. She stared blankly ahead, the rhythmic clatter of the wagon wheels a monotonous soundtrack to her despair.

Inside the brightly lit dance studio, Miss Patty, her face aglow with a perpetual stage-mom enthusiasm, led a class of little girls through a waltz. "One-two-three. One-two-three. One-two-three. It's a waltz, ladies," she chirped, her voice a melodic counterpoint to the clinking of tap shoes. "Susie, do you have to tinkle? Then uncross your legs, darling," Miss Patty instructed, her eyes darting around the room. Her gaze settled on Rory, who stood awkwardly by the doorway. "Oh, Rory, good. I think I found a job for your male friend."

Lorelai, who had been trailing Rory, stopped abruptly, her eyebrows shooting up. "What male friend?"

Tori, who had been silently observing the exchange, tilted her head, a faint smile playing on her lips. The pieces were falling into place. Rory had met a boy, and now she was suddenly reconsidering Chilton. It all made sense. "They need a stock boy at the supermarket," Miss Patty continued, oblivious to the tension building in the air. "I already talked to Taylor Doose about him. You just send him around tomorrow."

"Okay, thanks," Rory mumbled, her eyes fixed on the floor.

"What male friend?" Lorelai repeated, her voice laced with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.

"Oh, he's very cute," Miss Patty gushed, her gaze briefly lingering on Rory. "You have good taste."

Miss Patty turned back to her students, her voice rising again as she instructed, "Hands in the air, not in the nose." Rory, unable to bear the scrutiny any longer, turned and started walking quickly down the street. Lorelai, still clutching Tori's arm, followed, her pace quickening.

"Did you know about this, make friend?"

"Don't get me involved in this" Lorelai, playfully rolls her eyes, still clutching Tori's arm, followed, Rory's fast pace.

"Oh, you're gonna have to walk faster than that," Lorelai said, her voice a mix of amusement and urgency. "You're gonna have to turn into friggin' Flo Jo to get away from me."