In the heart of Harvard, Alessia Gilmore is ready to embrace her second year and the independence it brings. After a summer spent reconnecting with friends and discovering herself, she's determined to step out of her twin sister Rory's shadow and ca...
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Alessia sat hunched over her desk, her laptop screen flooded with deadlines, open tabs, and color-coded notes. The start of the semester had barely begun, but the workload already felt like it was closing in on her, filling up every free moment with more reading, more assignments, and endless expectations.
She rubbed her temples, staring at the mountain of work that seemed impossible to climb. There was a buzzing tension in her chest, a restlessness that gnawed at her the longer she sat there. With a frustrated sigh, she closed her laptop and pushed back her chair, feeling like if she spent another minute trapped in that room, surrounded by her responsibilities, she might unravel.
Her gaze fell to her car keys on the desk. She didn't plan on driving all the way to Stars Hollow—but as she scooped up the keys and headed for the door, she realized it was exactly where she was going. She hadn't been back home in a while, and though it didn't hold the warmth it once did, she needed a change of scenery, something to break through the endless rhythm of schoolwork and pressure.
The drive was quiet, a sense of relief settling over her as the campus buildings gave way to winding roads and open skies. Stars Hollow may not have been perfect—she'd always felt those silent expectations hanging over her there too. It was where she grew up in Rory's shadow, constantly reminded of what she was supposed to be, what everyone expected her to become. But right now, it was somewhere to go, somewhere other than here.
As she pulled into the town, she slowed down, taking in the familiar streets and storefronts. Stars Hollow had always felt slower, as if time didn't move here the same way it did in the rest of the world. People lingered, chatting, moving at their own pace. It was something she both resented and missed. She took a deep breath, the kind she couldn't quite manage back at school, and just let herself be still for a moment.
The weight of her work would be waiting for her when she went back. But for now, she let herself breathe, taking in the silence and simplicity, a small escape in the place she once called home.
