y/n - gilmore girls

7

The bell rings at Luke's, and a door shuts aggressively. I slump onto a stool at the far end of the counter, and my Dad pushes a mug down the counter towards me.
"And this is...?" I stare at the mug.
"Tea. It's good for you." He mutters, writing on his ordering pad.
"My point exactly." I get up and go to the coffee pot.
"You can have this." I push the mug to someone who's just ordered tea, and pour a fresh to-go cup of coffee.
"Hey, where you going?" Dad sticks his head out from the kitchen.
"Somewhere where your presence doesn't linger!" I say loudly as I walk out.
"She's got her mother's sass, I'll give her that." Miss Patty compliments as I cross street, looking out the window at me.

***

"Hey, Michel have you seen my mom?"
"She's on the phone to her mother, and wants you to give her a mild gunshot wound." Michel says, not looking up from the guest list he's flicking through.
"Oh boy." I mutter, tapping my nails on the counter before heading to the kitchen, where I'd expect to find her.
"No, Mom it's really fine! No, Mom I really don't need you to set me up with anyone I'm with Luke! We're not roommates, we have a 14 year old kid!" She shouts down the phone before hanging up.
"Emily?"
"Emily." She confirms. "You want coffee?" She walks to the coffee machine and pours herself a mug.
"I'm good." I hold up the paper cup I got from Luke's.
"Oh, so you finally talked to your dad, huh?"
"Well, there's no coffee in the house and I wanted to ask Lane where River was, but she wasn't there."
"How'd it go?" Mom pulls a face to suggest that it went awfully.
"He gave me tea, I gave it away, I got this, I left." I say.
"A relationship every little girl dreams of having with her father."
"I think so too."
"So, whatcha doing today?" Mom pulls up two stools from the corner of the room and we sit down.
"Parker's meeting me, River and her secret boyfriend and Luke's and we're hanging out around the Hollow for a few hours."
"Luke's? Wow, pulling out all the stops. Sounds like a cute date anyhow."
"Well, I like it when he's mad, it feels... normal. And it's not a date, it's 'Convince Spencer that River's not into all the Korean boys her mom sets her up with' day." I toss my empty cup into a trash can.
"Ah, my favourite kind of day." Mom smiles, sipping from her cup.

***

"River!" I call across the town square, and we run towards each other and engulf each other in an enormous hug.
"Long time no see! How was Florida? How did you even get there? What did your Mom say?" I ask her loads of questions at once.
"Woah, slow down. Florida was AMAZING, I flew? I'm kidding we were in a flying object, and I told her I was in Hartford."
"For two months?" I ask, shocked.
"Two months?!" Spencer, her secret non-Korean boyfriend interrupts, slinging an arm around her shoulders.
"Hey, Spencer, how you been?" Parker walks up behind me and hits Spencer in a brotherly way on the shoulder.
"I've been good, you?"
The boys casually chat, and my eyes flicker over to the diner. Inside, I see Lorelai and Luke... arguing? No, they couldn't be.
Luke seems to shout something before walking off, and Lorelai just bursts into tears, by what I can see. A small crowd of Patty, Babette, Kirk, Sookie and a few others form around her, but she pulls out her phone. As soon as she puts it to her ear, mine starts to ring.
"I have to get this." I mutter, and walk away from the group in a panic.
"Mom?"
"I-I..."
"Mom what is it?"
"Luke... I-I messed up."
"What? Is Rory there?"
"She's with Christopher."
"Wha-What happened?"
"It's over. We're done."
Mom breaks down on the phone and I swear I see her fall onto Sookie's shoulder.
"Oh my god." I mutter to myself and the call ends, when she drops her phone.
"What's up?" River asks, as I freeze up in shock.
"My parents broke up." I say, in disbelief.
"What?!" She walks a few steps over to me.
"Why?" Spencer asks.
"I-I don't know." I shuffle my feet in the pile of frozen winter leaves beneath my feet. I look back over at the diner. Mom's alone now, and sat at a table with Dad. I walk a little closer.
"Y/n/n?" Parker warns, "I wouldn't get involved at the moment."
"They're my parents! Not yours! Stay out of it!" I scream at him, and edge closer to the diner, until I'm at the door. My parent's can't see me, so I take a deep breath and try to relax. A huge wave of confusion and anger comes over me, and I barge through the door, forgetting my previous state of mind.
"How could you, Lorelai? Why didn't you tell me? He wasn't even in town that long!" Dad keeps his voice quiet, but is evidently fuming.
"I don't know." Mom mutters.
"Wh-what? Mom?" Tears brim in my eyes, and my parents both turn to me, shocked that I'm listening.
"Y/n..."