Touch of Hellfire (Original Version)

☕️17☕️

"Jess..is that you?"

"Heather?"

It was him. Jess. I was quaking at the moment for for this call, I had to pull myself together. "Was that you who called earlier?"

"Yeah."

I wasn't sure what to tell him. Or ask or...anything.

"I need to ask you something..your Columbia open day..when is it?"

"The 10th ten AM," I told him. "Why?"

"I guess I'll see you in Columbia."

He hung up the phone and I just stared at my phone.

I gripped it tightly before drinking the coffee Luke had left me.

***

May 10th, getting closer and closer and closer. "So how's it going?" I asked Mom. "Too. Many. Books!" she ranted. "My brain has reached full capacity, I am done for!"

"Take a break," Rory advised her. "No time," Mom said. "Close your eyes and clear your head," I instructed her.

"Then all the knowledge I shoved in there will be gone! To make room, I lose stuff, it's a vicious cycle," she rambled. "I hate finals but thank God I'm graduating because I despise academics, what do you two see in it?"

"Fun," Rory answered her.

"Gets me where I want to be in life," I added. "Also no choice."

"Isn't there a ceremony?" I asked Mom. "It's a community college, I don't know."

"Come on me and Heather will come and cheer loudly," Rory piped up. "Yeah and we'll film the whole thing and put it online," I laughed.

"Evil!" Mom exclaimed. "We're going," I insisted. "Hezzy," Mom sighed. "What?" I asked her.

"It's the same day as the Columbia Open Day," Mom admitted. "And you are not missing Columbia, you and Tessa have been planning it for too long and I'll never forgive myself if you miss it."

"So missing your graduation is the price I have to pay for good education?" I sighed. "I'm sorry, but Columbia comes first."

"Can I at least bring you back a present to make up for me not being there?" I asked her. "Fine," Mom caved and hugged me.

"I'll film the whole thing if you let me use your camcorder," Rory offered.

"No!" I refused. "Evil!" Rory pouted.

"So guest list, Rory, Sookie, Jackson, Grandma and Grandpa," I said. "No, not my parents," Mom objected.

"Why not?" Rory asked her. "I disappointed them and humiliated them, I didn't graduate high school or marry a Yale man, I got pregnant and I have a career which is so beneath them, I don't want them there."

"We'll leave you to study," I said.

***

I rang the doorbell at Grandma and Grandpa's house. "It's a good thing I'll be in New York," I smirked.

"Evil!" Rory hissed.

Grandma answered the door. "Hey Grandma," Rory greeted her. "Thanks for seeing us both on short notice."

"I'm happy to see you both on no notice," she hugged us both. "What's this about, you were both mysterious on the phone."

"We needed to talk to you about something in person," I explained. "Well come in," she ushered us into the dining room.