Author's Note: Rory Hayden-Gilmore is fourteen years old. She lives with her mom, dad, and brother. Her mom, Lorelai, and dad, Christopher, had her and her brother when they were just sixteen. They immediately got married and Chris started to work for Lorelai's father. So, Rory and her twin brother, Kevin, are part of Hartford's social elite.
"Rory, Kevin, get up! You're going to be late!" Lorelai bellowed up the stairs into my room.
I had been having an amazing dream involving Chad Michael-Murray, so as her elevated voice reached my ears, I groaned and pulled my pillow over my head, trying to block out the noise. "Give me ten more minutes!" I shouted back.
"No, either get up now, or you'll receive no coffee. And don't think that you can just get Luke to give you some, because I'll tell him not to—then where will you be, my baby, Coffee-less! So, either get up now or suffer!"
I begrudgingly got out of bed and went over to my vanity table. I looked at myself in the mirror and frowned—boy, I did not look good. My hair was sticking out everywhere and I had a red mark on my face. "Ergh, why does she have to wake me—interrupting my amazing dream—but she does it so late so that I don't even have any time to get ready?" I said to myself, running a brush through my tangled hair.
"Hurry up, Ror, or we're going to be late!" Kevin yelled through my door. Kevin, my older twin by two minutes, was tall and had dark brown hair and green eyes. He was the spitting image of Chris. Whereas, I obviously took after my mom—having long, brown hair and a pair of killer baby blues. I had also inherited my mother's addiction to caffeine—which could be a bad thing. I had to have at least three cups in the morning to be able to function right. As I got dressed, I thought about school—it was alright, but I didn't really enjoy it. Everyone thought of me as Kevin's sister—I wasn't my own person at all. I didn't have any real friends, and—although he was nice to me at home—Kevin didn't want me tagging around with him at school. So, most of the time, I was just left by herself. I had tried to talk to mom about moving, but she never listened. When I was little, my mom and I used to be really close, but starting last year, we started to grow apart—of course we still had our little bit about coffee, but that was about it. Lorelai seemed to think that I wasn't living up to the Gilmore name—I wasn't getting into mischief at school and I didn't have any friends. All-in-all, I liked my life, but I thought it could have been better.
"RORY!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming," I sighed in exasperation, launching myself off my vanity bench and going down the spiral staircase—into the kitchen. I was dressed in my normal Chilton uniform, blue pleated skirt,--which fell down just on my knee—and a white, button up shirt. My brother was already in the kitchen—munching away on scrambled eggs on toast. "Hey Luke, can I have three glasses of coffee to go?" Luke was our cook, and just happened to make the best cup of coffee in the whole state—it was wonderful.
"Morning Ror, and sorry, but your mom told me not to give you coffee, because you're late again. So what else can I get you?" I was thunderstruck. I couldn't believe my mom was actually depriving me of coffee—the elixir of life! I decided to just get some at the kiosk at school, but I sighed—knowing it wasn't as good as Luke's.
"No, don't worry, I m not hungry. Come on, Kevin are you ready to go?" Kevin shook his head and continued to eat his breakfast. I rolled my eyes. "Honestly, and mom says I'm the one making us late!" I looked around, noticing the absence of a certain person. "Where is mom?" Kevin shrugged, his mouth full of food. "Who's taking us to school?"
Kevin swallowed and grinned. "Ror, mom wasn't going to stick around after she told you that you couldn't have coffee. She got in her car and went to her office. In my opinion, it was the coward's way out. So, I think Martin's giving us a lift to school. And the only reason I'm even eating scrambled eggs is because you were already so late that I decided that I might as well get a decent meal out of it. So there!" He stuck out his tongue at the end before he scooped up another pile of eggs, shoving it into his mouth.
I furrowed my brow and sniffed the air around me. A wide smile broke out across my face. "Do I smell some kind of cologne?" Kevin's face noticeably reddened. "Are you trying to attract a mate, Kevin?" I covered my nose with my hand—trying to block out the stench—he had obviously sprayed on way too much, I could smell it from where I was standing. I noted the rest of his appearance. His hair was actually combed and he seemed freakishly clean. I wondered who he was trying to impress. Maybe Summer, but I immediately dismissed that idea, knowing that he wouldn't put in all that effort for someone who was so easily impressed by boys. It could be Madeline—she was more respectful, but not by much. I wondered if that was why she's had been being so nice to me lately. She probably hoped that I would say something to him. Apparently, I hadn't picked up on the hint if that had been her intention.
"Well, at least I have people to impress—unlike you. You don't even have any friends—it's pathetic, we've been there for a year. You'd think you would have settled in by now." I felt like he had slapped me, I turned away from him—so he wouldn't be able to see how his words had affect me—and went out to the car.
"Hello, Martin," I greeted.
"Hello, Miss Hayden. How are you this fine morning? Looking forward to school?"
"No, not really," I replied, dreading the day in front of me even more after Kevin's words. Kevin joined them a minute later and the car journey was silent. I could see in Kevin's eyes that he was sorry for what he said, but that he was too proud to admit it. When we arrived at school, Kevin went over to his friends. I saw him approach Tristan, a regular houseguest. He was very good looking I had to admit that I had had a crush on him for almost a year, but he still hadn't noticed me. Of course he said hello to me when he came around to see Kevin, but it was a 'hey, annoying sister, where's your brother?' not-even-looking-at-me type of hello. I saw that Madeline was hanging all over Kevin, so I guessed I was right, it was her. She obviously didn't mind the horrible smell of my brother.
The rest of the day was very uneventful—I went to my classes. Thankfully, I didn't have any with Kevin; I couldn't face that annoying smile that had been playing on his face all day. I got an A on my English paper, so that was something to be thankful for, but it wasn't like I had anyone to celebrate with. When I got home, I knew that when I told my parents, I would receive a 'well done Rory, so what were you up to today Kevin?' I was an after-thought. Kevin was always their first priority: 'What was school like today Kevin?' 'Did you do well in your game Kevin?' 'Where are you going this weekend Kevin?' I had gotten used to it, but it still annoyed me. I understood why they favored him, though. He was just like them—he caused trouble—just enough, but not too much for it to be a serious problem, just enough for it to be cool. He was on the football team, and he was reining king of Chilton—just like them—whereas, I never got into any trouble, and I wasn't any good at sports. I spent all my time reading and I definitely wasn't Queen of Chilton—that would include some kind of incest, wouldn't it?
At lunch, I went to the library and got out this prospectus of this boarding school in California. I really liked the look of it, you could board all year-round with really good accommodations. Two or three people to a room and it was right by the beach, so I could hopefully get a tan. It was very expensive to a normal person's eye, but to me, it looked very affordable. It would be great; I could finally branch out and not be Kevin's annoying, little sister. The only problem would be getting my mom and dad to go for it. It wasn't like they ever noticed I was there anyway, I was the person they got out for social events, dressed me up, and paraded me around for my grandparents and their little group of friends. They liked to think that I was their little baby girls that I got everything I wanted—which was true in some ways, I did get most things that I wanted—but most I just wanted them to love me as much as they loved Kevin—even though I knew that was fairly unrealistic. So, I spent the rest of my lunch break reading about this amazing school, just wishing that my mom and dad would let me go. When the lunch bell rang, I got up from my cozy spot and went to home room—my stomach rumbled and I started to regret not going to lunch. It wasn't like I didn't need to loose weight, I did. It wasn't like I was fat, but I wasn't super skinny, either.
The rest of the day was very uneventful, I kept on seeing Madeline fawning over Kevin and it really was funny. He thought he looked so cool with a girl all over him. I thought he looked stupid with some girl clinging onto his arm for dear life. At the end of the day, I said hello to Martin, and got in the car. Kevin must have been going to a friend's house, as he didn't join me. When I got home, it was to an empty house. There was a note on the table. I picked it up and unfolded it gingerly. I instantly recognized my mother's handwriting.
'We've gone to watch Kevin play football. It's Luke's night off, so he left you something in the fridge. Don't stay up too late.
Love,
Mom and Dad.
I calmly rolled up the piece of paper and threw it into the trash. I'd forgotten he had a football game. At least I had the house to myself. I went upstairs and changed from my school uniform into a pair of sweats. I switched my Ipod on full volume and started singing along.
I'm just a kid and life
Is a nightmare
I'm just a kid I know
That it's not fair
Dancing around my room, I started to tidy it up. I noticed my credit card lying carelessly on my table, and decided that I needed some retail therapy. If Kevin could have all their love, then I should definitely have the best clothes. Plus, I needed a knew look for when I went to California. I went downstairs and got Martin to take me down to Kishimo Drive—the best place for shopping in Hartford.
"Hello, can I be of any assistance today?" a petite, blonde woman asked me, smiling.
"Oh, yeah, I'm looking to buy a whole new wardrobe. If you could help me, I want to create a new, more daring look for myself. I'm about to change schools and I thought what a great time to re-invent myself."
The women looked at me, questioningly, for a second. "Yes, that is a good idea. Well, if you'd just step this way, please, so I can measure you, then we will get started." She led me into this large cubicle with mirrors on either side and told me to undress—so I did. After a while, she disappeared and came back about ten minutes later with a handful of clothes for me to try on. First were the jeans—a pair of low riding, hip huggers in blue and the exact pair in a darker blue, I then had black jeans, and white jeans.
Next came the skirts—they were very short and as I was about to object she shrugged. "You wanted a more daring look." I couldn't help but agree with her. So I allowed her to dress me like a slightly uncoordinated Barbie Doll. The skirts were all about mid-thigh—with a few being shorter and a few being longer. I had them in all shapes and colors. Next came the tops, I was so overwhelmed—low-cut tops, long tops, small tops, plain tops, patterned tops, everything. After that, the final addition was makeup and accessories. I had Louis Vuitton bags, Channel bags, Chloe bags, Dior bags. When I went to the checkout, I got my black American Express card out and gave it to them—I didn't want to look at how much it cost.
"Bye, Stacy, and thank you so much for helping me! I know that when I get to California, I'll be a whole new me!" While she had been dressing me, I told her about my life and why I wanted to move.
"Don't worry, you look great and you're definitely going to break more than a few hearts." I got back into my car, and went home—they were going to deliver my clothes tomorrow.
I couldn't believe they hadn't even noticed I wasn't there. I mean, am I really that invisible? They didn't even check to see if I was home. What kind of parents were they? They were probably too busy talking to Kevin about his 'great' game. It's not like he won a prize at school—like I did—but they were too busy to come to that. They could find time in their busy schedules to go to all his of his idiotic football. I came home feeling so good—thanks to my new wardrobe—but now they had to go and ruin it. They got worried if Kevin was even a tiny bit late after curfew, but when I've been gone all night, they don't even notice.
By the end of this silent rant, I had arrived at my room. It instantly made me feel better. The walls were light purple; I had four-poster bed with dark blue bedding. That was one of the good things about being rich. I redecorated my room at the end of last year since I was growing up and needed to rid myself of everything pink and frilly. I had a walk in closet and an en-suite bathroom—that was the best part. It was covered in grey tiles, with heated floors, and a huge old-fashioned bath right in the middle of the room. On the wall was a big vanity mirror, which was where I did my makeup every morning. I didn't have a toilet—I just wanted a bath—and it looked quiet elegant. Some days, I would just take a book lock myself in, sit, and read on the heated floor. It was paradise. I went over to the bath and turned the taps—I instantly heard the 'whoosh' of water falling into it.
I locked the door and began to undress—by the time I had finished, the bath was full. I slipped in. It was so lovely and hot. I instantly sank into the water, letting it wash over my face—so I was completely emerged in it. It was so peaceful. All of my angry thoughts from earlier had left my brain entirely. I began to feel the need for oxygen, but I ignored it and just sank back further into the bath. I could feel the water slapping lightly against my thighs but it all felt so distant.
I felt happier than I had in a long time, but sad at the same time. I pictured mom, dad, and Kevin's faces, but it didn't raise any strong emotions from within me. I didn't love them. Sure, I liked them—they were my parents after all—but I didn't love them, not like I used to. I did love Kevin though—he was my twin, we had shared a womb—but I felt like I only loved him out of obligation. He wasn't horrible to me, he just didn't notice me. When he did, he was nice enough. He loved me as his twin sister, but to him, I was a sister that could easily be forgotten when Tristan, a girl, or any other of his friends came along. He would just forget I was even standing there, as if I didn't exist.
I started to see little black dots all around me, but I wasn't scared. No, I felt more at peace that I had in years. I felt as if everything was going to be all right. I began to feel dizzy and my eyes started to close. I was just about to slip into the world of the unknown and beauty when I heard a faint noise at the door. I tried to block it out and fall deeper and deeper into this peaceful state, but it wouldn't go away. Suddenly, my peaceful place was being ripped away from me. I could feel the inner turmoil once again. I was completely under water and I could fell my lungs screaming for air—as if my body realized what was happening and what I was letting happen. I jolted up, coughing up the water I hadn't realized I had let in.
I shuddered in the water, the heat had long since left it. I carefully stepped out of the bath, making sure not to slip on any of the now wet tiles. I made my way over to the mirror. I looked at myself and I noticed how pale I also looked slightly blue. Well, that was to be expected "I could've…" I mumble to myself, but I couldn't finish the sentence. No, no, no, I wasn't that upset—I would never let anything like that happen. But I had, I hadn't done anything while the water seeped down my throat. I shook my head, not wanting to think about it. It was a mistake and it would never happen again. I wrapped my big, white, fluffy towel around myself and dried off. I put on a pair of sweat pants and my 'I love Lucy' tee shirt and made my way downstairs. The water from my hair was dripping down my back, making my the hair on my neck stick up. I shivered slightly. As I came face-to-face with the dinning room door, I sighed—mentally preparing myself for what was on the other side.
"There you are Rory," my mom greeted, cheerfully. "Well, you certainly did take your time. I called you nearly twenty minutes ago. You didn't answer me though, did you? What have you been doing up there? Did you hear about Kevin's big game? How was your school day?" She stared at me, expecting me to answer. I sighed to myself and plastered my best society smile on.
"Yeah, I had a good day," I lied. "What about you? How's your new hotel going the 'dragonfly' is it? And yeah, I heard about Kevin's game. I heard you scored, like, three touchdowns." I said the last part to Kevin.
"Yeah, it was so cool. It such a rush hearing everyone cheering your name."
'Yeah, mom and dad were probably yelling the loudest,' I thought, bitterly.
"Rory."
"Hmm?"
"You kind of spaced-out on us, kind of weird," he said jokingly. The rest of the meal went off without a hitch with mindless chatter about Chris' work and how well it was going. I didn't eat much of the meal, I wasn't really hungry. The thoughts of what happened earlier were still hanging in the back of my mind. Then the topic switched to Kevin's plans for the weekend. "I thought maybe I could have a party, you know, since it's the end of the year. It's kind of up to me to do the party, since I'm like the head of group, you know?" Of course, they did know, dad and mom had also been reining king and queen of Chilton during their time. They exchanged glances.
"Why of course you can, darling. Oh Chris, look at our little boy all grown up and throwing his first party. Now, of course I'll have to talk to Luke about the catering. The outside will have to have lighting, and, oh my God the pool house will have to be decorated…" While she was ranting, dad rolled his eyes.
"So, son, I'm presuming we're obviously not allowed anywhere near the premises, am I right?" Kevin nodded. "Ok then, so your mom and I will stay in the town house. Now, the only thing we ask is that you don't trash the house too badly. If you do, you tidy it up before we get home." Kevin nodded again
"Don't worry, none of my friends or the people I've invited will trash it. I mean, it is my house after all, they wouldn't dare!" He smirked and I actually felt physically ill. It surprised me that he could fit his head through the door.
"So who's coming?" I asked in a deadpanned tone, it wasn't like I actually cared.
"Oh, you know the usual: Tristan, Rob, Mads and that lot." Of course, I did know who he was referring to when he said 'that lot.' They were always around my house with Kevin—especially Tristan.
"Oh cool, so when's this party?"
"It's on Saturday, so you better find something to wear if you want to come. Do you even have anything to wear for a party? I' mean, since you don't even go to any when you're invited." Mom glared at him, she thought I was going through a phase of not wanting to go out, so it was a very touchy subject.
"Yeah Rory, we'll go shopping for something for you to wear to the party during the week." Little did she know that I had a whole bunch of clothes more than suitable being delivered here tomorrow.
"Oh no, don't worry, mom. I don't actually plan on going." I knew that would cause a shock and as I thought I saw mom's jaw practically dropped to the floor.
"What do you mean your not going? This is basically your party, too, you can't not go." She was having a hard time staying calm.
"You know, Rory, I'm starting to get very worried about you. You never go out, you never go to parties, all you do is shut yourself up in your room or that god damn bathroom and read," Christopher scolded.
"Well, I'm sorry I don't go out and get drunk like Kevin and his friends do. And I'm sorry for not getting more detentions than I can count for skipping school, SORRY for getting straight A's! Next time, I'll go out and get plastered just like Kevin!!!
"Well at least he has friends!" She was practically screaming at me now. The room went silent, Kevin sat there uncomfortable as mom and dad exchanged glances. She was pale and knew she had gone too far. I stormed off to my room. When I got there, I slammed my door shut as hard as I could. I went to the far side of my room, where my laptop was, and typed in 'Chatsworth School California.' I kept myself busy by going through the detailed website and sent them an email asking them if they had any space for me next year. I knew they would be more than happy to have me—if only because of my last name, but it was better to be polite. After a while, I started to calm down, so I swiftly printed out their prospectus and made my way downstairs. Chatsworth was just as prestigious as Chilton and I knew they wouldn't miss me that much—not like they would miss Kevin.
