Sunday night found Rory shuffling through loads of rumpled clothing. The
door opened noisily, and Lorelai entered the household.
Hearing the pandemonium at the front door, Rory called, "Mom! Have you seen my jacket?"
"What jacket?"
"You know, the jean jacket with the flower on the collar…" Her voice was muffled as she poked her head judiciously into a basket of clothes.
"Er…I don't know what you're talking about." Lorelai pulled off the object in question, hiding it behind her back as she tried futilely to reach the stairs. Rory caught her in the action.
"Mom!"
Caught red-handed, Lorelai grinned sheepishly. "Well it was cold outside and I figured, hey, my only child Rory, loving, kind Rory whom I gave birth to and had to carry NINE months Rory wouldn't mind. And uh…where's that loving, wouldn't-kill-her-mother Rory right now?" She looked frightened as Rory advanced on her.
Rory fought to contain her mirth, but cracked up at the scared look on her mother's face. Lorelai couldn't hide her relief. "Geez, Ror. I thought you were serious for a minute there."
Rory was rolling on the floor, clutching at her stomach. "Hahah, you-heehee- and the, ooo!"
Lorelai placed her hands on her hips, glaring at her only child. Her attention caught on the mug of coffee sitting on the table and she immediately forgot her anger. "Oh! Starbuck's!"
Pulling herself up, Rory interjected, "Hey! That's mine!"
Lorelai only smiled contentedly.
Sighing in defeat, Rory went back to the task at hand. "Well if you're going to drink my coffee, you could at least help me pack."
"Could you BE any less enthusiastic?"
Rory feigned contemplation for a moment. "Nope, don't think so."
"Why's it so bad, anyway?"
Rory blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Paris and me within five miles of each other."
Lorelai looked at her quizzically. Apparently that wasn't a good enough reason for hating a trip that would keep her from Chilton for four days.
"No coffee."
Lorelai gasped at this. "That's unheard of, daughter of mine!"
Rory groaned and continued shoving things into a duffel bag. "No showers either. We get to 'bathe in the lake.' And it's cold there. Oh, and we get to learn how to survive in the great outdoors. It's cold there, too. We can add Paris to the list as well. Did I mention it's going to be cold?"
Lorelai smiled. Her daughter's dislike of the cold was well known in Stars Hollow. "We'll just have to bundle you up in blankets then. Oh when I'm done with you, you're going to look like the abominable snowman!"
Rory didn't like the glint in her eyes. She pulled her hands up, as if warding her off. "Come on, I'm your sweet, dear daughter, remember? I gave you my coffee…" Sensing she was fighting a losing battle, she turned and ran. Lorelai came stampeding after her, giggling madly.
~ Chilton ~
Wiping her brow, Rory set her bag on the curb. She had lugged it all the way across the parking lot.
"Good morning students," one of the teachers chirped cheerily. His only answer was a grumpy murmur from the sea of students. Waking up at 5 am was not a regular occurrence for more of them. "You can just leave your bags in the gymnasium. We have packaged equipment for all of you, including a mandatory uniform you will be wearing for the duration of the trip. The only thing you will need to be bringing is your formal wear for the dance."
Rory nearly screamed in frustration. How could they just change back and forth like this? he looked sullenly at her bag. The trip to the gym would be a long one, and her arm already felt like it had been pulled off. One of the teachers handed her a smaller bag, and she unzipped it to look at its contents, laughing silently as she pulled out the uniform. She turned to Madeline. "They're throwing us out into the wild, and we still have to wear plaid?"
Madeline shrugged, smiling mischievously. She affected a snooty air. "A Chilton student must be fashionably attired at all times."
They dropped their things in the large gym and headed over to the chartered vehicles. They weren't exactly buses-more lavishly decorated than the public transportation kind she rode home every day. Madeline departed to sit next to Louise, who was engrossed with her newest object of interest. Rory sat down at the back of the bus.
"Can I sit here?"
Rory looked up to see a shy junior with frizzy hair. Before she could reply, a cold voice drifted through the air. "I believe the nerds go up front."
Startled, the girl looked at Summer and back to Rory before moving dejectedly up to the front.
"Commoners," Summer slurred disdainfully. "They're not worthy of licking the dirt off our shoes."
Rory glanced at her in confusion. She wasn't aware the social gap was this wide. "They're not?"
"Rory, Rory. You're with us now. It's unwritten code that you don't associate yourself with the likes of them." Here she flicked a hand carelessly in the direction of a group of nerdy guys looking at them reverently.
Rory was about to object. Who did she think she was? But Madeline, who had witnessed the scene, came and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at her warningly. "I see," Rory replied through gritted teeth.
Summer smiled and sat down next to her. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you something. You and Tristan, nothing's going on between you two, is there?"
"Tristan?" She spat the word out as if it tasted bad. "Please! He's so…"
"So amazingly hot?"
Rory looked up to see Tristan leaning against the seat in front of them.
Hearing the pandemonium at the front door, Rory called, "Mom! Have you seen my jacket?"
"What jacket?"
"You know, the jean jacket with the flower on the collar…" Her voice was muffled as she poked her head judiciously into a basket of clothes.
"Er…I don't know what you're talking about." Lorelai pulled off the object in question, hiding it behind her back as she tried futilely to reach the stairs. Rory caught her in the action.
"Mom!"
Caught red-handed, Lorelai grinned sheepishly. "Well it was cold outside and I figured, hey, my only child Rory, loving, kind Rory whom I gave birth to and had to carry NINE months Rory wouldn't mind. And uh…where's that loving, wouldn't-kill-her-mother Rory right now?" She looked frightened as Rory advanced on her.
Rory fought to contain her mirth, but cracked up at the scared look on her mother's face. Lorelai couldn't hide her relief. "Geez, Ror. I thought you were serious for a minute there."
Rory was rolling on the floor, clutching at her stomach. "Hahah, you-heehee- and the, ooo!"
Lorelai placed her hands on her hips, glaring at her only child. Her attention caught on the mug of coffee sitting on the table and she immediately forgot her anger. "Oh! Starbuck's!"
Pulling herself up, Rory interjected, "Hey! That's mine!"
Lorelai only smiled contentedly.
Sighing in defeat, Rory went back to the task at hand. "Well if you're going to drink my coffee, you could at least help me pack."
"Could you BE any less enthusiastic?"
Rory feigned contemplation for a moment. "Nope, don't think so."
"Why's it so bad, anyway?"
Rory blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Paris and me within five miles of each other."
Lorelai looked at her quizzically. Apparently that wasn't a good enough reason for hating a trip that would keep her from Chilton for four days.
"No coffee."
Lorelai gasped at this. "That's unheard of, daughter of mine!"
Rory groaned and continued shoving things into a duffel bag. "No showers either. We get to 'bathe in the lake.' And it's cold there. Oh, and we get to learn how to survive in the great outdoors. It's cold there, too. We can add Paris to the list as well. Did I mention it's going to be cold?"
Lorelai smiled. Her daughter's dislike of the cold was well known in Stars Hollow. "We'll just have to bundle you up in blankets then. Oh when I'm done with you, you're going to look like the abominable snowman!"
Rory didn't like the glint in her eyes. She pulled her hands up, as if warding her off. "Come on, I'm your sweet, dear daughter, remember? I gave you my coffee…" Sensing she was fighting a losing battle, she turned and ran. Lorelai came stampeding after her, giggling madly.
~ Chilton ~
Wiping her brow, Rory set her bag on the curb. She had lugged it all the way across the parking lot.
"Good morning students," one of the teachers chirped cheerily. His only answer was a grumpy murmur from the sea of students. Waking up at 5 am was not a regular occurrence for more of them. "You can just leave your bags in the gymnasium. We have packaged equipment for all of you, including a mandatory uniform you will be wearing for the duration of the trip. The only thing you will need to be bringing is your formal wear for the dance."
Rory nearly screamed in frustration. How could they just change back and forth like this? he looked sullenly at her bag. The trip to the gym would be a long one, and her arm already felt like it had been pulled off. One of the teachers handed her a smaller bag, and she unzipped it to look at its contents, laughing silently as she pulled out the uniform. She turned to Madeline. "They're throwing us out into the wild, and we still have to wear plaid?"
Madeline shrugged, smiling mischievously. She affected a snooty air. "A Chilton student must be fashionably attired at all times."
They dropped their things in the large gym and headed over to the chartered vehicles. They weren't exactly buses-more lavishly decorated than the public transportation kind she rode home every day. Madeline departed to sit next to Louise, who was engrossed with her newest object of interest. Rory sat down at the back of the bus.
"Can I sit here?"
Rory looked up to see a shy junior with frizzy hair. Before she could reply, a cold voice drifted through the air. "I believe the nerds go up front."
Startled, the girl looked at Summer and back to Rory before moving dejectedly up to the front.
"Commoners," Summer slurred disdainfully. "They're not worthy of licking the dirt off our shoes."
Rory glanced at her in confusion. She wasn't aware the social gap was this wide. "They're not?"
"Rory, Rory. You're with us now. It's unwritten code that you don't associate yourself with the likes of them." Here she flicked a hand carelessly in the direction of a group of nerdy guys looking at them reverently.
Rory was about to object. Who did she think she was? But Madeline, who had witnessed the scene, came and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at her warningly. "I see," Rory replied through gritted teeth.
Summer smiled and sat down next to her. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you something. You and Tristan, nothing's going on between you two, is there?"
"Tristan?" She spat the word out as if it tasted bad. "Please! He's so…"
"So amazingly hot?"
Rory looked up to see Tristan leaning against the seat in front of them.