Title: Always You
Chapter 10: Application Anxiety
A/N: Okay, like, two people reviewed. Now, I know that I'm very pressure...able, or whatever, but anyway, I like reviews and I'm not completely sure what the sex of L/C's baby is gonna be, and I'm not sure what J/R's relationship is gonna be like, and blah de blah blah. Anyway, the gist is--just review, you lovely people, you would not believe what that e-mail from 'bot@fanfiction.net' does to me...I, like, fly outta my chair and stuff. Anyway....
Oh, yeah, and I cannot write fights. I'm bad at fights. They're hard. Forgive me for the lame fights. Thanks.
~~~~
"This is sublime," Rory said, pointing at the television screen.
"It was the golden age of television." Lorelai agreed.
The girls were sitting on the floor of the living room, next to the couch, watching an episode of The Brady Bunch Variety Show the Saturday a week after Lorelai's argument with Christopher and Rory's kiss with Jess. Lorelai hadn't talked to Chris since that Friday, and Rory had avoided both telling her mother about the kiss and Jess himself, as well.
"You know, your dad had the biggest crush on Jan," Lorelai said almost contemplatively.
"The real one or the singing one?"
"The singing one. That's when he got his guitar. He figured if he learned some songs and got really good, he could get her to sing for him."
"Never worked, huh?"
"Are you kidding? He was horrible."
"You should call him."
"Not yet."
"It's been a week."
"When was the last time you talked to any boys?" Lorelai shot back.
"Boy, I love those booty-shaking Bradys." Rory turned back to the TV.
"That's what I thought."
Meanwhile, Eddie, the mailman, was starting up the Gilmores' walkway when a strange man jumped in front of him.
"Give this to Lorelai," Chris said breathlessly, shoving a package on top of the mail in Eddie's hand.
"Why?" the mailman asked suspiciously. "It's not a bomb, is it?"
"No, it's not a bomb. And besides, mail bombs don't work unless you put them in the mailbox."
"Oh, so you've done this before?"
"What? No, I--I didn't mean that, I just meant--"
"Just meant what? You're planning on putting one of these little suckers in the mailbox next week, and you're trying it out to see if it'll work on these poor girls?"
"No! Look, I'm...I'm Christopher. I--"
"Oh! Christopher! So good to meet you!" Eddie shook a shocked Chris' hand. "Why aren't you just giving this to Lorelai yourself?"
"We're kinda having a fight right now." Chris said reluctantly.
"Oh! What's the matter?" Eddie asked, genuinely concerned.
"No--nothing. Just give this to Lor. I have a feeling it'll help."
"Oh. Okay, sure. Anything for Lorelai."
"Thanks."
"No problem." Eddie smiled and continued towards the door. Chris watched as he went inside the house, deposited the mail, and exited the house, giving Chris a thumbs-up as he continued to Babette and Morey's. Chris walked up the stairs and slowly walked across the porch toward the door, debating whether or not to go in.
"Get the mail, Rory."
"But I'm younger, and I haven't seen this episode yet."
"Fine." Lorelai pouted and stood up. "But eventually you won't be able to use that excuse, especially if we continue with our television habits."
"Well, I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it."
"And don't ask me to help you. I'll be old and decrepit by then."
"You'll never be old and decrepit."
"Wow, you're getting a lot faster with your responses."
"Lotsa practice."
Lorelai smiled and glanced at the package on top of the pile as she carried it over to the table next to the couch. She dropped the rest of the mail down and ripped into the package addressed to her.
"Oh, my God."
"What?"
"I can't believe it."
"What?" Rory asked again, getting up from the floor and walking over to her mother.
"Look what he did," Lorelai whispered reverently, holding up the contents of the package for Rory to see.
"Animal crackers?" Rory asked incredulously. "Who sent you animal crackers?"
"Chris." Lorelai answered happily, holding a box to her chest.
"Hey, there's an envelope in here," Rory observed, reaching into the box for the small white pocket of paper.
"Hmm. I wonder what it is," Lorelai snatched the envelope from Rory's hand and opened it. Out slipped three tickets and a note. Lorelai gasped. "Look at the tickets! Look at the tickets!"
"The Go-go's," Rory nodded appreciatively.
"The Go-go's! The Go-go's! I love the Go-go's!" Lorelai jumped up and down on the balls of her feet.
"I know! And I bet Dad knows it too!" Rory imitated her mother.
"Oh, do you think he does?" Lorelai stopped jumping.
"I dunno, open the note and see." Rory stopped jumping also and thrust the note towards her mother.
"Okay!" Lorelai squealed and started reading the small slip of paper. Her smile got bigger and suddenly she headed for the front door and threw it open. Chris, surprised that Lorelai had actually opened the door, stopped his pacing and turned to her.
"So, uh--"
Lorelai threw her arms around his neck and planted a huge kiss on him. Rory smiled, and then glanced back at the mail.
"Oh, my God." she moaned, pulling a large white envelope from under the cardboard package.
"What?" Lorelai and Christopher asked, breaking the kiss.
"It's here."
"What's here?" Chris asked as he and Lorelai walked over to their daughter.
"My application to Harvard."
"Oh, my God. It's beautiful," Lorelai said.
"Impressive letter H, huh?" Rory asked.
"Oh, yeah." Chris agreed.
"It's so...hhhhhhh." Lorelai voiced.
"Very," Rory agreed.
"Can I hold it?" Lorelai asked.
"Be careful," Rory warned, placing the letter gingerly into her mother's outstretched hands. Lorelai slowly moved it up and down.
"Oh, it's heavy."
"Heavy with importance," Chris clarified. Then he glanced at the television set. "Oh, you know, I used to have a crush on her?"
"What?" Rory asked, looking up. "Oh, geez. Let the record show that when my application to Harvard arrived we were watching The Brady Bunch Variety Hour."
"You don't lose points for that, do you?" Lor asked worriedly.
"I hope not. Man, this morning I was reading Dead Souls--it couldn't have come then?"
"We'll just tell people that's what you were doing and I was...studying a really big globe! Don't worry, sweets, they'll never know."
"And Dad?" Rory gestured to Chris.
"We'll just tell people he was sneaking around in the bushes."
"So, the truth," Chris smiled.
"Exactly."
"Dead Souls, a really big globe, and sneaking in the bushes." Rory clarified.
"Deal. Ooh, kayaks!"
~~~~
"I have a doctor's appointment in an hour. Well, we do," Lorelai said to Christopher twenty minutes later, during the credits of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour.
"We do?"
"Yes, we do. Rory, you get to stay, but the man who got me in trouble twice has to go with me to one of the most boring doctor's appointments of all time."
"You're too good to me," Rory smiled.
"I know." Lorelai smiled back. "Okay, Chris, let's go."
"Wha--now?"
"Yes, wha-now. Let's go!" Lorelai pulled Christopher's arm and led him out the front door. Chris threw a look to Rory, who just smiled and waved him away. Rory stayed on the floor for a second, and then she pushed herself up and walked into her room.
"Look, is this okay?" Lane asked, shoving a yellow notepad into Rory's hand.
"Huh, let's see--'Drummer with strong beat seeks band into the Accelerators, the Adolescents, the Adverts, Agent Orange, the Angelic Upstarts, the Agnostic Front, Ash...' You went alphabetically."
"Seemed tidy."
"And a little long."
"I can't make cuts." Lane said frantically.
"It's three pages, single spaced--make cuts."
"But this is the cut-down version. I mean, just from the letter A, I excluded AC/DC, the Animals, and A-Ha, footnoted as a guilty pleasure."
"Hey, if I can't get through it, no one can."
"Okay." Lane nodded, already trying to figure out which bands to cut.
"Okay."
"I'll try to make cuts, but no guarantees."
"All I ask is that you try."
"All right," Lane nodded and sat back down at Rory's desk. Rory settled on her bed with her Harvard application.
Personal Information:
State your full name and nickname, if any
Lorelai Leigh Gilmore
nickname: Rory
Parental Information:
Mother: Lorelai Victoria Gilmore
Father:Christopher James Hayden
Personal Statement:
You can evaluate a significant experience that's had an impact on you or you can write about a person who has had a significant influence on you.
"Okay, I just crunched the numbers," Lane turned to Rory with a desperate look on her face. "And at two thousand words and twenty-five cents a word, this stupid ad's gonna cost five hundred dollars! That's five months worth of Minwaxing end tables at my mom's store. I give up."
"No, no, don't give up. Just cut down your influences to the most important ones, like with David Bowie."
"Gotta have Bowie."
"True, but do you have to list every album he ever recorded plus your personal rating between one to ten?"
"Maybe not." Lane wavered slightly.
"And what's with Jackson Browne making the list?"
"Ah, see, cool people know that he's more than a mellow hippie-dippy folkie, that he actually wrote some of Nico's best songs and was in fact her lover before he bored us with 'Doctor My Eyes.' That will separate the poseurs from the non-poseurs." Lane rattled off excitedly.
"Wax on, wax off." Rory reminded.
"I hate this." Lane sighed and returned to her list.
Rory returned to the application for all of two seconds when Lane turned back around, this time holding a CD in her hand.
"I'm going to have to crank the Ramones if I have to make deep cuts."
Rory nodded, and as the Ramones started blaring in her ears, she picked up the large packet of papers and headed out the back door.
~~~~
"So, she's meeting the two of you here?" Emily asked that Friday evening of Chris and Lor, as Rory was still at school.
"Yeah, she had a thing after school, a rumble or something. She said she'd be over after." Lorelai answered. Chris smiled.
"A rumble?" Emily asked incredulously.
"Yeah, a bunch of kids meet in an alley, they pirouette, they pull knives, it's a whole to-do." Lor explained a scene from West Side Story. Emily shook her head, as Christopher shook with silent laughter.
"So she's meeting you here?" Emily asked.
"Yes, she's meeting us here. Where's Dad?" Lorelai asked.
"The magazines." Emily walked away.
"That was weird." Chris said.
"Hmm, and unresponsive." Lorelai nodded.
The couple sat in silence for awhile, until Lorelai looked wistfully at the alcoholic beverages.
"No booze." Chris scolded.
"Awww. But--"
"No. You heard what the doctor said."
"All doctors are quacks, you know that."
"No booze."
"Meanie."
Emily walked back in with a stack of magazines. "These are college issues of various magazines. I'm been collecting these for a couple of months now."
"Oh, it's the colege talk. Run!" Lorelai whispered.
"Shh." Chris laughed.
"Hello?" Rory called from the front hallway.
"Uh, we're in here honey, and hurry! It's the college lecture!"
"Oh, Lorelai, don't be ridiculous," Emily said.
"Uh-huh, I'm always the ridiculous one."
"Hi, Grandma," Rory announced as she walked into the room.
"Hello, Rory." Emily greeted her granddaughter.
"Oh, Mom, did you tell Grandma about your latest doctor's visit?"
"Oh, good, sweetie, remind her that I'm pregnant."
"I remembered, Lorelai, I'm not a horrible mother."
"Ah, ha, ha. Yeah, I guess not."
"So...?" Emily asked.
"Oh, nothing really. I'm a week away from the end of my second trimester, I guess, is the biggest news."
"And that means?" Emily prompted.
"It means she's almost out of the throwing up stage." Chris explained.
"Ah. Almost out of the 'oh, Mom, I can only have animal crackers, it's the only thing the baby will let me eat!' phase."
"Yes, almost out of that phase. Hey, Chris, speaking of animal crackers, ya got any of those? I'm feeling slightly nauseous."
"It's nauseated," Rory corrected.
"Yeah, thanks, Josie Grossie. All I want are animal crackers!"
~~~~
The telephone rang for about the twentieth time at the Gilmore-Hayden homestead, and Lorelai picked it up--again, for about the twentieth time. Lane's ad for a band was sparking lots of attention, and since Mama Kim would collapse and die if she ever heard anything about Lane and rock and roll, the calls were coming through Lorelai's phone.
"Hello? No, Lane should be here any minute. Is this about the ad? Well, uh, give me your number and she'll call you back Okay, then, what's the number of the dude whose couch you're sleeping on? Uh! Dude doesn't have a phone? Well, try back later, dude. Thanks." Lorelai groaned disgustedly and hung up the phone. "Rory, are you up? If not, get up!" Lorelai called from her seat at the kitchen table. The phone rang again. "Lane, where are you?" Lorelai asked the air. She answered the phone again. "Hello? No, she's not, may I take a message?"
Lane walked in through the back door, steps away from Lorelai. "Sorry!" she apologized.
"Wait, here she is," Lorelai said to the guy on the phone before holding it out to Lane.
"This is Lane," she walked into the living room.
Lorelai got up from the table and started searching through her cabinets. "Ugh! Where are the animal crackers?" she exclaimed as Rory walked out of her bedroom. "Oh, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just didn't sleep well."
"Aw, poor baby. Wanna go get some coffee and animal crackers?"
"Uh...no."
"Okay, fine, you don't have to get animal crackers, you can just settle for the coffee."
"Uh, no, thank you."
"And did you do something that would cause us to avoid Luke's? Because the last time I did anything, you made me go in and talk to him."
"Yes, but it still took you months before you were friends again."
"Yeah, now he just refuses to give me coffee from time to time. But this is about you! What'd you do?"
"Nothing."
"Uh! Come on, what what what what? Tell the pregnant lady some nice little juicy tidbits, or else I'll go postal worker on you, cause you know I'm all out of animal crackers."
"Yes, I know!"
"What'd you do?" Lorelai asked impatiently.
"Nothing!"
Lorelai pouted and Rory turned her gaze away from her mother and focused on a swirl in the wood of the table. Lorelai suddenly gasped.
"You kissed Jess again!"
"What?"
"You did, I know you did, and that's why don't wanna go to Luke's! Oh, why didn't you tell me?"
"Uh...I dunno."
"Did you?"
"Yeah," Rory admitted sheepishly.
"Oh, what are you gonna do? You have to tell Dean!"
"I know," Rory agreed, her eyes still focused on the swirl in the wood.
"But first we gotta go get some coffee. You don't have to talk to Jess, or look at Jess, or think about Jess. You just have to say, 'coffee! Coffee for my wonderful mother!'" Lorelai said in a high voice.
"Only if you never talk like that again."
"Ooh, that I can't promise. Ya know, hormones."
Rory nodded.
~~~~
As the girls walked up to Luke's diner, Rory faltered.
"I don't wanna go, please don't make me go," she pleaded, tugging on her mother's arm.
"You have to do it eventually," Lorelai pointed out.
"I know, just...not now."
Lorelai looked at the pleading look on Rory's face, and after a minute's deliberation, she finally nodded. "We'll get animal crackers first, and then we'll stop for coffee, so you don't have to go yet, but we will go in a few minutes, so steel your nerves. Actually, you know what helps for steel nerves? Coffee."
"Animal crackers first," Rory insisted, pulling her mother away from the diner.
"Okay. Here we go to Doose's!" Lorelai exclaimed, heading into the market. Rory followed her, but stopped when she noticed Dean through the window.
"Hey, Mom?" Rory said quietly. Lorelai turned and noticed Rory's face, and then she followed Rory's gaze.
"Oh. You wanna stay out here?" Lorelai asked quietly after she noticed Dean. Rory nodded. "Okay. Hey, why don't you go sit in the gazebo--I'll be right out. Anything you want? Chocolate? Ice cream? Animal crackers?"
"No, nothing. Thanks, Mom."
"Sure, sweetie." Lorelai kissed Rory on the forehead and entered the market. Rory crossed her arms in front of her chest and started walking towards the gazebo. Her mind was racing with a million thoughts, and she didn't know which one to address first. She knew that no matter what she was going to have to talk to Dean. Things had been different lately--hell, things had been different for a while: weeks, months even. Rory wasn't sure how she felt about Jess. She'd kissed him, not once, but twice. And they had been damn good kisses too. Rory sighed. Jess...or Dean? Jess or Dean? Jess or--
"Hey!"
"Dean!" Rory exclaimed, turning to face Dean as he walked up the stairs of the gazebo. "Hey!"
"I saw your mom in the market, and I was looking for you," Dean explained as he sat next to Rory. "Why didn't you come in?"
"Oh, I just didn't feel like it."
"You didn't wanna come see me?"
"No--no, that's not it. I just...felt like staying outside."
"Needed some fresh-air, huh?"
"Yeah, to...clear my head."
"Hmm," Dean placed his arms around Rory's waist. "Anything important in that now clear head of yours?"
"Yeah," Rory started, unhooking his arms from around her waist and moving them away. "But I don't want to talk about it now. My mom's coming. Can you stop by the house at seven, maybe?"
"Uh, sure, I guess so."
"Okay, great." Rory leaned in to kiss Dean on the lips, but stopped at the last second and smacked her lips on his cheek. "See you then."
"Bye," Dean called as Rory flew down the steps and towards her mother. She turned around and waved slightly, and then ran up to Lorelai.
"Didja talk to him?" Lorelai gestured at Dean, still sitting in the gazebo.
"Not yet." Rory shook her head. "Tonight."
"Before or after the movie?"
"Before, I guess."
"Hmm. You think we could get him to change the water before he goes?"
"Mom, that's what Dad's for."
"Oh, that's what Chris is for. Didn't realize that. Huh. Okay, let's go. Coffee." Lorelai started pulling Rory's arm in the direction of the diner.
"Uh, not yet, please."
"Oh, come on! Taylor just paid me five dollars to go bug Luke about a black cow."
"Black cow?"
"Root beer float. And I gotta tell him that the ice cream has to be made on the premises."
"Okay, well, why don't you do that, and I'll...go home and wait for Dad to come home."
"He's not supposed to get home for another couple of hours."
"Yeah, well--he's gonna be home eventually, and we don't want him to come home to an empty house."
"Uh-uh, you're coming with me. Come on, we gotta screw with Luke's head. It'll be fun!"
"Do I have to?"
"Yes. I'm making you."
"Oh, I don't want to!"
"Oh, but you have to!" Lorelai imitated Rory's tone. "Come on!" She pulled Rory into the diner and walked up to Luke behind the counter. Rory glanced around nervously, and then breathed a sigh of relief when she realized Jess wasn't there. "Hey, Luke!" Lorelai exclaimed, pulling Rory out of her stupor.
"Oh, no." Luke groaned. "I'm not giving you coffee."
"That's okay, I don't want any."
"Oh, really? What do you want?"
"A black cow."
"A what?"
"A black cow."
"What the hell's a black cow?"
"It's just root beer and ice cream."
"Root beer and ice cream?"
"Uh, yeah."
"I can do that."
"As long as the ice cream's made the old-fashioned way--on the premises."
"Now, wait a minute."
"What? It's a crazy pregnancy thing."
"I don't make ice cream in my diner. I buy it."
"Crazy pregnancy thing!" Lorelai exclaimed as Kirk walked up to the counter.
"Hey, Luke, can you whip something up in a hurry?"
"What, Kirk?"
"A chocolate phosphate."
"Okay, now, what the hell is this? Why do you want a phosphate?"
"Because nothing says refreshment like a phosphate." Lorelai recited. Luke sighed.
"This is Taylor, right? Is he behind this?"
"I'm...not at liberty to say." Kirk said.
"Lorelai?" Luke turned to her.
"It's a crazy pregnancy thing!" she exclaimed again. Luke shook his head and walked out of the diner. Lorelai smiled at Rory and high-fived Kirk.
~~~~
Later that day, Lorelai and Rory were sitting on the couch watching television. A girl was being greeted by her parents with hugs and tears, and Lorelai pointed to the screen.
"I've always wanted to do that."
"Greet your long-lost daughter with hugs and kisses and tears?"
"Exactly. And then I'll get to be on Lifetime--"
"Television for women," the girls recited together.
"Hey!" Chris greeted as he walked into the house. "Guess who I actually had a very productive conversation with today? Headmaster Charleston."
"You're kidding." Lorelai gasped.
"No, and I think we came up with the solution to your application anxiety, you wanna hear it?" Chris turned to Rory.
"Uh, I guess." Rory shrugged.
"Oh, come on, sweetie, listen. It could be a good idea. Whoa, did I just say that?" Lorelai asked. Chris smiled.
"Well, we spent the first ten minutes on him bugging me to volunteer for stuff at school, or in lieu of that to make a donation to build the new basketball court, and then another couple of minutes of me convincing him that what sounded like me going 'Ha!' was really me clearing my throat, but after that we had a very pleasant, productive conversation."
"And?" Rory prompted.
"He suggested setting up a meeting with a Harvard graduate, like a dinner or something. He even gave me the number of someone he knows."
"An alumni dinner?" Rory asked.
"Yes, exactly." Chris nodded and sat on the couch.
"Do they do that?" Rory turned to Lorelai. She shrugged.
"Actually, according to Charleston, it's done all the time."
"Wow." Rory said.
"Yeah." Lorelai agreed.
"It would be a great opportunity to talk with someone who's been through it all and did it successfully. You can ask questions, he can give some perspective, it seems perfect."
"Yeah, it does." Lorelai nodded and both she and Chris turned to Rory to wait for her answer.
"It...sounds a little weird." Rory said.
"Yeah, a little." Lorelai agreed, and then she and Rory both turned to Chris.
"Well, I'll go with you--"
"We'll go with you." Lorelai interrupted.
"Okay, yeah, and--" Chris tried to start again.
"And what's the worst that can happen? We're bored and we blow a meal, but if this person can help, then that's a good thing, right?"
"I do have some questions," Rory said slowly. "Well, a lot of questions."
"Good, then, let's call him." Lorelai hopped up and headed for the phone.
"Now?" Rory asked, slightly panicked.
"Yes, yes, there's no time like the present, come on. Give me the number, Chris." Lorelai held out her hand for the number. Chris, however, withheld the slip of paper.
"His name is Darren Springsteen of Westport, Connecticut, Harvard class of '74." Chris explained as he took the phone from Lorelai and handed it to Rory. Lorelai stuck her hand in front of the number pad before Rory could dial.
"Uh! Ask if he has a brother named Bruce," she said happily.
"I'm not gonna ask him that." Rory said as she dialed the phone number. She moved the mouthpiece away from her mouth for a second. "It's ringing," she announced to her parents.
"Hee!" Lorelai laughed.
"Hello?" someone asked in Rory's ear, and she panicked and hung up.
"Why'd you hang up?" Chris asked, confused.
"I--I'm not good at these things."
"Did he answer?" Lorelai asked.
"Yes." Rory slightly nodded.
"Yes?" Chris asked incredulously. Lorelai snorted.
"Rory, that's a really terrible first impression."
The phone rang.
"Uh-oh." Lorelai voiced softly.
"Him?" Rory asked, worried.
"Maybe." Lorelai said, just as worried.
"He star sixty-nined us?" Rory asked again, panicked now.
"Well, the Harvard people can afford all the latest technology." Chris said. Lorelai hit him on the shoulder.
"Answer!" Lorelai hissed to Rory.
"Hey, you've reached The Fertile Foundation, the very very very pro-birth family that isn't even legally fun and together and all yet, and if you're calling about Lane Kim's ad, sorry we're not in, but don't commit rock and roll suicide--just crank a message with some feedback!" Lorelai's voice rang out over the answering machine.
"Oh, geez." Rory groaned.
"Well, if he is related to Bruce, he can dig it." Chris pointed out.
"Hey, my name's Dave Rygalski," a boy's voice said to the machine, "I'm calling about the ad. I left my number before, so call when you get a chance."
"Where's my--" a girl asked in the background.
"Relax, I'm coming." Dave answered, seconds before Lorelai stopped the message.
"Let's try this again," Lorelai said as she dialed the Harvard alumni's number again and held the phone up to her ear.
"Can we please just do this later?" Rory pleaded.
"No, let's get it done now." Chris said. Lorelai nodded.
"It's ringing," she said.
"Let's do it later." Rory said as though the idea had just occured to her.
"It's ringing." Lorelai ignored Rory and handed her the phone.
"No, I can't, I'm gonna say the wrong thing or have the wrong tone in my voice. I'm not in good first impression mode right now." Rory protested as she held the phone out to Lorelai again. "Unh! Answer!"
Lorelai stuck her tongue out at Rory but answered the phone anyway, only she did it in a high-pitched voice.
"Hello? Hello, um, this is Rory Gilmore. I believe you were expecting my call. Um, oh, well, this is such a wonderful opportunity for me. Whatever's good for you will be great for me."
"Not so breathy!" Rory hissed.
"This is how chickens talk!" Lorelai said to Rory before talking on the phone again in the same high voice. "Lunch? Oh yes, let me just check my organizer...oh, perfect. My parents will be there, too. They're terrific. All right, I'll see you this weekend. Mm, bye." Lorelai smiled and hung up the phone.
"You're no Danny Gans."
"She never claimed to be." Chris wrapped his arms around Lorelai's waist, she leaned into him, and they started swaying gently.
"Uhh, he's gonna be expecting Chilton High School senior Trixie McBimbo." Rory complained.
"And her mother, Bambi McBimbo." Lorelai added.
"And her father, Chris-y McPimpo."
"You're so cute!" Lorelai exclaimed, kissing Chris.
"I guess it can't hurt, right?" Rory asked.
"It can only help." Chris nodded.
"Okay." Rory said uncertainly.
"And look, if it's a total bust, we'll grab a pole and Trixie and Bambi'll take it on the road. That's something to put on your application, huh? It'll set you apart." Lorelai smiled.
"Thanks, Mom." Rory smiled and started out of the house.
"Bye, Trixie!" Chris exclaimed, imitating Lorelai's high-pitched voice from earlier.
~~~~
It was getting closer and closer to seven, and Rory was pacing around the front porch, wringing her hands. Chris and Lorelai had gracefully ducked out to eat dinner a few minutes before, leaving Rory alone in the house for when she...broke...up...with Dean. She was gonna break up with Dean. Rory sighed and sank onto the top step of the porch. She took in a shuddering breath. She was going to break up with her boyfriend.
"Rory? Are you okay?" Dean asked as he walked up.
"Oh, Dean." Rory looked up and tried to smile. "Sit."
"Okay." Dean obliged. "You wanted to talk?"
"Yeah," Rory drew in another deep breath. "Now, this isn't easy to say."
"Are--are you breaking up with me?"
"We--ell," Rory started. Dean jumped up.
"You are, aren't you? It's because of him, isn't it?"
"Who? It's because of who?" Rory asked, jumping up next to Dean.
"Jess. Him."
"What? No! No, it's not because of Jess. I never said anything about him! You're jumping to conclusions again! Look--"
"I'm jumping to conclusions again? What the hell do you mean, again?"
"You are obsessive, and jealous, and I can't handle this anymore, Dean! I can't be friends with a boy--or you jump out of your skin every single time I talk to him. I can't be enemies with a boy--or you jump out of your skin every time he pisses me off! What's next, I watch a movie with a boy in it and you freak out? God, I just--I just can't do this anymore. We're through!" Rory turned and stalked into the house, slamming the door as she went. Dean shook his head and then walked up the steps himself, and then tried the door.
"Open the door, Rory! Unlock the goddamn door!"
"No! Go away!" Rory yelled.
"Rory! Rory!" Dean banged on the door with his fists. Rory pulled the door open slightly.
"Get your damn caveman hands off my door and go home." And she slammed the door again. Dean walked back to the steps and started gearing up to ram the door when Babette walked out of her house next door and glared. Dean shook his head and continued walking down the stairs and away from the Gilmore home.
~~~~
Apparently that's it. Notepad is telling me I don't have any more memory, so there's gonna be some Previously, on Gilmore Girls: next time. REVIEW!!
Chapter 10: Application Anxiety
A/N: Okay, like, two people reviewed. Now, I know that I'm very pressure...able, or whatever, but anyway, I like reviews and I'm not completely sure what the sex of L/C's baby is gonna be, and I'm not sure what J/R's relationship is gonna be like, and blah de blah blah. Anyway, the gist is--just review, you lovely people, you would not believe what that e-mail from 'bot@fanfiction.net' does to me...I, like, fly outta my chair and stuff. Anyway....
Oh, yeah, and I cannot write fights. I'm bad at fights. They're hard. Forgive me for the lame fights. Thanks.
~~~~
"This is sublime," Rory said, pointing at the television screen.
"It was the golden age of television." Lorelai agreed.
The girls were sitting on the floor of the living room, next to the couch, watching an episode of The Brady Bunch Variety Show the Saturday a week after Lorelai's argument with Christopher and Rory's kiss with Jess. Lorelai hadn't talked to Chris since that Friday, and Rory had avoided both telling her mother about the kiss and Jess himself, as well.
"You know, your dad had the biggest crush on Jan," Lorelai said almost contemplatively.
"The real one or the singing one?"
"The singing one. That's when he got his guitar. He figured if he learned some songs and got really good, he could get her to sing for him."
"Never worked, huh?"
"Are you kidding? He was horrible."
"You should call him."
"Not yet."
"It's been a week."
"When was the last time you talked to any boys?" Lorelai shot back.
"Boy, I love those booty-shaking Bradys." Rory turned back to the TV.
"That's what I thought."
Meanwhile, Eddie, the mailman, was starting up the Gilmores' walkway when a strange man jumped in front of him.
"Give this to Lorelai," Chris said breathlessly, shoving a package on top of the mail in Eddie's hand.
"Why?" the mailman asked suspiciously. "It's not a bomb, is it?"
"No, it's not a bomb. And besides, mail bombs don't work unless you put them in the mailbox."
"Oh, so you've done this before?"
"What? No, I--I didn't mean that, I just meant--"
"Just meant what? You're planning on putting one of these little suckers in the mailbox next week, and you're trying it out to see if it'll work on these poor girls?"
"No! Look, I'm...I'm Christopher. I--"
"Oh! Christopher! So good to meet you!" Eddie shook a shocked Chris' hand. "Why aren't you just giving this to Lorelai yourself?"
"We're kinda having a fight right now." Chris said reluctantly.
"Oh! What's the matter?" Eddie asked, genuinely concerned.
"No--nothing. Just give this to Lor. I have a feeling it'll help."
"Oh. Okay, sure. Anything for Lorelai."
"Thanks."
"No problem." Eddie smiled and continued towards the door. Chris watched as he went inside the house, deposited the mail, and exited the house, giving Chris a thumbs-up as he continued to Babette and Morey's. Chris walked up the stairs and slowly walked across the porch toward the door, debating whether or not to go in.
"Get the mail, Rory."
"But I'm younger, and I haven't seen this episode yet."
"Fine." Lorelai pouted and stood up. "But eventually you won't be able to use that excuse, especially if we continue with our television habits."
"Well, I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it."
"And don't ask me to help you. I'll be old and decrepit by then."
"You'll never be old and decrepit."
"Wow, you're getting a lot faster with your responses."
"Lotsa practice."
Lorelai smiled and glanced at the package on top of the pile as she carried it over to the table next to the couch. She dropped the rest of the mail down and ripped into the package addressed to her.
"Oh, my God."
"What?"
"I can't believe it."
"What?" Rory asked again, getting up from the floor and walking over to her mother.
"Look what he did," Lorelai whispered reverently, holding up the contents of the package for Rory to see.
"Animal crackers?" Rory asked incredulously. "Who sent you animal crackers?"
"Chris." Lorelai answered happily, holding a box to her chest.
"Hey, there's an envelope in here," Rory observed, reaching into the box for the small white pocket of paper.
"Hmm. I wonder what it is," Lorelai snatched the envelope from Rory's hand and opened it. Out slipped three tickets and a note. Lorelai gasped. "Look at the tickets! Look at the tickets!"
"The Go-go's," Rory nodded appreciatively.
"The Go-go's! The Go-go's! I love the Go-go's!" Lorelai jumped up and down on the balls of her feet.
"I know! And I bet Dad knows it too!" Rory imitated her mother.
"Oh, do you think he does?" Lorelai stopped jumping.
"I dunno, open the note and see." Rory stopped jumping also and thrust the note towards her mother.
"Okay!" Lorelai squealed and started reading the small slip of paper. Her smile got bigger and suddenly she headed for the front door and threw it open. Chris, surprised that Lorelai had actually opened the door, stopped his pacing and turned to her.
"So, uh--"
Lorelai threw her arms around his neck and planted a huge kiss on him. Rory smiled, and then glanced back at the mail.
"Oh, my God." she moaned, pulling a large white envelope from under the cardboard package.
"What?" Lorelai and Christopher asked, breaking the kiss.
"It's here."
"What's here?" Chris asked as he and Lorelai walked over to their daughter.
"My application to Harvard."
"Oh, my God. It's beautiful," Lorelai said.
"Impressive letter H, huh?" Rory asked.
"Oh, yeah." Chris agreed.
"It's so...hhhhhhh." Lorelai voiced.
"Very," Rory agreed.
"Can I hold it?" Lorelai asked.
"Be careful," Rory warned, placing the letter gingerly into her mother's outstretched hands. Lorelai slowly moved it up and down.
"Oh, it's heavy."
"Heavy with importance," Chris clarified. Then he glanced at the television set. "Oh, you know, I used to have a crush on her?"
"What?" Rory asked, looking up. "Oh, geez. Let the record show that when my application to Harvard arrived we were watching The Brady Bunch Variety Hour."
"You don't lose points for that, do you?" Lor asked worriedly.
"I hope not. Man, this morning I was reading Dead Souls--it couldn't have come then?"
"We'll just tell people that's what you were doing and I was...studying a really big globe! Don't worry, sweets, they'll never know."
"And Dad?" Rory gestured to Chris.
"We'll just tell people he was sneaking around in the bushes."
"So, the truth," Chris smiled.
"Exactly."
"Dead Souls, a really big globe, and sneaking in the bushes." Rory clarified.
"Deal. Ooh, kayaks!"
~~~~
"I have a doctor's appointment in an hour. Well, we do," Lorelai said to Christopher twenty minutes later, during the credits of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour.
"We do?"
"Yes, we do. Rory, you get to stay, but the man who got me in trouble twice has to go with me to one of the most boring doctor's appointments of all time."
"You're too good to me," Rory smiled.
"I know." Lorelai smiled back. "Okay, Chris, let's go."
"Wha--now?"
"Yes, wha-now. Let's go!" Lorelai pulled Christopher's arm and led him out the front door. Chris threw a look to Rory, who just smiled and waved him away. Rory stayed on the floor for a second, and then she pushed herself up and walked into her room.
"Look, is this okay?" Lane asked, shoving a yellow notepad into Rory's hand.
"Huh, let's see--'Drummer with strong beat seeks band into the Accelerators, the Adolescents, the Adverts, Agent Orange, the Angelic Upstarts, the Agnostic Front, Ash...' You went alphabetically."
"Seemed tidy."
"And a little long."
"I can't make cuts." Lane said frantically.
"It's three pages, single spaced--make cuts."
"But this is the cut-down version. I mean, just from the letter A, I excluded AC/DC, the Animals, and A-Ha, footnoted as a guilty pleasure."
"Hey, if I can't get through it, no one can."
"Okay." Lane nodded, already trying to figure out which bands to cut.
"Okay."
"I'll try to make cuts, but no guarantees."
"All I ask is that you try."
"All right," Lane nodded and sat back down at Rory's desk. Rory settled on her bed with her Harvard application.
Lorelai Leigh Gilmore
nickname: Rory
Mother: Lorelai Victoria Gilmore
Father:Christopher James Hayden
You can evaluate a significant experience that's had an impact on you or you can write about a person who has had a significant influence on you.
"Okay, I just crunched the numbers," Lane turned to Rory with a desperate look on her face. "And at two thousand words and twenty-five cents a word, this stupid ad's gonna cost five hundred dollars! That's five months worth of Minwaxing end tables at my mom's store. I give up."
"No, no, don't give up. Just cut down your influences to the most important ones, like with David Bowie."
"Gotta have Bowie."
"True, but do you have to list every album he ever recorded plus your personal rating between one to ten?"
"Maybe not." Lane wavered slightly.
"And what's with Jackson Browne making the list?"
"Ah, see, cool people know that he's more than a mellow hippie-dippy folkie, that he actually wrote some of Nico's best songs and was in fact her lover before he bored us with 'Doctor My Eyes.' That will separate the poseurs from the non-poseurs." Lane rattled off excitedly.
"Wax on, wax off." Rory reminded.
"I hate this." Lane sighed and returned to her list.
Rory returned to the application for all of two seconds when Lane turned back around, this time holding a CD in her hand.
"I'm going to have to crank the Ramones if I have to make deep cuts."
Rory nodded, and as the Ramones started blaring in her ears, she picked up the large packet of papers and headed out the back door.
~~~~
"So, she's meeting the two of you here?" Emily asked that Friday evening of Chris and Lor, as Rory was still at school.
"Yeah, she had a thing after school, a rumble or something. She said she'd be over after." Lorelai answered. Chris smiled.
"A rumble?" Emily asked incredulously.
"Yeah, a bunch of kids meet in an alley, they pirouette, they pull knives, it's a whole to-do." Lor explained a scene from West Side Story. Emily shook her head, as Christopher shook with silent laughter.
"So she's meeting you here?" Emily asked.
"Yes, she's meeting us here. Where's Dad?" Lorelai asked.
"The magazines." Emily walked away.
"That was weird." Chris said.
"Hmm, and unresponsive." Lorelai nodded.
The couple sat in silence for awhile, until Lorelai looked wistfully at the alcoholic beverages.
"No booze." Chris scolded.
"Awww. But--"
"No. You heard what the doctor said."
"All doctors are quacks, you know that."
"No booze."
"Meanie."
Emily walked back in with a stack of magazines. "These are college issues of various magazines. I'm been collecting these for a couple of months now."
"Oh, it's the colege talk. Run!" Lorelai whispered.
"Shh." Chris laughed.
"Hello?" Rory called from the front hallway.
"Uh, we're in here honey, and hurry! It's the college lecture!"
"Oh, Lorelai, don't be ridiculous," Emily said.
"Uh-huh, I'm always the ridiculous one."
"Hi, Grandma," Rory announced as she walked into the room.
"Hello, Rory." Emily greeted her granddaughter.
"Oh, Mom, did you tell Grandma about your latest doctor's visit?"
"Oh, good, sweetie, remind her that I'm pregnant."
"I remembered, Lorelai, I'm not a horrible mother."
"Ah, ha, ha. Yeah, I guess not."
"So...?" Emily asked.
"Oh, nothing really. I'm a week away from the end of my second trimester, I guess, is the biggest news."
"And that means?" Emily prompted.
"It means she's almost out of the throwing up stage." Chris explained.
"Ah. Almost out of the 'oh, Mom, I can only have animal crackers, it's the only thing the baby will let me eat!' phase."
"Yes, almost out of that phase. Hey, Chris, speaking of animal crackers, ya got any of those? I'm feeling slightly nauseous."
"It's nauseated," Rory corrected.
"Yeah, thanks, Josie Grossie. All I want are animal crackers!"
~~~~
The telephone rang for about the twentieth time at the Gilmore-Hayden homestead, and Lorelai picked it up--again, for about the twentieth time. Lane's ad for a band was sparking lots of attention, and since Mama Kim would collapse and die if she ever heard anything about Lane and rock and roll, the calls were coming through Lorelai's phone.
"Hello? No, Lane should be here any minute. Is this about the ad? Well, uh, give me your number and she'll call you back Okay, then, what's the number of the dude whose couch you're sleeping on? Uh! Dude doesn't have a phone? Well, try back later, dude. Thanks." Lorelai groaned disgustedly and hung up the phone. "Rory, are you up? If not, get up!" Lorelai called from her seat at the kitchen table. The phone rang again. "Lane, where are you?" Lorelai asked the air. She answered the phone again. "Hello? No, she's not, may I take a message?"
Lane walked in through the back door, steps away from Lorelai. "Sorry!" she apologized.
"Wait, here she is," Lorelai said to the guy on the phone before holding it out to Lane.
"This is Lane," she walked into the living room.
Lorelai got up from the table and started searching through her cabinets. "Ugh! Where are the animal crackers?" she exclaimed as Rory walked out of her bedroom. "Oh, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just didn't sleep well."
"Aw, poor baby. Wanna go get some coffee and animal crackers?"
"Uh...no."
"Okay, fine, you don't have to get animal crackers, you can just settle for the coffee."
"Uh, no, thank you."
"And did you do something that would cause us to avoid Luke's? Because the last time I did anything, you made me go in and talk to him."
"Yes, but it still took you months before you were friends again."
"Yeah, now he just refuses to give me coffee from time to time. But this is about you! What'd you do?"
"Nothing."
"Uh! Come on, what what what what? Tell the pregnant lady some nice little juicy tidbits, or else I'll go postal worker on you, cause you know I'm all out of animal crackers."
"Yes, I know!"
"What'd you do?" Lorelai asked impatiently.
"Nothing!"
Lorelai pouted and Rory turned her gaze away from her mother and focused on a swirl in the wood of the table. Lorelai suddenly gasped.
"You kissed Jess again!"
"What?"
"You did, I know you did, and that's why don't wanna go to Luke's! Oh, why didn't you tell me?"
"Uh...I dunno."
"Did you?"
"Yeah," Rory admitted sheepishly.
"Oh, what are you gonna do? You have to tell Dean!"
"I know," Rory agreed, her eyes still focused on the swirl in the wood.
"But first we gotta go get some coffee. You don't have to talk to Jess, or look at Jess, or think about Jess. You just have to say, 'coffee! Coffee for my wonderful mother!'" Lorelai said in a high voice.
"Only if you never talk like that again."
"Ooh, that I can't promise. Ya know, hormones."
Rory nodded.
~~~~
As the girls walked up to Luke's diner, Rory faltered.
"I don't wanna go, please don't make me go," she pleaded, tugging on her mother's arm.
"You have to do it eventually," Lorelai pointed out.
"I know, just...not now."
Lorelai looked at the pleading look on Rory's face, and after a minute's deliberation, she finally nodded. "We'll get animal crackers first, and then we'll stop for coffee, so you don't have to go yet, but we will go in a few minutes, so steel your nerves. Actually, you know what helps for steel nerves? Coffee."
"Animal crackers first," Rory insisted, pulling her mother away from the diner.
"Okay. Here we go to Doose's!" Lorelai exclaimed, heading into the market. Rory followed her, but stopped when she noticed Dean through the window.
"Hey, Mom?" Rory said quietly. Lorelai turned and noticed Rory's face, and then she followed Rory's gaze.
"Oh. You wanna stay out here?" Lorelai asked quietly after she noticed Dean. Rory nodded. "Okay. Hey, why don't you go sit in the gazebo--I'll be right out. Anything you want? Chocolate? Ice cream? Animal crackers?"
"No, nothing. Thanks, Mom."
"Sure, sweetie." Lorelai kissed Rory on the forehead and entered the market. Rory crossed her arms in front of her chest and started walking towards the gazebo. Her mind was racing with a million thoughts, and she didn't know which one to address first. She knew that no matter what she was going to have to talk to Dean. Things had been different lately--hell, things had been different for a while: weeks, months even. Rory wasn't sure how she felt about Jess. She'd kissed him, not once, but twice. And they had been damn good kisses too. Rory sighed. Jess...or Dean? Jess or Dean? Jess or--
"Hey!"
"Dean!" Rory exclaimed, turning to face Dean as he walked up the stairs of the gazebo. "Hey!"
"I saw your mom in the market, and I was looking for you," Dean explained as he sat next to Rory. "Why didn't you come in?"
"Oh, I just didn't feel like it."
"You didn't wanna come see me?"
"No--no, that's not it. I just...felt like staying outside."
"Needed some fresh-air, huh?"
"Yeah, to...clear my head."
"Hmm," Dean placed his arms around Rory's waist. "Anything important in that now clear head of yours?"
"Yeah," Rory started, unhooking his arms from around her waist and moving them away. "But I don't want to talk about it now. My mom's coming. Can you stop by the house at seven, maybe?"
"Uh, sure, I guess so."
"Okay, great." Rory leaned in to kiss Dean on the lips, but stopped at the last second and smacked her lips on his cheek. "See you then."
"Bye," Dean called as Rory flew down the steps and towards her mother. She turned around and waved slightly, and then ran up to Lorelai.
"Didja talk to him?" Lorelai gestured at Dean, still sitting in the gazebo.
"Not yet." Rory shook her head. "Tonight."
"Before or after the movie?"
"Before, I guess."
"Hmm. You think we could get him to change the water before he goes?"
"Mom, that's what Dad's for."
"Oh, that's what Chris is for. Didn't realize that. Huh. Okay, let's go. Coffee." Lorelai started pulling Rory's arm in the direction of the diner.
"Uh, not yet, please."
"Oh, come on! Taylor just paid me five dollars to go bug Luke about a black cow."
"Black cow?"
"Root beer float. And I gotta tell him that the ice cream has to be made on the premises."
"Okay, well, why don't you do that, and I'll...go home and wait for Dad to come home."
"He's not supposed to get home for another couple of hours."
"Yeah, well--he's gonna be home eventually, and we don't want him to come home to an empty house."
"Uh-uh, you're coming with me. Come on, we gotta screw with Luke's head. It'll be fun!"
"Do I have to?"
"Yes. I'm making you."
"Oh, I don't want to!"
"Oh, but you have to!" Lorelai imitated Rory's tone. "Come on!" She pulled Rory into the diner and walked up to Luke behind the counter. Rory glanced around nervously, and then breathed a sigh of relief when she realized Jess wasn't there. "Hey, Luke!" Lorelai exclaimed, pulling Rory out of her stupor.
"Oh, no." Luke groaned. "I'm not giving you coffee."
"That's okay, I don't want any."
"Oh, really? What do you want?"
"A black cow."
"A what?"
"A black cow."
"What the hell's a black cow?"
"It's just root beer and ice cream."
"Root beer and ice cream?"
"Uh, yeah."
"I can do that."
"As long as the ice cream's made the old-fashioned way--on the premises."
"Now, wait a minute."
"What? It's a crazy pregnancy thing."
"I don't make ice cream in my diner. I buy it."
"Crazy pregnancy thing!" Lorelai exclaimed as Kirk walked up to the counter.
"Hey, Luke, can you whip something up in a hurry?"
"What, Kirk?"
"A chocolate phosphate."
"Okay, now, what the hell is this? Why do you want a phosphate?"
"Because nothing says refreshment like a phosphate." Lorelai recited. Luke sighed.
"This is Taylor, right? Is he behind this?"
"I'm...not at liberty to say." Kirk said.
"Lorelai?" Luke turned to her.
"It's a crazy pregnancy thing!" she exclaimed again. Luke shook his head and walked out of the diner. Lorelai smiled at Rory and high-fived Kirk.
~~~~
Later that day, Lorelai and Rory were sitting on the couch watching television. A girl was being greeted by her parents with hugs and tears, and Lorelai pointed to the screen.
"I've always wanted to do that."
"Greet your long-lost daughter with hugs and kisses and tears?"
"Exactly. And then I'll get to be on Lifetime--"
"Television for women," the girls recited together.
"Hey!" Chris greeted as he walked into the house. "Guess who I actually had a very productive conversation with today? Headmaster Charleston."
"You're kidding." Lorelai gasped.
"No, and I think we came up with the solution to your application anxiety, you wanna hear it?" Chris turned to Rory.
"Uh, I guess." Rory shrugged.
"Oh, come on, sweetie, listen. It could be a good idea. Whoa, did I just say that?" Lorelai asked. Chris smiled.
"Well, we spent the first ten minutes on him bugging me to volunteer for stuff at school, or in lieu of that to make a donation to build the new basketball court, and then another couple of minutes of me convincing him that what sounded like me going 'Ha!' was really me clearing my throat, but after that we had a very pleasant, productive conversation."
"And?" Rory prompted.
"He suggested setting up a meeting with a Harvard graduate, like a dinner or something. He even gave me the number of someone he knows."
"An alumni dinner?" Rory asked.
"Yes, exactly." Chris nodded and sat on the couch.
"Do they do that?" Rory turned to Lorelai. She shrugged.
"Actually, according to Charleston, it's done all the time."
"Wow." Rory said.
"Yeah." Lorelai agreed.
"It would be a great opportunity to talk with someone who's been through it all and did it successfully. You can ask questions, he can give some perspective, it seems perfect."
"Yeah, it does." Lorelai nodded and both she and Chris turned to Rory to wait for her answer.
"It...sounds a little weird." Rory said.
"Yeah, a little." Lorelai agreed, and then she and Rory both turned to Chris.
"Well, I'll go with you--"
"We'll go with you." Lorelai interrupted.
"Okay, yeah, and--" Chris tried to start again.
"And what's the worst that can happen? We're bored and we blow a meal, but if this person can help, then that's a good thing, right?"
"I do have some questions," Rory said slowly. "Well, a lot of questions."
"Good, then, let's call him." Lorelai hopped up and headed for the phone.
"Now?" Rory asked, slightly panicked.
"Yes, yes, there's no time like the present, come on. Give me the number, Chris." Lorelai held out her hand for the number. Chris, however, withheld the slip of paper.
"His name is Darren Springsteen of Westport, Connecticut, Harvard class of '74." Chris explained as he took the phone from Lorelai and handed it to Rory. Lorelai stuck her hand in front of the number pad before Rory could dial.
"Uh! Ask if he has a brother named Bruce," she said happily.
"I'm not gonna ask him that." Rory said as she dialed the phone number. She moved the mouthpiece away from her mouth for a second. "It's ringing," she announced to her parents.
"Hee!" Lorelai laughed.
"Hello?" someone asked in Rory's ear, and she panicked and hung up.
"Why'd you hang up?" Chris asked, confused.
"I--I'm not good at these things."
"Did he answer?" Lorelai asked.
"Yes." Rory slightly nodded.
"Yes?" Chris asked incredulously. Lorelai snorted.
"Rory, that's a really terrible first impression."
The phone rang.
"Uh-oh." Lorelai voiced softly.
"Him?" Rory asked, worried.
"Maybe." Lorelai said, just as worried.
"He star sixty-nined us?" Rory asked again, panicked now.
"Well, the Harvard people can afford all the latest technology." Chris said. Lorelai hit him on the shoulder.
"Answer!" Lorelai hissed to Rory.
"Hey, you've reached The Fertile Foundation, the very very very pro-birth family that isn't even legally fun and together and all yet, and if you're calling about Lane Kim's ad, sorry we're not in, but don't commit rock and roll suicide--just crank a message with some feedback!" Lorelai's voice rang out over the answering machine.
"Oh, geez." Rory groaned.
"Well, if he is related to Bruce, he can dig it." Chris pointed out.
"Hey, my name's Dave Rygalski," a boy's voice said to the machine, "I'm calling about the ad. I left my number before, so call when you get a chance."
"Where's my--" a girl asked in the background.
"Relax, I'm coming." Dave answered, seconds before Lorelai stopped the message.
"Let's try this again," Lorelai said as she dialed the Harvard alumni's number again and held the phone up to her ear.
"Can we please just do this later?" Rory pleaded.
"No, let's get it done now." Chris said. Lorelai nodded.
"It's ringing," she said.
"Let's do it later." Rory said as though the idea had just occured to her.
"It's ringing." Lorelai ignored Rory and handed her the phone.
"No, I can't, I'm gonna say the wrong thing or have the wrong tone in my voice. I'm not in good first impression mode right now." Rory protested as she held the phone out to Lorelai again. "Unh! Answer!"
Lorelai stuck her tongue out at Rory but answered the phone anyway, only she did it in a high-pitched voice.
"Hello? Hello, um, this is Rory Gilmore. I believe you were expecting my call. Um, oh, well, this is such a wonderful opportunity for me. Whatever's good for you will be great for me."
"Not so breathy!" Rory hissed.
"This is how chickens talk!" Lorelai said to Rory before talking on the phone again in the same high voice. "Lunch? Oh yes, let me just check my organizer...oh, perfect. My parents will be there, too. They're terrific. All right, I'll see you this weekend. Mm, bye." Lorelai smiled and hung up the phone.
"You're no Danny Gans."
"She never claimed to be." Chris wrapped his arms around Lorelai's waist, she leaned into him, and they started swaying gently.
"Uhh, he's gonna be expecting Chilton High School senior Trixie McBimbo." Rory complained.
"And her mother, Bambi McBimbo." Lorelai added.
"And her father, Chris-y McPimpo."
"You're so cute!" Lorelai exclaimed, kissing Chris.
"I guess it can't hurt, right?" Rory asked.
"It can only help." Chris nodded.
"Okay." Rory said uncertainly.
"And look, if it's a total bust, we'll grab a pole and Trixie and Bambi'll take it on the road. That's something to put on your application, huh? It'll set you apart." Lorelai smiled.
"Thanks, Mom." Rory smiled and started out of the house.
"Bye, Trixie!" Chris exclaimed, imitating Lorelai's high-pitched voice from earlier.
~~~~
It was getting closer and closer to seven, and Rory was pacing around the front porch, wringing her hands. Chris and Lorelai had gracefully ducked out to eat dinner a few minutes before, leaving Rory alone in the house for when she...broke...up...with Dean. She was gonna break up with Dean. Rory sighed and sank onto the top step of the porch. She took in a shuddering breath. She was going to break up with her boyfriend.
"Rory? Are you okay?" Dean asked as he walked up.
"Oh, Dean." Rory looked up and tried to smile. "Sit."
"Okay." Dean obliged. "You wanted to talk?"
"Yeah," Rory drew in another deep breath. "Now, this isn't easy to say."
"Are--are you breaking up with me?"
"We--ell," Rory started. Dean jumped up.
"You are, aren't you? It's because of him, isn't it?"
"Who? It's because of who?" Rory asked, jumping up next to Dean.
"Jess. Him."
"What? No! No, it's not because of Jess. I never said anything about him! You're jumping to conclusions again! Look--"
"I'm jumping to conclusions again? What the hell do you mean, again?"
"You are obsessive, and jealous, and I can't handle this anymore, Dean! I can't be friends with a boy--or you jump out of your skin every single time I talk to him. I can't be enemies with a boy--or you jump out of your skin every time he pisses me off! What's next, I watch a movie with a boy in it and you freak out? God, I just--I just can't do this anymore. We're through!" Rory turned and stalked into the house, slamming the door as she went. Dean shook his head and then walked up the steps himself, and then tried the door.
"Open the door, Rory! Unlock the goddamn door!"
"No! Go away!" Rory yelled.
"Rory! Rory!" Dean banged on the door with his fists. Rory pulled the door open slightly.
"Get your damn caveman hands off my door and go home." And she slammed the door again. Dean walked back to the steps and started gearing up to ram the door when Babette walked out of her house next door and glared. Dean shook his head and continued walking down the stairs and away from the Gilmore home.
~~~~
Apparently that's it. Notepad is telling me I don't have any more memory, so there's gonna be some Previously, on Gilmore Girls: next time. REVIEW!!