"What did you do, walk here?" Rory asked. She didn't say it harshly, but Paris' face turned red and she looked away.
"Yeah, actually, I did."
"Why?"
"Hold it, Rory. She's wet and probably cold. Be a good hostess and go get her a towel and a shirt," Lorelai instructed. Rory nodded and went into her room. "So, do you want some coffee? Its fresh."
Paris shook her head. Rory came back with a shirt and some clean pj bottoms and showed Paris where the bathroom was. She sat on the couch and waited for Paris.
"Mom, why do you think she's here? I know she doesn't like me much. Why would she come to me? And why would she walk here?" Rory asked, hushed.
"Well, lets wait and see what she has to say."
A few minutes later Paris came back and sat next to Rory. The Gilmore girls stared at Paris, waiting to hear what she had to say.
Paris couldn't look at them, she was sort of embarrassed. "Well, you know the party last night? I stayed as long as my mom told me I had to. I climbed up to my room. My mom had accidentally locked the front door, but she does that often, so I'm used to climbing. Anyway, my dad was there-"
"But I thought your parents were divorced?"Rory interrupted.
"They are. But my dad came over to pick a fight with my mom. And he was drunk. He was saying something like how he wanted to spend more time with me, or something. I was reading and listening to music to try and drown them out. Then my dad came in my room. He took off his belt and he-he," she paused, her eyes filling with tears. Then she whispered, "beat me." She tried to hold in her tears, but few escaped and ran down her cheeks. She wiped them away and hoped Rory or her mom noticed. "My dad has never beat me. Ever. My dad left right after that, and my mom came in and yelled at me. She told me it was my fault, it would never have happened if I hadn't gone to the party. Then I reminded her that she was the one that made me go. Then she hit me and told me to stop being a smart ass. Then she yelled at me some more, but I blocked her out. When she left I put some stuff in my backpack and climbed back down. I left her a note saying that if she loved me, she's look for me. And for some reason, I don'tthink she has." With that, Paris burst into tears. She had been trying to hold it in, but she couldn't any longer.
Lorelai got up from the chair and sat next to Paris, putting her arms around her.
"I know you said you walked, but did you walk the whole way?" Rory asked. Paris nodded. "Do you want me to call Madeline or Louise and see if your mom has called them?" Again, Paris nodded. Then she flinched when Lorelai put a hand on her back.
"Oh, honey. I'm sorry. I forgot. Do you want me to look at your back?" Lorelai offered. Paris nodded. Lorelai lifted the shirt and looked at Paris' back. She gasped. Paris had about ten belt welts on her back. They were swollen, making her whole back tight. "Oh, Paris. I'm so sorry. If you want I can put some medicine on them and bandage it for you. That way they won't be exposed and risk getting infected." Paris nodded. She couldn't speak, she was afraid if she did, she'd burst out crying again.
Lorelai went upstairs to find her little medical kit. Rory came back and sat down next to Paris.
"Madeline said nobody had called. Louise was with Madeline, but I called her house anyway. Her mom said nobody had called either. Is there anyone else your mom would call?"
"My mom doesn't even know if I have any friends. If she tried to find me, she'd call every number in the damn Chilton directory," Paris said. She was obviously crushed her mom hadn't attempted to look for her.
Lorelai came back down then, carrying her med. kit. She sat behind Paris, lifted the shirt and rested it on Paris' shoulders.
"Okay, Paris, this will probably sting a bit. I'm just warning you," Lorelai said as she dipped a cotton ball in some antiseptic, then began to put it on her back. Paris sucked in her breath and grabbed Rory's hand. Rory winced. Paris' grip was so tight she thought her fingers would break off from lack of circulation.
"I'm going as fast as I can, Paris," Lorelai said gently. She put some other stuff on her back and then put some gauze bandages on. Paris released her grip on Rory's hand. She shook it to get the blood flowing again.
Lorelai went back upstairs. Rory turned to Paris.
"I don't mean to pry, or anything, but why did you come to me?"
"Well, Madeline and Louise, they just don't seem like they'd care. When my parents were going through the divorce, they were never sympathetic. They didn't act like friends are supposed to act. They hate listening to me vent, to get stuff off my chest. I rarely get to do it," Paris said, trying to find a position that wouldn't hurt her back.
"Well, is there anything you want to get off your chest?"
"Why would you want to hear it?"
"Well, stranger things have happened today. I'll understand if you don't want to tell me."
"Well, I really like Tristan, but he doesn't even look at me. I don't feel like Madeline and Louise are really my friends. And my parents are going through the divorce that the Clintons would have gone through. My mom and I barely talk. She doesn't know anything about me. She probably doesn't even know that I'm gone. And my dad is turning abusive," Paris paused. She looked around the Gilmore's house. "I wish I had your life Rory. You have a great relationship with your mom. You don't have a huge, museum-like, and expensive house. Yours is comfortable and welcoming."
"But I don't see why me? I thought you hated me."
"I don't hate you. I-I just had nowhere else to go."
Rory's mother came down the stairs then.
"Ms. Gilmore, I don't usually do this, but do you think I could stay here tonight? I can't go home."
"Sure. We can get you situated on the couch. But do you think you should call your mom, you know, and tell her you're over here?"
"I can't call. She has to find me first. Well, I can call Monday, I guess. Oh, and please, please, don't tell anyone about my dad. It would be best if only you knew. If people heard about it at Chilton, I'd be labed abused kid."
"But you were abused," Rory said. "But I know what you mean."

That night Paris slept in their living room, on the couch. She couldn't find a comfortable position. Finally, she lay on her stomach. Here, in the Gilmore house, far away from the pressures of Chilton and the horror of her family, she felt safe, for the first time in her life.


I hope y'all liked it. I don't know if I should continue or not, so please review and tell me!