THURSDAY: Seeking Assistance

A/N: Wow, I think this may be the fastest I've updated this story, 2 chapters in 3 days. Thank goodness for holidays. Here's the long awaited (ha!) town meeting chapter. Hope you enjoy.

NOTE: A lot of you said you wanted some LL, so consider you wish granted. Look out for LL in later chapters :P

Lorelai paced outside of Miss Patty's dance studio. It was 7:10, ten minutes after the start of the meeting.

"Ugh, I can't do this," Lorelai muttered.

In her head, Lorelai was drawing up a pro/con list.

PRO: She would win the bet.

CON: Luke would ridicule her for the rest of her existence.

PRO: She would prove to herself and Luke she could go a week without coffee.

CON: Luke would ridicule her for the rest of her existence.

PRO: The money would compensate for the ridicule.

CON: Either way, she would end up losing. So it came down to two options.

The money or her pride.

Lorelai was going to take the money.

She slid open the heavy, wooden door and stepped inside. She gasped at what she saw.

"Lorelai! What a pleasant surprise!"

Lorelai stared, frozen in shock at half the town sitting in Miss Patty's dance studio, with Taylor leading the congregation.

"Lorelai, honey, don't just stand there, grab a seat!" Miss Patty beckoned Lorelai forward. Still in shock, Lorelai sat in the nearest empty chair.

"Now," Taylor began, "Let's give a warm welcome to our newest member, Lorelai Gilmore."

Everyone burst into enthusiastic applause.

"On behalf of the group," Taylor said, looking around "I'd just like to thank you for joining us and we know you will be a supportive member of our little group. We're all here to express our phobias and addictions in a non-judgemental environment. Everything that is said never leaves this room. The important thing to remember is that everyone has problems, but it's the crazy ones that don't talk about them. Am I right?"

Everyone in the room started laughing. Lorelai smiled politely. What the hell…

"Now, I believe we were up to Gypsy," Taylor stated, "Go ahead, dear."

"Hi everyone," Gypsy began, "my name is Gypsy, and I think I'm afraid of flutes."

"Hi Gypsy!" Everyone said unanimously.

Lorelai stifled a smirk. Afraid of flutes, was she the only one that thought it was slightly weird?

"Go on, Gypsy," Taylor said sympathetically, flipping through a large book, "how do you feel around flutes?"

"Well," Gypsy thought, "every time I see one, I have to leave the room. The idea of one being played make me very anxious and whenever one is played, it sends shivers down my spine and I feel as though I want to snap it!"

Everyone murmured in thought.

"Does a piccolo have the same affect?" Babette asked.

"Flute are your friend, man," Morey said.

"Strangely enough, I don't have the same reaction to the piccolo," Gypsy mused.

"Aha!" Taylor cried, "You have Aulophobia – fear of flutes!"

"Hold on a minute," Lorelai interrupted. The room went silent. "Could it be possible that instead of fearing flutes, Gypsy may just hate them? Think about it, most of her symptoms are extremely aggressive."

There was a quiet mummer of agreement.

"You know, Lorelai, I think you're right!" Taylor announced, "Gypsy, you aren't afraid of flutes, you just hate them!"

"That's a relief!" Gypsy sighed.

Oh my God, Lorelai thought why is everyone in the town so crazy?

"Hi my name's Kirk," Kirk stood up "and I have Mottephobia."

"Hi Kirk."

"Hang on a minute," Lorelai interrupted "Sorry, but what is 'mottephobia'?"

"Fear of moths," Kirk explained "I've had it since I was 8. My mother took me and my 11 brothers and sisters to the zoo. They had this moth cage where you could walk among thousands of living moths. It was late and my mother and my brothers and sisters left without me. Because I was so small, the guard didn't see me and locked me in. It wasn't until the next morning when they realised I was missing. They found me, curled up in my underwear, covered with moths. I still have nightmares about it."

Lorelai gave Babette a questioning look.

"The moths ate his clothes," she whispered.

"Oh," Lorelai nodded.

"Go on Kirk," Taylor said softly.

"I've had to live with this…disorder for most of my life. I try not to let it hold me back, but sometimes…" Kirk had tears in his eyes.

"Oh, Kirk, sweetie, go on," Miss Patty said sympathetically.

"I saw a moth the other day…and I cried."

There was a chorus of 'ohs' and 'you poor thing'.

"Did you say your mantra?" Taylor asked.

Kirk nodded.

"When I got home." He took a deep breath. "'They're more scared of me, than I am of them.' An hour later, I was able to crawl out from under my bed."

Everyone clapped loudly.

"You see people," Taylor said loudly, "mantras do work! Lorelai, it's your turn."

Lorelai cleared her throat.

"Hi, my name is Lorelai and I'm a coffee-aholic."

"Hi Lorelai!" Everyone said.

"It's been three days since my last cup of coffee," Lorelai explained, "72 long and difficult hours. I thought it would be easy, you know, giving up coffee. It took a stupid be to realise how much I rely on it."

"A bet?" Miss Patty questioned.

"I made a bet with Luke that I could give up coffee for a week." Lorelai hung her head in shame.

There was a chorus of 'oohs'.

"Lorelai, I want to tell you a story my father told me," Taylor began, "Once there was a little steam engine, who was faced with a seemingly impossible task – much like yourself, Lorelai."

"How am I like a steam engine?" Lorelai questioned.

"He had to climb up a hill with a very heavy carriage and because it was so heavy, it seemed impossible," Taylor ignored Lorelai, "but that little engine never stopped believing in himself. Instead of saying, 'I think I can' he looked deep inside his heart and said 'I know I can!' With that in mind, he climbed over that hill, proving to himself that he could do it."

Everyone clapped.

"So, Lorelai," Taylor stared her straight in the eye, "I know what you're thinking. You're thinking 'what do I have in common with the little steam engine?'"

"Actually, I –" Lorelai began, but was interrupted.

"You both were faced with an impossible tasks and by looking deep inside your heart, you can find the courage to achieve you goal. So repeat after me – 'I know I can!'"

"I know I can," Lorelai said stupidly.

"Like you mean it, Lorelai," Taylor coaxed.

Lorelai stood up.

"I know I can!"

"When your mind tells you that you can't – you'll say…"

"I KNOW I CAN!"

Everyone applauded her.

"Thanks, guys! When I win my $100 from Luke, I'm going to buy you all a drink!"

"Hooray!" Everyone cheered.

Lorelai walked home, feeling much more confident about the task that lay ahead.

I know I can!

Lorelai paused at the sight of the flashing answering machine. She pressed play.

Hey, Lorelai, it's Luke. Just seeing how you're doing, but I guess you're out doing 'non-coffee related things'-

Lorelai pressed delete. How could he? Who did he think he was? What gave him the right…? She collapsed on the couch, angry and exhausted.

There was only one thing that could make her feel better.

And it was the one thing she couldn't have.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed that. I know I did.

Please review. Your reviews make a teenage girl smile XD