"Wha- oh, yeah, I'm fine." Lorelai lied and wiped her eyes.

Mia, who didn't buy the lie, put an arm around Lorelai.

"You can tell me, you know. I'm a pretty good listener."

Lorelai sighed. Maybe if she told someone what was going on, she'd feel better.

"I was just thinking about my parents." she confessed.

"Oh. Is everything all right with them?"

"They're fine, just a little messed up in the head."

Mia looked at her with a confused expression.

"I ran away because of them."

"Did they treat you badly?"

"Well, they weren't abusive or anything like that if that's what you're thinking." Lorelai paused before continuing, trying to think of the best way to describe her parents. "I didn't get along with them, especially my mom. She was a very controlling person. I couldn't even have my room the way I wanted it. When I was eight, they bought me this dollhouse, and when I opened it, it still had the glass frame over it. I wasn't allowed to take it off or play with it. It was only for looks." she told Mia.

Mia sat, listening to the girl. She could tell she'd been keeping this bottled up for sometime. This frustration, anger.

"She was never really a mother, and my father was never much of a father. I was raised by nanny's my whole life. It was as if I was just some thing to show off to their friends. When I was five, I had the measles and my mother made me wear this hideous white dress with red polka dots and attend her always two week early Christmas dinner. The dress matched my face perfectly. She said I still had to present myself even though I was sick because it wouldn't look good on her part if I didn't show. And they're always making me go through all these stupid Coming Out balls."

"A Coming Out ball?" Mia asked.

"Yeah, they're these balls that the DAR, or Daughters of the American Revolution, hold. You wear white, fancy dresses, do this embarrassing fan dance, be presented by your father. It's basically a ball saying 'Hi, my name is Lorelai Gilmore. I'm of good breeding and am of marriageable age.'." she paused again before continuing. "They wanted me to marry my ex. Not now, but in the future. They said he was a good boy that came from a swell family. They wanted us to be just like they are. But, that's not the kind of life I want to live. Living the life they were providing was suffocating me. I just want to be a normal kid. I hated private school, and I hated that we had money. Being rich is the least important thing to me. But they made it seem like if you weren't rich, then you were scum."

Lorelai sighed and looked down at her hands, playing with them.

"They'd hate that I'm living here. If my mom found out I was attending public school and working as a maid, she'd have a heart attack. But, they aren't the only one's who's done wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn't the best daughter in the world. I.. I always snuck out of the house. I was always doing things I knew they would hate, simply because they would hate it. I would party and drink. But I never had sex." she said, shaking her head. She didn't want Mia to think she was some wild teenager, because she really wasn't. "That's why my boyfriend and I broke up... because I wouldn't have sex with him. I just wasn't ready." she said, starting to cry again.

Mia held her closer and Lorelai buried her head in her shoulder.

"Now there is nothing wrong with not being ready for something like that. You're still young, you have so much to do before you're ready for something that big. If a guy can't have the decency to wait, then he's not worth it."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I broke it off. But, I hated going to those parties. I hated drinking and doing all this stuff and acting wild. I just did it because I knew it would make my parents mad."

"Honey, maybe you should call your parents."

"What?" Lorelai asked, pulling back. "No." she said, shaking her head. "I can't."

"They're probably worried about you Lorelai."

"I left them a note."

"But do they know where you are? Or if you're ok?"

Lorelai sat there silently before whispering, "No."

"I'm not saying you have to call them right this minute, but sometime soon. All I'm asking is that you tell them where you are and that you're ok."

The last thing Lorelai wanted to do was call her parents. She'd ran away to start her own life, a new life. She knew that if she called them they'd try to get her to come back, or possibly go after her and try to make her come back.

"I don't know Mia. I don't want them making me go back. I'm starting to adjust to my new life. I like it here."

"They can't make you go back Lorelai. Just call them, let them know you are fine and in good hands."

She knew Mia wasn't going to give up. She would have to call them. And Mia had been kind enough to make having life of her own possible for Lorelai. The least she could do for her was this.

"Ok.. I'll call them."

Mia smiled at her. "Thank you. Well, I better get going. I just came to tell you that you won't be needing to work tomorrow."

"Oh, thanks." she said, smiling back.

"Anytime. I'll see you later."

"Bye."

"Bye." Mia said as she walked to the door and let herself out.

Lorelai sat there for another hour, debating if she should call her parents tonight and get it over with, or wait until tomorrow. If she called tonight, it might go badly and she'd end up being more miserable than she had before. If she put it off until tomorrow, she'd be constantly thinking about it until then, and there was the possibility that they would try and come after her. She decided she'd go ahead and get it over with tonight. She picked up the phone on the table beside her and dialed the number.

"Hello, Gilmore residence. How may I help you?" a female voice on the other end answered, more than likely the new maid.

"Hello, this is Lorelai Gilmore, is Richard or Emily home?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes ma'am they are, hold on a second." the voice told her.

Lorelai waited, twirling a piece of hair nervously in her fingers.

"Hello? Lorelai?" Emily's voice replied.

"Mom... hi." Lorelai said.

"Where are you?" Emily demanded.

"Mom, I'm fine. I've found a place to live and a job and I'm going to school."

"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, I demand you come back home at once!" Emily said angrily.

"Emily, please, calm down. Give me the phone." Lorelai heard her father say in the background.

"No, I will not give you this phone!" Emily argued.

"Emily." Richard said sternly before taking the phone away from his wife. "Lorelai?" he asked, a hint of hope in his voice.

"Dad, hi." she said nervously.

"Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.

"Yes, dad, I'm fine."

"So.. I take it you're not coming back?"

Lorelai paused, not wanting to answer him. She knew the answer she was about to give would break his heart.

"No, dad, I.. I'm not." she said, closing her eyes as she waited for him to reply.

"I see." he said, disappointment very evident in his voice.

"Dad, I'm sorry I left like that.. but I had to. I needed to get away. I love you and mom, but I just didn't want that kind of life."

"I know. You made that very clear at our last dinner together." he said a bit harshly.

"I'm happy dad. I have a job, a home, I go to school and I've made some really nice friends. I feel comfortable here."

"Where are you?"

"I.. I can't tell you that."

"Why not?"

"Because, I know you and mom will just try and make me go back home."

Richard sighed. He wanted his daughter back home where he believed she belonged, but he wanted her to be happy. He also knew that if he forced her back home, she'd just run away, no matter how many times he tried to stop her.

"I'm not going to make you come home, Lorelai."

Lorelai was shocked and stayed silent for a minute. She couldn't believe he'd just said that.

"Seriously?" she questioned.

"Yes, if you truly are happy, then I will let you be. I just would like to know where you are, what school you go to, and what job you have."

Lorelai was a little suspicious, but something in his voice told him he was being honest to her.

"I'm living in a little town called Stars Hollow where I go to Stars Hollow High and work as a maid at the Independence Inn."

"You work as a maid?" he asked, appalled.

"Yes, dad, I am. I know you hate that idea, but there's nothing you can do about it. I'm sorry."

"Yes, well... thank you for calling Lorelai."

"You're welcome."

"Please keep in touch and tell us how you're doing every so often."

"I will dad."

"Ok, then. Goodbye."

"Bye."

Lorelai hung up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief.

Well, that wasn't so bad. Could have been worse. she thought.

xox

Richard put the phone back down on the receiver.

"So?" Emily questioned.

"She's living in Stars Hollow." he told her.

"Stars Hollow? Where in the world is that?"

"I think I've heard of it before. It's about thirty minutes from here."

"Oh."

"Yes, and she goes to Stars Hollow High and works as a maid at the Independence Inn."

"A maid!" she screeched.

Richard closed his eyes. "Emily, please. She's happy."

"Happy? She gave up everything we'd given to her to live her life as a maid! I can't believe this. We're going there to get her and bring her back."

"No, we are not."

"What do you mean 'no'? You think I'm going to let my daughter live like that? I don't think so! What will people say? Absolutely not, we're going." Emily said, making her way over to the door.

"Emily, I said no. Lorelai is on her own now. She like's her new life, and I'm going to respect that. I just hope you do the same."

Emily's face hardened. She turned around and stormed up the stairs. Richard shook his head. This was definitely not going to be easy the next couple of months.

-----

A/N: Ok, well, this might be the last update before I leave. But, don't worry, when I return I promise to update! This chapter could have been longer, but it would have been too long. So, I broke it up into two seperate parts. You'll get the next part most likely when I come back. Hope you enjoyed this!

Next on A new home, a new life- Lorelai goes over to Sookie's to spend the night. A certain someone gets jealous of Lorelai and confronts her.