Thank you for your continued support! Here's the next chapter. :)
Chapter 13
"I can't believe you finally persuaded mom to clear out some clothes!" Olivia said.
"It took some convincing but it was her idea to have this junk sale in the first place so she knew she had to donate some items." Rory said.
A few weeks had passed since their trip and Rory, Jess, Olivia and Lane were in the living room at the Crap Shack sorting through items for the junk sale that all the townspeople had donated.
"Sweater?" Olivia said holding one up.
"Over here." Lane said before catching it and putting it on a pile behind her.
"Jeans?" Rory asked.
"Back of you." Lane said.
"A big furry purple thing that could be either a hat, a toilet paper cover or some kind of dirty hand puppet?" Jess said smirking slightly.
"Mystery box on the left." Lane laughed as Luke entered the house.
"Hey." He said.
"Hey Luke!" Olivia smiled.
"Where do you want these?" He asked.
"What do you have?" Rory asked.
"Clothes, rags and some old pots and pans." He said.
"Kitchenware can go in the kitchen and the clothes can go right over there." Olivia said.
Luke nodded and dropped the clothes bag in the living room and went into the kitchen to put the other bag.
"Ah there's a man in my kitchen!" A voice exclaimed behind him.
Luke smiled slightly and turned round to find Lorelai standing there, grinning at him. "Hey." He said.
"Hey back." She grinned.
"So you're running this thing huh?" He said.
"It was hot at that town meeting. I wasn't thinking straight." She said.
"Do you ever?" Luke smirked slightly.
"You could help me?" She said hopefully.
"Ha! No way! This is the only thing I'll do to help." He said gesturing to the bags.
"Fine." She pouted.
"I can take you out afterwards though..." Luke said, glancing at her.
"Oh yeah?" Lorelai grinned. "Where to?"
"I have some ideas." He said.
"So a first official date huh?" Lorelai said.
"If that's what you want to call it." Luke said.
Lorelai smiled. "I think that would be a pretty good name for it, yeah." She said softly.
"Ok then. I'll see you." He smiled.
"Bye." Lorelai smiled before heading back into the living room. "So Luke has just asked me out on my first date..." She said.
"And I'm out." Jess said. "I'll see you later?" He asked Rory.
"See you later." Rory smirked slightly. She gave him a quick peck before he left.
"So when's this date?" Olivia asked.
"After this rummage sale." Lorelai said.
"Aw mom, we're so excited for you!" Olivia said.
"Yeah, it's so cool you're finally having your first date." Rory smiled.
"Thanks." She smiled softly at them just as Sookie came rushing in.
"Ok, you guys are going to love me!" She exclaimed.
"We already love you." Lorelai said.
"No, I mean you're really going to love me." Sookie said.
"We do." Lorelai said.
"Trust me, you guys are going to so love me." She grinned.
"Ok, the love is starting to fade now, Sook." Lorelai joked.
"I have here in my hand, as requested by Ms. Lorelai Gilmore, six fabulous tickets to the Bangles at the Pastorella theatre on Saturday!" She said excitedly.
"What?" Lorelai exclaimed excitedly.
"No!" Olivia exclaimed.
"Do you love me?" Sookie said.
"Oh baby do I!" Lorelai grinned. "You're the best, Sook!"
"Are these good seats? These look like good seats." Lane said.
"9th row, aisle." Sookie nodded.
"I can't believe you got me my tickets! How did you score these?" Lorelai asked.
"Remember the Birnbaum wedding?"
"Fiji fantasy?"
"Yes! They were so thrilled with the volcano wedding cake that they wanted to do something nice for me and since Mr. Birnbaum runs a ticket agency and I knew you were dying to go, so I asked him if he could..." Sookie smiled.
"Make four girls very happy." Lorelai grinned.
"Yeah and he did!"
"Huzzah for the Birnbaums!"
"Hey Sookie, if you got six tickets and you and mom go, then that means..." Olivia said.
"Hmm, one for you, one for Rory and one for Lane!" She grinned. "And I thought maybe you'd like to invite Jess." She told Rory, who grinned in reply.
"This is going to b amazing!" Lorelai said. "Thanks so much!" She grinned, hugging her friend.
"No problem! I'll see you guys later!" Sookie smiled.
"Bye Sook!" She smiled.
"Girls, I think your friends are here!" Lorelai called as she looked out of the window.
"I still can't believe we were put in the same group as them. This is going to be torture." Olivia groaned.
"Yep." Rory sighed.
"Take heart my dears. Suffer today, party tonight." Lorelai grinned.
"I still can't believe Sookie got those tickets!" Olivia smiled.
"It's going to be amazing. Just keep that as a motivation of getting through this study session." Lorelai said before opening the door. "Hi." She smiled.
"Hi." Louise said.
"Hi." Madeline said.
"Come on in." Lorelai smiled at them.
"So did you guys find it ok?" Rory asked.
"There's no sign on this street." Paris said.
"I know, that's why we told you to turn right at the big rooster statue." Olivia said.
"I thought you were kidding." Paris said.
"Oh no, we never kid about Monty." Lorelai said.
"Monty?" Louise said.
"Monty the rooster - Monty." She said.
"Oh." Louise said clearly not impressed.
"Everybody, this is our mom." Rory said. "Mom, this is Louise, Madeline and Paris."
"Ah, very good girl-group names." Lorelai joked but didn't get a response. "Ok, so...um...sorry about the house of horrors here. Some crazy lady volunteered to lead this charity thing and we're trying to get her some help, so make yourselves comfortable. Rory, Liv, just yell when you guys want pizza." She smiled before disappearing back upstairs.
"So do you guys want to study in here or in the kitchen?" Olivia asked.
"Whatever." Paris said.
"Ok." Olivia sighed. "Let's sit then." She said and they all sat down on the floor in the living room.
"Ok, so here's how it should go. Madeline will do the introductions, I'll handle the debate, Rory will do the conclusion and Olivia and Louise will take questions." Paris said.
"Why do you automatically get to handle the debate?" Rory said.
"Because I'm the most experienced at it." She said.
"Trust me, you want her to handle the debate. She never gives up." Madeline said.
"Le pitbull." Louise nodded.
"Ok." Rory sighed.
"So what is all this stuff?" Louise asked.
"Uh, it's for a big town rummage sale." Rory said.
"Like a charity thing?" Madeline asked.
"Yeah. There's this old bridge that's completely falling apart and the town's trying to save it." Rory nodded.
"Cool!" Madeline smiled.
"Oh here Paris. Tristan might like this." Louise smirked holding up a pink sequinned dress.
"Can we just work please?" Paris said.
"Oh of course, he only seems to have eyes for Olivia." Louise smirked.
Olivia glanced at Paris who was just focused on her papers. "Nothing's going on between me and Tristan." She said. "We're just friends."
"But you want more right?" Louise said.
"No. We're just good friends." Olivia said. She saw Paris glance up slightly at that. She gave her a small smile and surprisingly Paris returned the action. "Paris is right. We should probably work." She said.
"I agree." Rory said.
"Thank you." Paris said. "So we'll need the actual quotes so learn them by heart." She told them.
"What about using note cards?" Madeline said.
"Note cards look sloppy. We will know our information." Paris said.
"But the other teams will use note cards." Madeline said.
"And the other team will lose." Paris pointed out.
"Bye girls, Rory, Liv, see you tonight!" Sookie said appearing from upstairs and heading out.
"Bye Sookie!" Rory smiled.
"Bye!" Olivia waved.
"What's tonight?" Louise asked.
"We've got tickets to see the Bangles at the Pastorella theatre." Rory said.
"In New York?"
"Yeah."
"Sounds potentially not boring." Louise said.
"It's going to be great actually and the seats are amazing." Rory smiled.
"So great!" Olivia grinned.
"I can't believe we're not free tonight." Louise said. "We could have come with you."
"With whose tickets?" Olivia frowned.
"Yours obviously." Louise said. "But we've got dates."
"What a shame." Olivia said dryly and she could swear she saw Paris' mouth twitch slightly. She then had an idea. "Hey, we've got a spare ticket actually. Our friend can't come anymore. Paris, do you fancy it?" She said, ignoring the incredulous look she was getting from Rory.
"What?" Paris said surprised.
"The Bangles are great." She said.
"You really want to invite me? Why?" Paris said.
"Could be fun." Olivia shrugged.
Paris looked at her for a moment. "I have homework." She said quietly.
"So do I!" Olivia grinned. "Come on, you'll love The Bangles. Live a little!"
"Fine. But if I fail, I'm blaming you." Paris warned.
"Duly noted." She said.
That evening, they were stood in the Pastorella Theatre in New York, getting ready to go in.
"I still can't believe you invited Paris." Rory whispered to Olivia.
"She could do with a night out." Olivia shrugged. "Plus I felt a bit sorry for her. Didn't you see her face when the others were teasing her about Tristan? They're meant to be her friends." She said.
"Yeah, that was a bit mean." Rory conceded.
"You never know, this might lighten her up a bit." Olivia said.
"Right, Sookie and I are going to hit the ladies' room. Meet you at the seats?" Lorelai told them.
"Sure." Rory nodded and she, Olivia, Jess and Paris started to head inside.
"Hey music nerd!" A voice suddenly shouted.
Olivia turned round and her face lit up. "Ben?" She exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"Same thing you're doing!" Ben grinned as he and Amy walked up to them.
"You like The Bangles?" Olivia raised her eyebrows.
"No. But Amy loves them." Ben said. "Plus they were our mom's favourite band. Amy got the tickets got I thought I'd come in mom's honour." He smiled softly.
"They're our mom's favourite band as well." Olivia smiled softly.
"Where are you sat?" Rory asked them.
"Uh..12th row, I think." Amy said glancing at their tickets. "You?"
"9th." Olivia said. "Looks like we'll be close then."
"Cool!" Amy said.
"We better head in." Rory said.
"Are you free after? We could catch up for a bit?" Ben suggested.
"Well...why don't you come back to Stars Hollow?" Olivia suggested. "You could stay the night at ours if you want. We've got a charity rummage sale tomorrow as well which will be fun. Unless you have to get back to your dad."
"Well...it is the weekend tomorrow so I don't see why dad wouldn't be ok with it." Amy said. "We'll send him a text and let you know after ok?"
"Sounds good." Rory smiled. "See you guys after."
"Enjoy the show." Amy grinned.
"You too!" Olivia grinned.
After the show, the four teenagers were all waiting in the foyer of the theatre waiting for Ben and Amy as Lorelai and Sookie had gone to get the cars.
"Olivia?" Paris said quietly, glancing over at Rory and Jess who were focused on their own conversation.
"Yeah?" Olivia said.
"You and Tristan...are you...well, before, you told Madeline and Louise you were just friends but..." Paris said hesitantly.
"But what?" Olivia said.
"Well...is that true?"
"Why would I lie?"
"I don't know. I just...It's obvious Tristan likes you like that. And you...well, you seem to hang around with him a lot and you seem to like him as well." Paris said.
"I do." Olivia said. "But as a friend." She said. She sighed. "There was a moment when I thought...maybe...something could happen. But...I was going through some stuff at the time and the moment passed."
"Ok." Paris said quietly.
Olivia glanced at her. "You know, you could just ask him out if you like him." She said cautiously.
"What? Seriously? Like he would ever want to go out with someone like me." She said.
"Why not?"
"Because Tristan doesn't like girls like me. He likes you and I am nothing like you." Paris said.
Olivia sighed. "Look, I know you and I haven't gotten off on the right foot but I have nothing against you, Paris. And I happen to think you could be anything you wanted. If you want Tristan, go get him." She said. "You're hard working, you're driven, I feel like there's a heart under there somewhere." She smiled slightly.
"Thanks." Paris said dryly but smiled slightly.
"Why wouldn't Tristan like you? And if he doesn't, well...maybe it's his loss." Olivia shrugged. "And hey, at least you would know then and be able to move on from your feelings. I've had to." Olivia admitted.
"So you did have feelings for Tristan?" Paris asked.
"Not Tristan." Olivia said, glancing over at Jess and Rory. "Uh...it was someone else..." She said.
Paris followed her gaze. "Rory's boyfriend?" She said surprised.
Olivia sighed. "We've known each other since we were five. We're really close. I guess at some point, my feelings changed slightly. But him and Rory are really happy and I'm learning to deal with it." She admitted.
"Wow. That's really...cool of you." Paris said quietly. She saw Olivia glance at her. "Honestly. I don't think I could have done that." She said.
"I love them both. I just want them to be happy." She said.
"And you've got someone else you like now, right?" Paris said.
"What?" Olivia said surprised.
"He's coming towards us now." She said nodding towards Ben and Amy who were heading towards them.
"Who? Ben? No, we're..."
"Just friends?" Paris smiled slightly. "Ok."
Olivia blushed slightly. "Look, please don't say anything. I don't know how I feel really. I'm still trying to sort out my feelings and I don't want to lead anyone on until I do that. I don't want to hurt anyone else. It wasn't fair on Tristan and I don't want to do it to anyone else."
"Fair enough." Paris said.
"So you won't say anything?"
"You keep my secret and I'll keep yours." She said smirking slightly.
"Oh I see how it is!" Olivia laughed. "There's the real Paris!"
"So we have a deal?" She smirked.
"Ok deal." Olivia smirked.
"Hey Olivia?" Paris said quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for inviting me tonight. I...well I think this may be the best night I've ever had." She admitted.
Olivia smiled. "I'm glad you came." She said softly. "And hey, now you can see Rory and I aren't really as bad as you thought right?"
Paris ducked her head slightly. "Yeah...I guess so."
Ben and Amy reached them and then they all headed outside to meet Lorelai and Sookie and head back to Stars Hollow.
"Great night huh?" A voice said from the doorway to the kitchen.
Olivia turned and smiled at Ben. "The best." She grinned.
"You know what, The Bangles, they're not half bad." Ben said.
"Ha I knew you liked them!" Olivia laughed. "You want a soda?" She asked.
"Sure." He nodded. "Thanks again for letting us stay over."
"You don't need to thank us." Olivia said. "Are you and Amy sure you're ok on the couch and mattress on the floor?"
"Yeah we're fine." Ben nodded. "So this rummage sale your mom has organised, it's tomorrow?"
"Yeah, in the town square." She nodded. "When do you need to get back to your dad?"
"Not til late. He's doing sorting stuff out with the house and things so he said we'd probably enjoy it more here anyway." He said.
"How's all that going?" Olivia asked.
"It's ok. We've already had some interest for our place and dad has already been researching places around here. I'm hoping it won't be too long until we move." He said.
"That's cool." She smiled.
"I think so." He smiled back at her. "I know it's only been a few weeks but I've missed you."
"Me too." Olivia admitted. "Although you may change your mind about moving back here when you know I will be mocking you for liking The Bangles for the rest of your life." She grinned.
Ben chuckled. "I think I'll manage."
"Suit yourself." She grinned, her eyes twinkling.
Ben grinned. "Give me those bowls. I'll help you take the sweets in to the others."
"Thanks." She smiled handing them over to him before grabbing another two himself.
"Hey Liv?" He said. "I can call you Liv right? I know everyone does but I know I've not known you that long and I know normally people who have known people for years can call them by their nicknames...What?" He said seeing Olivia stifling a laugh.
"Boy, you've got the rambling disease from us." She joked. "Liv is fine." She added.
"Good to know." Ben smirked. "Anyway...I was going to say I'm glad we met. I feel like I've known you for ages. I don't get that with many people." He said.
Olivia smiled. "Me neither." She admitted. "And the feeling's mutual."
Ben nodded. "Should we go watch movies until we fall asleep then?" He grinned.
"Let's go!" She grinned. She smiled as she watched him grin at her before walking back through to the living room. She let out a slight breath before following him through.
So I hope you enjoyed it! :) Please keep letting me know what you think! I do love reading your reviews and your support really does mean so much to me so thank you! :)