May 30th, 1983
11.30 PM

The Oakley Mansion was buzzing with life, every room filled with the sounds of a party in full swing. It was Charles Oakley's sixteenth birthday, and it seemed like he'd invited every high schooler in the greater Hartford area to celebrate and Charlie's parents were safe and sound in Venezuela, the bar was open and nobody would hopefully call the police.

When Chris walked in, somebody threw on "Come On Eileen" and the dancefloor exploded. In a blink, the room turned chaotic. Kids were jumping, screaming, shouting, singing along, pouring beer over each other. Someone launched themselves at him from behind, covering his eyes with their hands.
"Guess who?" The person was trying to conceal their voice by making it dark and rough, but the smell of a certain shampoo gave them away immediately.
"Hey, Lore," he said, pulling away Lorelai's hands. There she was, bouncing up and down singing:

Come on Eileen, oh I swear (well he means)
At this moment, you mean everything

She was gripping a red plastic cup filled to the top with something that looked suspiciously like whiskey. As she waved it around bouncing, the liquid danced dangerously close to the edge, threatening to spill with every animated gesture.
"This is the best song Dexys ever wrote!" She shouted, trying to outspeak the music. Chris opened his mouth in feigned shock.
"No way, Lorelai! Don't tell me you're team Eileen! This is not even half as good as Geno!"
"What? It's twice as good! Don't compare this, this, masterpiece to that weird offbeat ska!"
"I'm not comparing, I'm stating! Geno is much better! Come one, that transition from the verse to the chorus? Unbeatable! This is just a mainstream crowd pleaser." Chris grinned and shook his head.
"Oh, I see, that's where the problem is. It's too poppy for your indie sensibilities, makes you look bad."
"They just totally sold out." He rolled his eyes. "But maybe I misjudged you. I thought you could appreciate music that's, you know, less rainbow, more raincloud."
"Well, Mr. Curtis, not all of us can live in a perpetual state of alternative angst."
He scooped her in. Hugged her waist and lowered his mouth to her ear, breathing in hot air:
"I'll show you alternative angst."
Lorelai aimed for his ear but never had the chance for a comeback before Amelia appeared behind them and latched onto Lorelai's arm with an intensity that demanded immediate attention. She pulled Lorelai out of Chris' embrace.
"This is a code red love crisis — hi Chris —," she took a second to greet him, "the Tom situation is spiraling. I'm at a crossroads here, Lorelai, please, please, please come?" Amelia was almost breathless. Lorelai's glance flitted to Chris.
"Amelia, can it wait just a—?"
"No time! This is about love, life, and the potential doom of my social existence. You're the guru of romance guidance. Please, I need you now!" she said, tugging hard at Lorelai's arm.

Being dragged away by Amelia, Lorelai shot Chris an apologetic look over her shoulder. While he watched her back disappear he heard a thin, sheer little voice speak from behind his back.
"Hey, Chris. Great party, huh? I, um, really liked what you said about "Geno." Like, great analysis." He knew that voice; Charles had mentioned several times that he'd caught its owner gazing at Chris with adoration during math class. He turned his head and yes, it was Jenny. Her fragile little frame was almost shaking, pleased and scared to get to talk to him one-on-one. Poor thing, you could offer her a friendly smile.
"Hi. Yeah, it's a classic. Everyone's just having a blast with "Come on Eileen" right now, though. Can't argue with a good party tune," he said, craning his neck a little. Where the hell did Lorelai go? Jenny moved a little closer, he noticed that she was kind of unsteady, eyes blank, her cup empty.
" Maybe we could... Listen to "Geno" together? I mean, if you want to show me why it's so great." Chris was still trying to scan the room for Lorelai, not really paying attention to what Jenny was saying.
"Uh-huh, sure, maybe some other time, we could go to Danny's house, he's got all their records…" When he didn't find Lorelai, his attention shifted back to her and her The Housemartins t-shirt.
"Oh, hey, that's a really cool t-shirt!" He said, unintentionally looking at her chest. "Haven't seen that before?"
"It's from London, actually, I got it at a pretty awesome record store in a shady backstreet," she said, eyes sparkling. "It's got texture, feel it!"
Before he realized what was happening, Jenny had taken his hand and put it on her chest. Looking him in the eye, she leaned in and gave him a little kiss. He was totally taken off guard, but couldn't help but engage a little in the kiss - after all, she was offering to hold a boob. But after parting, he said,
"You know, Jenny, you're great and all, but I'm not really, you know… into you, like that."
She immediately pulled back, trying to look like she never kissed him and certainly never wanted to.
"Yeah, I totally get it. It's cool, definitely cool. Not into you like that, either. Just, uh, you know, yeah."

***

Lorelai sighed. She stood leaning against a wall outside a bedroom, waiting for Amelia and Tom to sort through their melodrama. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Tom's friend Theodore Wiedemier III lumbering toward her. Teddy was the Captain of the football team, and his appearance left no doubt about it. With his broad shoulders, dark brown hair, and a jawline that could give Dolph Lundgren a run for his money, he certainly had the looks on his side. Too bad he was thicker than a brick wall.

"Hi Lorelai! What are you doing here?" Teddy waved at her, his arm flopping from side to side in large gestures. He almost hit a vase. He reminded her of a care-free, very happy puppy with long soft ears.
"Uh, hi, Teddy. I drink." Lorelai took a gulp from her cup. "I tried to talk and, or, dance as well, but right now, I just wait. I guard this door with my life, you see."
"Uh-huh. A door." Teddy fell silent. Lorelai blinked.
"So… " he said, "have you seen Tom?"
He didn't have to wait for her answer because the door suddenly swung open, and Amelia and Tom stumbled out with their hair suspiciously tousled and bewildered smiles on their faces.
"All good…?" Lorelai shot Amelia a look and she nodded, grinning at Lorelai.
"Well, then, back to the actual party then."

But at the living room doorstep, she froze. Amelia, Thomas and Teddy bumped into her just in time for all of them to get a clear visual of Chris kissing Jenny McKenna from 9th grade. Uh. She didn't know blood could freeze, that's a first.
"Oh, wow, um, wasn't there…" Amelia glanced over at her, "I mean, you and Chris…? Wasn't there something, uh…"
Blood still frozen. Trying to force mouth to speak. Come on, mouth.
"Please. He's like my brother, I would never tap that." Lorelai took a large gulp from her drink.
"But, last week you were all about how you two had this... connection?"
"Well, siblings can have connections, too. "
Amelia and Thomas exchanged a look. They had both seen Lorelai and Chris in the cafeteria the other day and they really weren't giving sibling energy.
"Anyway, who needs a stupid Chris when there are so many other guys around, right?" Lorelai turned around and gave Teddy one of her sweetest smiles. "Life's too short to dwell on whatever that was." she continued, "and way too short not to fill this baby up," she added, waving her glass.

Later that night, the party had gotten a little out of hand. To the blaring sound of what might have been some Metallica song, kids were jumping furniture, throwing up in antique vases, sledding down the stairways on silver trays. Chris was slumped on a sofa, staring at the ceiling where the pattern was slowly starting to spin.

"Are they still attached to each other?" he asked Charles, who lay next to him. Charles lifted his head from the cushion.
"Yep. Sorry, man," he said. Chris groaned.
"I don't get it, Charlie," he said slowly, not really being able to bring all the consonants with him, "What's she doing with Captain Varsity over there?
"Who knows?" Charles shrugged. "Maybe it's the thrill of the opposites attract thing. Have you thought about joining the football team?"
Chris sat up and took a big gulp from his cup, shaking his head in disbelief.
"It's just… She and I, we vibe, you know? We can talk about anything for hours, and watch those offbeat movies nobody else understands. And she is brave, and mischievous, and never ever hesitates to do anything, I never have so much fun with anyone else. She's more than just some girl to me, Charlie; she's my partner in crime. And just when things were starting to finally to evolve between us... she's off with Mr. Touchdown?"
Chris groaned and buried his head in his hands.
"And what's with that name? Theodore Wiedemeier III? Sounds like a pug who won best in show. "