Chapter 6: Debutante ball?

"So, to sum up, I really, really need you there. I just don't have it in me to fight my mother anymore and this stupid debutante ball means everything to her. So I'm gonna have to do it. And if you're not gonna be my escort then my mother will do something embarrassing, like pay one of my cousins to take me. And this night is gonna be embarrassing enough as it is. Also, my parents will pay for your tux, they already said so. So all you gotta do is get dressed, show up and do a very short dance. And before you answer me, please, also remember that you love me very, very much." Lorelai said, and sighed heavily. That was a lot of words to say in one breath, even for her. But a Debutante ball was coming shortly, and she put off telling Luke about it for too long.

"Oh, that's so unfair. Yes, of course I love you. But that doesn't mean I want to make an idiot of myself. And I didn't even know that debutante balls were still a thing. What is it, 1950s? You're not even 16 yet, I'm pretty sure you have plenty of time to find yourself a husband without having to parade around in a puffy white dress." Luke ranted. "But obviously I will go with you, because I know that you just won't stop talking about it till I agree." He rolled his eyes.

"Yay" she exclaimed and kissed him eagerly.

"And your mother actually wants me to go to this thing?" He asked in disbelief. It's been 6 months since Luke and Lorelai started dating and 4 months since he met her parents but Lorelai's mother still couldn't stand him. Lorelai was doing everything in her power to avoid having Luke at any of her family events but it still happened occasionally and every time Emily would go to lengths to try to humiliate the poor Luke.

"Well, no, not really." Lorelai answered honestly. "But she wants me to go and she knows I won't go without you. She's so desperate that she would agree to anything at this point. I might even be able to convince her to not throw me a birthday party this year."

"But you love parties. And it's your 16th birthday. I thought you'd want to celebrate that." Luke said, confused. It was only 3 weeks till Lorelai's 16th birthday and she seemed really excited about it.

"Yeah, Duh. But I want to celebrate it my way, not my parent's way. They throw the most boring parties for my birthday, and I don't even know half of the people they invite to this thing. At least, I get to make some money out of it, since most of these people have no idea how to shop for a teenager and they just write me checks. But this year I want to celebrate in style. I was actually thinking of throwing a party in Stars Hollow. I'm sure Miss Patty would let me use her dance studio."

"I'm sure she would. Everyone in this town loves you. They for sure like you more than me."

"Well, that's because I like to participate in all of their events. I'm sure they would like you more if you were willing to do it too. Maybe I can convince you after all to do the bidding on a basket thing. Or a 24-hours dance marathon. We would win for sure!" Lorelai got excited at the thought.

"Hold up. It's a 24-hour marathon or debutante ball. I can't do both."

"Fine, a debutante ball it is. Still not giving up on bidding on the basket, though." She smiled as if she was sure that she could persuade him to do that. "Okay, so I need you at my house tomorrow after school. I have a fitting for my dress and at the same time my mom wants to measure you for the tux and see if it needs any alterations."

"Wait, a fitting? So you already have the dress made?"

"Well, yes. It takes a while, and the ball is in 2 weeks. They took my measurements for the dress three weeks ago."

"So you knew about this stupid ball for at least three weeks and you're telling me about it now?"

'Amateur's mistake,' Lorelai thought to herself.

"Fine. Yes, I knew about it before." Lorelai admitted. "But I knew I could get you to come and this way you will only worry about it for 2 weeks instead of over a month."

"I guess you're right there." He said. "But you know that one of these days I'm gonna stop agreeing for everything you want, you know?" He asked, not really convinced himself. He just couldn't handle seeing her disappointed.

"Yes, honey, I know. And in the meantime I guess I'm just gonna have to make it up to you somehow."

"Oh, yeah? What do you have in mind?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm thinking lots and lots of sex." She answered nonchalantly.

"Okay then. Let's just say I'm probably gonna keep on agreeing for everything, at least in the near future. " He smiled, forgetting about future debutante balls, 24-hours marathons or any other crazy events she'd like to attend. He would do it all for her.

"Damn it!" Lorelai yelled to herself. She couldn't get the stupid zipper on the stupid dress to work. She's been feeling pretty crappy since this morning. She felt nauseous but didn't want to skip breakfast, which she paid for by throwing it all up before the first period. Her stomach felt funny all day, and she didn't want to risk throwing up again so she didn't have any lunch, not counting Luke's apple, which he offered her, when she said she wasn't feeling too well. Normally, she would never eat an apple, but she felt so bad, that she believed that maybe her eating habits finally caught up to her, and she tried to eat something healthy for a change. And it actually tasted delicious.

But now, a few hours later she felt sick and hungry. Luke was already in his tux in the other room, her mother just waited for her, as she wanted to see them together and make sure that their costumes were matching right and that they required no alterations.

So she wanted to get this over as soon as possible, but, of course, the zipper on her dress wouldn't cooperate.

"Lorelai, for God's sake, how long can it possibly take to put on a dress?" Her mother said, and walked to her room, not bothering to knock first.

"I'm almost ready, mom, I just can't get this stupid zipper to work."

"Well, let me help you. I can't spend another minute with your friend alone. He's not a very social person, you know?"

"He's my boyfriend, mom. And he's very social with me." Lorelai said, angry. Her mother couldn't pass up on any opportunity to point out Luke's flaws.

"Oh my God. It's not the zipper. It's the dress. It's too small." Emily yelled, terrified. "How can it be too small, it was fitted for you 3 weeks ago. They must have written down the measurements wrong. Oh no, this is a disaster, the ball is in 2 weeks. I'm gonna call them immediately and put a rush on that. And they better not make this mistake again. You can tell Luke that he can go home. His tux fits fine, thank God and we won't be able to see if It's gonna match your dress till they make it."

"Fine, mom." Lorelai answered. She took off her dress, put on a shirt and jeans and walked down to the living room.

"Why aren't you in your dress?" Luke asked when he saw her. "If I have to stand here, looking like an idiot, then you have to at least join me in my idiocy."

"The tailor made a mistake with my measurements. The dress is too small so the fitting is over for today. I'm sorry, we're gonna have to do it again next week." She was surprised that the tailor made such a mistake. She could've sworn that due to her mother's yelling, the tailor double checked that everything is fine.

"That's okay." Luke sighed. He wasn't exactly thrilled, but he knew that Lorelai was having a bad day and he didn't want to make it worse for her. "Are you feeling at least a little better?" He asked, concerned. "You look a little flushed, you may have a fever."

"Yes, that may be it. I think I'm just gonna crash early tonight, try to sleep it off. I will see you tomorrow at school."

"Sure, but if you still feel bad, stay at home. Bye, feel better."

"Bye, hon." Lorelai closed the door after Luke and went upstairs to her room. She felt off. The nausea was suddenly gone, she was now only hungry. But she also kind of felt bloated.

And suddenly it all hit her. All the symptoms merged into one possible root of the problem. Pregnancy. She couldn't even think about it, but she also couldn't deny that it was possible. She and Luke had sex few times and they were always being careful… except for that first time at Luke's house, because neither of them expected it was gonna happen. It's been almost 3 months since it happened. She also couldn't remember when was the last time she had her period. Her cycle was always irregular and she didn't even bother to write it down, but it definitely was a while. The nausea, the dress, it all made sense now.

She tried not to freak out. She wasn't even sure if it was the truth. Although, something in her gut was telling her that it was real. Lorelai Gilmore, her parent's greatest disappointment, has beaten all of her previous records and managed to become the biggest screw up on the planet. Knocked up at 16.

She knew there was no way she could sit through this till the next day, not knowing for sure. So she waited till her parents fell asleep and sneaked out through her balcony. Thankfully, the 24-hour-opened pharmacy was a walking distance from her house. She bought a few different tests and sneaked back in.

She waited patiently for the results, although deep down she knew it wasn't necessary. Her gut was right. And sure enough, when she finally looked, all of the tests showed the same results. Pregnant.

It was never hard for Lorelai to fall asleep. She was one of those people who would fall asleep the minute their head hit the pillow. But today, for obvious reasons, she couldn't fall asleep, no matter how hard she tried. She even counted the stupid sheep, but still had no luck. Her mind just kept coming back to the life-changing thing that she learnt that night. She was pregnant. She was gonna have a baby. She couldn't even imagine it. Her with the baby. She hasn't even turned 16 yet. But it happened, and she couldn't magically turn back time. She would have to tell people about it. Luke first, obviously. She had no idea how he was gonna react to this news. Her parents, which was even worse. She had a pretty good idea of how they were gonna react. It would for sure involve very loud screaming, possibly her mother fainting and very possibly it would end with her being homeless. God, it was gonna be so bad. She knew that there couldn't possibly be the biggest scandal for Richard and Emily Gilmore. They were proud people and she was gonna embarrass them publicly. She always liked doing little embarrassing things, just to mess with her parents a little. But this was big, and she knew it would be truly devastating and humiliating for them. She didn't want that for them. But there was also nothing she could do about it.

She looked at the clock. It was now 4:30 AM. She didn't sleep a wink, and she was sure that there was no way she could fall asleep now. So she finally gave up and got up. She quietly got dressed in her normal clothes, but put her school uniform in a bag and went downstairs. Her parents wouldn't be awake for a while, so she just wrote them a quick note saying that she had to go to school earlier for a group project. It would probably be after 6 before they discover the note, which would make it a plausible time for a group meeting.

She walked out and went to the bus station. The bus was almost empty, only 2 people beside her were there. The ride was silent, but her mind would not shut down. She was now questioning her decision. Maybe she shouldn't do it, she should just wait for school. But she has come this far, and it would be stupid to turn back now. The town square was unusually quiet. Even the people of Stars Hollow did not get up at 5. She walked to Luke's house, still questioning if she was doing the right thing. But she had to talk to him, or this giant weight on her shoulders would not go away. Thank God, his room was on the first floor, because she was not athletic enough to climb a tree to get into the second floor. She slowly walked to his room and tapped on the window. His blinds were shut and she knew there was a small possibility that he could get a heart attack hearing someone at his window at 5 AM. So she whispered quietly, hoping he could hear her.

"Luke, are you awake? It's me, Lorelai. Open up, please."

When Luke heard this, he was pretty sure it was just some weird dream he was having so he didn't get up for a while. But the tapping on his window was consistent and determined, and he finally opened his eyes. He looked at the clock, confused. What on earth was Lorelai doing in Stars Hollow at 5AM on a Friday morning?

He walked to the window, rolled up the blinds and opened it.

"Hi. Is everything okay?" He asked, which was a stupid question. Of course something was not right, or she wouldn't be here.

"Hi, I guess everything is relatively okay. Could I come in?" She asked.

"Through the window? Why won't you just use the front door?"

"I don't want to wake up your dad or Liz."

"My dad has early deliveries on Friday, he's already in the store. And Liz is on a 2-day field trip with her class. No-one's here, but me. Come on, I'll open the front door for you." She looked deep in her thoughts but she nodded at his words and headed to the front door. Luke couldn't help but wonder what it was all about. Did something happen, did he do something? Was she gonna break up with him? No matter what scenario he came up with, he couldn't think of anything urgent enough for her to drive all the way to Stars Hollow, that couldn't wait a few hours till they were in school together.

"Come in, sit. Do you want some coffee?"

"Sure." She answered automatically but then changed her mind quickly. "Or no. I don't want coffee, sorry." She would actually love a cup of coffee, but she suddenly realized that for the past 3 months she was walking around, pregnant, drinking enormous amounts of coffee. She didn't know what was the limit for a pregnant woman, but she was pretty sure she drank too much.

"Okay, then." Luke answered, surprised. They sat on a couch together, and were both Silent for a while. "Are you gonna tell me why you're here?" He asked, finally. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm always happy when you visit, but you gotta admit that the timing is a little weird."

"What are your plans, Luke?" She asked, suddenly, not answering his question. "I mean, for after high school. I never asked you about that. Do you want to go to college? You must want to go to college. And after that, who do you wanna be? A football player? An accountant? A weather man? What are your plans?" She asked seriously.

"You came to my house at 5 AM to ask me about my plans for the future?" He looked at her in disbelief. "Lorelai, just tell me what happened, please. You're starting to freak me out here."

"I will tell you, I promise. Just.. answer my question, okay?" He looked at her, not able to read any emotions on her face, but something in her tone was telling him that she really wanted to know the answer.

"Yes, I want to go to college. I don't know which one yet, but I'm hoping to get a football scholarship, which would help me get into a good university. But I don't want to be a football player. After I get into college I want to major In business. And then, after that, I want to start my own business. I don't know what business exactly, maybe I'll open a restaurant, since I like cooking. I just want to have a successful business so I can help out my dad. He's a single parent and he works so much. I don't want to be a burden to him. I want to help him in any way I can." He said. "Now, would you just tell me what's happening?" He asked.

But instead of saying anything, Lorelai just bursted out crying. Luke had no idea what just happened and what he did but he hugged her tightly, trying to calm her down.

"Hey, it's okay, honey. You can just tell me, I swear I won't be mad."

"You have a really good plan, Luke. And I want that to happen for you. And I don't want to be a reason why it won't happen." She said when she calmed down a little. But the tears were still pouring down her face.

"What are you talking about, Lorelai? It will happen, and if it won't, it won't be because of you."

"Yes, it will." She said, still crying. And she knew she couldn't put it off any longer, she had to tell him. "I'm pregnant, Luke. I'm so sorry."

Luke froze at the word pregnant. It all made sense now, and at the same time, none of It made sense to him. He knew she was telling the truth, but the idea of having a baby at 17 was so terrifying to him, he couldn't quite process it in his head. He looked at her, crying and he knew she was as terrified as he was. He held her closely.

"It's gonna be okay, Lorelai."

"How can you say that? None of it is okay. We both just destroyed our futures. My parents will kill me, I will be a high school dropout. I can't believe it. How did I let this happen?"

"Hey, we're both to blame here, it's not only your fault. And I would be lying if I said I wasn't terrified, because I am. And I know you are too. But we're gonna figure it all out, somehow. And we'll start by telling our parents. The sooner, the better. They have to know. You just have to know that I'm gonna be here for you, every step of the way." He hugged her, and she couldn't help but feel safe. She was overwhelmed by a thousand emotions, but here, in his arms she felt safe. And she knew that it was gonna be a nightmare, especially telling her parents. But she was also glad that she wasn't alone in all of this. No matter what happens, she would always have Luke by her side.