The scent of sizzling butter filled the kitchen as Evie flipped an egg in the pan, the edges crisping just the way her dad liked. A piece of toast popped up from the toaster, and she caught it before it could fall, setting it on a plate beside a half-sliced banana.

With one hand, she grabbed a Tupperware container from the counter, checking on the sandwich she'd made for his lunch—turkey and cheese, simple, something he wouldn't have to think about. Next to it sat a covered dish of pasta she'd prepped for dinner, ready to be reheated whenever he got home from work.

She worked in quiet efficiency, the rhythm of chopping, stirring, and packing filling the silence that hung over the house. The radio sat untouched on the windowsill. She used to turn it on in the mornings, filling the space with soft music or the low chatter of talk shows, but her dad didn't like the noise. So Evie grew accustomed to working in silence.

Evie glanced at the clock. 7:45 AM.

With a sigh, she wiped her hands on a dish towel and set the breakfast on the table. Any minute now her dad would be home from work and she knew he would just inhale the food and roll into bed. Her presence was surplus to requirement.

Evie made her way through the house to her bedroom. Sitting cross-legged on her bed she pulled a handful of rings from a small wooden dish on her nightstand. She slid a chunky turquoise one onto her index finger, then a delicate silver band onto her thumb, tilting her hand in the soft morning light. Satisfied, she moved to her dresser, where a string of fairy lights cast a dim golden glow over stacks of sketchbooks, scattered earrings, and a second hand record player that only worked when she jiggled the needle just right.

She rifled through her closet, pushing aside faded band tees and embroidered blouses until she landed on a sheer, flowy top with flared sleeves. She paired it with a faded high-waisted knee length skirt and pulled on her docs that had seen better days.

Standing in front of the mirror, she twisted a loose strand of dark auburn hair around her finger before pulling it back into a messy half-up, half-down style, leaving her bangs to frame her face. Lining her hazel eyes with a smudge of brown kohl and rubbing a little tinted lip balm to her lips, she grabbed her leather satchel from the chair in the corner of her room, stuffing her sketchbook and a couple of pens inside.

A glance at the clock told her she had ten minutes before she needed to leave. With one last look in the mirror, she grabbed her thrifted denim jacket from the back of her door and slung it over her shoulders. It was covered in patches—an old Janis Joplin logo, a tiny embroidered moon, a faded patch that used to say wanderer but had since frayed beyond recognition.

Downstairs, the breakfast she made for her dad sat untouched on the table. She ignored the familiar pang in her chest and grabbed an apple from the counter before heading for the door.

The morning air was crisp, and as she stepped outside, she took a deep breath, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets.

At least out here, she could breathe.

Jess spent his second day in Stars Hollow much like his first. He walked around, he read his book, he sat on the bridge. Luke pressed upon him several times that he had to go to Lorelai's for dinner. It was clear to Jess with how much Luke brought Lorelai up that Luke was either sleeping with her or he really wanted to. Hoping to avoid more lectures from his uncle Jess made his way over to the diner in time for them to head out to this dinner party that Luke cared about so much.

"Jess! Where have you been? We are going to be late."

"What?"

"I said 8:00, it's almost five minutes past! Come on!"

Jess is positive he pulled a muscle with how hard he rolled his eyes but he followed Luke through the quiet streets of Stars Hollow without complaint.

"Did my mom call?" he asked after they'd been walking for a few minutes.

Luke scratched the back of his neck in discomfort. "Ah. No. Not yet."

Of course Liz hadn't called. Jess was disappointed with himself for asking.

Luke didn't say anything else and they walked the rest of the way in silence.

Lorelai's house looked just as cookie cutter cute as the rest of Stars Hollow. The living room had a cosy looking couch with pillows and throws, and there were photos everywhere. Jess picked one up off of the mantle and examined the girl in the photo. He was surprised to see that Lorelai's daughter was his age, or maybe a year younger. It turns out Liz wasn't the only teen mother Stars Hollow produced.

The kitchen held a table covered in food, most of which he couldn't identify. On the right was a bedroom and Jess spotted the girl sitting at a computer. He wandered in. She turned and smiled softly up at him.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey." Jess stepped in.

"I'm Rory."

"Jess."

"Nice to meet you."

The bedroom was big with a twin bed sitting in the centre. It made Jess irrationally angry for a second. But it wasn't the girls fault that Jess had pulled the short straw when it came to living situations. Upon further inspection the room contained a big mirror with photos taped to it and various trinkets laying on the windowsill. What really caught his attention were the books. She had three bookshelves that Jess could see, and he turned to look at the one closest to him.

"So you're staying with Luke?" she asked.

"Uh huh," Jess said. Jess recognized Howl, grabbed it and checked which edition she had.

"Have you read that one?" Her voice came from behind him and Jess shot her look from over his shoulder.

Suddenly being here in this picture perfect house with this girl next door archetype was too much.

Jess crossed the room and pulled aside her window curtains. "Do these open?"

"Oh yeah," she answered, seeming confused by the change of conversation "you just unlatch and push."

Jess opened the window and stuck his head out to see what was beyond it. Behind him he heard Rory laugh. "What are you doing?"

Jess climbed through.

"What are you doing?" she repeated.

"Are you coming?" Jess asked.

"What?Where?" Rory asked, peeking her head out of the window.

Any other day Jess would have relished the chance to flirt with a pretty girl who loved books. But Jess was fucking over everything about this whacky town. "I'm leaving, are you coming with me?"

Rory looked over her shoulder and pulled back into the house resting her elbows on the windowsill.

"Look I know this is kind of a lot but I swear it'll be fun. Plus the food is going to be amazing, you haven't lived until you've tasted Sookie's cooking. Trust me, come back in."

"Enjoy your food." Jess shook his head and made his great escape from the shiny dolls house of the Gilmores.

Jonathan sat cross-legged on the floor, his homework spread out in front of him. The dull hum of the TV filled the room, he wasn't really paying attention to the escapades of the Golden Girls but he needed the noise to be able to concentrate on his work. Evie was sprawled on the couch behind him, notebook in hand, absently scribbling something in the margins while glancing at the screen. Her legs were tucked beneath her, one foot resting on the armrest, the other swinging gently in time with the show's theme music.

Jonathan half-ignored his math problems, his pencil tapping against the paper. His eyes drifted over to Evie, noting the way the soft light from the lamp beside her cast shadows across her face. She looked tired, her eyes distant even when she was right in front of him. He worried sometimes that Evie would get so lost in her head that she would never find her way back.

"You know," Jonathan broke the silence "Miss Alvrez cornered me in the hallway again. I think she is in love with me.''

Evie snorted, glancing up at him from her own work.

"Yeah, the sixty something English teacher is absolutely obsessed with you. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that you are late handing in an assignment. Again.''

''Hey!'' Jonathan cried out indignantly ''I'll have you know it's not even a week late yet, that is practically on time for me.''

''I'm sure the college admissions team will agree with you but just in case you better hand it in before Miss Alvrez has a heart attack.''

''The old gal is tougher than she looks, I wouldn't worry about her." Jonathan retorted delicately avoiding the subject of college. He knew that Evie was in the same boat as him, a single income household with not a lot of spare change tucked away. They really didn't like to discuss it, it was a topic they would continue to dance around for as long as they could. The only way that Jonathan was getting into college was with the help of a substantial scholarship. Sometimes the thought of not receiving any financial aid made him feel physically ill. And sometimes the thought that he would have the chance to go to college made him feel the same way.

''I don't think you are her type anyway'' Evie teased 'I am convinced she has a thing going on with Mr. Peters."

''The janitor?'' Jonathan exclaimed clutching his proverbial pearls ''the scandal!"

Evie threw a cushion at him as they both laughed. Jonathan caught the cushion mid-air, tossing it back onto the couch with a grin. The brief moment of laughter hung in the air between them, warm and comfortable, like a secret they were both holding onto.

''What time is your Nana expecting you home?'' Evie asked.

Glancing at his Jonathan let out a sigh.

''I should probably head back now," he said gathering up his things, ''I don't want to keep her waiting for me. I keep telling her she can just go to bed.''

''Its sweet.'' Evie insisted, trying her best to keep the wistfulness out of her tone.

''Yeah, yeah,'' Jonathan dismissed, ''goodnight my darling, sweet dreams!'' He placed two kisses on her cheeks and bowed as he made his way towards the door.

''Goodnight, I hope your dreams of Miss Alvrez don't keep you up,'' Evie called after him. Jonathan flipped her the bird without turning around and heard her laughter as he made his way home.

Jess tried to sneak through the diner for the second time that day. He moved toward the stairs, trying his best to avoid eye contact with Luke, but the older man wasn't having it. Luke was already hot on his heels, following Jess's every step. Jess could feel the heat of Luke's presence even before the older man's hand reached out, grabbing the back of his shirt, stopping him in his tracks.

"What's going on with you, huh? You just vanish without a word? I need to know where you are, Jess. You can't keep doing this, sneaking around like a ghost. If you don't want to go somewhere, say something. Don't just sneak out a window! It was really rude, Jess. Lorelai went to a lot of trouble for you and you just blew her off? You hearing me?" Luke's voice was louder now, exasperated.

Jess kept moving up the stairs, pretending like he didn't hear Luke's words, but the angry steps behind him told him Luke wasn't done yet. Jess thought he could get to the bathroom and shut the door, but Luke was too quick, catching up to him at the top of the stairs.

"You are hearing me, right? Answer me, Jess!" Luke's breath came out in short bursts as he took a few steps closer. Jess stopped in his tracks, eyes darting between the bathroom door and Luke. Up until this point he hadn't properly considered what Lukes anger would be like, too caught up in everything else going on. But Luke was a big guy—broad, solid muscle that took up the doorway like a wall. Jess could feel the tension in the air, thick and suffocating, and suddenly, the space between them felt too small. Every part of him screamed to run, but his feet were glued to the floor.

Luke pointed a finger at Jess, voice growing more frustrated. "You can't just disappear like that. I am responsible for you. I need to know where you are."

Jess didn't say anything, his body tense, feeling the heat of Luke's words. He moved toward the bathroom, but as he reached for the door, Luke took a step forward.

Jess froze, his shoulders tight, and he flinched before he could stop himself.

Luke stopped dead in his tracks, his voice softening slightly. "Okay, Jess? Lets just take a breather."

Jess didn't answer, just pushed past Luke into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

Luke knocked on the door before finally accepting that Jess wasn't going to open it.

"Tomorrow, we need to meet with your principal.'' he said at the closed door ''You're going back to school, no more disappearing acts."

As much as Jess liked having the barrier between them, he opened the door so Luke could see he was not going to make this easy for him.

"You can't tell me what to do," Jess spit at him.

"I can tell you that you're going to school tomorrow. You're going to work at the diner, and you're not going to pull these disappearing acts anymore. Do you hear me?"

Jess stayed silent for a moment, the weight of the conversation sinking in. Luke wasn't backing down..

"You can't force me to do anything," Jess said, his voice quieter now, but there was an edge to it. He knew that Luke held all the cards and all Jess could was dig his heels in as much as possible.

Luke didn't flinch. "I can and I will, Jess." Luke turned away, walking back to his bed, but not before looking over his shoulder one last time. "School tomorrow. The diner after. Got it?"

Jess didn't answer, just slammed the bathroom door shut and locked it behind him.