𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 . . . Cold Coffee Cups
❝ This isn't a broken toy, this is my life. ❞

 "CHARLIE, YOUR DAD is here."

  Lorelai had expected there to be some sort of problem, Charlie wasn't ever exactly thrilled to spend time with her father, but she could hardly anticipate the scene the eldest Gilmore child would cause.

  "Which is exactly why I think we should just tell him I ran away to Oregon or Washington or something."

  Lorelai paused her panicked cleaning to give her daughter a deadpan look.

  "Okay, fine, just tell him I had to pick up a shift at Luke's," Charlie sighed, crossing her arms, "Come on, you know he needs help! I also need to finish up my project, it's due Friday."

  "Charlie—"

  "Momma—!"

  "An hour," Lorelai pointed, "Final offer. Stay here for an hour then head to Luke's, okay?"

  "Not up for debate?"

  "No, ma'am."

  "Okay," Charlie mumbled, pouting out her bottom lip as a knock sounded on the door. Lorelai pinched the girl's cheek before turning to answer the door.

  Charlie was sat in the armchair beside Chris, Lorelai, Rory, and Sherrie on the couch. Sherrie was focusing on Rory, attempting to relate in any way possible. Charlie could tell she was trying with her as well, but it was transparent that Sherrie and Charlie couldn't have been any more different.

Sherrie insisted she help Lorelai get water, leaving the father and daughters alone in the living room.

"How are you, Charlie?" The girl's eyes widened, not expecting the attention to be on her.

"Uh, good, yeah, fine."

"That's good," He nodded, "No debate team for you, huh?"

"Well, you know, Stars Hollow High doesn't have one." Charlie forced a laugh.

"Why don't you go to Chilton?" Rory tightened her lips awkwardly at her dad's question, "You're smart enough."

"It's not about being smart enough," Charlie shrugged, "It's just not my thing."

"It's an amazing school, and it looks great on college applications," Chris smiled, "I don't see why you wouldn't go."

"I just didn't want to, can we drop it?" The air was tense, "Please?"

"Sure," Christopher nodded, just as Sherrie came into the room. The phone rang, and after persuasion from her mother Rory picked it up. The call was odd, and Charlie could tell, but it ended and her Mom came back to join the group again.

"Rory, Charlie, can I run something by you?"

"Oh, sure." Charlie gave her sister a look.

"Your Dad and I are around for another night, and he's totally sick of me."

"Not true."

"Anyhow," Sherrie smiled, "I was wondering if you two wanted to do something with me tonight. Just the three of us."

"Sure, that would be nice."

"Really? What about you Charlie?"

"Oh, uh, I would but I promised Luke I'd work tonight," Lorelai shifted uncomfortably, Chris sighing at the girl, "Sorry."

"Charlie, can I talk to you outside for a minute?"

"Well—"

"Charlie."

"Yeah."

The girl reluctantly followed her father to the front porch, she leaned against the railing while Chris crossed his arms. Both were silent, waiting for the other to begin.

"We have different definitions of talking, see in my world it isn't just staring at each other—"

"Charlotte," Christopher sighed, "Look, I know I've been a bad dad but I'm trying. It doesn't work if you don't try too."

"I did try," Charlie snapped, "I sent you letters every week for two years and I never got a response. I begged Mom to let us see you, all I wanted was a Dad and you weren't there! You can't just pick and chose when to be a parent, that isn't how this thing works."

"So, you just want things to stay the same?" The man questioned calmly, "You don't want to try and fix it?"

"This isn't a broken toy, this is my life," The girl stressed, "Things are already screwed up beyond belief, you can go play pretend with Mom and Rory and Sherrie, but not me."

"Charlotte—"

"It's Charlie," The girl snapped, "You'd know that if you were around."

Christopher watched the girl go, not daring to move from the porch. She truly was Lorelai Gilmore's daughter.

⌁

  Charlie Gilmore had claimed one of Luke's Diner's most sought-after corner tables all to herself. To be fair, it was the closing lull currently so it wasn't as if Charlie had to fend anyone off, yet still she would take this small victory alone.

  After Lorelai's phone call which forced Charlie to recount the act, attempting to contain her volume as to not explain her family problems to the entirety of Stars Hollow, Charlie Gilmore was staring into the now cold cup of coffee she'd taken only two sips out of.

  Luke kept attempting to replace it with the fresh coffee he'd brewed, but she clung to the cup like a lifeline and he'd since thrown in the towel.

"Hey."

  Jess slid into the vinyl chair across from the girl, tapping his knuckles on the table which seemed to knock Charlie out of her trance.

  "What?"

  "I said 'Hey'," Jess repeated himself, leaning onto the table, "What's up, Space Cadet?"

  Charlie wilted, glaring at the boy.

  "Nothing," She mumbled, pulling the cup closer to her, "Sitting here."

  Jess pursed his lips and nodded slowly, leaning back in his seat.

  "I thought your dad was in town?"

  "He is," Charlie answered quietly, sighing, "We argued."

  The two stilled in silence for all too long. The lull of customers had turned to an all-out snooze-fest, the only patrons of the diner being the proprietor and two teenagers who found themselves there all too much.

  "Can I ask you a question?" Jess asked suddenly, though Charlie nodded uncertainly, "Why don't you like your dad?"

  "What?" Charlie furrowed her brows.

  "Well, Rory seems to really like the guy even though he's not around," Jess explained quickly, "From what I've heard he tries more with you, but you just don't get along."

  Charlie sighed, pushing the mug away to rest her forehead on the cool table.

  "Because I, Charlotte Gilmore, am terrified.

  "What?" Jess scoffed, the girl raising her head only slightly to make eye contact with him.

  "Because hating him is so much easier than coming to terms with the fact that he left us." Charlie shrugged, playing with the rings on her fingers, "If I push him away, he can't hurt me anymore."

  "You don't seem like the type of person to take the easy way out." 

  The boy stared at the girl, watching her eyes focus on anything but his.

  "I don't like to be," Charlie mumbled, "But it hurts y' know? He's the only dad I've got and he doesn't even care. I mean yeah, sometimes he pops up, tries to walk me down a staircase, buys me some overly expensive thing I'll never use, and then he's gone again. . . But if I don't let him get close to me, he can't hurt me."

  "I guess so."

  "Yeah, me too," Charlie breathed out, "There's not really a handbook for these things, I just sort of need to figure this out myself."

  Jess nodded, leaning closer yet again.

  "Gonna start pushing me away too?" 

  Charlie leaned her head on her hand, Jess attempting not to smile at the way her nose crinkles while she admired every aspect of his face. As if she was picking Jess Mariano apart before making this decision.

  "Gonna start hurting me?"

  "I messed up once," Jess noted.

  "You haven't left me," Charlie shrugged lightly.

  "If I made a mistake," Jess leaned on his hand as well, "You'd hate me because it's easier?"

  "You gonna break my heart, Mariano?"

  "You gonna let me, Gilmore?"

  "I might." Charlie smiled softly.

⌁

  "Who is that?"

  "That's your daughter."

  "No, no, who's the boy that's on my daughter?"

  "He's not on her—"

  "Lore."

  "Jess."

  Charlie and Jess were laughing at the counter, completely oblivious to Charlie's parents mere feet from her. The girl was attempting to help a customer at the register, but Jess kept bumping her hip every time he passed. And eventually, he stopped, which landed them in their current position of Jess bothering Charlie by simply leaning on her.

  Lorelai dragged Chris' attention away from their daughter by explaining how Sherrie was good for all of them. That she'd been waiting for him, subconsciously, and now she could move on. But, Chris didn't take it too well and voices were raised, attracting the Gilmore's attention.

  "Look if there's anything else you feel bad in your life about that you wanna dump on my doorstep, just leave a note."

  The man turned to exit but caught the eye of his daughter. The two stared for a moment, Chris regretting his actions only because Charlie saw them.

  "Charlie—"

  "Get out."

  "Charlotte—"

  "There's plenty of other things for you to ruin wherever the hell you came from, so get out."

  Luke glanced at both Gilmores, not saying a word. Charlie plopped into the chair beside her mother, stealing her coffee mug.

  "We really know how to pick 'em, don't we?"

  "We really do, Charlie."

( AUTHOR'S NOTE. )
This was kind of a short chapter so 
probably gonna double update you
guys :) Missed Charlie a lot so
we're back!