𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 . . . 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘏𝘰𝘰𝘬-𝘶𝘱
❝ Are you getting soft on me, Mariano? ❞

  LORELAI GILMORE WAS not happy with her daughter. Not the girl in the private school uniform nervously awaiting a brewing argument, the one who was still in bed protesting the idea of school.

  "Get up."

  Charlie groaned.

  "Charlie."

  "Dude."

  "Don't dude me," Lorelai snapped, pulling the quilt that was covering Charlie Gilmore off of her bed, "You just left last night!"

  "Yeah," Charlie groaned, curling into a ball in hopes of re-warming herself in any way, "Bet you've done it tons of times."

  "I understand getting upset, Charlie," Lorelai sighed, "But leaving without telling me where you were going, and not texting or calling until you showed up at one in the morning—"

  "I was pissed off," Charlie snapped tiredly, standing from her bed abruptly, "Can you let me get ready for school?"

  Lorelai sighed in defeat, closing the bedroom door a bit too harshly. Charlie, on the other hand, let out a noise of frustration before angrily pulling open a dresser drawer, repeating this noise when it came crashing onto the ground mere inches from her bare feet.

↬

  "I take it this morning didn't go well?"

  "No, it didn't go well," Charlie mumbled, her head halfway into her locker Emma was leaning beside, "I'm so tired of it, having a curfew— I just want to move out already."

  "Let's do it, me, you, Scooter, N.Y.C."

  "Ha-ha," Charlie let out dryly, standing up straight and gently shutting her locker, "So, how did last night go?"

  "No, how did your night go?"

  "Met a couple of guys that go to school out of the country, got their number," Charlie sighed, starting their walk to homeroom, "One of them was pretty cute, but, you know, I'm not up for a long-distance thing."

  "No, I get that," Emma nodded, nervously tucking a curl behind her ear, "So, uh, I kind of. . . ended up back here."

  "Hm, Stars Hollow High calls your name when you're under the influence?"

  "Not here here," She laughed, "Uh. . . Liam's. Actually."

  "Oh," Charlie noted, attempting to bury her shock, "Oh, cool."

  "Yeah?" Emma asked nervously, "We, uh. . ."

  "You. . ?"

  "Well, you know," Emma blushed lightly, whispering her next words, "Hooked up."

  Charlie stopped walking, making Emma stop, too.

  "What the hell?"

  "What?"

  "You know I liked Liam."

  "Charlie, you've been telling me you didn't like him since fifth grade," Emma deadpanned, "He liked you, okay? We all knew it, and we both liked him— not that you noticed. But everybody got tired of the weird 'hard to get' game you were playing!"

  "Dude!"

  "If you wanted to date him, you could've!"

  "No, I couldn't have!" Charlie snapped, "He didn't like me!"

  "So why is it a problem?"

  "Because I liked him and you knew it and it still hurts!"

  "That's just not fair to us, then!" 

  "You know what— do whatever you want to do," Charlie waved her hand, "I don't care."

  Emma sighed as Charlie turned on her heel, making a bee-line for the main doors to the high-school.

  "Charls," Emma sighed, "Charlie, I'm sorry!"

  Charlie Gilmore did not listen, walking straight out the front door, catching the attention of only one person.

  "Connecticut, skipping school? I'm shocked."

  "I'm really not in the mood right now, Jess." Charlie quickly hopped down the front steps, though this did not deter him.

  "What happened?" She didn't stop or even acknowledge him so Jess gently pulled her arm to turn her around, "Charlie, what's going on?"

  "I yelled at my grandma last night." Her eyes were glassy, confusing Jess further, "I yelled at her and then Emma picked me up and took me to a bar even though I told her it was okay it felt like shit that she left me to go hook up with some guy. I met these guys and one had a cool accent but, that's not the point. Then Emma and I got into a stupid argument today because she and Liam hooked up and—"

  "Hey," Jess spoke gently, dipping his head lightly to enforce eye contact, "Liam's a dick."

  "But I like him," She admitted, "A lot. And Emma's right, it wasn't her fault. Liam doesn't want to be with me, I can't keep him from doing what he wants."

  "You can still be upset about it, Connecticut," He informed, watching Charlie wipe her tears away and holding in the urge to do it himself, "You can't let other people decide how you should handle stuff."

  "Are you getting soft on me, Mariano?" Charlie sniffed lightly, making Jess laugh and nudge her shoulder lightly.

  "Don't get your hopes up, Gilmore." 

  Charlie laughed gently, wiping her rosy cheeks once more before she and Jess began walking aimlessly. He snuck looks at the girl, her thoughtful expression of keeping emotions inside, and Jess easily decided the best place to take Charlie Gilmore

  Luke greeted the teens normally, too focused on his task of brewing more coffee— though, when the pot was in its place, Luke paused and recognized the clock was hardly ticking to noon. "Why aren't you two in school?"

  "My fault," Charlie admitted, making Luke's face melt into concern. "Just having a bad day."

  "And I couldn't let her skip alone," Jess spoke up, with his staple smirk, "Wouldn't want her getting caught."

  "No, we wouldn't," Luke grumbled, walking back behind the counter to continue work. "If you're going to be here at least do something useful."

  "Yes, sir." Charlie mock saluted him, grabbing an apron and getting to work.

↬

  "I can't believe you and Emma aren't friends anymore." The Gilmore twins were sitting on opposite ends of the couch, a blanket covering both of them after finally having settled down after fighting for legroom.

  "We're not. . . not friends," Charlie mumbled, picking at the blanket on her lap, "She's been texting me all day."

  "Are you gonna forgive her? And Liam?"

  "I don't know, Rory. I'm too. . . hurt to think about this rationally."

  "Then just take your time," Rory shrugged gently, "That's what Mom would say."

  "Or she'd say they weren't real friends."

  "There are a lot of things she could say."

  "Yeah. . . Thanks, Rory." Charlie smiled at her sister before Rory returned to reading her book, Charlie focusing on the television as 'Goodwill Hunting' played.

  After what seemed like forever, their mom finally walked through the door, "Is that you?"

  "Nope." Both girls sat up to chat with Lorelai.

  "How was it?" Charlie quickly turned the TV off as her mom hung her coat in the closet.

  "Oh fine. It ran smoothly, and the food was amazing. Michel only made three people cry." Charlie frowned slightly, noticing there seemed to be something bothering her mom.

  "How was the fashion show?" Rory questioned her this time, stopping her from escaping to the kitchen.

  "Oh you know, I walked up and down the ramp, looked pouty and sexy, and now I'm ready for rehab." Rory let out a laugh, Lorelai waltzing into the kitchen as the twins both settled back into the couch, "I brought you guys some booster cake."

  "Put it in the fridge, please," Rory called out.

  "Put it in my hands, please," Charlie grinned as Rory lightly shook her head. "How's grandma?" The girl happily accepted a plate of cake as her mother ate her own slice.

  "Oh, she's good."

  "I'm assuming that's your piece of cake and mine is safely in the fridge," Rory directed at their mother.

  "Hm, you're cute," Lorelai laughed.

  "So what'd you wear?" Charlie questioned through a mouthful of vanilla cake.

  "Oh. Look at the time. I'm going to bed." Lorelai set her cake down, eager to escape the oncoming questions.

  "Nobody took a picture of you?"

  "Uh, no. Can you believe that?"

  "You're holding onto that purse mighty tightly there, missy," Rory pointed out, her sister watching amused from the sidelines.

  "Yes well, I really love this purse." The woman patted the bag under her arm.

  "You have pictures in there," Rory accused with a growing smile.

  "You calling your mother a liar?"

  "Yes, I am."

  "Hm. Well, that's why I ate your cake." Lorelai reluctantly passed the bag to her eager daughters. They shuffled through the photos with huge grins. "Be nice!"

  "You look like Nancy Reagan," Charlie giggled over her sister's shoulder.

  "How is that nice?"

  The girls continued joking about, then their mother informed Rory to make sure she looked cute going to bed as Francie and the Puffs were going to wake her up in the middle of the night.

  "Don't do anything stupid," Charlie mumbled as she curled up in her bed, the lights were still on as Rory was dolling herself up.

  "I won't," Rory jokingly rolled her eyes.

  "If they wake me up, there will be no sorority at Chilton."

  "Understood."

  Luckily, when Rory was woken up she could see her sister peacefully sleeping.

  "You have a sister?" Francie questioned, glancing at the girl who filled the room with soft snores, "She's pretty."

  "Yeah, her name's Charlotte."

  "Why doesn't she go to Chilton?"

  "She didn't want to."

↬

  "Charlie," Lorelai attempted to wake the girl, sighing when the teen shoved a pillow over her own face, "Rory's in trouble."

  A half-asleep Charlie removed the pillow, confusion plastered on her face, "That's my job."

  "Alright Sloan, I have to go."

  "Sloan?"

  "From Ferris Bueller's day off." Lorelai shook her head. "I need to go get your sister, didn't want you to wake up alone, love you."

  "Love you too," Charlie snuggled back down into her bed, Lorelai leaving to get Rory from Chilton.

  In a sleepy daze, one word floated from the girl's lips.

  "Sloan?"

( AUTHOR'S NOTE. )
Things are getting interesting--
also can we please appreciate
Charlie referring to Finn as
' a boy with an accent'??