At some point during the week, Rory handed Elsie the English binder back because she got done copying her notes.

"We're supposed to pick a sport to play," Rory replied. "What sport do you have, again?"

"I play field hockey," Elsie replied. "Skye does lacrosse and Pepper does track."

"Oh," Rory replied, walking away from her without even saying thank you.

Pepper scoffed, "How rude."

"She's not invited to my party on Saturday or on the 28th of October," Skye replied, offended. Since Halloween was a school night, Skye was hosting a Halloween party on the twenty-eighth.

Elsie was going to the Halloween as Elvira. She said, "I still need to get a dress."

"We can look for one on Friday after school," Pepper told her.

Elsie nodded, "Yeah."

After school, Elsie, Pepper, Vivian, and Skye went to a mall to look around. Anthony and Cassian took off for their own 'guy time'.

Elsie looked at some dresses, trying to find one that matched Elvira's dress.

"I'm going as Freddy Krueger," Pepper said. "I need to find an ugly-ass Where's Waldo sweater."

Skye laughed, "I was calling it a Christmas sweater."

Vivian giggled and went to help Elsie find a dress. She picked up a too revealing black dress and held it out to Elsie. "Here. Cass's brain will fall out of his skull if he sees you wearing this."

Elsie was confused, "Why would it?" She put the dress back.

"Because he's disgustingly in love with you," Skye said, coming up to them.

"No he isn't," Elsie denied.

Vivian rolled her eyes, "Of course he is. It's pretty obvious. You like him and he likes you."

Elsie felt her face heat up.

Her and her friends would tease each other over their crushes. It was just how they were.

They would tease Skye over the girls she had a crush on, even teasing Vivian over the fact that she had a crush on Anthony. Pepper wasn't interested in anyone.

"Not with the way you two look at each other," Vivian told her.

"I know," Skye said. "It's like 'why don't you two just screw and get it over with' already?" She took a black dress down.

"We won't because he doesn't like me," Elsie replied.

Vivian, Skye, and Pepper looked at each other.

"Stop being in denial," Skye said. "It just makes it more obvious."

"He doesn't. I don't want to ruin our friendship if I tell him I like him," Elsie responded.

Vivian asked, "What if there's a chance he likes you back?"

"And what if he doesn't?" Elsie countered. "And why don't you take a shot on Anthony?"

Vivian glared at her, "You know I can't do that."

Elsie feigned innocence, "Why not?"

"Because..." Vivian started. "It's because he's Cass's friend. That's like crossing a line."

"Not if Cass is fine with it," Elsie said.

"Sometimes he puts the 'ass' in Cass," Vivian muttered.

"I'm sure he'll be fine with you and Anthony," Elsie replied.

Vivian stayed silent, "But he's not Jewish. That's why I can't. You have no excuse other than denial and fear. If he rejects you, fine, move on."

Elsie figured that Vivian had a point there. Her own mother rejected her, so what was one more rejection?

She found a long sleeved dress with a sweetheart necklace and a slit on the side. She guessed that it'll do.

"Look, sorry for saying that to you," Vivian told Elsie. "That was a bitchy thing to say."

"No, no, you had a point," Elsie replied.

"I don't," Vivian stated. "You don't have to ask Cass out if you don't want to."

"Dinner was lovely, Emily," Richard stated, wiping his mouth with the napkin and putting it back on the dining table.

"Mira does make a perfect cassoulet," Emily replied.

"Who's Mira?" Elsie asked, looking at her grandparents. "I thought our cook's name is Sarah."

"Mira is the name of our cook, not Sarah," Emily told her.

"I thought the cook was Heidi," Lorelai stated.

"Heidi was let go months ago," Elsie said.

Emily said, "Yeah, she had a problem closing things – the door, the refrigerator—"

"The liquor bottle," Richard added.

Emily said, "Then it was Trina, then Sophia—"

"Oh, I liked Sophia," Richard replied.

"You did not," Emily said.

Richard asked, "I didn't?"

"She sang and called me a spoiled brat," Elsie said.

Rory snickered a little at that and Elsie glared at her sister.

"That's right – terrible woman," Richard replied.

"Right after Sophia was Anton," Elsie said.

"That's right," Richard said. "Anton was the one that I liked."

"I'm sorry, Dad," Lorelai chimed in. "How do you mix up Anton and Sophia?"

Richard asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, one is a man and one is a woman," Lorelai replied.

"Anton was pretty androgynous," Elsie muttered.

Richard asked, "And your point being, Lorelai?"

"That one is a man and one is a woman, even if the man is androgynous," Lorelai said.

"I have a lot to do in a day, Lorelai," Richard replied. "I don't have time to keep up with a multitude of people that your mother employs."

"But one is a man and one is a woman," Lorelai stated.

Elsie asked, "Is gender really the problem here?"

The cook brought in a cake.

"The dinner was so wonderful, Mira," Lorelai replied.

"It's Sarah," the cook told her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Lorelai told her. Sarah left to the kitchen.

Elsie laughed, "I knew it!"

"I thought she said Mira," Emily replied.

Lorelai groaned.

"Hey, Grandma, these plates are really pretty," Rory said.

"Thank you, Rory," Emily said. "They were your great-grandmother's."

"Lorelai the first," Richard said, smiling.

"I thought Mom was the first," Rory replied.

"Not in the name," Emily replied.

"No, but in so many other things, I was a regular trailblazer." Lorelai said, "Just finishing your thought, Mom."

"Lorelai the first is my mother," Richard started. "She's an extremely accomplished equestrian, a distinguished patron of the arts, and she's also world-famous for her masquerade balls. She's quite a woman, my mother." He beamed at Elsie, "You must take after her."

Except Elsie wasn't an equestrian. After one incident where she got bucked off a horse and stepped on, she wasn't fond of horses after that.

"Yes, she is and yes, Elsie does," Emily replied, hating the discussion of her mother-in-law. She called out, "Mira, come cut the cake please!"

Lorelai said, "Yes and why don't you bring Sarah out here with you?"

Sarah came out to cut the cake.

Emily asked, "So, Lorelai, how are things at that charming little inn of yours?"

"Mm – they're still charming and little," Lorelai said. "We're just crossing our fingers it doesn't assert itself and become rude and large."

Elsie didn't understand her mother's sense of humor.

"Mom's having a huge wedding there this week," Rory said.

Emily asked, "Really?"

Lorelai replied, "Yeah, actually there's people coming from all over the country."

Emily asked, "Well, isn't that nice?"

"Yeah," Lorelai replied.

Emily asked, "Elsie, what are your plans for the weekend?"

"Okay, done with me now," Lorelai stated.

"I'm sorry," Emily replied, not really sorry. "Was there more to the story?"

"Uh, Rory has to pick a team sport to play," Lorelai said.

"It's a requirement," Rory stated.

"'Physical fitness is as important as intellectual fitness.' So says Plato and so say I," Richard stated.

Emily asked, "What were your plans again, Elsie?"

"Skye is having a party tomorrow, so I was going to that," Elsie told her.

Emily nodded and looked at Rory, "What sport are you going to pick, Rory?"

Rory said, "I'm not sure. I'm not really the athletic type."

"I told her she should go out for the debating team," Lorelai said.

"It's not a sport," Rory replied like they bickered about that topic a few times.

Lorelai stated, "It is the way the Gilmores play."

Emily asked, "So, what are your choices?"

Rory replied, "God, there's like a thousand of them: basketball, lacrosse, swimming, track, golf—"

"Golf?" interrupted Emily.

"Yeah," Rory replied.

"Well, your grandfather is a golf player," Emily said.

Lorelai asked, "Hey, Elsie, what sport did you pick?"

Elsie spotted the reason why Lorelai picked an interest in her. She was trying to avoid Emily asking Richard to teach Rory how to play golf. "I play field hockey."

"Well, Richard plays every week at the club," Emily said. "He could teach Rory to play like a pro."

"Emily," Richard started.

"Why, he could take you there on Sunday," Emily said. "It's perfect."

"It's not something you can teach in an afternoon," Richard stated.

"That's okay," Lorelai replied. "Rory can pick something else. Maybe she could pick field hockey."

"The field hockey team is already full," Elsie said.

"Richard can teach Rory a sport," Emily stated. To Rory, she said, "You can use your mother's old golf clubs. They're upstairs gatherin dust along with the rest of her potential."

Lorelai asked, "Okay, Mom, can I maybe talk to you for a minute?"

"We're having dessert," Emily stated.

Elsie finished her cake, "Grandmother, may I have be excused?"

Emily nodded, "You may."

"Thanks, Grandmother," Elsie said, getting up and left the dining room.

The party on Saturday was in full swing when Elsie walked in the house. She wore a regular white shirt with a light blue pleated skirt and beige converse high-tops. She had a crossbody bag with her.

The bag contained a book, her keys, some pads, and a wallet.

She spotted Vivian and went to her. She had to walk around a couch that had two people making out on it.

Vivian was wearing one of her usual prim and proper outfits; a black dress with a white lace collar and cuffs. Vivian said that since she was the headmaster's niece, she needed to look 'prim and proper' outside of school because she felt that it was expected of her because Cassian wore all black and had a vest with patches of bands that Elsie never heard of. Sometimes he wore other colors but all black was Cassian's go-to.

Elsie asked, "Where's Skye and Pepper?"

Vivian shrugged, and got a can of soda from the refreshment table and handing it to Elsie, "I think I saw Skye giving Lindsey the bedroom eyes. And Pepper took off to steal money from the few people who passed out."

Elsie was surprised, "Already?"

"You're fashionably late as always," Vivian told her.

"The Womb-Sharer is going golfing with my grandfather tomorrow," Elsie told her.

"Oh," Vivian said, looking at a girl who was flirting with Anthony, who seemed to be a little to into it.

Elsie said, "Want me to put a stop to it?" She didn't wait for an answer and went over to Anthony and the girl. "What's going on?"

The girl gave Elsie a disgusted look, "You don't own him."

"I never said that I do," Elsie replied.

"Then go away," the girl snapped.

"You first," Elsie replied.

Anthony took Elsie's arm, "Let's go, Elsie." He dragged her away before a fight could break out. "Jesus, why are you jealous? I thought you had a thing for Cass."

Elsie sputtered, "I'm not jealous. I know that Kayla would do is go down on you and leave. She doesn't date. She screws."

Anthony looked at her, insulted, "You think that I don't know that?"

Elsie was confused, "Uh, did you want to sleep with her then? Because she was giving you the dirty alleyway eyes."

Anthony looked at her, "No."

Cassian came over, "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Anthony and Elsie said in unison.

Cassian's eyes roamed down to where Anthony was now holding Elsie's hand. He looked back up at them and arched an eyebrow.

"All right you caught us," Elsie said sarcastically after Anthony released her hand. "I was asking Anthony to take me roughly against the wall."

"Roughly?" asked Anthony incredulously.

Cassian gave them a strange look before walking away. She handed Anthony her soda, "Here, hold my soda." She went to find Cassian because she needed to clarify that she was joking.

It took a few minutes for her to finally find the guy.

He was on Skye's bedroom balcony and seemed to be brooding.

Elsie walked to him, "That was a joke back there. Vivian would skin me alive if I had sex with Anthony." Cassian looked at her and Elsie back-tracked, "I wouldn't have sex with him. I like someone else anyway."

Cassian asked, "Who?"

Just tell him and get it over with. If he rejects you, move on, Elsie told herself, remembering Vivian's words. She started stuttering, "It's – I – I got Game of Thrones for you." She almost smacked herself for turning into a little bitch over that.

Cassian blinked, "Really?"

Elsie opened her bag and handed him the book she brought, "Yeah."

"I think you're the only one I know that brings books with you to parties," Cassian told her.

Elsie shrugged, "So?"

"It's cute," Cassian said.

Elsie blushed at that, "Thanks." It looked like Cassian was going to say something, "Yeah?"

"I – thank you for the book," Cassian told her.

"Yeah, no problem," Elsie replied. "We should get back to the party."

"Yeah," Cassian replied.

They turned to head back and Elsie cursed herself for turning into a little bitch by not saying she had a crush on him. It could've been so easy. Just tell him then and there, but no, she couldn't. All she had to do was say, "I like you. Do you want to go on a date?" and get shot down and move on.

Unknown to her, Cassian was having the same inner turmoil as Elsie.

On another Friday night dinner, Elsie sat in the living room reading Misery by Stephen King, a book that Cassian had loaned her in return for loaning him Game of Thrones while Emily dealt with Lorelai and Rory who had arrived.

Emily walked in, "So Lorelai, did Rory tell you all about the wonderful time she had at the club?"

"She sure did," Lorelai stated.

"Your father was simply flying all week," Emily said. "She really charmed him."

Elsie thought that was a bit of an exaggeration.

"Ah, well, if anybody could, it would be her," Lorelai stated.

Emily asked, "I mean, in this age of MTV and one-hundred television channels, who would've imagined that a young girl could still get a thrill spending a simple afternoon with her grandfather?"

"That wine would be real good right now, Mom," Lorelai stated.

Emily was pouring a glass of wine and asked, "I think we should consider getting her a membership at the club, don't you?"

"If she wants, sure," Lorelai replied.

Emily asked, "I mean to have a place to go where she can socialize, that's very important to a young girl."

Elsie almost rolled her eyes at that.

"Well, now especially that the crack den is closed down on the corner, all her really good friends are gone," Lorelai replied. Elsie looked at her, still not getting her humor. "What do you think, Mom? Should I pursue the career in comedy?"

Emily handed a glass of water to Elsie.

"Thanks," Elsie said.

Emily stated, "It's just very interesting the way things turn out, isn't?"

Richard came in and pressed a kiss to Elsie's head in a greeting before turning to spot Lorelai and Rory together.

"Oh, you're here," Richard said. "Lorelai."

"Dad," Lorelai replied.

"Rory, I have a surprise," Richard said. "Not only did I find that copy of Mencken's Chrestomathy we discussed, I also found a first edition of his memoirs as well."

Rory asked, "You're kidding?"

"It's in my office, if you'd like to see them," Richard told her.

"Oh my god, I totally would," Rory replied.

She and Richard started leaving the living room.

"I'd like to take a look at those myself," Emily said handing Lorelai a glass of wine. She followed after the two.

Lorelai awkwardly sipped her wine and looked at Elsie, "So...anyone special in your life?"

"No," Elsie replied flatly.

"I thought you had a thing going with the headmaster's son," Lorelai replied.

"We're not dating," Elsie replied.

Lorelai hummed thoughtfully, "You should ask him out. Before someone else does."

Elsie shrugged, though she guessed that also made sense.