There was a town meeting, but Thea really didn't feel like going to it. Sure, the only good thing that came out of them was seeing Luke argue about the reenactment with Mayor Harry Porter, who pretends that he doesn't know Luke. Thea didn't enjoy seeing that as much as Rory and Lorelai did.

While they were gone, Thea watched a movie with her friends while holding mugs of hot chocolate that Sookie had made. It was just like how it was meant to be.

"God, it's cold," Aiden said, as he walked up to the school.

"I know," Thea replied. "It's going to snow."

Aiden put his arms around Thea and ran his bare fingers along some exposed skin of Thea's stomach. She inhaled and moved away from him, "Why'd you do that?"

Aiden smiled instead and put his hands in his jacket pockets. "I wanted to see your reaction."

"Aiden, stop being a dick to our girlfriend," Sage said, coming up to them. He put one arm around Thea's shoulders and kissed her on the side of her head.

Aiden asked, "Have I ever told you about the time I accidentally caught my eyebrow on fire?"

Thea asked, "You did what?"

"I was sniffing a scented candle forgetting I had lit it and the flame went a bit tits up. I don't know. This shit just happens," Aiden replied.

Liberty asked, "Why are we talking about tits?"

"Because I'm freezing mine off," Thea joked.

"Oh," Georgia replied.

"I could probably cut glass with mine," Sage added.

"Yeah, that's pleasant," Liberty said. With a smirk she added, "I could cut a bitch with mine."

They started laughing.

Lane came up to them wearing her band uniform.

"Yikes," Liberty said. "I'm so glad I quit band before I had to wear that ugly ass uniform."

"Lucky you," Lane replied. "Do any of you know Rich Bloominfield."

Sage asked, "The weird kid who wears the Star Trek shirt?"

Georgia asked, "The jackass who kept poking me in the spine with a pencil in the fifth grade?"

"He has some nice hair," Liberty added.

"Yeah," Lane said.

Thea asked, "Why are you asking?"

"I wanted to ask him out," Lane said. "Rory's focused on Dean and didn't listen to me."

"Good for you," Thea said.

"You have two boyfriends," Lane told her. "How do I get his attention?"

Liberty suggested, "Ask him, 'Can you believe how ugly these uniforms are?'"

"Talk to him about Star Trek," Sage suggested.

Lane asked, "Is Star Trek the one with Darth Vader?"

"That's Star Wars," Aiden corrected.

Lane asked, "How can I talk to him about Star Trek if I know nothing about it?"

"Say that you were thinking of getting into Star Trek and don't know where to begin on it," Georgia suggested, "Do you start with the books or the show?"

Lane asked, "There are books?"

"Yeah, I saw some at the bookstore. I can get them for you if you want," Aiden said.

"That's a start. Maybe he'll notice you and talk to you," Thea stated.

"Yeah, that'll be nice," Lane said.

"I'll go get them right now," Aiden said.

"Thank you," Lane said, grateful that at least they took her situation seriously, unlike Rory who'd rather suck face with Dean.

Aiden took off.

At lunch, Lane sat with them at a table. Aiden had returned before second period, but he got lectured on skipping school and how education was important.

"Here," Aiden said, handing the books to Lane, who took them gratefully.

"Thanks," Lane said, opening one to read while she ate.

"Oh, here," Aiden said, taking a book out to hand to Sage. "I found that book that you wanted."

Sage took it, almost confused, "Thanks."

"Let me know if anything happens between you and Rich," Liberty told Lane.

"I will," Lane replied. "Thanks for helping me with the whole Rich Situation."

"No problem," Thea replied.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Thea looked at Lane, "Are you okay? You seem sadder than usual."

"It's just that Rory has no time for me anymore," Lane said. "She goes to Chilton, she has to go to her grandparents on Fridays, she has to meet Dean, she has to find her books. She has no time for me."

Thea nodded, "I know how that is. I grew up with being pushed to the side or being ignored."

Lane gave her a sympathetic look.

After school, snowflakes started falling and they went to Georgia's house to watch some more movies and do homework, until Aiden, Liberty, and Thea took off to go to work.

"Good, you're here," Fran told her. "A customer wants two dozen vanilla cupcakes and two vanilla sheet cakes. They want snowflakes on them because of the snow."

Thea asked, "Is it a baker's dozen or just regular dozen?"

"Make it a baker's dozen," Fran told her.

Thea nodded, put on a hair net and washed her hands, before getting the ingredients for the food.

Thea went to Luke's diner after work. She carried a Saran wrap covered cookie sheet with gingerbread men in it. Fran had the idea of putting candy cane pieces in the gingerbread men for the holiday season, but it turned out horrifying when the candy cane pieces melted out of the gingerbread men, making it look like they had been murdered. In hindsight, probably putting hard candy in soft cookies wasn't a good idea. She needed to tell Fran that.

She walked in Luke's and sat at the counter.

Liberty looked at the cookie sheet, laughed, and yelled, "What did you do to them? You sent them off to be slaughtered!"

Thea's face felt warm at that as patrons looked over at them, clearly judging the town bicycle and her friend.

Thea replied, "I want a large to-go cup of hot chocolate."

Liberty looked at the cookie sheet, laughed again, and went in the kitchen. She returned with a to-go cup of hot chocolate.

Liberty asked, "What happened there?"

Thea explained, "We put candy cane pieces in them but as you can see..."

"Yeah, don't put hard candy in soft cookies," Liberty said. "You'll break some teeth."

"I realize that now," Thea stated.

"Here, I'll take your...creations off your hands and properly dispose of them," Liberty told her, taking the cookie sheet from Thea.

"Thanks," Thea replied, grateful. "I'm going to go home."

Liberty nodded and Thea left the diner, taking her hot chocolate with her.

She passed by Lorelai, who was looking at Max, from Chilton.

Thea hurried home instead.

She was watching a movie when Lane burst in the door. Thea blinked, "Lane?"

"I touched his hair," Lane told her.

Thea was surprised, "You touched Rich's hair?"

"I did," Lane told her, "Without permission. Why would I do that?"

"I mean, we all go a little mad sometimes," Thea told her.

"Yeah, thanks for that, Billy Loomis," Lane told her.

"I was quoting Psycho," Thea told her, motioning to the movie, right when Norman Bates says that.

Lane flopped down on the couch next to her. "I'm going to be the talk of the school on Monday."

"This is Stars Hollow," Thea replied. "I'm sure they'll have something more interesting than some girl touching a guy's hair."

"But I don't want to be known as the girl who touched someone's hair without permission," Lane said.

"And I don't want to be known as the town bicycle either, but I am." Thea replied, "Or known as one of the girls that had gotten walked in on changing by the gym teacher." Lane stayed silent. Thea cringed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make it about myself. This is about you. Did his hair feel as soft as it looks?"

"It was better," Lane told her. "Can I borrow your phone?"

"Go ahead," Thea told her.

Lane went in the kitchen to presumably call Rory, because Thea wasn't her.

"Rory?" asked Lane. There was a reply, "Where are you?" There was a reply, "Like you care." There was a reply, "You're never around when I need you." Lane replied, "I know. You go to your grandparents. You go to Chilton. You have to meet Dean. He needs his cookies. I can't find my books."

Thea tried to ignore it, but she was a bit curious.

Lane continued, "What good is it to have a best friend when she's never around and she never listens and she has no interest in the fact that you're in love or that you touched his hair?" Rory must've asked a question, "Rich...Bloominfield." There was a reply, "Why? That's a good question. I don't know why. Why would a sane person do a thing like that? Maybe I'm not sane. Maybe I went a little mad. Maybe I'm going through some sort of phase. At least I have Thea here to talk to because you're not here." Rory replied, "No, you come on. You're always at school or you're talking about school or you're with Dean. You have everything now and I have nothing except for two thousand Korean bibles and a potential 'F' in jazz band." Rory must've apologized, "Don't be sorry, be here." A pause, "Rory? Rory?" Lane came back into the living room.

Thea pretended not to have eavesdropped, "Everything okay?"

"No, the phone lines died," Lane told her.

"Must be the storm," Thea told her.

"I know," Lane replied.

Thea looked at her, "How 'bout I buy some fries from Luke's?"

"Thanks," Lane told her.

Thea and Lane went to Luke's.

Liberty frowned, "What brings you back, Thea?"

"I offered to buy Lane some fries," Thea told her.

"Oh," Liberty replied. "How'd it go with Rich?"

"Don't talk to me about that," Lane said, covering her face with her hands.

"She touched his hair without permission," Thea told Liberty.

Lane groaned, "Don't remind me."

"Fries are coming right up," Liberty said.

The door opened and Aiden and Sage came in with Georgia.

"Hey, Lane," Georgia greeted with a smile.

"Hi," Lane told the group.

Georgia asked, "How'd it go with Rich?"

Thea told them.

"Oh, you're going to need more than fries to cheer you up," Georgia said. "Onion rings."

"Loaded nachos," Sage said.

"Ooh, that sounds good, make that two," Aiden said.

Liberty was smiling, "Coming right up."

Lane seemed like she was slowly perking up.

Thea asked, "How about cherry pie?"

"Make that two," Georgia said.

"Three," Sage said.

"Four," Aiden added.

"Five," Lane added.

Liberty cackled as she wrote down the order and went to have Luke make the food.

Aiden said, "I saw your mom with Mr. Medina going into the movie theater."

"Whatever," Thea stated. "Chances are they'll head back to my home."

"Oh, wow," Lane muttered.

Thea said, "I so don't want to hear that."

"I don't blame you," Georgia said. "You can come over to my house."

"Or stay the night here," Liberty told her.

"Or come home with me," Aiden told her.

"I'll think about your offers," Thea replied.

Lane really seemed to have cheered up as the time passed by, talking and chatting about anything and everything, taking nachos from Aiden's or Sage's plates like the others, even taking some onion rings as well. She even ate her slice of cherry pie.

Luke had gone to the window and glared out at the re-enactors.

Liberty asked, "What's going on?"

"They're all going to freeze out there," Luke told them.

Aiden shrugged, "Probably."

"They're the ones who signed up for it," Sage replied.

Luke shook his head, "They're crazy, the lot of them." He went behind the counter.

Lane asked, "What time is it?" Sage told her. "I better get home before my mom sends out a search party. Thanks for everything, Thea."

"You're welcome," Thea replied. "Stay safe."

"Thanks," Lane said as she headed for the door. She held the door open for Luke who had a tray of to-go cups on it.

"Thanks," Luke told her and went outside with Lane following him.

"I think I should head home," Aiden said, "Before the snow gets any worse."

"Yeah," Georgia agreed.

Thea nodded, "I'll go with you." She had spare clothes at Georgia's home and as much as she wanted to go home with Aiden, she really didn't feel like having his aunt and uncle know what was truly going on in his room because she was loud.

Besides, she, Georgia, and Annette can make S'mores over the fireplace and tell ghost stories.

Lane and Rory had made up, but on Monday, Lane had taken to hanging out with Thea and her friends.

There was some rumors about Lane touching Rich's hair without permission, but when lunch rolled around, something far more interesting happened.

Two senior girls came into the cafeteria, arguing over some boy, before it escalated into one of the girls dumping chocolate milk on the other girl's hair. A fight ensue, with screaming, cussing, clawing eyeballs, and all, including hair pulling. The principal came over, trying to breaking it up, but the bigger girl, the one who dumped chocolate milk on the other girl, punched the principal right in the balls, dropping him to the ground. The girl got on the lunch table and elbowed dropped the principal who was laying on the ground in pain.

Aiden whispered, "What goes through someone's mind to body slam the principal?"

"She punched him in the nuts," Liberty said. "I don't think she had anything to lose."

Thea shrugged, "He's a dick." She still hadn't forgiven him for brushing off Coach Rivers walking in on them changing.

Georgia looked like she didn't care either.

And by the end of the day, the Cafeteria Catfight was all anyone would talk about.

"I told you that something more interesting would come along," Thea told Lane.