Thea and her friends walked to school together, although when Thea spotted Jackson, she passed him a note that had Sage's favorite bands on it. Jackson smiled, thanked her and took off, presumably to go flirt with Sookie.

Aiden asked, "What did you give him?"

Thea shrugged, "He wants to get to know Sage better and he asked me what Sage's favorite bands are. He thought it would break the awkwardness."

"That explains why he tried to talk to me about the current book I was reading," Sage said.

Georgia asked, "What's with the awkwardness around him anyway?"

Sage looked uncomfortable, "My mom forgot I was home and she invited Jackson over. I left through my bedroom window and went to Aiden's house and pretended like I just came home like five hours later. I can never unhear that."

Liberty asked, "Your bedroom window? Wouldn't the door have been easier to leave through?"

"If you heard your dad having sex with someone, the window is way more dramatic to leave through when you take off," Sage told her.

It was true, the window did seem much more dramatic. 

They continued on, although Aiden and Sage seemed to linger behind, which made Thea slow down out of confusion for why they slowed down. Lane, Todd, Liberty, and Georgia continued on. Lane and Todd were discussing something, probably black metal, since Lane was kind of into that genre at the moment, probably because she never heard of that genre before. Liberty and Georgia discussed whatever.

Thea asked her two boyfriends, "What's up?"

Aiden asked, "Will you go to the Firelight Festival with us?"

"Of course," Thea said. "I can try to wiggle out of the stupid Friday Night Dinner to go with you."

Sage smiled and Aiden kissed Thea on the cheek, "Thanks."

Thea was helping Fran bake stuff for the Firelight Festival. They were cutting the sugar cookies into star and candlestick shapes.

Thea wasn't sure if it was appropriate to ask Fran to teach her how to manage the bakery if Fran ever passes on.

Fran passing away was a fear that Thea didn't want to dwell on or think about. Fran was still young.

Fran asked, "What's wrong, my dear?"

"I want to learn how to manage the bakery one day," Thea told her.

Fran seemed to mull it over, "I'm not sure if I should feel flattered that you want to take over one day or threatened that you've been planning my death."

"Sorry," Thea said. "We both know that you're not going to die. You'll stare Death down and he'll be like, 'sorry, wrong Fran Weston' and leave."

Fran chuckled, "You're a ball of sunshine."

"I prefer moonlight," Thea said.

"Yes," Fran said.

Thea nodded, "Thank you."

"I'll show you how to take over the bakery," Fran told her.

Thea smiled, "Thank you."

Fran passed Thea a large bowl, "Here. Make the dough. We need more cookies."

When Thea came home, Lorelai hung up the phone.

Rory asked, "So?"

"The world is officially coming to an end," Lorelai told Rory. The house phone rang and Lorelai answered, "Hello?" She seemed confused, "Yeah, Francine, she's here." She handed the phone over to Thea, "It's for you."

Thea took the phone, "Hello?"

Francine asked her, "How's your day been?"

"It was fine," Thea replied, still confused. "I was helping Fran make some stuff for the festival that's going on. How have you been?"

"I'm doing good. I was just wondering if you wanted to do anything on Saturday," Francine told her.

"Sure, Saturday works," Thea said.

"Okay, see you then," Francine said.

"Yeah, see you," Thea replied, still confused.

"Bye," Francine said.

"Bye," Thea said and Francine hung up. Thea handed the phone back to Lorelai.

Lorelai asked, "What's happening Saturday?"

"She wants to hang out with me," Thea replied, going upstairs.

"It really is the end of the world," Lorelai said to Rory.

After one class, Todd came over with a black-eye and blood on his jacket, "You're not going to believe what happened."

Liberty asked, "What the hell happened to you?"

Todd said, "I got hit in the face while playing dodgeball, but who gives a shit? I was in the nurse's office and Kevin and Valerie came in."

Aiden was confused, "Okay?"

Everyone knew that Kevin and Valerie made out in a janitor's closet.

"Yeah, they didn't know I was in there, but apparently they took things further, but Kevin couldn't get his fist out of her vagina," Todd said. "I have no clue how they got in there in that situation."

Georgia was the one to bust out laughing, followed by everyone else.

 "Attention students, you may go home early. Someone has put weed in the vents," the principal said over the intercom.

"So that's why it's called a high school," Todd said. 

When Liberty and Thea walked in the diner, Luke looked at them, "What are you two doing ditching school?"

"The principal told us to go home because someone put weed in the vents," Liberty told him as she went up to the apartment.

The phone rang and Luke grumbled as he answered it. Judging from his expression, it was a voice message explaining the situation at school.

"Your school is teaching menaces to society," Luke said with a shake of his head.

Thea nodded, "Yeah."

Lorelai walked in, "I was almost crushed by a papier-mâché star. How's your day?" She looked at Thea. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Someone put weed in the vents and they had to leave early," Luke said. "But I think my day is looking pretty good now."

"Probably a lot better than Valerie's," Liberty said, as she walked by, putting on an apron.

Lorelai asked, "Do I even want to know?"

"No," Liberty and Thea said in unison.

Lorelai made a face, "Coffee please, no shot of cynicism."

Luke asked, "So, why so cheery?"

"I don't know," Lorelai said. "I'm just in a mood. I don't know why."

Thea used to get those moods, but she linked that to her mom causing those.

Luke asked Lorelai, "But there's no particular reason for this mood?"

"No," Lorelai replied.

"Uh-huh," Luke replied in disbelief.

Lorelai asked, "You don't believe me?"

"No, I believe you," Luke said. "If you say there's no reason for the mood, then there's no reason for the mood. You're simply nuts."

"Or bipolar," Lorelai said. "That's very big nowadays."

"No, no, Patty, you're wrong," Taylor said from a table behind Lorelai. "They built the fire to throw themselves on it when their families found them."

"Taylor, you're crazy!" Miss Patty said, "They built the fire so that they could stay warm their first night here."

To be fair, that sounded way more plausible than throwing themselves in a fire to take their own lives after their families found them.

"Patty, I am the recording secretary for the Stars Hollow City Council," Taylor said. "I think I know how my town was founded!"

Lorelai groaned, "Can nobody talk about anything else but this stupid festival?"

Thea looked at her. Now she was sure what the problem was – she didn't have anyone to spend it with. Rory and Dean were going out on their three month anniversary, Thea was going with Sage and Aiden, and Lorelai had broken up with Max a while ago.

Lorelai asked, "That came out a lot louder than it was supposed to, didn't it?"

"Sure did," Liberty said, setting a plate of mozzarella sticks on the table in front of Thea.

"Yup," Lorelai muttered.

"This festival is commemorating the founding of our town, young lady," Taylor told Lorelai.

"I know, Taylor," Lorelai said. "I'm sorry."

"She's bipolar," Luke said.

"She does not have bipolar," Liberty said. "It's very serious."

Luke asked Miss Patty and Taylor, "Uh, can I get you two anything else?"

"Oh, no, thank you, sweetheart," Miss Patty replied.

"I don't know what is wrong with me," Lorelai said. "This is a beautiful festival. People should be enjoying it."

"It's a crazy festival based on a nutty myth about two lunatics, who in all probability did not even exist. And even if they did, probably dropped dead of diphtheria before age twenty-four. The town of Stars Hollow probably got its name from the local dance hall prostitute. Two rich drunk guys who made up the story to make it look good on a poster."

"You are full of hate and loathing, and I gotta tell you, I love it," Lorelai told him.

"Oh, it's so good to have somebody share this hate with," Luke said.

"My pleasure," Lorelai said.

Luke asked, "More coffee?"

"Yeah, please," Lorelai said. "Hey, tomorrow, if you have time, I'm planning on despising everyone who says, 'hey, how's it going?'"

Liberty and Thea looked at it. It seemed like they were flirting.

"You're on," Luke challenged, turning around.

The door opened and Liberty stared at the person with wide eyes.

"Hey, how's it going?"

Thea recognized that voice.

"Oh, now that's just too easy," Lorelai said.

"Rachel," Luke said, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

Lorelai seemed confused, "Rachel? Your Rachel?" She turned around, "You're Rachel?"

"Yup, I'm Rachel," Rachel replied.

"What are you...I mean, I thought you were in the Congo or Philadelphia or something," Luke told her.

"Actually, though very similar to both the Congo and Philadelphia, I was in the Mideast," Rachel replied.

"Oh," Luke replied. "Guess that postcard must've gotten lost."

"Yeah, yeah, well things pretty crazy over there, not a lot of writing time," Rachel said. "But I finished up my assignment, and I flew back to Chicago and I was walking through O'Hare, and I look up and there's a plane leaving for Hartford in like twenty minutes, and all of a sudden, I'm on it."

"Nice story," Luke replied.

"I should have called," Rachel said.

"No," Luke said. "You...it's fine."

Rachel looked at Thea and Liberty, "Shouldn't you two be in school?"

"Someone put weed in the vents, so they let us go early. Todd said, 'So that's why it's called a high school,'" Liberty explained.

Rachel nodded and looked at Luke, "You look good."

Luke and Liberty still looked like they'd seen a ghost – at least the ghost of a woman who took off six years ago because Stars Hollow was too small for her and she wanted to see the world.

"Thanks," Luke replied. "You um, you look, you uh look..."

"My dad is saying that you look good too," Liberty cut in.

"Right," Luke said.

"And you do," Lorelai told Rachel.

"Thank you," Rachel said.

"I'm Lorelai," the woman said.

"Oh, yeah," Luke said. "She's Lorelai."

"I'm Luke's friend," Lorelai said. "And Thea's mother."

"Yeah," Luke said. "She, uh, uh, works at the Independence Inn."

"I run it, actually," Lorelai corrected.

As much as it was amusing seeing Luke really flustered around Rachel, Thea decided that it was time for her to leave.

When they got to the gazebo, Mayor Porter was speaking, "People of Stars Hollow, and our many friends, it gives me great pleasure to preside over our annual founders for the thirty-second time. Many a true love has had it start right on the spot where I stand. And I don't mind telling you that at this very festival, right by this gazebo, is where I met my own true love, Miss Dora Braithwait. We have been married for forty-three years and it all started right here."

Taylor covered the microphone and had a conversion with the mayor. Thea played with the pleats on her skirt, knowing how long it was going to take before the fire was lit.

"And now, my friends, join me in lighting the fire," Mayor Porter said.

Thea, Sage, and Aiden disappeared into the crowd because they knew it'll take a while before the bonfire was lit. 

There wasn't much to do at the festival.

The only good thing was seeing Mayor Porter and Taylor get into a fist-fight, which the mayor won of course.

Of course it was interesting to see how many couples were making out or just standing around, snuggling.

Thea was sitting on a haybale when Sage and Aiden came over to sit down, making her be in the middle.

"Here, have some hot chocolate," Aiden said.

Then the two of them kissed her on her cheeks and Rachel took a picture of them.

Sage and Aiden looked embarrassed at that.

"Interesting set-up you have here, Thea," Rachel said.

"I'm dating them," Thea replied.

Rachel nodded, "Oh, cool." She looked like she didn't get it, but it was better than cheating. She was happy that Thea found somebody that looked at her like they discovered what love was.  

Aiden asked Rachel, "What camera are you using?"

Rachel looked at her camera and told him. She moved on to photograph other couples.

"I have a better idea on what we can do for the evening," Thea said.

Sage asked, "What?"

Thea grinned mischievously, "You'll find out." She led them to her home, because what she had in mind was a lot more fun than the festival anyway.