Rory chose to go to Yale, which Thea felt kind of annoyed over, because it was like she couldn't escape Rory, not even to college.

But it was Rory's decision and Thea couldn't tell Rory where to go to college.

Lorelai's birthday was coming up and Thea couldn't find it in her to care, because Lorelai never showed any amount of caring when it was Thea's birthday.

There was another Friday Night Dinner, so Thea elected not to go to it. Thea had Rory give Emily a copy of Elowen's book so she could give it to Natalie, who had looked up to Elowen.

While Lorelai and Rory were gone, Thea printed out pictures of past Stars Hollow High teachers to glue to the ceiling of the high school for the senior year prank and then had to bulk order, 'I Survived Stars Hollow High' tee-shirts to pass out to graduate students. 

After that, she had Lane and her band come over to help her tie bras together since Paris did give her new bras for the prank.

Thea only got the guys to help by promising to make them maraschino cherry chocolate chip cookies. They agreed to it.

While in the middle of tying bras together, Lane had gone upstairs to get something and Dave went to the garage, Zach looked at Thea and said, "Hey, are Lane and Dave dating?"

Thea stopped in her tying, "Why would you ask that?"

"Because Dave's starting to look at Lane like how Sage and Aiden look at you," Brian pointed out.

Todd looked at Thea in an almost 'oh, crap' way.

Thea wondered how Sage and Aiden looked at her, but shrugged anyway. "If they are or aren't, it's not my place to say anything."

"Well, tell them that we don't care if they're dating," Brian replied.

"Yeah," Zach agreed.

"If they are," Brian added, petting Phoenix was curled up in his lap, sleeping. 

Rory came into Weston's to order Lorelai's birthday cake, which was just ridiculous, what the cake was.

Thea had taken down the order, "A four foot chocolate cake with individual vanilla cupcakes on top spelling out 'Happy 16th Birthday Lorelai?'"

"That's right," Rory replied.

"Move over," Ethan said to Thea.

Rory looked at him, "Can you say that a little more nicely?"

"Oh, my bad," Ethan said. He turned to Thea, "Hurry your ass."

Thea stepped aside so Ethan could slide some cakes into the display case. She asked Rory, "Did she want buttercream or whipped cream frosting for that?"

"Can you do both?" asked Rory.

"Yeah, I guess," Thea replied, writing it down. She had to alternate the layers on the cake: whipped cream on top and buttercream on the bottom.

"You know it's Mom's favorite part," Rory said. "Remember how we tried to make a cake entirely out of frosting?"

"No," Thea replied flatly. Sometimes she wondered how all that sugar didn't rot Lorelai's teeth. It would've been better for Lorelai to straight up eat frosting out of a can.

Ethan finished putting up the cakes and asked Rory, "So what time are you going to pick up your mother's baked diabetes?"

Thea couldn't help but laugh at that.

Rory rolled her eyes as she picked up her bags of other baked goods. "Miss Patty will pick it up around five."

"Okay," replied Thea.

"Thanks," Rory said, heading for the door, but Lane walked in holding a book.

Lane said, "We have a glitch."

"In the Matrix?" asked Ethan.

"No, I meant a situation," Lane told him.

Thea asked, "What is it?"

Lane explained, "Well, apparently, the world's largest pizza was one-hundred-twenty-two feet, eight inches."

Ethan asked Thea, "Why does your mother want to put her health at risk?"

Thea shrugged.

Rory asked, "What?"

Lane pointed at the book, "It says it right there."

Rory said, "Well, obviously we can't do that."

Lane replied, "Obviously."

"So, make the largest pizza in Connecticut," Ethan said.

"Actually, Litchfield made one last year that was ninety-eight feet," Lane replied.

Rory said, "Pete said the biggest they could do was a twelve footer."

Lane suggested, "Maybe you could make her the world's biggest something else."

Rory asked, "Like what?"

"Hamburger?" suggested Thea.

"Taco?" suggested Lane.

Rory replied, "I think the world's biggest taco would be a little difficult to serve, don't you?"

"But a hamburger?" asked Thea.

"Sounds like a heart-attack waiting to happen," Ethan replied.

"We can just tell her it's the world's biggest pizza," Rory said.

Thea was pretty sure that Lorelai would know it's not the world's biggest pizza.

Lane asked, "Lie to her on her birthday?"

"It's for her own good," Rory said. "So, how's the music selection coming?"

"Good," replied Lane. "I've decided to choose one song from each year in Lorelai's life. I'm almost done, though I've hit a snag in 1974."

"Bad year?" asked Rory.

Lane replied, "It's making the year of the Macarena look inspired."

Ethan gave Lane a disbelieving look, "Have you tried KISS? Lynyrd Skynyrd? Hell, even Judas Priest?

"Queen? Scorpions? Aerosmith? Rush? Hell, even go for Thin Lizzy," Thea suggested. "There's Steppenwolf and even Blue Öyster Cult," Ethan suggested.

Thea asked, "How the hell is the Macarena the best song out of that year?"

"I guess I can take a look into them," Lane replied.

Rory and Lane both left.

Ethan looked at Thea and asked, "Seriously, how the hell is the Macarena the best song that came out of that year?"

Thea shrugged, because not even she knew.

Rory wheeled a dolly out of the market, which was loaded with soda cases. Thea was making sure that nothing spilled.

"Rory! Thea!" yelled Jackson.

Thea was confused, because why was Jackson yelling at them?

"Hey, Jackson." Rory started, "Listen, could you—"

Jackson asked, "What do you think you're doing?"

Thea was beginning to feel embarrassed by this man yelling at her. To make it worse, it her boyfriend's step-dad.

Rory started, "Oh, well, Thea and I are trying to transport all the sodas for the party in one trip, which seemed a little silly when I first came up with the idea and it's rapidly growing in its stupidity."

Jackson said, "You know, I never took you for being thoughtless, but I guess I was wrong."

"What are you talking about?" Rory said, "Thea remembered to get you the sugarless Red Bull that you like."

Jackson started, "You really hurt Sookie, you know that?"

"And I'll break up with Sage in front of the whole school with a slap for good measure if you don't shut the hell up," Thea warned. She did feel a pang of fear over the thought, but she knew that it would get Jackson to stop talking for five whole sections. "What the hell are you pissed about?"

Jackson said, "You know, I just heard you're making the world's largest pizza for Lorelai's birthday party, is that true?"

Rory said, "Yes."

Jackson asked, "And it doesn't occur to you to consult Sookie?"

"One, she's pregnant," Thea said. "Sage and I figured that she would like to take a break every now and then, because, again, she's pregnant."

Jackson continued, "The woman is a gourmet chef and Lorelai's best friend in the world, and you don't include her in this?"

"That's the thing," Thea said. "She's a gourmet chef. Antonioli's has the equipment to make a large pizza. Sage and I didn't want to stress her out, especially when she's stressing about the Inn and Sage's college replies."

"And it's not the world's largest pizza," Rory defended. "It's not even the tri-county area's largest pizza."

Jackson replied, "I have a sobbing pregnant woman at home, which is not unusual, except this time I didn't cause it!"

"Sage thought she was sobbing over him getting another rejection letter," Thea pointed out. "And maybe you should stop upsetting Sookie. If it'll make her feel better, I can have her make me a large pizza for my birthday."

"And we'll apologize for hurting her feelings," Rory said.

Thea added, "And if you're not doing anything besides yelling at us, can you help us with these sodas?"

Jackson was nice enough to help them with the sodas. 

Emily, Richard, Rory, and the maids sang Happy Birthday to Lorelai.

Thea didn't even bother and messed with the sleeves on her long-sleeve shirt.

After they were done singing, Emily said to a maid, "You can take the cake into the kitchen now, Teresa."

Teresa took the cake away.

Lorelai said, "Wait, aren't I supposed to blow them out?"

"Oh, Teresa can do that," Emily replied.

Lorelai said, "Mom, it's tradition for the person whose name is on the cake to do the blowing."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought only children liked to do that." Emily said, "Should we bring it back out and relight it?"

"No," replied Lorelai.

Richard asked, "Well, would you like to make a wish and blow out the tapers?"

Lorelai said, "Why am I being mocked on my birthday?"

Rory said, "Because that's the Gilmore way."

"And you have a snake printed onto the front of your dress that deserves to be mercilessly mocked," Thea said, eyeing the snake in disgust.

"Huh," replied Lorelai.

Emily said, "Let's move into the living room for our dessert, shall we?"

Lorelai said, "Let's shall."

They headed for the living room and Lorelai whispered something to Rory.

Rory whispered something back.

Emily asked, "What are the two of you whispering about?"

"Nothing," replied Lorelai.

Richard asked," Champagne?"

"Trying to get me drunk so I forget that you wouldn't let me blow out my own candles?" asked Lorelai.

"Oh, dear, is this going to be another one of those stories that you tell people for the rest of your life like the bunny story?" asked Emily.

Lorelai replied, "His name was Murray, Mom."

Richard said, "Oh, Emily, you had to bring that up."

Lorelai said, "How could you think I wouldn't notice you gave away my rabbit?"

Emily said, "Because you were four and terrified of the thing."

"I was not terrified, I simply respected his space," replied Lorelai.

"You slept in the maid's room for a week," Richard pointed out.

Lorleai said, "I wonder where Murray is now."

Richard handed Lorelai and Rory some flutes of champagne, saying, "In a shoebox somewhere, I assume." He had gone back to the drink cart.

Rory started, "Grandpa."

Lorelai said, "Very nice, and on my birthday."

And somehow it being Lorleai's birthday made her develop the ego the size of Australia.

"Once again, a toast to Lorelai on her 36th birthday," Richard said, coming back to hand Emily and Thea champagne flutes.

"She's thirty-five," Thea corrected, taking a champagne flute. She would know, because it was something that Lorelai kept bringing up.

"Thirty-five?" asked Richard, sitting down, with his own champagne flute.

Thea was stunned, "How do you not know your own daughter's age?"

Lorelai said, "Yeah, you're doing the math?"

"Right, sorry," Richard said. "To Lorelai, on her thirty-five birthday."

"Hear, hear," Rory said, holding her glass up.

They all took a drink and Thea set her glass on the coffee table.

"Thank you for the toast, thank you for the dinner, and, uh, in the spirit of the evening—" Lorelai started looking through her purse, "Mom, I have something for you."

"For me?" asked Emily. "It's not my birthday."

Lorelai said, "I know, but here." She handed Emily an envelope.

"Oh," Richard said.

"What is this?" asked Emily.

"It's from Murray," Lorelai replied. "t's taken him this long to write it partially 'cause of the hurt and pain and partially 'cause he has paws."

"What is this?" asked Emily, looking at the, what looked to be, a check.

"That is what I owe you," replied Lorelai.

Emily asked, "What you owe me?"

"For Rory's school," Lorelai replied. "I promised you I'd pay you back and now I have – every cent. Thank you again for helping us out. There's no way Rory would be going to Yale if it wasn't for this money, if it wasn't for you."

"You're welcome," Emily replied, flatly.

Lorelai started, "Okay, so..."

"You must be very relieved," Emily said.

Lorelai said, "Excuse me?"

"Well..." Thea started, getting up, to leave the living room.

Richard asked, "Where are you going?"

"To get away from the argument," Thea said, going to put a coat on. "I have no need or want to listen to this petty family drama anymore. I'll be outside."

She went outside.

And when they got back to Stars Hollow, Thea chose to hang out with Georgia instead.