𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎 . . . 𝘈 𝘛𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘰 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵
❝ I just like the movies that when someone asks 'What's this about?' you can't explain it. ❞

  CHARLIE GILMORE DID, in fact, have to work the morning shift. She usually preferred mid-to-late afternoon shifts, as to avoid Taylor demanding breakfast or Patty and Babette's gossip over coffee, but today this was impossible.

  Not to mention that, even after some hours in the diner, she had a killer headache, feeling as though someone was stabbing her brain.

  "Jeez, kid, I didn't think you were serious about the kegs."

  Charlie gave her mother a very unamused look, sliding an empty coffee mug across the counter and beginning to fill it up.

  "Em and I pulled an all-nighter," Charlie began her excuse ritual, "And Luke called me in because he likes to see me suffer."

  "Yes, it's better than watching the game," Luke said dryly, sliding Lorelai a piece of cherry pie on a porcelain plate.

  "Wow, do I come here this much?" Lorelai questioned, staring at the food she'd not asked for.

  "Yup," Charlie sighed, looking to Luke, "Can I work tomorrow after school?"

  "Sure," Luke nodded, "Bring your homework."

  Charlie repeated his words in a high-pitched voice, starting her route around the diner again. She chose to tune out her mother and Luke's conversation of the trip-- of Harvard. Sure she suggested it, but she didn't want to hear every little detail about the bricks Rory found interesting.

  "C'mon, Hon," Lorelai said, turning on the stool so she was facing Charlie, "We're getting food then going home."

  "You're in a restaurant."

  "I'm craving Chinese," Lorelai dismissed Luke's statement, "You don't sell Chinese."

  "Because this is a diner."

  "Al's has everything."

  "Then go to Al's! I'm not taking business ideas from a guy who sells mystery bags of food!"

  "You have just lost two loyal customers, Lucas," Charlie said, head held high as she linked arms with her mother. "Good day."

  Luke only shook his head, pressing his fingers into his eyes as the Gilmores left the diner with a flair of drama.

↬

  Rory Gilmore had gone to Lane Kim's house, leaving the Crap Shack to Charlie and Lorelai. The former had nearly dove for the DVD player, inserting 'True Romance' before her mother could object.

  "You like Tarantino too much."

  "I just like the movies that when someone asks 'What's this about?' you can't explain it," Charlie shrugged, falling onto the couch beside her mother and admiring their spread of Chinese food.

  "You're such a weird kid."

  "Takes a weird mom for that to happen," The girl explained with a shrug, grabbing a container of chicken chow mein.

  "So, Harvard," Lorelai grinned, pulling her legs beneath her self and turning to Charlie. Who was now attempting to use her chopsticks, "Hon, use a fork, you're gonna hurt yourself."

  The teen made a face and grumbled about the comment, but accepted the plastic fork her mother held out.

  "Rory loves it," Lorelai continued, "She looks right at home there, too."

  "And come senior year, she'll get in," Charlie said with a half-smile, "Rory belongs somewhere like Harvard."

  "I think Sookie and I are going to open that Inn, like we've been talking about."

  Charlie jumped in excitement, which only made her mother smile widely. The girl pulled her mom int a tight hug after setting down her noodles, "That's gonna be so cool! I'm really happy for you, Mom."

  "Thanks, Hon," Lorelai smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of Charlie's hazelnut locks as the teen reshuffled, head leaning on her mother's shoulder and eyes glued to the screen that played an unconventional love story. 

  "It'll be the best one in town. Maybe in the whole state."

  "What are your advertising fees?"

  "Depends how much you have on you."

  "That is so not how business works, I might have to report you to Taylor."

  "He'd take you seriously."

  Lorelai shook her head but fell silent. The Gilmores enjoyed a brief pause of serenity, aside from the brutal action taking place on their television, before Charlie decided she could no longer hold her tongue.

  "Hey, are you okay?"

  "What? Yes," Lorelai laughed, "I have Chinese, one half of my offspring, and a cheesy movie, why wouldn't I be?

 "I dunno, you kinda called off your wedding," Charlie mumbled, "We don't have to talk about it. I just wanna make sure you're. . . y' know, okay."

  Lorelai pulled her lips together in a sad smile, wrapping her arms around Charlie to bring her in for a tight hug. 

  "You might only be older by a couple of minutes but you're definitely the mature one."

  Charlie snorted at her mother's offhand comment.

  "I'm the mature one? Mom, my socks never match and Luke gives me sprinkle donuts just for going to school."

  "If mismatch socks and free donuts aren't mature, I don't want to be," Lorelai smiled, before allowing her expression to settle, "I just mean you know how to handle situations."

  "Got that from you I guess." A smile graced Lorelai's face, but Charlie was already back to eating her Chinese.

↬

  On the morning of Charlotte Gilmore's first day of school, she was working at Luke's in the feeble attempt to push off the inevitability of actually going to class. The teen was taking orders from a group of boy scouts Taylor brought in while Luke argued on the phone to an unknown (but surely unlucky) person.

  "Why's he so angry?" A rather short kid questioned Charlie, the girl leaning over the counter as if she were telling him a secret.

  "He's jealous because he was never a good boy scout." The kids giggled at her, Lorelai rolling her eyes at her daughter's theatrics, "Which is why we have to hurry, it's mean to rub your success in someone else's' face." 

  The kids proceeded to actually get on with their orders until Luke slammed the phone back on the wall and made Charlie create a long, pencil mark across the pad of paper.

  "Is everything okay?" Lorelai questioned the fuming diner owner.

  "Do you have a sister?"

  "Um, no," Lorelai shrugged, Charlie grinning as she spoke.

  "I do!" Luke set his eyes on the girl.

  "You have my sympathies."

  "I'm glad someone finally understands the hardships of sisterhood," Charlie said dramatically, laughing as continued to work, going out to get more orders but Luke's hand caught her arm.

  "You have school." The girl folded her arms defiantly, "Charlie."

  "Fine! Can I have coffee?" Luke sighed deeply, pouring to-go coffee and placing a strawberry sprinkle donut in a bag, passing it to the girl. "Thanks, Luke." Charlie grinned, giving the man a side-hug before running out the door and over to the high school.

  "After school," Emma rounded the corner of the dim school, falling in step with Charlie as she had done numerous times before, "Me, you, gazebo, music time."

  "Em, you haven't called in 'Music time' since we were in middle school."

  "Well, apparently a throwback is what you need," Emma said, shaking Charlie by her shoulders, "You haven't been writing lately, a little nostalgia could so spice up your brain and produce a new song.

  "You're insane."

  "Just bring Leo and snacks."

  "My guitar does not have a name, and if it did, it wouldn't be Leo."

  "What would it be then?" Emma asked, leaning on a wall of lockers as Charlie began twisting the lock to open hers, "Humor me, Charlie."

  "I dunno," Charlie sighed, shoving binders into her locker. The brunette raised a hand, allowing it to fall back down in defeat, "George."

  "You're just bullshitting."

  "That is my technique to get through life."

  "Be there or be square, Gilmore!" Emma shouted, already walking down the hallway.

  Charlie had a strange, though some would say bad, habit of giving into other peoples' demands. She didn't consider herself compliant, never listening to any sort of authority, but she did often allow peers to take charge.

  Which was why she was sitting in the Stars Hollow gazebo, mid-afternoon, strumming on her guitar. A notebook lay open on the ground, notes, and words scribbled across the page, some scratched out in a spur of irritation.

  "Okay, what about. . ." Emma hummed a tune, which Charlie recreated on the instrument. "Sounds better than I thought, I am a musical genius."

  "Sounds good," A nameless boy said, halting at the base of the gazebo. 

  Charlie gave him a once-over. He was new. She knew this because she'd seen every boring, bland boy in Stars Hollow ten time over. And he was not boring. Pitch black hair ruffled perfectly back, a slim yet somehow muscular build, and from his expression alone she could tell he was an asshole.

  This, unfortunately, did not make him any less attractive.

  Charlie moved naturally, flicking her hair over her left shoulder. Emma frowned, as this was the girls' silent version of dibs they'd created in the seventh grade.

  "Thanks," Charlie said, "It's still pretty rough."

  The boy nodded, climbing the steps and taking a seat beside her. His eyes scanned the notes and lyrics all too fast, but the silence and his proximity to Charlie gave her the urge to fill the air.

  "I'm Charlie," She said, leaning back as the boy looked up, "That's Emma."

  "Jess," He said, smirking as his eyes flitted between the girls but landed back on Charlie. He lifted the pencil from its' place in the center of the book, in a swift movement he'd re-written a lyric that Charlie hadn't been able to quite get right. "Keep up the good work, Connecticut."

  Charlie gave him a deadpan look, "Did you miss the part when I told you my name?"

  "Nope," Jess smiled, standing and shoving hands into his pockets, "See ya around."

  And then he was gone.

  "So not fair," Emma whined, "He was cute."

  "Yeah, but also a total tool," Charlie mumbled, her eyes still glued to the building Jess had disappeared behind.

  "So, absolutely nothing new," Emma joked.

  "Disappointing," Charlie tutted, "Hey, I have to go to work."

  "I wanna come!"

  "Em, last time you tried to work Luke had to close early," Charlie said, pulling her backpack over her shoulder and heaving her guitar case into her right hand. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

  "Not my fault those tables aren't sturdy," Emma defended, "Come on, dude I just want some fries!"

  "Fine, but you carry. . . Matty?" She held out the guitar, Emma slipping it on her back.

  "I don't like it." The girls began walking, "Don't worry, it'll come to us."

  "Whatever you say," Charlie laughed, and it blended almost seamlessly with the bell above Luke's door.

  Luke was preoccupied with Lorelai Gilmore, sitting at the counter with a large cup of coffee. Charlie rounded said counter, tying an apron around her waist as Emma claimed a seat beside Lorelai.

  "So, how was your first day?" Lorelai questioned eagerly, scooting forward as much as the stool permitted.

  "Horrible, it was school," Charlie grumbled, pulling her hair into a ponytail, "But, at least Liam's in our Lit class."

  "And we can't name her guitar," Emma said, nodding sympathetically.

  "It's a real problem, Mom. Leo, George, and Matty don't fit."

  "It's a boy?" Lorelai stretched around to look at the guitar Charlie had gotten for her 13th birthday, it was light wood and had a handmade strap. 

  "Maybe it's not," Charlie's eyes went wide in realization, "You're not helping,"

  "Sorry, I'll be quiet before you have a quarter-life crisis," Lorelai raised her hands in surrender.

  "You think I'll only live to be 64?" Charlie furrowed her brows in genuine concern, melting into laughter as her mother shooed her off to work.

↬

  It wasn't unusual for Charlie to close up Luke's on her own. One would assume Luke would close, being the proprietor and living directly above the diner, but sometimes he got busy. And Charlie, honestly, liked having the diner to herself. Playing whatever music she wanted as she flitted from table to table, wiping them down and arranging the salt and pepper how she wanted.

  Today was no exception.

  Luke had told her fleetingly that his nephew was coming to live with him. This was shocking news, considering Charlie hadn't ever heard much about Luke's family, but she could tell it was stressful and had chosen not to pry. An unusual thing for the nosy teenager.

  "Lucas, I'm done!" Charlie yelled from the base of the stairs that led to Luke's apartment, "Want me to lock up?"

  "Pea! Could you come here?" Charlie was caught off guard by his uncharacteristically nervous tone. 

  "Do. . . I have to?"

  "Yes."

  There was the Luke she knew and tolerated. Charlie hurried, taking the stairs two at a time, and didn't hesitate to open the door. She was, however, quite shocked to find Jess smoking carelessly with junk food surrounding him.

  "Hi?"

  Jess looked up, a smug smile on his face when he met Charlie's eyes. 

  "Connecticut."

  "Connecticut?"

  "Long story," Charlie waved Luke off, "What's up?"

  "So listen, Lorelai you met her today remember?" Luke began speaking to Jess, who continued messing with his cards "Anyhow, she invited us, to her house tomorrow night for dinner. Her daughter Rory— who you didn't meet, but you'll like cause she's a lot like Lorelai, but she's got a slightly tighter grasp on reality."

  "She's less fun, you mean," Charlie pointed boredly, Luke simply waved the girl off while Jess watched her with an amused glint in his eyes.

  "Anyhow she'll— she'll be there and so will Charlie, she's Lorelai's daughter too. . . I don't know. . . It'd be a chance for you to meet more people, and so I. . . I said yes." Jess simply stood, grabbed his coat, and walked out of the apartment.

  "He seems nice." Luke gave the girl an exasperated look. "What?"

( AUTHOR'S NOTE. )
I'm having way too much fun
re-writing this. This time around,
I've decided Emma should have
a personality and Jess shouldn't
give Charlie a pet-name
the second he meets her!
And the entire Charlie/Liam
relationship is changing??
Also, I recently watched True Romance
for the first time and, aside from it
now being my all-time favorite movie,
can we talk about the fact that
it's main cast includes Christian
Slater (JD in Heathers), Gary Oldman
(Sirius FUCKING Black in HP) and
Eric Allan Kramer, mostly known
by us newer generations as
Bob FUCKING DUNCAN