Touch of Hellfire (Original Version)

☕️10☕️

We strolled into Luke's one morning, only to find it utterly and completely empty.

"Holy cow! It's empty!" I exclaimed. "Just one of those weird lulls that happens occasionally," Luke explained.

"So...we can sit wherever we like?" Rory asked him. "Yup," Luke mumbled. "Such luxury," I laughed.

"Fun fact, garbage cans behind Al's Pancake World are only visible on clear days," Rory told me. "Let's sit at the counter," Mom suggested.

"They aren't the power seats though," Rory told her. "But we can play bagel hockey," Mom attempted to convince us. "Just sit at a table," Luke grumbled impatiently.

"So rude, for someone that has only three paying customers," Mom snarked, leading us over to a table.

"Okay, the debate is at half three, on Friday," Rory told us. "You prepared?" I asked her. "Yup," she murmured. "I know more about doctor assisted suicide than I ever cared to."

Luke's phone started ringing. "Hello? Rory, it's for you."

"But who knows I'm here?" she muttered, getting up.

"So, you and Tessa, how long is the flight from Hartford to California?" Mom asked me. "Five and a half hours," I told her.

"I'm getting you all you need, plenty of junk food, a portable DVD player...everything Heather Gilmore needs on a flight to California," Mom told me.

"Oh, congrats on that California thing," Luke told me. "Thank you," I smiled. "You gonna be there for the whole summer?" Luke asked me. "Yep, me, Tessa, hopefully get a signature from every celebrity on tie dye paper that I can frame," I said.

"I want at least twelve," Mom told me. I rolled my eyes. "You don't find Leo, you're not coming home," she joked.

***

"There's nothing on," Rory sighed. "Let's face it."

"What about Two Fat Ladies?" Mom suggested. "It's a cooking show and you don't cook," I told her. "And they're all repeats anyway."

The doorbell suddenly rang. "Not it!" I shouted.

"Evil!" Rory grumbled and got up. I could hear Paris' voice from the other side of the door. She rushed into Rory's room. "I'm gonna work on my WPM," Rory sighed and rolled her eyes.

I looked at my watch. "I'm gonna go to Doose's to get some dye, to dye my paper," I told Mom.

"You want some cash?" Mom asked me. "Nah, I'll be fine," I told her and I went out the door.

I walked over to Doose's, which was still open and I decided to grab red and blue dye and the thick paper that won't get soiled by dye.

I bought them and started walking back. "Hey," Jess popped up next to me.

"Heya, how's life?" I asked him. "Dean is still giving me the evil eye after the picnic thing," he told me.

"Ah, right," I mumbled. "I tried Hemingway again."

"And?"

"I couldn't, nope, I'm sorry, I gave him two chances but I couldn't," I put my hands up in mock surrender.

"So...you free on Saturday night?" Jess asked me. "I caught up on all the Harry Potter books."

"You did?" I asked him. "Yeah," he told me. "And I was gonna watch the movie.."

"You're not doing it without me," I insisted. "Seven?" he asked me. "You're so on," I agreed and I walked away.

***