The Other Gilmore

Getting to Know You

Frankie and Jess had been spending every possible moment they could together since the night of the debutante ball. They would sneak away during school to steal a kiss, or he would walk her to Ms. Patty's after school, only to watch her dance when he should be working. They spent every evening together, as well. Frankie would walk across the street to Luke's and sit at the counter, drinking coffee and reading a book that Jess had recommended until he was done working. Then, they would either head upstairs to the apartment, or they would walk around Stars Hollow. It was their routine, and the whole town was taking notice.

One weekend, Luke gave Jess the day off, and Frankie didn't have to teach any dance classes, so they took the opportunity to spend the whole day together. They went to the lake that was in the middle of town, and sat on the foot bridge that Luke had pushed Jess off on one of his first days. The memory made Frankie giggle, causing Jess to look over at her with a sideways grin and a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

"I was just remembering how Luke pushed you off this bridge," Frankie said, still giggling.

"You saw that?" Jess groaned, putting his down in embarrassment.

"Yep."

The pair laughed about the incident for a moment before a comfortable silence fell over them.

"We've been hanging out so much, but I feel like I know nothing about you, only the basics," Frankie stated suddenly, turning her body so she was fully facing Jess. She saw his whole body tense, and she could tell this was a touchy subject.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked defensively.

"Hey, I didn't mean to offend you. I'm just curious about who you are," she said softly, not wanting him to walk away, but wanting to know at least something about the boy. Frankie knew superficial facts, but the only deep and personal things she knew were that his mother had sent him to live in Stars Hollow because she couldn't handle him anymore, and his father wasn't around.

He glanced over at her, seeing the sincerity in her eyes, and relaxed slightly. Even though they had only known each other for a short time, Jess knew she wouldn't run from him, no matter what he said or did.

"How about this?" Frankie began with a smile. "I tell you something about me, and you tell me something about you? It can be as big or small as you want it to be, but it has to be something that we don't know about each other yet. Deal?"

Jess thought about the proposition for a moment, but ultimately agreed, shaking Frankie's outstretched hand as confirmation.

"Okay, I'll go first." The girl pondered her life for a moment, then looked up at the boy in front of her. "Alright. When I was ten, I broke my wrist trying to jump onto a trampoline from a roof."

Jess cracked a smile and couldn't contain the chuckle that escaped his lips. "What?"

Frankie nodded. "Yep. I was over at Kayla's, and they had just gotten this trampoline, and I was feeling way too confident in my abilities, so I climbed up onto their roof and jumped. But instead of landing just on the trampoline, I landed on the trampoline and then bounced to the ground."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope. Look." Frankie extended her left wrist out to Jess and pointed out a scar. "Had to get surgery because it was shattered."

"Damn," Jess breathed, running a finger over the scar.

"Your turn!" she exclaimed once Jess was done viewing her scarred skin.

The boy huffed, but obliged, sitting in silence for a moment as he thought of something to say. "Okay. My dad left when my mom was still in the hospital after I was born." He didn't know why, but he felt safe telling her his deepest, darkest secrets.

Frankie didn't know how to respond to him. He looked so fragile, like one wrong move and he would break. So, she reached over and wrapped her arms around the boy. "I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what that's like."

"It's fine. I don't know him, so I don't know what I'm missing," Jess replied with a shrug. "Let's keep playing, I want to know more about you." He didn't want to talk about his dad anymore. Maybe one day he would tell her more about his family situation, but that day was in the future, not the present.

Frankie nodded. "Sure. Um, okay. Rory kissed my boyfriend at a party and I saw it happen."

"Woah, what?"

"Yeah, it was pretty messed up. They were in this room and I was just exploring, and then I saw them kiss."

"What did you do?"

"Went to my grandparents' house," she said, shame etched into her tone. "I didn't talk to Rory, my mom, or my ex for a while. You know, I don't think she ever apologized."

"She never apologized?" Jess exclaimed incredulously. "When did this happen?"

"Um, a few months ago. Before my mom got engaged."

"Lorelai's getting married?"

"Not anymore. She got engaged to this guy, Max, but she called off the wedding and then went on a spontaneous road trip with Rory."

"You didn't go?"

"They left me behind," Frankie stated with a shrug. She was looking across the water, and when she turned back to Jess, his eyes were wide with shock. "What?"

"They left you behind?!"

"Yeah, I wasn't awake."

"And they didn't wake you up?" Frankie shook her head, which only made Jess more angry and frustrated on her behalf. He huffed and ran a hand over his face, turning his gaze across the water.

"What?" she asked, slightly confused and a little scared at how angry he was.

"They don't appreciate you, do they?"

Frankie was taken aback by the bluntness of his question, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized he was right. She was always there for her family, always there as a shoulder to cry on, or to lend an ear when they needed to vent. She had spent countless hours trying to mediate fights between her mother and sister, and countless nights being their study buddy. Despite her constant support of them, they only showed up for her when they had to. And Rory had kissed her boyfriend and never apologized for it.

"I'm a doormat," Frankie mumbled as she picked at her fingernails, going over every interaction she had ever had with her mother and sister.

"You're not a –"

"I am." Frankie looked up at Jess, eyes widened slightly in recognition. "I let them walk all over me, and for what? So they can do it all over again? So they always have someone there for them when they don't have each other? I'm a third wheel in my own house with those two, and I didn't even see it. I'm a doormat." She looked out across the still water again, processing her emotions. "I won't be a doormat anymore." Standing up from her spot on the foot bridge, she extended her hand and helped Jess up, then crashed her lips to his. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For helping me realize that I am worth more than I thought I was."

Jess gave the girl a crooked smile and wrapped his arms around her waist. "That's what I'm here for."

She giggled and kissed him again before she started to walk away. "You coming?" she called over her shoulder. Hearing hurried footsteps behind her, she smirked slightly.

"Where are we going?" Jess asked once he caught up to the girl.

"To mess with Taylor."

"Ooh, what do you have in mind?"

"I have a few ideas," Frankie said with a chuckle, grabbing Jess' hand and running back into town to stir up a little chaos.