The Other Gilmore

The Aftermath

"Wasn't it their fortieth wedding anniversary?" Jess questioned as they approached Kayla's locker.

"Who cares?! I need details, people! Now!"

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the five-minute passing period.

"Saved by the bell," Frankie said with a shrug, leaning up and kissing Jess before turning to Kayla. "I promise I will tell you everything at lunch." She hugged her best friend, then painfully made her way to English.

"Are you serious?" Kayla exclaimed. She, Frankie and Jess had congregated at a table during lunch, and they had just relayed the events from the dance marathon.

"Deadly," Frankie replied, taking a sip of her water.

"They broke up. On the dance floor. During hour 23."

"Because of me," said Jess, a hint of guilt etched in his tone.

"No, not because of you. Because of Rory. You two really need to stop going after the same guys," Kayla quipped, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"We don't go after the same guys. She goes after mine," Frankie clarified, looking pointedly at Kayla. The girl raised her hands in surrender, as she swallowed.

"Okay, fine. She goes after yours. Still, you guys have similar taste in men."

"I didn't go after Dean."

"That's true." There was a pause as Kayla pondered her next thought. "Do you think you two will be okay again?"

Frankie sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. I hope eventually; she is my sister. But right now, I think we both need time and space. Especially because Lorelai is definitely on her side."

"Still with the 'Lorelai', huh?" Kayla asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. We haven't fixed anything. We need to, but we haven't. And I don't think anything is going to be resolved for a while."

The trio talked for a bit longer, then went their separate ways for their last few periods of the day.

Friday night dinner was awkward, to say the least. Lorelai and Rory basically ignored Frankie, though she expected that. Dinner was a disaster, only because the family didn't eat for over an hour due to Emily insisting that her maid redo the salads over and over again because they had walnuts in them.

When the girls finally left that night, Rory told Lorelai that Richard had invited them to Yale the following weekend. Lorelai was not pleased, and almost barged back into the house to tell off her father, but Rory stopped her, telling her that it wasn't a big deal and that she didn't have to go. When Lorelai had finally calmed down, they made their way back to the car and drove back to Stars Hollow. Frankie knew that she was invited, but would definitely be opting out of the excursion. She had no interest in the campus, and had no interest in being around her sister and mother for that long.

"Um, Lorelai?" Frankie piped up as the trio entered the house.

"Hm?" the mother of two hummed, not looking up from the mail she was shuffling through.

The girl cleared her throat, the tension in the room feeling suffocating. "Um, since you and Rory are going to Yale next weekend, can I ask dad if he can take me to Juilliard?"

"What?" Lorelai's head snapped up at the question, eyebrows furrowed. "You want your dad to take you?"

"Yeah." Frankie nodded.