The Other Gilmore

Paris, Here I Come

The rest of the semester went by in a flash. By the time finals rolled around, Frankie had packed up everything she owned, placing items in boxes to bring back to Stars Hollow, or donating to Goodwill. The only belongings she was bringing to Paris were her winter clothes and everything she needed to dance. Taking one last look around her room, she nodded and smiled sadly, closing the door behind her as she walked into the living room.

"So, you guys found someone to sublet my room, right? And you like them?" Frankie asked her roommates, struggling to hold back her emotions.

"Yes, she's very nice. She's a friend of mine from NYU, and she's really excited to live here," said Kayla, her eyes welling up with tears.

"She'll take good care of your room. I'll make sure of it." Penny's voice wavered as she wiped a tear from under her eye.

"Good. And you told her that she doesn't need to bring a mattress? I'm leaving mine. All she has to do is bring her bed linens and belongings."

"Frankie. Don't worry. She knows," Jacqueline said, cracking a small smile.

"Okay, okay. Just wanted to make sure."

The group stood in silence for a moment, not wanting their time as roommates to end.

"Oh, I'm gonna miss you so much!" Penny cried, lunging forward and enveloping Frankie in her arms. "I'm gonna come visit you as soon as I can! And I'll call you all the time, and we'll write letters, and you'll tell me all about Paris and the boys! Except, maybe leave out the sex part because boys gross me out."

Frankie laughed, tears now flowing from her eyes. "I promise I won't talk about sex with boys with you."

"Thank God," Penny breathed, pulling away from Frankie. "As much as I love hearing about your love life, I hate hearing about the sex part."

"Trust me, I'm well aware."

"Every time we even mention kissing a boy, you gag," Kayla pointed out with a grin.

"That's...totally true," Penny said with a smile. "But seriously, we'll come visit as soon as we can, and you'll have to let us know when your first performance is."

"I will, don't worry." Frankie looked around at her friends and sighed sadly, extending her arms out. "One last roommate hug for the road?"

The three girls immediately wrapped their arms around Frankie, holding onto her as if their lives depended on it.

"Am I interrupting?"

The four girls broke apart and turned towards the door where Christopher was standing.

"No, that's okay. We were just saying goodbye," Frankie said to her father.

"Hey! This is not goodbye! This is see you later, okay?" Penny exclaimed, wagging a finger in Frankie's face.

The girl held up her hands in surrender. "Sorry, sorry. We were saying see you later."

"Take your time. Just tell me which things are going to the car," said Christopher, looking down at the suitcases and boxes that were lined up by the front door.

"All of them."

"That's it? There's two boxes and two suitcases."

"I've been bringing things home periodically, and I donated a bunch of stuff," Frankie stated with a shrug.