The Hayden Dream Girl | logan huntzberger

✧ 12 ✧ universe vs. matty

"Me too. Um, I gotta go. Dance practice."

"Okay. I love you, Tilda Bear."

"Bye."

Matty threw her leotard in her duffel bag and made her way into the common room.

"What was your dad talking to you about?" asked Briar.

"No clue."

She really should have paid attention to their conversation. She couldn't really be mad. It was her own fault that she didn't know, but it still felt like rubbing more salt into her wounds. The universe was quite the formidable foe. If she had to guess, the score was currently: Universe: 5 vs. Matty: 0.

She had already been dreading seeing the happy parents-to-be, but seeing them now in a newly engaged bliss made being home even more unbearable. If Matty was honest, she had held out a little hope that there might be a spark between her parents still. Watching them interact at the game brought out a desire she didn't even know she had.

But with Sherry's pregnancy, she knew that idea was over. Christopher had been willing to marry Lorelai when they were sixteen because it was "the right thing to do." Even when Lorelai refused, Christopher still did what was "right." He went to college, got a good job, bought a house. Now that Sherry was pregnant, he was going to do the "right" thing with her. Matty knew they would get married and raise their daughter as a perfect little family because that was the right thing to do.

Still, that didn't mean she had to be happy about the whole arrangement.

Rather than deal with her uncomfortable feelings, Matty did what she did best: avoided. Every morning, she woke up before anyone else and was out the door the moment she heard movement from her dad and Sherry. The rest of her day was spent at the dance studio, shopping, walking around Boston- anywhere but home. It seemed like every evening she had a new Christmas party to attend to avoid being home for dinner.

Unfortunately, today her perfectly organized plan failed her. No one was supposed to be home today; but due to a canceled meeting, Sherry was sitting at home and able to ambush Matty in the driveway the moment she pulled up. It was Sherry's sheer persistence that had landed Matty in a ridiculous matching Christmas sweater with her dad and his fiancee taking Christmas photos that evening.

So, when the doorbell rang, Matty wasted no time sprinting into the foyer to answer the door. Breathless, she opened the door eagerly eternally grateful to whoever was interrupting the impromptu photo session.

"What are you wearing?" Briar asked the moment Matty opened the door to reveal her red haired best friend, holding onto a suitcase.

"Oh you know, annual family Christmas cards," Matty said with a perfected fake smile.

Briar's head cocked to the side with furrowed eyebrows. "Since when do you guys do family Christmas cards?"

"Well, it's only our second time technically," Matty shrugged. Briar still looked really confused. "Sherry started it. She passes the cards out to her co-workers," she explained with a roll of her eyes. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Maine?"

"I was there until my mom's dad showed up."

"Yikes," Matty said, nervously looking down at her shoes.

She still hadn't told Briar about what she saw with Rory a few weeks ago, and this kind of stuff was why. Things were so complicated with him anyways that hearing about Paris, a fellow journalist who Briar already wasn't a big fan of, would have made things worse.

"Mom flipped out because he wasn't invited, but my grandma insisted he stay because it would be even poorer manners to ask him to leave. Now, my mom's always on edge. My dad's stressed out pandering to her every need. My brothers went back to school early to avoid the drama. So, sleep over?" Briar said hopefully.