Lost Time ▸ Jess Mariano

04. hello, connecticut!

     "No." The man next to her,Michel says. She picks up on the French accent.

      "Michel..." Lorelai chuckles nervously with gritted teeth, "She's our guest."

     "Oh, is she?" Michel's eyes still not moving from the pile of files on the table, "I wouldn't have guessed."

    Feeling thrown off by his unpleasantness, she shakes off Lorelai's offer, "It's fine. It's just a suitcase I have. I'll be fine from here."

    Now the guy looks up with a forced sarcastic smile, "Mhh, yeah, Lorelai. It's just a suitcase. She can do it herself."

     "Michel."

     "Fine." He sighs heavily, "You own me."

     Yeah, Stars Hollow was a weird place. She'll have to get used to being here.

━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━

    The town was still the same as she remembers. — she says that, like years have gone by since she last stepped a foot in the town. In reality it's only been two weeks. The only difference this time: she wasn't running from her problems. She was facing them.

    No, seriously, she was looking at one of her problems.

    She abruptly halts her movements by Teriyaki Joe's as the girl comes face to face with the Gilmore Girl. Both sharing the same expression of annoyance.

    "Rory." Everleigh greets flatly.

     Rory matches the tone, "Everleigh."

     Seeing as both girls had nothing else to say to one another. The Morgan girl takes that as her cue to walk past the Gilmore. Only to be stopped again by Rory's curiosity, "What's your problem with me?"

    That surprises her but brushes off the question, "There's no problem."

    "Yes, there is."

    "No there's not."

    "Fine, you want me to ask," Rory waves her hands in frustration, "Why don't you like me?"

    Rory's question tickles her; she chuckles, "Ask again, once you're done messing with Dean's head."

    After her statement she thought that would make the other girl think but she most certainly was wrong. As Everleigh turns around to finally leave, Rory stops her again, "You don't like me, that's fine but Dean is my boyfriend and you're going to see me around whether you like it or not."

    Everleigh sighs, "That's fine by me. I respect his decision for going back to you. I know what it's like to want to forgive and forget."

    She has been thinking a lot about her and Blaze. She misses him, and it hurts that she misses him. Everleigh wants to forgive and forget.

    "Then why are you making me the bad guy here?"

    "Because you are one." Everleigh states like it wasn't obvious enough, "— Look, Rory. I can forgive you for being with him but I can't forgive you for breaking his heart and making the whole town go against him. You couldn't say the three words back, yet you allowed everyone to put the blame on him and not you. That's a sign of cowardice and I don't like cowards." Rory stays quiet; Everleigh points at her, "That's exactly my point."

    Both continue staring at one another with squinted eyes but that gets interrupted by someone calling their names. Someone very familiar; Her best friend. And suddenly their countenance switches with the snap of fingers. Rory and Everleigh suddenly wear smiles on their faces but tension still lingering.