DOUBLE DATE
WHILST homework was the usual bane of her existence (when Paris wasn't around to take that title), Hayden found listening to Rory and Lane in the living-room as she attempted to work on her calculus assignment was far more frustrating. Her mother sat across the kitchen table from her, fighting the urge to rush into her oldest daughter and turn off the radio but she didn't want to be the uncool mom hers always was. But Hayden didn't care about the music, or how loud it was. It was the giggling and whispered conversations shared between best friends. She wanted that.
Sure, she and Lane were friends too but they just hadn't bonded in a way Lane and Rory had. Hayden put that down to her wide social circle in Stars Hollow, but none of those friendship had any real value. None of them were really her friend. In fact, she hadn't spoken to any of them other than a passing greeting in the streets since transferring to Chilton and if she was honest she didn't miss them at all. And whilst she had Madeline and Louise, the pair were each other's best friend. A position Rory had always held in her life and vice versa, but it was different being born into the role. Hayden wanted a best friend like Lane, like Madeline and Louise had. Someone who wanted to be there by choice.
"I can't, it's too much." Lorelai scoffed as she stood from her own homework for her business course and stormed into the living room "Hey. I'm studying in there... I have like 6,000 pages of case studies to memorize and this whole big test on the Wal-Mart phenomena coming up on Friday and because I have a life and a job and business school's not the only thing I have to concentrate on I'm behind, and I'll probably fail and then that little 18 year old annoying knat who sits behind me will get another A' and make that 'I'm smart you're dumb' fact to me for the rest of the week and I'll be very upset and will possibly cry."
"The music's too loud." Rory realised.
"Yes."
Rory smiled as she nodded, turning it down "Got it."
"Thank you." Lorelai was relieved as she headed back to the kitchen, slumping back into her seat. But with the music low, Hayden could hear her sisters conversation loud and clear.
"—So anyhow, I was wondering if you could talk to Dean about maybe talking to Todd about me and then maybe you could ask Dean to ask him out— for me."
Rory snorted "Good, cause I don't think Dean would want to go out with Todd. Might screw up their friendship. But uh, you want me to set you up with Todd?"
"Yes p, and I was thinking that you and Dean could come out with us so that it's not that big of a deal."
Hayden slumped at the thought. She thought she and Rory could've shared their first double date together. Granted Dean and Tristan didn't exactly like each other but she had a naive dream.
Rory sighed "I really don't know this Todd guy..."
"I do."
"You've met him twice."
"But the 3rd time's a charm!"
"How do you know this guy's right for you?"
"I know, I'm telling you. We're talking soul mate here. So?"
Rory sighed in defeat and Hayden felt it too "Ok."
"Really?"
"Yes, Yoko."
Hayden frowned. She wanted her own Yoko.
A nudge had Hayden snap her head up, finding her mother looking at her in concern "Hey, you okay, kid?"
"Great." She put on a smile, turning her gaze back to her homework "Just getting my math on."
Lorelai pat her arm sympathetically "Been there and if I believed in God, I'd pray for ya kid."
☕️
HAYDEN'S mood didn't improve at school the next day, not when she found out Madeline and Louise also had a double date planned. But the girls did invite her and Tristan to join so all she had to do was convince her boyfriend to go.
Tristan sighed as he fished his books from locker "I can't. My dad's in town this weekend and he wants me to go to some dinner."
"Oh..." she slumped in defeat before perking up "And do you need a date to said dinner? Because I know this really cute girl..."
Tristan chuckled a little before shaking his head "Trust me, you don't want to go."
"I don't want to or you don't want me to?" She couldn't help but question.
The Dugray boy frowned as he turned to her "What?"
"Are you— are you embarrassed of me?" Hayden blurted out. Her mind was running a-mile-a-minute and she couldn't help it.
"No!" His eyes widened "No of course not."
Hayden frowned up at him, heart clenching "Then why don't you want to introduce me to your parents?"
Tristan's mouth wouldn't make a noise as he went to speak and at his silence, Hayden nodded, her fears becoming reality before she slowly turned on her heels.
The Dugray boy frowned as he watched her go "Hayden..." when she was no longer in sight, he cursed before turning and kicking the locker below his own "Dammit."
☕️
HAYDEN couldn't believe it. Even her mother had a double date. And as happy as she was for Sookie and Jackson, Hayden knew the second everyone was out of the house on their dates, she'd be sulking alone on a Friday night with a tub of Ben and Jerry's.
The youngest Gilmore watched from the couch as her mother primped in the mirror, with Sookie getting ready upstairs before Rory and Lane came rushing down, dressed and ready to go "We're going."
Lorelai glanced to her "Oh, where?"
"We're going to a movie with Dean." Lane answered quickly.
"Nothing dirty, violent or French please." Their mother requested.
Rory glanced to her "Are you going to be home late?"
"Well, there's a bit of doubt as to whether or not we'll ever actually get out of the house at all tonight." Lorelai sighed and yelled upstairs "Sookie please!"
"Ok! I'm here, I'm down." Sookie sighed nervously as she made her way downstairs.
"Wow!" Lorelai smiled "Hey, where's your coat?"
Sookie sighed "It's upstairs."
"Aren't you gonna need it?"
"Oh. well, it got caught around the thing, and then when I twisted around to get loose, and then the choking started." Sookie explained in a flurry, arms waving wildly "I'm free now."
Rory chuckled "Bye Sookie."
"Bye kittens." Sookie beamed at the pair before turning to Hayden on the couch and gesturing to her dress "What do we think?"
"We think you look beautiful." Hayden smiled softly. She couldn't possibly be sad, not with Sookie around.
The St. James woman grinned before pointing her fingers up in a sudden thought "Oh! I left you some food in the fridge. Just a little selection of honey roast duck with a side of pan fried parfait potatoes in a butter garlic sauce and some sautéed mushrooms, braised carrots and corn. Oh, and there's a blueberry glazed cobbler with some homemade pecan ice cream and some toasted coconut on top and—"
"Okay!" Lorelai cut her friend off in amusement "We really need to go if we want to be fashionably late rather than obnoxiously so." She turned to Hayden "The number for the restaurant is on the fridge and I have my pager if you need me. No parties unless I'm invited and no Dawson's Creek."
Hayden frowned indignantly "Why not?"
"Because the last time you watched it you became obsessed with Pacey and I don't want to have to sit through another Mighty Duck's marathon because 'little Joshua Jackson is so freakin' cute'."
The Gilmore girl crossed her arms defensively "Well he is."
"True, but no boy is cute enough to put up with Emilio Estevez post Breakfast Club." Lorelai argued before herding Sookie towards the door "Okay, we're going. Love you babe! Have fun."
"You too!" Hayden called before sighing as the front door closed behind the women leaving her alone. Something that she became all too aware of as the silence of the house hit her "Great."
☕️
PINT deep in cookie dough, Hayden spooned another mouthful of ice cream into her mother as she watched Dawson finally discover Joey and Pacey's love affair "They belong together, Leery so take that judgement and go back to Spielberg and your left hand, Buddy!"
The doorbell ringing had Hayden paused the videotape in surprise, setting down her ice cream before getting to her feet and shuffling towards the door. But whilst any visitor was something unexpected, finding Tristan on the other side was the most. Especially with a black eye "Tristan! Oh my God, what happened?"
She stepped aside, letting him in before closing the door and reaching up to gently peer at his injury making him chuckle bitterly "I pissed off my dad, again."
It suddenly hit her and he heart broke "Oh, Tristan... Just go sit on the couch and I'll get some ice, okay?" Hayden watched him nod before doing as told and heading into the kitchen then. She quickly grabbed the phone, dialling the number her mother had pinned to the fridge. Once she got through she asked for her mother and waited until Lorelai got on the line.
"Oh God, please tell me it's something that requires me to leave immediately?"
"Tristan's spending the night..." Hayden murmured hesitantly.
She heard her mother scoff "Hayden—"
"Mom, he can't go home." Hayden quickly cut her off "Not tonight. His dad... he's not a good person, mom."
"Okay." Lorelai agreed after a while "He can stay in your room but you have to stay in Rory's."
Hayden nodded despite the fact her mother couldn't see, shoulders slumping in relief "Thank you."
"Is he okay?" Lorelai questioned softly.
Hayden frowned and glanced out towards the living room where her boyfriend sat with his head in his hands "I don't know, mom. I-I don't know what to do."
"Just be there for him, babe. He needs you."
Hayden hung up after saying goodbye, putting the phone back before grabbing a bag of frozen peas that had been in their freezer since they moved in and headed back to Tristan. She carefully sat beside the boy, watching as he pulled his head up and she gently pressed the frozen vegetables to his eye "Here." She murmured softly, wincing when he did "I'm sorry."
"No, I am." Tristan looked to her as he pulled her hand away from his eyes so she could see the sincerity in his own "I'm not embarrassed of you. It's the opposite... I care about you so much and I don't want you anywhere near my father because... I-I'm scared of him, Hayden."
Hayden felt her own eyes fill with tears as she watched the ones fall from Tristan's tired eyes and her heart crumbled as he fell into her lap, a sob crawling from deep within. She ran her fingers though his hair with one hand, the other holding him close as he cried "It's okay. You're okay. You're safe here, I promise."
☕️
AFTER breaking free from her own horrible double date, Lorelai rescued Rory from hers as Mrs. Kim dragged Lane home all too ready for bed. The mother and daughter duo made their way inside only to pause at the sight of all the lights still on and Lorelai sighed heavily, ready to give Tristan and Hayden what for when she spotted them. Tristan held tightly on Hayden's waist, mouth parted slightly as he snored gently with her hands still resting in his hair, head titled back on the couch, eyes closed.
Rory frowned as she caught sight of Tristan's bruised eye "Mom—"
"I know." Lorelai's voice was soft before she grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over the slumbering couple before switching off the lights except for the lamp and herded Rory towards the stairs "Come on."
"Should we wake them?" Rory glanced back to the pair in concerns seeing the drying tear stains on both of their cheeks.
"No." Lorelai assured "Let them sleep. Everything will still be there in the morning. We'll figure it out, then."