"Where is this place?" Victoria asks walking down the street with her mother and sister.
"It's not far" Lorelai answers. "You've been saying that for miles" Rory tells her.
"It has not been miles" Lorelai denies. "My feet are sore" Victoria complains. "Hey, Tonto, when did you become older than me?" Lorelai jokes.
"Just tell me what this new breakfast place is and then Ill be quiet" Victoria shrugs.
"It's an amazing place that I found and that's all I'm telling you" Lorelai replies. "Just tell me if it's in this town or the next?" Rory asks.
"We don't patronize the next town" Lorelai answers. "Since when?" Victoria asks her. "I don't know, didn't they feed lead to our jumping frog or something?" Lorelai asks.
"Oh yeah, right after they stoned the woman who won the lottery" Rory jokes.
"See? So the boycott's legit" Lorelai says. "Hey, wait! Stop" Lane yells running up behind them.
"Oh look, it's Michael Landon" Lorelai jokes. "Oh my god, you guys walk fast. I've been chasing you for the past two blocks" Lane tells them. "Hey, we were being followed" Victoria says.
"I told you I wasn't just being paranoid, maybe next time you'll take me seriously when I tell you the furniture moved itself" Lorelai replies.
"Where are you guys going?" Lane asks. "Mystery breakfast" Rory answers her.
"Out of town?" Lane asks them. "Does no one remember the definition of mystery?" Lorelai asks. "Sorry, I was just wondering if it's okay to practice on your pots and pans again this morning" Lane says.
"It's not like they have any other use" Lorelai replies.
"Thanks, I've almost nailed Ramble On. I just have to stop hitting my face with the sticks when I pull my arms back" Lane tells them. "John Bingham had that same problem" Victoria jokes.
"Keys in the turtle" Lorelai says. "Enjoy your mystery breakfast" Lane says before walking away. "Come on, it's not much farther" Lorelai tells her daughters.
"We're not heading toward any businesses of any kind" Rory points out.
"What?" Victoria asks when Lorelai stops walking. "We have arrived" Lorelai answers.
"Arrived where? Oh, you are without shame" Rory says realizing where they are.
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"Sookie, you did not have to do this" Victoria says eating breakfast in Sookie's kitchen.
"What do you mean? Feeding my girls, making them happy, I love doing this" Sookie replies. "Yeah, so feel the love and pass the salt" Lorelai says.
"It makes me feel guilty" Rory tells them. "Eating can help you drown that" Lorelai says. "Yeah, eat, eat. I'm gonna eat" Sookie says sitting down.
"Jeez, can the help sit at the table too?" Rory asks jokingly.
"As long as they don't sing fold songs or tell bawdy stories" Victoria says. "Hey, what's with narcoleptic Nate over there?" Lorelai asks about Jackson.
"He's not much of a morning person" Sookie answers. "mhughmmm" Jackson groans. "Now say, I can't believe I ate the whole thing" Lorelai says.
"It takes him about an hour to become Jackson" Sookie tells her.
"Ooh hey, I had a good idea for the wedding" Lorelai mentions. "Cool" Sookie says.
"Instead of those little wrapped things with jordan almonds at every place setting, what if we wrap up a few aspirin?" Lorelai suggests. "Aspirin?" Victoria questions. "For the morning after hangovers" Lorelai explains.
"Ah ha! That's funny" Sookie laughs.
"Cause jordan almonds are so done. Huh, Jackson, what do you think, aspirin over almonds?" Lorelai asks. "hummm" Jackson groans again.
"Can we take that as a yes?" Victoria asks Sookie. "No. See, everything eventually registers" Sookie answers. "He'll chime in on this in a couple of days" she says.
"Days?" Victoria asks.
"Days" Sookie confirms. "Hey is Jackson in the house? Let me here you say, uhhh!" Lorelai says.
"Uhhhh" Jackson groans. "A new toy" Lorelai laughs. "Shameless" Rory says.
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"How's it going?" Rory asks walking into the kitchen where Victoria's helping Lorelai study.
"I hate these books, hate them" Lorelai answers. "Ah, see that? They're trying to escape, they hate me too" she says dropping papers.
"Your books don't hate you" Victoria replies. "My brain is full, it has reached capacity. It's Shea Stadium when The Beatles played" Lorelai says. "It's cramped, and girls are screaming, and I think George is fighting with Ringo" she continues.
"You have a very active head" Rory comments.
"I cannot ingest any more information" Lorelai says. "So take a break" Victoria suggests.
"I don't have time" Lorelai responds. "Close your eyes, clear your head" Rory tells her. "No, because clearing my head just means that all the knowledge I have stuffed in there will leak out. In order to make room for stuff I lose stuff, it's a very vicious circle" Lorelai explains.
"I'll make some coffee" Victoria says getting up.
"I hate finals" Lorelai sighs. "Nobody likes finals" Rory says.
"Thank god I'm graduating and this is the last time I have to cram like this because my pursue of higher education has led me to an interesting discover about myself. Do you want to hear it?" Lorelai asks. "Sure" Victoria answers. "I despise academics. Yep, learning, knowledge, it's all worthless I have no idea what you kids see in it" Lorelai says.
"Learning is fun, played there's that I'm a minor so it's mandatory thing" Rory points out.
"That's what kills me, this is self inflicted. I'm a masochist" Lorelai says. "I might as well be carrying a switch and periodically lacerating myself with it" she adds.
"That diploma, hanging on the wall is going to make this all worthwhile. Trust me" Victoria tells her mother. "I guess, unless I turn into John Nash and start drooling on people" Lorelai sighs. "Hey, you're graduating" Rory says.
"I know" Lorelai replies.
"No, you're graduating. There's gonna be a ceremony" Rory points out. "Oh, I don't know. It's a community college" Lorelai says.
"Community colleges have ceremonies" Victoria tells her. "My community college doesn't even have a lawn. They won't necessarily have a ceremony" Lorelai says. "They must. Did you ask?" Rory asks.
"No. Well, now that you mentioned it, I think someone said something about some cheesy ceremony for my business class" Lorelai admits.
"When is it?" Victoria asks her. "I don't know. Next Thursday or something" Lorelai answers.
"That's great. You have to do it" Rory says. "I don't know" Lorelai shakes her head. "You have to do it" Victoria repeats her sister.
"Really?" Lorelai asks.
"Yes, you've never been a part of an actually graduation ceremony" Victoria tells her. "I know. That's because my stupid conservative high school wouldn't let me be in the ceremony and nurse you at the same time" Lorelai says.
"Don't be gross" Rory comments. "Do you really think I should do it?" Lorelai asks. "Yes, you've worked hard for this. You've earned it" Victoria tells her.
"I guess" Lorelai says.
"Come on, you know that deep down you really want to do this" Rory tells her. "Well, I'll admit I've always wanted to wear one of those gowns" Lorelai admits.
"And the hat?" Victoria asks. "For the tassel. You know my thing for fringe" Lorelai answers. "And they call out your name and people clap and you get your diploma" Rory says.
"Oh, and then you do that thing where you move the tassel from one side to the other . Very symbolic, very dramatic" Lorelai adds.
"That's it, you're doing it" Victoria says. "Alright, if you insist" Lorelai gives in.
"Okay, who do you want to invite?" Rory asks. "I don't know, you" Lorelai answers. "And?" Victoria asks her.
"That's cool with me" Lorelai replies.
"Sookie and Jackson?" Rory suggests. "Oh that would be fun" Lorelai agrees.
"And grandma and grandpa?" Victoria asks her. "Oh, no. No, no, no" Lorelai declines. "Come on. It's your graduation, they should be there" Rory says.
"They won't want to be there" Lorelai tells her.
"Of course they will" Victoria disagrees. "Honey, I was supposed to graduate from high school and go to Vassar, marry a Yale man and get myself a proper nickname like Babe or Bunny of Shih Tzu. Instead I got pregnant, I didn't finish high school, I didn't marry your father, and I ended up in a career that apparently Jessica Hahn would think was beneath her" Lorelai explains.
"That's not-" Rory tries. "I humiliated them. The two proudest people in the world, and I humiliated them" Lorelai keeps going. "I spoiled their plans. I took their fine upbringing in a world of comfort and opportunity, and I threw it in their faces, I broke their hearts, and they'll never forgive me, I guess I can't expect them to" she says.
"Maybe you're wrong about how they feel about all this, it was a long time ago" Rory tells her mother.
"Rory, I don't want them to go. It'll just hurt them and me, okay?" Lorelai asks. "Okay, you should get back to your studying" Rory says leaving the room.
"Fine, oh no" Lorelai replies. "What?" Victoria asks her. "I think I've already forgotten everything I've read in the past few hours" Lorelai panics.
"No you haven't" Victoria says.
"Yes, I have! In fact, I may have forgotten everything I've ever known" Lorelai tells her. "Child, what be your name?" Lorelai asks grabbing Victoria's arm.
"Study" Victoria says before getting up to leave.
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"Just explain the concept one more time" Victoria tells Dean.
"And be mocked again? No, thank you" he replies. "Come on" Victoria insists.
"Yeah, maybe we're missing something" Lorelai says. "Okay, you go to a special shooting range" Dean starts. "A skeet shooting range" Rory chimes in.
"Right, there's two of you, and the guy with the gun yells, pull, and then the other guy releases a clay pigeon from a machine into the air, and you try to shoot it" Dean explains.
"No, I don't think we're missing anything" Victoria shakes her head. "Yeah, I knew it" Dean says.
"You shoot pigeons?" Victoria asks. "Clay pigeons" Dean answers. "When you hit them does blood come out?" Lorelai asks him.
"They're clay" Dean says.
"And why do you like to do this?" Rory asks her boyfriend. "I don't know, my dad shot skeet when he was my age, and so he wants to pass the tradition down" he explains.
"What if you accidentally hit a real pigeon? Does that count?" Victoria asks. "That's never happened" Dean tells her. "What if a clay pigeon hits a real pigeon? Does that count?" Lorelai asks him.
"Yeah, does that count?" Rory adds.
"I've only done this once" Dean says. "If you get really good do you move on to other animals?" Victoria asks him.
"Yeah, like clay chickens and clay sheep?" Lorelai asks. "You know what, we didn't go skeet shooting. I just made it all up" Dean says trying to end the conversation. "Oh, hey I gotta go in there" Lorelai says when they reach the market.
"What do you need?" Rory asks her.
"Just general stuff, you guys go and be young" Lorelai replies. "We'll see you back at the house" Victoria says.
"Bye" Dean says as they walk away. "What if you shoot the person who throws the pigeon up in the air? Would that count?" Rory asks.
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"I'm feeling so good, sista, because it's over. No more finals, no more studying, no more school" Lorelai says.
"The pressures off. Do you know how much pressure I felt?" she asks. "Do you? All last week, I felt like a giant man and his brother were sitting on my chest" Lorelai answers her own question.
"A giant man?" Rory questions. "And his giant brother" Lorelai adds. "Did they have names?" Victoria asks her.
"Clem and Clem, same names. Which did not reflect well on the imagination of their mothers" Lorelai answers.
"Mother" Rory corrects her. "Mothers, there were two Clems" Lorelai insists.
"But they were brothers" Victoria points out. "Yes, so they had brothers" Lorelai says. "You're drawing me into your drunken world" Rory tells her.
"It's not a bad place to be, my friend. Mnh-mnh tanks empty" Lorelai says getting up to refill her drink.
"Hey, what is this?" Victoria asks her. "What?" Lorelai asks.
"This life plan book thing" Victoria answers. "A little gift for the grads from the happy people at Hartford community college. Hey, how many margaritas is too many margaritas?" Lorelai asks. "Um, if you can't remember where the living room is" Rory replies.
"Ha ha, I'm still good" Lorelai says.
"Okay, here's a question for you, have you given any thought to how children will work into your future plans?" Victoria asks reading from the life plan book. "Oh well, they're not gonna stand in my way, that's for sure. I mean I plan to have some, of course, but I'm just gonna knock 'em out and uh have nanny catch 'em and care for 'em, make sure Mick Jagger doesn't come anywhere near them, and then just return them to me when they're 21" Lorelai answers.
"Well, what about us?" Rory asks her. "You are my favorite eldest children. You get to stay by my side" Lorelai says. "I feel so privileged" Rory comments as the phone rings.
"I'll get it" she says getting up to answer it.
"Hey, now, if that's Mick Jagger hang up and blow that whistle I gave you" Lorelai jokes.
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"Mom?" Victoria asks hearing a noise from our stairs.
"Ahgh" Lorelai groans. "What's wrong?" Rory asks her.
"I'm experiencing frustration" Lorelai answers. "At the general state of things in the world or something in particular?" Victoria asks. "What do you wear to a graduation?" Lorelai asks her.
"Cap and gown" Rory replies.
"Duh. I mean underneath" Lorelai clarifies. "Whatever you want. The gown covers it" Victoria answers.
"It's more complicated than that. Come on you're my fashion daughter dress me" Lorelai says. "Take light layers. Wear your turquoise and tan dress that you just got, it'll keep you cool and it'll look good without your gown on and wear your turquoise vintage sweater over it because it'll look great with the dress and it'll keep you warm if it's cold in the auditorium" Victoria tells her. "You are a fashion genius" Lorelai replies.
"Well, you taught me everything I know" Victoria reminds her.
"My brain's not working" Lorelai says. "You're excited, it's a big day" Rory tells her.
"What time are you getting there?" Lorelai asks. "I have a bunch of news paper stuff, but no later than six" Rory answers. "And you?" Lorelai asks her other daughter.
"I'm going to Summer's house after school so I'll be in the area and then she's dropping me off" Victoria says.
"Perfect, and we're going out to eat after?" Lorelai asks. "Any place you want, and it's on us" Victoria replies.
"You don't have to do that" Lorelai says. "You're the graduate. You get to be pampered" Rory insists. "Okay, then I'd like to go to Chateau La George La Jean Georges in Paris" Lorelai makes up.
"I'll look it up and book the concorde, I gotta go" Victoria says grabbing her backpack.
"Okay, I gotta get everything ready" Lorelai says running back upstairs. "Wait, wait, I want to see my little graduate one more time before the big event" Rory says.
"What do you think? Do I look like I'm ready to make my way in the world?" Lorelai asks. "Yes, and if all else fails, you can marry rich" Victoria tells her. "I love that we always have that option" Lorelai says.
"Hey, what are you gonna do with your hair?" Rory asks her.
"Curling iron" Lorelai answers. "Mom, the cap, you put it on it's gonna smoosh the curls down" Victoria tells her.
"You are a genius" Lorelai replies. "See you tonight" Rory says. "Hey, try to seat us next to a celebrity on the concorde, like Sting or someone" Lorelai tells them.
"I'll try" Victoria says.
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"Hey, soon to be graduate" Victoria says walking into the getting ready area of the auditorium.
"Hey" Lorelai says hugging her daughter. "Where's Rory?" Victoria asks when they pull away.
"She's not out there yet?" Lorelai asks her. "No, I thought she was back here with you" Victoria answers. "She probably just running late from news paper stuff" Lorelai says.
"Yeah, hey you know grandma and grandpa are out there" Victoria tells her.
"Oh yeah, invited by your sister" Lorelai says. "Oh no" Victoria sighs.
"They're going way overboard" Lorelai whispers not wanting the other graduates to know she's the one with the rich parents. "Their intentions are good" Victoria defends them. "Yeah, you can say that about a lot of crazy people. Their reasoning always makes sense to themselves" Lorelai says.
"Alright, well I'm gonna go find Sookie and Jackson I'll see you after the ceremony though" Victoria tells her.
"Bye hon" Lorelai says. "Bye" Victoria says walking away.
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"Hey" Sookie says as her, Jackson, and Victoria walk up to Lorelai after hm the ceremony.
"Hi" Lorelai says. "We're so proud of you" Victoria tells her.
"Yeah. You were great up there" Jackson agrees. "Thanks, you guys. Where's Rory?" Lorelai asks. "No Rory?" she asks seeing the looks on their faces.
"She called during the ceremony and said she got hung up on something and she'll see us at home" Victoria answers.
"Hung up? Hung up where?" Lorelai asks. "Is she okay?" she gets worried.
"She said she's fine. She's sorry, but fine" Victoria replies. "Oh. As long as she's okay, I guess" Lorelai says not knowing how to feel. "Um, well, I should probably get the gown back. Thanks for coming, Sook, Marcus Shankenberg" she says.
"You want to go out to eat? Celebrate?" Sookie suggests.
"I think I'll just go home, see what happened to Rory" Lorelai declines. "I thought so. See you tomorrow" Sookie says before walking away.
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"I'm so, so sorry" Rory immediately apologizes running up to the car when Victoria and Lorelai get out.
"You're okay, right?" Victoria asks worried. "Yes" Rory answers.
"Everything's working. You're wrist's okay" Lorelai says checking her for injuries. "Nothing new is broken" Lorelai says. "I'm fine" Rory confirms.
"Anyone you know, like Lane, get sick today or break an arm themselves or get in a car wreck?" Lorelai asks her.
"No" Rory answers. "Okay, good. Then I can get past worried and move on to the other things" Lorelai says.
"I know you're hurt" Rory tells her. "Yeah, you bet I'm hurt, Rory, I really wanted you there today. You encouraged me to do it" Lorelai replies. "I know" Rory says.
"It was a once in a lifetime thing. You should've been there" Lorelai keeps going.
"Whatever it was that kept you, you should've gotten out of it at least this once. Was it school?" she asks. "It wasn't school" Rory answers.
"Was it Paris?" Lorelai asks her. "It wasn't Paris" Rory replies. "Well what was it?" Lorelai asks.
"It's so stupid" Rory says.
"Well Rory where were you? What happened?" Lorelai asks her. "I cut school" Rory finally says.
"You what?" Victoria asks shocked that her perfect sister would do that. "I cut school and I got on a bus, and I don't even know why I did it. I-I have no excuse" Rory tells them. "I was just standing outside of Chilton, and I must have had a stroke or something. What does a stroke feel like?" she asks.
"I don't know. Not good, probably" Lorelai answers.
"And I left school and I got on a bus and I went to New York. And that's it I'm grounded for six months or seven and no TV, no stereo, no reading" Rory explains. "In fact take all of my books away from me and lock them up" she overreacts.
"Hold on, you went to New York?" Victoria asks. "And no magazines either. And I'm going to do all of the housework, laundry, dishes, in fact we're gonna start eating at home so we have dishes" Rory keeps going. "Rory" Lorelai stops her.
"What?" Rory responds.
"Stop. Why did you go to New York?" Lorelai asks her. "To see Jess" Rory answers.
"Whoa" Victoria says shocked. "Boy, do you know how to bury the lead" Lorelai says. "I don't know what happened" Rory replies.
"You went to New York to see Jess" Lorelai says.
"It was the stroke. It made me someone else" Rory insists. "And after his phone call last night-" she starts.
"That was him?" Lorelai cuts her off. "It did something to me. I don't know what" Rory says. "In fact you should take the phone away from me too, that's right. Add it to the list" she keeps freaking out.
"No books, no music, no phone" Rory lists.
"Okay, Rory-" Victoria tries. "I'm a horrible person" Rory says.
"You're not a horrible person" Lorelai tells her. "I'm sick. I'm ill" Rory says. "I'm cracked. This is not me"she only gets more upset.
"If I were to write this down in my diary and I would read it, I would be like, who is this freak this isn't me. This isn't my diary, I wouldn't do this, I wouldn't skip school when I had finals coming up to go see a guy that isn't even my guy and end up missing my mother's graduation which I wanted to be at so badly , that's someone else" Rory rants.
"That's someone flighty and stupid and dumb and girlie. And, I mean, I missed your graduation which is the worst thing I could have possibly done, I mean I hurt you and I had to spend hours on a stinky bus next to a guy that was spitting into a can just thinking about all the minutes that were going by that I wasn't at your graduation and they were hurting you and they should've been hurting you because it was so selfish of this person who wasn't me to do what she did" she says. "Okay, my god. Take a breath" Victoria tells her sister.
"I don't deserve a breath. No breaths, that's getting added to the list" Rory replies. "Okay, look nobody wants to say this any less than me, but maybe you don't have a medical condition or a mental problem, maybe honey you are falling for Jess" Lorelai tells her. "No" Rory denies it.
"Well I mean I've kinda been seeing something there lately" Victoria agrees with her mother.
"No! I love Dean" Rory completely denies it. "Dean is my boyfriend. He will always be my boyfriend" she says.
"That's it. Forever" Rory says as if it's the only possible answer. "Maybe not forever" Lorelai says. "Yes. Forever" Rory insists.
"I love Dean and Jess is done now and everything's gonna be good again. Everything's gonna be alright" Rory says.
"Rory, you cut school" Victoria reminds her. "Yeah, I know-" Rory starts.
"You got on a bus and went to a strange city in your uniform to see Jess" Victoria lays out the facts. "I know" Rory repeats. "Well that doesn't mean nothing. That means something" Victoria tells her.
"No! I don't want to talk about this anymore" Rory yells.
"The only thing I want to talk about is this list I made of all the ways I'm gonna make this up to mom. I give up all control over the remote, stereo, takeout food choices, and oh, my god I left the present on the bus" she remembers. "What present?" Lorelai asks.
"It was a vinyl copy of the Go Go's original album, and it was signed by Belinda but it's not the only copy and I'm gonna find another copy. That's going on the list too" Rory explains. "Okay, honey please. Forget about the list until tomorrow" Lorelai tells her. "Okay, I'll just go to bed. I'll go to my room" Rory says.
"Hold on one second. Does this mean we're not eating together?" Lorelai asks.
"Well it's up to you. Sending me to bed without supper, you can't lose with that punishment" Rory answers. "It's a classic" she says.
"I'd rather go out with my daughters tonight. Both of them" Lorelai replies. "I don't deserve it" Rory says. "No. But I do" Lorelai tells her.
"Okay, just let me take a shower and get this horrible smell of this horrible day off of me and then we'll go anywhere you want my treat and I won't enjoy it and then we'll come home and I'll go straight it bed and I'll have a terrible nights sleep, okay?" Rory asks.
"Sound great" Lorelai responds. "I won't be long" Rory says going inside to get ready.
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Rory crying over her own mistakes: