It's been a long week. Everyday at school Emma walks around miserable and so does Tristan. They ignore each other's gazes. They ignore the staring crowd. Everybody knows about the fire hazard of their bond. I'm probably making this more dramatic than it actually is.
However, it's due to the misery that Emma accepted the invite to Madeline's party on Saturday. Rory convinced her that she needed some distraction, some dose of serotonin and a new experience. That meant a lot. Rory was terrified of parties and socializing, but she was also terrified of her sister's shattered heart. Emma accepted, reluctantly. It seemed like the most logical decision to be a teenager and party the pain away.
Rory was wearing a dark red dress and Emma was wearing a dark grey pant-vest set.
"Hi, Paris." Rory says and the girl turned around full of surprise.
"What are you doing here?"
"Watching birds procreate." Emma answered knowing the question wasn't for her.
"I don't understand why you're here. It's the same kids at school but in normal clothes and moving weirdly to even weirder music."
"So why are you here?" Rory asked.
"Mother says I have to socialize. At least, I only have to be here until 9pm." Paris looks at her watch. "47 minutes."
"Where can I get a drink?" It was Rory again.
"Follow me, keep up the pace, I won't repeat this."
Rory followed Paris and Emma stayed behind. She wanted to walk around a little. However, she regretted it immediately. Emma went through some curtains and saw Summer with her arms around Tristan's neck. They were too close. Summer was too happy. They were about to kiss. Their lips were touching. Emma ran away, stole some kid's cup and drank her sorrows away. It was a very impulsive decision.
"What's in this?" She asks with the kids cup in her hand.
"Vodka soda."
Emma saw Rory and Paris talking at the drinks table. She wasn't going to disturb her sister, so she sipped her cup silently in a corner. It got empty pretty soon. She went for a refill and Rory got worried when she saw her sister pouring something into her cup and taking the bottle.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes. Everything. Incredible." And disappears into the crowd.
I don't have to say that she got drunk. It was expected.
Emma danced like nobody was watching, even though everybody was. A few guys approached her and she declined all of them with the same words: "Do you have a rebound?" None of them understood and thought she was crazy and stayed away. Emma sounded in fact crazy. It was the sound of a broken heart.
"Emma. You came!" Madeline exclaimed.
"I guess I did."
"I'm so happy you're here." Madeline hugged her.
"Can I just say how hot you look?" Louise came out of nowhere. I mean, Emma didn't see her coming.
"Thank you. You're really hot too. I would totally kiss you right now."
"Really?" Louise smiled.
"I think I'm a little tipsy, but I've always found you hot. Girls are hot."
"You like girls?"
"Yes. I wish it was only girls. Men are pigs." Emma took a sip of her empty cup. "I have to refill this."
"Maybe you've had enough." Louise holds her back.
"It's just one more." Emma feels Louise's touch and her face goes red. "Maybe I've had enough."
"You know, I like girls too." Louise whispers. Their faces were extremely close. They stare into each other's eyes. Emma started sweating. She was lost in her mind, in Louise's eyes that kept glancing at Emma's lips. They kissed.
When their lips distanced themselves, Emma realized what just happened. She just kissed Louise. She was drunk. She was crazy in love with Tristan. Tristan was over her.
"I'm sorry. This is wrong. I mean. Kissing girls is more than right. Kissing you is an extremely correct action, but not right now."
"It's okay. It's just a kiss." Louise brushed her hand on Emma's face. "I understand."
"Thank you."
"By the way, your lips are really soft. What lip balm do you use?"
"Dior Lip Sugar Scrub, I think."
"Oh my God, me too." This reaction warmed Emma's soul. It was sort of the peak of femininity.
"I have to go. Thank you again." Emma smiled and went to find her sister that was at the door with Paris.
"1 more minute." Paris mumbled.
"Emma!" Rory called her name in a tone of relief and despair.
"Can we go home?"
"30 seconds."
"Yes, of course." Rory hugged her sister tightly. After the hug she turned to Paris and said. "I'm going."
"3, 2, 1... Me too." Paris stopped looking at her watch and disappeared.
✯✯✯
When the twins arrived at their soulful home, Lorelai was watching Willy Wonka in the couch.
"It's still early. What happened?" It only took one look at Emma for Lorelai to read all her emotions. "My poor baby."
The mother and her daughters were curled up in the couch as Emma sobbed.
"How could he move on so quickly?"
"I have an idea. Let's cook some eggs." Lorelai suggested.
"We don't have eggs." It was Rory's instant reaction.
"Why would we do that?" This was Emma's reaction.
"We'll go to Sookie's. She has eggs. And cake."
"The cake sounds appealing."
They went to Sookie's house. Sookie hugged Emma. Another woman experience that warmed her heart: the quiet understanding of someone's pain, there's no need in using words, just the the action of an empathetic embrace.
The girls cooked the eggs. Emma ate the cake. They told stupid stories and Emma was capable of laughing through the tears.
Time passed really fast. It was 4am, they were all awake for some reason and Lorelai finally shared her plan.
"Do you know where Tristan lives, right?"
"Yes..." Emma's voice was suspicious.
"Mom. We're not going to devil egg his car." Rory commented. Lorelai smiled. "Oh no."
"Yes, mom. We're not doing that. His car is really pretty." Emma heard her own words. "It's really late, but what I want to say is I love the car. It's a Porsche. It costs more than both my kidneys."
"That's exactly why we're going to do this." Lorelai grabbed her car keys.
"I'm in!" Sookie grabbed the bag of fully cooked and seasoned eggs.
The twins looked at each other and said in a tired unison:
"Let's go."
And that's what they did. At dawn, four women were throwing eggs at some kid's car. I think it's cruel, but they had fun while doing it. Emma forgot why she was rottening inside for most of the time.
The sun was peaking through the sky.
"We need to go before sunrise." Sookie called them from Lorelai's jeep. The girls ran inside.
"Can we watch the movie?" Emma asked as she was putting her seatbelt on. 'Before Sunrise' was probably one of her favorite movies of all time. Emma loved the connection the characters had, the ease in their words, the flow of their conversations. She was in love with their love.
"Of course. We'll rent it."
When they got home, to get some sleep in this sleepless night, Emma grabbed her journal and wrote what was on her mind:
There's a hole in my heart and I hate that it's there 'cause I liked to act like I really don't care, but I do. What a shame that I put up with you.
However, she was fully aware that she also had the gun in her hand. Even though what he did shattered her soul in the deja vu of betrayal, she was fully aware that she shattered his soul too. Emma could see it in his face in the hallways. Emma saw it in his eyes in his grandma's kitchen. She just didn't expect that his body, his heart, his soul would be so easily patched and mended as the summer breeze came in the transition between fall and winter.
Emma felt a deep and all-consuming regret for what they did. It was childish. Really childish. But it felt good while she was projecting her sorrows into an object.
Around 11am, Tristan got out of his house to find his precious car painted by the devil. Fury was boiling in his blood like boiling eggs, but he didn't do anything. He grabbed a bucket and cleaning supplies. Tristan didn't know who did it, but he also didn't have the energy to care whatsoever. His soul was still shattered.
✯✯✯
The Gilmore family was sitting in the new wood table that Emily purchased in an Antique shop. It was Friday.
"Is this really new, mom? Because it looks just like the other one." Lorelai spoke.
"Yes, Lorelai. For the millionth time, I didn't but the same table twice." Emily ate a bite of the food. "Emma. Did you hear?"
"Hear about what?"
Emily and Richard changed looks.
"Janlen Dugray passed away this morning."
Another crack.
"We're going to the funeral tomorrow. Do you want to come?" Richard asked.
"I don't know." Emma was looking at her full plate of food. "Can I go to the bathroom?"
"Yes, of course."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Rory suggested with pity in her eyes. Emma wasn't the one to deserve the pity.
"No. It's fine." It wasn't fine.
She closed the bathroom door, looked in the mirror and saw a girl with blue eyes covered by a shimmering cascade.
What did you do?
Why did you do it?
What are you so scared of?
What is so scary about love?
You should apologize. You have to do something. His best friend is dead.
Emma was on the edge of taking everything back, of forgetting the hole and the firearm. She would put up with him for the rest of her life. She would forget the fear of love. She would do anything to numb his sadness way, the sadness that she knew it would tore him apart. Emma was holding her phone, thinking of what she would say if he picked up, even though she never called. The fear took over her again. Too late.
O, let the sorrows find the prey.