Chapter 4: 4. Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls is an American comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The show follows single mother Lorelai Gilmore (Graham) and her daughter, also named Lorelai - who prefers to go by Rory - (Bledel), living in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut.  [Source: Gilmore Girls Wiki]

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FFAEK: it needs only one word to set Emily off into an hour-long monologue. The word is Jess.

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Chapter Four: Gilmore Girls

Nathan leaned towards me and said, “Is it working?”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course, it's not. I am already charmed by someone else.”

Nathan shook his head at me like I was hopeless. He took a few steps forward and turned around.

“To be honest,” he turned and shoved his hands in his pockets, “I don't even need to charm you, do I?”

He said with a cocky smile.

I crossed my arms, “Whatever gave you that idea?”

His smile only stretched as he came towards me, leaning down to meet my eyes, “You'd know, wouldn't you?”

I shook my head, “I don't know what you're talking about.”

He straightened, “Sure, you don't.”

We stared in silence, sizing each other up. It felt like a battle of wits.

It definitely wasn't a battle of wits because he was an idiot.

An idiot who asked, “Guess you're not gonna take a ride from me?”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Well then.”

I saw it. I saw his large hand come down. My eyes widened while I thought of every possible reason why he would be making this movement. His hand made contact with the top of my head. I almost gasped.

He smiled and ruffled my hair.

Ruffled.

My.

Hair.

What the actual hell.

As he walked away, he turned back a little to add, “See you later, Kingsley. Try to stay alive.”

I stared at his back and saw his shoulders shake as he strode away, because he was probably laughing himself to hell.

I blinked quite a few times as my heartbeat slowly returned to normal. I cleared my throat, ran my fingers through my hair, trying to fix it.

It was time to go home.

****

I walked home on foot, the whole time cursing the fact that I didn't learn how to drive.

Well, if my beloved father were present, maybe he would have been the one to teach me to drive. What a good thing he wasn't, that I was able to take on this extra exercise, which was preferably better for my little tummy.

I honestly couldn't care less.

As I reached home, I took out my phone and texted TJ.

Emily: Guess what happened today

TJ: wot

Emily: Nathan Callahan ruffled my hair and talked smut with me

TJ: wait

TJ: bitch what

Emily: yuh

TJ: wtf

Emily: I know

TJ: EXPLAIN

So I told her everything from start to end.

TJ and I used to fight all the time about random stuff. When her family moved away the summer before high school, I thought we would stop being friends. If anything, she only became a better friend now that we had a screen and somewhat 500 miles between us. We fought less and told each other our secrets more.

If TJ were here with me, I would have never told her about everything.

TJ: remind me why he's so dangerous again

Emily: he punched a senior back when he was a freshman

TJ: but that's it? I had heard that story like 50 times already. Had he done anything else ever since

I thought back to the past years, and I couldn't remember anything that stood out to me. Nathan had not done anything remotely crazy or dangerous ever since. He always minded his own business. He gave people looks if they bothered him. With his body like that, one look was enough to shut off people.

Emily: he also got a perfect A on the quiz I totally screwed up

TJ: fr?

Emily: Yes i know i couldn't believe my eyes either

TJ: i have an idea

Emily: why do i feel like I wouldn't like the idea

TJ: I think you should buddy up with Nathan and study chem together

I stared at the screen and shook my head. TJ knew getting good grades in chemistry was important. Still, suggesting that was crazy.

I tried to imagine studying with Nathan Callahan, and I couldn't even form an image of that in my head.

I changed the subject immediately and asked her about her day. We talked about the books we had read that week. She shared my love for everything mainstream and pop culture, including Taylor Swift. Her hyperfixation song for the week was Maroon. Mine was Sparks Fly.

I'm on my guard for the rest of the world,

But with you, I know it's no good.

The afternoon went away chatting with her. I heard Mom come in. I braced myself. But I knew it would be of no use.

I heard Mom calling for me from downstairs. I took a deep breath and got ready for the battle, which I was about to lose.

****

“You got a C?” Mom asked, her voice ringing through the house.

I looked at my hands, examining my nails.

“How could you be my daughter and have a C in chemistry?” Mom slammed the paper on the dining table, but it didn't quite have the effect because it was a single flimsy paper. It looked comical instead.

And not again with that “My daughter” speech. I was tired of those.

She started telling me how important chemistry was and how I should be perfect at it, et cetera, while I looked at her. She was more petite than me. She was a short woman of barely five feet, but she screamed like a banshee when she got angry. She had the same brown hair that I had inherited. But she had clear blue eyes.

Whereas my eyes were nowhere near blue. It was like when you do watercolor painting or something like that and dip your brushes in water to clean them, the water becomes dirty and has every color in it. That was the one. That was my eye color. Sometimes in certain light, you could see a bit of green or a little blue from another angle. But most of the time, it was the color of grime or dirt.

My mom was still going on.

“If you don't get better on the next test, you will be grounded.”

I laughed, “I don't go out anyway.”

I rarely did if Leanna managed to drag me out of my house, that is.

Mom glared at me. I suddenly remembered the debate and the fact that I had to go out with Simon and Leanna. I sat up straighter.

“Fine, I will try next time,” Mom sat down as I said that. She was so angry, she had stood up when I handed her my test paper.

“You sound like you are doing it for me instead of yourself,” she said quietly, serving me some mac and cheese she had thrown together.

I pushed around the plate with my fork. It was true, I took chemistry because of her. I wasn't too keen on it. I wasn't too keen on anything school-related. Let’s face it, studying was boring as hell.

“Mom?”

“Hmm?”

“Why don't you date?” I asked, genuinely curious, “If you were waiting around for me to grow up, you know you are done, right? I can't grow up more than what I have already. Besides, I will be a senior soon, and then I will be leaving for college.”

Mom laughed, “You still have a long way to go, Emily.”

“No, honestly, date, please. Get a guy from, I dunno, Tinder or Bumble or maybe your college? A colleague?” I suggested, “You would honestly feel better.”

Mom looked at me with a smile, “You are just saying that, so I will be out of your hair.”

Was I that obvious? Possibly.

“But don't you feel lonely? Like I am only 17 and  I already feel lonely.” I turned 17 a month ago. Leanna bought me a chocolate mud cake and put together a surprise party for me with the girls.

“We should do something about this,” I said. My head was set on this now.

“Let's open Tinder today,” I said, quickly shoving down my dinner, “You are a young woman. You need to go out there and explore the world.”

“Emily, I am 45.” Mom said with a sigh, “I am no young woman.”

I shook my head, “So what? We will get a 45-year-old dude. Someone with salt and pepper hair. They tend to be hot. Also, it's not like you have to marry them or something. You can just date.”

Mom raised an eyebrow, “Is that your philosophy? Dating without a long-term relationship in mind?”

I shrugged, “I am 17. I have my entire youth ahead of me. Why settle down for one when I can have all the fish in the entire ocean?”

I was laughing at myself on the inside. I couldn't even get one fish. The fish I wanted would never be mine.

“Also, you find 45-year-old guys hot?” Mom said, looking serious, “You should be liking boys your age.”

I made a face as I thought of Nathan, “Boys of my age are so immature. They honestly get on my nerves.”

Mom shook her head. I finished dinner, took our plates to the sink and set them in the dishwasher. Turning it on, I came back and unlocked the phone. I knew all of her passwords because I put them in. My mom was the epitome of tech- illiterate millennial.

“Here, I downloaded Tinder,” I pushed the phone into her hand, walking to the couch where she had sat down. I curled up on her side, “Let's play the game of swipe.”

“You seem awfully familiar with that,” Mom said, wondering if I had done this before. I rolled my eyes.

“No, I'm not. Eww, that guy looks horrible. Left.”

Mom didn’t give any opinion until she did. We kept making fun of middle-aged men and their exceptionally cringe and puke-worthy bios.

One of them had written, they liked fish and wanted a fishing partner. Another had written that they wanted a wife. Men in the 5 mile radius were honestly looking grim. Most of them were bald.

“Good God, what happened to him?” I laughed as Mom said that.

“Maybe we should change the age,” I said, “What do you say we go for a guy 20 years younger than you?”

Mom slapped me on my arm, I laughed. This was going to be fun. Or so I thought.

The next day in chemistry, Nathan dropped into the seat beside me. He slid off his backpack, placed his hand in his pockets while he looked forward.

I sighed, remembering my mom's threat. So I swallowed my dignity for the sake of education and said, “Are you free after class?”

He turned and looked at me with an amused expression, as if I existed to entertain him.

*****

A/N: guess who sprained their ankle -_-

Apart from that, what are your favorite romance tropes? Don't hold back, lemme know ;)