The Bag Boy ⌲ Forester

[Twelve]

CASUAL OR FORMAL?

The next Friday, the girls were all sitting around the table with Emily, talking about this and that. Jim had to work and wasn't able to make it and Richard was away on business, so tonight it was all girls.

"Lorelai, what are you doing?" Emily questioned her youngest daughter as she forked some avocado onto Melissa's plate.

"I'm getting rid of my avocado...?"

"Oh, God, here we go." Alex sighed as her and Rory exchanged a knowing look.

"Since when do you not like avocado?" Emily questioned.

"Since the day I said, 'Ew, gross, what is this?' and you said, 'Avocado' and then Melissa said, 'Here, I'll eat it.'" Lorelai shrugged.

"That was the best story I've ever heard in my entire life." Alex teased. "No, no, really! You should write a book, Aunt Lore."

"Okay, I'm focusing on you ladies now." Emily said, turning her attention to her granddaughters. "What's going on with you?"

"Not much." Rory shrugged. "Exams, studying, avoiding people. The usual."

Emily chuckled. "I see. What about you, Alex? Any news on that Winter concert?"

"Well, we don't have an exact date yet, but hopefully it'll be sometime in the next few weeks." Alex said, nodding.

"Wonderful! Please tell me when you get a date so I can clear my schedule and mark my calendar."

"Do you want us to send a telegram as well?" Lorelai joked, and Alex giggled softly.

"Did you get a dress for the formal yet?" Rory questioned, and Alex shot her a look. The brunette's brow furrowed. "What?"

"There's a formal?" Emily questioned, arching an eyebrow.

Alex sent her a cousin a look, who shot an apologetic one back. "A little one." The blonde shrugged. "It's no big deal."

"Oh, Alex, your first formal is always a big deal!" Emily said excitedly. "If you'd like, I'm more than happy to help you pick out a dress."

"Actually, I'm not even sure if I'm going." Alex said, biting her lip.

"What? But why?" Emily questioned.

"Mom, if she doesn't want to go, she doesn't have to go. It's her choice." Melissa chimed in.

"Well, I don't understand why she wouldn't want to go." Emily said, poking at her salad.

"Trust me, we know you don't." Lorelai added.

"I'm going to get some tea." Alex said, rising to her feet and dashing into the kitchen. The last thing she wanted was to be in the middle of a conversation that was about her choice and her formal. As much as she loved her grandmother, she didn't want to be pressured into going to a formal when she didn't even have a dress yet, let alone a date.

Alex flopped down at the counter, sighing as she raked a hand through her blonde curls. She was finally starting to understand why her parents didn't want to come to dinner on Friday nights.

"Hey, you." Rory said as she entered the kitchen, taking a seat beside her cousin.

"Hello, young bean." Alex smiled, propping her chin in her hand. "They planning my wedding yet?"

"Nope, not yet. But I managed to steer them away from the formal subject and now they are debating my club choices at Chilton." Rory sighed.

Alex rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Both of us in one night. Thanks, Grandma."

"Yep."

The two girls fell into a comfortable silence for a while until Rory finally spoke again.

"So, I don't mean to pressure you, but are you really not going to the formal?" She asked, looking at her cousin curiously.

"I don't know. I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Well, for one thing, I hate dances."

"Ah. You know, that would have been a good answer if you had actually gone to a dance before."

Alex rolled her eyes. "So what if I've never been to a dance?"

"So, you have nothing to compare it to." Rory shrugged.

"You've never been to a dance either and you said you don't like them."

"Yes, but I'm actually going to mine to find out if I don't like them."

Alex raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah! Lane and I are going to go together. I heard a bunch of people are just going with friends." Rory shrugged.

"Well, that's different. At least you have someone to go with." Alex said, arching an eyebrow.

"Oh, come on, it'll be fun! It'll be all lit up and bright, you'll be on the dance floor listening to Tom Waits with some great looking guy staring at you so hard you won't even notice that everyone else has been eaten by bears." Rory grinned.

Alex arching an eyebrow. "What guy?"

"Uh, how about the guy that hangs out in your trees all day waiting for you to get home?" Rory questioned.

"Dean does not hang out in trees."

"He bashed his head on a branch when I said hi to him last week."

Alex rolled her eyes. "Why do you care all of a sudden if I go?"

"I don't care if you go. I just don't want you to miss out on it because you're scared." Rory said, tipping her head to the side.

"Scared?" Alex questioned, her eyebrows shooting up. "What is there to be scared of?"

"Of asking Dean." Rory answered, her own eyebrows raising. "Of him saying no. Of finding out you should never be dancing in public."

"Gee, thanks for the confidence boost, Roar." Alex said, dropping her head into her arms.

Rory sighed, placing a gentle hand on her cousin's back. "Listen, if you can honestly tell me that you're going because you just don't want to go, and you're not at all afraid, then I won't mention it again. Promise."

Alex looked up at her cousin before huffing out a breath. "I don't have a dress."

"I can ask my mom to make you one. She's making mine."

"...you really think she wouldn't mind?"

"For you? Of course not." Rory smiled. "We can go shopping with Lane and get some new earrings. And we can get our hair done."

"Yeah?" Alex asked, straightening up as a small smile came onto her face. "And you won't think I'm an idiot?"

"Well," Rory grinned playfully. "Depends on what hairstyle you choose."