Touch of Hellfire

☕️60☕️

"GET OUT OF THE GOD DAMN SHOWER!"

I sighed angrily. "I'VE ONLY BEEN IN FOR FIVE MINUTES!"

"THERE'D BETTER BE ENOUGH HOT WATER!"

I rolled my eyes and rinsed all the shampoo out of my hair. I got out of the shower and put my robe on.

"Ever hear the phrase 'patience is a virtue?'" I snarked. Andrea flipped me off and went into the bathroom. I went into the kitchen to put the coffee on.

"Hey Heather," Dave came into the kitchen. "Hey, what's up? Want some coffee?"

"Actually, I have to run to class," he told me. "It's crazy how a year has gone by so quickly, hasn't it?"

"I know," I smiled. "Are you living with Lane and the band?"

"Sometimes I stay the night here, thanks for putting up with me," he said. "No problem," I said.

***

"So, holiday plans?" Claire suggested a topic of discussion. "Well I'm graduating soon, so I'm heading over to Venice for a bit," Ryan spoke up.

"I'm visiting all the major cities in the world," Claire told us. "I'm staying in Paris for a bit," Sophia added.

"Well I'm actually going up Kilimanjaro," Cole told us. "Heather?"

"I'm going to all the big amusement parks around Florida and me and a couple of friends are also going to London, to sightsee and go to Thorpe Park," I told them.

"They opened a new ride," Cole told me. "The Nemesis Inferno."

"We'll have to check that one out," I laughed.

Mom planned a big movie night buffet that Friday night and instructed me with getting the Twinkies.

I unlocked my front door to find the table full with food. "Did you bring them?" Mom asked me.

"Missed you too Mom," I rolled my eyes playfully and put the box down.

"So what classic excuse did we receive to not go to Friday Night Dinner?" Rory asked Mom.

"That Dad was travelling and Mom was at a function," Mom told her. "All we can do is wait until one of them cracks, it won't be too long."

"How's things at the inn going Mom?" I asked her. "Well there's lots of things to do and lots of people are freaking out but the pictures are up, the beds were delivered and some gossip," she explained.

"Ooh gossip!" Rory cheered, popping a marshmallow into her mouth. "Dean and Lindsay were having a major fight, like big huge major fight," Mom told us. "She was mad because he was working late and she wanted to go out and it ended with her storming out."

"Yeesh," I shuddered.

Jess POV

I climbed over the mattress to answer the nutso who was hammering on the door. I opened it to see Luke on the other side.

"The guy next door ran out of crack to sell," he snarked. "Oh what are you doing here?" I complained.

"I wanted to see how you were doing," Luke said. "Well I'm great," I muttered. "Well I'm not but at least I have running water," he sassed me.

"The place is fine," I sighed, wanting this to end, badly. "Well, I just thought that you were going absolutely nowhere with your life, which dirty mattress is yours?"

"If you must know, it's that one, now I have things to do," I muttered, grabbing my bag.

"Why aren't you going to your mom's wedding?" he asked me.

I sighed loudly. "That's what this is about? It's no biggie, I'll be there for the next one."

"They seem to work," Luke told me. "It won't last," I pointed out. "Look, if you ever manage to pull yourself together and grow the hell up and drop this selfish, 'who cares,' behaviour that you seem to be in love with, you'll look back and you'll regret this moment and yes, your mom isn't perfect and yes, she has screwed up but now she has found someone to make her happy!"

"I have to go," I grumbled. "You owe me Jess," Luke pointed out. "And if you really want to know, she's okay but has no memory of that night because she drank too much."

I bit my lip. "You're the only sober one..she talked to you..what did she say?" he demanded.

I sighed. "She told me that she's committed to New York, she didn't want to be leading me on, that she let me go for my own sake, not hers, that I deserve better than a girl who has to stay in one place for four years, that she didn't want to be unfair to me."

"She said all that?" Luke wondered. "It's what I picked up," I muttered. "She's doing good, top of her freshman class," Luke told me. "She did it so that you could move on, not her. She was setting you free from that commitment."

"I didn't want to be free," I sighed. "Fine, I'll come back but I'm staying with you, I'm not paying for a damn motel."

"You gonna talk to her?" Luke asked me. "Not over the phone..I have to talk to her face to face."

***

And of course, TJ, my new daddy, brought us to a strip club. My God. I just read a book and ignored everyone there.

Why here of all places? TJ is getting married to my mom, I don't know who to feel more sorry for.

I'm sure Luke wants to be with Lorelai and I'm still hung up on Heather, who's in Manhattan, living the dream.

The only amusing thing about that call was the fact she couldn't say the word university.

Luke told me that she actually went on proper spring break, which did surprise me as she was way more introverted in high school, but I guess Columbia really did change her, she liked baseball, she'd actually go to a game and enjoy it.

"You know," TJ popped my thought bubble. "You read so much, I was thinking of nicknaming you Reads."

"Funny," I mumbled, not paying attention. "Your mom wants you to walk her down the aisle," he said. "I don't think so," I responded.

"She really wants it," TJ said with emphasis. "Well, I really don't want to," I retorted. "I'll tell her no myself."

"I don't want you telling her no."

"Then I'll send a postcard."

He shook his head. "This ain't about me or your mom, it's that girl isn't it, what was her name again? The pretty girl with the brown hair and the blue eyes? The one that ditched you?"

I lunged at him and Luke pulled me back in order to prevent a fight. We ended up getting kicked out.

Luke brought me back to the diner. "I don't hate my mom, if that's what you're thinking," I said. "Or you."

"It's about Heather isn't it?" Luke asked me. "Yeah, we got into a massive fight before I left and I let her leave, I talked to her on the phone once or twice, then that drunk call came in and then everything stopped, I know that she broke up with me because of college and she should be focusing on that and she's totally right to but I was pretty poor at communication, if I just talked to her, none of this would have happened," I told him.

"I came to get closure, she's the only person who can give that to me."

"After the wedding, go talk to her after the wedding," Luke told me. "You have to tell her the truth. The whole truth."