Touch of Hellfire

☕️73☕️

I sat on my balcony, wrapped in my blanket, with a big mug of hot chocolate. Just waiting. Waiting for that big moment.

Then the snow started falling.

I had that big grin on my face. My favourite time of the year was winter.

"Heather! Are you insane!" Andrea poked her head out the window. "In here!"

I rolled my eyes at her. "Spoilsport."

I climbed through the window and I sat on the couch, drinking the rest of my hot chocolate.

***

"Why?!"

"Need context," I asked her as I was holed up in my apartment. "Dad came to see me."

"Why?" I asked Rory.

"He wanted to have breakfast," she told me. "Can you come?"

"It's too thick, I can't leave my apartment, I'm snowed in," I pouted.

"You can't get out?!"

"The snow is four feet high," I told her. "It's blocking the door and the ladders are frozen so going down is suicide," I pouted.

"Aw no!"

"We got in touch with our professors, we can't get in until the snow has been cleared," I sighed. "I'm sorry Hezzy," Rory mumbled. "It's okay," I sighed. "I'll talk to you later."

I hung up the phone and I sighed.

I hated be stuck here. I was just stuck in my goddamn apartment all day.

***

Rory worked out a way for me to join Friday Night Dinner on video call. I had prepared some spicy chicken and a sundae for me to eat.

"Can you see us?" Mom's face showed up on my laptop. "Yep, I can see you," I nodded.

I frowned. "Why is there a dog there?"

"It's a stray," Grandma said to me. "So how bad is it over there?"

"I can't get out, the rungs on the ladder are too slippery, my car is buried and the door is blocked, currently suffering from cabin fever," I grumbled.

"When was the last time you were out?" Mom asked me. "Wednesday, coming home from work," I told her.

"Did you hear the bad news?" Grandma asked us all.

"No," Rory told her. "What news?" I wondered. "Straub died," she told us. "Christopher's father?" Mom gasped.

My eyes widened as did Rory's. Dad came to her dorm the other day. He tried to call me but I didn't answer.

"He was very sick," Grandma told Mom. "We'll send some flowers to Francine," Mom told her.

I sat back in my apartment, Not knowing how to process this.

Poor Dad.

***

"YES! THEY'RE MOVING THE SNOW!" Andrea cheered very loudly. I looked out the window and the guy gave us the all clear, letting us know we were allowed to leave. "Did you call your dad last night?" Andrea asked me as we were rushing down the stairs. "Yeah, I did," I told her,

We got buckets of hot water and we were splashing them on our cars, to melt the snow.

"See ya," Andrea leapt into her car as I leapt into mine.

I made a beeline for Stars Hollow and the second I parked the car. I ran to Luke's.

I burst through the door..scaring the pants off of Mom, Rory and Luke. "I'm here," I panted. "I'm here."

Mom hugged me tightly. "The snow gave me back my demon child!"

"Hi, Mom," I hugged her back. "Is Dad okay?"

"Yeah, I told him you were snowed in," she mumbled. "You missed the re-enactment, Kirk dressed up like a girl," Rory laughed.

"I'm sorry that I missed that," I sighed. Rory gave me a big hug. "I'm glad you're here."

"I've only got one day and I'm sad," I pouted. "Come on, let's eat," Rory said and we went over to the counter together.

***

"We got pizza, Chinese, junk food, ice cream," Cole listed what was sitting on the table as we sat down on the couch. "What will it be tonight?"

"American Pie," I smiled. I put the DVD in and we sat on the couch together.

I heard a beep from my computer.

"Back in a sec," I told Cole. I looked at my computer to see an email from Jess.

My eyes widened and I opened it.

To Mr H Gilbert

Enclosed is the first official draft of the Subsect for editing

J Mariano

I gaped. He sent it to me by accident. "Are you coming in?" I heard Cole call. "Give me five minutes," I called back.

I opened the draft and I read his work. It was flawless! Amazing!

I decided to write back to him.

Dear Jess

You sent it to the wrong HG but I read it anyway. It's amazing, I love it. Keep me posted. Gilbert would be stupid not to publish

Love the better HG

PS you should probably check who you're sending stuff to in case you're sending a dirty story to your publisher :D