"You did a tremendous job, Lucy. I really should have thought through it, before doubting you." he smiled. Lucy frowned slightly at this. She looked out at the couples getting ready to dance; seeing Lorelai and Rory trying hard to beat Kirk. Lucy debated on asking him a follow up question before deciding she should.
"Taylor?" she asked.
"Hm?"
"What do you mean you should have thought about it before doubting me?" she asked. Taylor shrugged, "Well, you know, it was a big task handing you this job to do all on your own." he informed. "Yeah, Taylor, a job you gave me." she said getting a little upset.
"Don't look at me, it was the town's decision." he said innocently.
"What..?"
Taylor looked at her before breaking, "Okay, we might have discussed your whereabouts during the town meeting this week." he confessed. "What?" Lucy said getting more upset. He continued, "--Nobody knew much about you, you can imagine that's a little off-putting to a humble little town like this. We were trying to get you to be more involved in the town. So. I decided we should appoint you a job for our special event. Although, I guess it didn't work too much, seeing as you didn't have a lot of people volunteering." he said the last part more as a sudden realization. Taylor looked back at Lucy, "But don't worry! You did great with the decoration, so consider yourself a part of the town!" he said enthusiastically.
Lucy looked at him flabbergasted. The town had a meeting about her? She could only think of what it was they talked about. Was Luke there? Was this his idea? She rubbed her head. She hurried out of the gym and the festivities as the dance marathon was just starting up. She needed to breathe.
That was when she met Jess coupled with some girl at the door, and from then her breath stayed in her throat. Both Jess and Lucy made direct eye contact.
Jess, with a blonde looking bimbo. Even after what happened yesterday, this was right in front of her. "Lucy.." He spoke up, "This is Shane."
Lucy avoided looking at her to avoid any awkward confrontation with this girl. Lucy felt that if she looked at Shane then she would subconsciously give her a displeased look, and from then on make a new enemy. Lucy looked at Jess ashamed and embarrassed. "Typical." She let slip from her lips before she left the scene as fast as possible. This couldn't be happening. First the town didn't like her. Then Jess is with Ms. November.
Where did that leave Lucy? Alone and embarrassed?
Lucy had been walking the streets of Stars Hollow, going on her 12th lap so far. All the while thinking of how much this place had automatically labeled her as the stranger of the town. Grant it, she hadn't been too active in town activities but that shouldn't keep her from being noticed. She hung around Luke's every morning, she was in the Stars Hollow Art Program, she even applied to work at Doose's with Dean. She looked down. That probably explains why I didn't hear back from Taylor about that, she thought.
Lucy stopped her laps in front of the diner. She went up the steps; hoping Luke was there so she could avoid being alone tonight. She looked inside the window and saw he was packing up the coffee makers from the dance.
Lucy was about to knock when she stopped. Luke had probably been at town meeting when Taylor talked about her. Luke wasn't one to enjoy them though, so perhaps he never went this week. She couldn't be sure about that, though.
Luke saw Lucy at the door. She looked disturbed and hesitant about something. He watched as she debated knocking; consistently stepping back from the door and stepping back up in a paced motion. In the end of this, she finally walked away. Luke and his curiosity quickly dodged out from behind the counter and went out the door. He jogged a bit before calling her "Lucy!"
Lucy turned around and cursed. She rubbed her head and tried to hide but found there was nothing to hide behind. Plus, it was most likely too late to pretend that she didn't see him. She stopped and waited for him to catch up.
Luke caught his breath and looked at around to check for anyone around. It was late at night in Stars Hollow, so it wasn't likely. "What did you need, Lu?" he asked finally looking at her. She looked hurt. A specific kind of broken; looking ashamed and embarrassed and also lost. One person could almost say heartbroken. One like Luke.
"Come inside Lu," he told her compassionately, "I'll get you a donut." he told her; opening his arm out for her to move.
She stepped back immediately and shook her head, "No." she cried; her tears flowing like a four year old. Luke always thought it was adorable how her face from when she was four to now never changed when she cried. She held her arms around herself tightly. To make herself feel safe, he assumed. "No.." she let out a sob. Luke looked at her his emotion not changing, "Lu, what's wrong."
"You know. You just want to hear me say it." she looked down pouting; sniffing a little.
"Hear you say what-Lu-what is going on?" he pressed.
"You were right okay??" she held her arms tighter and cried, "You were right. I was wrong. Jess is just some jerk going through the motions and playing with whatever person's emotions are in the way." she broke down. Luke knowingly went up to her and hugged her. She cried into his chest for a moment before Luke insisted pulling her inside the diner fora donut. It was going to be a long night.
He walked her in the door and up to the bar. "Sit down." he directed her as he left to go behind the counter. Lucy sat down on one of the seat and bit her lip softly. She watched as Luke went back into the kitchen. She heard the sounds of food frying in a pan and the clinks of cooking in some increments as she waited out in the diner by herself.
It was moments like this she really wanted her music, but Lucy assumed she left it in her purse back at the gym. She'd have to get it Monday at school.
Luke interrupted her thoughts; coming out with a plate of salted scrambled eggs with pepper. He set it down infront of her and placed a fork beside it before looking at her, "Eat." he told her casually before going over to the stack of donuts he had under a platter. He lifted the dome protecting it and took the glazed one from the top. He placed it on her plate before putting the dome back on top of the platter.
Lucy looked at the food. She remembered the last time this happened.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Luke looked up from his bills he was trying to pay off only to find little Lucy, Fred's daughter, knocking. She didn't look on the positive side like she usually did. He quickly got up and went to the door; opening it.
"Lu, what are you doing out here at night?" he frowned, "Does your dad know you're out here?" he searched for any sign of an adult around. He heard what sounded like a cough and sniff at the same time. He looked back down at her to see her crying profusely.
He quickly kneeled to her, "Hey.." he said. He always felt awkward when a little kid cries. He sighed, "Look Lu, I can't help you if I don't know what's going on? Now why are you out here all alone?" he held her arms.
"Ow!" she cried and looked down at her arms.
Luke frowned and slowly looked at his grip on her arm. It wasn't tight at all. He lifted her sleeve to her sweater and saw a fresh cigarette burn hiding under a bandage. He lifted the sleeve more to find the rest of her arm littered with older ones.
Subconsciously his jaw clenched tight and he looked at her. "Lu." he said trying to hold back his anger, "I need you to tell me who did this to you." he said. She shook her head.
"Lu." he said sternly. She shook her head again; still crying as much as she was before.
Luke bit his lip before finally standing up. He thought for a second. This couldn't be happening. Fred seemed like an okay guy. Then again, he hadn't seen the two of them at many town occasions. He looked down at the crying girl and then opened the door wider, "..Want a donut?"
She sniffed and wiped her eyes before nodding silently. Luke smiled briefly before letting her walk inside. He led her to the bar. "Sit down." he told her as he went behind the counter and into the kitchen.
Lucy sat there for a few minutes hearing the clanging of the kitchen before Luke came out with a plate of fresh scrambled eggs. He placed it gently infront of her and stuck a fork in it before grabbing a donut from the platter. He set it down beside the eggs and looked at her, "Eat." he told her.
Lucy took a forkful of her food and took another bite. She took one of the ketchup bottles and squirt some on top her eggs as she swallowed the bite in her mouth. "You put ketchup on your eggs? When did that happen?" he asked her.
"Things change I guess." she shrugged as she muttered an answer. She set the ketchup down and looked up at Luke finally. "Luke," she wiped her eyes, "Were you there at the town meeting?"
"This week?"
"Yeah."
"No." he said looking at her, "Why?"
Lucy heaved a sigh before biting her lip. "I really thought that it wasn't so bad with the way I ended up, Luke." she confessed. Luke frowned, "Lucy where is this coming from?" he asked. She continued, "The town set me up. They thought I was too much of a stranger to the neighborhood, so they shoved me into decorating the gym." she said, "No one volunteered because I'm assuming it was because I was on the committee. So I had to do most of the decorating myself. And now, Jess--" she stopped herself feeling herself start to cry again. She covered her face trying to get herself to stop.
"Jess what?" he asked, "What about Jess."
"We kissed." she looked down briefly, "And I thought--God it feels so stupid now--I thought that maybe it meant something." she sighed, "But then he shows up to the dance with this girl Shane, and--" she sighed aggravatedly, "I just hate being wrong."
Luke nodded softly, "Eat your donut." he told her. Lucy paused; remembering the familiarity of that too.
"He doesn't mean to be so mad all the time, I just make him that way." Lucy ate her eggs. Luke leaned on the counter looking at her, "Lu," he sighed; trying to figure out how to tell a little kid this, "Parents don't do that to their kids."
"I know..."
"I'm glad you told me." Luke told her seriously. "Why are you glad?" Lucy looked at him confused. He sighed before shaking his head, "Don't worry about it." he stood up, "Eat your donut." he told her.
He walked to the phone and dialled three digits. He waited before the receiver answered. Lucy looked at him as he turned his back to her as he made the phone call. She tore into her donut.
"Yes...I would like to report someone..." she heard Luke say.
"Luke?" she looked up from her plate. He looked at her with raised brows. "What are you going to do?" she asked.
"Nothing." he shrugged.
She looked at him; not buying into it. Luke held his hands up, "I swear I wont do anything." he said, "Scouts honor." he said holding his fingers up; mocking her from earlier.
Lucy tried holding her smile back before looking back at her donut and tearing into it. She took a bite before looking at the time, "Are you sure you don't want me to leave?" she asked. "Nah, I won't be going to sleep until late anyways."
Lucy nodded.
"Hey, if you want, I can pull out the couch in the apartment. You can stay the night if you feel tired now." he offered.
"If you don't mind," she nodded, "I would like that."
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