𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄 . . . 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦
❝ My mom is like a bloodhound when it comes to rebellion, she'll know. ❞

  THE STEPS OF Luke's diner had always invoked a feeling of nostalgia within Charlie Gilmore. She'd tripped up and down them, written her first song on them, and been kicked out onto them more times than she could count. But more often than not, they were simply a tool to get to work.

  "Pea," The familiar nickname was shouted abruptly as Charlie crossed the threshold of the diner, "You're late—"

  "Calm down, Lucas, you'll give yourself a heart attack."

  Luke stared unamusedly at the brunette, tossing her a bright red apron she caught easily. Charlie made her way around the diner quickly, her routine overpowering the previous chaos of the day.

  If Rory Gilmore had the Crap Shack, Charlie Gilmore had Luke's Diner.

  Each building holding a majority of memories for each girl, the sense of comfort and happiness. And, shockingly, Charlie's attachment had less to do with the building and more to do with its proprietor— who annoyingly referred to her as 'Pea' after realizing her mother's comment of them being 'two peas in a pod' bothered her.

  "So, uh," Luke cleared his throat as Charlie rounded the counter, "Where's your mom?"

  "She and Rory went on a road trip," The girl responded offhandedly, ignoring Luke's worried gaze.

  "Why aren't you with them?"

  "Didn't want to go."

  "Isn't your mom's wedding soon?"

  "Uh, is it?" Charlie asked, swiping a damp rag over an already clean counter. "You sure?"

  "You're acting stranger than you normally do."

  "Just forget it, okay?" Charlie said tightening her lips after halting her movements. "Let it go."

  Luke sighed tiredly at the teen, crossing his arm as turned and began stacking coffee mugs. "At least tell me why you stayed."

  "Mom needed Rory time," The brunette caved after realizing she had no more neurotic and unnecessary tasks to complete within arms reach. "I don't help in situations like these."

  "She loves you both."

  "I know," Charlie said, matching Luke's quieter tone, "She's a great mom. But Rory's the kid she always wanted— she looks at Rory and sees. . . straight A's and the private school and perfect boyfriend. . ."

  "But when she looks at you?"

  "She sees the time Taylor chased me around at a town meeting."

  Luke snorted but quickly collected himself once realizing humor wasn't Charlie's intention. She was staring down at the counter, hair falling forward and hiding her face from everyone not standing where Luke was.

  "Well, when I look at you, I see a kid who can play guitar with her eyes closed . . . and make a pretty cool volcano."

  Charlie couldn't help but smile at the small compliment— intertwined with the memory of the first time she'd ever relied on him for something. The science fair of third grade became a building block for the unconventional friendship between a teen and a diner owner.

  Though, this friendship didn't bleed into the workspace, as Charlie hustled her whole shift and still only just made minimum wage. The upside being Luke's insisting on giving her dinner for the night.

↬

  "Em?" Charlie spoke into her cell phone, running a finger over the bedazzled 'C' on the back. It was a lapse in her 14-year-old judgment that was forever engraved into the otherwise bland phone. She walked loudly into the Crap Shack, hopping over the back of the couch and laying upside-down on the furniture, "Home alone, got Luke's take out—"

  "Say no more! I'm on my way in Scooter."

  "You ever think it's weird that you named your car 'Scooter'?"

  "Nope," Emma chirped, "I'll see you in 5."

  Charlie sighed, letting the cell phone fall onto her stomach. The Crap Shack was rarely ever covered in a blanket of silence, housing three Gilmores was a full-time job it did well, but never quietly. Whether it be the patter of teenage angst or a screaming match, there was always something soap-opera worthy going on.

  Except for that day.

  The Gilmore girl was jarred back from a dazed state as her phone rang again, pulling herself up and suffering from a blood-rush before answering.

  "Hey, Mom."

  "Hi, honey, having a party yet?"

  "Oh yeah, kegs are on the way."

  "That's my girl." Charlie grinned at her mom's teasing, "Really, how are you?"

  "I'm okay, worked at Luke's today and Em is coming over— so, same old same old." The girl stood, making lazy laps around the home. "Hey, where did you guys even end up?"

  "The Cheshire Cat." Both Gilmores fell silent, Charlie waiting for further explanation "Massachusetts."

  "Right." Charlie nodded, picking up her pace again. "Hey! You should take Rory to Harvard!"

  "I wanted our first college trip to be together."

  Charlie could hear the pout in her mother's voice.

  "Yeah, but you guys are already there and there's not a point in me going on a tour of Harvard."

  "Charlie, you'll get into a good college."

  "I don't know if that's what I want, Mom," Charlie said irritably, her frustration growing as the front door swung open. "Look, Em just got here, I'm gonna go."

  "Charlie."

  "Mom, please don't skip Harvard for me," She sighed quietly, rolling her eyes as Emma Woodard entered fully, flashing two bottles of beer. "You guys need a pick-me-up."

  "This is why I didn't want to leave you there."

  "I love you," Charlie sang, pulling the phone away from her ear. She could hear her mother chattering animatedly but made no move to listen, "Bye!"

  "Hey!"

  "No."

  Emma's jaw dropped offendedly, her hands falling to her sides along with the condensation soaked beer bottles.

  "Why not— empty house."

  "My mom is like a bloodhound when it comes to rebellion, she'll know."

  Emma rolled her eyes, setting the bottles beside the white bag decorated with the Luke's logo. She made her way towards Charlie's room, which dragged Charlie afterward as she let out a loud groan.

  "Why don't we go somewhere else to drink?" Emma suggested after putting on one of Charlie's many Strokes CDs.

  "And be the main act of a circus Taylor calls a town meeting?"

  "We won't get caught," Emma persuaded, "Come on, please?"

  Which was how the teens wound up sitting in the gazebo, the centerpiece of the town, at one in the morning. Each had chugged their beer— not drinking it for flavor— and were now giggling loudly with the bottles discarded beside them.

  "God, I wish there were more cute guys in Stars Hollow," Emma sighed abruptly, leaning her head back against a banister.

  "What?" Charlie laughed.

  "Guys, cute guys!" Emma said, laughing.

  "I wish there were more decent guys in Stars Hollow," Charlie corrected with a lopsided smile.

  "Unrealistic," Emma pointed, "Guys our age suck. We'll both end up with some mediocre guy— and what about Liam?"

  "I'm not gonna settle for some trash guy just because I wanna be in a relationship," Charlie said matter-of-factly. "I'd rather be single forever."

  "Forever?"

  "Forever," Charlie whispered, nodding, "How many times do I have to tell you; Liam isn't into me like that."

  "As many times as I tell you you're perfect for each other," Emma sighed, attempting to balance a beer bottle on her knee.

  "We're friends, Em, friends who got married in first grade, but annulling it was so easy it's like it never happened."

  Charlie giggled at her own comment, which set off a reaction within Emma. 

  And like the adolescent laughter was an alarm clock, a pj-clad Luke Danes shuffled out of the diner. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, anger bubbling past the exhaustion, and it turned into a tired sigh once he realized it was Charlie and Emma.

  "Pea," He said, making the teen whip her head around. Her eyes were wide, a deer in headlights, "Get in the truck, I'm taking you both home."

  Charlie's amusement diminished as Emma wobbled off to Luke's weathered pick-up truck. The Gilmore girl collected the now empty bottles, allowing them to clatter into a public trash can as Luke gave her a disappointed glare. She, too, made her way to the truck, climbing into the passenger seat.

  The ride was silent. Charlie wasn't sure if anyone was even breathing, the only reassurance that she'd not gone deaf was Emma mumbling a 'goodbye' as she slid out of the truck.

  "You can't keep doing this," Luke sighed once they were back in motion, "Do you like getting yelled at?"

  "No," Charlie mumbled, leaning her head on the window, "It's how things are, I get drunk and Rory goes to Havard."

  "Charlie," Luke sighed, his eyes flicking to the girl who was now doodling on a slightly fogged window. "Come on, you're choosing to do this stuff."

  "Yeah, because there's no point," Charlie let out a bittersweet laugh, scribbling out a heart she'd been drawing, "I'm not going anywhere that Rory is."

  "That doesn't mean you're not going anywhere," Luke said, "Where she's going doesn't make where you are any less important."

  "You're being too nice to me."

  "Well you're wasted and it's the middle of the night," Luke said, the truck jolting to a halt as he parked in the Crap Shack's driveway. "I won't be nice during your shift tomorrow."

  "I don't have a shift tomorrow."

  "Opener."

  "No," Charlie whined, throwing her head against the headrest.

  "Come on, you need to get to sleep," Luke sighed, his eyes widening as Charlie nearly face-planted getting out of the truck, "Pea—"

  "I got it."

  "No, you don't," Luke grumbled irritably, walking around the truck to assist the girl inside, "Look, if you ever drink again, I'm telling your mom."

  "She'll find out somehow," She sighed, smiling brightly as Luke let her fall onto the couch.

  "No, she won't," Luke reassured, tugging her Converse off, "Can you get to your bed?"

  "Yeah," Charlie's voice was muffled by the pillows, and after a long pause, she craned her neck to look at the man. His hands rested on his hips, quite unimpressed as he stared down at the girl. "Oh, now?"

  "Yes, now," Luke grumbled, letting out a sigh of defeat when she still remained still. He shook his head, scooping the teen up to carry her to the room designated as she and Rory's. Luke pulled a faded purple quilt onto the teen, flicking off a light switch as he stood in the doorway, "Night, Pea."

  "Night, Luke."

  Charlie snuggled further into her bed, sighing softly before drifting off into a dream-filled sleep, in the heavy, huge silence her mother and sister had left behind.

( AUTHOR'S NOTE. )
okay I have so much to say,
hey, this is a 
rewrite! I said this before, but
major plot points will change,
love interests may change,
will jess be A love interest, yes,
just not sure if he will be THE
love interest, this is 
Charlie's story now, be here
for that or don't!