I honestly couldn’t take this night anymore. It felt like everything was falling apart. The guy I like is being sent off to military school. Like, just shipped off without any warning, and I can’t even process how messed up that is. Then there’s my mom. She couldn’t even bother to show up for my event, which is only a five-minute walk across campus. How hard could it have been to be there for me, even for just a little bit? But no.

And as if that wasn’t enough, the Chilton board is actually considering expulsion.

EXPULSION.

Like, how did we even get here? The people on that board—they’re so out of touch, so entitled, they think they can control everything. It’s infuriating.

Apparently, Daniel’s grandfather is some big-time investor or whatever. So, I guess that means I’m just going to get buried under the weight of all their influence.

At this point, I don’t even know how to deal with it. I’m just… doomed.
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I stepped out of Charleston’s office, feeling the weight of the day crushing down on me. The last thing I wanted to do was face the world, but I had to get away, so I hoped I could catch a bus back. But then, I saw them—Shane with that wide smile and Will, looking like he could’ve been asleep while standing up.

“What are you two still doing here?” I asked, my voice coming out a little more irritated than I intended. My shoes clicked sharply against the pavement, a sound that felt louder than it should. They were expensive shoes, a gift from Tristan, something I hadn’t wanted but had ended up keeping anyway. And now, every step in them felt heavy, like they were a reminder of things I couldn’t shake. The fact that they were from him, the fact that I had once thought they meant something, made my chest tighten.

Shane grinned and shrugged, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "I told you we’d take you to dinner. You need to celebrate," she said, wrapping her arms around my neck. I returned the hug without thinking, not realizing how much I needed it until that moment. There was something so comforting about having someone there when everything felt wrong.

"It’s been hours. You guys could’ve gone home. I’ll be fine," I muttered, trying to sound more confident than I felt. I didn’t want them to worry about me, but the truth was, I didn’t want to be alone right now.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Will said, cutting me off as he opened the car door and threw me a look. "Get in the car. I'm starving."

I didn’t argue. Instead, I climbed in the backseat with Shane, settling in the middle next to her. Shane adjusted herself so she was leaning back against the window, and I rested my head on her shoulder. The car was quiet for a moment, except for the metal music blasting from the radio. It was loud enough to drown out my thoughts, but not enough to drown out the ache in my chest.

"Hey, are you okay?" Shane’s voice was quiet, almost like she already knew something was wrong.

I hadn’t even realized I’d been crying until I tried to speak. When I opened my mouth, all that came out was a strangled sob.

Shane immediately turned to face me, her hand landing gently on my arm. "Hey," she said softly. "It’s okay. Just breathe."

I couldn’t stop. The sobs came in waves, raw and desperate, my chest tight and my throat burning. The emotions that had been building up all day—everything I was trying to ignore—came rushing out all at once.

"I… I don’t know what to do," I gasped between sobs. "I don’t know how to fix this."

Shane didn’t say anything at first, just pulled me closer and let me cry. It wasn’t the soft, pretty kind of crying—it was messy and loud, like I was falling apart from the inside out. And I couldn’t stop. My lungs burned with every breath, and my body shook with the force of it. I felt like I was drowning in everything I couldn’t change.

When the worst of the sobs started to quiet down, Shane wiped my tears away, her hand brushing gently across my face. "I’m here," she whispered. "It’s okay. Just let it out."

By the time I calmed down enough to breathe without hiccupping, I realized we had reached Stars Hollow. The car had come to a stop, and I lifted my head from Shane’s shoulder, blinking as the world around me came back into focus. Will was looking at me through the rearview mirror, his usual cocky expression softened with concern.

"You sure you’re okay?" he asked, his voice surprisingly gentle.

I nodded, still wiping my eyes, and forced a smile that didn’t feel real. "Yeah. I’m fine."

Will parked the car outside of Luke's, and I couldn’t help but notice how empty it was. Only a few diners inside, maybe three in total, which surprised me. I thought Luke would’ve closed up by now. We made our way in, the bell above the door jingling as we walked in, and found a booth near the back.

Luke came out quickly, the concerned look on his face immediately catching my attention.

"Someone kick your puppy?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, trying to lighten the mood.

I didn’t have the energy for banter. "Coffee, please. Fries. A burger. And ooooh—pie." I added, already thinking about the comfort food.

He laughed awkwardly, unsure whether to take me seriously or not, before turning to Will and Shane to take their orders. As he walked off, I slumped into the booth, feeling the weight of everything pressing on my shoulders.

Shane leaned in a little closer, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. "You always get hungry when you’re upset. What happened?"

"Which part?" I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. "Tristan’s getting shipped off to military school. My family didn’t show up for me today but they made it to Rory’s thing. Oh, and I might be getting expelled." I said the last part so fast, I almost didn’t believe it myself.

"Excuse me, expelled?" Luke’s voice came from behind me as he somehow managed to catch the tail end of my sentence. He looked... well, furious. "You’re being expelled?"

I sighed, already exhausted from the day. "I don’t want to talk about it," I muttered, picking up my cup of coffee and taking a sip, not even caring that it burned my tongue. The warmth of the liquid helped ground me, even if everything else felt like it was spinning out of control.

"Does your mother know about this?" Luke’s voice was a bit more forceful now, his hands coming down on the counter as he stood tall, visibly angry. "Do you have any idea what she went through to get you into that school?"

I felt a sharp pang in my chest. "You mean get Rory into that school," I snapped. "Rory wanted to go. Rory is who she fought for. I only went because my grandmother has everything so tightly under her thumb. I had to leave my friends and my school just so my sister could go to Chilton and have a better shot at Harvard. And I’m proud of her. I truly am." I paused, the frustration bubbling up. "But it’s been hell. Every step of it."

Shane’s hand touched mine, her voice soft. "Hey, it’s okay."

I shook my head. "No, it’s not. And you know what’s the worst part? Even when I try, even when I manage to do something, anything even slightly on par with Rory, my mom doesn’t even bother to show up. Like I’m just... nothing." The tears pricked at the back of my eyes, but I held them back. "Now please, can we just eat before I throw something across this room?"

Luke stood there, jaw clenched, looking more annoyed than concerned now. He grumbled under his breath, then shuffled off to the kitchen, still clearly fuming.

Shane let out an awkward chuckle, trying to lighten the tension. "Get it, girl," she said with a small smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

I managed a dry laugh. "I’m about to throw something in this place, and you’re telling me to get it?"

Shane gave me an apologetic smile, but I could tell she was trying to keep things from getting too heavy. "Maybe just throw the pie at him instead."

I looked at her, deadpan. "I might just do that."