Well, this is my first piece of Gilmore Girls fiction. I know the idea has been done before, and probably will be done again, but it hasn't been done yet by me, so . . .
Please don't be pink, please don't be pink, please don't be pink. Lorelai Gilmore stood with her back to the washroom stall door.
It was pathetic, really, that she had to resort to taking the test in the first floor girls' washroom at her school, but Lorelai wasn't taking any chances. She did not want her parents to find out there was even a remote chance that she might be pregnant; they already hated her enough as it was. So Lorelai had to resort to hiding in the girls' washroom while everyone else was in their first period.
Skipping class. Yet another thing her mother would no doubt chew her up on when she got home that night. But it would be worth it if only the stupid stick would not turn pink.
A few minutes later Lorelai Gilmore stared with disbelief at the offending pink thing in her hand.
She was pregnant.
I can't be pregnant. I don't want to be pregnant. Oh God, don't let me be
pregnant, she thought she stared at that awful stick in horror.
The bell rang. First period was over. People started milling into the washroom and Lorelai knew she had to get going. She threw out all the evidence in the sanitary napkin disposal and, shaking slightly, opened the stall door. No one noticed her leave.
I have to find Christopher. The thought was firmly entrenched in her mind. She had to find him and tell him.
He was in front of their English classroom with some of his friend. "We need to talk," she said, trying to convey the urgency in her request.
"Yeah, yeah," he said and, with a wave of his hand, dismissed her.
"Now," she pressed.
He seemed to catch on and let her lead him off to the side. "What is it?"
She bit her lip. "I have something to tell you."
He laughed. "I gathered as much. At least, I should hope so, after you dragged me away from my friends like that. You embarrassed me."
"Don't be a jerk," Lorelai said.
"A jerk?" Christopher protested. The bell rang and he grabbed Lorelai and dragged her into the classroom, giving her no time to tell him the news.
Mr. Hardy, their English teacher, was one of the strictest teachers in the school. It was commonly known that those caught talking or slacking off in her class lived to regret it. Still, Lorelai was willing to risk it today. She wrote the note at the beginning of class and waited for the chance to pass it to Christopher.
She couldn't concentrate, except to look for a good opportunity to pass the note. Luckily, Mr. Hardy, who was usually very good at spotting the students who weren't paying attention in his class, gave her a break and didn't seem to notice. It wasn't until the last few minutes of class before Lorelai found the chance. While Mr. Hardy's back was turned, Lorelai passed the note to Christopher. He looked at her questioning, wondering what was so important she'd risk the wrath of Mr. Hardy.
Just read it, she thought.
He unfolded the note and read the two simple words inside, "I'm pregnant." Lorelai watched as he paled and started to shake.
"Christopher?" Mr. Hardy's voice brought Lorelai back to the harsh reality of the classroom. She realized Mr. Hardy was asking Christopher a question.
He looked at the teacher blankly, his mouth gaping, not comprehending. He was saved when the bell rang. Suddenly unwilling to face him, Lorelai rushed from the room.
"Wait!" Christopher cried, pushing through the crowds that had already gathered in the hallways, trying to catch up with her. Several angry curses followed him.
"Wait up." He finally caught up with her and grabbed her arm roughly. "Is it true?"
Unable to speak, Lorelai just nodded.
"Are you sure?" he demanded, running his hand through his hair wildly.
"Pretty sure," Lorelai said, suddenly becoming annoyed at Christopher for no real reason she could understand.
"Oh shit," he said. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit." He paused. "What're we going to do?"
"What do you mean, what're we going to do?"
"I mean, are we going to keep it?"
"Oh course I'm going to keep the baby," Lorelai said, stressing the 'I'. "I don't believe in abortion."
"Shit," Christopher said again. He finally let go of her arm and Lorelai took the opportunity to take off again. Christopher was dazed enough not to notice until Lorelai had a good head start. "Wait!" he called out again when he finally noticed she had left. He caught up to her again just outside the science lab.
"I have to go to class," Lorelai said, trying to wriggle her way out of his grasp.
"Marry me," Christopher said breathlessly.
"What?" Lorelai exclaimed.
"I said marry me," Christopher repeated impatiently.
"Are you out of your mind?"
Christopher knelt down on one knee. "Lorelai Gilmore," he said formally, "will you marry me?"
Lorelai looked at him, not sure whether to laugh or blush. People were starting to stare at them, and Lorelai was embarrassed. Christopher looked up at her expectantly. Lorelai didn't know what to do or say.
For the second time that day, the bell for class was a saviour. "I'm late for chemistry," she said, distracted. "I have to go." She slipped into the classroom before Christopher could say another word.
Lorelai managed to avoid both Christopher and the whispered gossip and not-so-veiled glances that seemed to be following her after the incident in the hall by skipping the rest of the day. She went to the last place anyone would ever think to look for her in: the library.
She waited until the library closed before leaving for home. Sneaking up the front way, she tried to be very quiet as she opened the door and went inside her house.
Apparently she wasn't quiet enough. "Your school called," Emily Gilmore said, her impeccable form slowly and purposely walking into the hall. "They said you weren't in class today."
Lorelai felt like a deer caught in the headlights. "Umm . . . hi mom."
"Hello, Lorelai," he mother said.
"I can explain," Lorelai said quickly.
"I'm waiting," eshe said, crossing her arms.
Lorelai panicked, not sure what she could say. But then came an interruption that made the two Gilmores forget about any explanation.
Christopher came bursting through the front door, not even bothering to knock or ring the doorbell like he usually did. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Gilmore," he babbled. "I'm looking for - " he caught sight of Lorelai behind her mother, " - Lorelai! There you are. I've been looking all over for you."
"Christopher," Emily Gilmore said in a clipped voice. "If you'll excuse us, my daught and I were in the middle of a conversation."
"It's my fault! Don't blame Lorelai, Mrs. Gilmore. Blame me. It's my fault."
Lorelai, her mind still trying to think up an excuse for missing school that day, couldn't figure out what Christopher was raving about. Neither could Emily, or so it seemed. "What in heaven's name are you talking about, Christopher?"
"I mean, you shouldn't blame Lorelai for her condition. It's not her fault."
Lorelai realized in horror that Christopher had mistaken the reason for the fight. But before she could say anything to shut him up, Emily asked, "What do you mean, 'condition?' "
"I mean the baby." Too late, Christopher realized that Lorelai hadn't told her mother she was pregnant yet. The look on Emily Gilmore's face when what Christopher was referring to registered was almost comical. Almost.
The front hall of the Gilmore house was so quiet after Christopher's revelation that you could hear a pin drop. No one even dared to breathe.
Lorelai was the one who finally broke the silence. A sob caught in her throat and she tore out of the house before anyone could stop her.
Inside, Emily Gilmore looked like she was going to faint. She stumbled over to a chair and sank down into it. Christopher, who was feeling very guilty, didn't think Lorelai would really want him around just then, so he tried to help her mother instead.
"Mrs. Gilmore," he began.
"Not now," she said, very sharply. "Christopher, I think you should leave."
"But - "
"Leave!" she ordered.
Emily Gilmore sat in stunned horror until her husband came home and then she told him the news.
Christopher walked home, knowing Lorelai hated him and he had ruined any chance he had with her.
Lorelai ran. She ran until her legs gave up and then she stumbled to the ground, sobbing. She didn't return home that night.
All because the stick was pink.
The End
Saturday, January 20, 2001