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Chapter seventeen, 𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌
︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵
Lorelai always made a minimal effort when it came to the way she was perceived. She didn't stay up late wondering what people thought about her, never tortured herself with the idea of how others saw her.
But tonight, she found herself in the strangest position.
Usually, she'd wake up, debate whether or not to brush through her dirty blonde hair, and decide if the dark circles under her eyes were worth the effort to hide. Most of the time, she'd shrug, throw on a sweatshirt, and call it a day.
But now, she stood in the tiny bathroom of her trailer, practically analysing her reflection.
The flickering yellow bulb above her buzzed faintly, humming in the quiet. The mirror had a faint crack in the corner, right through her reflection's left eye. Something she normally ignored, but tonight, it caught her attention like never before.
Her hand gripped the curling wand tight in her palm, the heat radiating against her skin as she debated what to do. Did she even know what she was doing? Why was she doing this? It was just a pep rally.
Sure, she was going because Robin asked. She was in the marching band, and Lorelai was never one to say no to her best friend. But still... Lorelai never made this kind of effort. She never cared enough to.
She'd already graduated, moved on, left the damn school behind. She shouldn't care. But somehow, staring at herself in the mirror now, she did.
Maybe it was because she hadn't been sleeping. Maybe because she didn't want people to see the toll it was taking. The exhaustion that clung to her skin like a shadow. The way her eyes looked hollow when the light hit them wrong.
Did she want them to know she wasn't sleeping?
The thought made her chest tighten. Lorelai shook her head quickly, flipping the curling wand's switch to OFF and setting it down carefully on the counter. The metal hissed faintly as it cooled.
That was one fight over with. But the other... the other was harder to silence.
Her eyes lifted again to her reflection, and she froze.
She looked drained. Like the life had been pulled right out of her. Pale skin, dull eyes, lips pressed in a thin line. There was something foreign in her expression. Something she didn't recognise.
Her stomach twisted.
"Get it together," she muttered under her breath.
Lorelai reached for the old, mostly expired concealer sitting on the counter, the one she'd bought ages ago and barely used. She dabbed it under her eyes with a shaky hand, patting the product in with her pointer finger until she looked slightly less hollow.
