The Other Gilmore

Meeting Max Medina

The town meeting was always a spectacle, but Frankie wasn't able to make it due to stacks of homework she had been putting off. When Lorelai and Rory got home, they told Frankie all about how Luke had gotten frustrated and had yelled at the mayor about the Battle of Stars Hollow reenactment. Frankie groaned, wishing she could have been there to see it live, but was grateful for the reprieve that the retelling had given her from her school work.

The following day, Friday, Frankie met up with Kayla before school at Luke's, grabbing a table and ordering breakfast.

"I think we should hang out with Lane more," Kayla said suddenly.

"We hang out with her," Frankie defended as she sipped her coffee.

"Not enough. Now that Rory's at Chilton and has a boyfriend, she's been feeling left out."

Frankie nodded, processing Kayla's words. "Yeah, okay. That's fair."

Kayla beamed at her best friend. "Great! Okay, we'll set something up."

Frankie walked over to the Independence Inn after school, ready to meet her mother and head to Hartford.

"We going or what?" Frankie asked as she approached the desk.

"Nope. The two of us are stuck here. The snow is coming down like crazy out there apparently."

"Oh, cool. Well, I guess I'll just head home for now. Maybe meet up with Kayla and Lane," Frankie said with a shrug.

"Okay, sweetie. Have fun! Enjoy the snow!" Lorelai called to her daughter gleefully.

Frankie walked around Stars Hollow for a while, enjoying the snow, as her mother instructed, and breathing in the crisp winter air. By the time she got back to her house, it was dark, but lights were on inside.

"Hello?" Frankie called out, unsure who would even be at the house right now.

"Frankie?"

The teenager rounded the corner and entered the kitchen, where she was met with a very distressed Lane.

"Lane? What are you doing here?"

"I ran my hand through his hair."

"Rich Bloominfeld's hair?"

"Yes."

"Oh, no," Frankie breathed, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "What happened?"

Lane let out a heavy sigh and took a seat across from Frankie. "He was running late. He wasn't wearing his hat. He kneeled down next to me so he could get his stuff and I just..." she stopped, glancing up at Frankie, "...touched his hair."

Frankie whistled, leaning back in her seat. "Then what?"

"He looked at me like I was crazy and I took off."

"You ran away?"

Lane nodded sadly. "Everyone was laughing at me. I had to get out of there."

Frankie reached over the table and grabbed Lane's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Listen, it's okay. Love can make you do stupid things."

"Really?"

"Really. I mean, I've done plenty of stupid things in my life."

"Because of love?"

"Well...No, but only because I've never been in love."

The girls sat in silence for a while. Lane eventually got up and went into Rory's room. Frankie sighed and walked out to her room and turned on some music. Suddenly, Frankie heard a door slam shut and the sounds of The Cure flowing through the house.

Frankie left her room and walked out into the kitchen. "Oh."

A man turned around, a look of shock on his face. "Hello."

"Who are you?" Frankie questioned, suspicious.

"I'm Max Medina."

"Oh, okay. You're Rory's teacher," said Frankie, connecting the dots.

Max chuckled nervously as he stood in front of the coffee pot. "Right. And you are?"

"Oh, my bad. Frankie Gilmore. Rory's twin." She stuck out her hand for Max to shake.

"I see the resemblance," Max said with a smile, shaking the girl's hand.

"So, you finally got the date, huh?" the teenager asked as she grabbed a box of Pop Tarts and hopped up onto the kitchen counter.

"I guess I did." He grinned as he poured two mugs of coffee.

"I'm gonna be honest, Max. Can I call you Max?"

"Um, sure, I guess –"

"Great. I'm gonna be honest, Max. I don't know how I feel about you yet. I find it odd that you're my sister's teacher and that you're into my mom. I get it. She's young, she's hot, you wouldn't think that she had twins when she was sixteen." Frankie reached over and grabbed the second mug, knowing that it was supposed to be for her mother. "But, as long as you're not an asshole, I think we can get along."

"I promise, I'm not an asshole."

Frankie sipped her coffee, staring at Max over the rim of the mug, and shrugged one shoulder. "I suppose we'll see." She hopped off the counter and walked out into the living room, Max following hesitantly behind.

"I really like your mother, Frankie. I don't plan on hurting her, and I don't plan on going anywhere any time soon."

"Okay." Frankie sat down on the couch, gesturing for Max to take a seat, too. Once he did, she turned to him and looked him dead in the eyes. "You hurt her, I hurt you."

Max's eyes went wide, but he nodded his head. Rory's room door opened at that moment and Lorelai came into the living room.

"Oh, Frankie! I didn't know you were here."

"I've been getting to know Max," Frankie said with a smile.

Max audibly gulped as he nodded, a nervous smile on his face.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Francesca, what did you do to him?"

Frankie smirked as she got up from the couch. "What you taught me." She kissed her mother's cheek and walked back to her room, leaving her mother to get back to her date.