young & sweet

only 18 · rory jackson · the baby

[roryjackson]

⋆ Rory Collins Jackson ⋆ The Baby ⋆ 18 ⋆

Full Name: Lorelai Juliet Collins Jackson Nickname(s): Ror, Baby Jackson DOB: August 2, 1967 Gender: Cis woman Sexuality: Bisexual Job: Primarily a student, but also working part time at the Cherry Museum (and perpetually picking up shifts at Maraschino Music) Major: Undecided Living Arrangements: Currently living with her uncle and cousin, but she & Zahra are trying to save up to move out together + : Trusting, kind, enthusiastic, brave, supportive, - : Naïve, over-sensitive, stubborn, anxious, clumsy, 

& more! stats! here!

Bio: 

(tw for child abuse, domestic violence, & *literal* murder)

It’s somewhat difficult to reach “townie” status in a town as small as Cherry if you weren’t born there. You’d think it would be even harder, when your arrival was somewhat of a shock to everyone involved. Thankfully even the nosiest old bats ladies in town couldn’t bring themselves to ask questions when they saw the grieving ten year old: deathly pale, save the only semi-visible splotches of purple and blue—bruises refusing to fade—that littered her body. It became an assumed tragedy, with most people believing both her parents died in some terrible accident. The truth was so much worse. 

Rory was ushered into the Jacksons’ spare room (their town, their lives) in the predawn hours of an unusually cold May morning because after years of abusing her and her mother, her father had snapped, and done the unthinkable. he stabbed his wife to death, and had attempted to kill his daughter too, stopped only by the emergency personal arriving on the scene. Dan Collins was arrested, Eliza (Jackson) Collins was declared dead at the scene, and Rory? Rory was left effectively an orphan. 

Luckily for her, Rocky Jackson was having none of that. He’d dropped everything when the police called—drove a few hours down the coast to identify his sister’s body, and to collect his traumatized niece. Only once he arrived, and quietly introduced himself as her mom’s brother, did Rory finally allow herself to be led into a bathroom so the dried blood could be scrubbed off of her skin. 

The following months were brutal. She existed in a constant limbo between her new home in Cherry and her old town, where her father’s crime was the case of the decade. Reporters gathered outside the courthouse. She had to testify—had to sit on the witness stand just a few yards away from him. Rory was terrified of him. Terrified he would get off somehow, or escape prison, and come after her to finish what he’d started. 

Even after the trial was over, she struggled to adjust. To grieve. Rory didn’t have a smile to give to her uncle, or a single word to say, except when she was getting into shouting matches with her cousin, or waking up in the night screaming from a night terror. Rocky could barely coax one word answers out of her, and the therapists he brought her to fared even worse. She sat through sessions the same way she sat through her classes: silently, staring at the floor. Until... Something changed. After months of tension and biting remarks, a switch seemed to flip between her and Zahra, and suddenly they were inseparable. And a quiet boy in Rory’s class started talking to her. It took time, but slowly, she started to uncurl from her tight coil of grief and anger. She recognized her mother’s smile in the mirror. Realized she wanted to see it more. She spent weekends on Zev’s floor, talking about movies, until it all hurt less and less. With support from her uncle, Zahra, and her new best friend, she began to blossom in Cherry. 

But everything wasn’t magically fixed. Far from it. For all that Rory started to move on from the pain of losing her mom, she didn’t deal with it. She buried it. Tried to be the best niece she could possibly be to her uncle, the happiest, smiliest, easiest version of herself. Because that smile looked just like her mom’s, and if she couldn’t 

That said, the chaos of high school wore heavily on Rory. Especially the “prank” of the box. And she hated to see someone messing with the people she cared about. Maybe that was why she threw herself into figuring out who was behind it all. With all of the LBD and Lux drama behind them, she’s really enjoying her first year of college. She can finally stress about normal things like her new classes, and dances, and parties. But her real biggest worry these days is her uncle—and money. He puts up a good front, but she knows Maraschino Music is struggling. That’s why she’s always picking up shifts there, and why she was so grateful to Donny for giving her an in at the museum. Rory owes her uncle everything. She’ll do whatever she can to help him. 

Headcanons: 

Rory’s very affectionate in most of her relationships, both platonic and romantic. She gives hugs away like spare change and lets “love you”s roll off her tongue without a second thought. 

When she was little, Rory got stuck in the undertow in the ocean and almost drowned. Her father pulled her from the water physically pretty unscathed- but she’s still scared of drowning all these years later. It made the incident with the box all the worse.

Moving to Cherry didn’t cure her anxiety. That was a hard learned survival skill, growing up in her house, it wouldn’t be easy to let go. She’s still fairly shy in group situations outside of the gang. She certainly wasn’t popular at Cherry High, other than for being Zahra’s cousin, and then senior year after Zahra graduated, for being Bambi’s friend. 

She likes to draw, mostly sketches in pencil or pen. She’s actually pretty good at it, but it’s just a hobby. 

[roryjackson]

zahra

Who would Zahra be if she didn’t notice when Rory slipped out of the party? And, really, who would she be if she let it happen without following her? It’s Rory. If anyone is worth braving the winter air for, it’s her. 

She met her cousin’s smile with a small one of her own. “For sure,” she murmured in agreement. Christmas hadn’t really been the biggest deal before Rory - or, maybe it just seemed like a bigger deal since she came along. Old traditions to hold onto, new memories to fill in what could’ve been. It was easier to focus on her aunt’s ghost, but… Sometimes when her dad played the right song on the record player, the memory of dancing on her mother’s feet next to the Christmas tree as a young girl stabbed through with all the messy, childish feelings that come with it. So, she got it.

She stepped forward, electing to hug Rory from behind and rest her chin on her shoulder rather than stand beside her. “Oh, y’know…” she sighed, looking out at the garden. “Lamer the closer you get to the old people. Elaine did threaten to shove me into the punch, but only ‘cause she thought I was Danny, so…” she shrugged, “pretty good, all things considered. Totally better out here, though.”

☼

It wasn’t so much that Rory had sought out the lonesomeness of the cold garden, as that fresh air had sounded appealing—an escape from the stifling holiday atmosphere inside. The cold beckoned, the same way melancholy music did when she was feeling sad. But Zahra’s steady embrace chased some of the winter chill away, and forced out some of the cold she felt inside too. She leaned into her cousin, the way she’d learned to at eleven years old and never stopped, but bristled at the mention of Elaine Elaine's threat, managing to  play it off as shifting her weight. “Not sure Mr. Holly would let a swim in the holiday punch bowl fly, even if it was one of his own kids.” She wasn’t really convinced that any of the HAH kids really enjoyed this whole tradition: the fancy celebration, and touting the joys of the holiday season...

For Rory, Christmas was strands of memories: happy and devastating, drenched with grief and filled with joy, each helplessly intertwined with the next and braided together into an end product that was still a holiday that she loved, even when it was hard. Even when it hurt. But it hurt a little less, with the traditions that she, Zahra, and Uncle Rocky had made of the over the last seven years, ones that made it seem less like there were two empty seats at the table, meant to be filled by mothers who were long gone. New memories to soothe over the places where old ones left scars. But this tradition, the Holly party, wasn’t one that eased any of the tension in Rory’s shoulders. 

“I wish I was better at this,” she admitted suddenly, honesty brought on by the night air (or the champagne). “I feel like such a...” she fumbled for the right word, before landing on something that would suffice, “like I don’t belong in there.” And that bothered her. Finally, after years, she felt like she fit in in Cherry, in her new family. But events like this brought all of that crashing down, and let old insecurities sneak in with the other heartaches that the holidays always brought. 

[roryjackson]

alice

.

A show of wealth. That’s all the parties seemed to be – a way to brag without actually bragging. But observation stated the obvious: haha, we’re rich! get on our level! – And, like… yeah, it was nice that they were at least doing something for the town… but there was that whole ‘there is no such thing as a truly selfless act’ – and by god, from what she knew of them? That certainly applied to the HAH members! “I’d place money on it being worth at least two full years. Hell, I’d like to say that I’m shocked there isn’t already some kind of ‘Holly Scholarship.’” But she was definitely not shocked. “I mean, that said, I still wouldn’t place even a thousandth of what this party is worth.”

☼

She blinked, her brain going entirely blank for a moment at Alices estimation. “That’s... wow.” A pause. “Wow.” Maybe it shouldn’t be that surprising, after spending half her time at Zev and Harvey’s house, Still. It hurt her brain a little to conceptualize it that way. Two full years of tuition, spent on a party to rub elbows with people everyone already knew. God, what was the point of it? Rory wasn’t usually the cynical type, but even she doubted that the goal was spreading holiday cheer. 

“What would you do, if you had all this money?” She glanced at Alice, and took a sip of her stolen champagne to bury any of the uncertainty that sometimes took over when they talked. 

[roryjackson]

freyja

Freyja wasn’t a Grinch by any means. In fact, she loved the holidays. She just happened to love the quiet parts of everything a little bit more. Some of her fondest memories come from roping Mackenzie into decorating the Freese’s tree and cleaning up the wrapping paper littering the living room floor with Ford. Waiting to see who would turn it into the inevitable paper-throwing war it became every year. Massive parties like this with more than likely insincere holiday speeches? Count her out. But when Rory Jackson was locking her arm into Freyja’s, she wasn’t anything but happy to see her. Where a lesser friend would be greeted with a not-at-all-hidden yank of her arm away, Freyja was turning to give Rory her attention instead of the zoned out people watching she had been doing before. Only adjusting their arms in an attempt to make sure the other girl was comfortable. “Hey,” she replied, matching the soft tone of Rory’s voice.

  “That’s illegal,” Freyja pointed out. If she had managed to learn how to smile and nod at the right times to make people feel like she was the right person to talk to- because apparently sage wisdom alone wasn’t enough for some- she definitely knew how to hold a straight face with her sarcasm. The fact that it was basically her primary form of communication with one Casey Russell helped, too. “How do you expect to be one of Cherry’s upstanding youths if you’re sinning like this?” In fact, she was pretty sure she had actually heard that phrase uttered to her father earlier in the night when an overbearing mother had him cornered. “Kidding, of course.” The affectionate grin flashed in Rory’s direction to accompany the words. “It’s a plan that’s going to require tact and teamwork. Just walking up and ordering a drink? Not going to work. We need to lure him away from the bar. What’s something he is passionate about?” AKA something he never shuts up about. “We’ll get him into a long conversation with my dad.” Thanks for taking one for the team, Ford! “One of us stays for a little while the other gets to drinks from the bar. Slip away from the conversation and meet out back. It’ll be a mission, but I think we could do it.”

☼

“Mhmm,” Rory hummed back, eyes still alight with mischief because she wasn’t buying Freyja’s comment for even a second. It very well might be illegal but she sure wasn’t saying no. “Not sure I’m interested in being one of the upstanding youths, future of the town, and all that.” She hazarded a glance over to where all of the HAH kids were mingling with board members and coworkers, polite interest painted across their expressions. From everything she heard about it, particularly from Zev, Donny, and Harvey, it didn’t sound like anything she wanted to aspire to. She may be burdened with tragedy, but she didn’t like the idea of being burdened with a destiny she never chose, either. But why dwell on that when she could be getting up to trouble with Freyja instead? 

“The Maraschino,” she responded automatically. And then, with a little more embarrassment, “or Zahra and me. Those are your best three options. Not sure your dad’s gonna be all that enthused about any of them.” Surely there was something the two men had in common... Other than taking in their nieces after their sisters’ untimely deaths. “Maybe something about the town decorations? Uncle Rocky gets kinda scowl-y about the whole schedule situation with that.” Freyja always had the best plans, drawing an easy smile to Rory’s face. “Which half of this scheme do you want?”

[roryjackson]

donny

who: @roryjackson​ what: salmon upstream where: the holly home :-\

He would smile. He would nod. He would talk when he needed to. He would be a great pretender. He would be the perfect side character. He would be the bonus – that character you unlock who, in the end, is rather useless, but it’s nice to be able to say you unlocked them! And he would be left alone, all parties flocking to his mother and David and Danny and leaving him where he was most comfortable at H.A.H-funded events: looking on.  With a flute of champagne in hand ( actually, it wasn’t champagne – it just passed for it… really, it was sparkling grape juice ), he swirled it absentmindedly ( oh, Donny, that’s what you do with wine! you swirl wine! not champagne! and certainly not grape juice! ). His eyes scanned the room, fake smile still plastered on for those who caught sight of The Other Holly… But that fake smile turned into a real one when his eyes landed upon Rory. Squeezing between partygoers with polite ‘pardon me’s and ‘I’m so sorry’s along the way, a quick trip across the room felt like a lifetime! But it was worth it with her – one of his first genuine friends. One of the first friends he had made all by himself. “Rory, hey!” Very cool. He had not just swum upstream like a salmon to visit. “It’s nice to see you! How are you doing?”

☼

Rory had been going to the Holly Christmas party for years now, but she still hasn’t figured out how to act like she’s supposed to be there. Everything was so extravagant, meticulously designed, and nothing like the decorations at the Jackson house. This was far closer to the castles in the cheesy movies that played on tv this time of year than either of the houses she’d grown up in. But just when she was starting to squirm, self consciousness creeping up, she heard Donny’s voice calling her name. 

“Hey!” She grinned at him as he approached, feeling anxiety’s grip around her lungs with his arrival. “I’m good. Maybe a teeny bit bored, but that’s fixed now. How hard do you think it’d be to steal Zev and Noah and make a grand escape up to your room?”

[roryjackson]

mac

closed starter for @roryjackson​

Mackenzie always felt a little bit out of place at parties like this. Lux materializing at his side was usually enough to take that fear away, or at least push it down a little bit. The feeling was stronger this year, but he couldn’t be sure if that was due to his former friend’s absence or his newfound attachment to Cherry’s Golden Boy. It was hard not to dwell on it when there was such a perfect scene playing in front of him, Elaine and Harvey’s picture being snapped in front of the Christmas tree. Her mother was beaming, surely longing for the day the two would finally reconcile. Mac was waiting too, though the possibility brought him nothing but dread.

Rory’s voice fades back in beside him and it’s like he’s woken from a trance, cheeks flush from the possibility that his friend had caught him staring at Harvey for just a little too long. “Shit-sorry… I was totally in space for a second there. What were you saying?” 

☼

Rory had long since given up on wondering how the Jacksons always ended up invited to the Holly Christmas party. But Uncle Rocky seemed to enjoy it, and enjoyed showing off his daughter and niece if they let him (which they were rarely inclined to do). But at least her friends were there, so she could stick to their sides and feel a little bit less out of place in her hand-me-down sweater and skirt. And she knew Mac understood that feeling too, better than some of the more well off members of their group did. Or, he did when he wasn't so distracted. 

"No worries, it was nothing important. I was just rambling" she assures him easily, a small self deprecating smile on her face. She follows his gaze across the room to the Next Generation of HAH Rulers photos in progress. Every year she wished they'd all take a group photo too, of the whole gang. But she always talked herself out of asking if they could, because no doubt everyone would call her sentimental, and she's positive there would be eye rolling from Elaine if she actually did manage the herculean task of herding them all into frame. She knows she'll regret staying quiet about it one day. You always wish you had taken more pictures, when the people you love are gone and photos are all you have left. 

"Do you and Leo ever do a Christmas photo?"

[roryjackson]

caseyrussell​:

who: @roryjackson what: listen... sometimes i just am in the mood for soft friend things as a christmas treat! where: the holly party!

"Disclaimer," Casey says in lieu of greeting, small box wrapped in ludicrous layers of green and red from where he couldn't get the wrapping just right jutting into his stomach from where he's holding it too close to his body. "You are not my secret Santa but y'know..." Casey gives a nonchalant shrug. Or, that is, it should be nonchalent if the slight edge that maybe the subject of his brother's affections had suddenly had a personality change in the past twenty-four hours and would publicly reject a gift given from him hadn't clearly made its way into his disposition. "I consider you a friend and thought this would be pretty rad on our next car ride so." Finally, he extends the badly wrapped gift out, small smile clinging to his lips as he does. "Merry Christmas. You can save it for the day if you like or whatever... y'know. If you wanna be traditional."

☼

If Rory wasn’t tipsy, she’d be more embarrassed about how she perks up at the sound of Casey’s voice exactly the way a golden retriever would, her entire face lighting up as she turns around. She’s desperately trying to tamp down her excited grin, but it’s a losing battle. “You didn’t have to get me anything,” she reminds him as she accepts the pretty package, but even as she says it, her eyes are sparkling with delight. “C’mon you know I don’t have that kind of patience! But... if you want me to wait, I guess I could control myself until I can give you yours too.” It had taken longer than usual to figure out what to give Casey this year—mostly because money is even tighter than usual this year, which makes gift hunting more major stress than exciting quest. “Totally up to you.”

[roryjackson]

harvey

@roryjackson​

They’d barely even gotten a fraction of the way through the night before Harvey felt his capacity for bullshit begin to tip over the edge of tolerable. With his and Mac’s stolen moment already tucked away into his back pocket, and his BAC teetering on the verge of ‘too much,’ he knew the gift exchange was all he was holding out for at that point. Harvard II didn’t care how early his son left the soiree, didn’t care what he did afterward, as long as there was some snapshot of Harvey around the tree with the other junior members of the H.A.H board to send out in their Holiday Newsletter… And God knew Harvey would probably rather do anything than smile in a picture next to Elaine and Danny of all people, but as long as it marked an exit point he’d look forward to it.

He’d been loitering around the Den for a while now; wasting time running his fingers over ribbon and wrapping paper, and nodding his head along to ‘Deck the Halls,’ and ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,’ with alcohol teetering joints.  It wasn’t until he heard a small cough - ehhem - behind him that he found his bubble broken. 

At least it was Rory. A breath of fresh air in the lungs compared to the hot, humid haze of Holly, Hargrove, and Archer that he’d been breathing all night. “What’s up, punk?” Harvey’s smile was small - just for her - but it was warm. “Kinda surprised you don’t have a Holly, a Russell, and a King glued to your side tonight. You having fun yet?” 

☼

Rory didn’t wander off with the expressed intent of being nosy or anything—it wasn’t like this was the first time she had ever been in the Holly Mansion—she just didn’t want to be in the stifling party room any more. Her feet carried her down the hall, one hand tracing the pattern on the wallpaper, the other curled around a glass. She glanced into the first room she came across, the den, her mind helpfully supplied, and smiled at what she found. One Harvey Hargrove the third. For a moment the dim lighting painted his profile the same way that the glow of the refrigerator did. Stumbling upon Harvey when they were both supposed to be in other places was practically habit by now, enough that she didn’t hesitate in joining him. 

“Punk?!” She laughed and bumped his shoulder with hers in retaliation. “It’s not too bad. Even though my merry band of younger brothers abandoned me. I like the piano player this year.” Her fingers moved across the surface of the desk before them, mimicking the pianist’s skillful movements. Once upon a time she’d wanted to learn, but they never had the money for lessons, let alone for a piano. And then, once she moved to Cherry... There was no way she was going to tell Rocky that and put even more strain on her uncle’s budget. “What about you? Has it been all H.A.H. torture, or did you manage to have a little fun?”

[roryjackson]

noah

who: @roryjackson​ what: finally a Christmas thread 

Had Noah perfected being the perfect party goer just yet? Absolutely not. But had he gotten just a little bit closer in the form of being able to socialize a little bit before retreating to his notebook in some forgotten corner of the house? Yes. He’d made a point of chatting with Donny, and catching up with some of his peers he recognized from classes. He’d even managed to grab a drink or two with some of them. Something he wasn’t quite used to having such difficulty doing considering how easy the access was when he was at The Pit. But after a few hours of attempted socializing he was ready to find someone who made it feel a little bit easier. One of the few people Noah felt he could truly drop down and be himself around. Not to mention he’d been keeping a small gift for her all night that he’d been itching to present but that could wait a little longer if it needed to. He made a point of making his way back inside from the backyard, eyes scanning the room until they landed on her. He could feel his heart pounding like it was the first time he’d ever laid eyes on her and wondered briefly if there would ever come a time when his body didn’t react this way to seeing Rory Jackson across the room. It was hard to wipe the smile off his face as he approached her. Like a overly smitten kid trying to ask a girl out for the first time, but at least by now he felt confident enough to reach for her hand when he wanted her attention. “Hey stranger.” He started quietly when she locked eyes with him. Ever their greeting despite how much they’d been through. His fingers folded easily into hers as he admired the outfit she’d dawned for the event. “So while I didn’t think it was possible, the Holly’s have actually taught me something about myself and it’s that I don’t think I’m an eggnog fan. I really wanted to be that guy but I just don’t think I am. But with that out of the way I think that makes it fair game to ask if you’d want to grab a hot chocolate with me and maybe get away from the crowd for a little bit?” 

☼

Rory wasn’t even consciously aware that she was looking for someone, right up until the moment her eyes met Noah’s. At which point, of course, she realized she found him. “Hey,” she smiled softly, squeezing his hand in greeting. Something about his gaze still made her a little shy, heat rising to her cheeks under his scrutiny. “See that was your first mistake. Hot chocolate is far superior to eggnog. Like, what is nog, anyways?” It was only half a joke, because seriously what the hell is a nog? And why are we putting eggs in it, anyways? She stepped a little further into his space, already nodding before he’d even finished his question. “That sounds perfect.” Her social battery was draining fast, already depleted from the small talk she’d made with various adults at the party while she waited a for a socially acceptable amount of time to have passed so she could run off for whatever shenanigans she was sure they’d all be getting into later. A private moment with Noah sounded like just the thing to give her a little boost to make it through the evening. “Just as long as we don’t let my uncle catch us. He keeps dragging me into conversations.” Her tone was meant to sound annoyed, but it was someone ruined by the fond expression on her face as she glanced over to where Rocky Jackson was laughing across the room. Rory looked back to Noah, eyes sparkling with excitement. “Where’d you have in mind?” 

[roryjackson]

danny

who: @roryjackson​ what: Getting Rory in the holiday spirit

Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t… And yet despite his wishes, on came the antler’s as Mrs. Filbertson pushed them onto his head. And who was he to tell her no? A woman as sweet as she’d always been to him, but he could have hoped. His eyes scanning the room to the best of his ability to make sure that no one who mattered saw what was happening. Someone spotting a softer side of him? Not an option. Which meant that almost as soon as they’d come on, they were coming back off once the old woman was out of sight. His frustration almost palpable as he swallowed hard and reminded him there were only a few more hours to maintain. Parties didn’t last forever. He’d done this a million times and he’d be doing them a million times more. A sort of unhelpful mantra he’d been saying to himself as he caught himself walking directly into Rory. His focus returning, momentarily about to tell her to watch where the fuck she was going when he realized who she was. Rory Jackson was not the kind of person you want to be caught cussing out at a Christmas party of all places. So instead he reminded himself to take a breath before speaking. “I’m so sorry about that, but you are actually the perfect person I could have run into.” He said, a quick witty idea coming to mind as he glanced down at the antler’s that were still in his hand. “You see I was just given these and I was thinking who here needs these so much more than I do and…Here.” He started as he placed the pair of glowing antlers on her head. “Now you’ll be impossible to miss. Makes you a little bit taller.” 

☼

One second Rory was admiring the decorations, and the next she was stumbling backwards, like she’d bounced off a brick wall. “No harm done,” she was quick to assure Danny. A giggle escaped her lips as he settled the antlers in her curls, bubbly as the champagne flowing at the bar across the room. “Why thank you! I’ll have to wear these at all the Cherry parties, so you guys don’t lose me in the crowd.” It wouldn’t exactly do her much good when she lost them though, which was inevitable. At some point she always ended up balancing on her tippy toes, straining her neck to see where all of her friends wandered off to. “You enjoying the party so far?” 

[roryjackson]

who: @alicealder​ what: rich people, man

“How much do you think this all costs?” Rory murmured, looking around the Holly mansion.  The opulence of the annual Christmas party (and of, well, everything else the HAH families did) always managed to do this to her, even now. And it’d been a long time since she’d first come to the Hollys’ and had to pick her jaw up off the floor. Still, some things never change. “Like, the decorations, the caterers, the bar...” She shook her head, turning her bewildered expression to Alice. "You think it’s more or less than a full year of CCU tuition?” 

[roryjackson]

who: @zahrajackson​​ what: a quiet moment away from the party <3

Christmastime was Rory’s mom’s favorite time of year. Her father always worked long hours to take the holiday pay, so the Collins girls could make happier memories in their house that was often riddled with violence. Some traditions she continued with her uncle and cousin, and they made new ones too. She still loves it; but sometimes it’s hard. Christmas is family and love and memories, and sometimes she has to step away from it all. And the Hollys’ garden is beautiful, even in winter. 

She glanced back as someone else stepped into her corner, and upon seeing who it was, offered a small, sad smile instead of trying to hide it. Because Zahra’s mom may not be buried in the dirt but she’s just as gone. “I’m okay, really.” She answered before her cousin could ask. “ Just... needed a breather, y’know? How’s it going in there?” 

[roryjackson]

who: @freeserburnn what: sneaky girlies

Holiday spirit was certainly keeping Rory warm, but she was on the hunt for a little something else. It’s a delicate line to walk, sneaking drinks at the Holly Christmas party. On one hand, it’s a fun night with all of Rory’s friends, but on the other, she really doesn’t want to give Elaine anything else to mock her for, or to embarrass herself in front of any of her friends’ parents. At least... not any more than she normally does. But now that Mr. Holly had given his speech, it felt a little bit safer.

Her eyes flitted across the room in search of one of her friends, her lips curving up into a grin when they landed on one Freyja Freese. “Hey,” Rory greeted her friend softly as she threaded her arm through the other girl’s. “What do you think is the best way to get another drink when my uncle is standing ten feet from the bar?” 

[sheisobvious]

— mirrorball, taylor alison swift (2020)

[nancyxwheeler]

Nancy Wheeler in every Episode 1x03 “Chapter Three: Holly Jolly"

[moonieisa]

"If you're raised with an angry man in your house, there will always be an angry man in your house. You will find him even when he is not there. Well, you will go find one and invite him in."

From "Cut,” by Catherine Lacey | The New Yorker"

[neonhelper]

Natalia Dyer as Clara in Mountain Rest (2018)