Rory and the minister's son, Collin Hastings, had been friends since childhood. The years went on and their friendship died down. Now, during their senior year, an unexpected class trip to France could bring them closer together or result in jealousy, lies and seduction...

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, except for a few. The plot is mine and the situations are mine. Enjoy and don't forget to REVIEW:)

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"The Minister's Son"

I could remember the little boy with windswept hair and stormy gray eyes. A freckle rested at the corner of his mouth and became almost invisible during the summertime.

Mischievousness resonated from the little smirks that would wipe on his face during Sunday school. I would be sitting in the back with my hands neatly folded on my lap, when all of a sudden, he would turn. My eyes would shoot up and his face would glow with a roguish expression.

When we both turned seven, his father built us a tree house a mile away from Starshollow. The secret spot was surrounded by rolling hills, winding oak trees and a small pond. We would ride our bikes out there sometimes and talk about anything and everything. He was always the more optimistic one with dreams stretching beyond the stars. And I was the more reserved one, who liked to sit and listen, while gazing out into the distance. Everything was calm and tranquil out there. No worries, no hidden agendas; just two friends enjoying each other's company.

This little boy named Collin Hastings was the minister's son. The polar opposite of his father's nature, Collin would skip class, befriend the A-crowd at school (that being the Preps and popular kids), and pull pranks whenever he felt like it. Tristan Dugrey was one of his closest friends and when the two got together, all hell broke loose. Being rather shy and diligent when it came to schoolwork, we drifted apart as the years went on. No longer did he come out to the tree house on the weekends and discuss his plans for the future. Instead, he would be off at some party getting drunk or making-out with his girlfriend.

I hated seeing his girlfriend, Jen Rodgers, and him in the hallway together. Collin would always have her pushed up against some locker in a passionate lip-locking position. My eyes would drop to the floor in front of me with resentment and envy, as I scurried past them. To escape the stresses of school and an actual social life, I hid out in the library during lunch and after school. The place was rather quiet and lowed the chances of actually running into any of the A-crowd students; especially, Collin Hastings. So, after the bell rang signaling lunchtime, I would pace over to the library and plop down at one of the unoccupied tables. Taking out my book, The Art of War (not a required reading, but of great interest to me anyhow), I would freely read for an entire hour.

My mom, Lorelei, would oftentimes joke about when we were little. I would cringe during the parts mentioning how Collin and I would hold hands.

"You guys use to be so cute together. What happened?" she asked in a curious voice. I shrugged my shoulders and focused my attention on the plate full of food in front of me.

"Stuff, I guess…" I muttered in a barely audible voice. My mom sighed and sympathetically pressed her lips together.

"He doesn't know what he's missing" she remarked softly. I nodded my head and took another bite full of Chinese food. It was take-out because neither one of us bothered to cook. With each scoop that entered my mouth, I felt like I was swallowing bricks. Truthfully, any conversation about Collin made my throat dry and my hands moist. I never told anyone that in the fifth grade, the year before we stopped talking to one another, I had a massive crush on him. Any excuse I could conjure up would be used just to be around him. You would find me at his house before and after school. All my telephone conversations would only be with him. Now, I was lucky if he even remembered my name.

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"Hey Tristan, wait up man!" the voice called from only a few feet away from me. My ears perked up and my brows furrowed in contemplation. I had heard that voice before.

Gradually raising my eyes, I saw him. His hands were maneuvering his navy blue book bag onto his back. I stopped in place for a moment, as the people behind me huffed and sneered.

"Get out of the way!" one person shouted; while another barked, "What's your problem?" in a harsh tone. I was frozen to that very spot on the floor, just gazing upon the boy who dreamed of the world, when we were kids. His fiery gray eyes rose to my eyelevel. I could feel my heart skip a beat and my lungs seize shut. He was looking directly at me with an expression of indifference and bewilderment. I could my lips part and my tongue whip up to the roof of my mouth, but no words came out. We stood there for a second longer, just staring and observing. He had grown taller since the last time I had examined like this. His hair was a bit shorter and his entire upper-body had become more toned and muscular.

A stammer escaped my mouth, before I was stopped. Two hands clasped around my forearms and scooted me over to the side.

"Hey, come on Collin!" Tristan called, as he turned Collin around to head to class.

"We're going to be late for French and you know how I can't afford to get detention again. My father's serious about the whole Military school thing…" His voice trailed off, as Collin stumbled down the hall beside him. Immediately, I became aware of my surroundings and the fact that me, Rory Gilmore, could not afford to receive detention either. So, I gathered my books in my arms and scrambled past the hundreds of students crowding the halls.

"Now today, we will be discussing our quarterly projects for this class" Ms. Davenport bellowed, as her eyes scanned the room. A small eruption of laughter and then, a grunt was heard at the back of the class. The teacher with her small beady eyes and plump body waddled to the back of the room.

"Monsieur Hastings, parlez-vous Français?" Ms. Davenport asked in a sharp tone. Collin smirked for a moment and creased his forehead in confusion.

"Ahhh…yes…" he answered hesitantly. I closed my eyes and bit my lip, trying to suppress my laughter. He didn't even know how to reply back in a language he'd been studying for over four years. Ms. Davenport frowned and leaned down near Collin's face. Dropping her voice considerably, she whispered:

"And this is why you are receiving a failing grade in my class, Mr. Hastings. You better pray for a brilliant partner on this project." I watched as Collin shifted uncomfortably in his chair and rested his chin on top of his palm. The teacher sauntered to the front of the classroom and reached out to grab a black hat.

"Now, you know how this works. To not be biased or disrupt the Chilton code of fairness and honor, we will draw partners out of a hat." Low murmurs were heard all around me, as Ms. Davenport raised her hand to silence them.

"Quiet!" she yelled. Then, taking the black hat with both hands, she reached inside and pulled out a white scrap of paper.

"Oh, let's see…Amanda Lee" she began, as she placed her hand back into the hat and pulled out another scrap of paper "…you will be paired with Ryan Walker." The Chinese girl beside me sighed in relief and gracefully placed her hands in her lap. The process continued for quite a while.

"Kevin Durrison…you will be partnered with…"

I crossed my fingers hoping that it was me. Kevin was practically born in France and knew the language like the back of his hand. This was definitely the person that I wanted to get chosen with.

"Bryan Tyco" Ms. Davenport announced in a sing-songy voice. I slumped forward in my chair and let out a disappointed groan.

"Now, here we go…Collin Hastings"—she called, as she shot a dirty look in his direction—"…you will be paired with…"

I surveyed the room and imagined in my mind, which person I hoped for as my partner.

"Rory Gilmore!"—Ms. Davenport revealed in a pleased tone—"Maybe there's hope for you after all." My eyes shot up and my body froze. Had I actually heard the name correctly? Was I really paired with Collin Hastings? The teacher called out a few more names before the bell finally rang. It was officially the weekend. I quickly jolted from my seat and headed out the doorway. So many things were flashing through my mind, that I didn't know how to really process it all.

"Rory…" I heard a voice behind me yell. It definitely belonged to a guy, but what guy would ever shout my name. I whipped around to be faced with the one, the only, the Minister's Son: Collin Hastings.

I stood speechless, as he pulled his cell phone from out of his coat pocket.

"So…I hear we have a project together" he began in a faded voice. I nodded my head and smiled awkwardly. This whole situation was making me feel uncomfortable. Students pushed and rammed between us, trying to make it down the hallway.

"Look, I'll just give me number and you can call me or something" he finally asserted. Collin took out a sheet of paper and laid it flat against a locker. Then, pulling out a black pen, he scribbled his contact information down.

"I'm not that great at this whole language thing…and I know I wasn't your first choice partner-wise—"

Let's just say that you didn't even make it on my list of choices…I thought to myself.

"But, I'll help in anyway that I can" he assured with a sympathetic smile. I mouthed an 'okay' and turned around to leave.

"Hey!" he shouted abruptly. I twirled around in surprise and stared at him.

"It's good talking to you again…" he stated in a low voice. I watched him turn and walk down the hallway. It seemed that everywhere he went people would clear a pathway for him. And just then, out of nowhere, I folded the piece of paper with his number on it and smiled. Got to love High School.

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In the following chapters, Rory and Collin will be brought closer together by an assigned project and a trip to Paris, France during Spring Break. Rory, who wants to become a journalist, will meet the chief editor of Runway Magazine. The decision between life as she knew it and a fabulous career in the Big Apple will tear Collin and Rory apart. Will they be able to take on the pressure and learn that life isn't all that it seems to be???? REVIEW