Disclaimer: I don't own the show or the characters.
A.N: Okay, this sets off after about the second episode of the forth season. It will be Tristan's thoughts through the whole fic. I'm not a fan of this chapter; it's just the set for what's to come. Boring as it may be, it has some important things that you might need to know. But have no fear; the rest of the fic would not be as boring as this chapter is. Right now it's not so obvious that it is a Trory, considering that Rory isn't mentioned even once here. But have some patience; she'll be in the next one.
Different In Many WaysA whole year, that's what it took for me to ever want to come back to some sort of a system. I guess that if you look at it differently it could even look like a little amount of time. Considering the fact that I've been to military school for over a year. But never mind that.
I've been through a lot in those passing years First of all military school was a shock, something I wasn't ready for, something I couldn't ever imagine going through. But I got to meet some great guys, one of whom you'll hear about in a while, and I also started studying a little. You see, with no girls around there were also no distractions and though it wasn't all by myself I started getting better grades as time went by. I mean, it's not like I was failing, I am a smart guy after all, but my grades went down a little for a while.
I've also been through a lot the past year, I've had some time to grow as a person and realize in which direction I wanted to turn. I've had some time to rest and I also made sure that I'd have some time to travel the world, something that taught me how things work in the real world, without my parents' protection. I guess that in a way I've finally moved on and left the past in the past, right where it belongs, something I should have done a long time ago.
The decision of going back to school was made while I was sitting in the living room, watching reruns of some old TV show. It occurred to me that I was starting to get bored with sitting and doing nothing all day long. It was time for me to do something with my life. You might find it pretentious of me to say such thing but I know what I'm capable of, and I shouldn't just let it go to waste. It was obvious that I could do so much better.
Knowing that my parents wouldn't settle for anything less than an Ivy League I spoke to my father, and with my grades and his connections I was accepted to Yale, the college that he'd gone to when he was my age. I guess that it's not too hard to figure out that both my parents were satisfied with my decision.
Don't get me wrong, we don't always get along but I can't blame my parents for the way I turned out to be. I can tell you that it's society's fault and all that crap, but in all honesty I was the one who let it get to me. I was the one who made all the choices, wrong or right, I take full responsibility. I may have turned out to be different in a different world but I'd still be me. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying here that I'm a bad guy, not at all. I've just learned to hide the real me, whatever good there is inside, you learn to do that pretty quickly around the Hartford society. But forget about all that right now, you'll know all there is to know as we go along with what I have to tell you.
I was in my room, reading a book when I heard a knock on the door, "Come in."
The door was opened and my friend, Daniel, walked into the room, "Hey, Dugrey."
I stood up, the book still in my hand, and smiled, "How's it going?"
"I haven't seen you in a long time."
"What are you talking about? I saw you when you were home a couple of months ago."
"You've probably been with more girls than I can count in that amount of time…"
"Mock all you want, my friend, but a couple of months isn't all that much."
"First of all, allow me to correct you, it's about three months. And second of all, I'm still sure that you think it's good to be home."
"I guess I'll have to agree with you on that one." I said, smiling.
"When are you leaving again?"
"In two weeks I guess." He looked at me questioningly, "Haven't I mentioned it yet that I'll be joining you this year at Yale?"
"What do you mean?" he looked at me, confused.
"I got accepted."
"I bet your father's over the roof with you going to the school he wanted you to."
"This thing never leaves this room, but he actually helped a little."
"Wow, father Dugrey actually gets along with his son long enough to have a conversation."
"Yeah, well, it's Yale we're talking about here. And a Dugrey's education."
"So he's thrilled that his son's going to Yale…"
"Yes, he is."
"And what about you?"
I moved to put the book on my desk, "I'm not complaining."
"What are you reading?"
"Nothing."
He gave me a strange look before moving to my desk, "John Grisham." He said looking at the cover.
"What can I say," I smiled, "I love his work."
"And The Firm no less…"
"One of my favorites."
"When'd you start reading for fun, Dugrey?"
"When I realized that they didn't have TV or girls around military school."
"Right, you've mentioned that before. It must have been a nightmare."
"Trust me, after a while you get used to it."
"Well, at least now I know that you can read, so that's one good thing that's come of it."
I chuckled, "So funny, Lambert."
"So, have you heard anything from Sean lately?"
"Not ever since I left for military school. And that's a long time."
"But you do know that he got into Princeton, right?"
"You've mentioned something about it." I smiled, "I really didn't think he had it in him."
"As you've probably learned by now people change."
I smirked, "How's Paris?"
"She's good."
"I'm glad."
Being Paris, she was still uptight, only now it was less noticeable. Ever since she and Daniel got together she seemed to change, or right before they did, I'm not sure, I wasn't around at the time. But I must say that she changed for the better. Now that they were together, something that I never thought I'd live to see, they both changed. Daniel grew up a little and became a little more serious, while Paris loosened up a little, just enough to make Daniel want her to stick around. And it was good to see them together, after such a long time that Daniel had had a crush on her, though he never admitted it. He was interested in her even while we were in high school but she was too busy to ever pay attention to him, then she had a boyfriend, Jamey if I'm not mistaken. I think it got him a little depressed, but they broke up during Paris' first year in Yale and that was when she finally noticed Daniel for the first time, from there everything's history.
"Were you being cynical?"
"No, I meant it." I smiled again, "So why are you here, anyway?"
"I came to see how you were doing, and I guess I'll see you around."
"Yeah, you can count on it." He touched the book again before turning around and leaving the room. I closed the door, took my book and sat down to read some more.
I guess these past few years weren't only years of growth for me, many people I knew changed. Starting with me in senior year and moving on to Daniel, Paris and even Sean. I must say that Daniel finally started using his brain at some point, especially now that he was with Paris; it was great to see it.
But in all honesty, I must say, that sometimes, every once in a while, I miss the childish behavior. It's hard for me to think of myself and of my friends as grown- ups. I guess that some part of me might never grow up. I'm not sure I'll ever let it. With these thoughts in mind I fell asleep.
Waking up the next morning I went downstairs to the kitchen to get some coffee, as I walked inside I found my mother sitting by the table, a cup of fresh coffee in her hand.
"Hey, mom." I said as I pulled a cup out of the cupboard and pored some coffee in it.
"Good morning to you too, how did you sleep?"
"Pretty good." I answered, taking a seat across from her.
"Your father and I had a talk about the Yale issue."
I took a sip, "What issue? I thought everything's just fine."
"It is. As a show of appreciation your father decided to get you an apartment near campus."
"We've already talked about it and I told him that I want to live in the dorms, to get the whole college experience."
"Well, he disagrees."
"That's just great…"
"Look, no one said that you can't live in the dorms. Your father just thought that it would be a great idea if you had your own place, as a Dugrey, in case you needed you privacy. And I agree with him. You can live wherever you want, either way, the apartment is yours."
"Okay, that's acceptable."
"Did you know that your cousin James is a student at Yale, this would be her second year."
"Yeah, we talk all the time, she really likes it there." Yes, James is a girl.
"Well, no wonder, you know how her mother is. And she's not very happy with what she chose as a major."
"I guess it never occurred to her that her daughter might be interested in Psychology."
"Yes, well, your father always thought that you'd follow his steps and major in Business, not Journalism…"
"I hope he's not too disappointed. But I thought I'd give this a try, if it doesn't work I can always change my mind and major in Business."
She smiled and took a sip of her coffee, "I'm glad."
I spent the next week and a half with Daniel and some other old friends at the country club and other places around Hartford, just catching up to all that I've missed. A few days before the first semester started I left to make the last arrangements that were needed at my new apartment, just in case I wouldn't like my new roommate. After all, you never know, right? Besides, it never hurt anyone if they had a place of their own. I have to admit that sometimes my father had good ideas, this being on of them.
I've never been too good at planning my time; with this time not being different from others I only had time to work on my kitchen and my bedroom in my new apartment. Of course, these are the rooms I would be using the most if I were to choose to live in the apartment, but the general plan was to keep on working on the other rooms whenever I'd get some time on my hands to do so. And, of course, after I'd acclimate.
So almost everything was ready, I was now lying in my new bed, in my new apartment after two hectic days of working on the two main rooms (if you forget about the living room for a moment, I just didn't have the time or the will power), trying to make everything fit the person that I am. And now, tired yet somewhat satisfied, I was staring into space, thinking of the next day. The day I'd be moving into a dorm room and the day I would meet my roommate. The day I would be starting Yale. At the beginning I was to live in my dorm room, on campus, unless the person I'd be sharing a room with turned out to be out of some horror movie. Then as time passed and I'd really fix my place, maybe I would consider moving out of the dorms and live on my own, why let the space go to waste?
The next day was pretty tiring. Moving things, taking care of all the registration issues and all sorts of things like that. Looking at all the options that I had as a student and all the things that I would need during the school year did not help me feel any more energetic or enthusiastic. I felt like I hadn't slept all week, which was true in a way since I had many things to do but hardly ever enough time. So I did all that was needed to be done and by the end of the very long day all I wanted to do was to throw myself on the bed, close my eyes and go to sleep. It felt as if I couldn't keep my eyes open for even one more second. I did as I wanted and threw myself on the bed, my eyes already closed. Only a moment later I opened them, what was up with that mattress? It was lumpy and very uncomfortable, to say the least. With a groan that I couldn't keep inside I got up and walked over to the bathroom to wash my face. As I was drying my face a minute later I heard my cell phone ringing, walking over, quickly, to where it was placed I saw the name Jamie on the caller- idea.
With a weary smile I answered my beloved cousin, "Hey, Jamie, how's it going?"
"How come you neglected to tell me that I'll be seeing you a lot this year, and I have to hear this from your mother?" her voice sounded demanding and joking at the same time.
"How is she, anyway? I haven't talked to her in a couple of days."
"She's fine."
"How about we meet somewhere and have some coffee?"
"Sounds good to me."
"I just hope that you don't want to do this today because I could really use a good night's sleep."
"I can remember my first day here. It felt like I was dying."
"Say, what's up with the mattress they supply here, I don't think I'm going to be able to fall asleep on something like that."
"Don't tell me that you didn't bring your own mattress." She sounded horrified.
"I didn't." I admitted shamefully, "It didn't even cross my mind."
"Big mistake."
"I guess I'm not going to sleep as early as I thought I'd be."
"What are you going to do, go out and buy yourself a new mattress for tonight?"
"Very funny, Jamie." I said, "So how about we do meet today?"
"Do you know where Sarah's Café is?" she asked.
"Yeah, I think so, it's the one near campus, right?"
"Yeah, that's it. I'll meet you there in twenty minutes."
"Okay I'll see you there." hanging up I grabbed my keys and left.
"Jamie, hey." I said, smiling, as I spotted her sitting, a large cup of coffee in her hand.
"Hey," she put her cup down and got up. With a smile she gave me a warm hug, "I haven't seen you in such a long time, you've just disappeared."
"Yeah, I needed some time to think." We both took a seat.
"You must be really slow, it took you a year to think." She said, smirking at me.
"Funny," I smiled, "I just took my time, I really needed the rest."
"So now you're all ready and full of energy?"
"I guess so."
"So how come you didn't tell me that you were going to be here this year?"
"Look who's talking, it took you almost a year to tell me that you're studying here. What happened, did you just forget to mention it every time we spoke?"
"You never asked…" she said, smiling.
"So how are you doing?"
"Good, actually." She looked at me for a second, "So what brings you to Yale exactly?"
"I think I got sick of doing nothing all day long."
"So you thought you'd come and pass your time here?"
"Yeah, something like that. And if that doesn't work I can always come back to Hartford and fine my place in the family business."
"As long as you've got a backup plan…"
"You could join me if you want to." I offered, knowing what her answer would be.
"You know me, I'd rather make it on my own."
"Is your mother still bothering you about your major?"
"Yeah, but there's nothing she can do, I find psychology interesting and I want to know more about it. She'll give up eventually when she realizes that that's what I like and I'm not giving up this time, no matter what."
"Okay, then I'm happy for you." A young waitress came and took my order, James asked for another cup of coffee and the waitress left to get our order.
"So I guess you're a business major, right?"
"Didn't my mother tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"That I'm majoring in journalism." She seemed surprised, "I thought I'd give it a try."
"You're kidding."
"Nope, sorry to disappoint you."
"Quite the contrary, I feel pride." A different waitress came with our order and placed in front of us as we kept on talking.
"How come?" I inquired.
"I was sure that you'd give into your father's wishes."
"Actually, both my mother and my father approve of my choice."
"Your father didn't get mad when you told him?" she looked shocked at the thought.
"No. He was a little disappointed but that's all. And my mom gave me the impression that she was pleased with me going back to school, and to Yale no less."
"Your mom's always been cool."
"Yeah, she's always been very supportive of my choices. And somehow she's always been able to convince my father to let me do what I want."
"Except for that time when you got into trouble and he- " she stopped mid sentence, knowing that this was a touchy subject.
"And he took control and sent me to military school." I finished the sentence for her, "But he did it because he was sure that it would best for me."
"And he was right in a way, you've changed so much."
"Yeah, well, I had no other choice."
"I guess you've finally grown up."
"I guess so."
"So why journalism, may I ask?"
"I don't know. It was the first thing that popped into my head when I thought of going to college." I smiled, "So I thought I'd give it a go, after all, it's not like I'm the one paying for it…"
"As spoilt as ever, I see."
A smirk took the place of the smile, "That's just the way I am…"
"Do you live in the dorms or is daddy paying for an apartment too?"
"What, and miss the whole college experience?" I took a sip of my coffee, "But just so you know, I do have an apartment. He sort of forced it on me. But I do plan to live in the dorms, unless my roommate and I don't get along."
"I guess you have a point there."
"I know." I smirked again.
"It's so great that you're here. I know that you're just going to love it."
"I hope so."
"So do you have a girlfriend or something?"
"No. But I'm not really looking for one."
"You don't want a commitment, huh?"
"What about you, anyone special in your life?"
"I'll introduce you to him sometime. But you have to promise me that you won't be too protective."
"When have I ever-" I started to protest.
"Every single time." She cut me off, "And don't get me wrong, I appreciate that a lot but I've been with this guy for four months now, and he's really great." Smiling, she went on, "Even my parents approve, and you know how strict they are."
"Fine, I'll be on my best behavior, I promise."
"He really is a great guy, Tristan."
"I believe you." I said, smiling.
"And I know that you two are going to get along."
"Jamie, relax, I'm sure I'm going to like him." I assured her, seeing that this was really important to her.
She smiled in relief, "Good."
"You really this guy, don't you?"
"Yes, Tristan, I do."
"Don't worry, you said it yourself, he's a great guy and even your parents approve."
"Yeah, but you know that your opinion means a lot to me."
"Why don't we do this another time? I'm tired and I really want to go to sleep."
"Okay, I'll call you tomorrow." She said as we both stood up and I threw some money on the table.
"Thanks for the warning, now I know that I shouldn't answer the phone."
"Very funny." She said as we started walking.
I opened the door for her and we both stepped outside, "I'll talk to you tomorrow." She gave me a hug, turned around and left.
Knowing that I wouldn't be able to fall asleep on the mattress that was waiting for me in the dorm room I headed over to my apartment. Tomorrow I'd have to go and get myself a new one. Think that I'm spoilt all you want. But you wouldn't be able to sleep on that thing either. No matter how tired you are.
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