Society
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Beta: just hidden
Part One:Love and Hate
He wasn't supposed to be there.
Her mother had promised. Of course, she had broken promises before. It wasn't like she knew the repercussions of him being there. Usually it paid to have parents that were uninvolved in her life, but not tonight.
She had hated him at first. She hated him now. But she had also loved him, and she hated that part of her still did.
She motioned the bartender and handed her a shot of tequila. He knew she wasn't twenty-one, but it was her parents' part after all. Downing the shot, she felt the liquid burn down her throat.
This was going to be a long night.
He wasn't supposed to be there.
His parents, however, had made him. They knew she would be there, in fact, they were counting on it. They didn't know that she would never give their son the time of day, at least not willingly. Not after what he had done to her.
No. All they saw was her last name .The fact that she was worth billions of dollars and was single; or at least dating no one of significance.
He had broken her, and everyone knew. Well, not everyone, just everyone at Chilton Academy. It had been awful. Not even the cattiest girls would tease her about it. She had received sympathy looks from the entire school, even the teachers.
Logan, Colin, and Finn had stuck by him, but only after a week of giving him the cold shoulder. They had loved her like a sister, and had beaten him severely. Yet they had stuck by him.
Her face still haunted him. The look of utter disappointment and devastation that settled in her eyes would never leave his mind. The way those eyes filled with tears that she refused to let fall until she was no longer in his sight had broken his heart. Of course, some said that he didn't have a heart.
He wished that he could turn back time and stop that night from ever happening. He wished that he had never been so stupid.
He was still the king of the school. The title was more a formality, however. He was the captain of the basketball team and third in the class; of course, she was first.
He could have done what he did to any other girl and walked away unscathed; but she wasn't any other girl. She was beautiful, smart, and nice. The fact that she was heiress to two multi-billion dollar fortunes helped. But she didn't look down on anyone and that was odd.
She was like the Princess Di of the school. People wanted to hate her, but they couldn't.
She had flaws. Everyone does. There were prettier girls and there were smarter ones. But that didn't matter. To those around her she was the epitome of perfect, but she wasn't. Those at school saw her looks and how she was nice. They had never seen her break down. Even after the incident she had kept a stone face until she was in private. She would never give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
He knew everything about her. He knew that her parents didn't know a thing about her. He knew that she wasn't perfect. He knew that the scars on the back of her wrist weren't an accident. He knew that she covered them up with bracelets and make up.
Also, he knew that he would always love her, which was a curse.
It had all started in the sixth grade. Even then he had been a player and when he saw her he dubbed her 'Mary.' Something about her had captivated him and she had no idea. Her last name had sent a shockwave through the school. Even at the tender age of eleven, everyone knew what they what they would grow up to be; everyone except her.
Paris and Stephanie had dug up some information on her and found out why. She had grown up in the small town of Stars Hollow. Her mother had gotten pregnant at sixteen and she and her boyfriend ran away with her unborn child. The two married and with the money that they had each secretly been depositing in a secret account each month, they were able to buy a suitable house and pay for a nanny while they attended Stars Hollow High and got their diplomas.
She had been 18 months when her parents started Yale and her grandparents found them. Her parents weren't stupid, they knew that they would be found and had prepared for it. If her grandparents would pay for her parents to attend Yale, then they would move back to Hartford and, when she was old enough, allow them to launch their beautiful granddaughter into society.
It was a deal only two selfish eighteen year-olds would make, and had lived to regret it.
Of course, when she heard the story afterwards, her parents' decision confused her. If they wanted her to be society, then why run away at all?
Somehow, she had attended Stars Hollow Elementary school. Surprisingly, it had been her grandparents' idea. They knew that with her name she would get publicity. And they wanted to protect their granddaughter from that for as long as they could.
Every morning, her driver would drive her to Stars Hollow and pick her up thirty minutes after school ended. Even as a five year old, she was left to roam around the strange town and usually ended up at Luke's.
At first, the diner owner laughed when she ordered coffee. Then, he had given her a mug, not really expecting her to actually drink it, and a donut. He had suspected that she was just ordering it to sound sophisticated, not knowing that she was already sophisticated enough. When she handed him the five dollar bill and left, pink backpack and all, he was bewildered to find the mug empty. When she came back that afternoon, he refused to serve her, as he did every morning and afternoon for the following six years. But, somehow, she always managed to get coffee.
Her first day of Kindergarten was a little heartbreaking for her. She looked around and noticed that all the other boys and girls had at least one parent with them. Tears flooded her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. Her mother and father had never taken an interest in her life, so why should it bother her now?
Word had spread about the little girl around town, and the people of Stars Hollow found her fascinating. None of them realized that she was the baby that had lived there a little over three years ago. She had found a friend in Luke, who after seeing her walk to school alone one day, took it upon himself to make sure she arrived safely.
After fifth grade, she said goodbye to Luke and the friends she had made at school. Her teachers had never seen hide nor hair of any parental figure of hers and it saddened them a bit when they saw that she would not, in fact, be attending Stars Hollow Middle School.
Middle school had been where she met him and the people that were soon to be her best friends. She soon realized that these kids were just like her. Their parents would supply copious amounts of money without batting an eyelash, but had probably never told their children that they love them.
Lorelai Victoria Hayden hated her life.
She hated how her days consisted of DAR meetings and other clubs that she had vowed she would never join. She hated that she still held the nickname 'pregnant debutante.' She hated that she and Chris had let their parents into their life. She hated that she was still society. She hated that her daughter was part of society.
Lorelai Victoria Hayden loved her daughter.
She loved her unconditionally. But she didn't know how to be a mother. So when she sent her daughter off to school alone at the young age of five, she had no idea that she was supposed to go with her. She had given her daughter her name and that was it.
She hadn't known to punish her daughter, for her daughter had never done anything worth being punished. When she started Yale, her parents hired a nanny. Of course, it wasn't her daughter's first nanny, but the nanny in Stars Hollow had told her about her daughter's day. The nanny Emily Gilmore hired was a society nanny who abided by one rule: keep the child out of the parents' way.
After a while, Lorelai stopped trying to learn about her daughter, and it was something she would always regret. She knew her daughter was smart and she knew her daughter was beautiful. But that was it.
Lorelai Victoria Hayden loved her husband.
Christopher was her one and only and he loved her just as much as she loved him. Their relationship reminded her of her parents'. It was the one thing she would openly admit to having in common with her parents.
She didn't know that her daughter's heart had been broken by Tristan DuGrey, her best friend turned boyfriend turned ex-boyfriend, and she was glad she didn't know. Because if she did, it would have made the decision she and her husband made, so much harder to make.
Tristan Dugrey was in for it.
He hadn't been to a party thrown by the Gilmore-Hayden's since last year. Before everything happened. Before Rory had rightfully dumped him.
Every room held a memory. The kitchen reminded him of their first kissed. The living room reminded him of making out when they were supposed to be studying. Her bedroom reminded him of when they first made love.
His house was the same way, but she didn't inhabit his house.
Logan, Colin, and Finn were with him. Although he'd never admit it, he was glad he had a support system. He knew they still saw Rory, even though they tried to hide it from him.
All he knew was that his parents were announcing something tonight, something that involved Rory and her family.
Rory.
On very few occasions did he call her Rory. He had stuck to Mary. It had started as a taunt and turned into a nickname which then evolved into a loving pet name. She had never admitted it, but she had grown fond to the name.
Now, whenever he tried to talk to her, she didn't answer him at all. Not even if he called her Mary.
He saw her by the bar talking to Stephanie and Rosemary. Even now, she took his breath away.
"Hey, can I borrow Finn for a moment?" Paris's voice broke him out of his trance.
Finn's face lit up. "Of course, love," he responded suavely.
"Not for that Finn. Someone needs your help," Paris glared at the Australian and pulled him away from the group
Tristan Dugrey was not stupid.
He knew she was talking about Rory. His eyes followed Paris and Finn as they neared Rory.
"Love!" Finn called out.
She smiled.
He missed that smile.
Lorelai 'Rory' Gilmore-Hayden was eighteen years old and in her last year of high school. She had started senior year with a boyfriend and was ending without one.
She missed him. She hated that she missed him.
"Are you okay Ror?" asked Paris.
Rory instantly looked to her feet, not wanting one of her best friends to know she was following her ex with her eyes.
"Yeah, of course, why wouldn't I be?"
Paris gave her a knowing look, "Its okay, you know."
"What's okay?" Rory asked.
"If you miss him," Paris replied automatically.
"I don't want to," Rory whispered.
"I know," Paris put a comforting arm around her friend. "I'm going to go get Finn. He's bound to have something stronger on him," Paris motioned to Rory's empty shot glass.
Paris walked away and Rory was immediately joined by Stephanie and Rosemary.
"Hey sweetie," Rosemary greeted her sympathetically.
"You doing okay?" asked Stephanie.
Before she could answer, she felt him. He was looking at her. Again. Her body tensed up. He was always looking at her and she hated it. He did it in class, in the hall, during lunch.
"Rory, what's wrong?"
"He's doing it again," was all she said.
"Love!" Rory heard the Australian voice ring through the room. She couldn't help but smile.
She waited for Paris and Finn to get closer before greeting him, "Hey Finn," she kissed him on the cheek.
"Need something?" He asked as he pulled his flask from his jacket pocket.
"Please?" She gave him her Bambi eyes.
"You don't even have to ask, Love," he watched her take a sip, as did the other three girls.
"I'm alright, you know. I'm not just going to break down because he's here," she told them.
"We know, we just worry," Rosemary told her.
They were all silent or a moment.
"So what's the excuse for the party this time?" asked Finn.
"Dad's making an announcement about the business," Rory replied casually. "I don't see why we had to attend."
As if on cue, a sharp ringing noise was heard throughout the room. It was the noise that was made when a spoon tapped a champagne glass.
"If I could all have your attention please," Christopher Hayden called. He was in the middle of the room accompanied by his wife.
There was a slight buzz before the room went silent. He was, after all, Christopher Hayden.
"I'm sure you all wondered why you are all here. So, without further or due, I have an announcement," he started.
Well that's stating the obvious thought Rory.
"As you all know, Hayden law firm has been around for many years. It was started by my grandfather. For almost as long, Dugrey law firm has been there too. Well, as of this afternoon, it is Dugrey and Hayden partners at law," announced Christopher.
A thunderous applause exploded in the room, but Rory heard none of it.
It all made sense now.
"And that's not all," her father continued. "Although they have kept their relationship a secret, we thought you should all know that my daughter Lorelai is getting married."
"To my son, Tristan," added John Dugrey.
And that was when Rory fainted.
I know, another arranged marriage fic, but I couldn't resist. Should I continue? Please Review!