Life on the fast track.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own anything remotely close to Gilmore Girls!
Prologue
As Rory sits watching the chairs in front of her getting filled one by one with his parents' friends, who are all wearing black with matching handkerchiefs, she is hit by the hypocrisy of it all. In all the ways that matters these people flooding in didn't know him. They only knew what his parents wanted them to know, not the real one, the one she knew and because of this she knows how much he despised them and all they stands for, the world he escaped not much unlike her own mother. Rory snaps back to reality at the sight of Tristan's parents walking pass her in order to get to their seats on the front rove and as expected they don't take any notice of her. Just the mere sight of them makes Rory sick to her stomach.
"How are you holding up?" Jess's voice causes her to jump because she hasn't paid enough attention to her surroundings to notice he has slid down on the seat next to her.
"Sick", Rory answers through gritted teeth and nods towards Mr and Mrs Dugrey.
"I hear you", Jess's girlfriend and Tristan and Rory's friend Paris adds. "I've known Tristan my whole life and just seeing them here after everything they put him through makes me furious".
"Yeah, I mean how dare they come here playing all loving parents after all that has happened", a seething Rory says.
"Rory, deep breaths", Jess sooths her.
"Thanks. I think it's about to start".
The three of them turn their attention to priest talking up front.
On the evening when the formal, make-belief grieving family display is over Rory, Jess and Paris met up at Tristan's favourite place in Connecticut, the Case Mountain, for their own informal service. Rory however, is running a bit late, as usual, and consequently are the last one to arrive. After the hike up there she nods her hello to Paris before she turns around to take in the view.
"The first time Tristan took me up here coincided with the first time he let his guard down entirely around me. I remember standing right here watching him looking at the very same view and hearing him telling me how much he loved to come up here, how it gave him a perspective on life, Hartford or hell as he referred to it or his dad when they had gotten into it for the umpteenth time. He went on saying how it made him realize that Hartford wasn't the only place to live and that there where a hell of a lot of people having it a lot worse than him, basically this was his safe haven, the only place he could find peace and an escape from the elite life which he hated with passion his entire life, but never let anyone known until the end".
"Yeah, I remember how we used to sneak up here all the time during high school, for different reasons of course but it was still our time", Paris remembers.
At this point Jess comes from the woods carrying some firewood for the fire they already have started.
"Rory it is about time you showed up".
"And a big hello to you too Jess".
Jess just roles his eyes at Rory's obvious sarcasm and continues what he was doing until Rory surrenders as always.
"Fine, I'm sorry it took me longer than I thought but it was a success".
"Great I just can't wait to see the look on his parents' faces when they find out", Jess says.
"Neither can I and the beauty of it all is that they can't do a damn thing about it because by the time they find out it will be too late", Paris continues.
"Yeah, I think I rubbed off more on you Gilmore than I originally thought", Jess beams.
"Well don't get cocky over here"
Jess just sticks his tongue out at Rory before they each grab a snack and soda from their backpacks and sit down by the fire. Paris, who has brought her portable CD-player, puts on ONE OF US IS GONNA DIE YOUNG and they listen for a while in silence staring into the flames until Paris speaks.
"Why don't you start Rory?"
Rory merely nods and starts her story.
"What can you say about Tristan really?" Other than he was a hard person to figure out, which was something that constantly intrigued me. I'll say this much though, he turned out to be completely different than I thought after our first encounter.
TBC
Authors note: The song ONE OF US IS GONNA DIE YOUNG, is performed by the Ark, in the first draft I had FOREVER YOUNG there but I just thought this was fitting too so I took the liberty to change it, anyway enough with the ramblings already