Silent Tears
Chapter 2, please R&R for me thanx so much!
Rory quickly looked down, as the rest of the class started to file in. Tristin saw the same fear in Rory's eyes once more, the petrified look, he once again felt that chill. Tristin made his way to his seat and sat down, unsure of what was going on with Rory. He silently swore to himself that he would find out and help her.
"Class can you please open up to page 345 of your textbooks and read the story. I will be handing back your tests from last week. Some of you should not be happy." Mr. Medina answers
He makes his way up and down the aisles handing out test after test, Tristin catches Rory's grade of 91% before Mr. Medina places it on her desk.
The class dragged on, they class read the story and had a quick disussion on the book. Rory glanced up at the clock a minute to go. Had class gone by that quickly? Maybe that was a good thing, maybe it was sign. Maybe-
"Ms. Gilmore please stay after we need to discuss something"
Tristin didn't even need to look up, to know the expression on Rory's face, he could feel it burning in his soul.
"I guess Rory is one of those who should not be happy with their grade" Madeline observes
"Yea, she must be in danger of failing or why else would she have to stay after so much." Louise comments
"I wish I could see Mr. Medina yelling at her, but there is that dumb perseverance poster on the door window." Madeline complains
Tristin glances at the door, sure enough the poster made it impossible to see into the room.
******************
"You're tense" Mr. Medina observes "How come?"
"I am just in a hurry to catch my bus" Rory answers trying to sound collected
"I just wanted to let you know, that if you ever feel as though you are falling behind in any of your subjects I would not mind tutoring you, I know how important Chilton and Harvard is to you. And you wouldn't want something to stand in the way of it…..would you?" Mr. Medina places a hand on Rory's shoulder.
Rory's breath catches in her throat. Cutting off the oxygen flow from her brain. She began to feel lightheaded. She needed to get out of here. This can't happen again. Not again- Rory hears the sound of buses and she jumps up. "I need to go catch my bus"
"I think you may of missed it. Let me drive you."
"No I can still see it."
"I insist" Mr. Medina grabs his keys and follows Rory outside.
"Rory! Hey you ready to go?" Tristin asks cheerfully.
Rory's eyes light up *Tristin!* "Yea I can't wait" She says trying to sound cheerful and happy
"Hi Mr. Medina, nice day isn't it?" Tristin asks
"Yes it is" Mr. Medina answers in a strained tone.
"Well we'll be seeing you." Tristin waves as he and Rory walk off to his car.
*This car has saved my life- twice now* Rory thinks to herself.
"What was that about?" Tristin asks the second Rory sinks into the car sighing a breath of relief.
"Mr. Medina needed to talk to me."
"About?" Tristin asks pushing the question
"My grades, he said he wanted to make sure nothing stood in the way of Harvard for me"
"Rory nothing is standing in the way of Harvard you are on a straight path to Harvard." Tristin answers "And why has he been asking you to stay after so much?"
"Look I have a headache can you just take me home?" Rory answers
"Question with a question" Tristin mutters as he starts off for Rory's house.
*********************
"Thanks again Tristin" Rory says hesitating to open the door. The car was so safe the only place she was safe and felt happy. Now she was leaving it.
"No problem, since tomorrow is Saturday you want to hang out then? I can come over so you have no excuses or anything." Tristin smiles
"Sounds great" Rory answers
"I'll be here at 2:00" Tristin calls pulling out of their driveway.
"Bye"
"Rory?" Lorelai calls when she hears the door slam. "That was Max, what's going on with you? He said he offered you help in your classes and you declined?"
"I don't need any help" Rory answers
"He said you got a test back today and you got a 75% on it, it seems like you could use some help"
Rory's eyes grew large
"Rory, Max does update me every once in a while on how you are doing in school, I am shocked at this grade. I have to admit"
"But-"
"Honey this isn't a punishment but I think it will be a good idea for Max to help you, I'm going out to take care of some errands, Max is coming over now he will help you out until I get back. It will only be for about a half hour, but he said even that will help"
Rory couldn't breathe, that feeling came back to her. She thought she was going to faint. She couldn't even reply.
"See you later Rory" Lorelai calls opening the door "Hey Max, she's in the living room."
"Rory, please sit, I need to talk to you about your grades." Mr. Medina says when the door slams shut.
Rory sits, unsure of what to expect.
"Now I'm sure you know that I will be tutoring you, and I'm sure you have heard of the 75% on a test" He brushes a strand of hair behind her ear "Now we wouldn't want you to get a 75% for your quarterly or for your final grade. Would we?"
The anger suddenly boiled up in Rory, she could feel her blood boiling *Fight back* Her mind screamed. "No, I don't and I want my honest grades back, I won't except this" She says evenly rising.
She was soon back in her seat, his hand connected to her face. It stung like nothing has ever stung before, she sat there numbly wondering what happened. She felt all her power leaving her body, and began to feel hopeless once again.
"Now you listen to me. Unless you want to fail english you will come everyday after school and I will tutor you. Do you understand me?" Mr. Medina growls
Rory nods
"Good, now why don't you go and clean yourself up, I'll tell your mother you said bye, I hear her car pulling up."
Rory exits the room and goes into the bathroom. She hears her mother call a good-bye as she goes out the door with Max.
****************
Rory step outside, and just as last night she headed over to Luke's. *I must look horrible* She thought to herself, she hadn't even bothered to brush her hair, or put on some make-up.
"Hey Rory, coffee?" Luke greets her.
"Thanks" She says sitting down.
"You doing OK?" Luke asks putting the cup down
"Yup" She answers looking out into space. She tucks her hair behind her ear.
"What happened to you?" Luke exclaims "Your face is all red."
"It's nothing." Rory looks down allowing her hair to fall back in place.
"Did someone hit you?"
"Of course not!" Rory claims
Luke sighs, he was getting no where and something was wrong, he made a mental note to bring this up with Lorelai.
*******************
"Morning Luke" Lorelai says cheerfully
"How's Rory?" Luke asks pouring out a cup of coffee.
"Sleeping, poor kid, her grades have been suffering a little at school so I made her get a tutor."
"Tristin?" Luke asks
"No, Mr. Medina her english teacher." Lorelai answers "Well I'll be seeing you Luke"
Luke remembers the words of Tristin the night before : "Speaking of Mr. Medina why did you have to stay after today? Madeline and Louise said you have been having to stay after quite often." Tristin interjects
Luke could feel it something wasn't right, but he couldn't place it.
********************
"Rory, why you look like you just woke up!" Tristin says when the door opens
Rory mumbles something which was most likely translated to morning and walked to her kitchen.
"Coffee?" She asks
"Sure, so did you really just wake up?"
"I had a rough sleep, I haven't been getting much sleep lately." Rory admits
"What happened to your face? It looks all red. You must of slept on that side on night" Tristin comments
Rory puts her hand to her face gingerly "That must be it." She mumbles
"So do you want to go see a movie?"
"Sure, I'll go get dressed."
Tristin gets up and puts his cup into the sink, he sees note on the counter written by Lorelai, explaining she was having a brunch with Max and would be home later.
"Hey Rory is your mom is dating Mr. Medina right?" He calls
"Yea, why?"
"So then he's around here a lot?"
"You could say that" Rory opens the door "Why?"
"Just curious" Tristin shrugs
"You ready to go?"
"Yup" Tristin walks over to the door. "After you" He smiles
****************
The weekend flew by, Rory only saw Mr. Medina once, but Luke and Tristin were getting nosier by the minute, always asking her questions. Rory wished she was back at Luke's for another investigation of his. He was always so funny about it, she desperately wished her mom had fallen for Luke and not……him
"Good Afternoon class" Mr. Medina says "Today we are just having free reading, take out your books and read for the remainder of the period."
Rory settled back into her chair, all intentions to get lost in a book, which she did until it was almost the end of the period.
"Excuse but may I go to the bathroom?" Tristin asks
"Tristin can you wait, the bell is going to ring in a minute"
"I can but then the janitor may not be very happy" Tristin replies
"Very well, go then" Mr. Medina waves him on.
The bell rang the class filed out, Rory was once again asked to stay after. She trembled in her seat. As he neared her, she once again could feel his breath on her neck.
"Hello Ladies" Tristin says walking past Madeline and Louise and Paris
"I wouldn't go in there" Paris informs in
"And why is that?"
"Cause Rory is getting nailed again" Paris answers
"Then I really should. I would love to see that, and besides I left my school bag in there." Tristin smiles as the three girls walked away.
Tristin swings the door open and strolls in, as he suspected Rory and Mr. Medina were both in there, what he didn't expect was the amount of room left between Mr. Medina as he was leaning over Rory, or maybe the amount of space that wasn't there, he was practically completely over her.
"Mr. DuGrey" Mr. Medina says straightening up "What can I do for you?"
Tristin pointed "I forgot my bag, and Rory and I have a date this afternoon"
"I wasn't aware I was holding Rory back from a date, my apologies, I was helping her with a problem she was having. Isn't that right Rory?" He asks looking at her.
Rory nods, not daring to speak.
"Well come on baby we got to get going" Tristin smiles reaching out his hand taking Rory's in his. "See you later Mr. Medina"
"Bye Tristin, bye Rory"
***********************
"What the hell was that?" Tristin demands when they were both safely in his car.
"You wouldn't understand or believe me for that matter" Rory says softly
"Try me, is Mr. Medina I mean. He was standing to close, it didn't seem right, something is going on and I want to know right now." Tristin stammers
Rory looks over to Trisitn her blue eyes filled with tears threatening to overflow and stain her face. Yet she dare not speak for another minute, and finally she tells Tristin everything.
TBC"d please R&R