Author's note- This is the last chapter and an epilogue will be up soon.
Thank you for the reviews smile1, piper-h-99, jalana, and anonymous. I am
trying to take a different spin on Tristan's character though, but yea he
will realize what has happened and be very ashamed: D.
There are a lot of POV changes in this chapter and flashbacks so pay attention to those.
Chapter 9- Easier to run
Rory's POV~
"It was awful Rory, you didn't see it." Paris continued to sob, but at least she was saying something.
"No I didn't, but I won't know what is going on unless you tell me." I reminded her, walking around the girl's restroom. I usually made a point not to go to the restrooms in public places so it was kind of weird being in here voluntarily.
"Why are you trying to help me Rory?" Paris asked suddenly, making me wonder I actually was.
"I don't know you seem like you are really upset about something." I replied, shrugging my shoulders slightly.
"Well yea I am but I was such a bitch to you." She said uneasily, shifting her feet beneath the stall doors. I sighed and walked over to the mirror, brushing stray hairs out of my eyes. My creamy complexion still had a slight blush from the previous events of the day.
I smiled softly, thinking about the previous days events. It was crazy, hectic, and wild but in truth I loved it.
"It was Tristan..." she finally muttered, breaking my thoughts and linking them with hers.
Tristan's POV~~~
I kicked a small pebble with the toe of my tennis shoes as I continued down a path of sticks and stones and worst of all heartbreak...
~~~~Flashback~~~~
I sighed softly, following the young girl down the path to the bridge I had been so many times before, my hand safely kept in a hand it had been held by so many times before.
The warm sun sparkled beneath the trees as we sped up, wanting to get to the destination faster.
"Here we are." She announced giddy.
We began to lie down softly as though not to disturb the peaceful vibe that seemed to surround the area.
"I need to tell you something..." Rory said carefully, a few minutes later.
"Me to but you first, Ok?" I replied, giving her a grin.
"I got accepted to Yale." She said, breaking my heart although it is not as though I didn't expect it.
"I did too." I replied coolly, hearing an intake of breath from her. I knew that would make her happy but that the next part would make her mad.
"But I am going to military school instead." I added, waiting for the slight wince from her but I never received it. Why? Why, because she was out cold.
End of flashback~~~
I laughed softly, not really even thinking it was that funny.
"Tristan?" a voice asked, causing me to turn around.
"Lane?" I asked, confused.
Rory's POV~
"Oh my gosh, that jerk!" I exclaimed after Paris told me what had happened between her and Tristan.
"It is ok, it is all in the past and besides I should have never trusted him anyway." She said, giving me a sad look. I frowned slightly, knowing I had heard that story before, the question was where? I sat down on the bench, my brows furred in thought.
"Ashley." I exclaimed suddenly, grabbing the pole beside me.
"Yea that was her name." Paris said, giving me a weird look.
"Yea she was the one who hooked up with my dad." I said softly, wondering how one reunion could mess everything the crap up.
"Are you ok?" Paris finally asked.
"Yea I was just thinking..." I said, trailing off slightly.
"We should probably go out, you need to claim your crown don't you?" she said, attempting a slight joke to lighten the mood.
"Yea." I said quietly, heaving myself off the bench and out the swinging door, the locket sitting broken on the linoleum floor.
~~~Flashback~~~
"I got something for you." Tristan said slyly. I smiled softly, watching as he took out a velvet box and pulled out a golden locket. A picture of the two of us on both sides.
I grinned and lifted my hair as he slipped the golden chain around my neck and clasped it in the back.
"So you will always remember me." he whispered, kissing the back of my neck.
"I don't think I will need a locket to do that." I said solemnly.
~~~end of flashback~~~
'It turns out I don't.' I muttered to myself, heading into the sitting area.
"There you are Rory, where is Tristan?" summer asked.
"I don't know, he's around here somewhere." I said, exasperated.
"Well find him so we can take pictures." She said, racing off to help someone who was chocking on a cracker. Sighing I turned around and began to look.
Tristan's POV~~~
"What are you doing here?" she asked sharply, refusing to look me in the eye.
"Might I ask you the same?" I replied coolly, looking at my lifeless expression in the clear, blue water. Well technically it wasn't really blue, it was more greenish yellowish. Why do they assume water is blue when it is really clear? Or maybe I am the only one who assumes it is blue and--- .
"I don't believe that is any of your business." She said crisply, sitting down on the bridge.
"Vice-versa." I said, stupidly.
"Ok then." She remarked, turning away from me.
"Fine." I said profoundly.
"Why do you have to be so arrogant?" She finally asked taking me a bit by surprise.
"You don't even know me so you can't say that." I shot back, a little pissed now.
"Well why WERE you arrogant?" she asked again.
"That would be a. none of your business and b. Nothing you would want to know about." I said harshly, not wanting to continue this conversation.
"You know, I can kind of see why Rory is so hateful about you." Lane remarked, standing up. "I have got to go." She added, pivoting around and walking off, her words stinging me hard but more so it was questions that I had.
Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair and sat down, dangling my feet over the edge and rocking my body back and forth, back and forth.
Then a few moments later, rising, I headed to Luke's for some lunch.
Rory's POV~~~
"He's not here." I said, pacing back and forth behind the mini-stage that had been set up. I had been doing a lot of that lately.
"Then where is he?" Paris asked, coming up behind me.
"How should I know?" I asked, throwing my hands up.
"Then he has missed his chance. The king of Chilton will not ever claim his crown, now go up there and get yours. A little add in about Paris helping you might make me happier." She joked, pushing me through the curtains to great many Chilton ex-students, some pleasant and some as cruel as they get.
An hour later~~~~~~~~~
"It is been really nice seeing you again Paris." I said, giving her a hug voluntarily, it shocked even me, and saying my goodbyes.
Lunch was over.
The last day of reunion was over.
It was all over.
And Tristan was no where to speak of.
Why was I concerned?
Why did I care?
These questions and many others was what drove me outside, with the one question. How was I going to get home?
I grabbed my cell phone and called Lane, hoping she was home.
"Hello?" I heard her say.
"Hey it is me Rory, I am kind of stranded at the garden home in Hartford could you come and get me and bring me to Luke's? I need my coffee." I asked, hoping she would agree.
"Sure of course be there in twenty-five." She replied, hanging up. Forgetting one small detail... Tristan was still at Luke's.
Tristan's POV~~~
I starred down at the bar, tracing the outlines of the many scratches that were on top of the bar at Luke's. My thick fingers looked so big compared to the little etchings that were in the counter and---.
"Thanks for the ride Lane." Rory called, letting the door slam behind her. I looked up and my eyes pulled over to the entrance where she stood. The hateful words came back into memory and in reflex, I jumped from my seat throwing a twenty on the table and bolting out. Back to the bridge cause I had already broken a promise to my mom that I couldn't face her about.
I heard the patter of feet behind me, causing me to speed up, sweat pouring down my features and probably drowning poor innocent ants that happened to be walking across the ground beneath my stride.
I reached the bridge in record time and sat down tiredly.
"What do you want Lane? You already hurt me once." I said, not even bothering to look up.
"I'm not Lane." Rory said softly.
"My mistake." I said.
"Damn right it is, it always is." she barked, the soft tone that escaped her lips earlier now crude and un-just.
"What is that suppose to mean Gilmore?" I asked, looking up.
"You had sex with some other girl while dating Paris." She screamed, as if in disbelief. Well I had always shown Rory a different side of me than anyone else. In truth, the memory of fuckin someone was so far gone for me.
"You don't understand." I said patiently, "and you are preaching to the choir ok?" I added, chuckling softly that I had finally found a use for that idiotic phrase. My mom and dad had certainly said it to me enough.
"It isn't funny and Paris told me about it so I understand." She said.
"I wasn't laughing about that and you can't say you understand until you here two sides of the story." I said, calmly.
"Then tell me yours." She challenged, thinking I couldn't weave out of this but I could. I was Tristan; I could weave out of anything.
"Maybe I don't want you to understand." I said.
"Why wouldn't you?" she asked.
"Maybe because I have worked to hard to keep our relationship out of all the shit in my life and you just keep pulling me there and if you found out about all the shit I have done you would never talk to me again." I replied, standing up when I realized how weak I looked sitting down.
"Oh is that so? I would rather know about your shit than you lie to Me." she barked.
"I don't like to refer to it as lying more as not telling the complete truth." I replied.
Rory's POV~~~
"Not telling the whole truth?" I spat, my insides rolling over with amusement.
"Yea sure." He said, shrugging it off. What happened this afternoon? I began to wonder. Something did---
"What happened to you?" I asked suddenly, a weird look on my face.
"What do you mean? You got mad at me for showing you *lies* as you call it so I will just be myself." He said, giving me a weird look.
"Look whatever Tristan, I am leaving tomorrow so I have got to go." I said exasperated with the whole thing.
I was going to leave and forget this all ever happened.
Please review~~
IcAnCu
There are a lot of POV changes in this chapter and flashbacks so pay attention to those.
Chapter 9- Easier to run
Rory's POV~
"It was awful Rory, you didn't see it." Paris continued to sob, but at least she was saying something.
"No I didn't, but I won't know what is going on unless you tell me." I reminded her, walking around the girl's restroom. I usually made a point not to go to the restrooms in public places so it was kind of weird being in here voluntarily.
"Why are you trying to help me Rory?" Paris asked suddenly, making me wonder I actually was.
"I don't know you seem like you are really upset about something." I replied, shrugging my shoulders slightly.
"Well yea I am but I was such a bitch to you." She said uneasily, shifting her feet beneath the stall doors. I sighed and walked over to the mirror, brushing stray hairs out of my eyes. My creamy complexion still had a slight blush from the previous events of the day.
I smiled softly, thinking about the previous days events. It was crazy, hectic, and wild but in truth I loved it.
"It was Tristan..." she finally muttered, breaking my thoughts and linking them with hers.
Tristan's POV~~~
I kicked a small pebble with the toe of my tennis shoes as I continued down a path of sticks and stones and worst of all heartbreak...
~~~~Flashback~~~~
I sighed softly, following the young girl down the path to the bridge I had been so many times before, my hand safely kept in a hand it had been held by so many times before.
The warm sun sparkled beneath the trees as we sped up, wanting to get to the destination faster.
"Here we are." She announced giddy.
We began to lie down softly as though not to disturb the peaceful vibe that seemed to surround the area.
"I need to tell you something..." Rory said carefully, a few minutes later.
"Me to but you first, Ok?" I replied, giving her a grin.
"I got accepted to Yale." She said, breaking my heart although it is not as though I didn't expect it.
"I did too." I replied coolly, hearing an intake of breath from her. I knew that would make her happy but that the next part would make her mad.
"But I am going to military school instead." I added, waiting for the slight wince from her but I never received it. Why? Why, because she was out cold.
End of flashback~~~
I laughed softly, not really even thinking it was that funny.
"Tristan?" a voice asked, causing me to turn around.
"Lane?" I asked, confused.
Rory's POV~
"Oh my gosh, that jerk!" I exclaimed after Paris told me what had happened between her and Tristan.
"It is ok, it is all in the past and besides I should have never trusted him anyway." She said, giving me a sad look. I frowned slightly, knowing I had heard that story before, the question was where? I sat down on the bench, my brows furred in thought.
"Ashley." I exclaimed suddenly, grabbing the pole beside me.
"Yea that was her name." Paris said, giving me a weird look.
"Yea she was the one who hooked up with my dad." I said softly, wondering how one reunion could mess everything the crap up.
"Are you ok?" Paris finally asked.
"Yea I was just thinking..." I said, trailing off slightly.
"We should probably go out, you need to claim your crown don't you?" she said, attempting a slight joke to lighten the mood.
"Yea." I said quietly, heaving myself off the bench and out the swinging door, the locket sitting broken on the linoleum floor.
~~~Flashback~~~
"I got something for you." Tristan said slyly. I smiled softly, watching as he took out a velvet box and pulled out a golden locket. A picture of the two of us on both sides.
I grinned and lifted my hair as he slipped the golden chain around my neck and clasped it in the back.
"So you will always remember me." he whispered, kissing the back of my neck.
"I don't think I will need a locket to do that." I said solemnly.
~~~end of flashback~~~
'It turns out I don't.' I muttered to myself, heading into the sitting area.
"There you are Rory, where is Tristan?" summer asked.
"I don't know, he's around here somewhere." I said, exasperated.
"Well find him so we can take pictures." She said, racing off to help someone who was chocking on a cracker. Sighing I turned around and began to look.
Tristan's POV~~~
"What are you doing here?" she asked sharply, refusing to look me in the eye.
"Might I ask you the same?" I replied coolly, looking at my lifeless expression in the clear, blue water. Well technically it wasn't really blue, it was more greenish yellowish. Why do they assume water is blue when it is really clear? Or maybe I am the only one who assumes it is blue and--- .
"I don't believe that is any of your business." She said crisply, sitting down on the bridge.
"Vice-versa." I said, stupidly.
"Ok then." She remarked, turning away from me.
"Fine." I said profoundly.
"Why do you have to be so arrogant?" She finally asked taking me a bit by surprise.
"You don't even know me so you can't say that." I shot back, a little pissed now.
"Well why WERE you arrogant?" she asked again.
"That would be a. none of your business and b. Nothing you would want to know about." I said harshly, not wanting to continue this conversation.
"You know, I can kind of see why Rory is so hateful about you." Lane remarked, standing up. "I have got to go." She added, pivoting around and walking off, her words stinging me hard but more so it was questions that I had.
Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair and sat down, dangling my feet over the edge and rocking my body back and forth, back and forth.
Then a few moments later, rising, I headed to Luke's for some lunch.
Rory's POV~~~
"He's not here." I said, pacing back and forth behind the mini-stage that had been set up. I had been doing a lot of that lately.
"Then where is he?" Paris asked, coming up behind me.
"How should I know?" I asked, throwing my hands up.
"Then he has missed his chance. The king of Chilton will not ever claim his crown, now go up there and get yours. A little add in about Paris helping you might make me happier." She joked, pushing me through the curtains to great many Chilton ex-students, some pleasant and some as cruel as they get.
An hour later~~~~~~~~~
"It is been really nice seeing you again Paris." I said, giving her a hug voluntarily, it shocked even me, and saying my goodbyes.
Lunch was over.
The last day of reunion was over.
It was all over.
And Tristan was no where to speak of.
Why was I concerned?
Why did I care?
These questions and many others was what drove me outside, with the one question. How was I going to get home?
I grabbed my cell phone and called Lane, hoping she was home.
"Hello?" I heard her say.
"Hey it is me Rory, I am kind of stranded at the garden home in Hartford could you come and get me and bring me to Luke's? I need my coffee." I asked, hoping she would agree.
"Sure of course be there in twenty-five." She replied, hanging up. Forgetting one small detail... Tristan was still at Luke's.
Tristan's POV~~~
I starred down at the bar, tracing the outlines of the many scratches that were on top of the bar at Luke's. My thick fingers looked so big compared to the little etchings that were in the counter and---.
"Thanks for the ride Lane." Rory called, letting the door slam behind her. I looked up and my eyes pulled over to the entrance where she stood. The hateful words came back into memory and in reflex, I jumped from my seat throwing a twenty on the table and bolting out. Back to the bridge cause I had already broken a promise to my mom that I couldn't face her about.
I heard the patter of feet behind me, causing me to speed up, sweat pouring down my features and probably drowning poor innocent ants that happened to be walking across the ground beneath my stride.
I reached the bridge in record time and sat down tiredly.
"What do you want Lane? You already hurt me once." I said, not even bothering to look up.
"I'm not Lane." Rory said softly.
"My mistake." I said.
"Damn right it is, it always is." she barked, the soft tone that escaped her lips earlier now crude and un-just.
"What is that suppose to mean Gilmore?" I asked, looking up.
"You had sex with some other girl while dating Paris." She screamed, as if in disbelief. Well I had always shown Rory a different side of me than anyone else. In truth, the memory of fuckin someone was so far gone for me.
"You don't understand." I said patiently, "and you are preaching to the choir ok?" I added, chuckling softly that I had finally found a use for that idiotic phrase. My mom and dad had certainly said it to me enough.
"It isn't funny and Paris told me about it so I understand." She said.
"I wasn't laughing about that and you can't say you understand until you here two sides of the story." I said, calmly.
"Then tell me yours." She challenged, thinking I couldn't weave out of this but I could. I was Tristan; I could weave out of anything.
"Maybe I don't want you to understand." I said.
"Why wouldn't you?" she asked.
"Maybe because I have worked to hard to keep our relationship out of all the shit in my life and you just keep pulling me there and if you found out about all the shit I have done you would never talk to me again." I replied, standing up when I realized how weak I looked sitting down.
"Oh is that so? I would rather know about your shit than you lie to Me." she barked.
"I don't like to refer to it as lying more as not telling the complete truth." I replied.
Rory's POV~~~
"Not telling the whole truth?" I spat, my insides rolling over with amusement.
"Yea sure." He said, shrugging it off. What happened this afternoon? I began to wonder. Something did---
"What happened to you?" I asked suddenly, a weird look on my face.
"What do you mean? You got mad at me for showing you *lies* as you call it so I will just be myself." He said, giving me a weird look.
"Look whatever Tristan, I am leaving tomorrow so I have got to go." I said exasperated with the whole thing.
I was going to leave and forget this all ever happened.
Please review~~
IcAnCu