Author's Note: uhh…wow. I haven't written in SUCH a long time. I'm so sorry. I've been so busy with school, even though I'm on vacation. I know that's not a good excuse but I was having writer's block too but now I don't anymore! YAY! Now please read my story. This chapter is seven pages typed on Microsoft Word in Size 12, so it's a pretty long chapter, enjoy it, I think only one more is in order to complete this fic and then onto new ones. How exciting! Here it goes….
Back to You
Chapter 10: Relatively Normal
* * *
Someday we'll know
If love can move a mountain
Someday we'll know
Why the sky is blue
Someday we'll know
Why I wasn't meant for you
Someday We'll Know, Mandy Moore feat. Jonathan Foreman. * * *
Rory smiled at her mother who was busy begging Luke for coffee. It felt so good to be back here at Luke's like old times. Deep in her heart she knew it wasn't like old times anymore, the past few months had caused a strain on their relationship, being best friends and mother/daughter duo was a hard task. But they had managed somehow and now they were okay. They weren't on the best of terms, there were some awkward silences between their conversations but it was relatively normal for them. The bell on the door jingled merrily and Rory turned to see her best friend Lane. She was glowing, literally. "Lane?"
"Oh my god!" she squealed and twirled around in a circle before unceremoniously plopping herself in the chair beside Rory. "What's going on?" Rory asked in amusement of her friend.
"One, your back! And two…" Lane trailed off and smiled to herself. "Tell me!"
"Dave kissed me," the two girls squealed and then hugged. "That's so great! When did this happen,"
"This morning,"
"Details please!"
"Well he's been out sick for most of the week at school so today I had just gone over to drop off some of the homework left over. He was standing there leaning against his door looking cute, as always. He said thank you and I kind of whispered you're welcome and then he kissed me!" she shrieked. "That's great Lane. I'm happy for you,"
"What about you?"
"What do you mean what about me?"
"I haven't talked to you since you turned into Miss Chilton. Any boyfriends?"
"Oh god," Rory mutters closing her eyes and putting her head on the table. "What? Is it something I said?" Lane asks worriedly.
"There is a guy…. but I was, am using, I'm so horrible. Remember Grant Duke and Elizabeth Cunningham?"
"The homecoming king and queen of Chilton? Of course!"
"I broke them up," Lane's eyes widened at this revelation and literally fell out of her chair. Luke and Lorelai glanced over in concern as a disheveled Lane made her appearance back at the table. "I'm okay," she says meekly still staring at Rory in surprise. "How much did you change?"
"I don't want to talk about it, Lane,"
"You can't just leave me with you breaking up the once unbreakable couple,"
"Yeah well I caught Grant's attention somehow and the next thing I know there's this big fight between the two of them in the hallway. Later that day, lunch I think he came over and asked me out, I said yes but I don't love him Lane. It didn't bother me before…but last night I ran into Tristan,"
"Oh no…"
"He told me to be me. Dating Grant isn't me. I need to get him and Elizabeth back together,"
"Good idea, so what should we do?" the girls begin to hatch a plan when the door to the diner jingle opens again and there's an unfamiliar guy aged around Rory and Lane's age. "Who's the guy?" Lorelai whispers heading back to their table. Rory looks up and shakes her head. "No idea,"
"Oh. My. God." Lane murmurs. "What's going on, Lane?" Lorelai questions. "It's Dave," she hisses. "Go talk to him," Rory encourages with a wide grin. "I can't…. I forgot to tell you a minor detail after our kiss,"
"Which is?"
"I kind of ran away,"
"You what?"
"Yeah, I ran away," Lane, says nodding her head quickly. "Okay…" Rory looks over at her mother helplessly. "I have an idea. Dave!" Lorelai calls out. "Mom!" Rory says and she waves her daughter off. "Do I know you ma'm?"
"Lorelai, please," she corrects. "Umm…. Lorelai?"
"Good I like you already. See Lane, here is a little embarrassed about running away from something. What I don't know but what I do know is it involves you," Dave grins over at Lane who's turning redder and redder by the second. "Hey Lane, get a grip," Rory whispers. "She doesn't need to be embarrassed. Actually I wanted to talk to you,"
"Oh okay," shooting a look over at Rory who nodded her on and smiling a shaky smile at Lorelai she headed out the door of Luke's with Dave right behind her. "Well that was awfully nice of you,"
"What can I say? I'm in a good mood. My baby's back!" Rory rolls her eyes and Lorelai just grins. "See? It's my life is normal again,"
"Relatively normal, Mom. As normal as Stars Hollow gets,"
"Of course. That's what I meant!" the two Gilmore girls looked out the window of Luke's to see Lane and Dave kissing. They both smile sad smiles thinking of their non-existent love lives. Well, Rory's 'boyfriend' Grant…. but that didn't exactly count.
* * *
Tristan felt his heart pound in his chest erratically as he entered the DuGrey mansion. He knew he shouldn't feel this nervous it was after all his house too but it didn't feel that way. His dorm room at military school felt more at home than this. He quickly opened the door to his father's office and stepped in. "Dad, can I talk to you?"
"Sure, Tristan, what do you need?"
"I'd like to come home, again,"
"I thought you were happy at military school. What about Felicity?"
"Her name's Farrah,"
"Farrah, right, what about her?"
"We're not dating anymore,"
"Past a week?" his father teased and Tristan grew angry. "This isn't a time to make fun of me. You never used to have a problem with my dating tactics,"
"That was before you screwed up, if you were to come back you wouldn't be able to date someone different ever other week, no hanging out with Duncan and Bowman, no pranks…nothing,"
"I know, Dad. I've learned from my mistakes,"
"Have you really?"
"I think I have,"
"What made you change your mind?" Tristan runs a hand through his hair, messing it up even more. "Rory,"
"This girl, again,"
"Yes this girl again. Look, Dad I need to come back, please?"
"I'll think about it,"
"I guess that's all I can ask," Tristan murmurs leaving his father alone in the study contemplating the situation. He ran up the stairs planning on going for a run to let all his emotions out somehow hopefully he wouldn't return to bad news like the last time he had gone for a run. Pushing those thoughts aside he changed into a pair of sweatpants and a ratty old sweatshirt. He didn't really care who saw him in old clothes, it didn't matter anyway, deep in his heart he knew his father wouldn't let him back, at least not for another month. He still hadn't pulled his act together, after the accident of Rory's he had pushed his schoolwork aside and concentrated on fooling around. He had pulled some pranks, at military school but lucky for him they hadn't been leaked out to his father as he had requested not to happen. But when he got back it was going to be different, he was going to come back within a month, for good and nothing was going to stop him at that.
* * *
"Grant, look, I can't go out with you anymore,"
"Why not?"
"I can't because you don't know me and I'm not in love with you. Look I went out with you so I'd know what it was like to be one of you. I didn't think I'd break up you and Elizabeth," she flashes a nervous grin while playing with the hem of her shirt. "So you were using me?"
"In a way yes,"
"Fine, Leigh, have it your way. Now I have to go find Liz and take her to the teacher's lounge for some making up to do,"
"Mother!" Rory scolds as Lorelai wiggles her eyebrows and the two crack up. "He's not going to say that,"
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because he's not that much of a jerk,"
"But he's still a jerk?"
"Of course. He dumped Liz for me because I hiked up my skirt, put on some make-up and changed my name to Leigh,"
"Hmm…but you never know. He could say that," she claims before bursting into laughter again. "I really need to break-up with him don't I?" she says with a pained expression. "You can't go out with him any longer, Ror. I know that, you know that, you're reputation is on the line here,"
"I know, I know,"
"Get to it then, babe!"
"I'll be back," Rory promises her mother before taking the keys from her and heading out the door.
Half-hour Later, Grant's house:With a shaking hand Rory rang the doorbell. She shouldn't be nervous, she had been to this house yesterday; fell asleep in the back garden last night. She stood there impatiently tapping her foot without realizing. "Where the hell is he?" she murmurs as she tightens her ponytail. The door finally opens and there's a butler much to her surprise. She could have sworn that Grant had said his parents were gone for the weekend, as was the staff of his mansion. "Is Grant here?"
"He's in the solarium would you like me to take you there?"
"Please," the butler ushered her through the now clean hall of the Duke mansion. She can't help but smile remembering the mess that had been there hours before which was now gone, like a magic trick. The butler opened the door, announced he had a visitor and then disappeared. "Leigh!" he greets happily getting up to kiss her full on the lips but she turned her head just in time. "It's Rory," she says firmly and Grant steps back. "What's going on?"
"We need to talk,"
"That doesn't sound good. Sit down," taking a deep breath Rory does while playing with the hem of her shirt again much like she had been when practicing with Lorelai. "We're not going to work anymore,"
"Why not?"
"You belong with Liz, not me. I'm not who you think I am. I'm not the girl you know as 'Leigh'. I drink coffee, I read more than just for school or Seventeen or Cosmo. I happen to like school not for the social benefits but for the academic integrity. I can't be that girl anymore,"
"Liz won't want to take me back," he says regretfully. "She has too. You guys belong together,"
"Thanks, Rory…. but I don't think it's going to be that easy,"
"So win her back, with some big romantic gesture with lots of roses. Hartford debutantes love that kind of thing, don't they?"
"I don't know," he mumbles and Rory just shrugs. "I can't help you with that, it's got to be all you. Is it okay if I leave?"
"Sure why don't I just walk you to the door?"
"Okay," the two began their way down the hall to the main foyer. "I'm sure you'll win her back some way," Rory says smiling at Grant; it wasn't that he had been a bad boyfriend or anything he just wasn't…. Tristan. She realized. "I hope I do," Grant says as he opens the door and his smile fades. There standing on the doorstep, hand poised over the doorbell stood the one and only Elizabeth Cunningham. "I'm going to go, good luck," she whispers brushing past Elizabeth to leave the two of them alone, hopefully they would work out.
* * *
She was driving down the Main St. of Hartford when she saw him. He was running and despite herself she couldn't help but grin. She sped up passing by him and then pulled to the side of the road much to his surprise and shock. "Hey," she says with a wide grin as she hops out of the jeep. "Rory, this is a surprise. What are you doing here in Hartford?"
"Breaking up with Grant Duke,"
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I just broke up with him. I think he and Elizabeth are getting back together right, now,"
"You know Grant and I used to be best friends,"
"Seriously? He doesn't seem anything like you,"
"We were friends way back in pre-school, elementary school and middle school. Before grades and sports and girls mattered. All the way up to the ninth grade, that was when Elizabeth came to town as well as varsity football and making the top three percent in our class,"
"What happened?"
"I guess it started that September. We both were good at football so we tried out for that, I made it, and Grant didn't. He was so upset that we got into this big yelling match right in the middle of the Chilton courtyard. Then a month or so later Elizabeth Cunningham moved here. She was the hottest girl at Chilton," he paused for a minute before a lazy grin spreaded across his face. "Before you came of course," Rory blushed and looked away from Tristan. He continued despite the awkwardness of the two. "So, Grant of course challenged me to see who could get the girl first, me or him,"
"He won, huh?"
"He won all right, embarrassed me in front of everyone at the Homecoming dance. However I got pay back when I got in the top three percent of our class. He got so pissed off that sophomore year we both made the football team, we were practicing one day, he tripped me, I pulled a muscle really bad, needless to say I'm not playing football anymore,"
"That's so horrible," she comments leaning against the back of the jeep. "You're telling me. He's the one who ratted out on Duncan, Bowman and me," he say chuckling a bitter laugh. "I thought a silent alarm went off?"
"I said that to make me sound better,"
"Oh sure," Rory says sarcastically while grinning. "It worked didn't it?"
"That's what you think!" she teases and he laughs. The two smile at each other and continue to talk, banter, tease even a few sexual innuendos were thrown in for good measure. It was almost like nothing had changed, but they both knew in the back of their minds it had.
- End Chapter 11
