Summary: Rory just wanted a summer to escape her problems in Stars Hollow. Instead she got more than she bargained for... (Trory)
Spoilers: Season 3 spoilers are used in here, so BEWARE. LOL.
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own any of the characters. They are the property of Dorothy Parker Drank Here productions and Amy Sherman-Palladino.
Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter! Lots of reviews usually make me write faster... *hint hint* Hehe. Sorry for the delay. Went on vacation for a couple of weeks right after the last update, then when I came home I got caught up with some school stuff, problems with friends, work stuff, etc. But I finally got off my lazy ass and wrote a chapter. So woo. Oh, and if anyone actually cares, an update to Walking Away is coming up soon. I promise!
Chapter 3 - Mirror, Mirror
Rory stared at her reflection in the mirror. It hadn't changed much physically, yet she felt so much more different. She was a different girl than she was, say a year ago. A year ago she never would have thought of ever cheating on Dean. They were so young, so much in love. The day he came for her at Chilton... It seemed so long ago.
It was now early evening, and Rory was getting ready for her non-date with Tristan. She still wasn't quite sure why she agreed to go out with him tonight, but the prospect of staying in and reading a book didn't look too appetizing to her. The thought of books reminded her of Jess, and remembering Jess made her remember what a horrible person she was. Paris had already left for a dinner with her parents, something she dreaded all afternoon.
"I could just imagine it now. All pleasantries through the appetizers, but come dessert, all hell will break loose. Oh why oh why didn't I just add that extra zero?" Paris grumbled before she had left Rory alone in the guest bedroom.
Rory's thoughts were interrupted when the phone rang. Since no one else was in the house, she reached over to end table and picked up the phone.
"Hello, Gellar residence," she answered.
"Rory?" a voice asked.
"Mom?" Rory replied, clutching the phone to her ear. She knew she forgot to do something as important as calling her mom and letting her know about the change in her summer plans.
"Yes I'm here. Here in Stars Hollow, that is. But that doesn't explain why I'm here and you're there when I know perfectly well that your conference in DC was cancelled," Lorelai replied. "So explain, dear daughter, before I get in my car and drive all the way to the Hamptons to kill you. They would greatly frown upon that, I'm sure."
"I'm so, so, so sorry I forgot to call you," Rory replied meekly. "But it happened so suddenly. How'd you find out anyways?"
"Paris called me," Lorelai answered. "But I'm still waiting. Why aren't you here at home with me?" Lorelai asked, her voice serious.
"It's just that..." Rory's voice trailed off. She was so ashamed of her indiscretion with Jess that she hadn't even told her mom, her best friend in the whole world.
"Why aren't you here suffering through the Gilmore Friday dinners with me? Why are you living it up while I'm stuck at the inn all day listening to Michele whine about how Sookie tricked him into eating fourteen, that's right count 'em, fourteen blueberries in his pancakes that morning?" Lorelai interrupted, her tone of voice lighthearted. Rory sighed with relief.
"You had me going there for a moment," she commented.
"Thanks," Lorelai said proudly. "I call it my 'angry mommy' voice."
"So it's okay if I spend the summer with Paris here?"
"Sure thing babe. Just remember to call me the next time you decide to run off to a holiday destination filled with the rich and the famous. So did you see P. Diddy yet?"
"I promise. And no," Rory said.
"So whatcha up to?" Lorelai asked.
"Just getting ready to go to dinner," Rory answered. "With a friend," she added hastily as an afterthought.
"Sounds fun. Much more fun than anything going on here. I'm bo-o-o-red," Lorelai whined.
"Stars Hollow can't be that boring," Rory countered. "There's got to be something interesting going on."
"Well, now that you mention it..." Lorelai said, her voice full of mischief.
"Do you know something you're not telling me?" Rory asked.
"Oh yeah," Lorelai said gleefully.
"Something more exciting than Michele eating fourteen blueberries?"
"Oh, definitely not as exciting as that, but exciting nonetheless."
"Spill."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Cause I said so."
"You're mean."
"I know," Lorelai said with a laugh. "But I guess I tortured you long enough."
"So what's the news?" she asked.
"You and Jess are just friends, right?" Lorelai asked.
"You know that we are," Rory said with a sigh, as she remembered the kiss one more time.
"Good, because if you have any other feelings for him whatsoever, cover your ears dear child," Lorelai instructed. Rory's heart took a dive.
"Wh-What's going on with Jess?" she asked, her voice a bit shaky.
"He found himself a new playmate," Lorelai revealed. "You know that new girl Gypsy hired? Shannon or Shane or whatever? Caught them playing tonsil hockey outside of Luke's after work."
Rory's eyes widened in shock, and she dropped the phone.
"Rory? Rory are you there?" she could hear Lorelai's faint voice coming from the phone on the floor. Silently, Rory picked up the phone, and gently placed it back in its cradle. Then she walked over to the side of the end table and disconnected the phone.
She slowly walked back to the dresser and stared at the mirror once more. Tears were threatening to spill, but Rory refused to let them fall.
* * *
Tristan glanced at his reflection in the mirror. He could almost laugh at his reflection. Ever since Rory mentioned it, he decided his hair had gotten a bit out of control. So his first stop after the country club was the hairdresser's. As he took a closer in the mirror, he realized he was only a reflection of who he used to be.
The Chiapet hair was gone. He was a mirror image of his sophomore year self physically, but inside it was a whole different story. Sophomore year Tristan was cocky, and had a cool air of perfection perpetually floating around him. He had to be the center of attention, the main attraction, God's gift to women. But after that one summer... The summer he spent in his self-imposed exile, it was supposed to change him. He thought that he needed to fight the person he was destined to be in order to get Rory. He didn't want to be someone she despised anymore.
But then junior year started, and he saw her. Rory. She was sitting alone on their bench. The bench where they once formed a tentative friendship. And of course she was reading. She hadn't seen him, but as Tristan watched her, he couldn't take it anymore. She was happy, and he was miserable. He began to realize that his intention to change himself, wasn't for his own benefit, but for hers. He wanted her to care that he was changing. But as he watched her, a small playful smile on her face as she read, he just grew angry with everything and just stopped caring. He fell in the wrong crowd and let nature take its course.
And then military school happened. Tristan forced himself to forget about Rory, and for awhile it worked. The emotional turmoil he was feeling slowly faded away, and he realized that the person he was fighting to become was the person he already was. Tristan realized that no matter how hard he tried, he was still who he was, and nothing, or rather no one, would change that. Not even Rory.
And as hard as he tried to convince himself that Rory didn't matter to him, today happened. One of life's cruel twists. It was as if someone up there was having a good laugh at Tristan's expense. He thought that seeing her again would bring him some closure, and he'd finally be able to move on with his life. But instead, he realized that seeing Rory again brought back that one little ounce of hope that he still had in him, that she would somehow save him from who he truly was.
* * *
Ding dong.
The doorbell. Rory was still up in her room, staring at her reflection. Her eyes looked lifeless and dull. She supposed it was too late to cancel dinner with Tristan, since he had already gone to all the trouble of coming to pick her up.
She wanted to go downstairs and open the door, but yet she couldn't will herself to move. She'd been frozen in front of the mirror since she hung up on her mom.
What was wrong with her? She wasn't supposed to care about Jess - not like this anyways. She was supposed to be happy with Dean.
Ding dong.
The thought of Jess and another girl... It made her angry. How dare he? How dare he come back to Stars Hollow, back to her, confuse her like this, then make out with some other girl?
Ding dong.
But then there was Dean. He didn't deserve any of this. He played the part of the loving boyfriend, and Rory took it for granted. She allowed herself to feel things for Jess.
Ding dong.
She was too confused right now. A part of her wanted to confront Jess, and a part of her wanted to confess to Dean. But of course she wasn't in the place to do that in the moment. But most of all, she wanted that doorbell to shut up.
Ding dong.
Rory snapped back to reality and uprooted herself from her spot in the mirror. She hurried down the stairs and furiously opened the door to find Tristan standing there, holding a bouquet of roses.
He looked at her in surprise.
"Is there something wrong Rory?" he asked, as he took a step towards her.
She glanced from his face, down to the roses again, and back to his face. His eyes questioned her, full of genuine concern. And without thinking, she grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him closer.
Tristan's mouth opened in surprise, but before he could say anything, Rory pulled his head towards hers and covered his mouth with hers. It took Tristan a moment to react, but he soon found himself kissing her back. His arms found their way around Rory's tiny waist, as he pulled her closer to him. She responded by kissing him harder, deepening the already intense kiss.
And as quickly as it began, it ended. Reality set in as Rory pulled away and broke out of Tristan's strong arms. He looked at her, his face in shock, one that probably mirrored the look she had on her face.
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," she whispered, and before Tristan could say anything, Rory darted up the stairs back to her room, tears streaming down her face.