disclaimer: The song "If I Had $1000000" is one hundred percent Barenaked Ladies from their fabulous album Gordon. Yeah Fez 2001! The movie Forbidden Planet isn't mine, but the opinions are. Go watch it.
Tristin walked into Doose's Market whistling cheerfully. He hadn't even lived in town for a week but he felt like he'd lived there all his life. Sure, the neighbors were a little...overly curious sometimes, but he'd take that over snobby and cutthroat in a heartbeat. Luke had given him the day off, so when his mother had mentioned a few things she needed from the market, he'd volunteered to go. His mother had turned out to be a surprisingly good cook, considering she'd never had to do the cooking before. She even seemed to enjoy doing it.
So Tristin found himself wandering around the market, trying to find the items on his list.
"Hello Tristin! Anything I can help you with today?"
"Hey Taylor! Actually, I need some help finding some of this stuff."
"Okay, stay right here. I'll go get the bag boy to help you."
A few minutes later, Dean appeared from around the corner. He stopped dead in his tracks. "You have got to be kidding me."
Tristin sighed. He had known this confrontation would have to happen eventually. "Look, I'm not here to fight. And I'm sorry that I picked a fight with you at the dance."
"Why? Because you ended up looking like the idiot?"
Tristin chose not to respond to that comment. It would only make things worse. "Will you just tell me where to find this stuff so I can get out of here?"
"Fine. The sooner I don't have to look at you the happier I'll be."
Dean stalked around the store, picking up the items on the list. Tristin followed him. "Why are you still so angry about that? It was months ago. Rory's gotten over it."
Dean considered for a second. "I don't like you. You're an arrogant rich boy. You've never had to work for anything in your life."
"I'm guessing the town rumor mill hasn't updated you yet. I'm not a rich boy anymore. And believe it or not, I've changed."
"People like you don't change. Why are you telling me this anyway? Why the need to explain yourself? Shouldn't you be trying to get in good with Rory?"
"Rory and I are friends now. I'm not trying to 'get in good' with her. I'm just want to be her friend, that's all."
"I know exactly what you want. And I don't care what everyone else is saying, I know that Rory is too smart to get involved with someone like you."
By now Tristin was barely controlling his anger. "What are you talking about?"
"Forget I mentioned it," he spat. "But know this: even though Rory and I no longer have those kinds of feelings for each other, I still care for her deeply. I will not hesitate to beat you into the ground if you so much as look at her the wrong way."
"I would never hurt her," Tristin shot back emphatically.
Both boys glared at each other. Each recognized the truth in the other's words. And the seeds of mutual respect were sown.
"Here's your stuff," Dean said. His tone was lacking the usual hostility.
"Thanks," said Tristin civilly. He paid for his purchases and walked out the door. Dean watched him leave, then went back to restocking the shelves.
Taylor, of course, had been huddled on the other side of the aisle listening to the whole exchange. He whipped out his cell phone. "Hey Jackson. Guess who just came into the store..."
After a quick stop at home to drop off the groceries, Tristin found himself walking once again to the Gilmore house. He found Rory sitting on the porch with her back to him. She had headphones over her ears and was singing along softly with the CD. "If I had a million dollars...I'd build a tree fort in our yard."
Tristin smiled at her adoringly, not bothering to hide his true emotions from her turned back. She looked so beautiful, sitting on the gently swaying porch swing bobbing her head enthusiastically to one of his favorite bands.
"If I had a million dollars...I'd buy you a fur coat..." she sang softly.
Tristin quietly crept up behind her and put his lips up next to her ear. "But not a real fur coat that's cruel," he belted out.
Rory jumped, startled. She smiled when she saw Tristin and continued singing along. "If I had a million dollars..."
"If I had a million dollars..." Tristin echoed.
"I'd buy you an exotic pet." Rory smiled, having a great time.
"Like a llama or an emu!"
"If I had a million dollars..." Rory sang louder, her confidence building.
"...If I had a million dollars."
"I'd buy you John Merrick's remains..."
"...All them crazy elephant bones."
"If I had a million dollars, I'd buy your love," they sang in unison.
Rory shut off her CD player and removed her headphones. Tristin was grinning at her smugly. "I've always wanted to be serenaded," he dead panned.
Rory rolled her eyes. "That, my friend, was what we call a duet."
Tristin shrugged. "Details, details."
"So I hear you ran into Dean."
Tristin didn't even question the fact that she already knew about this. He was beginning to get used to the 'unofficial gossip club'.
"Yeah, I did."
"There wasn't a fight in the market was there?"
"It wasn't too bad, we only knocked over one display of toilet paper."
"What!"
"Relax, I'm just kidding."
"Seriously, how did it go?"
"Let's just say that I'm fairly confident that he wouldn't murder me in my sleep, given the chance."
"Well, that certainly is an improvement." Rory looked at Tristin. He seemed relaxed and proud of the fact that he had avoided a fight with Dean. But there was something else about him...something different. What was it?
"So let's go pick up Lane and see a movie!" Tristin said enthusiastically.
"Sounds like a plan," said Rory. Whatever it was, she would figure it out later.
"I hear 'Forbidden Planet' is playing. One of the greatest sci-fi flicks ever made."
"You are insane. And since when are you such a sci-fi fanatic?"
"Oh come on! It was a pioneer! It set the stage for every sci-fi film after it! And Leslie Neilson's in it!"
"The Naked Gun guy? Now this I've gotta see. I just can't see him in a serious role..." Rory rambled on about the pitfalls of typecasting in Hollywood.
Tristin smiled, listening to her opinionated diatribe. "If I had a million dollars, I'd buy your love," he whispered under his breath.
"What was that?" she asked.
"Nothing."
Tristin walked into Doose's Market whistling cheerfully. He hadn't even lived in town for a week but he felt like he'd lived there all his life. Sure, the neighbors were a little...overly curious sometimes, but he'd take that over snobby and cutthroat in a heartbeat. Luke had given him the day off, so when his mother had mentioned a few things she needed from the market, he'd volunteered to go. His mother had turned out to be a surprisingly good cook, considering she'd never had to do the cooking before. She even seemed to enjoy doing it.
So Tristin found himself wandering around the market, trying to find the items on his list.
"Hello Tristin! Anything I can help you with today?"
"Hey Taylor! Actually, I need some help finding some of this stuff."
"Okay, stay right here. I'll go get the bag boy to help you."
A few minutes later, Dean appeared from around the corner. He stopped dead in his tracks. "You have got to be kidding me."
Tristin sighed. He had known this confrontation would have to happen eventually. "Look, I'm not here to fight. And I'm sorry that I picked a fight with you at the dance."
"Why? Because you ended up looking like the idiot?"
Tristin chose not to respond to that comment. It would only make things worse. "Will you just tell me where to find this stuff so I can get out of here?"
"Fine. The sooner I don't have to look at you the happier I'll be."
Dean stalked around the store, picking up the items on the list. Tristin followed him. "Why are you still so angry about that? It was months ago. Rory's gotten over it."
Dean considered for a second. "I don't like you. You're an arrogant rich boy. You've never had to work for anything in your life."
"I'm guessing the town rumor mill hasn't updated you yet. I'm not a rich boy anymore. And believe it or not, I've changed."
"People like you don't change. Why are you telling me this anyway? Why the need to explain yourself? Shouldn't you be trying to get in good with Rory?"
"Rory and I are friends now. I'm not trying to 'get in good' with her. I'm just want to be her friend, that's all."
"I know exactly what you want. And I don't care what everyone else is saying, I know that Rory is too smart to get involved with someone like you."
By now Tristin was barely controlling his anger. "What are you talking about?"
"Forget I mentioned it," he spat. "But know this: even though Rory and I no longer have those kinds of feelings for each other, I still care for her deeply. I will not hesitate to beat you into the ground if you so much as look at her the wrong way."
"I would never hurt her," Tristin shot back emphatically.
Both boys glared at each other. Each recognized the truth in the other's words. And the seeds of mutual respect were sown.
"Here's your stuff," Dean said. His tone was lacking the usual hostility.
"Thanks," said Tristin civilly. He paid for his purchases and walked out the door. Dean watched him leave, then went back to restocking the shelves.
Taylor, of course, had been huddled on the other side of the aisle listening to the whole exchange. He whipped out his cell phone. "Hey Jackson. Guess who just came into the store..."
After a quick stop at home to drop off the groceries, Tristin found himself walking once again to the Gilmore house. He found Rory sitting on the porch with her back to him. She had headphones over her ears and was singing along softly with the CD. "If I had a million dollars...I'd build a tree fort in our yard."
Tristin smiled at her adoringly, not bothering to hide his true emotions from her turned back. She looked so beautiful, sitting on the gently swaying porch swing bobbing her head enthusiastically to one of his favorite bands.
"If I had a million dollars...I'd buy you a fur coat..." she sang softly.
Tristin quietly crept up behind her and put his lips up next to her ear. "But not a real fur coat that's cruel," he belted out.
Rory jumped, startled. She smiled when she saw Tristin and continued singing along. "If I had a million dollars..."
"If I had a million dollars..." Tristin echoed.
"I'd buy you an exotic pet." Rory smiled, having a great time.
"Like a llama or an emu!"
"If I had a million dollars..." Rory sang louder, her confidence building.
"...If I had a million dollars."
"I'd buy you John Merrick's remains..."
"...All them crazy elephant bones."
"If I had a million dollars, I'd buy your love," they sang in unison.
Rory shut off her CD player and removed her headphones. Tristin was grinning at her smugly. "I've always wanted to be serenaded," he dead panned.
Rory rolled her eyes. "That, my friend, was what we call a duet."
Tristin shrugged. "Details, details."
"So I hear you ran into Dean."
Tristin didn't even question the fact that she already knew about this. He was beginning to get used to the 'unofficial gossip club'.
"Yeah, I did."
"There wasn't a fight in the market was there?"
"It wasn't too bad, we only knocked over one display of toilet paper."
"What!"
"Relax, I'm just kidding."
"Seriously, how did it go?"
"Let's just say that I'm fairly confident that he wouldn't murder me in my sleep, given the chance."
"Well, that certainly is an improvement." Rory looked at Tristin. He seemed relaxed and proud of the fact that he had avoided a fight with Dean. But there was something else about him...something different. What was it?
"So let's go pick up Lane and see a movie!" Tristin said enthusiastically.
"Sounds like a plan," said Rory. Whatever it was, she would figure it out later.
"I hear 'Forbidden Planet' is playing. One of the greatest sci-fi flicks ever made."
"You are insane. And since when are you such a sci-fi fanatic?"
"Oh come on! It was a pioneer! It set the stage for every sci-fi film after it! And Leslie Neilson's in it!"
"The Naked Gun guy? Now this I've gotta see. I just can't see him in a serious role..." Rory rambled on about the pitfalls of typecasting in Hollywood.
Tristin smiled, listening to her opinionated diatribe. "If I had a million dollars, I'd buy your love," he whispered under his breath.
"What was that?" she asked.
"Nothing."