Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and I make no claim to their names or descriptions. I am in no way associated with the WB or with Harvard University. This story is fantasy based on the storylines portrayed in 'Gilmore girls'. It is intended for entertainment only.

Part Two

By the time 6th period rolled around, Rory was certain that she was living in the teenage version of hell. All day long she had experienced the worst feeling she could imagine. Solitude. She had not spoken to a single soul all day. Paris was keeping her distance, for obvious reasons. And Madeline and Louise seemed to side with her in whatever version of events Paris had relayed to them. And Tristan? His actions had completely baffled her. The entire day he had strategically avoided her, arriving just as the bell rang to start each class. At the end of class, he always seemed to disappear. In most situations like this, she would have settled for losing herself in a good book. But she couldn't stand the thought of her only pseudo-friends ignoring her.

Lost in thought, Rory headed for her locker with her notebook under her right arm. The next thing she knew, she saw her notebook flying through the air landing a good 15 lockers down the hall. She turned to see her assailant, and was shocked to see a boy she did not recognize. He was laughing with his friends and brushed right past her. In any ordinary situation, Rory would have defended herself. But today, she was defeated before she even began. She looked at her locker, and then back at her notebook, this time surprised by what she saw. Tristan had appeared and was having a heated discussion with the perpetrator.

"I said pick it up."

"What's your problem, DuGrey?"

"Right now, you are. Pick it up, Cooper," he said forcefully.

"Whose gonna make me?" Cooper asked in a childish sing-song voice.

"Hey in case you didn't get the memo, they graduated us from second grade 8 years ago."

"And in case you didn't get the memo, chivalry died with our grandparents," he retorted. Cooper was a good 3 inches shorter than Tristan, but he didn't back down from Tristan's glare.

Tristan knew not to get physical in the hallways at Chilton. The punishment for fighting meant suspension, and a week of accompanying his father to work. His parents may not care much about his life, but they did care if he tarnished the DuGrey name. So he was forced to rely on verbal intimidation, which didn't seem to be going so well at the moment.

Cooper knew this too. He couldn't afford a suspension, for the same reasons Tristan could not. So the staredown continued for about 60 seconds. Then he simply turned and walked away.

"Pansy" he said, making sure everyone in earshot knew the slam was directed at Tristan.

Tristan let out a little huff of frustration as he kneeled to pick up Rory's notebook. As he turned to head toward her locker, he realized that she had witnessed the whole thing. He had known this before hand, but he got so caught up in the moment, that he seemed to forget she was there. And there she stood with a questioning look on her face. He knew how out of context his actions were considering how hard he had been avoiding her all day. At the moment, he didn't know which was more humiliating. 1, defending her honor in public, or 2, losing a second fight in front of her. He half-heartedly stretched out his hand to return her notebook.

"Here. This is yours."

"Thanks... " she replied hesitantly. "You know, you didn't have to do that."

"Yeah, I know. It was just kinda instinct." He had yet to make eye contact and was trying to find an opening in hallway traffic so that he could move past her. Before he got a chance, she spoke again.

"Tristan, can we talk?" she asked, as if she half expected him to say no.

Tristan finally made eye contact. "Well if this isn't deja vu." The first beginnings of a smile touched his lips. "This notebook must have some magical power that makes you ask that question every time it transfers from my possession to yours."

Rory returned his smile. She felt a warmth return that had been missing all day. "Well you know, I do have a hat, that when you put it on, it makes you start asking, "Do you want fries with that? It's really fun to go through the McDonald's drive through wearing it. The employee working the window really loves that."

Tristan's half smile turned into a full fledged grin. Somehow, Rory was always able to make him smile, when a few seconds ago, he thought that that action would be impossible today.. "Well, I used to have a gun that said 'give me all your money', but that's a different story."

They both stood there smiling for a moment, and then Tristan turned to walk away. "Meet me outside the main doors after school" he said over his shoulder.

Rory watched him turn the corner and then returned to the tasks of her locker. "That boy has more mood swings than a woman in menopause" she said under her breath. She shut her locker, and headed for class.

___________________________________________________________________

Tristan looked at the clock as the minutes dragged on. Since she entered his life, he was a slave to the clock. Time was not what it used to be. Even now, he felt that he was experiencing the longest 50 minutes of his life. But he knew that was not true. That trophy would go to one of the many nights he couldn't sleep... because he was thinking about her. Before, things had been simple. She complicated them. Time was no longer a fixed constant. It was a fluctuating idea. Time went by the quickest when he was near her. When she smiled or unconsciously tucked her hair behind her ear, and he could watch her from across the room Those were the times he didn't want to end. But they always did. And moments without her lasted forever. This particular day had been worse than most. He had been avoiding her all day. In some way, he thought he was protecting her. He knew that she was starting to view their relationship as a friendship. He also knew that he would throw her off with his actions today. That had been his goal. He thought that if she were thinking about him, she wouldn't think about the friendship she had most likely lost with Paris. He was responsible for that. In a signature move that had cursed his existence, he had spoken before he thought. Likely ruining the one friendship Rory had at Chilton. He was playing mind games with her today, not to hurt her, but to keep her preoccupied. It didn't hurt that the thought of her thinking about him sent chills down his spine.

_____________________________________________________________________

Rory slung her bookbag over her shoulder and headed for the front of the school. She had spent the entire last period trying to think of something to say to Tristan. When she originally requested they talk, she had intended to ask him about today. But after their brief encounter in the hallway, she thought it best to let sleeping dogs lie. She couldn't quite get the thought out of her head that he had been upset with her. Seeing him smile gave her hope that she had misinterpreted his actions, that there was some other reason for his behavior. That sliver of hope was all that she needed to change her topic of conversation. The difficult part had been coming up with something to say that didn't sound like she had spent last period thinking it up.

She rehearsed her line one more time, and walked out the door of Chilton.

Rory felt Tristan's presence before she saw him. She instinctively turned to her left, and there he was. He was sitting on a bench in the courtyard, the same bench where they had their discussion a few days before. He was looking intently at something in his hands. Rory took advantage of his preoccupation to pause in her stride, and just look at him. It amazed her that his looks had gone unnoticed for so long. Granted, they had been masked by snide remarks and arrogance. Now that she was getting to know him, one fact couldn't escape her. He was , in the words of her generation, a hottie. She made a mental note to jot down the concept that guys become more attractive the better you know the real them. Definitely so in this case.

She quietly approached him, standing silently beside the bench. She wondered how long she could stand there before he noticed.

He noticed her walk up almost immediately. He sensed the game she was playing, and decided to play along. Feigning interest the magazine in his lap, he continued the charade for a few minutes longer.

"You know, it's not nice to stare," he said without turning from his magazine. When she didn't reply, he looked up.

She was standing there sticking her tongue out at him. "I bet it's not nice to do this either."

Tristan couldn't help but smile. "I thought that since this bench worked so well for our first conversation, that we might as well put it to use again. I just finished carving 'Rory and Tristan 4-ever' on the seat back."

For a second, Rory's eyes flashed to look, before realizing how naive she looked. "Oh come on Tristan. You could have come up with something a little more believable. Maybe, 'Rory once threatened to kill Tristan here.' Then people would really know that this was our bench"

Tristan admired her wit. For the first time he had met someone who could dish it as well as she could take it. There was no one he would rather be insulted by than Rory Gilmore.

"I wanted to ask if I could borrow your English notes. I haven't gotten a chance to copy the notes from the beginning of class, and with the cumulative final approaching, I need them to get a good grade."

"No problem" Tristan said, invoking his trademark answer. He could tell by the way her eyes danced about that she had intended to ask him something else. Besides that, Rory was such a perfectionist, he knew she had gotten the notes from someone else within days of starting Chilton. She didn't have to request a talk if she just wanted to borrow class notes. He guessed that what she had wanted to talk about was his ignoring her today. But if she wasn't bringing up the subject, he certainly wasn't about to address the issue.

"Great, I'll get them tomorrow. I've got to catch my bus before I'm stranded."

Tristan actually liked the idea of her being stranded. He could be the savior and drive her home. He knew it was too soon for that. She may consider them friends, but she would see right through him if he started offering her rides home. Hell, he had practically declared his intention to court her this afternoon with that knight in shining armor routine. At this rate, Rory would know about his feelings within the week. He wasn't quite ready for that. He knew she was on the rebound, and any chance that he would have with her would have to come when she didn't feel like she was using him. He was willing to wait. Because he knew, without a doubt, she was worth the wait.

"See you tomorrow." 'In reality' he thought. But he knew he would see her many times before that in his mind. She never left.

Tristan made his way to car that was parked in the back of the student lot. He climbed in, adjusted the mirrors, stalling to prolong the time before he got home. As he looked up to start his car, he realized he had a perfect view of Rory waiting for the bus. His car was hidden from view by the cars of students studying in the library or participating in any of Chilton's extra-curricular activities.

"God, she's beautiful," he said out loud. Trapped in the familiarity and isolation of his car, he could really admire her. It had taken her all of 2 minutes to immerse herself into her latest novel. He watched her unconsciously perform the mannerisms he liked so much. She tucked her hair behind her ear. She bit her lower lip as she waited to see what lie ahead as she turned the page. 'How is it that every guy in school isn't after her?' he thought to himself. How could they not see the perfection before their very eyes. Why was he so lucky to be able to see it. He smiled unconsciously as he watched her board the bus. He wasn't quite sure why he could see her, when no one else could. And he wasn't anxious in the least to share it. Na. "I'll just keep that to myself," he said as he backed out of his parking space.

____________________________________________________________________

Rory arrived home to an empty house, which wasn't that unusual for the Gilmore house. After today she had secretly hoped Lorelai would have taken off early and met her at the door. She felt some inexplicable need to shout, "Honey, I'm home" and actually have someone there to respond and share the misery of her day over a fresh pot of coffee. She knew without a doubt that she was going to call Lane as soon as she could drop her bag. Well, that and after she had finished making coffee. After a day of silence, she could use some good girl conversation, even if she would do most of the listening.

Rory could tell that Lorelai had been home. She must have taken a late lunch, because the mail was sitting on the table. Immediately Rory's eyes went to the letter on top. Lorelai had propped it up on the table so that Rory would be sure to see it when she entered the kitchen. Being from who it was from, Rory was surprised that she didn't drive to school to hand deliver it during 4th period. Rory knew the symbol by heart, as she would never forget the Harvard emblem.

She dropped her things in the middle of the floor and excitedly grabbed for the letter. In her struggle to open it, she gave herself a half a dozen paper cuts that she would be sure to whine over later. She began to read the letter intently:

Dear Miss Gilmore,

We are happy to hear about your interest in our University. We are always thrilled to have students of your caliber show an interest in our school. We hope that you continue to excel in your studies, and look forward to your application. I have enclosed bulletin that I thought may be of interest to you.

Rory didn't even to look to see who had signed the letter. She didn't care if Bozo the Clown had signed the letter. It was on Harvard Stationary. That was all that mattered. She found the announcement enclosed in the package.

Sophomore Interest Day. Due to the unusual interest in our University this year, we have decided to host a special open house for high school sophomores. This open house will give prospective applicants the opportunity to see what we are about. Students will have the opportunity to tour the campus, audit a class, and meet fellow students interested in attending our school. This event is by invitation only.

The letter went on to talk about making arrangements to participate in the event, but Rory was too excited to read on. She quickly filled out the response card, making a large mark on the line next to 'I will be attending Sophomore Interest Day.' She couldn't believe her luck.

She didn't hear Lorelai until she was standing almost directly behind her.

"What ya looking at?"

"Mom guess what!"

"You marched around Chilton 7 times, chanting, and all the walls came down."

"I'm going to Harvard," Rory said before Lorelai could finish her walls of Jericho analogy.

"Wow, I knew you were a good student, but accepting a sophomore, without an application. They want you bad."

"They're having an open house to tour the campus and I've been invited. Two weeks from Saturday."

"That's great honey. You realize that that's the day I promised to go with your grandmother to one of those DAR meetings. She promised me that if I went to this one and didn't cut off both my ears, she would never mention the organization again. So if you're looking for an escort, I'm afraid I'm out."

"Oh, that's O.K. The invitation sort of implies that it's a 'prospective student' only thing anyway. I'm sure I can find something there to keep my mind off of missing my mother," Rory had drawn out the word 'something' and faked a look that indicated she didn't think there was anything in the world that could be more exciting than her mother.

"Oh stop," Lorelai responded with her 'valley girl' flip of the hand.

"I've gotta call Lane." Rory grabbed the cordless and headed for the seclusion of her bedroom so she could relay every detail to her best friend about the worst day of her life that had ended in the best way possible.

_______________________________________________________________________

Tristan breezed through the front door of his house and bounded up the stairs to his bedroom. 'His house.' That was so not the case. This was just the place where he slept. His parents didn't know when he came or went, nor did they much care. To the outsider, it appeared as though the occupants of this house were complete strangers to one another.

He threw his coat and tie on the first available chair inside his bedroom door. He kicked off his shoes in midstride and his shirt was in his hand before he made it to the bed. He crossed the room and grabbed some workout clothes from his chest of drawers. He had hoped to make it to the exercise room to lift some weights before his mother started her aerobics with Tony, her personal trainer. 'In more ways than one' he thought.

He doubled back and threw the clothes on the bed, ignoring the fact that they landed on a pile of mail. On principle, his mail greeted him in the bedroom so that he would have as little contact as possible with the other members of the household. Tristan quickly changed his clothes, accidentally knocking the mail to the floor. He reached to gather it up, and noticed the envelope from Harvard. Rory, he thought. Like Pavlov's dog, he was conditioned to think of those as one and the same. He had never met anyone who wanted to go to an Ivy League school on their own free will. He, like most of his classmates would end up there as the previous generations of each family had done. In his world, you didn't just inherit a name. You inherited a tradition.

He quickly broke the seal and pulled the letter from the envelope.

Dear Mr. DuGrey,

We are happy to hear about your interest in our University...

"More like my parents' interest." He kept reading and flipped to the enclosed materials. He skimmed the bulletin and threw it to the bed. Immediately, he picked it back up. Sophomore Interest Day. One thought crossed his mind. Rory got one of these. He knew that if any student at Chilton had gotten an invitation, it would be Rory Gilmore. Even without a family tradition, Rory had the best possible chance of getting into Harvard. And, it was her dream.

Tristan rummaged through his bookbag looking for a pen. He was going to this thing. Because she was going. It would give them the chance to be away from school, away from the other classmates. This was perfect he thought. Some of their best moments had happened away from school. Well, at least their best moment, he thought as he fondly remembered their kiss.

He boldly checked the appropriate box on the response card and ran downstairs to put it with the outgoing mail. He hoped that Rory didn't bring it up in conversation, because he didn't want her to know he was going. And he wasn't about to lie to her. Not after he had started to let her in to see the real Tristan. If all worked out, she would find him in attendance in two weeks. He envisioned her calling out to him on the large campus, happy to see a familiar face. He would have to work on his 'surprised reaction' so that it looked genuine.

This was going to be a great opportunity for him. And he wasn't referring to his college prospects.

To be continued...

(Part 3 coming soon...)