03 : Getting Along
by inmyeyes
(The next day. Chilton)
Seeing Tristan in front of her locker didn't faze her at all. She had come to expect him to be there. What fazed her was the large cup from Starbucks that he was holding in his hand.
Her eyes were fixed on the cup and when she was in front of him, she reached out for it. "I want you, I need you. Oh, baby, oh, baby." Before Tristan could say anything, she snatched the cup from his hand.
"If I knew bringing you coffee would make you admit how much you want me, I would have done it a long time ago, Rory."
"Oh, shush. Let a girl enjoy her coffee." Barely 5 seconds later, the cup was empty as Rory licked her lips.
"So, how's your plan coming along?"
Rory dug out a small piece of paper from her bag and handed it to him. "I made a list of potential candidates. Let me know what you think."
*****
(After school)
As he seated himself on the bench outside school, Tristan looked over the list once again. There were 10 girls on the list, but there was a little problem.
"I can't ask any of these girls."
"Why not?" Rory demanded, "They're pretty, smart, rich and popular. What's the problem?"
"I'vedatedthembefore."
"Excuse me? You've dated all of them before?" Rory was incredulous.
"Not all of them!" he protested weakly, "I dated Michelle, and Cindy's her best friend. There's no way I can ask Cindy... especially after what happened with Michelle."
"What happ-"
"You don't wanna know."
"How about Sandra? Or Carmen? Or Vanessa?"
"Been there, done that."
Rory was torn between being frustrated and very amused. "Fine. What about Alexia?"
"Alexia Carter? A little problem..."
"What now? You dated her best friend's sister's cousin?" Rory rolled her eyes.
"She hates my guts."
"Man, I should ally myself with this girl." She tried to wipe off her teasing grin when she saw how hurt he looked. "Ok, here's what I'll do. She's in some of my classes, so I'll talk to her. Find out what she thinks about you. See if there's any hope that she'll go with you."
All the doubts he had about letting her do this was coming back to him, but he was startled out of his thoughts when he felt her lightly touch his arm. "C'mon, Tris... give it a try."
He felt himself nod.
*****
(The next day. After school)
The moment Rory stepped out of the classroom, Tristan grabbed hold of her hand and proceeded to drag her through the hallways and out of school. "I'm taking you home."
Rory winced slightly as she saw the look of murder in Paris' eyes at Tristan's words, but didn't say anything. She was fighting a bigger battle: she tried hard to ignore the warm feeling of Tristan's fingers laced with hers but failed miserably. When she lifted up her head, she saw that almost everyone was watching Tristan and her. She shifted her gaze down again.
He didn't know exactly what possessed him to hold her hand, but he wasn't regretting the action. He savoured the feeling of having her small hand in it and was lifted by the fact that she hadn't pulled away. He didn't notice the reaction of the other students at seeing them together that way.
It was only after they had pulled out of the Chilton parking lot that conversation started.
"What's this all about?"
Playing dumb was so much more fun. "What's what?"
"Driving me home. Why?"
Tristan shrugged and tried to seem nonchalant about it. "Since you're helping me, I figure this is the least I can do." He immediately changed the subject, "So what's the scoop?"
"Hates you with the fire of a thousand suns. That's a direct quote."
He laughed lightly, "Told you so. She hates me more than you do."
She knew he was teasing, but she somehow felt the need to assure him. "I don't hate you, Tristan."
He didn't really look convinced. "Are you sure? Not even a little bit?"
"Not even a little bit," she confirmed.
There was a slight pause as they both thought over what she said. He changed his tone to one of teasing, "So you actually like me?"
Rory didn't have to look at him to know that the DuGrey smirk was planted firmly on his lips. "Don't push it, DuGrey."
Tristan just laughed.
