PART SIX
Third period had rolled around and gone, and Paris was feeling footloose and fancy-free. Louise and Madeline had been kind about her subtle change of uniform and hairstyle in their own fashion. Her Physics teacher had complimented her on her research project. And she had absolutely destroyed her Latin pop quiz. She had conjugated the deponent verb like nobody's business.
She put her stack of textbooks away. When she closed her locker, Josh was there and he was grinning. He held out a piece of folded paper to her.
She took it gingerly, read, and looked up at him in surprise.
"I hereby officially turn the reins of The Franklin over to you."
"Oh, wow." She murmured as he gave her a friendly hug.
"So, now that you've become editor, what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to Disneyworld."
Josh laughed. "No, Paris, seriously. Friday night-"
Someone behind Paris, coughed politely.
Josh paused, "Hello, DuGrey."
A little annoyed, Paris turned around to Tristan. All annoyance fled at the smile on his face.
"You got the tickets?"
"I got the tickets," he confirmed. "PJ Harvy. Friday. Coliseum. Eight o' clock. All I need is the girl."
"I'm excited.."
"Me, too." He leaned against her locker. "I'm going to camp out here."
"Do that." Paris turned back to Josh. "Now what were you saying?"
"Uh, nothing. I'll talk to you later." He left.
Paris turned back to Tristan. "I've got to go talk to Mr. Medina about the Henry James. Good luck, okay. Just remember to be confident."
Tristan smirked in accordance.
***
Rory was leaving Mr. Medina's classroom, a little shocked by what he had told her. He was talking to her mom again?
Distracted, she hadn't noticed Summer zero-ing in on her.
"Hey, Mary Magdalene." Summer greeted her with a smooch-ing noise.
"Oh, hello." Rory, while familiar with the back of the other girl's head, had never actually spoken to the other girl.
"So, we had you pegged wrong. You're the flavor of the month."
"What? Excuse me," Rory tried to pass but Summer blocked her way.
"I knew Tristan was faking being all worked about me and Austin in the bathroom. It was so uncharacteristic."
"No? Are you kidding? He was totally upset."
"And got over it really quick." Summer made another kissing noise.
"What are you talking about? Look, I have to get to lunch."
"Lunch? Is that code for making out with Tristan?"
"No. We're just friends."
"You can't pretend anymore, Mary. I know about the kissing at Madeline's party. Everybody knows."
Rory was at a loss. Tristan had told?
"You can go look in the boys bathroom. There's five stars by your name. We were all very impressed by your experience," Summer leered at her. "I really hadn't figured you for a video-tape-the-action girl, at all."
"Video tape."
"Uh huh." Summer patted her purse. "I'd lend you my copy but the soccer team's got it right now. I know. You can ask Paris where to get a copy. You're tight now, right?"
"Paris?"
"Long forehead. About so tall." Summer mimed a height indication. "Ta, now."
Rory leaned against the lockers as Tristan's ex-girlfriend sashayed away. She was not going to cry. Or wallow. Or cry.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway and Rory cringed a little closer to the wall. She didn't want to deal with anyone right now. She needed time to...think.
Boys bathroom. Soccer team. Video tape.
Or she could just cry.
A kind hand was laid on her shoulder. A whisper. "Rory? Rory, are you okay."
Half-processed emotions surged. Rory whipped around.
She snarled. "Like you care. I thought you were my friend, Paris. Is this payback for something. I never understood what I did to you but I now see that it doesn't matter because you're always going to hate me."
Paris backed away. "We are friends."
"Video tape. Tristan. All over school. And, oh, probably going to hear about it at dinner with my grandparents."
Paris colored as she pieced everything together. Her hand went to her mouth, it couldn't be. It was like a nightmare. An after school special.
"I welcomed you into my town. My home. I gave you a clown donut. I really liked you. I guess you people are all the same. Spoiled, arrogant...it's like Pretty in Pink and I'm freaking Molly Ringwald. I hope you and Tristan are proud of yourselves."
Rory executed a neat twist of her heels and fled before Paris could apologize or even explain.
A door opened and shut. "Paris? I thought I heard something out here. Did you need to see me?"
Paris stammered. "Just about...Henry James. Daisy Miller. Turn of the Screw. Compare and contrast. Something came up. I'll ask later."
She left the hall, turning in the opposite direction that Rory had.
The bell for fourth period rang but Paris didn't care. She couldn't deal with Trigonometry right now.
She locked herself into a stall in the second floor bathroom. Rory was upset. Understandably so. But it wasn't Paris' fault. She hadn't done anything wrong. It was all Madeline's stupid security camera's fault. Like they had anything anyone wanted to steal.
Madeline.
An outlet for her rage in mind, Paris left the bathroom to track down her 'friend.'
She waited for Madeline outside her French class, pulling the girl to the side the moment she stepped out the door.
"Paris," Madeline smiled. "Can I borrow your Bio notes from last year?"
Paris didn't smile back. "The tape of Rory and Tristan. I thought you said you didn't have any copies."
"I didn't." Madeline crossed her arms, using her notebook as a shield. "There are two cameras in that room. There was one from another angle."
"But why did you use them?" Paris was at a loss. Madeline wasn't malicious by nature.
"Why not?" Another voice interrupted. Louise. Now Louise was that mean. "A while ago you would have been all for taking down Snow-White Rory, but now she's got you painting her toe nails."
Paris silenced Louise with a death glare. "Shut up. Do not mess with me."
"It was a joke," Madeline giggled awkwardly.
Paris leveled the other girl with a glare, too. "How many tapes are there?"
"I made five. But I think other people made copies of those-"
"Get them."
"This is not a totalitarian state, Paris." Louis sneered.
Slowly, Paris released her threat. "I've known you since the creche. I know everything about you. Do you want me to keep those secrets?"
Louise huffed. "Uh, fine."
Madeline lingered, "It's not that bad. I did a little editing. We cut off that part where Rory runs from the room crying and Tristan's just sitting there-"
Tristan. Paris had forgotten about Tristan. Tristan, who was at least half in love with Rory and who was going to ask her to PJ Harvey.
Crap.
Paris gave one last death glare to Madeline and Louise, letting them know they were dismissed. And then she set to find Tristan to warn him that Rory was...to tell Tristan, just to do something.
***
To be continued...