Disclaimer: You can't make me say it! Okay okay, I don't own any of them . They belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino and other people I wish I knew. Hey, a girl can dream...I do that too much as it is. ^_^ Plz don't make me repeat this chapter after agonizing chapter!
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It was Friday, and Rory was welcoming the two-day respite from the gallows reincarnate, better known as Chilton. Cradling her large cup of coffee, she bent her head over her application.
"You're going to have to go sooner or later," Lorelai chimed as she looked over her own mug.
"Could anyone blame me for choosing later?" Rory muttered.
"Yell ya what. When you get home today, we'll rent a bunch of videos and have a movie mania!" she cheered.
"That's what we do every Friday night," Rory deadpanned.
"Nuh-uh! For the last three months you've..." Clapping her hand to her mouth, Lorelai looked over at Rory to see if she had noticed. To her chagrin, she did.
Sighing deeply, Rory fought the tidal wave of sorrow threatening to engulf her. * Get a grip, Ror. It's been three months. * "I, uh...I'm gonna go now, then."
Lorelai watched her daughter trudge out the door and preceded in banging her head against the table.
"What'd you do now?" Luke asked as he poured more of the steaming ambrosia into her cup.
"I mentioned the..."
"Ah...say no more," he nodded in understanding. Ever since it had happened, the whole town had been in an uproar. Only now was the fury starting to recede.
"I still can't believe that Dean would..."
At the mention of that name, Luke's fists involuntarily tightened. It was a known fact that Luke regarded Rory as his own child.
"Yeah."
"And right in front of Doose's Market, too! I'll bet he can't even remember her name, either!"
Luke only grunted as he swiped the adjacent table clean.
"They seemed like they were getting along great, and then he has to go and pull a stunt like that. Cheating on Rory? Does he think he can do better than her?" Lorelai downed the rest of the contents and stood up. "I'll see you later on. Michel is going through a 'phase' right now. Something about insufficient french caviar or something."
She waved to him as she pushed the door open.
~ Chilton ~
A pop quiz in English, a project in History, not to mention her P.E. uniform getting torn on the ledge. Life couldn't get any worse.
"That'll be four fifty," the lunch lady stated, her hair net bobbing around energetically.
Searching her pockets, Rory fought to control her dismay. Now this!
"I, um...I can't find my money..."
"Back of the line!" The lady growled as she pointed across the room.
"But..."
"Need a little help, Mary?" A low voiced lilted from behind her.
Startled, she jumped. Turning around, she fixed him with a glare. "Not from you Tristan."
Throwing some money carelessly onto the table, he kept his eyes trained on her. "Keep the change," he directed the comment to the lunch lady.
He walked off, Rory in tow. "I didn't ask you to do that."
He shrugged and kept on walking. She tried again. "I'll pay you back tomorrow."
Turning abruptly around, his eyes sought hers. "Why wait? You can reciprocate right now..."
She blushed in a mixture of anger and embarrassment. Smirking at her discomfort, Tristan leaned casually against the wall of the cafeteria.
"Look, I don't have time for this."
"Time for what?"
She motioned between the two of them. "This. I've got so much to do for classes. Whether you believe it or not, time doesn't stop when you walk into the room..."
"There's more to life that just classes."
"hah Not if I want to get into Harvard."
"Come on, Mary. I'm disappointed in you. You can come up with a better excuse than that."
"It's not an excuse! I would do other things, I just don't have the energy to devote to it!"
"Uh huh."
"You don't believe me?"
He grinned innocently at her. "Why would so say that?" he queried condescendingly.
"I can do anything just as well as you can!" she blurted out.
He pinned her against the wall. "I'm sure there are a few things..." He trailed off suggestively.
Blushing delicately, Rory fought to regain her breath, mentally chastising herself for getting all flustered over such a small thing. Stepping to the side to regain her violated personal space, she scowled at him.
"You know what I meant."
"Do I?"
"Tristan..." He loved being able to push her to the limit. Sensing he was nearing it, he relented.
"So you really think you can do just as well as me in anything?"
The words had come out in the heat of the moment, but Rory refused to admit he was superior to her in any way. "Yes."
"ANYTHING?"
She didn't like the glint in his eyes and hesitated briefly. "Yeeesss."
"Alright. Try being...as popular as me." He crossed his arms in smugness, grinning at his triumph.
Her eyes widened incredulously. Tristan was the king of Chilton. Even the teachers regarded him with a certain measure of respect.
"That isn't..." She began.
"Isn't what, Mary?"
"It-it isn't a THING," she managed to stutter.
"Are you admitting defeat?" He asked with mock seriousness.
"N-no."
"So you're going to take this challenge?"
"Like I said, I have better things to do than try and impress a bunch of airheads."
"Must we go through this again, Mary?"
"Being popular doesn't count for anything," she asserted.
His eye caught on a folder she was holding. "You're applying to the shield and scroll society?"
The change in topic caught her off guard. "Oh, yeah."
"Hey, looks great on your college application."
"Not just great, wonderful," Rory emphasized.
"So how do you plan on getting in?"
She was confused. "What do you mean? I turn in the form, then I wait until they post the results."
He chuckled lightly. "You've got to be kidding."
"Why?"
"Come on. Practically every junior at Chilton is applying. You think you're gonna get in just cause you've got good grades?"
"Yeah..." She was experiencing a pang of self-doubt, but she refused to let him see that.
"You'll need two extra curriculars and a 3.8 for them to even consider looking at you. And keep this in mind. The chairman and his assistant do the selection, and they're students."
"What does it matter that they're students?"
"If you're popular, you'll have a better chance of getting in. The chairman is only human, you know."
There it was! She should have known better than to believe Tristan Dugray would ever drop a subject.
"I...you...shield and scroll was never really that important anyway," she choked out
"You sure about that?"
She swallowed hard. He had caught her in a well-laid trap. She hadn't even seen it coming!
"There are other clubs to join."
"Huh. Don't kid yourself, Mary."
"Don't call me that!" Having no comeback to what she knew was true, Rory attacked the nickname.
"I knew you were too cowardly. All bark and no bite."
"That's not true!" Anger was overtaking her again.
"You couldn't be popular even if you tried."
"I could, too! I bet you I could!"
"What would you bet?"
"I'll-I'll do your homework for a month!"
"Fine then. You have two months. I'll have my work all laid out for you then."
"Hey! What happens if I make it?" She called after him.
"You won't."
She placed her hands on her hips. "Tristan..."
"I'll bet anything. You won't make it, anyway."
"So if I win, you'll promise never to bother me again?"
At her words his heart wrung painfully in his chest. "Yeah, sure."
Rory watched him go. She had only been part serious, and he seemed to have been shaken by her question. Suddenly the realization of what she'd just done washed over her. Popular? In two months? Slumping down into the nearest chair, Rory heaved a sigh. What had she gotten herself into?
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It was Friday, and Rory was welcoming the two-day respite from the gallows reincarnate, better known as Chilton. Cradling her large cup of coffee, she bent her head over her application.
"You're going to have to go sooner or later," Lorelai chimed as she looked over her own mug.
"Could anyone blame me for choosing later?" Rory muttered.
"Yell ya what. When you get home today, we'll rent a bunch of videos and have a movie mania!" she cheered.
"That's what we do every Friday night," Rory deadpanned.
"Nuh-uh! For the last three months you've..." Clapping her hand to her mouth, Lorelai looked over at Rory to see if she had noticed. To her chagrin, she did.
Sighing deeply, Rory fought the tidal wave of sorrow threatening to engulf her. * Get a grip, Ror. It's been three months. * "I, uh...I'm gonna go now, then."
Lorelai watched her daughter trudge out the door and preceded in banging her head against the table.
"What'd you do now?" Luke asked as he poured more of the steaming ambrosia into her cup.
"I mentioned the..."
"Ah...say no more," he nodded in understanding. Ever since it had happened, the whole town had been in an uproar. Only now was the fury starting to recede.
"I still can't believe that Dean would..."
At the mention of that name, Luke's fists involuntarily tightened. It was a known fact that Luke regarded Rory as his own child.
"Yeah."
"And right in front of Doose's Market, too! I'll bet he can't even remember her name, either!"
Luke only grunted as he swiped the adjacent table clean.
"They seemed like they were getting along great, and then he has to go and pull a stunt like that. Cheating on Rory? Does he think he can do better than her?" Lorelai downed the rest of the contents and stood up. "I'll see you later on. Michel is going through a 'phase' right now. Something about insufficient french caviar or something."
She waved to him as she pushed the door open.
~ Chilton ~
A pop quiz in English, a project in History, not to mention her P.E. uniform getting torn on the ledge. Life couldn't get any worse.
"That'll be four fifty," the lunch lady stated, her hair net bobbing around energetically.
Searching her pockets, Rory fought to control her dismay. Now this!
"I, um...I can't find my money..."
"Back of the line!" The lady growled as she pointed across the room.
"But..."
"Need a little help, Mary?" A low voiced lilted from behind her.
Startled, she jumped. Turning around, she fixed him with a glare. "Not from you Tristan."
Throwing some money carelessly onto the table, he kept his eyes trained on her. "Keep the change," he directed the comment to the lunch lady.
He walked off, Rory in tow. "I didn't ask you to do that."
He shrugged and kept on walking. She tried again. "I'll pay you back tomorrow."
Turning abruptly around, his eyes sought hers. "Why wait? You can reciprocate right now..."
She blushed in a mixture of anger and embarrassment. Smirking at her discomfort, Tristan leaned casually against the wall of the cafeteria.
"Look, I don't have time for this."
"Time for what?"
She motioned between the two of them. "This. I've got so much to do for classes. Whether you believe it or not, time doesn't stop when you walk into the room..."
"There's more to life that just classes."
"hah Not if I want to get into Harvard."
"Come on, Mary. I'm disappointed in you. You can come up with a better excuse than that."
"It's not an excuse! I would do other things, I just don't have the energy to devote to it!"
"Uh huh."
"You don't believe me?"
He grinned innocently at her. "Why would so say that?" he queried condescendingly.
"I can do anything just as well as you can!" she blurted out.
He pinned her against the wall. "I'm sure there are a few things..." He trailed off suggestively.
Blushing delicately, Rory fought to regain her breath, mentally chastising herself for getting all flustered over such a small thing. Stepping to the side to regain her violated personal space, she scowled at him.
"You know what I meant."
"Do I?"
"Tristan..." He loved being able to push her to the limit. Sensing he was nearing it, he relented.
"So you really think you can do just as well as me in anything?"
The words had come out in the heat of the moment, but Rory refused to admit he was superior to her in any way. "Yes."
"ANYTHING?"
She didn't like the glint in his eyes and hesitated briefly. "Yeeesss."
"Alright. Try being...as popular as me." He crossed his arms in smugness, grinning at his triumph.
Her eyes widened incredulously. Tristan was the king of Chilton. Even the teachers regarded him with a certain measure of respect.
"That isn't..." She began.
"Isn't what, Mary?"
"It-it isn't a THING," she managed to stutter.
"Are you admitting defeat?" He asked with mock seriousness.
"N-no."
"So you're going to take this challenge?"
"Like I said, I have better things to do than try and impress a bunch of airheads."
"Must we go through this again, Mary?"
"Being popular doesn't count for anything," she asserted.
His eye caught on a folder she was holding. "You're applying to the shield and scroll society?"
The change in topic caught her off guard. "Oh, yeah."
"Hey, looks great on your college application."
"Not just great, wonderful," Rory emphasized.
"So how do you plan on getting in?"
She was confused. "What do you mean? I turn in the form, then I wait until they post the results."
He chuckled lightly. "You've got to be kidding."
"Why?"
"Come on. Practically every junior at Chilton is applying. You think you're gonna get in just cause you've got good grades?"
"Yeah..." She was experiencing a pang of self-doubt, but she refused to let him see that.
"You'll need two extra curriculars and a 3.8 for them to even consider looking at you. And keep this in mind. The chairman and his assistant do the selection, and they're students."
"What does it matter that they're students?"
"If you're popular, you'll have a better chance of getting in. The chairman is only human, you know."
There it was! She should have known better than to believe Tristan Dugray would ever drop a subject.
"I...you...shield and scroll was never really that important anyway," she choked out
"You sure about that?"
She swallowed hard. He had caught her in a well-laid trap. She hadn't even seen it coming!
"There are other clubs to join."
"Huh. Don't kid yourself, Mary."
"Don't call me that!" Having no comeback to what she knew was true, Rory attacked the nickname.
"I knew you were too cowardly. All bark and no bite."
"That's not true!" Anger was overtaking her again.
"You couldn't be popular even if you tried."
"I could, too! I bet you I could!"
"What would you bet?"
"I'll-I'll do your homework for a month!"
"Fine then. You have two months. I'll have my work all laid out for you then."
"Hey! What happens if I make it?" She called after him.
"You won't."
She placed her hands on her hips. "Tristan..."
"I'll bet anything. You won't make it, anyway."
"So if I win, you'll promise never to bother me again?"
At her words his heart wrung painfully in his chest. "Yeah, sure."
Rory watched him go. She had only been part serious, and he seemed to have been shaken by her question. Suddenly the realization of what she'd just done washed over her. Popular? In two months? Slumping down into the nearest chair, Rory heaved a sigh. What had she gotten herself into?