"Hi! Romy, right?" A overly perky voice grated in her ear.
"It's Rory," Rory said through gritted teeth. "Rory Gilmore."
Madeline shot her a look of disapprobation and Rory mellowed her antagonizing posture with a fake smile.
"Oh, right. Hey, I've never seen you outside of Chilton. Nice outfit."
Looking down at her ensemble, Rory became self-conscious. She was wearing a close-fitting knotted white t-shirt that exposed her midriff and a maroon red mini skirt.
"Yeah…thanks."
She could feel the other girls scanning her, as if deciding whether she was worth their while. Rory had to fight to keep a scowl from crossing her features. Who were they to judge HER? After a moment, they all turned to an approaching figure. Summer.
"Summer! Look who's here. Rory Gilmore."
Looking critically at her, Summer extended her hand.
"Nice to meet you."
"You, too."
The tension was evident to all who bore witness, and the rest of the girls shot apprehensive glances at her. Finally Summer gave her a small smile. "I suppose I'll be seeing you around."
"Yeah."
Rory watched as she sauntered off in the direction of some Chilton jocks. Among them was Tristan. She stood rooted to the spot. That look of his was…unnerving.
"Whew. For a minute there I thought she was gonna flat out reject you," Madeline sidled up to her.
Her head snapped towards Madeline, glad to have an eligible excuse to look away from those penetrating cobalt orbs. "I guess."
"Now I've gotten you to the door. You just gotta step through it." The old saying was well applied here.
"You mean I have to do more? I thought this was it!" Rory yelped.
"Of course not! You passed the preliminary test. That means they won't openly diss you in the halls. If you're planning on actually being in the group, you've got a long road ahead of you. I'm still working on it myself."
Rory looked at her in dismay. "And just how long have you been working on this?"
"'Bout two years?"
"I've got two months!" She collapsed into a nearby chair at the bar. Madeline joined her, shrugging her shoulders.
"What'll you have?" A bartender came up to them.
"Oh, a virgin strawberry dacquirie please." Rory replied distractedly.
"I'll have the same, seeing as how I love virgins so much."
Rory turned disbelieving eyes on the person sitting next to her.
"Oh look! I think I see Louise!" Madeline made a move to leave. "I'm gonna go catch up with her."
Rory pleaded with her eyes for her to stay. Madeline halted, but Tristan urged her on.
"I think that's a good idea."
Looking at her helplessly, Madeline delved into the crowd.
"You know, I'm kinda busy here," Rory began.
"Right. I can see how time-consuming breathing is." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"I've got an image to uphold. You were the one who set down this challenge, so let me fulfill it in peace."
"Mary, Mary, quite contrary" He paused to let the little rhyme settle in. "I'm actually helping you out. Everyone knows it's a huge social booster to be seen with me. Even more so if we…"
She cleared her throat. "Look, I'm not in the mood to…" Her speaking ceased instantly as she focused on something behind Tristan. She ducked her head.
Please don't see me! Please don't see me! * But it was clear that their trajectory was the very bar she was sitting at.
"Oh, Rory. Good to see you."
"Nice to see you, too, Dean."
A.N.: haha Wondering what's gonna happen next? You'll just have to wait! J/k I'm not that cruel. On with the show!
He smiled at her, his date nuzzling his shoulder.
"This is Suzanne."
Rory looked the girl over. The typical airhead, she was tossing her blonde curls airily. Rory didn't hesitate after that. She leaned back.
"I think you remember Tristan."
To Tristan's surprise, Rory was leaning affectionately against him. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her. Denial of what she was offering never occurred to him.
Glaring icily at the lithe figure, Dean challenged him silently, but Tristan only leaned down to Rory's shoulder and placed kisses along her neck. Rory elbowed him discreetly while shooting a sickeningly sweet smile at Dean. He coughed nervously as his own date gave Tristan the once-over. For the first time, Rory was glad Tristan was as handsome as he was.
"Yeah, well nice seeing you again."
"Same here."
She watched as they disappeared into the crowd and then turned an accusatory look on Tristan.
"What the heck was that?"
He suppressed a sigh at the loss of contact with her, opting for one of his infernal smirks. "What was what?"
"Those kisses. I never authorized them!"
He brought up his hands defensively in front of him. "Hey, I wasn't the one who started it. You were the one who wanted to get all cuddly in front of your ex, not me. Would you rather have had me deny it?"
She blushed. What he said was true. Finding no satisfactory retort, she groaned and took a sip of her dacquirie.
"It's Rory," Rory said through gritted teeth. "Rory Gilmore."
Madeline shot her a look of disapprobation and Rory mellowed her antagonizing posture with a fake smile.
"Oh, right. Hey, I've never seen you outside of Chilton. Nice outfit."
Looking down at her ensemble, Rory became self-conscious. She was wearing a close-fitting knotted white t-shirt that exposed her midriff and a maroon red mini skirt.
"Yeah…thanks."
She could feel the other girls scanning her, as if deciding whether she was worth their while. Rory had to fight to keep a scowl from crossing her features. Who were they to judge HER? After a moment, they all turned to an approaching figure. Summer.
"Summer! Look who's here. Rory Gilmore."
Looking critically at her, Summer extended her hand.
"Nice to meet you."
"You, too."
The tension was evident to all who bore witness, and the rest of the girls shot apprehensive glances at her. Finally Summer gave her a small smile. "I suppose I'll be seeing you around."
"Yeah."
Rory watched as she sauntered off in the direction of some Chilton jocks. Among them was Tristan. She stood rooted to the spot. That look of his was…unnerving.
"Whew. For a minute there I thought she was gonna flat out reject you," Madeline sidled up to her.
Her head snapped towards Madeline, glad to have an eligible excuse to look away from those penetrating cobalt orbs. "I guess."
"Now I've gotten you to the door. You just gotta step through it." The old saying was well applied here.
"You mean I have to do more? I thought this was it!" Rory yelped.
"Of course not! You passed the preliminary test. That means they won't openly diss you in the halls. If you're planning on actually being in the group, you've got a long road ahead of you. I'm still working on it myself."
Rory looked at her in dismay. "And just how long have you been working on this?"
"'Bout two years?"
"I've got two months!" She collapsed into a nearby chair at the bar. Madeline joined her, shrugging her shoulders.
"What'll you have?" A bartender came up to them.
"Oh, a virgin strawberry dacquirie please." Rory replied distractedly.
"I'll have the same, seeing as how I love virgins so much."
Rory turned disbelieving eyes on the person sitting next to her.
"Oh look! I think I see Louise!" Madeline made a move to leave. "I'm gonna go catch up with her."
Rory pleaded with her eyes for her to stay. Madeline halted, but Tristan urged her on.
"I think that's a good idea."
Looking at her helplessly, Madeline delved into the crowd.
"You know, I'm kinda busy here," Rory began.
"Right. I can see how time-consuming breathing is." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"I've got an image to uphold. You were the one who set down this challenge, so let me fulfill it in peace."
"Mary, Mary, quite contrary" He paused to let the little rhyme settle in. "I'm actually helping you out. Everyone knows it's a huge social booster to be seen with me. Even more so if we…"
She cleared her throat. "Look, I'm not in the mood to…" Her speaking ceased instantly as she focused on something behind Tristan. She ducked her head.
Please don't see me! Please don't see me! * But it was clear that their trajectory was the very bar she was sitting at.
"Oh, Rory. Good to see you."
"Nice to see you, too, Dean."
A.N.: haha Wondering what's gonna happen next? You'll just have to wait! J/k I'm not that cruel. On with the show!
He smiled at her, his date nuzzling his shoulder.
"This is Suzanne."
Rory looked the girl over. The typical airhead, she was tossing her blonde curls airily. Rory didn't hesitate after that. She leaned back.
"I think you remember Tristan."
To Tristan's surprise, Rory was leaning affectionately against him. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her. Denial of what she was offering never occurred to him.
Glaring icily at the lithe figure, Dean challenged him silently, but Tristan only leaned down to Rory's shoulder and placed kisses along her neck. Rory elbowed him discreetly while shooting a sickeningly sweet smile at Dean. He coughed nervously as his own date gave Tristan the once-over. For the first time, Rory was glad Tristan was as handsome as he was.
"Yeah, well nice seeing you again."
"Same here."
She watched as they disappeared into the crowd and then turned an accusatory look on Tristan.
"What the heck was that?"
He suppressed a sigh at the loss of contact with her, opting for one of his infernal smirks. "What was what?"
"Those kisses. I never authorized them!"
He brought up his hands defensively in front of him. "Hey, I wasn't the one who started it. You were the one who wanted to get all cuddly in front of your ex, not me. Would you rather have had me deny it?"
She blushed. What he said was true. Finding no satisfactory retort, she groaned and took a sip of her dacquirie.