A.N.: Ritios, people, I'm back! Hehe It's been a while since my last update (a week or so?). So here it is! Tell me if you like!
Rory finished the activities in a dazed state. Watching the others joking around the fire, she snuggled deeper into the swinging porch bench. The stars were just starting to blanket the sky.
"Please don't tell me you don't know what's gonna happen."
Rory was shaken out of her thoughts.
"Excuse me?"
"The note. I saw her give it to you. Have you run home to tell mommy yet?"
"What are you talking about?" She was still recovering from yesterday's activities.
"Don't try that innocent act on me. I knew they were going to initiate you, I just never thought you'd stoop so low as to become one of them."
"Please speak in English, Paris. This isn't `lessons in cryptic remarks' class."
"Forget it. I hope you're happy, Gilmore."
Rory watched her storm off. * The girl's nuts! *
At the appointed time, Rory slipped out of the cabin. She was curious as to what Summer could possibly want to say to her.
"You made it." A perky voice rammed into her ear.
"Of course." A light flickered on, and Rory could now see Summer and her friends standing in a semicircle around her. "So what was so important you had to wait until everyone was asleep to tell me?"
Summer grinned. She gestured to two girls beside her and they came forward, bearing a thin anklet.
"We had a council yesterday night when you were talking to Mr. Yarek and Ms. Wilden, and we've decided to let you into our group. This is the symbol of our friendship."
Rory tried to mask her incredulity. Who in their right mind would host councils to select their friends? At Summer's impatient gesture, Rory rolled up her pant leg. This was what she wanted right? Once this was done, she could announce it to the world-or rather to Tristan- and be done with the whole ridiculous notion. With an air of importance, Summer clasped the silver band around Rory's slim ankle.
"I, Summer Halliburton, the Queen of the Chilton, solemnly crown Rory Gilmore one of my princesses."
Only through severe mental restraint did Rory manage to pull through the whole process without laughing. Really, the event was simply absurd. When all the rituals had been discarded, Summer clapped her hands.
"Come on! It's time!"
They ushered her towards the lake. "Time for what?"
"Time for the cleansing ritual. Duh!"
"What's that?"
Summer huffed in annoyance. "It's tradition. Once someone is crowned a princess, she and the others go skinny dipping to cleanse themselves."
"Since when was it tradition?"
Summer put a hand on her hip. "I don't know. Last month? I saw it in a magazine somewhere."
Rory nearly fell down. "You're kidding."
"Of course not. One never kids when it comes to things like these."
"I'm not going skinny dipping!" Rory crossed her arms and turned away as the others hurriedly rid themselves of clothing. It was unnerving how coincidence brought to her the one thing she had been wondering about last night.
Summer stopped. "Come on, Rory. You can't break tradition."
"Tradition constitutes a matter of decades, at least years. Not just one month."
Summer shrugged. "Even Paris had the guts to do it."
Rory turned to look at her.
"She did! At a party in eighth grade."
And Rory knew it was true. She couldn't let Paris beat her! "I have the guts!"
"Then show us."
Sighing, she shrugged off her jacket. After all was said and they were moving onto the doing, a portion of her reason had come back to her. * One day my obstinacy will be my downfall. *
Summer and the others were already in the water, and Rory splashed in herself.
"God it's cold!" She shivered.
"Well, duh. It IS like midnight now."
* It isn't as bad as it could be * she thought as they went through another round of hide and go seek. With a deep breath, she submerged underwater. The others were playing hide and seek over on the opposite side of the lake and she had managed to slip away silently into a hidden alcove to do some much-needed thinking.
From her station underneath the water, the shriek was amplified. Startled, Rory let out all the air that was left in her lungs, the bubbles drifting quickly up to the surface. She frantically pushed herself off from the bottom to see what the commotion was about. After taking shallow breaths of air, she scanned the scene before her.
BOYS! They were swarming around the lake-stealthy black shadows swiftly overtaking the girls on the far side. Rory gasped as a figure she recognized as Austin by the weak light of the moon waded towards a screaming Summer. They were laughing maniacally. Was this some kind of joke? Then panic set in, suffocating her in its encapsulating bonds. She had to get her clothes and get out of here without being seen! Her heart plummeted as she remembered that the garments were in a pile right by the site of the invasion. What could she do?
"Mary? Is that you?"
She refused to turn around. It could only add to her dismay. But her body wasn't listening to her, and her eyes locked onto a pair of equally intense ones.
He had been tired. It was obvious that Rory was perplexed by him, and Summer's advances were starting to fray his already on-end nerves. When his friends had suggested they all go down to the lake for a twilight swim, he had agreed readily. Anything to get his mind off HER. But little did he know that they had other plans than swimming-an all-out raid. But how had they known? Austin had said something about a paper in the trashcan. At least that was what he had gleaned from the garbles of words that had come out of his mouth as he streaked toward the lake with the others. Not wanting to be a part in the messy affair, Tristan had set off for the other side of the lake, hoping they would all be settled down by the time he had finished a few laps. He didn't believe his eyes when they registered another figure in the water-Rory Gilmore.
"Oh God! Tristan!"
She sunk deeper into the chilly water-up to her shoulders, hoping this was just a dream. If she wished hard enough, it just might happen. Apparently not.
"You do know you're..."
She nodded stiffly, silently thanking the lord that at least the water was opaque. Lengthy silence settled on the two, and she blushed heartily.
"Um...Tristan? If it's alright with you, I'd like to get out, but..."
He battled hard to keep from smirking at her predicament. He pulled the towel from around his neck off and tossed it to her, landing on her head. It took every fiber of will power in his body to turn around. He desperately wanted to see her in all her glory, but he knew she didn't feel the same. All she felt for him was hatred.
"Thanks. You can look now."
So it WAS possible for him to be a gentleman.
"You know you really shouldn't come out here without...proper garments. Some people just might take advantage," he said teasingly as she plunked down beside him, turning scarlet. Seeing her like that, in just a towel, took his breath away.
Scratch that. It was the same old Tristan.
"I'm going to ignore that seeing as how you were actually acting decent just now."
"Gee, thanks."
"Anytime."
"Really, Mary. So you've taken to parading around me in your birthday suit?"
She would have smacked him, but the precariously loosely knotted towel wouldn't permit it-not unless she wanted to bare herself to the world. She opted for a more hands-free approach.
"Only when you're in yours."
He drew back a pace, nearly stumbling on loose stones. Had she just said what he thought he'd heard?
"Tristan!" That was Josh. They had finished their game with the girls.
Regaining his composure, he leaned towards her.
"Well it's a deal then, Mary. Next time we meet, we'll turn the heat up." He winked as he departed.
A.N.: Yes, it isn't exactly million-dollar-invention original, is it? Sorry, but this is me in homework-ridden overdrive mode But hey, I used your idea, Roxy! That's for helping me out there. ^_^ Hopefully, I'll be able to make the next chapter more interesting. It and the next chapter were SUPPOSED to be done in time for V-day, but I just haven't had the time, so sorry if it's kinda belated.
Rory finished the activities in a dazed state. Watching the others joking around the fire, she snuggled deeper into the swinging porch bench. The stars were just starting to blanket the sky.
"Please don't tell me you don't know what's gonna happen."
Rory was shaken out of her thoughts.
"Excuse me?"
"The note. I saw her give it to you. Have you run home to tell mommy yet?"
"What are you talking about?" She was still recovering from yesterday's activities.
"Don't try that innocent act on me. I knew they were going to initiate you, I just never thought you'd stoop so low as to become one of them."
"Please speak in English, Paris. This isn't `lessons in cryptic remarks' class."
"Forget it. I hope you're happy, Gilmore."
Rory watched her storm off. * The girl's nuts! *
At the appointed time, Rory slipped out of the cabin. She was curious as to what Summer could possibly want to say to her.
"You made it." A perky voice rammed into her ear.
"Of course." A light flickered on, and Rory could now see Summer and her friends standing in a semicircle around her. "So what was so important you had to wait until everyone was asleep to tell me?"
Summer grinned. She gestured to two girls beside her and they came forward, bearing a thin anklet.
"We had a council yesterday night when you were talking to Mr. Yarek and Ms. Wilden, and we've decided to let you into our group. This is the symbol of our friendship."
Rory tried to mask her incredulity. Who in their right mind would host councils to select their friends? At Summer's impatient gesture, Rory rolled up her pant leg. This was what she wanted right? Once this was done, she could announce it to the world-or rather to Tristan- and be done with the whole ridiculous notion. With an air of importance, Summer clasped the silver band around Rory's slim ankle.
"I, Summer Halliburton, the Queen of the Chilton, solemnly crown Rory Gilmore one of my princesses."
Only through severe mental restraint did Rory manage to pull through the whole process without laughing. Really, the event was simply absurd. When all the rituals had been discarded, Summer clapped her hands.
"Come on! It's time!"
They ushered her towards the lake. "Time for what?"
"Time for the cleansing ritual. Duh!"
"What's that?"
Summer huffed in annoyance. "It's tradition. Once someone is crowned a princess, she and the others go skinny dipping to cleanse themselves."
"Since when was it tradition?"
Summer put a hand on her hip. "I don't know. Last month? I saw it in a magazine somewhere."
Rory nearly fell down. "You're kidding."
"Of course not. One never kids when it comes to things like these."
"I'm not going skinny dipping!" Rory crossed her arms and turned away as the others hurriedly rid themselves of clothing. It was unnerving how coincidence brought to her the one thing she had been wondering about last night.
Summer stopped. "Come on, Rory. You can't break tradition."
"Tradition constitutes a matter of decades, at least years. Not just one month."
Summer shrugged. "Even Paris had the guts to do it."
Rory turned to look at her.
"She did! At a party in eighth grade."
And Rory knew it was true. She couldn't let Paris beat her! "I have the guts!"
"Then show us."
Sighing, she shrugged off her jacket. After all was said and they were moving onto the doing, a portion of her reason had come back to her. * One day my obstinacy will be my downfall. *
Summer and the others were already in the water, and Rory splashed in herself.
"God it's cold!" She shivered.
"Well, duh. It IS like midnight now."
* It isn't as bad as it could be * she thought as they went through another round of hide and go seek. With a deep breath, she submerged underwater. The others were playing hide and seek over on the opposite side of the lake and she had managed to slip away silently into a hidden alcove to do some much-needed thinking.
From her station underneath the water, the shriek was amplified. Startled, Rory let out all the air that was left in her lungs, the bubbles drifting quickly up to the surface. She frantically pushed herself off from the bottom to see what the commotion was about. After taking shallow breaths of air, she scanned the scene before her.
BOYS! They were swarming around the lake-stealthy black shadows swiftly overtaking the girls on the far side. Rory gasped as a figure she recognized as Austin by the weak light of the moon waded towards a screaming Summer. They were laughing maniacally. Was this some kind of joke? Then panic set in, suffocating her in its encapsulating bonds. She had to get her clothes and get out of here without being seen! Her heart plummeted as she remembered that the garments were in a pile right by the site of the invasion. What could she do?
"Mary? Is that you?"
She refused to turn around. It could only add to her dismay. But her body wasn't listening to her, and her eyes locked onto a pair of equally intense ones.
He had been tired. It was obvious that Rory was perplexed by him, and Summer's advances were starting to fray his already on-end nerves. When his friends had suggested they all go down to the lake for a twilight swim, he had agreed readily. Anything to get his mind off HER. But little did he know that they had other plans than swimming-an all-out raid. But how had they known? Austin had said something about a paper in the trashcan. At least that was what he had gleaned from the garbles of words that had come out of his mouth as he streaked toward the lake with the others. Not wanting to be a part in the messy affair, Tristan had set off for the other side of the lake, hoping they would all be settled down by the time he had finished a few laps. He didn't believe his eyes when they registered another figure in the water-Rory Gilmore.
"Oh God! Tristan!"
She sunk deeper into the chilly water-up to her shoulders, hoping this was just a dream. If she wished hard enough, it just might happen. Apparently not.
"You do know you're..."
She nodded stiffly, silently thanking the lord that at least the water was opaque. Lengthy silence settled on the two, and she blushed heartily.
"Um...Tristan? If it's alright with you, I'd like to get out, but..."
He battled hard to keep from smirking at her predicament. He pulled the towel from around his neck off and tossed it to her, landing on her head. It took every fiber of will power in his body to turn around. He desperately wanted to see her in all her glory, but he knew she didn't feel the same. All she felt for him was hatred.
"Thanks. You can look now."
So it WAS possible for him to be a gentleman.
"You know you really shouldn't come out here without...proper garments. Some people just might take advantage," he said teasingly as she plunked down beside him, turning scarlet. Seeing her like that, in just a towel, took his breath away.
Scratch that. It was the same old Tristan.
"I'm going to ignore that seeing as how you were actually acting decent just now."
"Gee, thanks."
"Anytime."
"Really, Mary. So you've taken to parading around me in your birthday suit?"
She would have smacked him, but the precariously loosely knotted towel wouldn't permit it-not unless she wanted to bare herself to the world. She opted for a more hands-free approach.
"Only when you're in yours."
He drew back a pace, nearly stumbling on loose stones. Had she just said what he thought he'd heard?
"Tristan!" That was Josh. They had finished their game with the girls.
Regaining his composure, he leaned towards her.
"Well it's a deal then, Mary. Next time we meet, we'll turn the heat up." He winked as he departed.
A.N.: Yes, it isn't exactly million-dollar-invention original, is it? Sorry, but this is me in homework-ridden overdrive mode But hey, I used your idea, Roxy! That's for helping me out there. ^_^ Hopefully, I'll be able to make the next chapter more interesting. It and the next chapter were SUPPOSED to be done in time for V-day, but I just haven't had the time, so sorry if it's kinda belated.