Disclaimer: Still not mine. Drat, those meddling kids and their pup Scooby-Doo! Wait I'm mixing genre's again…oops. But one of these days…it will be mine *evil cackle*
A/N: Look at me I'm an updatin' machine! I think it's my new computer chair. It's a real professional officeish chair. Makes me feel important—like I have a job. Anyway…wow I am once again amazed by you guys, thank you so much for the reviews. I appreciate it so much. Well after this one more chapter and the epilogue. Then on to my new story. So let me know what you think of this!
Chapter Sixteen
"So what's the plan tonight?" Lane inquired as she arrived at the Gilmore household.
"Not quite sure." Rory said as she let her friend through the door. "I called Tris to see if he wanted to hang out, but he said he was busy."
"Oh." Lane remarked, thinking that was a bit odd since he had hung out with them constantly all summer. "Did he say what he was busy with?"
"No. But I didn't ask either." She admitted a small frown forming.
"Let's hit the mall and movies." Lane suggested trying to distract Rory, from her overanalyzing.
So they headed to the Hartford mall and they were getting in line for tickets at the theater when Lane spotted a familiar blonde in the line.
"Isn't that—"?
"Tristan." Rory said as the boy turned towards them.
He was among a group of guys and girls Rory recognized from Chilton. One girl, a skinny heavily made up blonde had her arm wrapped around his waist.
Rory just stood there with a shocked look upon her face; this was Tristan, King of Chilton. Why should she feel so surprised…and hurt? But she felt like she had just gotten the wind knocked out of her.
"Wow, so he has other friends. I was beginning to wonder." Lane tried to joke.
"Yeah." Rory echoed still trying to figure out why she felt this way.
"Should we say hi?" Lane asked tentatively
"Um…I don't think so. Let's get coffee. I feel the need for caffeine. You know like the need for speed. But not the drug speed, the slogan, you know…" Rory babbled as she turned away from the sight of him and that girl.
"Yeah." Lane said picking up on her friend's obvious distress. "I'm not in the mood for the movies anyway."
Tristan faked a laugh at another one of Sissy's dumb jokes and tried to remove her arm that she had snaked around his waist. He didn't know what possessed him to agree to go hang out with these people. Oh yeah, now he remembered he was trying to distance himself from Rory. So when John had called inviting him out with the gang since they hadn't seen him all summer, he agreed. Now he was remembering all the reasons he had avoided them. He turned pretending to look at something behind him to dislodge Sissy's arm when he saw two girls walking away rapidly, two girls who looked just like Rory and Lane. But by the time he got free of the group, they were already out of sight.
Rory and Lane walked to the coffee shop but as they got there Rory stopped abruptly.
"I'm sorry. I think I just want to go home."
Lane nodded, "Okay." She knew Rory well enough to know she wasn't up to talking yet.
Rory got home and curled up on her bed, trying to reason why she was so upset about seeing her friend with another girl. Why it felt like someone had stabbed her right in the heart. He was allowed to have other friends…and girlfriends. It wasn't like they were together, hadn't she said the same thing a million times to him. Guess he finally listened, she thought bitterly.
"Hey babe." Lorelai greeted her daughter then noticing her expression, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing—everything." Rory responded belaying how confused and upset she was. She told Lorelai what had happened at the mall. "And I just felt…I don't know…betrayed kinda."
"Like he should've been with you?" her mom asked.
"Yes—no. I don't know." Rory said helplessly. "I've just gotten so use to him being…mine—I mean with me. I was just surprised."
"For someone who was just surprised you seem pretty hurt."
"He's not my boyfriend. I have no reason to be hurt. He can date all the girls he wants." Rory argued.
"I know that. He knows that. But do you want that?" Lorelai asked gently.
"I thought I did." She answered softly. "But…now. I think I want more and it looks like I'm too late."
"You think you want more or you know it?"
"I know it. At first I was just getting to know him and I was with Dean. And then we became really good friends and Dean and I broke up. And I didn't want to ruin our friendship. I was scared. I am scared. He's become such a big part of my life so quickly, I don't want to lose him."
Lorelai stroked her daughter's hair. "Honey, I don't think you can lose him, unless you keep pushing him away. He likes you, you know it, I know it, and the whole town of Stars Hollow knows it. Tell him."
"How do you tell your best friend that you've fallen for him, when you yourself didn't even fully recognize it till now?"
A pained look crossed Lorelai's face as she thought of something else—of someone else. "I don't know." She said honestly. "But I think you can figure it out."
"I hope so." Rory replied. "I really hope so."
I know that's a really evil place to leave you hanging at, blame the button and it's issues. Don't worry, thanks to Ellie, the button is receiving treatment at the Buttonwood Clinic for it's numerous problems. It's problems that it keeps blaming me—the author for. Says I'm pushy and bossy and expect way too much of one little button. As if! Since the button's in therapy it's just me saying very nicely, would you please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter! Thank you =)
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