"Who's Rory talking to?" Aden asked.
"She's talking to Jess, one of her friends." Tristan said looking over at Rory who was talking to Jess animatedly at the end of counter.
"Oh." Aden looked back at his menu, "I'm going to get a cheeseburger."
"Okay, what do you want Clara?" Tristan asked the girl siting next to him.
"I'll have a cheeseburger too please." Clara said putting down her menu. As Clara said this Rory came back over with Jess in tow.
"Hey guys." Rory said. She gestured to Jess, "This is my friend Jess, Jess this is Clara and Aden, Tristan's twin cousins."
Aden piped up, "Hello."
Clara jumped out of her stool, "Hi!" She grabbed his hand and shook it.
Jess laughed, "Hey there." Then he nodded at Tristan, "How's it going?"
"Great, you?"
Jess shrugged, "I'm working on carnival night."
Tristan nodded understandingly.
"It was nice meeting you two." Jess grinned at the twins. "But I have to get back to work."
"Why?" Clara asked.
"So I make your food of course!" Jess said.
"Oh, then it's okay." Clara hopped back on her stool.
Jess hugged Rory before he went and said, "Call me later." He then went back to work in the kitchen.
Rory looked around, the diner was packed tonight, and everyone from the carnival was stopping here to eat dinner.
"So what are you guys getting?" Rory asked.
"Cheeseburgers!" Clara and Aden said in unison.
"JINX!"
"JINX!"
"Ah! I won!" Aden cried. "You can't talk until I say your name."
"So did you have fun today?" Tristan asked Rory.
"Cara . . ."
"Absolutely. I love your cousins."
"Sarah . . ."
"I love hanging out with them even if they're a handful."
"Mara . . ."
"I'm coming next Friday too I've decided."
"Tara . . ."
"Is that so?"
"Carla . . ."
"Yup."
'So what do you guys want?"
Four heads jerked up to see a man in a flannel shirt and a backward hat on.
"Hey Luke." Rory said.
"Hey Rory, how's it going?" Luke asked tapping his pan on the notepad.
"Not so bad, you?"
"Same. So what'll it be?"
"I'll have a cheeseburger please. And so will she." Aden pointed at Clara who nodded in return.
"I'll have one too." Tristan said.
Luke turned to Rory as he wrote everything down.
"I'll have a hamburger."
"Coffee?" "Just water please."
Luke looked up at her and raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything about it. "Alright, shouldn't take too long." And with that he walked to another table to take an order.
"He's wearing a Yankees hat." Clara declared.
"You talked! I win again!" Aden laughed, "Now you have to do my chores for the next TWO nights."
Clara sighed, "Fine." And then she looked at Luke. "Does he like the Yankees?"
"Yes, they're Luke's favorite baseball team." Rory answered.
Clara scowled, "Stupid Yankees." She muttered.
After they had eaten their food Clara struck up a conversation with Luke as he passed by collecting dirty plates.
"The Yankees stink." Was the first thing she said.
Luke jerked his head up and glared at her, "Rory, why'd you let her in here?"
"Well, they do!"
"And who do you like? The Mets?" Luke grunted sarcastically.
"Yup! They're my most favorite team!"
"They can't even win a World Series, the Yankees have won countless World Series."
Tristan and Rory exchanged glances as Clara had a sparring match about professional baseball with the large man that stood in front of her. She was a brave girl.
* * *
Tristan walked Rory up to her door, "So you had fun tonight?"
Rory grinned, "I had tons of fun." They reached the front door and she turned to him.
"You can't come next Friday." Tristan leaned against the door.
"Oh! Why not?" Rory asked obviously surprised.
"Because I'm not going next Friday, but I've decided you can come next time, I promise." Tristan reasoned with her.
"Oh, how VERY kind of you." Rory said in a mock womanly voice.
"I know, I try." Tristan smiled at her and then got lost in her. Her blue eyes stared back at him, her silky brown hair fell around her face. He leaned in.
Rory closed her eyes and waited.
The door flew open suddenly and they jumped apart.
"Did you have a nice time?" Emily Gilmore stood in the doorway.
"Grandma!" Rory was struck with surprise. Nice timing!
"Yes, that's me." Emily looked at Tristan, "How are you Tristan?"
"Good thank you. How are you?" Tristan answered politely. Oh, why now?
"Just fine. I want to thank you again for bringing Rory home all those times, but you won't have to anymore." Emily said trying to suppress a smile.
"Why not Grandma?" Rory asked puzzled. She wanted Tristan to keep brining her home.
"You'll see." Emily said. "Well, it was nice seeing you again Tristan. Come on in Rory it's getting late."
Rory smiled apologetically at Tristan and followed her grandmother inside, "Bye, see you Monday."
"Goodnight." Tristan said just before the door closed. He walked back to his car slowly. He wouldn't bring Rory home anymore, that was a downfall. Oh, well, there's still next Friday.
He'd almost had it too.
************************************************
"So why can't I bring you home any longer?" Was the first thing Tristan said to Rory on Monday as he leaned against a locker.
"Sheboughtmeacar." Rory mumbled into her locker,
Tristan raised his eyebrows, "What was that?" He leaned in closer to her.
Rory looked up, "I said: She bought me a car." She didn't look very excited.
"And your upset because . . .?" Tristan asked surprised. Who wouldn't be happy to get a car?
Rory sighed and closed her locker, "I don't really know actually. You'd think I'd be jumping for joy, but I'm not." She shrugged her bag onto her shoulders.
"What kind of car is it?" He asked as they walked to class.
"Ford explorer, red." She took the keys out of her bag and jingled them in front of his face. "Aren't they lovely?"
Tristan looked at the key chain, there were two keys. "What's the other one?"
"Oh." Rory looked down at it. "It's for my grandparents house."
Her grandparents house. "It's still not home yet, is it?"
"No. Not at all."
Would it ever be home to Rory? "Well, at least you can visit Stars Hollow more often now." Tristan said looking for ways to cheer her up.
"Yeah, that's a plus." Rory said.
"Don't forget about me now that you have a car though, okay?" Tristan told her seriously.
"Never." Roy said. "Hey, did Clara ask her Mom about joining Ms. Patty's ballet school?"
"Yeah, and she's already called her." Tristan walked with her into the classroom. "She's enlisted, I bet she drops in a month."
"You think so?" Rory asked, she shook her head. "I don't, I bet she sticks with. Clara doesn't seem to be someone to give up on something."
"That's definitely true, but ballet? She rips her Barbie's apart for Christ's sake." Tristan shook his head in amazement. "All of her friends are boys from the baseball team, since she is on an all boys team."
"She is one head strong girl. Those two seem so different."
Tristan shrugged, "But they're really close, won't go anywhere without each other. Don't let they're fighting deceive you, they'd do anything for each other."
"I believe it."
Tristan was about to say something else, but the bell rang and the teacher began the lecture.
Later that day Rory and Tristan sat out in the courtyard together, it was their free period.
"Tristan, why aren't you going to see your cousins next Friday?" She asked.
"Have other plans." Tristan shrugged her off.
"But you never make plans on Fridays, you know you can't."
"Rory, I have other plans okay?" Tristan knitted his eyebrows.
Rory knew what that voice meant: drop it. But she wouldn't. "What other plans? Why won't you tell me?"
"Christ, Rory. I'm going to see my father. Happy now?" Tristan stood up abruptly and began to walk away.
Rory caught up to him, "You don't want to go?"
"Oh no, I love going to see my father. I love it when he tells me that I'm not good enough to hold the DuGrey heir. I'll never amount to anything, and my mothers a God damned bitch who isn't worth anything." Tristan spat out sarcastically. "Oh, yeah I love going there." Tristan walked faster but she kept up with him.
"Tristan." Rory stopped him. She looked at him, her eyes full of concern.
He hung his head, "I'm sorry Rory, I didn't mean to snap at you."
"It's okay, it's good to talk about these things." Rory put her arms around Tristan and did her best to comfort him.
Tristan felt Rory's arms encircle him and he sighed. He slowly embraced her, "I hate him so much sometimes that it scares me."
Rory didn't say anything, just tightened her embrace on him.
"I don't know how he can be my father or how we're even related at all." Tristan held back tears, he had never told anyone this before. "I hate going to see the bastard."
Rory whispered into his ear. "I'm with you, Tristan."
"She's talking to Jess, one of her friends." Tristan said looking over at Rory who was talking to Jess animatedly at the end of counter.
"Oh." Aden looked back at his menu, "I'm going to get a cheeseburger."
"Okay, what do you want Clara?" Tristan asked the girl siting next to him.
"I'll have a cheeseburger too please." Clara said putting down her menu. As Clara said this Rory came back over with Jess in tow.
"Hey guys." Rory said. She gestured to Jess, "This is my friend Jess, Jess this is Clara and Aden, Tristan's twin cousins."
Aden piped up, "Hello."
Clara jumped out of her stool, "Hi!" She grabbed his hand and shook it.
Jess laughed, "Hey there." Then he nodded at Tristan, "How's it going?"
"Great, you?"
Jess shrugged, "I'm working on carnival night."
Tristan nodded understandingly.
"It was nice meeting you two." Jess grinned at the twins. "But I have to get back to work."
"Why?" Clara asked.
"So I make your food of course!" Jess said.
"Oh, then it's okay." Clara hopped back on her stool.
Jess hugged Rory before he went and said, "Call me later." He then went back to work in the kitchen.
Rory looked around, the diner was packed tonight, and everyone from the carnival was stopping here to eat dinner.
"So what are you guys getting?" Rory asked.
"Cheeseburgers!" Clara and Aden said in unison.
"JINX!"
"JINX!"
"Ah! I won!" Aden cried. "You can't talk until I say your name."
"So did you have fun today?" Tristan asked Rory.
"Cara . . ."
"Absolutely. I love your cousins."
"Sarah . . ."
"I love hanging out with them even if they're a handful."
"Mara . . ."
"I'm coming next Friday too I've decided."
"Tara . . ."
"Is that so?"
"Carla . . ."
"Yup."
'So what do you guys want?"
Four heads jerked up to see a man in a flannel shirt and a backward hat on.
"Hey Luke." Rory said.
"Hey Rory, how's it going?" Luke asked tapping his pan on the notepad.
"Not so bad, you?"
"Same. So what'll it be?"
"I'll have a cheeseburger please. And so will she." Aden pointed at Clara who nodded in return.
"I'll have one too." Tristan said.
Luke turned to Rory as he wrote everything down.
"I'll have a hamburger."
"Coffee?" "Just water please."
Luke looked up at her and raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything about it. "Alright, shouldn't take too long." And with that he walked to another table to take an order.
"He's wearing a Yankees hat." Clara declared.
"You talked! I win again!" Aden laughed, "Now you have to do my chores for the next TWO nights."
Clara sighed, "Fine." And then she looked at Luke. "Does he like the Yankees?"
"Yes, they're Luke's favorite baseball team." Rory answered.
Clara scowled, "Stupid Yankees." She muttered.
After they had eaten their food Clara struck up a conversation with Luke as he passed by collecting dirty plates.
"The Yankees stink." Was the first thing she said.
Luke jerked his head up and glared at her, "Rory, why'd you let her in here?"
"Well, they do!"
"And who do you like? The Mets?" Luke grunted sarcastically.
"Yup! They're my most favorite team!"
"They can't even win a World Series, the Yankees have won countless World Series."
Tristan and Rory exchanged glances as Clara had a sparring match about professional baseball with the large man that stood in front of her. She was a brave girl.
* * *
Tristan walked Rory up to her door, "So you had fun tonight?"
Rory grinned, "I had tons of fun." They reached the front door and she turned to him.
"You can't come next Friday." Tristan leaned against the door.
"Oh! Why not?" Rory asked obviously surprised.
"Because I'm not going next Friday, but I've decided you can come next time, I promise." Tristan reasoned with her.
"Oh, how VERY kind of you." Rory said in a mock womanly voice.
"I know, I try." Tristan smiled at her and then got lost in her. Her blue eyes stared back at him, her silky brown hair fell around her face. He leaned in.
Rory closed her eyes and waited.
The door flew open suddenly and they jumped apart.
"Did you have a nice time?" Emily Gilmore stood in the doorway.
"Grandma!" Rory was struck with surprise. Nice timing!
"Yes, that's me." Emily looked at Tristan, "How are you Tristan?"
"Good thank you. How are you?" Tristan answered politely. Oh, why now?
"Just fine. I want to thank you again for bringing Rory home all those times, but you won't have to anymore." Emily said trying to suppress a smile.
"Why not Grandma?" Rory asked puzzled. She wanted Tristan to keep brining her home.
"You'll see." Emily said. "Well, it was nice seeing you again Tristan. Come on in Rory it's getting late."
Rory smiled apologetically at Tristan and followed her grandmother inside, "Bye, see you Monday."
"Goodnight." Tristan said just before the door closed. He walked back to his car slowly. He wouldn't bring Rory home anymore, that was a downfall. Oh, well, there's still next Friday.
He'd almost had it too.
************************************************
"So why can't I bring you home any longer?" Was the first thing Tristan said to Rory on Monday as he leaned against a locker.
"Sheboughtmeacar." Rory mumbled into her locker,
Tristan raised his eyebrows, "What was that?" He leaned in closer to her.
Rory looked up, "I said: She bought me a car." She didn't look very excited.
"And your upset because . . .?" Tristan asked surprised. Who wouldn't be happy to get a car?
Rory sighed and closed her locker, "I don't really know actually. You'd think I'd be jumping for joy, but I'm not." She shrugged her bag onto her shoulders.
"What kind of car is it?" He asked as they walked to class.
"Ford explorer, red." She took the keys out of her bag and jingled them in front of his face. "Aren't they lovely?"
Tristan looked at the key chain, there were two keys. "What's the other one?"
"Oh." Rory looked down at it. "It's for my grandparents house."
Her grandparents house. "It's still not home yet, is it?"
"No. Not at all."
Would it ever be home to Rory? "Well, at least you can visit Stars Hollow more often now." Tristan said looking for ways to cheer her up.
"Yeah, that's a plus." Rory said.
"Don't forget about me now that you have a car though, okay?" Tristan told her seriously.
"Never." Roy said. "Hey, did Clara ask her Mom about joining Ms. Patty's ballet school?"
"Yeah, and she's already called her." Tristan walked with her into the classroom. "She's enlisted, I bet she drops in a month."
"You think so?" Rory asked, she shook her head. "I don't, I bet she sticks with. Clara doesn't seem to be someone to give up on something."
"That's definitely true, but ballet? She rips her Barbie's apart for Christ's sake." Tristan shook his head in amazement. "All of her friends are boys from the baseball team, since she is on an all boys team."
"She is one head strong girl. Those two seem so different."
Tristan shrugged, "But they're really close, won't go anywhere without each other. Don't let they're fighting deceive you, they'd do anything for each other."
"I believe it."
Tristan was about to say something else, but the bell rang and the teacher began the lecture.
Later that day Rory and Tristan sat out in the courtyard together, it was their free period.
"Tristan, why aren't you going to see your cousins next Friday?" She asked.
"Have other plans." Tristan shrugged her off.
"But you never make plans on Fridays, you know you can't."
"Rory, I have other plans okay?" Tristan knitted his eyebrows.
Rory knew what that voice meant: drop it. But she wouldn't. "What other plans? Why won't you tell me?"
"Christ, Rory. I'm going to see my father. Happy now?" Tristan stood up abruptly and began to walk away.
Rory caught up to him, "You don't want to go?"
"Oh no, I love going to see my father. I love it when he tells me that I'm not good enough to hold the DuGrey heir. I'll never amount to anything, and my mothers a God damned bitch who isn't worth anything." Tristan spat out sarcastically. "Oh, yeah I love going there." Tristan walked faster but she kept up with him.
"Tristan." Rory stopped him. She looked at him, her eyes full of concern.
He hung his head, "I'm sorry Rory, I didn't mean to snap at you."
"It's okay, it's good to talk about these things." Rory put her arms around Tristan and did her best to comfort him.
Tristan felt Rory's arms encircle him and he sighed. He slowly embraced her, "I hate him so much sometimes that it scares me."
Rory didn't say anything, just tightened her embrace on him.
"I don't know how he can be my father or how we're even related at all." Tristan held back tears, he had never told anyone this before. "I hate going to see the bastard."
Rory whispered into his ear. "I'm with you, Tristan."