Author: Lauren
Author's Email: PaceysLilMcPhee@aol.com
Disclaimer: On first page.
Author's Note: Been awhile huh? I haven't forgotten about this fic. I love this fic! But first, I didn't have time and now I'm going through major writing block. My previous chapters, without trying to brag or anything, I thought were pretty good. And I wanted to give you another chapter of the same quality. But I've been having trouble. So here we go, me trying to get back in the swing of things. Enjoy and leave me feedback please.
Chapter 7
Tristan pulled his car into the parking space assigned to him by Chilton, early the next morning. Yesterday, Tristan had felt like he had been through hell. The lack of sleep he was able to get however helped him plan ways to fix the whole misunderstanding with Rory. Thus, his reason for arriving early to school. Never in his high school career had Tristan arrived before the warning bell with literally just seconds to spare before being late to his first class. Today was different though however; today Tristan arrived long before any bells would ring. The only people who also had managed to show up at this time were ones who were used to it. People like Paris who had meetings for extracurricular activities in the morning or wanted the study time in the library. Even very few teachers were there.
He waited in his car, sipping the coffee and chewing on the pastry he had picked up at Starbucks on the way to school. When he saw the bus that Rory took everyday from Stars Hollow to Chilton arrive, he pushed open his car door and raced to the entrance of Chilton where he knew Rory would enter the building. He had his backpack, his cup of coffee that he continued to sip, and an extra cup that he planned to offer to Rory. Nothing like offering coffee in hope of forgiveness.
"Hey," Tristan greeted Rory, jogging up next to her as she headed for the building. "Coffee?"
Rory didn't say anything at first but continued walking towards the building. After a second though, she glanced at Tristan. "You've got to be kidding," she answered in reply. "After yesterday you really expected me to be excited to talk to you?"
"Well no," Tristan admitted. "That's why I brought coffee as a peace offering? I thought maybe it'd be a good in exchange for a talk."
They walked through the entrance of the building, neither breaking stride. Rory continued on her path to her locker and Tristan continued to follow her.
"You brought a bribe," Rory stated as she turned a corner.
"Bribe sounds so dirty though," Tristan said lightly.
"Didn't it get through to you in our talk last night that I wasn't interested in talking to you? Then, or ever?" Rory asked, although she already knew the answer.
"I wasn't about to give up that easily. And you didn't even let me explain myself," Tristan told her.
Rory stopped abruptly, as did Tristan. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave Tristan a look. The look was a glare but he could detect a bit of hurt behind the fuming anger. She wasn't afraid to let him know exactly how she was feeling. Tristan wished he could do the same.
"Well? Explain," Rory said, apparently deciding to give him a chance to explain himself. Even if it didn't change what she thought of the situation.
Tristan opened his mouth and then closed it as he continued to think of exactly what he wanted to say. He couldn't tell her the whole truth. He'd never done that before. So he decided at that moment he'd tell her only parts of the story. The parts he was we willing to tell. The parts that excluded anything about how he felt about her.
"Look, someone must have overheard me talking to you about that other night. I never told anyone that I even went to see you, let alone, was trying to use you. I swear, all that's going around, it's not true, Rory," Tristan explained, pleading with Rory to believe him.
"So what'd you do to try to stop the rumor then?" Rory asked, still not quite ready to believe him.
Tristan was silent. He couldn't lie and say he had said things to discourage the rumors flying left and right the day before. There was no way to back that up.
"You didn't try to stop them did you," Rory stated, since she wasn't expecting an answer. She didn't need one. Tristan just looked at her and her blue eyes. Now, her eyes reflected disappointment. And nothing like the look in her eyes just then had hit and hurt Tristan's heart more.
"Well that's a whole lot better, Tristan," Rory said sarcastically. Her voice was still soft, but her tone was cold. "I thought maybe we'd be friends, but friends don't do something like that to each other."
Slowly she turned and continued on her way to her locker, leaving Tristan standing in the middle of the hallway. He had planned on trying to make things right, but of course all he was left with was his aching heart and his two cups of steaming coffee.