It was difficult pretending that she thought Crystal's advent was a good thing, but she didn't really have a choice; the girl displayed the worst taste, stubbornly refusing to disappear. She wouldn't even leave Rory alone, tagging along whenever Lane and Henry dragged her to see Tristan. She'd started calling, too, and trying to get Rory to do things without him. There'd been two meetings already; Rory was running out of excuses. It was important, apparently, that they be friends.

It would have been a lot easier fobbing her off if there'd actually been a reason to dislike her. Crystal had no real interest in her, it was true; she was just trying to find some sort of foothold in Tristan's life. There was nothing wrong with that. And that was incredibly annoying.

The phone rang and Rory abandoned the TV for it. Halfway there, she froze; if it was Crystal, she didn't want to answer. She heard her mother pick up, and seconds later her head was poking through the door and the phone was flying through the air.

"It's for you."

"Hello?"

"Rory!"

"Lane. How are you?"

"Good. Except that I hate shopping for clothes. Make-up's worse."

"What? You went shopping without me?"

"Oh, no. That's what we'll be doing tomorrow."

"Oh. Why?"

"This future doctor my mom knows is going into New York. Since he's big, strapping, and engaged, I'm allowed to accompany him."

"Cool. And he's shopping for foundation why?"

"He's visiting his girlfriend. We can do whatever we want as long as it doesn't involve them, or homeless people we meet on the subway."

"I didn't even think you really wore make-up."

"Did you miss the part about New York?"

"Got it. Air pollution, crowds—"

"People who do not know my mother and thus are not afraid of her. I can buy whatever I want, and she'll never know! And Crystal's coming."

"What?"

"Well I told her, and she wanted to, and I couldn't say no. You don't mind, do you?"

"No. Why would I mind?"

"I don't know. I just had the impression you didn't like her very much."

"I like her. It's just—"

"She's not as shallow as you'd think. You should give her a chance. Even if she is going to be spending all afternoon trying out eyeshadow on me. Probably pink. And glittery. You will be required to talk me down off whatever ledge I'm on after five hours in one department store."

It was just the world, hating her. "Can do."

*

The future-doctor who was supposed to be looking after Lane was chatting on his cell-phone, halfway down the carriage. Lane was almost jittering with excitement, staring out the grimy window at grimy train stations. Crystal looked tense for some reason, her thin hands clenched around the bag on her lap.

"So I think we should go to the record stores first. So we'll be sure to have enough time. Then we can go wherever you wanted, Crystal. Do you want to go anywhere, Rory?"

"Uh, no. Well if we have time. I was just here with Jess a few weeks ago."

"Jess?"

"My boyfriend."

"Oh, I didn't know you had one. What's he like?"

"Well, I like him. He used to live here."

That made Crystal take an interest. "Cool. I want to move here. I'm trying to go to college here."

Rory hadn't imagined that she would want to go to college. She'd assumed that marriage was Crystal's ultimate goal. "What do you want to study?"

"Uh, I'm not sure. I have to talk to the guidance counsellor." She smiled nervously at Rory. "You probably have everything completely together, huh?"

"Mostly. But I still have to work really hard."

"Right. I knew there was something I was supposed to do. But I want to be an interior designer."

Lane kept asking Crystal about college, drawing the girl out, gradually easing whatever fears she had. The conversation was tedious. Rory knew these things about Lane, and she didn't want to know them about Crystal.

"What about you?"

Crystal was waiting for Rory's answer, but she had no idea what the question was.

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing for college?"

"Oh. I'm going to study English. And I think I want to go to Harvard."

Crystal's eyes widened. "Wow. Tristan said you were smart, but I thought he meant in the usual way."

"Well, I'm not sure anymore. I'm thinking about Yale."

"Because that's so much easier to get into. What's the difference?"

"Yale's nearer. I could see my mom a lot more, and we're really close, you know? And my grandfather wants me to go there."

Lane chipped in. "And Jess. Jess is going to Yale."

"Yeah." And how horrific would that be if Jess found out about Tristan? Changing her college of choice for a boy and then having to deal with the aftermath of a revelation like that.

"Oh, I see. You must really—"

"Hey." The future-doctor was buzzing with impatience. "We're here."

People everywhere, always. Rory had been here so often with Jess that it held no terrors for her, but it wasn't excitement that Lane was jittering with anymore. Grabbing her arm, Rory hurtled after Lung, barely managing to keep up.

He dumped them outside the station, arranging to meet back there at six. He threw Lane a few warnings about lonely places and talking to strangers and getting hit by cabs, but he didn't seem worried. Rory thought he was reassured by Crystal, checking her nail polish for flaws and looking supremely confident.

After he left, Crystal pointed to a nearby store. "Banana Republic. Can we?"

*

Lane dropped a handful of CDs on the counter. "Hey, I don't want this one, but I thought you might want to get it for Jess."

Rory didn't recognise the name. "Does he like them?"

Lane blinked. "Loves them. And he wants this."

Rory hesitated. She'd picked one up for herself, and wasn't sure if she could afford a second. After a moment, she returned her own.

Crystal and Lane were waiting at the door. Crystal had been bored out of her mind for the past hour, but she hadn't complained.

"Can I put this in your bag?" Lane held the carrier bag open obligingly, and then they looked to Crystal.

"This way."

She turned left, moving quickly, weaving between clumps of people. It was difficult to stay three abreast, and Rory found it necessary to devote most of her attention to not getting mowed down, but the silences still seemed awkward. Crystal was just issuing curt directions and Lane wasn't saying a thing, though Rory couldn't tell whether it was from fear, distraction, or boredom.

"Here." Crystal ducked into a department store. Rory had thought there were two of these in Hartford. Maybe they were smaller.

The make-up counters were right at the door, so Rory and Lane didn't have far to look.

"You should have your faces done."

"Oh, I don't know. My mother taught me where lipstick goes a long time ago."

"But you'll look really pretty. You too, Lane."

"I'd have to take it off before I went home."

"We have hours yet."

"Right. Come on, it'll be fun." Lane grabbed Rory's arm, dragging her towards a woman who was smiling widely and fixedly at nothing. "If we do this, she won't be able to test stuff on us, and we won't have to go out in public looking like drag queens."

That made sense, so Rory didn't protest as loudly as she'd been planning to. Lane went first. It took a long time for her to be done, as she vetoed most of the woman's choices. Rory had just gotten into the chair when Crystal wandered over.

"Do you think Tristan would like this?"

Rory's head turned automatically, but the make-up lady grabbed her chin and dragged her back. "Stay still."

"Yeah, Rory. If you move once the foundation's on, you'll end up looking like a clown."

"It's not on." And she didn't want to be told how to behave by Tristan's new girlfriend, thanks ever so much for offering. Her eyes slid sideways of their own accord. "What did you get?"

"Oh. I can't decide. Which do you think he'd like?"

Three tubs of eyeshadow, one light pink, one shimmery purple, one dark brown.

Lane frowned. "Would he care? Get them all. They're different enough."

"Not the pink. That shade wouldn't go with your hair." Crystal looked a little wistful. Her bedroom walls were probably pink; a lot of her clothes were. "The brown's good, though."

"Really?"

Her face brightened too much, and Rory wondered how bitchy she'd been. Lane didn't get that reaction when she said something nice.

"Really."

"What about green? Hold on." Crystal disappeared for a few seconds, returning minus the pink, plus two greens.

"Oh, I like this one." Lane took the darker, rubbing it on the back of her hand and looking like she regretted not being able to test it on her face.

"Yeah, that'd suit you. Both of you."

"Stop looking at them. I'm doing your eyes now."

Rory's gaze swung around guiltily, as if she'd been caught giving less than complete attention to class. The lady was looking at her eyes, not into them; it was a little disconcerting, like she was being examined and couldn't return the scrutiny.

Rory heard plastic clink, saw Lane's hair out of the corner of her eye. She'd moved to the lipsticks. "So why the concern about Tristan? More than usual, I mean."

"Big night out tomorrow. You should come."

"Two days in a row? My luck's not that good."

"Not even with Henry?"

"My luck with Henry? That's fine. But his presence wouldn't do a thing to change my mother's mind."

"I thought she liked him."

"Loves him. That's why she's so hard on him. It is a dangerous time, when a boy changes to a man. He could lose her love in a millisecond."

Crystal laughed. "Your mom's weird."

"I suppose. Does yours like Tristan?"

"Even more than I do."

"Bigger than a bread-bin? As wide as the ocean?"

"Not yet."

"Soon?"

"Maybe." Rory could hear the smile in her voice. "His parents are coming home next week."

"And?" Lane was amused. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I want to meet them." A little defensive, but not because of Lane. "Just to see…."

"See what?"

"What they're like." Rory couldn't look at them; she couldn't turn away. She wanted to move, do something, run. The make-up lady's eyebrows were wisps, and she had to stay still. "What they think of me."

"What do you think they'll think of you?"

"I don't know. I have no idea what they're like. My mom says they're nice, but she'd say that anyway."

"Do you think it matters?"

"If they're nice?"

"If they like you."

Rory's lips were being lined. Almost done, and then she could go.

"I think so. I think it'll matter to Tristan. I mean, I think it shouldn't, if he really likes me, but I think it will." A pause. "Fuck. I need a manicure. Do we have time?"

"Do you still want to look at clothes? Depends how long that takes."

"We'll leave soon, then. Don't you think it matters?"

"If his parents like you?"

"Yeah. Doesn't it matter to you? Don't you want Henry's parents to like you? What about yours?"

"Well it's important. Because we're so young, they still look big. But I don't think my mother would ever like anyone I picked. Even if they measured up to all her standards. She wants to choose for me. So I don't think it matters that much, no. As long as they don't hate you."

"Maybe."

"When are you meeting them?"

"Done. I'm done."

The make-up lady looked at Rory askance, but she dropped the lip-brush she was wielding and grabbed a mirror. "You like?"

She did. The lipstick was very nice. But they had to leave. "Yeah, thanks."

"Here's what I used." A minute while they waited for their ingredient lists, and another for their change.

"I'm getting this." Lane held up the green eyeshadow.

Crystal grinned, pleased that Lane shared her taste. "Me too. I'm getting all three. And this lipstick. And we should look over there. Oh, and there's perfume. What colour are you getting your nails done, Rory?"