When Slumber Parties Go Coed

Disclaimer: I don't own the show, and you know the rest. But the idea of the story and any extra characters are mine. A/N: Ok, so here's the 4th chapter. I'm kind of sad I only got two reviews for the last chapter but that's ok, just as long as you guys tell me what you think about this one.

Chapter 4: Putting The Past Behind

Rory's Room

Lying on her bed, Rory thought of how angry Tristan looked storming out of her room. His eyes had turned dark cobalt, so different then the ocean blue she had ordinarily seen. His wild hand gestures as he had paced around her room, telling her how wrong she had been. In a way he had kind of frightened her. In what position was she to say that she understood Tristan's life style, and what he was going through? But she had, had her taste of it, whenever she went to her grandparents, and the things they said and did, it was like she was their daughter for the night, and they were easing into her mind the social functions that she should attend. Of course the worst of what she had expirienced was her birthday party her grandmother had thrown her. Wow! What a nightmare! In that one night, she knew how her mother had felt, and her reasons for running away. But she didn't have the right to tell Tristan, what she didn't know. So she and Tristan weren't exactly friends, but she should at least give him an apology for what she said. He had given her one; maybe after this they could finally move past the stage they were in and agree to be friends. It would be a hell of a lot easier to go to Chilton everyday with someone to talk to. She had Paris, but one more friend couldn't hurt. Rory decided to go talk to Tristan and straighten things out, for one and for all. As she got up from her bed and made her way to her closed door, she put her hand on the doorknob. She took a big breath, and opened the door. She walked into the living room, and saw Jess, Lane, and Paris, sitting on the floor by the sleeping bags talking. An actual civilized conversation with no fighting, or at least she thought, as she got closer to them she heard their conversation.

" No way! David Bowie is one of the greatest musicicians alive, how can you say that!" Lane complained.

" Easy. He's old, and married to a model taller then him! And the guy looks like he had plastic surgery, have you seen his face, those aren't normal cheekbones for a man!" Jess said.

" David Bowie is ok. But he should have just faded away like the rest of them. They just don't get it! Their music wont come back to this century, no matter how hard they try!" Paris entered.

" You people wouldn't know good music if it bit you in the ass!" Lane huffed.

Rory coughed to get their attention.

Lane looked up and saw Rory standing by the pushed over couch.

" Hey Ror!" Lane said.

" Hey guys. Do you know where Tristan went?" Rory asked.

" Um yeah, he said he was going to find a window to crack, I think he wanted a smoke." Jess informed her.

" Which way did he go?"

" Upstairs, I think he went into the spare room."

" Thanks."

" Hey, what happened, he looked kind of pissed?" Jess asked.

" I'll tell you later, I just need to talk to him first."

" Ok."

Noticing the stairway was dark; Rory grabbed a candle and brought it with her to see her way up. As she crept up the stairs she could smell the cigarette burning. Walking through the upstairs hallway, she went to the spare room. Noticing the door closed, she didn't know to knock, or just go in. ' I should go in, this is my house not his.' Deciding this, she opened the door slowly. The room was pitch black, except for the moonlight coming in from the slightly cracked window, and the lit cigarette. She could make out Tristan's form, facing the window entirely. His back slightly hunched, and his hand lifting its self to Tristan's mouth. ' I should say something, it doesn't look like he's going to talk.'

" Those things can kill you, you know." ' Great opener Rory.' Rory thought sarcastically to herself.

Tristan still made no move to talk, or even acknowledge her. Rory took a step forward towards Tristan, still a distance away from him.

" I know you're mad at me. And you have a right to, I was being out of line down there and I apologize for that. My accusations were wrong, and I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, I didn't intend for that to happen. I mean, so what if.." Rory was soon cut off, by Tristan's turning around to face her.

" You know what really gets me?" Tristan said, his head still down, he back leaning against the window. " That you were partially right down there, and its just stupid of me to blow up at you, when your just stating the facts."

" Tristan, I didn't want to be right about your parents I just thought that maybe." Tristan cut her off once again.

" My parents are in Greece right now. They've been there for a month and five weeks. And you know whats really pathetic? I keep counting the days there gone, and they haven't even called me. The last time I had an actual conversation with them, it was two weeks before they left. I think I'm just a big dissapointment to them. It's just easier for them to forget that they have a son." Tristan let out a bitter laugh, and then took another drag from his cigarette.

" You know that's not true. Your parents love you, maybe they just have a different way of expressing it, or maybe its just tough for them." She said trying to comphort him.

" Thanks. But if you knew my parent Rory, you would know that they don't love. They don't even love each other."

" I'm sorry." Rory was at a loss for words. She didn't know what to say to this. She never knew anybody who had these sorts of issues, except for Paris. And Paris barely ever mentioned her parents in a conversation. She felt sad for him. She didn't feel sorry, but she felt sad, because it didn't look like he showed any emotions towards his parents except for resentment and anger.

" No!" Tristan said quickly.

" I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to come up. Look, I know I've been an asshole tonight."

" And every other day."

" But! I'm willing to drop the whole thing, if..."

" Theres always an 'If' isn't there?"

" Hey can I finish a sentence, and then you surfaire all my bad qualities later?"

" Oh sure, sorry."

" I'm willing to drop all of this if you give us a serious shot at being friends." Tristan finally finished.

" Hmmmmm. Telling you to buzz off everyday, or taking a step towards insanity. ya know, I just don't know?" Rory said shaking her head from side to side a bit.

" Being my companion through the school year wouldn't be that bad, come on?"

" Do you have any evidence to ensure me that I wont suffer while I'm doing it? "

" Only my faithful word."

" On one condition?"

" What's that?"

" You won't ever talk about your dates or where and what you did with them, and just don't talk about them period!"

Tristan took a moment to think about this. This would be too easy.

" Done!"

"Good!"

" Does this mean I can call you in the middle of the night when I cant sleep and annoy you till you fall asleep on the phone and I can hear you snoring from the other side?"

" No, but it means since kind consideration of our new found friendship that you can't call me Mary any more, because that would just be a mean thing for a friend to do." Rory said smiling.

" Can I call you Mary just once in a while?"

" No."

" But it's a nick name now. I just can't forget about it, whom else am I going to call Mary? Its been dubbed in your name, that you are known as Mary to the world and to me."

" No."

" I'll just have to think about a worse name than?" Tristan said in a singsong voice.

" Fine, anything is better than Mary!"

" Ok, if you say so sweetums!"

" Now I'm starting to rethink Mary."

" Nope, now your name is Sweetums. Get used to it hon." He said smirking.

" Whatever. I'm going down stairs to make sure Paris and Lane haven't killed Jess." Rory said turning her back and making her way for the door.

" I'll be down in a second to help pull them apart."

" I should have taken my mom's idea for Sumo wrestling in the parking lot seriously. Paris could have let out her feelings during that instead of spraying blood on my couch."

" That would have been a pretty good show too! I would actually pay to see that."

" That and mud wrestling."

" Another fabulous idea, would you join sweetums?"

" Only if you were going against Big Bertha."

" I would rather sooner poke my eyes out with hot pokers."

" I know."

" I'll get your affection any way I can get it baby!"

" Tristan I have a feeling I'm going to regret my decision very early in our friendship."

" No you won't. You already love me!"

" That love could be easily taken away as given."

Tristan smiled at her and took a last drag of his shrunken cigarette. And then threw it out of the slightly cracked window and shut it closed. He walked backup to Rory and put his arm around her smiling leading her downstairs.

Oh yes, this would be a very interesting friendship. But would it turn into something more? Who knew? They would just have to find out!

A/N: Ok so that chapter ended up being uneventuful and short. Sorry bout that, but I'll make it up with the next chapter! Please review and if you have any ideas or suggestions please tell me about them because I could probably use a few right now. Later days Bean : )