Authors Note: This is the third last chapter! Thanks to everyone who has been reading and thanks for the great reviews! I hope to wrap up the story pretty soon.

~ Indicates journal entry

Chapter 8 | Betrayed

Rory was on her way into the girls bathroom Tuesday afternoon when Paris came rushing up to her.

"Rory, where the hell have you been?" Paris snapped, grabbing a hold of her sleeve.

Rory whirled around, "What?" she stared at Paris confused. 'What is her problem' she thought to herself.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay" Paris asked, looking uncharacteristically concerned.

Rory look at Paris, confused. "Am I okay? What does that mean?" she asked, starting to get worried.

"It's just that, you know, I heard about you and Tristan, and I just wanted to-"

Rory cut Paris off mid speech, "You heard about me and Tristan? What exactly are you talking about?"

Paris's eyes opened with surprise and she spoke avoiding Rory's eyes. "You mean you really don't know yet?" Paris asked.

"No Paris, I have absolutely no clue what you are on about!" Rory said getting frustrated.

Paris looked down at the ground and took a deep breath before staring Rory straight in the eye.

"I'm really sorry to be the one to tell you this Rory but Tristan is seeing someone else"

* * * * * * * * * *

"I just . . . I thought he loved me" Rory said crying. Tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Here" Rory's best friend Lane offered her a tissue.

"Thanks" Rory sniffed and wiped at her eyes with it, but it didn't do much good to stop her tears.

"I just thought he was being sensitive. After all I did tell him I wanted to take things slowly but" Rory sniffed "then to dump me because he . . . he" Rory hiccupped, barely able to get the words out of her mouth, "he got bored of me"

Lane put her arm around her sobbing friend, unsure of what to say. She had known Rory getting involved with Tristan in the first place was a bad idea but somehow she knew now wasn't the best time to bring that up.

"Maybe Paris got it wrong?" Lane suggested, offering Rory another tissue, the one in her friends clenched hand now soggy.

Rory wiped her face, "Why would Paris say something like that if it wasn't true?" Rory said, breathing deeply, trying to get herself under control.

"I thought he was different, that he had changed"

Lane sighed, as Rory burst into tears again, it was going to be a long afternoon.

* * * * * * * * * * * "Honey! Tristan is on the phone!" Lorelei knocked on her daughter's door that afternoon. Receiving no reply she knocked again.

"Rory?"

Rory rolled over from where she lay on the bed and got up. After walking across the room she opened the door.

"Sweetie, are you alright?" Lorelei asked her daughter with a hint of concern in her voice, noticing he blotchy face and puffy red eyes.

"I'm fine" Rory nodded wiping her eyes. "Just tiered I guess" Rory assured her and reached out to take the phone. Tristan may have been the last person she wanted to talk to but she knew what she had to do and preferred it to be sooner rather than later,

Rory put the phone to her ear and waved her mum away. "Tristan?"

"Rory, hi. I thought your mother had forgotten me!" he joked.

Rory laughed wryly, "Not much chance of that!"

Tristan was silent for a moment before speaking again. "So I looked for you after school today" he started, concern lacing his voice, "but you had already left"

'What do I say?' Rory thought to herself, tucking her hair behind her ears and biting her lip nervously.

"Yeah, I wasn't really feeling very well" Rory said which wasn't a total lie. After what Paris had told her she had nearly thrown up.

"Are you okay?" Tristan asked.

"Aim I okay?" Rory laughed sadly "actually not really. Listen Tristan, I really don't think this is a good idea?"

"What?" Tristan asked sounding completely clueless. 'By, his good' Rory rolled her eyes.

"What do you mean?" he repeated.

Rory took a deep breath before finishing her sentence. 'It's over Tristan, I want to break up" Tristan stopped dead realizing she was serious. In shock he was unsure of what to say.

"But . . . what . . . . why?" he forced out after a long awkward silence.

"I should be asking you that" Rory said harshly, tears flowing freely down her face Rory struggled to keep her voice from cracking as she uttered two final words before hanging up the phone.

"Goodbye Tristan"

* * * * * * * * * *

"I heard she seduced him in the library" someone whispered, but not quiet loud enough.

"Yeah, I heard she like, had the whole thing planned for week" someone laughed.

"I feel kind of sorry for his girlfriend though" she heard the voice of one girl say and realization dawned on her about just who they were talking about.

Rory remained silent in the toilet stall where she had been listening in on someone's conversation for the past few minutes, now that she knew who they were talking about there was no way she was leaving while they were still out there.

"Don't you mean the ex - girlfriend? Anyway, everyone knew that Miss Virgin Mary would be no different to the others"

"She's not like that" Rory recognized the voice this time as someone from her Advanced Chemistry class.

"She's actually really nice if you bother to get to know her," the others laughed.

"And why would we do that for? Jess can I borrow your Raspberry Delicious lip gloss, mines in my locker"

"Sure, here you go" Rory heard the sound of someone rummaging around in their bag.

"So anyone wanna bet on how long Hilary will last?"

* * * * * * * * * *

~ The past few weeks have been perfect. Tristan and I just taking our time, getting to know each other. We agreed to take things slow and so yeah, maybe things were moving a bit too slowly but I thought that's what he wanted, I thought he was just being understanding. He seemed so happy when we went out. Like he was having a great time but then I . . . I just can't believe he would cheat on me.

I know Tristan hasn't got the best reputation when it comes to his past relationships, but people change and I really believed it when he said he had. Or maybe I let his gorgeous looks distract me from the person he really is. I risked everything for him, I broke up with Dean, the first guy I ever loved. And just when I was feeling as if I was falling in love with him he had to go and do this and didn't even have the decency to tell me himself. I had to find out from Paris of all people. And the look in her eyes. She seemed genuinely concerned but there was a hint of that 'I-told- you-so' look in her eyes. No one thought it would last and they were right. I should have listened to them and now I'm the one who looks like an idiot. I'm the one they are all talking about and laughing at.

I don't know how to describe the way I feel right now except for betrayed.