Rory sat in fifth hour the next day with Summer beside her, neither wanting to look at the other. "Look, we're going to have to do this, so why don't we just get along for two weeks. We have to spend ten hours together, we just have to deal with it, okay?"
Summer looked at her coldly, "No."
Rory rolled her eyes, "Look, I'm not doing this whole thing while you sit there. I know you're not used to the concept of working for grades, but you will be. Because I will NOT do this whole thing. I'll do half and you'll do half, and if we only get a fifty because you didn't do anything, then we'll just get a fifty."
"Whatever. Who's house will we go to first?"
"I don't care."
"Why don't we go to yours first, my parents are having one wing of the mansion remodeled."
"Okay, that's fine with me."
GILMORE HOME, THAT AFTERNOON
Rory and Summer had been working for almost two hours on their project. They had to 'get to know each other' and see which god the other was most like. After a few hours of working, Rory stood up and stretched, "I need to get out of the house, want to see the town?" she asked, trying to be nice.
"Sure." Summer stood up and they walked out the door. "This town is the size of my street, how do you live here?"
Rory shrugged, I've lived here my whole life, I've gotten used to it."
"I don't see how."
"You know, you act different when you're by yourself." Summer hadn't been that bad. She'd been civil, not nice or anything, but civil.
"Everyone in society puts on a mask, get used to it." Rory opened the diner door for Summer, contemplating what she'd said when a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind.
"Guess who?"
"Ashton Kutcher?" she pretended not to know who it was.
"No."
"Justin Timberlake?"
"No."
"Damn."
"Hey!"
"I don't know."
"Rory!"
She turned around, "Jess! Oh, it's you!"
"Yeah, it's me."
"Hi."
"Damn?"
"I mean goody."
"I'm sure."
"You should be."
He rolled his eyes, "Having fun with Summer?"
"Oh, yes." she said sarcastically.
"Now don't you wish you'd stayed at Stars Hollow with me?"
"Right now, yes."
He laughed, "But then you'd never have met Tristan! How would you live?"
She hit him in the arm, "Hey, I don't need him. Besides, we're-"
"Just friends." Jess finished her sentence for her.
"Exactly." But what neither of them had noticed was a jealous Shane sitting in the diner next to a jealous Summer. Both glaring dagger at Rory.
Shane looked over to see who'd sat next to her. She didn't recognize her, "Who are you?"
"Summer."
"Shane." she said before looking back to where Jess and Rory were laughing.
"A friend of yours?" Summer asked, following Shane's gaze.
"The bitch, hell no. The guy is my boyfriend." she looked back to Summer, "A friend of yours?"
"No. I have to work on a project with her."
"So why do YOU hate her?"
"My boyfriend likes her."
"Name?"
"Tristan."
"Oh. So you're Tristan's evil stalker."
"What?"
"My boyfriend, Jess right there, is Rory's best friend. They tell each other everything. Sometimes I'm there, and I've heard her tell a lot about Tristan."
"She likes him, doesn't she?"
"I guess so. But Rory Gilmore has a thing for stealing other girl's men."
"What?"
"Look at them. They swear they never dated and are best friends. But look, he's acting like she's his girlfriend." They were laughing while Jess tickled her, still outside. Rory bit his arm, he let go of her and she blew him a kiss.
Summer frowned, "Yeah, she and Tristan are the same way. He calls her Mary and she sits in his lap all the time. It's really annoying."
"We should seriously do something."
"Like what?"
"I don't know, something that will make her think twice about flirting with my boyfriend."
"Look, I'm not too thrilled with her being so comfortable with the people that I've tried to make like me for years, but you have to understand, she's like, the protected little princess of the soccer team. I'm one of the most popular and powerful girls at Chilton, my popularity is equal to Tristan's, but compared to his, my power over the students is nothing."
Shane frowned, "We'll need to work on that. Would Rory hang out with you and your friends?"
"No. Never. She hates us."
"Is there anyone she trusts that would help you?"
"No. But I have an idea."
"What?" Summer smiled as she leaned in, whispering her plan to Shane.
Rory and Summer left the diner half an hour later. Rory looked down and saw a piece of paper sticking out of Summer's pocket that hadn't been there before, "What's that?"
"What?"
"In your pocket."
She pushed it down, "Nothing, just something Shane gave me."
"You're friends with Shane?" Rory asked in surprise, she wasn't even friends with Shane.
"We have a lot in common."
"You do?"
"Yes."
"Like what?"
"What's with the game of twenty questions?"
"Nothing, just wondering."
"Yeah, well don't." Summer snapped.
Rory rolled her eyes, "And we're back to the Chilton Summer, great."
CHILTON, NEXT DAY
Rory walked into school with a sinking feeling as she stopped at her locker. "Um, Tristan, can I help you with something?" he just waved his hand, dismissing her. "Yeah, well, I kind of have to get to my locker." he ignored her. She rolled her eyes and rested her back against a near locker.
Madeline and Louise walked up. "Lovely." Louise said with a look of disgust.
"Tristan, you're playmate is up against our lockers." Madeline said. He waved once more.
"You know, we're not just your little followers that you can wave away." Paris said, walking up, "Your locker is in there too, huh?"
"Yup." Rory said, a burning in her stomach at the sight in front of her.
Tristan broke away from the girl and Rory groaned inwardly. Summer licked her lips and locked eyes with Rory. She rolled her eyes and mouthed 'Bitch'. Summer smirked and mouthed 'Thanks'. Tristan said insincerely "Oh, sorry ladies." he turned and walked away.
"You know, he's actually a really good kisser." Summer said, staring at Rory mockingly.
Rory shook her head and pushed Summer from her locker, "Go blow somebody, whore."
"You know, I might, Tristan is just right there."
"No one's stopping you."
"It kills you, doesn't it?"
"What kills me?" Rory asked, opening her locker.
"The fact that he wants me and not you."
"Oh yeah, let me tell you." Rory said sarcastically.
"I mean, he doesn't even like you like that. And you are head-over-heels."
"Where the hell would you get an idea like that?"
"The way you look at him. Everyone can see."
"I've never seen it."
"Shut up Madeline, you aren't even part of the conversation."
"Look, Summer, why don't you just go away, none of us want you here."
"I just want to hear you say it."
"Say what?"
"That you like him."
"You have no life."
"Yes I do, I just want to hear the truth about you and my boyfriend."
Rory laughed, "It must kill you." she said, repeating Summer's words.
"What?"
"That for months you've wanted to sit with the soccer players, and they've never even given a thought to it. Yet the second day I'm here, Tristan Dugrey, the co-captain of the varsity team, asked me to sit with them, while the only time he talks to you is when he wants to 'play'. It must kill you."
"Right, whatever," she started to walk away but turned back, "Oh, and by the way, you and Jess are very photogenic."
"What are you talking about?"
"Cute couple. Pretty close for being 'best friends'. I'm sure Tristan agrees with me."
"Summer, you better tell me what the hell you're talking about."
"Ask Tristan." she said, walking away.
Rory turned to Paris, Madeline and Louise, "Do you know what she's talking about?" All three shook their heads. She turned and walked down the hall, looking for him. He was at his locker with Grayson and Landon when Rory stopped beside them, "Hey."
"Hey," Grayson and Landon said in unison. Tristan ignored her, looking through his locker.
"Hi Tristan." he kept going through his locker. The two guys looked at each other and then between Rory and Tristan. She looked at them and both shrugged before walking away so they could talk. "Okay. What did I do?" Tristan didn't say anything. "Please tell me what I did to make you go to Summer and ignore me." He still wouldn't even look at her. "Tristan, this isn't fair, I didn't do anything to you!"
He turned to her, "You said you were single."
She was taken aback at how cold his voice was, "I am."
"It sure doesn't look that way to me."
"What are you talking about?"
"Why did you lie about him?"
"Who?"
"You know who."
"No, I really don't."
"Whatever." Tristan turned back to his locker and got some books out.
"Tristan, I never lied to you, I'm single, I swear." He acted as if he couldn't hear her. She didn't know how much he liked her, did she? She didn't know how much it hurt when Summer showed him that picture, did she?
"Tristan, I don't want you to hate me, please tell me what I did!" she yelled, close to tears.
"Go cry to your boyfriend." he spat, cringing inwardly at the tears in her eyes. He walked away, shoving a piece of paper in her hand as he did. Rory looked down at the paper and her breath caught in her throat, how had he gotten that? There was no way for him to. Only she and Jess had this picture, and he definitely hadn't gotten it from her. A light went on in Rory's head, Summer. Summer and Shane had been talking in the diner when she was with Jess outside. Lately Shane had hated Rory and after they left the diner Summer had something in her pocket.
She cringed looking down at it. It was a picture of her and Jess from Christmas last year. They were under the mistletoe, but it was too high up to have gotten it in the picture. It had been a short kiss. Lorelai had taken this the second they kissed, because it had only been a peck. Summer really hated her that much? And Shane must have stolen this from Jess, oh yeah, great girlfriend. And why had he cared about her kissing Jess? She and Tristan were only friends, right?
Summer looked at her coldly, "No."
Rory rolled her eyes, "Look, I'm not doing this whole thing while you sit there. I know you're not used to the concept of working for grades, but you will be. Because I will NOT do this whole thing. I'll do half and you'll do half, and if we only get a fifty because you didn't do anything, then we'll just get a fifty."
"Whatever. Who's house will we go to first?"
"I don't care."
"Why don't we go to yours first, my parents are having one wing of the mansion remodeled."
"Okay, that's fine with me."
GILMORE HOME, THAT AFTERNOON
Rory and Summer had been working for almost two hours on their project. They had to 'get to know each other' and see which god the other was most like. After a few hours of working, Rory stood up and stretched, "I need to get out of the house, want to see the town?" she asked, trying to be nice.
"Sure." Summer stood up and they walked out the door. "This town is the size of my street, how do you live here?"
Rory shrugged, I've lived here my whole life, I've gotten used to it."
"I don't see how."
"You know, you act different when you're by yourself." Summer hadn't been that bad. She'd been civil, not nice or anything, but civil.
"Everyone in society puts on a mask, get used to it." Rory opened the diner door for Summer, contemplating what she'd said when a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind.
"Guess who?"
"Ashton Kutcher?" she pretended not to know who it was.
"No."
"Justin Timberlake?"
"No."
"Damn."
"Hey!"
"I don't know."
"Rory!"
She turned around, "Jess! Oh, it's you!"
"Yeah, it's me."
"Hi."
"Damn?"
"I mean goody."
"I'm sure."
"You should be."
He rolled his eyes, "Having fun with Summer?"
"Oh, yes." she said sarcastically.
"Now don't you wish you'd stayed at Stars Hollow with me?"
"Right now, yes."
He laughed, "But then you'd never have met Tristan! How would you live?"
She hit him in the arm, "Hey, I don't need him. Besides, we're-"
"Just friends." Jess finished her sentence for her.
"Exactly." But what neither of them had noticed was a jealous Shane sitting in the diner next to a jealous Summer. Both glaring dagger at Rory.
Shane looked over to see who'd sat next to her. She didn't recognize her, "Who are you?"
"Summer."
"Shane." she said before looking back to where Jess and Rory were laughing.
"A friend of yours?" Summer asked, following Shane's gaze.
"The bitch, hell no. The guy is my boyfriend." she looked back to Summer, "A friend of yours?"
"No. I have to work on a project with her."
"So why do YOU hate her?"
"My boyfriend likes her."
"Name?"
"Tristan."
"Oh. So you're Tristan's evil stalker."
"What?"
"My boyfriend, Jess right there, is Rory's best friend. They tell each other everything. Sometimes I'm there, and I've heard her tell a lot about Tristan."
"She likes him, doesn't she?"
"I guess so. But Rory Gilmore has a thing for stealing other girl's men."
"What?"
"Look at them. They swear they never dated and are best friends. But look, he's acting like she's his girlfriend." They were laughing while Jess tickled her, still outside. Rory bit his arm, he let go of her and she blew him a kiss.
Summer frowned, "Yeah, she and Tristan are the same way. He calls her Mary and she sits in his lap all the time. It's really annoying."
"We should seriously do something."
"Like what?"
"I don't know, something that will make her think twice about flirting with my boyfriend."
"Look, I'm not too thrilled with her being so comfortable with the people that I've tried to make like me for years, but you have to understand, she's like, the protected little princess of the soccer team. I'm one of the most popular and powerful girls at Chilton, my popularity is equal to Tristan's, but compared to his, my power over the students is nothing."
Shane frowned, "We'll need to work on that. Would Rory hang out with you and your friends?"
"No. Never. She hates us."
"Is there anyone she trusts that would help you?"
"No. But I have an idea."
"What?" Summer smiled as she leaned in, whispering her plan to Shane.
Rory and Summer left the diner half an hour later. Rory looked down and saw a piece of paper sticking out of Summer's pocket that hadn't been there before, "What's that?"
"What?"
"In your pocket."
She pushed it down, "Nothing, just something Shane gave me."
"You're friends with Shane?" Rory asked in surprise, she wasn't even friends with Shane.
"We have a lot in common."
"You do?"
"Yes."
"Like what?"
"What's with the game of twenty questions?"
"Nothing, just wondering."
"Yeah, well don't." Summer snapped.
Rory rolled her eyes, "And we're back to the Chilton Summer, great."
CHILTON, NEXT DAY
Rory walked into school with a sinking feeling as she stopped at her locker. "Um, Tristan, can I help you with something?" he just waved his hand, dismissing her. "Yeah, well, I kind of have to get to my locker." he ignored her. She rolled her eyes and rested her back against a near locker.
Madeline and Louise walked up. "Lovely." Louise said with a look of disgust.
"Tristan, you're playmate is up against our lockers." Madeline said. He waved once more.
"You know, we're not just your little followers that you can wave away." Paris said, walking up, "Your locker is in there too, huh?"
"Yup." Rory said, a burning in her stomach at the sight in front of her.
Tristan broke away from the girl and Rory groaned inwardly. Summer licked her lips and locked eyes with Rory. She rolled her eyes and mouthed 'Bitch'. Summer smirked and mouthed 'Thanks'. Tristan said insincerely "Oh, sorry ladies." he turned and walked away.
"You know, he's actually a really good kisser." Summer said, staring at Rory mockingly.
Rory shook her head and pushed Summer from her locker, "Go blow somebody, whore."
"You know, I might, Tristan is just right there."
"No one's stopping you."
"It kills you, doesn't it?"
"What kills me?" Rory asked, opening her locker.
"The fact that he wants me and not you."
"Oh yeah, let me tell you." Rory said sarcastically.
"I mean, he doesn't even like you like that. And you are head-over-heels."
"Where the hell would you get an idea like that?"
"The way you look at him. Everyone can see."
"I've never seen it."
"Shut up Madeline, you aren't even part of the conversation."
"Look, Summer, why don't you just go away, none of us want you here."
"I just want to hear you say it."
"Say what?"
"That you like him."
"You have no life."
"Yes I do, I just want to hear the truth about you and my boyfriend."
Rory laughed, "It must kill you." she said, repeating Summer's words.
"What?"
"That for months you've wanted to sit with the soccer players, and they've never even given a thought to it. Yet the second day I'm here, Tristan Dugrey, the co-captain of the varsity team, asked me to sit with them, while the only time he talks to you is when he wants to 'play'. It must kill you."
"Right, whatever," she started to walk away but turned back, "Oh, and by the way, you and Jess are very photogenic."
"What are you talking about?"
"Cute couple. Pretty close for being 'best friends'. I'm sure Tristan agrees with me."
"Summer, you better tell me what the hell you're talking about."
"Ask Tristan." she said, walking away.
Rory turned to Paris, Madeline and Louise, "Do you know what she's talking about?" All three shook their heads. She turned and walked down the hall, looking for him. He was at his locker with Grayson and Landon when Rory stopped beside them, "Hey."
"Hey," Grayson and Landon said in unison. Tristan ignored her, looking through his locker.
"Hi Tristan." he kept going through his locker. The two guys looked at each other and then between Rory and Tristan. She looked at them and both shrugged before walking away so they could talk. "Okay. What did I do?" Tristan didn't say anything. "Please tell me what I did to make you go to Summer and ignore me." He still wouldn't even look at her. "Tristan, this isn't fair, I didn't do anything to you!"
He turned to her, "You said you were single."
She was taken aback at how cold his voice was, "I am."
"It sure doesn't look that way to me."
"What are you talking about?"
"Why did you lie about him?"
"Who?"
"You know who."
"No, I really don't."
"Whatever." Tristan turned back to his locker and got some books out.
"Tristan, I never lied to you, I'm single, I swear." He acted as if he couldn't hear her. She didn't know how much he liked her, did she? She didn't know how much it hurt when Summer showed him that picture, did she?
"Tristan, I don't want you to hate me, please tell me what I did!" she yelled, close to tears.
"Go cry to your boyfriend." he spat, cringing inwardly at the tears in her eyes. He walked away, shoving a piece of paper in her hand as he did. Rory looked down at the paper and her breath caught in her throat, how had he gotten that? There was no way for him to. Only she and Jess had this picture, and he definitely hadn't gotten it from her. A light went on in Rory's head, Summer. Summer and Shane had been talking in the diner when she was with Jess outside. Lately Shane had hated Rory and after they left the diner Summer had something in her pocket.
She cringed looking down at it. It was a picture of her and Jess from Christmas last year. They were under the mistletoe, but it was too high up to have gotten it in the picture. It had been a short kiss. Lorelai had taken this the second they kissed, because it had only been a peck. Summer really hated her that much? And Shane must have stolen this from Jess, oh yeah, great girlfriend. And why had he cared about her kissing Jess? She and Tristan were only friends, right?