a/n: well, now I officially know that all of you who reviewed hate dean. So I guess now is a good time to tell you that dean will be going poof pretty soon. Only a couple more chapters till he disappears!

Chapter 5: Moving On

"You're going out with Jenni?" Rory cried, running up to Tristan in the hall at school.

"Word travels fast. It just happened like, two minutes ago. Who told you?"

"I saw you making out with her at your locker."

"So you assumed we were going out?"

Rory rolled her eyes at him.

"Well, we are," he told her. He took her heavy AP chemistry book from her arms and added it to the load he was carrying.

"You can do better," Rory said.

Tristan sighed.

"She's just like every other girl I date Rory. She's exactly my type."

"She's a slut."

"Don't just jump to conclusions."

"She spells her name with an I."

"And that categorizes her as a slut? Because her name has an I?"

"No. I know she's a slut because you're dating her. The I at the end just confirms it."

"You're insane," Tristan said.

"Maybe I am. Or, maybe I think you can do better."

Tristan didn't respond. He knew he couldn't do better. If he could, Rory would be his, not Dean's. They walked on in silence.

"Well, here's your stop," Tristan said, stopping at Rory's class.

"Have you heard from Jess recently?" she asked suddenly.

Tristan shook his head. "Not since last month. Remember? He said he would be sticking around for a while to take care of his mom."

"I remember," she said, reaching for the doorknob. "I just wish he would call or email me."

"Things didn't exactly end great between you two," Tristan pointed out.

"Why won't he talk to you then?"

He sighed. He wondered the same thing all the time. After all, they were best friends. "You better get in there," he said instead. "You're going to be late."

"What about you? You're class is downstairs."

"Do you know who you're talking to?"

"Point taken. Just go to class, okay? We need to study for the trig test tomorrow, and you won't be any help if you don't go to class."

"Going," he said. "Oh, here's your book."

"Promise you'll tell me if Jess calls?"

"You know I will."

"And have fun with Jenni."

"Don't worry," he smirked.

"Eew! I didn't mean that way," she cried playfully.

The tardy bell rang.

"You're late," Rory said. "Go!"

Tristan went to class, only to please Rory. He thought about Jenni. True, he was only with her because she was easy. He felt like punching himself. He knew how horrible that sounded. How could someone love a girl as good and pure as Rory yet date girls like Jenni? He was a walking hypocrite.

*****

Jess lie on his bed in the tiny apartment he shared with his Mom. It was one of the rare moments he had to himself during the day. Between school and his two jobs at the bookstore and a busy restaurant, he hardly had time to breathe.

His mom was in pretty bad shape. She was still at home, unable to work. Jess was working two jobs so he could pay the bills. It had been three months since her accident, but it felt like years. He loved his mom and wanted her to get better, but he wanted his old life back. He wanted Rory. He hadn't had the courage to call her this whole time and he'd only talked to Tristan once. But somehow talking to anyone at home made him feel even worse.

Home. Funny how he considered Stars Hollow home now that he was out of there. He had hated it so much, hating his mother for shipping him off to Luke. But now the city had lost it's magic, and the freedom he had once felt was lost. He was bound to school and work. He hadn't seen his old friends. As far as he knew, they didn't even know he'd returned. Now he longed to be back in Stars Hollow, to hang out with Tristan again, and to have a second chance with Rory.

Unfortunately for Jess, second chances had always been his enemy. Jess screwed stuff up so badly the first time that no one trusted him enough to give him another shot. But this time he really hadn't done anything wrong. Unless confessing his feelings for Rory was a sin, he wasn't at fault. It was all bad timing.

He rolled over. But even if the timing were right, they still wouldn't be together. Jess still would have had to pack up and go to New York immediately, nothing would be different. He'd still be here, in this moment, longing for Rory. He sighed, knowing he was in a trap that he could never escape from.

*****

"Last class of the day," Rory said, slumping into her seat next to Tristan in her seventh period class.

"Was it me or did this day stretch forever?" he asked.

"Eternities."

"Attention class. We have a special announcement from the ASB. There will be a winter ball held on February 24. It is a black tie occasion. Tickets will be thirty-five dollars for singles, and fifty-five dollars for the special couple rate. Pictures will be taken and dinner served."

Tristan looked at Rory. "A dance," he said.

"I hate dances."

"How would you know? You've never been to one?"

"I hate the idea of dances."

"Come on, just come. It'll be fun. We can make fun of people and pick out the really ugly dresses the teachers will be wearing."

"You're hanging out with my mom too much."

"Please?"

"Fine."

"Really?"

"I said I'll go," she said.

"Good." They returned to their work.

"Why do you want me to go so bad?" Rory asked several minutes later.

"It'll be fun. Plus you'll be the only sane person there. Otherwise Paris'll attack me all night. She hates you. If you're anywhere near me, your aura will ward her off."

"My aura?"

"You have anti-Paris vibes just oozing out of you."

"Then why does she always pick on me?"

Tristan was stumped. "I just want to have you there Mare," he said instead.

"Are you taking Jenni?"

"Probably."

"Dean will go with you?"

"Probably."

She nodded and looked down at her work.

Tristan picked up his pencil and twirled it in his hand thoughtfully.

"You will save one dance for me, right?"

Rory looked up. "Of course."

Tristan smiled. Even if it was just one dance with Rory, it would make his night perfect.

A/n: clearing some stuff up- this is the dance from first season. Yes, yes, it's extremely out of order, but bare with me. Let me clear up the timeline right now, it's January of their junior year, everyone's still sixteen. I'm just pretending the dance was in their junior year instead of sophomore. Sorry if you're confused!

Countdown till dean goes poof: 3 chapters

Countdown till this becomes a Literati: do you really think I'd tell you that?

Countdown till this becomes a Trory: If I wouldn't tell you about the literati, why do you expect me to tell you about the trory? But it will be a trory, and it will be a literati, but dean's days are coming to an end…