"It's only Tuesday. How is it only Tuesday?" Rory complained to Paris as they were studying for a major Literature test the period after Newspaper.

Paris glared at her for interrupting the only five minutes when someone wasn't calling one of them for an assignment or help, but nonetheless, humored her question. "Are you really that excited about the weekend?"

Rory suddenly stopped expecting Paris to ignore her cries of dismay as usual and had to come up with an answer to the somewhat rhetorical question. "Hmm...not really. That means I have to go dress shopping with my mom and grandmother. Now my mom I can stand I just don't trust my grandmother in not going overboard."

"Well, if you don't want it to be the weekend then why are you complaining about it being a Tuesday?" Paris asked exasperated and worried that Rory's needless questioning was cutting into her last minute studying time.

"We're in Chilton. When is it not normal to be complaining about being a Tuesday?"

Paris stared at her oddly, knowing this was true but didn't want to give Rory the satisfaction of being right so instead yelled at her, "Damn it, just study already. This room is distracting enough without your pointless questioning."

After the lunch period Rory rushed to her Literature class to get a head start on the test only to find Paris in her seat and already speeding through the test. Sighing she sat down and prepared to work as soon as the teacher dropped a twenty page packet on her desk.

Rory skidded to a halt outside her Basic Graphics class and tried to enter quietly despite the fact that the test had taken too long and she was over fifteen minutes late. As soon as she got one foot inside the class everyone turned and stared at her. Slightly cringing Rory made her way to the teacher and handed him the late pass her Literature teacher had hurriedly written for her.

Free of any chastising Rory took a seat behind an empty computer and began to follow the directions on the board. Hearing a slight commotion behind her Rory turned to face the far back wall where most of the cheerleaders and jocks sat. Someone had the back door to the class open and was even having a conversation with the person outside. Suddenly the guy at the door turned around and appeared to be searching the class.

Rory quickly turned back to her computer when she realized that the guy was staring at her. She heard the door creak slightly and thought that the person had returned to his seat. So Rory almost yelped in surprise when the guy from the door showed up next to her desk, crouched and hiding from the senile teacher.

He quickly made the motion to be silent and pointed to the back of the room. She turned again and realized that when the door creaked someone had actually slipped inside. Tristan had shoved himself into a small corner next to the door, far from Summer and her group and was signaling for her to approach him.

Though she had no idea why, Rory rose from her seat and, while carefully keeping an eye on the teacher, she slid along the wall until only a door separated her and Tristan. "What are you doing here?" she whispered quietly although she suspected that her teacher was in fact sleeping at his desk or else anyone would have noticed Tristan's sudden appearance.

"I don't have a class this period so I came to get you," he answered at the same volume level.

"Well, it's great that you have one less class. I'm afraid I don't. And I really don't want to ditch class so you should have just gone home early," Rory said and started to go back to her seat.

He grabbed her arm before she could leave and said, "I have a surprise for you."

She turned back around, slightly suspicious, "What kind of surprise?"

Tristan smirked evilly, as if she had just fallen into his trap, and tauntingly said, "The kind where you have to leave school now if you want to get it."

Rory, feeling as if there was some plot that everyone knew and she didn't, walked away from him. Tristan was a bit disappointed when she still rebuked him but smiled triumphantly when she grabbed her backpack and came back to him. "This better be worth getting in trouble for."

"Please," he said following her out to the hallway, "Sleeping Simmons won't even know you're gone. Besides anytime spent with me is worth it." He took the books from her hands and she smiled gratefully. Carrying them out to the car he opened her door then got into the driver side. "Promise you won't keep asking me where we're going."

"If I do, do I still get my surprise?" she answered hopefully since he was taking the fun out of being driven somewhere for a surprise.

"No," he replied, starting the engine and pulling out of the parking lot. They drove in silence until Rory started fiddling with the radio, settling on a station she liked. Tristan gave her an odd look, which she didn't notice, but didn't make any move to change the station.

Distracted by her music Rory didn't notice where they were headed until Tristan pulled up to a fancy boutique. She looked up surprised by the destination and said, "You can't possibly be taking me dress shopping."

"Yeah, yeah I can," he replied as he helped her out of the low car, " besides I already have your grandmother's permission who, by the way, loves that we're going together. And your mother said I could, too."

Rory glared at him while cursing her family for subjecting her to this torture, which she had earlier agreed to. "Wait, how did you convince my mom? She thinks you're the Spawn of Satan."

"Well, what can I say? The DuGrey charm never fails." She shot his a disbelieving look and Tristan's facade crumbled, "Fine, I sent, like, a hundred dollars worth of Starbucks to her Inn."

"Damn the Gilmore addiction," Rory said as about five saleswomen ambushed them, recognizing Tristan from the times that his mother had dragged him along.

"Then I guess you won't like what I set up for you." They were lead to a separate part of the store and a whole table covered in coffees was displayed along the far wall. Rory mumbled something incoherent before dashing to the table.

After she had her fill of the coffee the shopping began with Rory growing ever dejected as each dress was presented to her. Finally, she collapsed next to Tristan still in her school uniform. At first he didn't realize she was there, fully concentrated on the magazine he had brought along with him.

"How long have I been at this?" she asked him when he turned to look at her.

"Oh, just about three and a half hours," he answered her nonchalantly, flipping a page.

"I think...no, I know that I have tried on every dress in this store and I cannot, for the life of me, find one that looks right."

Tristan heard those words and knew it was time for his surprise. Sighing heavily he got up from the chair and then pulled her up too. "Wait, what are you doing? Let go of me. I can't walk anymore. And I can't possibly try on another dress."

"Come on," he stood her upright and pushed her in the general direction of the dressing room, "I think there's one more you haven't seen."

Tiredly she pulled herself to the room then squealed and ran back out to where Tristan was waiting. "It's perfect."

"I know it is. I saw it on Sunday when my mom dragged me here on one of famous shopping trips and I knew that you would look great in it. Especially with me as your date."

"As conceited as the last part was, this is really sweet, Tristan, despite the fact that you made me suffer for three and a half hours," Rory replied smiling and surprised him with a nice long hug.

Tristan was beaming when she pulled away and sent her back to the dressing room, "I told you to wait to judge me. Now go get it altered for yourself so I can get you back home before your mom kills me."

Rory laughed and went back in. Half an hour later they emerged both happy for different reasons. Finally Tristan dropped off Rory at her house with a reminder to pick up her dress next Wednesday. Rory entered the house to find Lorelai on the couch reading a magazine. "There he didn't try anything. Happy?"

"You're the one who always claims that he's evil. And obviously not as much as you. I take it the surprise went well," Lorelai responded not even pretending that she wasn't watching.

"Yes, it's the most perfect dress ever. But how could you not let me know about what he was doing."

"Well, how was I supposed to know what was coming? All I do is go to work and I find a giant stash of coffee waiting in the kitchen. So I'm all happy for the next five hours that it lasts me. I get a call from your Bible Boy explaining his little surprise. The next thing I know you're going shopping for a dress because I got coffee. Oh, and I think your grandmother's paying for it," Lorelai added at the end for no particular reason.

"So you let me spend four hours with the supposed evil one because you got coffee?"

"Hey, you got coffee too. And now it's supposed evil one?" smiling Lorelai watched her daughter walk away from her.

"It's being reconsidered," Rory yelled right before she shut her door on her mother.