That feeling that she had while rushing to her test this morning was right.
This day was just getting weirder and more complicated. Tristan had emailed
her. She had no idea what to do with that. Was she supposed to write him
back and then they'd be friends now? Were they friends before, really? Why
was she thinking about this so much? This didn't require a pro/con list. It
was an email. His email was unc.edu, was that North Carolina? She could ask
about that. Simple. Keep it simple. This wasn't a big deal.
She opened up her email account again just as Paris walked back into the room, looking pale and drawn. The email could wait.
"Okay, you're sick."
"No, I'm fine. It's probably just a 24-hour bug. I'll just rest and take a bunch of fluids. Or is feed an upset stomach? I never get those straight. The Portuguese don't have those kinds of sayings, and frankly my mother was never around to say all those wives tales at me when I was puking as a child."
"Uh, I think it's feed a fever, starve a cold. I could call my mom, but it may just make that Mommy and Me class actually happen."
"What?"
"Nothing. Can I get you something? I can forego the nap if you need me to take you to the student clinic."
"Rory, I'd rather die than go to the student clinic. As a matter of fact, it would probably make it worse. Those people aren't even med-students."
"Well, those rants sure make you sound like you're feeling better. Why don't you sleep? I'll pull the trashcan up in case you feel pukey again."
"Pukey definitely isn't a word, Gilmore."
"That's a girl, you rest," Rory coaxed Paris into the bed and pulled over the trashcan. Paris was passed out in a matter of moments, and Rory returned to her email.
To: tdugrey1@unc.edu
From: rgilmor@yale.edu
Subj: New Haven
Tristan,
Yeah, Harvard didn't win the bidding contest. Yale had just too much to offer. Plus it was close to home and I'm really close to my mom.
So, what about you? UNC, is that North Carolina? I remember you saying you were going to military school there, but I didn't realize you were down there for college.
Rory
'There. A simple email. No emotion, no fuss. Simple. He probably won't even email me back. We exchanged pleasantries, after all, isn't that what he was taught to do. He thought I'd emailed him, so he emailed back.'
Rory went back to her bed at long last and fell into a deep sleep. Hours passed and when her eyes fluttered open, it was 4 in the afternoon, and Paris was online, with a furrowed expression on her face.
"Hey."
"Hey, you're up."
"Yeah, I didn't realize how tired I was."
"So I hear you emailed Tristan."
"What?"
"He emailed me, told me you emailed him."
"Sort of by accident. He mentioned it?"
"Yeah. He asks about you sometimes, you know?"
"Really. That's weird."
"Not really."
"What do you mean, Paris?"
"Just that he was completely in love with you at Chilton. I mean, he was so crazy about you, he did all that stupid stuff to get you to notice him."
"What stuff?"
"Come on, Gilmore. Get serious. Think about it."
"You're nuts, Paris. Tristan didn't like me. He hated me."
"He definitely didn't hate you. Anyways, he seemed happy you emailed him."
"Oh. Hey, what are you looking at?"
Rory looked over Paris' shoulder to see her on WebMD, on the pregnancy signs section.
"Paris, you aren't, I mean, are you?"
Paris looked down and sort of frowned. She opened her mouth, and then closed it again. She seemed to be thinking quite carefully about her words.
"I don't think I am."
"What does that mean, you don't think you are?"
"I have no proof."
"Okay, well, are you sort of concerned that you might be?"
"A little."
Rory drew in a deep breath. She had to hand it to Paris, she looked pretty calm.
"Let's think about this rationally. Are you and Asher, you know, safe?"
"Yes. Well, most all the time."
"Paris! You can't be serious!"
"Well, a couple of times, in the heat of the moment,"
"Stop, stop, stop! Look, I'm your friend, and I'm here for you, but I seriously don't want to hear the sordid details. The image of you and him, well, it just freaks me out. Are you late?"
"Yeah. But just a couple of days. That's normal, right?"
"It can be. Stress and stuff. You haven't been sleeping a lot lately, that might do it."
"Right. You're right."
"Let's see. Have you been getting sick a lot?"
"I'm never sick. But the last couple of days, I've been nauseated."
"And throwing up?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, Paris, we need to get you a pregnancy test."
"But we could wait, and,"
"And what? Wait for the kid to come out and tell you whether or not you were in fact pregnant? Come on, we do it, it's over with and we know."
Paris nodded and sat still for a moment. She bit her lip and looked at Rory with tears starting to brim in her eyes.
"Rory, what am I going to do?"
Rory didn't say anything; she just took Paris into her arms and let her cry on her shoulder. She was beginning to wish for a few hours ago when her biggest problem was whether or not to email Tristan back. She still had no idea what that whole thing was about, her interest was especially peaked when Paris told her he had really liked her in high school, but surely he didn't still have feelings for her. Besides right now, she just needed to be there for Paris.
AN: Sorry, I know it's an evil place to end; I hate it when people do the cliffhangers, but it's late and I have to work tomorrow. I'll update as soon as I can!
She opened up her email account again just as Paris walked back into the room, looking pale and drawn. The email could wait.
"Okay, you're sick."
"No, I'm fine. It's probably just a 24-hour bug. I'll just rest and take a bunch of fluids. Or is feed an upset stomach? I never get those straight. The Portuguese don't have those kinds of sayings, and frankly my mother was never around to say all those wives tales at me when I was puking as a child."
"Uh, I think it's feed a fever, starve a cold. I could call my mom, but it may just make that Mommy and Me class actually happen."
"What?"
"Nothing. Can I get you something? I can forego the nap if you need me to take you to the student clinic."
"Rory, I'd rather die than go to the student clinic. As a matter of fact, it would probably make it worse. Those people aren't even med-students."
"Well, those rants sure make you sound like you're feeling better. Why don't you sleep? I'll pull the trashcan up in case you feel pukey again."
"Pukey definitely isn't a word, Gilmore."
"That's a girl, you rest," Rory coaxed Paris into the bed and pulled over the trashcan. Paris was passed out in a matter of moments, and Rory returned to her email.
To: tdugrey1@unc.edu
From: rgilmor@yale.edu
Subj: New Haven
Tristan,
Yeah, Harvard didn't win the bidding contest. Yale had just too much to offer. Plus it was close to home and I'm really close to my mom.
So, what about you? UNC, is that North Carolina? I remember you saying you were going to military school there, but I didn't realize you were down there for college.
Rory
'There. A simple email. No emotion, no fuss. Simple. He probably won't even email me back. We exchanged pleasantries, after all, isn't that what he was taught to do. He thought I'd emailed him, so he emailed back.'
Rory went back to her bed at long last and fell into a deep sleep. Hours passed and when her eyes fluttered open, it was 4 in the afternoon, and Paris was online, with a furrowed expression on her face.
"Hey."
"Hey, you're up."
"Yeah, I didn't realize how tired I was."
"So I hear you emailed Tristan."
"What?"
"He emailed me, told me you emailed him."
"Sort of by accident. He mentioned it?"
"Yeah. He asks about you sometimes, you know?"
"Really. That's weird."
"Not really."
"What do you mean, Paris?"
"Just that he was completely in love with you at Chilton. I mean, he was so crazy about you, he did all that stupid stuff to get you to notice him."
"What stuff?"
"Come on, Gilmore. Get serious. Think about it."
"You're nuts, Paris. Tristan didn't like me. He hated me."
"He definitely didn't hate you. Anyways, he seemed happy you emailed him."
"Oh. Hey, what are you looking at?"
Rory looked over Paris' shoulder to see her on WebMD, on the pregnancy signs section.
"Paris, you aren't, I mean, are you?"
Paris looked down and sort of frowned. She opened her mouth, and then closed it again. She seemed to be thinking quite carefully about her words.
"I don't think I am."
"What does that mean, you don't think you are?"
"I have no proof."
"Okay, well, are you sort of concerned that you might be?"
"A little."
Rory drew in a deep breath. She had to hand it to Paris, she looked pretty calm.
"Let's think about this rationally. Are you and Asher, you know, safe?"
"Yes. Well, most all the time."
"Paris! You can't be serious!"
"Well, a couple of times, in the heat of the moment,"
"Stop, stop, stop! Look, I'm your friend, and I'm here for you, but I seriously don't want to hear the sordid details. The image of you and him, well, it just freaks me out. Are you late?"
"Yeah. But just a couple of days. That's normal, right?"
"It can be. Stress and stuff. You haven't been sleeping a lot lately, that might do it."
"Right. You're right."
"Let's see. Have you been getting sick a lot?"
"I'm never sick. But the last couple of days, I've been nauseated."
"And throwing up?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, Paris, we need to get you a pregnancy test."
"But we could wait, and,"
"And what? Wait for the kid to come out and tell you whether or not you were in fact pregnant? Come on, we do it, it's over with and we know."
Paris nodded and sat still for a moment. She bit her lip and looked at Rory with tears starting to brim in her eyes.
"Rory, what am I going to do?"
Rory didn't say anything; she just took Paris into her arms and let her cry on her shoulder. She was beginning to wish for a few hours ago when her biggest problem was whether or not to email Tristan back. She still had no idea what that whole thing was about, her interest was especially peaked when Paris told her he had really liked her in high school, but surely he didn't still have feelings for her. Besides right now, she just needed to be there for Paris.
AN: Sorry, I know it's an evil place to end; I hate it when people do the cliffhangers, but it's late and I have to work tomorrow. I'll update as soon as I can!