A/N: So basically Rory and Tristan are both 20 and sophomores at Yale. Rory still rooms with Paris, but neither of them know Tristan attends. They haven't heard from him since the night of the play. This is pretty spur of the moment, and I'm writing it to improve my story writing skills. I'm trying to be clear, precise, and develop a good plot, so constructive criticism is strongly encouraged! People who write flames are dumb and bitter, and they serve no real purpose other than getting everyone mad.

P.S. Correcting my grammar definitely counts as helpful reviewing, and though I'm being sloppy here I think the grammar in the story will be okay.

Disclaimer: I'm broke. Completely and truly. All I own are my CD's, books, and my best friend's sweatshirt... and even that is debatable. The song in this chapter is by the Counting Crows, who you should all listen to.

A Long December: Part One

"It's been a long December, and there's reason to believe

Maybe this year will be better than the last"

-Counting Crows, Long December

Rory Gilmore was listening to music on her bed when her roommate burst through the door of their dorm room.

"Rory! Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"But Paris, I've been sitting here the whole ti—"

"Anyway, now that I've found you, I've got to tell you about the new research project Hutchinson assigned..."

About this time, Rory put her headphones back on and continued to bop her head to the beat while Paris paced the room, rambling about the new assignment. It was December of their sophomore year at Yale, and Rory had quickly learned how to tune out Paris after they had become roommates as freshmen. Rory and Paris had developed a unique friendship which, at the beginning, mostly consisted of Rory trying vainly to appease Paris. After the first few months though, Paris discovered how to relax, especially without as much pressure from her parents. She could still be high-strung, as this recent episode indicated, but mostly Paris had adjusted to college life quite well.

Rory loved Yale. Even after a year and a half at school, she still went to class everyday eager to learn. She had made several close friends very quickly and skillfully balanced school, friends, and her mom, who could be a handful at times. Rory felt lucky—she was surviving all the trials and tribulations of college life gracefully and relatively unscathed.

With a smile on her face, Rory looked up to see Paris waving her hands in front of Rory's face.

"Yes, Paris?"

"I can't believe you didn't listen to my rant! I don't know about you, Rory, but that research project seems pretty exciting."

Rory lead her friend into the common room of their suite and paused to heat up a slice of pizza. "I know it does, Paris, but come on, it's Friday night. Change into some sweats. Veg out. I hear "Bring it On" is showing on TNT. Watch that." Paris looked at Rory skeptically as she took the pizza out of the microwave. "Well," Rory continued, "you know, something of that nature at least."

"Well, staying here does sounds like a good idea... reward myself for the long week. Yeah, girls night in." Paris picked up the phone. "So do you want Indian or Chinese?"

"Oh..." Rory was cut off by a knock at the door, after which a young man's face appeared. Dark brown hair hung just in front of the his strikingly green eyes before he shook his head to remove it. He leaned against the door frame and had a laid-back demeanor, which was emphasized by his jeans and bare feet. He wore a blue baseball long-sleeved shirt and a Yale hat rested just atop his head. He was very attractive; his bright eyes melded nicely into a freckled nose and light red lips. He licked them before he spoke.

"Hey, Rory. Paris. Have you heard about Hutch's new project? Sounds great."

Rory smirked at the young man's polite attempt to make conversation with her roommate. He clearly didn't know what he was getting himself into, though. Before Paris could even begin to respond, Rory cut in.

"Yea, it does. She was just telling me about it, actually. Paris, I forgot to mention I was hanging out with Josh tonight. I'm really sorry... rain check?"

"Rory! What happened to 'sweats and vegging out'?" Paris imitated Rory. "You know 'Bring it On' won't be half as much fun without another person to mock it with!" When Rory gave her a pleading look, though, she gave in. "Fine, fine, but the food tomorrow is on you. Got that?"

"Yes, Paris. Thanks!"

"Go. Have fun. Bring me home some ice cream!" she yelled as Rory disappeared out the door.

"Will do!" Rory yelled back. Once safely into the hallway, Josh pulled Rory into his arms and gave her a light kiss.

"Hey," he said. "I'm glad you escaped her wrath. I didn't mean to get you in trouble."

Rory looked up. "That's okay. I think she understands. I just wish I didn't have to pick between you two, and that she would find someone so we could all hang out together."

"I'm sure she will, don't worry."

"I won't, but I still feel bad about it." Rory looked up and smiled. "Maybe I'll get her Ben and Jerry's instead of the supermarket brand to make it up to her. Let's go have fun."

Josh laughed. "Okay, let's just stop downstairs first so I can put some shoes on and grab my wallet."

Once Josh had said items and had thrown a sweatshirt on, they got into his car and were soon driving towards town for dinner and a movie, their normal routine. Rory and Josh first became friends freshman year in their Political and Philosophical Thought class. They bonded over the teacher's monotone voice and old-fashioned opinions. They had often agreed with and defended each other in intense debates, and they had found themselves talking after class more and more... and less and less about poly phil. They developed into friends by the end of the year, and when Rory saw Josh again in September, she found that she had missed him over summer break. So when Josh casually asked Rory out for dinner in October, she couldn't think of any reason not to go. She was impressed with how nicely Josh cleaned up for the expensive restaurant he took her to, and they had been dating for almost three months by now. Josh was nice and polite to Rory, and at the moment she couldn't be happier with him.

"And it's been a long December, and there's reason to believe

Maybe this year will be better than the last

I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself

To hold on to these moments as they pass..."

A/N: One of my favorite songs.... anyways, just review so you guys can have input on the story and will have more fun reading it! Also I'd love to hear what you guys think about Josh. Talk to you quite soon I am sure... -sal