Title: Girl Like That

Authors: Mrs. Witter (Jamie) and ChristineCS (Chris, duh)

Disclaimer: Jamie and I, despite the harem we own (we know it creates mass confusion about the ownership thing), do not own Gilmore Girls, their characters, matchbox twenty, their songs or Rob's awesome writing talent so we don't own the lyrics in the chapter title. We also don't own Mark Paul Gosselaar or Emilie De Raven, but you'll have to think about why that is added. We do however claim ownership on our own writing. So consider yourself warned.

Rating: PG – 13

Pairing: Rory/Tristan

Chapter 10: Don't think that I can take another empty moment

Cole heard barely heard the knock on his door over the music blasting through the headphones. When one was listening to 3 Doors Down, one rarely heard anything but the song. The person on the other side was going to have to excuse his tardiness. He was in a bad mood so he jerked the door open only to find the one person he didn't want to see. "Schuyler."

"Montgomery," Vaughn returned. Right, that was just who she wanted see right now. But then again, when one went to his dorm room there would be a pretty good chance that one would run into him. "Is Tristan here?"

It was a good thing that he wasn't because Cole didn't want to leave his dorm room and give them the privacy they wanted and he definitely didn't want to see them suck face in front of him. "He's not."

She felt like she was in girl scouts again and asking for him to buy some thin mints from her. Vaughn had to refrain from the impulse to clasp her hands behind her back and rock on her heels. "When do you expect him to be back?"

What? Was he supposed to know his roommate's schedule, now? Okay, he needed to tone down the edge when he answered her. No need to get into a fight that could possibly make her stay longer than necessary. "I'm not sure."

"Can you please tell him that I stopped by?" See, she could be civil. She could be polite to Cole Montgomery.

"I could. But I might not be here when he comes back. I've got a late class." He could always leave a note or something. "You can stay here and wait." Or he could suggest something stupid like that.

"Okay, I'll stay." So Vaughn wasn't exactly sure why the words came out of her mouth, but it did. Maybe it was the earlier conversation she had with Leo, or maybe she was suffering from lack of oxygen from exercising.

He was taken aback that she would willingly stay in the same room with him. The shock led to a few seconds of standing awkwardly at the door while she stood awkwardly in the hallway. Then he moved back to let her in. "Um, okay."

Vaughn stepped hesitantly into the room. She hadn't actually been in alone in a bedroom with Cole Montgomery since she was nine. And that's when Cole had decided it would be a good idea to see if cutting her hair would get rid of her curls. She should've made so there were no sharp objects in the room before entering. "So…" Too bad she suffered from the need to always have a conversation going. "What are you listening to?"

Oh right, her need to talk with anyone and everyone who would listen. He closed his textbook. He was not going to get any work done with her in the room. "When I'm Gone, 3 Doors Down."

She knew that. She really did. "The solider song?"

"Yeah." He might as well be civil since she had sort of waved the white flag. "Do you like it?"

Well, it was no matchbox twenty but… "Yeah, it's good."

He grinned knowingly. "It just doesn't compare to, what's the name… 'Last Beautiful Girl', does it?"

Vaughn sometimes forgot that when it came to some things, he knew her far too well. "Well nothing can compare to 'Last Beautiful Girl'. Except, possibly, 'Bed of Lies'."

"Of course," he answered with a grin. Talking to her like a normal human being was kind of cool. Who woulda thunk it?

How to remain civil? "I'm kind of shocked to learned that you've extended your musical tastes beyond Mellencamp."

He leaned back in his chair. "You'd be amazed how far my musical tastes stretch these days. Credited to Ronnie."

"That's a scary thought." She remembered Ronnie's room. Walls covered in boy band splendor, last she saw. But, then again, that was when Ronnie was ten.

"When you know the lyrics to some inane song by O-Town, you should fear for your sanity."

Vaughn shrugged, "According to my mother I have none to fear for."

As if her mother was one to judge. Wait, was that thought actually a little in defense of Schuyler? It must be some residual loyalty from his childhood. He had to rectify that somehow, to even it out or something. But at the risk of disrupting the sort-of-truce they achieved? He needed to change the subject. "So, did you talk to Leo?"

Leo. Safe topic. Her mother, on the other hand. Not so much. She was almost thankful towards him. "Yes. Well, I did after he finished stubbing his toe on Torie's crib."

Cole laughed for what seemed like the first time in her presence. "That guy is always ramming into something. You remember the Fourth of July at the Thorntons, don't you?"

Vaughn hadn't until he brought it up, and she laughed as well. "I don't believe their garden ever recovered. Neither did the gardener, apparently."

"I think he quit." They continued to laugh and then lapsed into this odd – comfortable, silence. It was like they were younger again, before the ugliness between their families became public. Thinking about it now reminded him about how much things had changed. Funny thing was, he couldn't remember why he thought they had to. "So…"

"So," silence loomed over them again. "Speaking of gardener's, did yours ever repair that trellis that he accused me of breaking? Which was completely unfounded by the way, since it was your brilliant idea to play the knight in shining armor."

"Like you were ever opposed to being rescued, Schuyler. And yes, he did. He warned me never to let you into the house again." He smiled a little at the memory. "But then my summer would have been very boring."

Yes, she had always made an excellent damsel-in-distress. "And you would have never known what you would look like with orange hair."

"Don't go there, Skye. I still haven't forgiven you."

For once the use of that nickname didn't irritate the hell out of her. "I thought it looked good on you."

He grinned. It did scare the hell out of his mother, which was always a plus. "If we're going to talk about our past hairstyles, I remember a certain experiment with a pair of scissors and your curls."

She took an involuntary step backwards. Vaughn swore she had nightmares concerning Cole and scissors for months after that. "I believe I went to therapy to block that incident out of my mind."

It must've been all the reminiscing that made him reach for her hands and tug her towards his chair. He looked up at her with fake sincerity. "I'm truly sorry about the trauma I caused you, Skye." 

Her strawberry blonde curls bounced forward. "My brother always told me not to believe a word you said, Cole."

She was calling him Cole again. It bothered him. "Your brother is a smart man."

"That's what Princeton said."

He looked down at their clasped hands and then back at her. "Yale's better."

Vaughn was trying to ignore the fact that their hands were clasped together. It was too unsettling. "I think the fact that it's not in New Jersey is a testament to that."

He laughed, let go of her hands and cleared his throat. "I guess we should be grateful for that."

Right. She stepped back, and then sat on the floor. The floor seemed a very safe place to be right now. "Well it depends on how big of a Devils fan you are."

She looked so…comfortable on the floor, sitting Indian style. He was almost tempted to join her. The chair was safer, though. "I've never been much of a hockey player. Football is more my speed."

She remembered Nicky, Leo and Cole playing some type of football during the summer months of their childhood. Not that she had ever been able to join, and had been reduced to the position of cheerleader. Something she had never been happy with. "I'd find hitting someone with a stick more satisfying than with my body." Then again, the stick would make about a hundreds more the impact.

He didn't want to be thinking about her body. He shifted uncomfortably. "To each their own, I guess."

Maybe she should just leave a message for Tristan after all. "Right."

The door opened abruptly and Tristan walked in, looking a little preoccupied. Schuyler stood up and Cole reached over to pick up his books. "Hey DuGrey, you have a visitor. I was just keeping her busy."

Tristan had been a little startled to see Vaughn there, unscathed and not looking at all pissed off. Today was a definitely a strange day. He turned to his roommate. "Thanks Montgomery. You're a gracious host."

"That's one way of putting it." Oh, how easy it was to slip into old habits.

Cole simply glared at her and collected his books. "I've got a class. Behave."

"We'll try." Tristan laughed, patted him on the back as he exited and then turned to Vaughn, who was suddenly looking a little nervous. "Hey."

"Hey." This would probably be more comfortable if she was sitting on the floor. Everything was more comfortable on the floor.

He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "Why is this so awkward?"

Vaughn could guess one reason. "Because we're…" How to finish this sentence? "Just meant to be friends."

He let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. Friends. That's what he had been thinking. He smiled at her, glad that there were no hard feelings. "I'm glad."

That hadn't been so bad. "Me too." She looked around. Go or stay and make conversation? "So, um, what's up?"

"I just had this weird encounter."

"How weird?"

"I met Rory's ex-boyfriend," he explained, running a hand through his hair. "He just didn't seem like…someone she'd date."

"Jess?" Well, duh, Vaughn that could only be who it was. "What was he like?"

He shrugged. "Average height. Dark hair. Monosyllabic. Very James Dean."

Tristan was such a guy. "Thank you for telling me what I already know. What happened when he showed up?"

That was the weird part. "Rory looked like she saw a ghost. Then she did that rambling thing she does, she introduced me and then I left. I guess I tried to make it easier on her somehow."

Huh. "It's probably best for her to be alone with him." And work out some of her issues. "I guess I should go back to the dorm and wait for her."

He grinned. "Yeah, the whole female bonding thing."

"Something like that," Vaughn rolled her eyes and walked toward the door. "So I'll see you later?"

"Later. Hey Vaughn?"

She stopped. "Yeah?"

He waited until she turned around before he said, "I really am glad we're friends."

Vaughn smiled at him. "I'm really glad too." And then she left.

~*~

To go to class or not to go? That was the question that Cole was contemplating halfway to his Nature of Politics lecture. It wasn't like he didn't enjoy the class and it was an essential requirement towards his major but he just didn't…feel like going today. So, here he was standing outside the Admissions office weighing the pros and cons of decision to not go. So far the pros outweighed the cons. Just as he turned around to head back to his dorm room (hopefully, Tristan and Schuyler had taken their escapades somewhere else) a familiar face caught his eyes and he stopped dead.

Cecily Claymore. Damn.

The first thing Cecily Claymore noticed about the young man was his bone structure; it was so obviously Montgomery bone structure. My oh my, hadn't he grown up to look like his father? She pushed her sunglasses up and onto rest on the top of her head walked over to him. This could be good for more than one thing.

"Cole!" She stopped as soon as she reached him. "So nice to see you again." Cecily rested her hand on his arm as she spoke.

His innate urge was to jerk his arm away and turn around to leave but his upbringing ordered him to stay put and make polite conversation. Even if it was with the enemy. "Mrs. Claymore. It's nice to see you, too."

"I was hoping you could help me with something," Cecily sighed oh so dramatically. "I'm looking for my daughter. Who is, as she always is, not where she was suppose to be." If Skye ever did what she was suppose to, Cecily would still have a marriage. "And I haven't been on a college campus for ages, so this dorm information they gave me on Skye is absolutely no help at all."

So this was what they called being stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he helped Cecily find Schuyler, the latter would hate it. If he didn't, the former would hang around him longer than he wished. Ah well, Schuyler despised him already. "I'll be happy to help."

Cecily hand fluttered from his arm to run through her thick blonde hair. "Thank you, you were always such a sweet child."

She did remember he was still supposed to be a child in her eyes, right? Because the way she was looking at him was making him uncomfortable. "This way, ma'am."