Troubled Pasts

Ch. 6: Rory is Mary

by StoppedataLight

Disclaimer: same as before

Tristan opened the door to the building and led Jess to his dorm room. When they got up the small flight of stairs, they walked over to Rory's.

"That one's mine," he said, gesturing at his own room across the hall.

"So this is hers?"

"Yeah, I bet she's home." He reached out and knocked on the door.

"What'd you say her name was again?" Jess asked, but he was cut off when a small muffled voice asked "who is it?"

"It's just me!" The music that was playing stopped and you could hear small footsteps running towards the door.

"Just call her Mary." Tristan told her before the door flung open and a brown haired girl launched herself at a laughing Tristan.

"Nice to see you to." He wrapped his arms around her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. "Okay turn." She maneuvered herself so she was facing piggy back.

"So.... anyway. Mare, this is a friend from work, meet Jess. Jess meat Mary." Everyone was laughing but when the girl looked up only Tristan was the only one still smiling. Jess and Rory were in complete shock.

"Rory." Jess stated.

"Uh...do you know each other?" He looked between the two.

"Yeah." Rory was still on his back, but he could feel her stiffen. "He, uh, lived in Stars Hollow when I was in high school."

"That's cool. Maybe you know this soul mate girl he was telling me about." He said trying to lighten the mood. He could tell there were feelings between the two, and he guessed they hadn't gotten along when they used to know each other. "Apparently he broke the girls heart and has spent the past few years trying to straighten up so he can win her back." He looked over his shoulder at Rory, who was staring at Jess.

Neither one of them said anything. "Well, if it's okay with you Mare, we were thinking we could go grab something to eat."

"No, that's okay. You two have fun, but I'm just gonna go. I'll see you at work tomm-."

"No way man, you're coming with us, no arguments, come on." Jess gave him a strained smile and merely nodded. "Let me just grab a different t-shirt and drop her off so she can change or whatever if she needs to." He joked.

Jess watched Tristan carry Rory, who was still riding piggy back, into her dorm and drop her off in an adjoining room.

He could hear one of two whispers and wondered if Rory was telling Tristan about their past. He couldn't help but wonder what the deal was with him calling her Mary. The thought of them having pet names made him want to vomit.

Tristan came out and told him he was gonna change and that he was welcome to borrow something if he wanted.

Ten minutes later, Tristan was wearing a blue t-shirt, Rory was in a red sweater, and Jess was wearing a black sweatshirt of Tristan's.

Tristan suggested an Indian restaurant, and neither Jess nor Rory mentioned that was his favorite food. In fact, the food turned out to be the only good part of the night.

They decided to get it as take out and eat at one of the big picnic tables at the park across the street. After they sat down, the conversation became tense and filled with awkward pauses, that Tristan unsuccessfully tried to fill.

Then he excused himself to use the restroom, leaving Jess and Rory alone. Unfortunately, since they were in the park and he was gonna have to find a shop or restaurant that would him use theirs, so it was gonna take him a few minutes.

"I'm sorry."

Rory looked up from her plate, where she had been picking with her food. "What?"

"I should have told Tristan that I was sick or somethin' and needed to go."

"It's not your fault." She shrugged, hoping the conversation wouldn't escalade to screams and accusations. "

"Still... I'll stay away from him from now on." He still wouldn't meet her eyes.

"No, don't. You seem to really like each other, don't let our past together get in the way. Just because you two are friends, doesn't mean you have to be friends with me."

"Yeah, but it would be awkward. His girlfriends my ex...." He trailed off.

"I'm not his girlfriend." He looked at her.

"What? He thinks you are, or headed there."

"I don't know, "she shrugged. "He was my worst enemy in high school, and then I ran into him... we're just friends right now. I don't know where it's headed."

"Huh." There was another silence. "What happened to Dean?"

"What about him?"

"I figured you'd still be with him. That night... he was there... then you said... you didn't..."

"Well we're not. He married Lindsey right after high school, and then they divorced... I haven't seem in almost three years."

"Huh... bag boy."

"What?"

"When me and Tristan were talking earlier, he was telling me bout you, I told him about you, we didn't realize we were talking bout the same person.... He called Dean 'bag boy.'"

"Yeah, they had a.. disagreement, at a school dance my first year at Chilton."

Jess smiled. "A disagreement, huh? Like the kind I used to have with Dean."

Rory rolled her eyes and unsuccessfully tried not to smile. "Yeah."

The more Jess thought about it, the more he realized that he should have picked up on it being Rory. Goes to Yale. "Bag boy?" Not to mention loves Willy Wonka and sings along with the Oompa Loompas? That should have been a giveaway. Plus Tristan said that he had went to a private school in Hartford with her.

Tristan probably would have been a good friend, but it was too weird with Rory involved. He couldn't see them together like he had before. When Tristan had Rory piggy back, or grabbed her hand when they were walking, it made him want to strangle the guy. Every time he had to remind himself that Tristan was a nice guy, and that Rory had said that weren't really dating...yet. But that could have just been her not wanting to discuss her life with him. He was so confused. Then again she always did this to him, made him feel like this. She was the only one who did.

From what Tristan had told him already and what picked up on during dinner, he realized that Tristan was sent to military school in the middle of their sophomore year, about the same time he showed up.

This was great, him, Rory, and Tristan, not exactly the reunion he'd imagined. All they needed was bag boy and they could all be one big happy family.

Next..... he's ba-ck

Ch 7 will be up in a few hours.