Everything
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot and the characters that you don't recognize from the show.
Summary: When Rory Hayden comes back to Chilton, she still sees Tristan Dugrey as her brother's annoying friend that won't seem to leave her alone. But when opinions change, friendships can form, and maybe, it could become something more.
Good to know: Rory went to school in England for a year, then comes back to Chilton for her senior year. She hangs out with her old friends. Lorelai and Christopher are married and they live in Hartford. Dean and Jess don't exist. She's not friends with Paris.
Rating: PG13
A/N: Like I said in the last chapter, I decided to skip a few weeks just to speed things up a bit, 'cause then they'd be much more comfortable around each other and it's easier to write like that, and since what's gunna happen in the next chapters wouldn't make much sense if it all happened just a week after she came back.
Chapter 6
It had been three weeks since that night at the carnival. Tristan and Rory grew closer by the minute, the two had become nearly inseparable, in and out of school, and this didn't go unnoticed by their friends. They were completely comfortable around each other now; they could even fall asleep together during a movie together and it wouldn't be weird when they woke up.
"Hey, Mare." Tristan said as stood by her locker.
"Oh, hey, did I leave my history book at your house last night?"
"Mmmm hmmm."
"Did you bring it?"
"Yea, here." he said, handing her the text book.
"Thanks."
"No problem. So, we still on for this weekend?"
"Yea, can't wait, Danny will pick you up around 5ish on Friday. I think Charlie's taking the other car."
"Great."
'Briiiiiiiiing'
"Yea, I'll see ya later." she said as she walked off towards class.
"Bye."
He watched her retreating figure before heading off to his own class. It was a long weekend and the group had decided to go to the Hayden's beach house. They went a couple years ago but it had rained pretty much the whole entire time, so it hadn't been the best. Of course, weather was always unpredictable, but this year it seemed pretty promising.
"Soooooooo?" April asked Tristan during math. None of the students were paying attention, they were all talking, and the young substitute teacher didn't really seem to care.
"What?" he replied.
"You excited about this weekend? How are things going with Rory?"
Tristan rolled his eyes, "You are so girly sometimes it's not even funny."
She gave him a look, "Well, that's because I am a girl."
"Really? And here I was thinking that you were just a guy having hormonal problems. Oh, and I knew there was something funny about you and Josh." he mocked.
She glared at him, "Shut up and answer my question."
He cleared his throat, "Yes I'm excited about this weekend and me and Rory are friends."
"Just friends?"
"Well unless you've seen us making out or showing any other signs of affection towards each other then, yes, I'd say we are just friends."
They were really starting to get on his nerves, the guys weren't as bad, but the girls were just plain pushy.
"Well you never know what's going on behind closed doors."
"Are you gunna stop talking any time soon?" he said, annoyed.
"No, and when are you gunna make your move?!"
"When and if she likes me as more than a friend."
"Oh hun, she already likes you as more than a friend. I'd say it started about fifteen and a half days ago."
He gave her a look.
"What?" she said innocently.
"I knew you guys were keepin' close tabs on us, but I didn't know you were counting the days! Do you have some kind of pool going on too?" he scowled.
"We have not been keeping tabs!"
"Oh yea, just like Danny and Amber didn't leave us alone at her grandparents' party, and Kelly and Charlie didn't push us away at the carnival, and we 'coincidently' ended up on every ride together there, and you and Josh didn't ditch us at the party last weekend, and Chelsea and Mike-"
"Ok, ok. I get it." she said holding her hands up in surrender, "We've been giving you guys a little push in the right direction, so what? A little help never hurt anybody. Besides, it's not like she ever noticed. I finally realize how blind she really is; the poor girl is clueless."
"Now what gave you that impression?" he said sarcastically.
"What is up with you today? Is there some kind of male pms that I don't know about?"
He glared at her, "I don't know, is there a term your parents would like to hear about for when you and Josh-"
"Shutting up now." she said in a sing-song voice.
"I swear he's worse than a woman going through menopause sometimes." April muttered under her breath when she turned around.
It was Friday. Danny, Amber, Tristan, Rory, and Kelly were in one car; while Charlie drove with the others in another. Christopher had been hesitant about letting ten teenagers stay at their beach house for a long weekend without any adult supervision, but Rory and Danny, with a little help from Lorelai, had finally managed to convince him that everything would be okay, and he reluctantly agreed.
"I'm hungry." Rory said, she sat in the backseat in between Tristan and Kelly while Amber sat up front with Danny, "Can we stop by a restaurant or something?"
"You just want coffee." Danny said.
"Well, that too, of course. But I really am hungry."
"You're always hungry."
"Uh huh. So can we stop by a restaurant or something?"
Danny sighed.
"Remember the last time I went through caffeine withdrawal?"
Everyone groaned.
"Restaurant it is." Danny said as pulled into the parking lot of a road side diner, closely followed by Charlie's car.
They entered the diner, and were immediately seated; the fact that the waitresses were eyeing the guys may have had something to do with it.
"Look! The sun!" Kelly chirped, pointing out the window.
"Yes, that's what people call that big round ball of fire." Tristan said.
She rolled her eyes, "I meant it's sunny."
"And that's what it tends to be when the sun's out."
"I meant it's not raining." she scowled.
"Really? And here I was thinking that water was pouring from the sky."
Rory hit him on the arm and Kelly glared at him.
"What can I get you today?" a waitress said flirtatiously to Danny.
"WELL, I think I'll have a chicken burger with a coke." Amber said sweetly.
"And I'll have a garden salad with Italian dressing on the side." April smiled.
"I think I'll have a hamburger with a sprite." Chelsea added.
"I'm gunna have a hamburger too, with a chocolate milkshake." Kelly said angelically.
Rory rolled her eyes at her friends, "And I'll have a cheeseburger with a coffee please."
The guys smirked and the waitress shot the girls a dirty look before taking the rest of the orders and heading back to the kitchen.
"Possessive much?" Danny grinned.
"What?" Amber said innocently, "I was merely giving her my order."
Fifteen minutes later, a different waitress came back with their orders.
"Anything else I can get you?" she asked Tristan coyly, lightly touching his arm.
At this Rory got this weird feeling. She didn't exactly know what it was. Could it be jealousy? No, of course not. Why would she be jealous? It wasn't as if she was his girlfriend, or if she liked him for that matter, well, she liked him as a friend, but not like like him. And he didn't like like her either, even though she was constantly told otherwise by everyone.
"Uhhhh...no, I'm good." he shot a few desperate glances at his friends.
"Are you sure? Anything at all?"
"He's fine. But maybe his girlfriend, Rory here, would like something?" Chelsea said a bit forcfully, giving Rory a look.
Rory scrunched up her forehead and raised an eyebrow, "Huh?" Then catching Tristan's desperate look, "Oooooh, right, ummm, no, I'm good thanks."
The others held back a grin while the waitress walked off in a huff.
"Thanks." Tristan said.
"Uhhh, your welcome?" Rory replied.
"Is tanning all you're gunna do this weekend?" Mike asked as he looked at the five girls sprawled out on the beach in their bikini's.
"Well I'm definitely not complaining, the view's pretty nice." Charlie smirked. His remark was met with nine deadly glares.
"Sorry." he mumbled.
"Tristan, Charlie and I are heading out for some food, you guys coming?" Danny asked.
"Does it involve stopping by a coffee shop?" Rory asked.
"If you're coming I don't think that gives us much of a choice."
"Ooooh, I'm coming then."
"Anyone else?"
"Uhhh, yea, I'm starting to feel a bit wheezy." Kelly said, indicating to Josh with April and Mike with Chelsea.
"K, let's go."
"What about me?" Amber said.
"Sorry, no room."
"But-"
"Just close your eyes and continue tanning, you'll see nothing."
Amber sighed, "Fine. But hurry."
"Ror, really, we have more than enough." Tristan said as he watched her pile more and more food into her shopping basket.
"Are you kidding? Have you seen the way you guys eat? Have you seen the way I eat?" Rory said, grabbing two bags of cheetos.
"She does have a point." Danny said.
"She is half Gilmore." Charlie added.
"Hey Kel, could you grab a bag of the marshmallows behind you?" Rory said, "No, make it two bags, wait, three. Yea, three."
"How do you manage to eat so much and still look like a stick?" Kelly asked, handing her the bags.
Rory shrugged before continuing.
"Yea, that's definitley enough." Tristan said as he steered her out of the icecream section, "We already have eight buckets of icecream."
"But-"
"We can always come back if we run out."
"But-"
"I'm gunna get some fruit. You know, it's healthy." he said as he started for the produce section.
"Healthy food? Who needs healthy food?"
"Everyone."
"Nuh uh!"
"Rory,"
"Fine." Rory huffed.
She started heading towards the candy section (again), while struggling to keep a pack of frozen pizza in her basket, when she ran smack dab into somebody, dropping her basket to the ground.
The other's whirled around at the noise.
"Omigod, I'm so sor-" Rory began as she looked up at the stranger she had walked into, only to realize, he was very much not a stranger. Her jaw dropped slightly and she stared at the man.
Kelly gasped while Danny, Charlie, and Tristan were instantly by Rory's side, clenching their fists causing their knuckles to turn white, and glaring coldly at the man she had bumped into.
"Uhhhh, hey Ror." he said nervously.