Author's note: Thank you so much for all the reviews. I get so happy whenever I read them! Please keep them coming. And I know there hasn't really been a lot of Trory action, but like I said before- all good things come to those who wait. I hope you can bear with me!

Setting: See chapter 1.

Summary: A school newspaper. Two different opinions. A book. Mixed in with some confusion, misguidance and attraction. A perfect recipe for a good old fashioned fairy tale story, so to speak. (Trory)

Askepott

Chapter four

Wednesday afternoon, Stars Hollow Public Library

"Rory!", Lane Kim hollered as she saw her best friend standing outside the library and slowly approached her.

"Hey Lane!", Rory turned when she heard her name being called. "Thanks for coming along with me."

"No problem. Mama is preparing the house for an all Korean bible meeting that's taking place tonight and I didn't quite want to be there. If you think she's a total control freak, you should see her when she's organizing an event! It's like watching a possessed Martha Stewart on mission to make everything perfect and neat.", Lane explained.

"I can imagine that. Your mom walking around the house as if she had a smoking bullet up her fanny!", Rory joked.

"Okay, as much as I like talking about my mom, I think I'll draw the line when her 'fanny' is being brought up into the subject.", Lane said somewhat disgusted. "So to gracefully change the topic before it gets ugly, what are we doing here?"

"Well, it is a library so it's kind of self-explanatory.", Rory said, trying to sound clever.

"I know that, smart-ass, but what I meant was why are we here and not at Luke's or somewhere else to hang out. I mean, the library isn't really known for being the place to be for teens."

"I have this book project thing for lit class and I need to pick out a book. I thought maybe you could help me."

"Me help you? The Queen of Books needs my help?", the little Korean girl questioned astonished.

"Fine, if you'd rather help your mom at home be my guest.", Rory playfully threatened, as she started walking up the stairs towards the entrance.

"Okay, okay! I'll help you.", Lane said, hastily catching up with Rory. "No need for the attitude!"

The two girls entered the library and looked around, trying to figure out where to start. Rory hadn't really decided on anything, which was kind of the main reason why Lane was there. Not knowing which direction to go, she opted to ask at the information for any new releases. Walking towards the front desk, Rory asked the woman sitting there.

"Excuse me? I was just wondering if you have any new books that have come in recently."

The woman looked up from what she was doing when she heard Rory's voice. "Yeah, we have. If you go to the 'new' section, you should be able to find some of the latest titles there.", she kindly replied.

"Thanks.", Rory said, and turned to the direction where the woman had said, Lane close behind her. Once reaching the section, both girls saw two shelves filled with books. "I guess they had a huge delivery.", Lane humoured.

"Then we better start looking.", Rory said and started perusing through the titles.

"Anything in particular you're looking for?"

"No, not really. I guess whatever catches my interest. Just let me know if you find something."

"I will.", Lane said as she walked over to the other shelf.

They were silent for a couple of minutes, busy with their task, before Lane spoke once again. "So how's it going at school?"

"Well, except for the massive amount of school work they give us, nothing in particular.", Rory answered, while holding a book in her hand and flipping through it's pages. "Oh, apparently there's a ball coming up soon. In about a month or so. Some people started hanging up some flyers around.", she added casually.

"That sounds like fun! You know how boring it is in Stars Hollow High. Nobody even bothers with anything related to socializing.", Lane commented, wishing she could also experience something fun sometime in her high school career. "And even when they do, it always ends up with the football team getting drunk and hitting on the cheerleading squad, resulting in a massive house party somewhere else, leaving the rest of the people in the gym to endure the agony of listening to the principal sing karaoke!"

"Man, I really miss the good old days.", Rory sighed as she stopped with her task and remembered back to when she used to be a student at Stars Hollow High.

"No, you don't. And even if you do, it's just because you miss hanging out with me and not for the sake of some crappy social event that's not even worth mentioning.", Lane defied somewhat humouredly, in an attempt to burst her best friend's mental bubble of how good it used to be. Coming back to the topic in hand, she enquired. "So who are you going with?"

Rory looked at her friend dumbfounded and replied half-heartedly. "Lane, I don't even know if I'm going. You know what I think about these things. And I don't even have a costume."

"Okay, first- not more than two minutes ago you mentioned how much you missed the 'good old days' with being at high school functions and now you're all Miss Anti-Social. Secondly- you didn't mention it was a Masquerade Ball, which makes it even more exciting! And third- you're mom is like the coolest person in the world when it comes to designing and sewing so she can easily whip something up for you!"

"But I meant high school functions here, not at Chilton. That's a whole different universe!"

"Ugh, whatever, Rory.", Lane merely replied, not really buying any of the excuses her best friend was throwing. "Maybe you can ask that Tristan guy to go with you?", she suggested.

"What? Are you serious?", Rory exclaimed, surprised that Lane could say such a thing and looked at her as if she had grown an extra head or something. "He's the last person I'd want to go with.", she answered, before quickly adding. "That is if I was going."

"Oh, you are going. I'm going to make sure of that. And as for Tristan, why would it be such a bad thing if you guys went together? I mean, with the amount of information that you tell me about him, I'm surprised you haven't realized it yet.", Lane countered.

"Lane, I only tell you about him because he, for some unbeknownst reasons, seems to take pleasure in making my life as difficult as possible, and being as you are my good friend, it is your job to listen to me whine and complain about him, therefore saving me countless hours of therapy in the future.", Rory tried to reason. "And what do you mean with me not realizing it yet?", she questioned.

"Nothing, Rory.", Lane answered, not wanting to push her. She needed to figure this one out on her own. Instead she asked something else and tried to cast a new light on the subject. "So what you're saying is if he hadn't been annoying you every chance he got, you'd possibly consider going out with him?"

"Why are we even having this conversation? I spend enough time fending him off in school that I don't want to waste any more of it on him outside the confines of Chilton.", Rory complained.

"Fine, fine! I'll drop it.", Lane finally gave up. She'd weasel more information out of Rory some other time. "Just one more thing though. Is he cute?", she asked, fully knowing that she was really pushing the envelope.

"Lane!", Rory said warningly, and looked at her sternly.

"Okay, dropping it as of now.", she surrendered. "So have you found a book yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Let's just do it this way. Close your eyes and let your fingers roam through the shelves. When I say stop, you just pick the book that your hand landed on.", Lane proposed. She looked at her watch and saw that she needed to be home soon. Merely nodding to her best friend's suggestion, Rory followed her instructions and let her right hand browse through the books. When she heard Lane say stop, she did and opened her eyes. Taking out the book her hand rested on, she looked at the funny title and smiled.

"This should be interesting.", she said, and walked over to the check-out counter to borrow the book.