A/N: I love you guys. I do. Um… apology. I was just pissed off that day. That's it. I didn't mean to take it out on you. But thanks for taking my shit so well. I love you. I do.
Disclaimer: See last chapter.
Summary: See chapter 1.
Chapter 11. What Are You Doing Here?
He slapped her. No one was around to hear her cry of pain.
"Seriously, I thought you wouldn't have used that game. I thought you were smarter." He kneeled by her and grabbed her hair. "Get up!"
She did. She had a little blood dripping from her lip, a black eye, and he was only getting started.
"Come on, bitch. Why so silent? You sure as hell had a lot of tactics going last night."
"I didn't mean to," but she said it too soft and he pinned her to her bedroom wall.
"What did you say?"
"I'm sorry." She said louder.
"You better be sorry."
And he hit her. Over and over again. She couldn't do anything to stop it, but the phone rang while he was in the middle of his physical tirade. He stopped. She stayed curled up on the floor.
"Well, go get the phone. I'm not your slave."
She managed to pick herself up and stumble to the phone.
"Hello?" she tried her best to sound normal.
"Hey, Babe. I was thinking you could meet me at Luke's in 5?"
"Just a sec."
She whispered the situation to Ron, who just rolled his eyes, grabbed his jacket, and started for the door with no words other than, "I'm not through with you yet."
So Rory went back to her conversation. "Maybe in 10."
"Oh… kay. See you there." Lorelai hung up.
How the hell was she supposed to get herself fixed up?
-- Luke's –
She entered. She did a pretty good job. Although, there still was a little blood coming from her lip. She wiped it with her hand again.
She sat down next to Lorelai at the counter.
"So I was thinking-"
"So what will you have?" Jess came up.
"I'll have the-"
"Rory, what's wrong with your lip?" Lorelai asked?
"What?"
"It's bleeding…?"
"Oh!" She hadn't thought of what she was going to tell her mother. "I um… I was eating off a knife and… cut myself. I was being really stupid this morning."
"Oh… Luke!"
She moved to him, leaving Jess and Rory.
"What's with the lie?"
"What lie?"
"The one about the knife. Come on, no one is that stupid."
"Well… I told you, I was being really stupid this morning."
He handed her a napkin to wipe the blood. "It's two in the afternoon. It wouldn't still be bleeding if you hurt it this morning."
She looked up at him incredulously.
"I'm smarter than I look," he said plainly. She stayed quiet. "So, you going to tell me what it was?"
"Could I have some coffee, a burger and some fries?"
"Fine, have it your way."
"I will, thanks."
He went and got her order, than returned. "Read any good books lately?"
"Yeah, The Pearl by John Steinbeck."
"Oh. Do you recommend it?"
"I do to anyone that's looking for a good story about greed and lost dreams."
"Well, I'll have to check it out then, won't I?"
"I guess you will."
And they sat in their comfortable silence.
-- Monday Morning –
They had avoided each other, but when set in a group together Rory and Tristan couldn't help but steal glances. It seemed so surreal. Like all of this was a dream that was just shared with two people.
"Rory, Tristan?" Their heads snatched up at the same time. "Why don't you do it?"
"Do what?" Rory asked, nervous of what could come from her and him being in a pair.
"Be king and queen."
"Us?" Tristan asked.
"But why?" Rory asked.
"No one else is willing, and you two are the only ones that don't have a part."
"Is there any way we can get out of this?"
"Afraid not. You either take it or leave the group. I am not getting an F on this assignment because of you two."
Rory sighed.
- - - - -
They were paired up in an assignment. An assignment that they could not get out of. On one hand, Tristan was intrigued. He wanted to be with her every day of every week of every year. On the other, he was swearing his head off. How did they get in this position? Why was karma biting them in the ass?
"I guess we'll have to." He said to no one in particular.
-- After School ---
Rory got out of Ron's car with another bruise on her wrist and feeling alone, again. She entered her empty house, looking forward to a bath and some medication for her headache. When she entered the house, she immediately went to the bathroom cabinet and took three aspirin. Overdose is a funny, funny word.
As she walked into her room, she jumped a little at the being on her bed. But without saying anything, she went to the middle of the bedroom and took off her shoes. But he didn't move.
She burst at the silence. "Why are you here?" She stood firmly in her spot, but when he got off the bed and started walking toward her, she backed up, all the while looking into his eyes. She gasped at the sudden stop caused by her wall on the other side.
He took her face in his hands. He didn't expect this to happen, but he went down and kissed her thoroughly. She responded to him, kissing him back and coming off of the wall's support. They went into each other's arms, kissing hard.
He ripped her shirt off, as she did his. As he nudged her towards the bed, she deposed of his pants. He brought her down on her own bed, kissing her neck and chest as her uniformed skirt was detached from her body and got thrown onto the floor.
His lips went sown to her chest and hands went under her body and unhooked her black bra. That would also hit the floor soon.
-- –
He woke up and stared at her looking up at her ceiling. God, she's beautiful.
"What's wrong?" he asked rubbing his eyes.
"We did it again," she said quietly, a little over a whisper, still looking up.
"That's not so bad, is it?" Wrong thing. She got defensive.
"Yes, Tristan, it is. I know you have nothing to loose, but I do."
"The 'love' of your boyfriend?" he said, using air-quotes and sitting up slightly.
"No," she looked at him hurtfully (trying to hide it). She sat up a little too, wanting to level with him. "My pride."
He stayed silent and fell onto the pillow below him, sighing.
"Don't you trust me, Rory? Just a little?" He propped himself up on his elbow.
She then also fell on her pillow and tears swam to her eyes. Shaking her head, she said "Yes."
He caressed her cheek. "Then why are you crying?"
She looked up at the ceiling trying to stop the tears, but it didn't work. "Because I'm afraid of trusting you. Of what I'll give you. Of what you'll give me."
He went down and kissed her softly. "Does that make you forget?
She nodded, "Yes."
"Then that's all I can give you."
A/N: Woo-hoo! Another long chapter. Please review. Thanks.
Paige