A/N: oh my, so many reveiws! thank you so much everyone!
Chapter 5 The Pulling of Curls and Writing of Obscenities
Rory cautiously walked into school on her first day back. Her limbs still ached from the accident,but her bruises were starting to heal.
She walked to her locker and opened it, then got down on her knees to load her books into her bag.
"Mary," a voice came from beside her.
She looked up, startled, and then got off her knees, pushing herself to a standing postition.
As her hair fell away from her face, Tristan saw a black and blue bruise spread across the bottom of Rory's jaw bone. Instinctively, he brought his hand up gently to where it lay.
Rory felt a shiver down her spine at Tristan's touch. She took a step away from him.
"I'm sorry, did that hurt?" Tristan asked in a joking voice, while inwardly he cringed. Stupid hormones. "I'll see you later Mary," he said after a long pause as he walked away.
Rory turned back to her locker to find Summer watching her. "You should get a perm," she told her. Rory thought she was being rude, remembering the time Summer had told Paris she should get bangs to cover her long forehead. This is why Rory was so surprised by what Summer asked next. "I'm going to a salon at the mall tomorrow. Wanna come with?"
Rory looked at her in surprise, but Summer seemed sincere. "Sure," she answered with a smile.
"Great! We'll go right after school tomorrow."
"This is Rory. Do you have room for another perm and coloring?" Summer asked as she and Rory walked into the salon.
"Do you want tight curls or loose?" the lady behind the desk asked.
"Loose," Rory answered quicklly.
"And the color?"
"Oh! Rory! I think you'd look awsome with a bit darker hair, I remember when you first started Chilton you did and it looked sooo good."
"Sure," Rory agreed, smiling.
After they had gotten their hair done, Summer asked Rory if she wanted to shop. She said sure. Her grandparents had given her a credit card to buy herself some clothes, since most of hers were still in Stars Hollow. Besides, it was time for a new look anyways. Nothing too slutty, just something that said she actually cared about how she looked, instead of all the baggy clothes she usually wore.
Two hours and 600 dollars later, she and Summer finally retired to a coffee shop before heading home. Rory decided now was as best a time as any to ask her the question that had been bugging her for a while now. "Summer? You promise not to get mad if I ask you something?"
"Shoot."
"Why'd you ask me to come with you today? I mean, I always thought you hated me."
"Well, at first I was kind of jealous of you, but I'm over that now," she answered truthfully.
"Jealous of me?"
"Yeah. Well, when I was with Tristan, all he ever talked about was you. I mean, can you blame me?"
"No, not at all," Rory answered thoughtfully. "Thanks Summer, this has been great. It's just what the doctor ordered."
"No problem Rory. What are freinds for?"
"Hey Mary," Tristan greeted, pulling on one of Rory's curly whisps of hair playfully before leaning against the locker next to hers.
"Tristan! I didn't recognize you without the usual slut attached to you side!" Rory retorted in false alarm.
"And I you with the new hair. Better be careful, thats the kind of hair guys just love running their hands through," he said mischeivously. Guys like him.
"It is great, isn't it?" Summer interrupted from the locker on the other side of Rory. Tristan raised an ewebrow as he watched the two exchange smiles.
"I'd really like to stay and chat, but I'd best be going to class," Rory said, smilimg up at him. She and Summer hooked arms and walked of giddily with each other.
Tristan did not feel the least bit dejected, but actually more amused. He liked Rory for everything she was, but if she was less uptight and more outgoing, the ride might be just a little more worth while.
Rory awoke and dragged herself out of bed and into her kitchen for coffee.
Finally, it was Friday. Friday means two things. The weekend, and 'Dress Down Day' at Chilton. Friday was the only day of the week Chiltonites could wear whatever they wanted, with some regulations of course.
This was the first day Rory could really show off her less homely look, and as pathetic as it was she admitted, she was totally excited. She trapsed off to her closet. Standing insideshe looked at her humongous closet, filled with new clothes.
She didn't want to be too risky, so she finally decided on light blue faded hip huggers and a black sweatshirt with the pink playboy bunny outline on the front. Different, but not shocking. Perfect.
She walked into school feeling unsure and self conscious, but her fears quickly subsided when she saw the looks of approval from now only the girls, but many of the guys as well.
"Mary," Tristan greeted as she felt the now familiar gentle tug on her hair.
"Funny, I only see a Rory here," she anwered nonchalantly, despite her heart skipping a beat.
"Mary."
"Even though this game has been really fun and all, R really have to get going," Rory said, smiling at Tristan's stubborness.
"You don't like this game? We can play Boppit if you want" he offered smirking.
"Boppit?"
"Yah, you know. Boppit, twist it, flick it, pull it."
"Yah, I know what Boppit is! Just do me a favor and don't tell me what kind of gross analogy you have in mind for that." Rory answered, but was amused inward.
Tristan noticed the sparkle in her eyes and took advantage of it. He reached down and grabbed her books from her arms without saying a word.
Rory ran to catch up with him. "You make a bad habit out of stealing people's books," she saide, remembering the time he had done this before, refusing to return them until she agreed to go to PJ Harvey with hem.
Tristan kept walking as the halls emptied, and Rory followed behind bitterly.
"Are you gonna give me my books back?" she finally asked him, sighing.
"How much do you want them Mary?" Tristan retorted, grinning. He watched in amusement as Rory blushed. "I'll be right back," she added, going through the door to the men's room, bringing her books with him. Once he got in, he took out a sharpie and started writing on her book covers, chuckling to himself.
Rory sighed, waiting for Tristan to come back. When he did, he silently handed her back her books, grinning slightly.
Rory looked down at her books in horror. 'I love Tristan' the first one said in large letters. She looked at the others. 'Tristan is my fantasy', 'Tristan is soooo hott' and finally 'Bang me Tristan!'
"How am I supposed to get these off?" she asked in shock.
"That's your problem not mine. I'll see you later Mary."
A/N: so whatdya think? Lorelei next chapter, promise. Reveiw reveiw, review!
