A/N: Okay, so I kept finishing my MCAs before time was up. I found this quote, and I liked it and decided to write a fanfic from it. The quote fits Rory so well, and I decided to make it a Trory, because, well, Chad is hot. :o) It's sort of an altenative ending to "Deer Hunters"
Habit
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." – Aristotle
"And for the last time, the name is Rory!" she screamed, before allowing herself to be lead out of the classroom.
Hours later, she sat, outside the principles office, replaying the scene in her head over and over again.
How could she have been so stupid? She'd been studying for that test all week! The big guy upstairs must have been trying to send a message.
But what message could that be? 'Nobody's perfect'?
She doesn't think she's perfect, does she? Well, come to think of it, she did get perfect grades and have the perfect relationship with her mother. And everyone loved her. Well… everyone but Paris… and Tristan. But she was pretty damn close to perfect.
The secretary interrupted her thoughts. "Miss Gilmore? Headmaster Charleston will see you now."
Rory sighed and walked into the principle's private office. One she was settled into a chair, she nervously looked up into the angry 'papa elf' face of Headmaster Charleston.
"Miss Gilmore. When you first arrived here, I warned you of the hardships you would come to face."
"I know bu.."
"And I am incredibly disappointed in your behavior."
"I'm sorry I ju.."
"And I also don't appreciate it when students already in a compromising position interrupt me."
Rory blushed and looked down at her hands. She'd never been yelled at before.
"After some consideration, I've decided to allow you to take the test."
She sighed with relief.
"But first you must complete an hour of detention," he finished.
"Detention? But Headmaster Charleston, I've never had a detention in my life."
"Those are the circumstances. Otherwise your failing grade stands."
She couldn't fail. Failing does not equal perfection.
"What am I supposed to do sitting in an empty classroom for an hour?" she asked.
"Aaah. Don't worry about that," he said, looking behind her. "Mr. DuGrey will keep you company I'm sure."
"Tristan?" Rory asked in disdain.
"The one and only," he said, walking through the office's open door. "Umm… I didn't have my detention slip to give to Mr. Wallis," he told Headmaster Charleston.
The old man sighed. "Lost it again, I suppose." He shuffled through his desk, reappearing with a pad of pink slips. He scrolled something on two of them, and handed them to Tristan. "Would you mind escorting Miss Gilmore also? We wouldn't wast her getting lost."
Tristan smirked. "Not at all."
The headmaster nodded, dismissing them, and Tristan led Rory out of the office with a hand on the small of her back, closing the door behind him.
As soon as Rory heard the door slam, she pushed his arm off of her. "Don't touch me," she grunted before staling off.
Tristan stuffed his hands in his pockets and rolled his eyes before chasing after her. "Can't ignore the sparks between us when I touch you? The shiver that goes down your spine Mary?"
"Hardly… and it's Rory."
"Come on Mary. You can't deny your obvious physical attraction to me. I mean, who could blame you?" he retorted, trying to keep up with her brisk pace.
"Jeeze!" Why can't you just leave me alone!" Rory exclaimed.
Tristan stopped walking abruptly, causing Rory to turn around and stare at him in surprise.
He smirked. "What?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders.
"You… you listened to me. I told you to leave me alone, and you listened to me," she stated in disbelief.
"Well you see Mary, it's very simple." He pointed to himself. "I, have detention. He waved their pink slips in the air for emphasis.
Then, he gestured towards an open doorway to his left. "And this … is the detention room," he finished with a smirk. "Kapeesh?"
Rory blushed a deep red and headed back towards him.
"Mary, you're supposed to say kapoosh. I say kapeesh, you say kapoosh.
"Sorry, I don't speak loser," she retorted as she stormed past him and through the open doorway. Tristan followed her in, chuckling to himself.
"Aaaaah. Mr. DuGrey. Back so soon?" Mr. Wallis asked, with obvious disdain.
"Yes sir," he answered in his usual carefree way, handing the teacher his and Rory's slips.
Mr. Wallis examined the papers. "Alright, have a seat." He sighed, gesturing towards the long black tables that took up the room. Usually used for chemistry, the experimental tools had all been pushed to the side in order to create more room for Chilton's bad-asses.
Rory avoided glancing at the other students in detention as she made her way down the aisle. At least they weren't wearing all black with too many piercings to count or anything. This was Chilton after all.
She sat down at the back table, far away from the door. What if someone saw her in there as they were walking by? Paris would never let her live it sown.
Tristan followed and sat beside her, pulling his chair over so he could be as close to her as possible. He enjoyed making her nervous. It was his pastime.
She shifted away a little as the person at the table in front of them turned around. "DuGrey, man. Good to see ya. What'd you do this time?"
Tristan smirked. "I got caught in Charleston's office with Jane… no wait, I think her name was Joelle… something like that anyway…"
The guy laughed. "Nice, man. Nice," and turned back around.
Rory stared at him with a look of disgust.
He ignored her for a while but then gave in. "What?"
"You can't even remember her name?"
"No. Why, does it matter?"
"Not to me, but it should to you. Boy can you really be an ass sometimes."
With that, she went back to reading her book.
The next forty minutes passed without any conversation.
That is, until Tristan started getting bored staring at Rory's ear.
Rory was busy reading her book when she felt a hand on her knee. She went back to reading. She was just getting to the good part. Nothing could stop her from reading it now.
WAIT! There was a hand on her knee? And it was slowly making it's way upward too.
She quickly glanced around, making sure noone was watching, before glaring at the smirking Tristan.
The hand was still moving, so she smacked it away.
He drew his hand back, and waited until she went back to reading her book before doing it again.
They'd gone through the cycle of hand placing and smacking about a dozen times before Rory lost it.
"Cut it out!" she screamed.
Tristan immediately looked forward, folding his hands in front of him, just as Mr. Willis looked up from his newspaper.
"Miss Gilmore, no yelling please, That's another hour you have to stay. While everyone else gets to go home."
Rory nodded her head, which was turning bright red. And not from embarrassment either. Oh, no. She was fuming.
When everyone got up to leave, Rory asked if she could go to the bathroom. Mr. Willis sighed from annoyance, but allowed her to go.
She stormed past the girls room and right up to Tristan.
He wasn't paying attention, so she smacked him in the back of the head.
"Ow! What was that for?" he asked, rubbing the area she had assaulted.
"You got me another detention dumbhole!"
"So? I get double detentions all the time. It's no big deal."
It is for me! Perfect people don't get detention, let alone a double detention!"
Tristan stared at her for a minute. "See, that's where your problem is. You are always so worried about being perfect. Nobody's perfect."
"Yah? Well at least I don't hide behind a stupid 'player' reputation in order to keep myself from ever really caring and getting hurt!"
"I do not hide behind my 'player' reputation!" he argued.
"Really? Have you ever told a girl you like her, and not because you just wanted to get in her bed, but because you really meant it?"
Tristan shook his head in frustration. "I like you okay?"
"See what I mean?" Rory yelled. "You're never serious! Everything is just some big joke to you!"
"I meant it!" He yelled.
He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself before continuing. "I like you Rory. I can't explain it. You sure as hell can't. But I do. I like you."
"Oh." She was quiet for a second. "That wasn't so hard, no was it?"
This angered him. "Hard? Hard? How about you? You're so wrapped up in being perfect little Rory, but there is no such thing! You're just scared of what's out there, in the real world. Everything you do is out of habit, and a fear to change. It keeps you from risking or experiencing anything!"
"I take risks!" she argued.
"Yah? Like what?"
So, she kissed him. It was needful, full of passion and anger.
After a few seconds, she pulled away, mentally smacking herself in the head the way she had done Tristan just moments before. She liked being in his embrace, though she would never admit it.
She smiled. "See," she started. "I do take risks."
Tristan smirked. "Not that I didn't enjoy that Mary, and believe me, you can do it again if you'd like, but that wasn't really all that risky."
Rory pouted. "What do you mean it wasn't risky?"
"Well, I'd already told you that I liked you," Tristan stated.
"So! It was still breaking habit! I don't normally go around kissing guys that bug the hell out of me!" she protested.
Tristan kissed her, his lips crashing against hers, slamming her into the lockers. This one lasted longer than the first.
When the need for air overwhelmed them, Tristan pulled away, but kept his arms around his waste. He was surprised she wasn't fighting him off, but he hid this well.
"Do you want to know what would really be risky?" Tristan asked, smirking.
"What?" she asked, staring up at him.
"Skip detention."
"What?" she exclaimed, stepping back. "I can't skip detention! They won't let me take the test!"
"Charleston only said you needed to complete one hour of detention to be allowed to take the test," he pointed out.
He laughed when he realized he was close to hyperventilating. He kissed her softly. "Come on. I'll take you out to dinner. A date. Detention can't possibly be better that a date with me."
Rory stuttered. "I..I just can't think of one logical reason as the why I should do that."
He leaned over a little, so that their eyes were even with each other. "Because you want to," he whispered.
She was silent for a moment, processing everything that had taken place in the past five minutes.
Finally, she nodded her head.
He smiled, putting his arm around her waste, but she held up her hand to stop him. "I'm trusting you," she warned.
Then she smiled as well, grabbing onto his arm. The two headed down the hall towards the front entrance.
"You enjoy corrupting young woman, don't you," Rory joked as they reached the large staircase.
"Yup." He smirked, and held the door open for her, ushering her through.
And together, they were off to face the many things, mostly the big scary world, that both of them were afraid of.
But now they both had the other to make them stronger.
A/N: So, did you like it? PLEASE REVEIW! Even if it's just to say 'Hey, I read this' thats fine too. I just want to know someones reading it. With so many people who have me on AuthorAlert, I know they are reading this. So just reveiw for me, okay? lol. I'm done now. -lata