Chapter 8

A/N I realize that before these last two chapters I've been gone for ever and I'm sorry! But I'm back now and will try to update frequently until this story's done! Thanks guys

In a daze Rory joined Tristan in the hallway and walked to his car. She was in a state of shock over what Paris had told her. She couldn't believe that Paris was over Tristan and thought that she and Tristan should get together. The idea was ludicrous. They were just starting to be friends. But was it a ridiculous notion? That irritating voice inside her head asked? Are we just friends? Were we ever?

She was broken out of her daze by Tristan's voice asking "Mary are you okay?"

"Yeah never better." She responded shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "Where are we going now?" She asked.

"Well, I thought I'd drop you off at your house and then head home." Tristan replied

"Right, " Rory responded perplexed by stab of regret that he was going home. "Of course you haven't been home all weekend. Your parents probably want to see you."

"Doubtful" Tristan murmured with such bitterness that Rory glanced up in surprise.

"Well, if you don't want to go home," Rory began, "You could always come have dinner with me and my mom. We'll probably just get Luke's or pizza or something."

He turned to look at her as they approached his car. "Really?" He asked. His eyes held vulnerability. "You're sure I wouldn't be intruding."

"Not at all." She replied, now grinning. They got in the car and started driving in silence.

"Hey Tristan" Rory began seriously

"What?" Tristan asked a little worried by her tone.

"Can I put in a CD?"

"Of course." Tristan replied laughing. "Just not Brittany Spears or anything?"

"Oh my god! Is that the kind of girl you think I am Tristan!" Rory exclaimed with fake outrage.

"No- I mean-no."

"Good. I would never play Brittany Spears, except in a mocking capacity of course."

"Of course. So who is your favorite singer?" Tristan queried.

"PJ Harvey."

"Who's he?"

"Tristan, PJ Harvey is a woman."

"Oh. Well put her in and let me see what I think." Rory obliged and they listened the rest of the way home with Rory singing along to her favorite songs.

"You know Ror, I think you're ignoring your great talent as a singer." Tristan commented sarcastically as they pulled into the driveway.

"Ha ha." Rory responded as she pushed him. "But what did you think of PJ Harvey."

"Not half bad." Tristan pronounced as they walked into the house.

"Mom, I'm home!" Rory yelled into the seemingly empty house. There was no answer. Rory tried again. "I brought Tristan with me." Suddenly there were sounds of feet stamping down the stairs and Lorelai appeared.

"Bible Boy!" She exclaimed in greeting. "Going to join us for dinner?" She asked.

"Yeah, if it's okay with you." Tristan answered.

"Of course, you're welcome anytime." Tristan smiled glad that he wasn't at home. They ate pizza and joked until about ten when Rory bid Tristan goodnight. He drove home thinking again how lucky he was that he and Rory were friends. This was the first weekend in a long while that he hadn't gone to a party or hooked up with a girl, yet it was one of the most enjoyable he had ever spent. Hmm what do you know? Tristan thought. Maybe the bad boy can change.

Tristan and Rory spent the next couple of days hanging out during school and doing their homework together after school. Chilton was full of gossip and speculation about what was going on with Tristan and Rory. At first his "friends" were congratulating him on "nailing the virgin mary" but after they realized that all they were going to get in exchange for comments like these was a punch in the face, the suggestive comments stopped, at least when Tristan was around. Still despite the gossip Rory now had to face she was glad to be friends with Tristan. It sure beat having no friends and he was fun to hang out with. Each day Rory wondered if maybe she felt something more that friendship towards Tristan. She tried to disregard it but her attraction to Tristan got stronger by the day.

"Hey." Rory heard a familiar voice behind her as she opened her locker at the end of the day on Friday.

"Hey" she returned, turning around to smile at him.

"You should decorate this thing." Tristan commented, referring to her locker.

"I did."

"Well I mean with something other than a bunch of dead black and white women"

"What like curtains?" Rory asked sardonically.

"No like with this." Tristan answered, handing her a picture. She turned it over and saw a picture of the two of them watching movies at her house that Lorelai had taken.

"Oh my god, thanks so much Tristan!" Rory exclaimed and impulsively reached up and hugged him. The hug lasted a little bit longer than necessary and they finally broke apart awkwardly.

"So," Tristan said, just to break the silence, "You know what these are?" he asked holding up two tickets.

"They look like tickets." Rory stated.

"To PJ Harvey."

"TRISTAN!" Rory cried hugging him again. As they broke apart she asked, "Wait, one of these is for me right?"

"Of course, I don't even know anyone else who's into her." Tristan replied, taking her books from her hands as they walked into the courtyard, "But they're for tonight, are you free?"

"Yeah, we were gonna hang out anyway, plus I would make myself free for PJ Harvey, why all the presents today Tristan?" Rory asked

"Well" Tristan began taking a deep breath. He had been steeling himself all week to tell her how he felt and now would be as good a time as any. "We've been spending-" But suddenly Rory cut him off saying

"Oh my god."

"What?" Tristan asked confused. Rory pointed into the courtyard.

"Dean."

"Ah Dean." Tristan spit out. Dean being one of his least favorite people in the world he was not entirely thrilled to see him. Especially when he was on the verge of telling Rory how he felt. Damn, Dean has impeccable timing.

"Ok, Tristan" She said in a low voice "you stay here I'll deal with this." Louder, as she walked towards him, she asked " Dean. What are you doing here?"

"I shouldn't have come." He replied. Rory secretly agreed, but curiousity got the better of her.

She shouted "No. Wait."

"I feel like an idiot." Dean spat out.

"Why?"

"'Cause I come all the way out here and I see you with him. That's just great."

"Well, Tristan and I are friends and-"

"I don't care."

"Ok, well-"Rory didn't know what to do, she didn't want to make Dean feel bad but she didn't want Tristan to think she was getting back with Dean. She just stood there bewildered and decided to just listen to what Dean was saying.

"He's got your books Rory."

"Yes." Rory replied. She thought this was a fairly obvious statement.

"Look, I came because I thought you were trying to talk to me."

Now Rory was extraordinarily confused. She couldn't remember trying to talk to Dean at all. In fact Tristan had almost completely driven Dean from her mind until right now. "Oh, well I wasn't, but I don't want you to be upset."

"Well I must have imagined it all then." Rory again privately agreed, but didn't want him to leave angry.

"Dean, I'm sorry."

"Whatever, your boyfriends waiting. But Rory, I thought you hated the guy, how could you be with him."

"Look I don't hate Tristan and I never did, he's been great to me after our breakup."

"Well that's just great, I don't care." He started to turn away but seemed to get a second wind. "Rory how could you do this to me! I thought you loved me!"

Rory steeled herself to say the thing she knew she must say from the minute Dean told her he loved her. "I don't" She stated quietly. "Look Dean, you were right. Love is either something you feel or you don't. And I realized after three months with you that although I really like you, I just don't love you like that. I'm sorry." She winced as he stormed away and his truck door slammed. She turned around looking for Tristan but all she saw was her books, placed carefully on the ground where Tristan had been standing.