"Hi Tim," Rory called out as the boy walked past her locker.

"oh hey," he said quickly before disappearing down the hallway.

Rory turned and faced the ever present Tristan.

"Your work I presume?"

"what?" he asked innocently.

"Tristan, I…" Rory trailed off as his girl of the week sidled up to him.

"hey there," she practically purred not bothering to greet Rory.

Tristan, ever aloof, gave the girl a cool glance before slinging his arm around her shoulders.

"We finished here Mary?" he said.

Rory felt her cheeks flush.

"yeah, please don't let me get in your way. I'm sure you have some fascinating conversation to catch up on," she huffed throwing a disdainful look at the girl who seemed to have super glued herself to Tristan's body.

Rory found the couple again, melded together in an intense lip lock, conveniently next to her locker, at the end of the day.

"Ugh, don't you people do anything else?" She said more to herself that them.

Rory finished grabbing her books from her locker before she turned and gave Tristan's arm a hard jab.

"Ow, what," he said immediately and then seeing who it was he smirked at her, "what you want in?"

"hardly."

"okay well, me and Shellie are sort of busy."

"Shelia," the girl interjected with a voice laden in pout.

Rory struggled to keep her voice even.

"I need to talk to you."

Tristan detached the girl from his arms as if shrugging off lint.

"About what?" he said suggestively.

The abandoned girl made little annoyed sounds finding herself dropped so quickly.

Rory's attention was momentarily distracted from her task at hand.

"I'm sorry," she said addressing Shelia, "I know I don't know you but how can you put up with him? I mean, he obviously doesn't hold much respect for females in general. And I would think any self-respecting person would want more from a relationship," Rory finished, to finally draw air in again.

"Whoa Mary," Tristan said easing between the two females, "ease up."

The girl who had looked understandably confused at Rory's outburst now looked at her through narrowed eyes and said, "you are like really weird."

Rory made snorting noise and muttered under her breathe, but still audibly, "clever response."

Tristan decided it was time to separate the two and nodded curtly at Shellie, er Shelia, and pulled Rory some distance down the hallway. He continued his trek until he came upon a empty classroom.

Rory yanked her arm away from his strong grip, trying to suppress the warm feeling that had flushed her cheeks at his touch.

"Manhandle much?" She said bitterly.

Tristan shrugged, leaning against the door.

"You wanted to talk?"

"Yeah," Rory said standing straighter and smoothing invisible wrinkles in her blazer.

Tristan grinned at her discomfort and began walking closer.

Rory saw this and instinctively moved back. She hit hard wood and noted that she had back herself into the teacher's desk.

Tristan was now fully smirking at her prey instincts and he only stopped moving closer when the distance between was so miniscule and Rory was sure she could feel him exhaling.

"So what did you want to talk about?" He practically growled into her ear.

Rory felt a chill run through her entire body as his words hit her ear and the heady scent of his cologne overwhelmed her. She gripped the desk tightly with her hands.

Tristan, of course, did not fail to notice this.

"Mary, relax," he said, almost whispering it even though they were the only two in the room. He moved his own hand to her wrist and began to make lazy circles with his thumb on the underside of her arm. Rory felt herself losing her sense of purpose.

"Tristan, you have to," she forced herself to meet his gaze and lost the end of her sentence in his blue orbs. They were like the sea during a storm. Terrifying and wildly exhilarating. Rory unconsciously wetted her painfully dry lips with her tongue and tried to recall how she had let herself get in this situation. Internally, Tristan was doing everything he could to keep his cool which wasn't so easy when Rory did moves like nibbling on her soft lips and staring up at him with her blue saucer eyes. Things that she had no idea how they affected him.

Tristan waited, staring down into her eyes and not saying a word, and almost without her noticing moved his hand from her wrist to her hip. Lightly lying there, like dynamite about to go off.

After a prolonged pause, and Rory's sharp intake of breathe as she felt the heat exude from his hand to her hip, through her thin shirt, burning her skin, she cleared her throat.

"stop, you have to stop," she finished her long overdue thought.

Tristan's eyes darkened at her resistance and he gave her a look which went straight to her core and told her he didn't believe her protests for a minute.

He leaned his face in closer, so close, and Rory unconsciously angled hers so he'd have better access. Another millimeter was taken and Rory closed her eyes anticipating the kiss.

Her eyes flew open a second later feeling the withdrawal of heat and she saw Tristan had backed up a step. She hated herself for wanting that kiss and she hated him for not giving it.

There was laughter in his eyes at her internal struggle which was painfully apparent to both of them. Rory couldn't stand this type of humiliation and she rallied herself instantly.

"you have to call of whatever this thing is with the guys here."

"what do you mean," Tristan asked, obviously surprised that this was what she wanted to talk about.

"You said, that they stay away from me because of you. And I never really noticed because of Dean," and Rory looked away from Tristan's searching eyes at this point, "but Dean's gone now. And I can barely make conversation with a guy without them running every time they think they see your shadow."

Tristan frowned, the expressing marring his calm façade.

"So you want to date?" he asked as if she was saying something completely ludicrous.

Rory sighed with impatience and said, "you know. I shouldn't even have to be telling you this. Maybe I want to date but mostly it just sickens me to think you have that much control over my life. It's ridiculous."

"You want to date," He said accusatorily disregarding her comment.

Rory rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms in front of her chest, "so?"

"so date me, don't date those other chumps," Tristan said in an even voice.

"please, you'd get tired after one week." she answered, hoping to skip pass any sincerity his request mind have contained.

Tristan looked straight in the eye, "I would?"

"yeah," she said looking at him back, "and besides. It's never going to happen between us."

Tristan tried not to flinch when she flung those words at him.

He crossed the room in one swift motion and pulled her flush against his body.

Rory struggled against the feeling of complete want that invaded her body and mind when she was close to him. She attempted to pull away but his hands were too strong for her so she gave up and sank herself into him.

Tristan looked down at her, but the look in eyes was hardly tender. In fact it was so cold, Rory knew she should leave the room and this embrace right away.

His words were quiet but they cut through the silent room like a knife.

"You see this Rory? See how badly you want me? It's pathetic."

And with that he released her. She felt as if her skin had been branded where his fingers had been. She wouldn't let him see how badly she was hurt.

"You're despicable. I hate you." she said.

"Then why haven't you left yet?"

She grabbed her book bag from the floor and was halfway out the door when she heard his one word, "Rory."

She turned. Even though he clearly wasn't one for apologies, he looked sorry. He looked ashamed of himself.

He stepped closer and then stopped himself.

"We could…" he started, slowly…sincerely.

"Never," She cut him off, throwing his attempt at something new back in his face.

She could see an instant hardening in him. The word seemed to sink into his face and his eyes, imbedding itself in his skin.

"You leave now and I'm done with all of it," he said, his words just skirting at what they both knew this had always been about.

Rory shrugged as if she could care less, as if she had never thought about them together.

She forced herself to leave the room and him.

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