A/N: Where does the time go? Oh well. Better late than never, right? No? Okay… here's the next chapter. Hope it's up to scratch ;)
"How to Lose a Socialite in 10 Days"
III – "Get a hold of yourself, Gilmore!"
This was entirely not what she wanted. Not in the least. Why do things have a way of working out the way they always seem to? She had a plan! She had things! She had-
"Nothing," she murmured aloud, convincing herself.
Perhaps it was the way things were meant to be, she pondered.
"Get a hold of yourself, Gilmore!" she spluttered, "this has nothing to do with fate… or supposed to's or should be's".
She knew what she had to do.
Rory sat up from lying on her bed and fumbled through a small mess on her dresser. Slightly irritated by her lack of cleanliness, she rummaged some more until she recognized the small, plastic silver object she was hunting – her cell-phone.
She dialed a familiar sequence of numbers that flashed and pinged as her fingers danced around the small keypad.
A ringing could be heard as she raised the tool to her ear.
Normally she would have used the land-line in the common room, but she didn't want to be sprung by Paris or anyone else for that matter, talking about such sensitive issues.
The phone clicked.
"MOM!" Rory half-shouted, "I need help!"
"Whoa kid!" came the bemused voice of her mother, Lorelai, "slow the heck down – what's the problem? Are you having Gilligan's nightmares again? I told you, they did get of that island… somehow".
"No it's got nothing to do with Gilligan or the Skipper or… MOM!" Rory shouted again, "you're throwing me off!"
"Sorry, sorry," Lorelai giggled, "seriously now, what's up?"
"Well I-"
"Wait," Lorelai interrupted, "do you wanna do this in funny voices? You can be Mary Ann and I'll be Ginger!"
Rory was thoroughly not-amused, "as much as I'd love to be Mary Ann, I need your advice more".
"Alright," Lorelai soothed, "this time for reals… no messing about".
"Good," Rory replied, drawing a breath, "now- see," she paused, "I…I… and- well…"
"And how long have you been having zeez zorts frauline?" Lorelai taunted in an intentionally bad German accent.
"Paris is going to go out with a guy that I need to go out with otherwise I'll lose my job at the paper and my whole career will go down the toilet and the guy is hot," Rory shot so quickly it even surprised herself.
Lorelai paused, entirely confused by her daughter's explanation, "wait… Paris is going out with the paper and you're going to lose a guy's job?"
"And the dish ran away with the spoon," Rory joked, "no- Paris is going to go out with a guy-"
"Has he got insurance?" Lorelai interrupted sarcastically.
"He probably has a lot," Rory replied truthfully.
Lorelai giggled, "he's going to need every cent if he intends to get anywhere with Paris".
"But- see- see that's the problem," Rory rejoined, "I don't want her to go out with him because I've- well now that it's out in the open it sounds childish".
"Oh come on Rory," Lorelai pushed, "who am I going to tell your secrets to?"
"It's not that- it's just that I have to go out with this guy and-"
"Hold on- did you just say you were going to lose your job at the paper?" Lorelai spluttered.
"No-" Rory replied.
"Oh," Lorelai interjected and sighed in relief, "well that's great".
"-but I was about to," Rory continued.
"I see," Lorelai answered, confused and concerned, "who do I have to speak to; to make sure that doesn't happen".
"Mo-om!" Rory whined, "this isn't school… this is University- I can handle myself, I just need your advice".
Lorelai calmed herself, "ok- alright, what do you want to know?"
"I just need a way to convince Paris that I need to take her place on the date she's going on with this guy," Rory explained quickly.
There was a long pause before Lorelai spoke, "kid," she sighed, "I can't tell you what you should do here… you're in a pickle, I can see- well, hear, but you can't go around interfering with other's lives simply because it would suit you to do so".
Rory knew that would be her mother's answer, but she wanted to absolutely convince herself that there was nothing she could do.
"But," Lorelai continued, "and this is a big but-"
Rory felt a glimmer of hope.
"Sometimes you have to make your own opportunities, if you get what I mean," Lorelai drifted.
Perhaps it was the uncanny connection she had with her mother, but at that moment, Rory concocted a plan that wasn't going to be entirely morally sound – it was devious – but the good kind of devious.
"You know what to do," Lorelai continued, "but I'm off, I've got a dinner with a certain Diner man. Love you, Mary Ann".
"Love you too, Ginger," Rory replied, waiting for the click of her mother's phone before snapping her own shut.
She jumped up and off the bed, sneaking quickly into the common room where a very flustered and domineering Paris was scuttling about.
"Have you seen them, Gilmore?" Paris snapped, tossing pillows from their rightful positions on the couch, "don't make me hurt you".
"Calm down Paris!" Rory eased, "what are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for those dangly green earrings- you know… the ones with the things," Paris replied, mimicking the object of her search with her hands.
"I know the ones," Rory answered chirpily.
"You do?" Paris questioned gleefully, turning around and grabbing Rory, "where are they?"
"Oh I don't where they are," she replied, "I just know of them".
"Gilmore," Paris began, gritting her teeth, "I am a woman on the edge- a woman prepared to commit acts that will surely wind me up in gaol for a very long time".
"Ok, ok!" Rory calmed, "I'll help you look for them".
Paris returned to attention to destroying the common room in hopes of finding her treasured earrings.
Rory walked over to a small jewellery box, sitting comfortably and inconspicuously next to the television, in plain view. She lifted the lid and nodded to herself, spying the pair of green earrings.
"Paris," she began, "I just got off the phone with someone very interesting indeed".
Paris glared at Rory, "less chat more finding, comprende, amiga?"
"No, no," Rory urged, withdrawing the earrings from the jewellery box, "this is a very special someone who is interested in you".
Paris turned her attention to Rory, "you've got sixty seconds and counting".
"Well- I- he just said that he's been very fond of you for some time now and- and he wanted me to pass you a message," Rory explained, hiding the earrings behind her back.
"Forty-five, forty-four".
"And…" Rory continued, "he wants to meet up with you tonight- he's got everything booked and he wants you to join him and if you don't he doesn't want me to reveal to you, ever, who he is".
Paris stood and appeared to considering Rory's mystery-man's proposition. She wasn't exactly going to win any awards for being a supermodel, mostly because of her height but tonight, she was very well-dressed. She was in fact, a very attractive young woman but it seemed to Rory, that her affliction lay in her people problems.
"So basically I can go out with Logan, a safe bet – but a guy I don't even know or for that matter, particularly trust," Paris spoke, voicing her thoughts, "or I can go out with a mystery-man, too spineless to ask me himself…"
Rory did not feel particularly confident.
"Well I guess this one's a no-brainer," Paris sighed, "I'll be joining the spineless one; at least I know I have some sort of 'upper hand', besides, I don't really care for millionaire playboys" she explained and returned to her search for the earrings, "you'll have to go out with Logan for me, in my place- you're more of a stiff, which I'm sure is his type".
Rory was more stunned than she was prepared for, "are you serious- I mean, are you crazy?"
"Get a hold of yourself, Gilmore!" Paris scolded, "I've noticed the way you two react to one another".
"And how, exactly, do I react to his shenanigans? 'Cause he's just a childish, millionaire playboy. I have no feelings otherwise," Rory lied.
"Good," Paris rebuked, "then you won't mind going in my place".
Rory did not know whether her plan had worked too well or whether she had just failed dismally but she snapped to when she realized she still had work to do, "I'll be right back".
She ran back into her room, closed the door and grabbed her cell-phone, quickly dialing the number of Paris' mystery-man.
"Hello?" came a tired voice.
"Listen, I know this is going to sound totally craz-"
"Gilmore?" the voice questioned, confusedly.
"Yes Doyle, it's me," Rory replied quickly, "now I've got something to tell you and it's going to sou-"
"Gilmore, I'm a busy man- a busy and tired man. Do you know what that means?" he asked with malice.
"No…" Rory replied timidly.
"It means you get fired if you tick me off," Doyle answered.
Rory could hear the smirk in his voice, "just hear me out," she pleaded.
"You've got sixty seconds and counting," Doyle agreed.
Rory screwed up her face in disbelief, but shook it off and continued, "alright, brace yourself!"
"Fifty-five, fifty-four".
"Alright!" she squealed, "I know someone who's got a major thing for you!"
"Major thing?" Doyle asked, almost interested in what she had to say.
"Yes, you know what I mean," she toyed, "listen- I can set you up on a date with her tonight, if you act quickly".
"Tonight?" Doyle jumped, "no way- not tonight, I'm no where- I'm not ready for that kind of thing- you can't just spring this on a guy!"
"She won't wait. She told me that if you back down, she will never speak of this again and you'll never know who she is because she swore me to secrecy".
The phone was deadly quiet.
"All you have to do is book reservations at Madame's in Hartford, pick her up from my room and you're off!" Rory continued, trying to convince him.
"And you can't convince her otherwise?" Doyle negotiated.
"She's totally resolved," Rory lied, hearing a slight clatter in the common room.
"What was that?" Doyle asked quickly.
"Nothing! Nothing!" Rory continued, "so what do you say?"
"I say- I say…" Doyle drifted.
"Come on Doyle, you're only getting one shot at this!" Rory pushed.
"Get a hold of yourself, Gilmore!" Doyle shouted. Rory paused. Why did that keep coming up!
"I am calm Doyle, I just need your answer now!"
"Ok!" Doyle caved, shouting in the phone, "I'll be there in one hour…"
"Oh that's gr-"
The phone clicked silent.
"-great," Rory finished, tossing the phone onto her bed.
She ran out into the common room flashing the earrings, "I found them!"
Paris lunged at Rory and snatched the earrings, "good job… where were they?"
Rory searched her brain for a lie, "I found them- on the thing…" her voice trailed.
"The what?" Paris snapped, "oh forget it, I don't have time for trivialities!"
"He'll be here in one hour," Rory added, "he's coming to pick you up from here".
"Good," Paris answered, "you're have to meet Logan at Madame's in fifteen minutes! So get goin' sister!"
"Oh!" Rory jumped, running back to her room before pausing, slightly stunned, "where did you say?"
"Madame's, Gilmore!" Paris shouted, "in Hartford…"
Rory swallowed. Why do things have a way of working out the way they always seem to?
A/N: Oh noes! Cliff-hanger-esque… no? Ok… just drop me a line and let me know what you think of this one. Cheers all :D