The next day Tristan waited in the morning at his car, his usual meeting place with Rory. It was yet another first period study hall, and he sat patiently in his silver beamer.

When Rory got off of her bus, however, she proceeded straight towards the school. He saw her sneak a glance at him, and quickly look away. What he waw in that fleeting gaze puzzled him enormously. He saw anger, and affection, and...fear?" he sighed in consternation and drove off alone.

Throughout the day he looked for her, careful to appear as though he wasn't Somehow, though, she eluded his every move. She wasn't at her locker, she wasn't at her table at lunch. Fourth period, however, she could not avoid. They shared a class, and he wasn't going to let this chance to talk to her slip through his fingers.

When he reached the classroom, she was seated in the back row, and the seats around her were all occupied.

No problem.

He walked slowly to the desk next to her, and knocked on the wooden surface. The girl sitting in it looked up hopefully.

"Do a guy a favor?" he asked, laying on the charm. The desk was freed in an instant. A small part of him grinned, he couldn't remember the last time he'd used his powers. Rory was affecting him in more ways than his taste in coffee.

"Mare," he half whispered, ignoring the drone of his history professor. She looked over balefully.

"What's wrong?" he asked, getting right to the point.

"Nothing--it's none of your business." she lied, but he only smiled.

"Of course it's my business, I caused it." he enjoyed her reaction: widened eyes, and lips formed in a small 'o' of surprise.

"How do you know?" she retorted.

"Because I know you Mary, and I know I make you tick." she paused, searching for something to say.

She settled on, "My name is Rory." The conversation was going nowhere fast, so he tried again.

"Mary, you know I'll find out eventually. It's in my nature."

Nothing.

"Wouldn't you rather I heard it from you?"

"Why do you even care, Tristan? Why do you care about anything I say?"

"Because I love you Mary, and I have ever since I first lay eyes on you." he has blurted it out before he could stop it, and he snapped his mouth shut in horror of his own candor.

Rory's eyes boggled and she focused them safely on her notebook. She struggled to control her raging emotions, but the different perspectives screaming in her head were too loud to drown out.

She grabbed her bag and fled the room just as the class ended behind her.

"Come on, please come on! Open!" she begged of her locker. She had to escape to the safety of her bus before Tristan reached her. She banged on the locker door in frenzied frustration.

"I hate you!" she yelled at the metal. "I hate you and I hate you and I hate you!" she turned to leave without her things, and was blocked by Tristan's solid figure.

She turned to walk around him, but he blocked her way by putting his hands on the lockers behind her. Trapped within the enclave of his arms, she finally gave in, falling back against the hard metal with a thud.

"He was right." she allowed softly.

"Who?"

"Dean." Tristan frowned.

"Bag boy? About what?"

"He knew it. He knew it and that's why things went wrong."

"Mary..."

"We're doing everything he said we would. If we do this..." she glanced up and Tristan's blue eyes. "He will have been right."

"Mary, I--"

"Do you realize what this means?" her panicked eyes filling with tears. "It means I broke up with his because of you. Oh my God." her voice dropped to a whisper. It was clear she wasn't even speaking to Tristan anymore. "I can't believe myself. I'm horrible." at this he grasped her shoulders gently.

"You are absolutely nothing of the sort." he said firmly, "Don't blame yourself for that, it was equally as much his fault, if not more."

"Tristan..." her eyes were pleading, but he couldn't help feeling a little hurt.

"You're turning me down to prove him wrong." It wasn't really a question. He let his hands drop, and contented himself with simply looking at her.

Though he didn't understand them all, he could see the emotions battling it out on her face. Her eyes were more expressive than she thought.

Finally she went up on her toes and lifted her tear stained face, and kissed him softly. It was over almost before it began. Tristan froze in surprise, and Rory left before he could respond.

When the halls cleared she was gone.