I grinned as I drove home. Rory's face when she looked down and saw the title of the book had been perfectly priceless. I had walked away, not the spoil the effect and grinned, spying on her through the shelves.

My let my Viper glide seamlessly down the highway. After school I had checked the book out. I had plans to pretend to read it when I walked by her tomorrow morning. And I'd be sure to make sure she saw the title. It would make her blush bright red. I smirked to myself with my plans. It wasn't exactly a jerk-y thing to do, is it?

My phone vibrated and I hit to speaker. "Ello."

"Yes folks, it's the wonderful world of Tristan DuGrey, who busted out of military school at the ripe age of one month." Drew's distinct voice rang over the speaker, affected with a news caster tilt.

"Hey dude, what's kickin?" I asked, a grin immediately on my face.

"I'll tell you what's kickin. Mr. Pimp Daddy King of the World has no respect whatsoever." Chris called. "All three of us are squished in this phone booth you know."

"For little me? Awww!"

I could hear them scuffling over the phone. "Dude, you hafta know what happened when you left!" Lance said.

"What?"

"He was marching past the crowd and the girls emptied their purses and threw everything inside at him. They all got demerit for disorderly conduct but all I have to say was, his face was redder than the punch when le feminine products got launched at him."

"Yeah, Vixen has a nice arm in reality." Chris agreed, the smirk apparent.

"Interesting. So, what's the news out there besides King?"

"Not much really." Chris sighed.

"The girls are a lot more friendly though. They were really bummed you'd busted out. Too bad to, you coulda thrown your castoffs our way." Lance laughed.

"Darn, our three minutes are up. And you're not worth another 35 cents." Chris said. "Lates Ken-doll."

"Later men." I hung up.

I pulled into the gated community Hartford seems to be. White picket fences aren't fashionable here. It's a dog eat dog world. The gardeners are even snobby.

I pulled the car in, letting the Valet take it to the parking garage and winked and tipped the door boy.

It's shocking we have a door boy for a three person family like mine. We only have him work on days my dad has business meetings, so I assumed a few millionaires were upstairs in his office planning billion dollar ideas.

I also find it shocking it's proper to tip a kid for letting me into my own house.

Rory got off her bus to see Dean standing at the bus stop. His eyes glanced sheepishly up at her.

"Dean. What a surprise. Hi." It came out stiffer than she'd intended.

"Yeah. Surprise. Look, we're having a dance at my school. I figured you'd want to come with me." His tone was expectant, slightly bored. It was the tone of going through the motions...the motions of a girlfriend and boyfriend relationship.

"When is it?"

He told her the date as he took her backpack from her.

"Oh, Dean...that's the same night as the "Famous Couples in History" dance at school. I was going to ask you to come to that with me."

" But Lane is at Stars Hollow. Wouldn't you rather be there than stuffy Chilton?"

"Well, Paris is gonna be there. We're kind of friends now. And, well, they are mostly expecting me. It would look like I chickened out or something. Everyone knows that you don't really do dances, they wouldn't really expect you." Rory's words tumbled one over another.

"Last time I went to a Chilton dance I nearly got in a tuffle with that Ken doll." Dean scowled.

Rory cringed. "Tristan won't be awful. I promise. And tuffle isn't even a word!"

"How can you promise that if you're staying ten feet away from him?"

"Who said I was gonna stay ten feet away from him?" Rory asked, surprised.

"Me! He so obviously has the hots for you."

"Tristan DuGrey is the most unattainable guy at Chilton. He torments me for pure enjoyment and he isn't going to bug me!" It was a blatant lie. She knew he liked her.

"I want to go to the Stars Hollow dance." Dean said simply. He returned her backpack. "I have some homework, I'll catch you later."

Rory watched his receding figure melt in with the other walkers on the street. She shook her hair out of her eyes and her hand glanced the pocket where the "Be A Smartie" note was. Gosh Tristan, all you ever cause is trouble.

She went to Lane's.

"Tristan? The uber-hot one with tousled hair and a swooning smile? That Tristan? Wow! That is incredibly sweet!" Lane looked over the note again and smiled. "I'm melting!"

"Better put you in a fridge then." Rory leaned against an antique desk. " Listen Lane, I have a boyfriend! I have Dean. This flirtage from Tristan is unwanted and I must stop it."

"You like him don't you?"

"No!"

"Does your heart get all fluttery when he walks up to you?"

"No...it goes ker-plunk. And I get incredibly tongue twisted and sort of...die."

"How can you not like this? He's so romantic! What was your first kiss like Ror?"

"It was in the grocery store, in the aisles. And I said Thank you." Rory blushed.

"How romantic is that compared to this? He leaves you roses Rory. ROSES."

"And you are living vicariously through me?"

"Exactly."

I leaned against the locker next to Rory's with his book. It was terrible of me, but I knew she'd blush. But there was something in the flicker of the way she avoiding eye contact that made me think that she actually liked it.

Rory walked in, head buried in the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" not noticing me.

"Mornin' Mary." I said as smoothly as possible.

Her head jerked out and she mumbled something as she dug into her locker.

"Good book?" I asked.

"It's fine."

"I was thinking when I finished mine I'd read that then." I hovered the book next to her. "You said you read it? Did you like it Mary?"

Her cheeks flushed scarlet. Her lips tugged into something resembling an amused smile and horrified scream.

"I. I. I, I didn't, I mean, I wasn't, I don't, I'm a...." She narrowed her eyes. "You're terrible."

I dropped the gift into her bag and walked away.

"I don't want that!" She pointed to the brightly wrapped package. "Take it back!"

"Take what back?" I asked.

"That!" She pointed to her backpack.

"You want me to take it? It's not mine!"

"Take it Tristan. I have a boyfriend!"

I reached down and took up her entire backpack. "Boyfriend. Right."

"Not the whole thing!"

"Listen Mar. You said take it, you said leave it. I'm so confused. So how about this." I handed it all to her. "I'll leave you in peace."

Her eyes were searching my face. Her X-ray vision eyes were testing me. I raised my eyebrows in practiced wide-eyed innocence.

"Are you going to the dance?" I asked her.

"No, I have a previous engagement. I'm going to the Stars Hollow dance." She looked down, then back up at me.

I walked back down the hall, looking for Todd and my group to easily melt into. The shallow and superficial conversation and gossip was easier than the eyes of Mary.

As I slid onto the bench, the other's making room for me, my mind wasn't on the girls or even Todd's stories.

I had a date to find.

And I don't mean to go to the Chilton dance.

I was crashin' Stars Hollow.