Happy Birthday to avid reviewer TiCkLeDpInK22!!!!

"And I was wondering if you wanted to catch a movie Friday..." I made another face in my Viper's rearview mirror. "You, me, Movie, Friday. Pick you up at seven..." Another face. "Hey Mar? Movie?How about aroundseven?...Aaaaaugha." I thumped my head on the steering wheel. There is no way on earth this is going to work.

"Hey DuGrey. Did I miss anything?" Todd hopped in and checked his hair in the mirror. "Were you talking to yourself?"

"First step to insanity." I replied cryptically. "What's up?"

"Nothin'. Summer and I are hittin' the movies Friday night. Grab a date and come."

"What movie?" I asked, pretending I was even considering the offer.

He mumbled something and played with his tie.

"What?" I asked, breaking into a smirk.

"Ok, ok. The black and whtie theater is replaying Titanic."

"Oh goody." I smirked sarcastically. "Can we go to a Celine Dion concert afterward?"

"It's not like we'll be watching the movie!" He winked.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't go into to details, I've dated her." I opened the car door and slid out. "So, what is on the adgenda today?"

"I told the puffs we'd have lunch with them."

I mentally reviewed the prissy "secret" sorority. "Which one are do you like?" I laughed.

"None."

"And we're having lunch with them why?"

"My mom wants me to marry, what's the red head's name?"

I shrugged.

"Well, my mom wants me to marry her. So I figured if I took her out to that black and white ball thingy comin' up it'll shut my mom up."

"Yeah, match made in heaven." I grabbed my bad and we walked in.

"If you call heaven a tea table and angels old busy bodies armed with Chilton yearbooks and tea cakes." He snorted. "So, where did you jet off yesterday?" He gave me a look, clearly telling me was had been watching.

"Eh, talkin'."

"I know. I was watching you."

"Yeah." I ran my fingers through my hair.

"What's with the sudden obsession with Miss Innocent. I mean, come on kid. I'm sure you could get her eventually, but I hardly think she's worth the effort."

"Who are you talking about?"Summer sidled up, checking her mascara in a handmirror.

"Rory Gilmore." Todd replied without glancing at me.

"Oh, she's crying in the bathroom stall." Summer reached up and pecked Todd on the cheek. "Paris is with her. She's all depressed over some break up, but she's really good at sucking it up in a second. She didn't even use make up. She just looked in the mirror for a couple minutes and she was fine. It was cool. I wish I could do it."

"Crying?" I looked around. "Which bathroom?"

"The one next to my locker." She shut the mirror with a neat plastic click. "Why should you care?"

I rolled my eyes and affected a smirk. "Who said I did."

Being that she's too dense for anything, she accepted the answer.

Lunch:

Rory looked over the edge of her book. Tristan had less than subtly mentioned his impending entrance. She looked back down at her strait lines of words. The letters strung together in neat rows, but they swam before her eyes.

She had held her dying break up with Dean for so long. She had a weird dream last night. She was sitting on the porch with Tristan, and he asked for her heart and she had said "I could only give it to you if you think broken things are pretty" and he had kissed her in reply.

Rory licked her bottom lip nervously and looked down at her book. It felt almost wrong to be thinking of another guy so soon after her break up...almost as wrong as thinking about him as she was with Dean.

"Good book?"

Surprised she looked up where he had snuck around the shelves to materialize behind her.

I smiled at her. I loved how easily I could surprise her.

"Yeah."

"What book?" I sat down beside her, not too close to frighten her, but not to far to make it look like I didn't want to be there.

"The Invisible Man." She briefly flashed the title.

"Hey Mar?"

"Huh?" Her eyes flickered uncertainly over my face.

"Do you, wanna, like, goseeamoviewithmeonfridaynight?" The words tumbled one over another in a meaningless string of gibberish.

Surprise registered on her face. "I. I-um. I didn't think I wanted to jump into the dating game so quickly after a break up."

"As friends."

"Oh, platonic..." She opened her mouth as if to say no, but then shut it and checked herself mentally. "Yeah, a platonic movie would be fun. What do you want to see?"

"I guess you'd want to see Spanglish or something like that." It was the only chick flick playing.

Her lips twisted in a semi-amused state.

"Or The Aviator for that Titanic guy?"

The lips twisted farther to almost a grin. "How about National Treasure?"

"That would be great." I almost sighed with relief. I love Cage, and I had wanted to see the movie. But...she was going with me!! We could be seeing Phantom of the Opera for all I cared!

"So, can I pick you up at seven?" I asked.

"How about five?" She agreed.

I nodded. "Cool."

I felt like a million bucks as I headed out the door...I had to go look up platonic.

"So, are we on for Friday night?" Todd adjusted the strap on his backpack. "Grab a chick and we'll get to enjoy Titanic."

"I'm going to see National Treasure."

"What chick did you find that was willing to go see that?" He yelped.

"Mary."

"West? I guess she kinda looks like an adventure chick."

"No, Gilmore."

Silence punctuated my announcement. "Rory Gilmore?"

"The one, and only."

He blinked twice. "You're going on a date with Rory Gilmore?"

"It's platonic."

"...is that French?"

"It means we're going as friends." I said proudly, I'd looked it up during fifth period.

"Why the heck would you waste a Friday night doing that?"

I shot him a look.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Do you wanna go to Louise's party tomorrow night?" He snickered. "You can bring Rory 'platonically'." He made quotes with his fingers.

"I'll be there." We walked into the parking lot and I waved a little. "Catch ya later."

"Don't you want to know what time it starts?"

"It starts." I smirked. "When I get there."

Military school

King walked into his barracks and sent a hard kick into his mattress, nearly lifting the small cot into the air. He had been laughed out of the mess hall when he had tried to get into a fight with Carlos. He's smashed Carlos' face in, that was the plus. The minus had been when Vixen dumped a whole tub of potatoe salad down his shirt and Lance, after helping Carloswith his still bleeding nose, threw him out of the room.

He kicked the cot again and a white envelope fluttered out of the folds of his neatly folded clothes. He reached down and picked it up.

It smelled of coffee.

Friday Night, Stars Hollow:

Rory had never stood in front of the mirror this long. Hadn't she said "platonic" fifty million times so Tristan didn't get any ideas? But now she wondered if she'd said it to assure Tristan...or herself.

Her wardrobe was all Lorelai's. Suddenly everything in her closet wasn't good enough.

Lorelai finished the braid down Rory's back and nodded confidently. "This is the prettiest platonic date-ess I've ever seen."

"I assure you this is perfectly platonic." Rory lied calmly.

Lorelai snorted. "B.S."

"What?"

"Brittney Spears." Lorelai lied with equal ease, and equally unconvincing humor. "Ok, here." She handed Rory a breath mint.

"Is my breath bad?" Rory asked, popping it in.

"No, but who knows?" Lorelai winked at her through the mirror.

"Mom!"

I checked my reflection one more time in the car mirror as I cruised into Stars Hollow. It was five, so light was still out. Some glances were thrown the way of my Viper. I passed the grocerand for half a second considered goingin. Last time I'd been there I'd nearly tangled with bag boy.

I'm not gonnagloat.

Ididn't have to go in.Dean himself was putting up a "Two Dozen eggs for $1.99"sign in the window and as I stopped at the light at the intersection our eyes locked.

His narrowed.

I looked ahead as the light turned green and Ichecked the side view mirror to see him looking after the car, his gaze throwing daggars at me.

I found Rory's house easily and parked in front of it.

I walked up to the door, cleared my throat a few times, and rang the doorbell.

The door opened and she stood there in all her beauty.

Platonic...yeah right

I hope you guys liked the chapter! I don't have NEARLY all the great people who reviewed but I'd to thank Peanutbutterluver1399, smile1, Season4.5, TiCkLeDpInK22, sooty7sweep, murpheysbaby, OTHlover04, and DemonSlayer5! You don't fully realize how much postitive reviews mean to a gal writing till you start writing yourself! Thank you guys so much, and even the people who I didn't have time to mention! Thank you everyone!!!! And I hope you guys kinda like what is going on.

--Pen