My notepad was down to its last page. I wrote in my neatest handwriting and then slipped it in the envelope. I sealed it and added it to the pile of other envelopes.

Today is going to be perfect!

It was two o'clock. I had three hours to finish, clean up, and drive to Stars Hollow. Improbably, but not impossible. Especially now that I had convinced dad to lend me the Rolls for the day, chauffer-less.

I checked my reflection in the mirror before heading into the bathroom to wash up.

Rory's hands quivered uncertainly as she buried her face in them. Tristan DuGrey has no obligation to me, I shouldn't even begin to feel betrayed. But she did.
I pulled the car around and took a deep breath. I snagged a large cup of coffee from Luke's to appease the mother. I hopped out of the car took a deep breath and took another coffee cup through the open window.

A handwritten and addressed envelope was wrapped neatly around the cup and held there with a rubber band.

"Hey." I said to myself. "HeyHey." I practiced it a few times before walking to the door. I knocked confidently, aheck of alot more confident than I felt myself.

The door opened and Lorelai stood there.

"Hi Lorelai." I grinned and held out the cup of coffee.

She studied me coldly for a moment, then reached out for the cup. Her hand ducked underneath instead of toward and roughly shoved the cup upward, the top popping and the burning liquid lapped my white slacks. I jumped back, dropping her cup in surprise.

"What the-"

She slammed the door.

"Lorelai? Mary?" I knocked on the door again. "What's wrong? What did I do?"

The second story window creaked as it was slid open. Quickly I backed into the grass of the yard. "Mary What's wrong? You're mom is going nuts."

"You." She leaned out of the window, her dark brown hair masking her ears and shoulders. "You, are a player. You've always been a player, and I shouldn't have expected anything more than the player that you are."

"Mary, what the heck? What did I do?"

"You should know what you did!" Her voice quivered. "But I don't care. You have no obligation to me. And I sure as hell have no obligation to you."

She threw a cup down and I backed quickly expecting icy cold water. But it wasn't. It was an old coffee cup I had sent, and the contents, dried rose petals, drifted slowly down in the wind.

"Good day Mr. DuGrey." She started to close the window.

"Mary! I didn't do anything!"

"You, are a dirty. Rotten. Liar." She threw an envelope down and closed the window with a defiant bang.

I set the coffee cup down on the bench and looked over where Lorelai was watching me through the kitchen window. I pointed to the evelope attatched to it uncertainly and picked up the envelope that Mar had thrown down.

Wait. This letter wasn't addressed to me. It was addressed to Rory Gilmore.

I opened the flap and pulled out documents.

Inside were copies of demerit certificates. They were the kinds they sent home to your parents if you did something bad while at Redding Military Academy. But I hadn't gotten a single one in my stay there...

At the top of everyone it said "Tristan DuGrey".

I checked the citations.

"Tristan DuGrey, disorderly conduct with Merrel female student in bunk house. Tristan DuGrey disorderly conduct with Redding student, female, on dance floor. Tristand DuGrey disorderly..." I flipped through ten or fifteen certificates each stating I'd been caught somewhere with a girl in compromising positions and demerited.

A post it note was attached.

"To Whom It May Concern. I'm sorry, the DuGrey address was unincluded in the homeward file as Mr. DuGrey took it all home with him when he was kicked out of Redding Military. One of the letters that he recieved was from Miss Rory Gilmore and I would appreciate these certificates given to the brat. Knowing his conduct at the school he'll probably frame it. ---Coperol Frank King."

I went to the stamp of the letter and peeled it off carefully. It was a trick thatthe guys all used around camp to send "notes"to Merrel girls without being snapped at for disorderly conduct.

In tiny letters of cramped handwriting, under where the stamp had been,was written "Wiggle your way out of this one, Sucker."

I crumped the forged demerits in my hand and shook my head.

Sorry this took me so long, I've been very very busy. I'll try to update faster as I can. This chapter was very short I know, but it's a lead up chapter