CHAPTER 3: Finding out Mary

DuGrey House

Grace jiggled the key into the front door of her giant house and opened it just in time to pick up the phone on its third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Gracie, it's Tristan."

"Oh hey. What's goin on?"

"Nothing."

"You in trouble again? because I don't think dad will let you come home if he finds out you put frogs in the bunks or something like that."

"That was only once..." Tristan laughed... Grace had missed his laugh. Although Tristan didn't get along too well with his parents, he and Grace were very close.

"Nah, I'm just kidding, I just called to catch up, we're done early today and I had nothing to do."

"Ohh..that's cool."

"So how's school going?"

"It's good, a spot opened up on the paper, so I'm doing that. Now I understand why you would come home so pissed after spending a day with Paris. She sends me looks of death. But Rory tells me not to give in, or else she'll just walk all over me." Tristan's heart stopped.

"R-R-Rory, did you say?" He managed to get out.

"Yeah...oh yeah I forgot she's a senior, do you know her?"

"Yeah, she was in some of my classes. She's pretty cool though." He tried hard not to let on that his voice was quivering.

"Yeah, we've been getting pretty close..."

"That's good."

"It was funny, I was hassling her today cause I think she is like in love with some guy and he doesn't know, and like you'll mention the stupidest thing and she'll get this far-away look in her eyes."

"Oh yeah?" Tristan said

"Yeah, today I caught her in the library staring at a Romeo and Juliet book, but she wouldn't tell me the story behind it."

"Really?"

"yep. I only noticed it because I was carrying a bunch of books and I kind of tripped and fell on my face," Grace laughed as she told him the story, "and then she came over and saw it was me and helped me out. Then I noticed that she was clutching a Romeo and Juliet book pretty tight." Tristan laughed as he imagined Rory holding onto the book for dear life. His sister sure had a knack for telling stories.

"Why did she have it?"

"See that's the thing, I don't know...she wouldn't tell me."

Tristan laughed. "That's funny because right before I left I had to do a Romeo and Juliet play with Mary," as he babbled as wondered what her real reason was for carrying the book, hoping that maybe, just maybe she was carrying it because of him.

"WAIT! STOP!" Grace's demanding scream tore him from his thoughts. "Did you just say Mary?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Mary as in the girl who turned you down at the dance?"

"Grace, come on..."

"Mary is Rory?"

"Yeah...you're the one who claims to be her friend...and you just so happen to be my sister..the topic of Mary never came up?"

"No, -"

Tristan cut her off, "I thought she would be bashing me a least a little bit, I mean, you are my sister, she could use this as pure black mail if she wanted to.."

"TRISTAN!" Grace yelled into the mouth of the phone, but it didn't seem to help, he just kept talking about her.

"TRISTAN!

"What?"

"Do you still like this girl?"

"n-n-no...I haven't seen her for two years. And why would you say that?" Tristan's cheeks reddened at he lied to his sister, it was a good thing she couldn't see his face right now, because if she did, she would know flat out that he was lying.

"Well how about the fact that I have been screaming your name into the phone for the past five minutes and you didn't hear me because you were to busy talking about her.

"Grace."

"Ok...well anyway...was the Mary thing like a secret between you two or something?"

"No, everyone knew I called her Mary. Infact she used to yell at me daily to stop, but of course, me being the ass I was, didn't stop. I mean, who know's what woud've happened if I stopped, we could've been-"

"TRISTAN LET'S GO"

"What? could've been what?"

"Nevermind."

"No Tristan, what were you saying?...about Rory?"

"Nothing, just forget it. I have to go.. I'll talk to you later Grace."

"Bye Tris." After she hung up the phone all Grace could think about was at the paper meeting Rory made no effort to tell her that she was Mary. Is she trying to keep it some sort of secret from me? "I'll just have to do some little match-making of my own," she thought to herself with a grin on her face.

Military School - (Tristan)

"Did I hear Mary's name somewhere in that conversation?" Dave, one of Tristin's military school buddies, asked.

"Nah, that was just my sister." Tristan answered.

"Dude, when are you gonna quit denying it and just tell someone that you are obsessed with this Rory Gilmore."

"I'm not obsessed."

"Obsessed, love, pining, call it whatever you want... whatever it is, you got it bad." Tristin stayed quiet.

"Okay, whatever." Dave started to smile, "it's probably for the best...to keep quiet about it, I mean for all I know she is some old, saggy granny. I mean I've never even seen a picture of this girl...who says she's even real."

Tristan punched Dave in the shoulder, "No I'm not kidding, I better warn my grandma before she comes to pick me up next week...who know's what you'll try and pull on her."

Tristan laughed, playing along, "I wasn't looking at your grandma..." he smiled, "I was too busy checkin out your mom." As Dave tried to come up with a clever comeback, Tristan's mind drifted back to Rory. Would he ever even see her again?

CHILTON

The next day at school Rory approached Grace. "So I heard that Todd Hensley asked you to prom."

"Yeah!" Grace answered with a squeal and a smile.

"A senior, impressive."

"Do you have a date yet?"

"No...I'm just trying to avoid Brad at all costs," Rory said as she started to laugh.

"But are you still going to go?" Grace asked with a knowing smile. She was getting a brilliant idea.

"I don't know...it might be kind of boring with out a date."

"Oh Rory! You have to go, it's your senior prom. Even if you go without a date, or even with Brad, you must! okay?"

"I guess...why is it so important to you if I go?"

"Because you're one of my best friends, and I want you to have a good time." Grace spoke, "plus Paris will eat me alive if I don't have my other half with me!"

"Okayy...but I don't have a dress."

"Can't your mom make a totally hip dress?" she said, with a grin. "Tristan even told me the last dress his Mary wore was totally hot! So I"m sure she can whip up something just as good, if not better."

"Wait, how-"

"Whoops, I'm late, see you later!" And before Rory could finish her question, Grace was gone, once again. She had a thing with disappearing right when Rory was going to ask her something important. "How did she know about Mary?"