CHAPTER 5 - Six Digits Closer

MILITARY SCHOOL - TRISTAN

"Tris? You feelin' alright? You didn't eat anything at dinner?" Dave asked Tristan that night. Ever since he got off the phone with Grace, Tristan had been acting pretty weird, Dave thought.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Grace is just playin' with my head."

"What's she doing?" Dave asked, suddenly interested.

"Well she told me she had another call today, while we were on the phone, and instead of pressing the flash button, she pressed three-way. And, it turns out... Rory was on the phone with her."

"Ahh, shit. What happened?"

"They were talking about some sleepover...I think Rory is sleepin' over on Thursday night, and then she told some story about me and Rory asked how I was doing. She sounded like she actually cared though."

"So, does this mean you're gonna call her?"

"I don't know. What if I call her and she really didn't mean anything she said, she was just bein' polite."

"Well then she was just being polite. Dude just call her...then you'll know for sure."

"I don't know Dave."

"TRISTAN," Dave was starting to get impatient, "all I have heard about since day one, is this girl. Rory this, and Rory that. She's all you talk about, man. Face it, you got it bad."

"But-"

"What aren't you understanding? You have an opportunity here that guys only dream about; the girl you're crushin on is best friends with your sister. You're sister, man. This is your second chance...now quit bein such a wuss and call her." As Dave left the room, he turned and gave Tristan an encouraging look. Once Dave was in the hall, he went over the conversation in his head, "the girl you're crushin' on is best friends with your sister." Suddenly he realized how similar his and Tristan's situations were. Here he was dullin' out advice, while he was madly in love with his best friend's sister, and his best friend had no idea. Who would've thought?

When Dave left the room, Tristan picked up the phone. He dialed six of the seven digits and hesitated as he moved his finger to the three button. Quickly he hit the off button. He couldn't do it. This had been building for too long inside of him to blow it on one stupid phone call. He had to think and know what he was going to say before he called. Tristan hung up the phone and walked over to his bed. As he lay down, he thought about Rory and what she was doing that exact moment.

GILMORE HOUSE

Rory and Lorelei were eating Luke's take-out when the phone rang. Lorelei got up to answer it.

"Hello? Yeah, sure, hold on."

"Rory, it's for you." she said as she handed the phone to Rory.

"Hello?" Rory said into the phone.

"Rory?" It was a boy's voice.

"Who is this?" Could it be? she thought, was it Tri-

"It's... Jake." The voice cut through her heart like a knife. What was she thinking, of course it wasn't Tristan. He had probably long forgotten her, she had to move on.

"Oh, hey." she replied, sounding disappointed.

"Listen, I called because I have to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

"Okay, well... I was wondering whether you had a date to prom yet."

"No, I don't." Rory knew where this was going.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go with me."

"Sure, Jake. That'd be fun."

"Okay, well I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye." As Rory hung up she felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. 'At least I have a date now,' she thought to herself. Rory knew that Jake had not asked Rory to prom because he was madly in love with her. No, ohhh noo. She and Jake were just friends. They had met sophomore year and become close friends. Rory knew that Jake had asked her simply because he had no date, and she was his friend. Infact, she even knew that he asked her because he was just too chicken to ask Louise. She was the one he had been in love with ever since kindergarten. But Louise, being as oblivious as she is, has absolutely no idea. "What a shame." Rory thought to herself.

"Who was that?" Lorelei asked.

"Jake."

"Oh, what'd he want?"

"He asked me to prom."

"RORY! You should be excited! Why aren't you excited?"

"Because it's not him" she mumbled, more to herself than to Lorelei

"What?" Lorelei said, even though she heard what Rory said, knowing exactly who she was talking about.

"No, I am excited. I'm just tired. I think I'm going to go to bed."

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning."

As Rory walked to her room, Lorelei thought about her daughter. She knew Rory was talking about Tristan when she referred to "him". She felt bad for Rory, "if she would just tell someone, she would feel so much better. Hell, if she told Grace, she would have him home and as her boyfriend in less than three seconds." Lorelei thought to herself.

CHILTON

Rory woke up in a much better mood that morning. So much better, that she was actually getting excited for prom. She couldn't wait to tell Grace, given the fact that Grace was the one making her go.

"Grace!" she shouted, when she saw her at her locker.

"Hey, what's up?" Grace replied.

"Well, it just so happens that A LOT is up!" Rory exclaimed.

"Are you going to tell me what that is? or make me guess?" Grace replied, reaching for her history book out of her locker.

"Ok, well guess who called me last night?"

"OH MY GOD! He called you? I knew he would. I knew it! I KNEW IT! All he needed was to hear you say that you felt the same way and-" Grace stopped immediately when she saw the confused expression on Rory's face.

"What are you talking about?" Rory asked, very confused.

"Me? Well...I...um... I meant that..umm..." As Grace fumbled through her brain for any possible excuse, Paris came up. 'I never thought I'd say this but THANK GOD FOR PARIS, Grace said to herself.

"Rory can you move? You're in the way of my locker." Paris said, with that famous scowl on her face.

"Sure," Rory said, still looking at Grace, expressionless. Rory tried to work through what Grace had just said. 'Was she talking about-? No, she couldn't.'

Grace tried to play it off as if nothing ever happened. "So who called you last night?" she practically whispered.

"Jake."

"Oh yeah? What did he say?"

"He asked me to prom." As Rory told her about the phone call, she seemed drained. She wasn't as excited as she was before. All she could think about was Grace's comment, "All he needed was to hear you say that you felt that same way." Was it true? Did Tristan really feel the same way? Unless, of course, it wasn't Tristan that was listening in on the phone call. The only thing that would let her know that truth would be a phone call from him.

DuGrey HOUSE

Grace couldn't sleep that night. It wasn't because she was fighting with Rory, no, infact she and Rory were just fine. Grace pretended she didn't say what she said, and Rory pretended she didn't hear it. But it was the fact that Rory had pretended she didn't hear it, that was the problem. She had royally screwed up her master plan. She couldn't believe she let that slip. "What was I thinking. I am such an idiot, only an idiot can screw up that bad." Grace needed to think of something...and fast! The prom was only days away. Then suddenly it clicked- Tristan needed to make a move. Grace would have to bring Tristan home earlier than expected. Maybe two days before prom, instead of one. Grace brushed her hands against her chin, as they do in movies when someone gets a brilliant beyond brilliant idea.

Grace thought about her idea for three hours. She would not go to sleep until her plan was perfected. Finally at 3 AM, she knew what she was doing. She had planned every move Tristan would make during those two days he was home before prom. And if Rory only reacted exactly as Grace had planned, then this would all work out. "Now if I don't shoot my mouth off, and everything goes according to plan, we'll be alright." Grace rolled over on her side and slept with a smile on he face, that is, until she remember she had to get up in three hours.

CHILTON

Rory spent her day in a fog and only started to snap out of it at the newspaper meeting.

"So, excited for tomorrow?" Grace asked.

"What's tomorrow?"

"RORY! Tomorrow you're sleeping at my house." Grace couldn't believe she had forgotten, then on the other hand, a lot of stuff had happened since she asked her. Grace smiled.

"Oh yeah! I am so pumped!" Both girls started laughing. Rory couldn't even imagine spending two minutes in Tristan's house at this point, much less a whole night. All she had thought about last night was whether or not it was Tristan on the phone. She tried to remember back to when he went to Chilton and she tried to remember exactly how his breath sounded when he let it out. She was driving herself crazy.

"Do you want me to bring some movies? We've got tons?" Rory asked, trying to erase Tristan from her mind, for at least two seconds.

"Sure! Bring a bunch! We'll have a movie marathon."

For the rest of the paper meeting, Grace and Rory talked about the sleepover. Grace thought about how smoothly her plan was going, and Rory thought about not thinking about Tristan. But no matter what they thought, none of them were ready for what was going to happen that night.