DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything involving Gilmore Girls or the song "What's Up Lonely" by Kelly Clarkson. I am simply borrowing them for a little while.
Hey guys, just wanted to say thanks to those of you that reviewed! They really encouraged me to write some more! This story is being updated so quickly because I would like to finish it before I go back from break. I know that if I don't, I will neglect it in favor of my schoolwork, and then who knows when it will get done!
Rory emerged from the bathroom and went in search of Paris. When she finally found her, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Paris was in the middle of the dance floor, dancing with a boy that Rory had never seen before. It looked like she was enjoying herself, which only made Rory feel even more out of place. Nervously looking around, she finally decided on getting some more punch.
"Thirsty Mary?"
Rory rolled her eyes and said, "Nothing gets past you, huh?"
"Just thought you might want to pace yourself is all." Tristan cautiously glanced at Rory, who was already in the process of draining her second cup. Maybe he should just tell her the truth.
"Gee, thanks for the advice, but I think I can handle some punch." Rory didn't wait for a response and walked away from Tristan. She had no idea where she was going, but she did know that she had to get away from him. She was starting to feel a little funny and his close presence wasn't helping the situation. Finally deciding she needed to sit down, she found a couch and plopped down to keep a watchful eye on Paris.
After three or four songs, Paris came running up to Rory and excitedly said, "Rory, you have to get out there. It's so much fun."
Rory gave her a confused look and said, "Paris? Are you off your meds or something? You hate dancing; you call it 'a moronic mating ritual.' And who is that guy?"
"Oh, that's Peter and before you start, he is actually quite smart. You'd be surprised how easy it is to talk politics on the dance floor. And I resent that comment about my meds. What, I can't have fun like everyone else?" Paris stomped back to the dance floor, leaving Rory completely speechless. Why was everyone at this party having more fun than she was?
Across the room, Tristan hadn't taken his eyes off of Rory since she walked away from him. He laughed to himself when he saw the horrified look on her face while watching Paris and that guy dancing. Rory was alone now and seemed to be sulking on a couch. Unable to resist himself, he headed over to talk to her. Rory felt movement at her side and sighed when she realized who it was. "Look, I already told you that I don't want to dance. Please just leave me alone."
The boy didn't seem deterred however, and said, "Oh come on, it'll be fun. One dance won't kill you."
He began pulling Rory to the dance floor, but was stopped by a tap on his shoulder. "Hey buddy, I think she said no, so back off."
He was about to protest when he realized who was talking to him. "Fine, I'll leave the Mary for you, DuGrey."
Rory, looking embarrassed, said a quiet "Thanks" and headed back towards the punchbowl. Tristan sighed and followed her, not wanting her to drink another glass.
"Hey Mare, why don't you work up a real thirst and dance with me?" Tristan asked, his voice full of hope that she would both agree to dance with him and stop drinking.
"What makes you think that I would ever want to do that?" Rory asked, already filling her third glass.
Smirking, Tristan said, "Because you don't want to be the only one here not having fun. Even Paris is being more social than you, and that's saying something."
Rory bit her lip as if in deep thought and said, "I can't dance. There, you happy now?"
"You can't lie to me Mary. I saw you at the Winter Dance with Bagboy and you seemed fine with the idea of dancing." He noticed her flinch at the mention of Dean and instantly regretted saying it.
"Yeah, well that was a slow dance with my boyfriend." She stopped and motioned towards the dance floor and said, "Definitely not the same thing."
A smile grew on Tristan's face and he said, "Well, we'll just have to wait for a slow one then, won't we?"
"I'll tell you what. If they ever play a slow song, you can come find me." Rory said, thinking she would never have to go through with the agreement. She had been here for over an hour, and still hadn't heard a single slow song.
"Oh, you can count on it Mary." Tristan watched as she rolled her eyes and walked off again, with another full glass. His plan of not letting her drink anymore definitely wasn't going to work if she just sat on the couch. Looking around the room, he spotted the DJ, and walked over to make a request.
It took slipping the guy a twenty, but he finally accomplished his task. The current song ended, and a slow one came on in its place. He had to admit, it was cheesy, but the only song he could think of was "You and Me" by Lifehouse. It had been on the radio constantly and now it was actually going to be good for something.
Looking across the room, he saw Rory's face grow nervous. She stood and looked as if she was going to run out the front door. Tristan quickly made his way through the crowd and over to her. "Well, Mare, it looks like this is our dance."
Looking extremely uncomfortable, Rory said, "Fine, but only one Bibleboy. Then I'm outta her right at 10:00."
Tristan gave her a funny look and led her to the dance floor. He grabbed one of her hands and placed the other on the small of her back. Rory hesitantly put her free hand on his shoulder and they began slowly moving to the music. Rory was trying her hardest to look anywhere put at Tristan. Whenever she did occasionally catch his gaze, she found it hard to tear her eyes away. He really did have an amazing set of eyes. "Hey Rory, I have to ask, why did you call me Bibleboy a second ago?"
"Oh, uh, it's just a nickname my mom came up with. I can't believe I said that to you out loud." Tristan felt her tense up and she said, "Hey, you called me Rory."
Tristan smiled and said, "Yeah, I guess I did." They continued dancing in silence for a little while.
"For someone who doesn't dance, I must say you are doing an exceptional job Mary."
Rory let out a nervous laugh and said, "So, it's back to Mary?"
"Old habits die hard."
"Yes, of course." Rory said smiling.
The song ended and a fast one began, causing Rory to drop Tristan's hand and take a step back. "Well, that was one dance. I'm going to go find Paris."
Tristan silently nodded his head and watched as she walked away. He instantly missed the warmth of her body under his hands. He was just happy that he finally got a dance with her. He had wanted to do that ever since he saw her dance with Dean, and he definitely wasn't disappointed. After a few minutes of standing on the dance floor with a goofy grin on his face, he remembered that he needed to watch out for Rory. He had started to notice a difference in her speech earlier, and he knew she would just be getting worse.
"Come on Paris, its 10:15, don't you want to get out of here?" Rory was practically pleading with Paris. Her head hurt and she was starting to feel a little dizzy.
"Just wait half an hour Gilmore. I'm busy." Paris replied from her spot on the dance floor with Peter.
"Eh, you owe me Paris." Rory returned to her place on the couch, happy to be sitting.
After a few more minutes of watching the dancers, Rory glanced at her watch and noticed that she had to concentrate just to read the numbers. Looking around the room, she noticed that almost every other kid at the party had a glass of red liquid. Surely not everyone at the party would not be drinking. Then, it dawned on her. How could she have been so stupid? No wonder she was feeling so sick and she kept going back for more. Standing up and steadying herself, she stormed over to Paris. "Paris, how could you let me drink?"
"Rory, I'm sorry, but you needed to loosen up a little bit." Paris stopped dancing and moved off the dance floor to talk to Rory.
"Oh, you're one to talk." Rory said, glaring at Paris.
"You're right, that's why I had some too. Why else would I be dancing like this?"
"I can't believe this Paris. You're supposed to drive me home."
Guilt grew on Paris' face and she said, "You're right. I didn't think about that. What are we going to do?" She was back into full Paris panic mode.
"I could call my mom to come and get us." Rory just wanted to get out of there. She knew Lorelai would be mad, but she also knew she would understand.
"No way. She might call my parents and then I'm dead." Looking around the room, she finally said, "I know! We can get a ride from Peter, he hasn't been drinking."
"Paris, I am not getting into the car of some guy you just met." Rory answered, completely surprised by the way Paris was acting.
"Well, I will then. I wanted to stay longer anyways." Paris said and returned to the dance floor without giving Rory another glance.
Rory couldn't remember the last time she felt so angry and scared at the same time. Rummaging through her purse, she retrieved her cell phone to call Lorelai. Unable to get a signal, she went out the backdoor and onto the porch. She started dialing, but jumped in surprise when she noticed she wasn't alone. "Whoa, there Mary. I know I'm good looking, but that's a new response even for me."
Rory suddenly grew very angry and walked towards him pointing her finger at his face. "You! You knew that I was drinking and didn't stop me. You wanted to get me drunk so I would dance with you."
Tristan's smile quickly faded and he said, "Rory, no, I was just trying to keep an eye on you so you wouldn't get too bad."
"Oh, I'll bet. What else were you planning on doing to me?"
Despite himself, Tristan became angry and said, "You think an awful lot of yourself Gilmore. You also must think pretty low of me if you think I would stoop to that to get a girl. Newsflash Mary, I can get any girl I want. Get over yourself, will you?"
Rory's mouth opened in an 'o' formation and she stood there not knowing what to say. Finally closing her mouth, her face became indignant and she said, "Just get away from me then. If you can have any girl, why do you always follow me around bugging me?"
"You know what? You're right. I don't know why I ever bothered. See you around Mary." Tristan shot her one last smirk and went back inside.
Shocked and relieved that he left, Rory finally dialed the phone and called her mom. "Mom? Do you think you can come pick me up?" After a pause she said, "I'll explain when you get here, just come fast, please?"
Hey, I hope you don't all hate Tristan now. I just didn't want to make him too out of character. I think Tristan would get very defensive and put up a wall like that. Never fear though, this will be a TRORY. Also, I know Paris was out of character, but I need her to act a little differently for the purposes of this story. Please, please review! I'm a little unsure about this chapter.