DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Gilmore Girls or the song "What's Up Lonely?" by Kelly Clarkson. I am simply borrowing them for a little while.

Hey, you guys must think I'm insane for updating everyday! What can I say, your reviews are encouraging! I am pretty confident in saying that I will be able to achieve my goal of finishing this before break ends. Thanks to all the reviewers, you guys are all so nice to me!

Over the past week, Rory was definitely showing some improvement in her mood. This was something that overjoyed Lorelai, but she was beginning to wonder where the turn-around came from. She continually grilled Rory on her day's events, but she never let on to anything being out of the ordinary. In truth, things really weren't all that different; she did see and talk to Tristan, but certainly nothing earth-shattering. She was just happy to have all thoughts of Dean out of her head. She wasn't sure when it had happened, but she was thinking about him less and less everyday.

Tristan had been trying his best to remain civil to Rory, while at the same time trying to act normal towards her. He would only occasionally come by her locker and tease her about the usual things. To everyone around them, it seemed like they were acting the same way as they always had. And while 'normal' was what they were both trying to achieve, things were definitely different. Rory pretended that she didn't notice the still constant flow of girls being pushed up against lockers, and Tristan pretended that he wasn't thinking about Rory the entire time he was kissing someone else.

Rory was at her locker on the end of the day on Friday. Once she finished loading her backpack, she shut the door and jumped at seeing Tristan leaning against the nearest locker. He grabbed her arms to steady her and said, "Whoa, little jumpy there, Mary?"

After realizing he was still holding her, she gave him a push and said, "What can I help you with today, Tristan?"

"Relax, I was just wondering what your big weekend plans were." Tristan awkwardly ran his hand through his hair and waited for her response.

"Oh, I thought I'd fit in a kegger in-between studying. You?"

Tristan laughed and said, "Actually the same, only minus the kegger."

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Rory asked, looking at him surprised.

"Well, I really just couldn't decide on a date. I've had to beat the girls off with a stick lately."

Rory rolled her eyes and muttered, "Didn't look that way from here."

A smirk grew on Tristan's face and he turned so he was standing in front of her. "What was that, Mary? Is someone jealous?"

Rory blushed and took notice of how close he was to her. She attempted to take a step back, but realized she had no where to go. "Me? Hardly."

Tristan moved to put his hands on either side of Rory, trapping her against the lockers. She swallowed nervously and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Um, personal bubble there, Tristan."

Tristan remained in his position and leaned forward and whispered, "Are you sure you're not jealous? You look a little nervous to me."

"Maybe because you're pinning me against a locker."

"Just say the word Mare, and I'll move." Rory just stared at him, not sure if she actually wanted him to move. Finally, she came up with a better idea. She grabbed his face and pulled it down to hers, giving him a quick, but sweet kiss. Tristan stood, staring at her completely surprised.

"Thought I could get you to stop calling me Mary." She said and smiled playfully.

"Hate to break it to you Mare, but it's gonna take more than a little peck to do that." Tristan whispered in her ear, purposely letting her feel his warm breath on her neck.

Rory laughed and lightly hit him on the chest. Tristan was about to move in for a better kiss, but was interrupted when he heard, "Tris, come on, what are you doing with her?"

Groaning, he lifted his arms, freeing Rory. He looked over at his disruption and said, "Hang on one second, Jessica."

The girl laughed and said, "It's Jenna." Rory shook her head in disbelief and walked away from them and towards the door. Tristan jogged after her and said, "Where you going Mary?"

Angrily, Rory said, "I can see you have your hands full. Don't mind me."

"What? Her? Forget about that." Tristan said, sitting next to her on the bench at the bus stop.

"Oh, right, you mean the girl whose name you can't even remember? The one that just hours ago you had pushed against a locker? You are such a jerk, Tristan."

Tristan knew that he had really ruined any slim chance he had with Rory. The look on her face was one of pure disgust and hatred. Not knowing a better way to handle things, he said, "She's not the only one I had pushed against a locker."

Rory opened her mouth in shock and said, "You know what? I am done bothering with you. You can go back to your thoughts on how I'm not worth your time, because clearly I'm nothing to you."

Tristan was about to protest when the bus pulled up. Rory stood and boarded the bus, not giving him another look. She sat at a window seat, and was biting her lip in a desperate attempt to keep her tears in. Tristan was still sitting on the bench, staring up at her. The moment the bus moved out of the parking lot, she began crying silently. As quickly as she had started, she forced herself to stop. There is no way that Tristan DuGrey is worth this, she thought.

Tristan finally rose from the bench and headed back into the school. He ignored the annoying girl that was calling after him as he walked towards his car. All he could think about was what could have happened if she had never interrupted them. The only reason he had been bothering with her in the first place was to make Rory jealous. Well, that plan certainly backfired, he thought as he drove home.

Rory got home a while later to find an empty house and a message from Emily, canceling dinner. Relieved, she changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed. She just wanted this day and the past few months to go away. When Lorelai came home, she found Rory asleep in her room. Noticing the dried tears on her face, she laid down next to Rory. Rory felt the movement and woke up saying, "I guess I'm not worth it."

Lorelai stroked Rory's hair and said, "Honey, what do you mean you're not worth it?"

She felt tears coming down her face once again and said, "Dean didn't think I was worth it and Tristan basically told me the same thing."

"Oh, hun, I know that's not true."

Rory took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes. Sitting up, she faced Lorelai and said, "Well, that's sure what it feels like lately."

"Ror, I don't know what happened, but trust me, you are definitely worth a lot."

Rory smiled sadly and said, "Yeah, well, you're my mom. You have to say that."

"Excuse me? I am not a liar missy. Now get out of bed, we have some ice cream to eat!"

Rory wrapped Lorelai into a hug and said, "Thanks, mom."

"Anytime babe. Now let's go discuss how we can make this Tristan kid pay."

Rory laughed and followed Lorelai into the kitchen. "You know what mom? Tristan DuGrey is definitely not worth it."

Lorelai smiled, but couldn't help but notice the sadness in her daughter's eyes. Whoever this kid is, he has certainly done a number on her, she thought.

Hmm… Not sure how I feel about this one. Angsty, I know! This chapter was written about three different times, each one going a completely different way. The one that was almost posted ended with Tristan and Rory happily kissing, which seemed way too soon for me. Another one involved them studying, which I thought was kind of cliché. So, I beg of you… A little feedback! Please review!