AN: So I finally got a review which was awesome, to Lissa8, firstly my thanks and now, to answer your question. Theodora "Theo" Adams, is a society girl who started at Chilton in second term of junior year. In this story Chilton is the most exclusive co-ed boarding school on the East Coast. Before her parents moved back to Hartford to help her ailing grandfather with the business, she had never lived in America which is why she was an intoxicating trans-atlantic accent. Her mother, Katherine, isn't society. She and Theo's father met in a bar during college. Theo and Lisa were room-mates at Chilton and she and Rory soon became best friends being cloistered away. She lives in a house next-door to Tristan's which is how they became friends in the first place, as their father's had grown up together.

Disclaimer: You know it, I own nothing. Sick to death of writing this, gonna start copying and pasting instead.

Tristan and Lisa sat in the library of his house. Lisa was engrossed in a trashy magazine at the desk with the tip of her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth. It was a quirk she'd always had that Tristan had always thought was cute. He was sitting on the window seat staring out the window with the newspaper open on his lap.

"How did your breakfast go?"

"With Theo?" Lisa asked without looking up.

"Did you have breakfast with anyone else?" She smiled, licked the tip of her index finger and turned the page.

"It was good, it was nice to catch up. She's changed"

"Yes everyone says that"

"Shocker she's with Nate, didn't see that coming"

"Katherine said they went to prom together"

"Did they? I can't remember, prom was the night Wills and I broke up, all I remember is having red-rimmed eyes when they took final photos and the announcement of the king and queen"

"Who were the king and queen?"

"Nate and Theo of course…oh, that's right, they were together. They looked s perfect together, she wore the most awesome dress, this platinum thing that was…" She realised what she was saying. "I'm sorry, but do you really want me to walk on eggshells over the Theo thing while I'm here?"

"Of course not, I'm a big boy"

"Not that big" Lisa laughed, still not looking up. "Britney's in trouble with the authorities again"

"What?"

"Her baby cracked his skull. Serves her right for marrying such a skeaze" Tristan laughed as he watched a car pull up in Theo's driveway, it was Nate dropping her off.

"Lisa, I've gotta go do something. I'll be back. We'll go out tonight to mISHKA it's a new club, sound okay?"

"Uh huh"

He picked his way across his yard as Nate's car pulled away and picked up the pace to meet Theo on the patio.

"Hey" She turned and rolled her eyes when she saw him. She opened the door and moved inside. "Can I come in?" Taking that she didn't close the door on his face for a yes, he slipped inside.

"You really haven't gotten any less arrogant have you?" He grinned. "I'm going to get changed" She announced. She was wearing a pencil ski with a short-sleeved shirt and miniature waist-coat and pumps. He followed her up the stairs and into her room.

"Why do you hate me?" He asked as the entered.

"I'm really not up for this Tristan" He didn't respond as she gathered up some clothes and moved into her bathroom. He looks around her room. It hadn't changed much, still understated and simple, the black bedspread and red sheets had gone, replaced by all white. He noticed photos on the mirror of her dressing table. He moved closer to see them. One was of the old gang, Rory, Paris and Jess, Louise and Harry, Madeline and Nate, Wills and Lisa and he and Theo at the start-of-year Senior's dance.

They were on the dance-floor, neither realised that all eyes were on them as they danced. In the background Papa Roach's Scars was playing but all that was in Tristan's mind was how well her body fit against his. He wondered if it always was as he resisted the urge to bury his head against her neck in front of everyone.

He sighed when he saw the other photo. It was a candid shot of she and Nate standing out the front of an apartment block in New York pointing to the pent-house apartment. She was laughing and he had his arms around her. He was gazing at her like she was the most precious thing in the world. Tristan frowned and ran his fingers across the top of the table until they got tangled in a chain. He lifted it up, it was a fine silver chain and from dangled a ring, his ring, his class ring. Oh God, the memories came flooding back. He turned and saw Theo standing behind him in her sweats.

He made his way with determined feet to her door. He was wearing jeans and a hooded sweater with the hood up. He knocked sharply, she took a while to answer the door but when she did she looked awful. Good, she should, she should look the way he felt. She didn't say anything, he didn't go in. He pushed the hood back.

"I'm leaving" She remained silent. His eyes were still glazed over, still cold and hurtful. "My dad's finally followed through on his pact to ship me off…" Finally she spoke,

"What are you talking about?"

"Military school…in Arizona…now"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I wanted to give you something" He reached for her hand and slipped something into it, his class ring.

"What for?" Because he loved her? Because he didn't want to go?

"So that you can look and it and know that this is your fault" He turned and walked away.

"Fuck you DuGrey" She called to his back before slamming the door closed on the empty hallway.

They stared at each for who knows how long before he spoke.

"Why did you keep this? Why didn't you throw it at me?" She didn't say anything, just looked at him with her big doe-eyes and he felt his stomach turn over.

"I am so sorry. I'm sorry for everything up until this point" He hurried on. She was only aware of those lips, of his beautiful lips forming the words. All she could hear was that crashing sound of the ocean that you can hear when you put a shell to your ear. Rushes and breaks. She stayed silent, surveying him while he put the necklace back on the dressing table.

"I kept it because it was yours" Her voice was almost bodiless, small and wavering. He turned and watched her. His heart leapt, she looked so lost.

"I kept it because…because…it was…"

"What?" Suddenly she seemed to snap, fury bubbled up in her.

"You bastard!" She reached next to her for a mug and hurled it at him. He ducked and it missed him, hitting the wall behind. In an instant she was a wreck, screaming and crying. Her rant was indecipherable and in a few steps he had crossed the room and was holding her against him.

Tristan rolled in his fitful sleep. The urgent ringing of the telephone became clearer and he glanced at the clock. It was 3am, Lisa and he had only gotten back from mISHKA an hour before.

"Hello?" His voice was sleepy and husky and met with silence. "Hello?" He repeated. "Theo?"

"There are tings I have to say to you" He sighed and sat up.

"So say them"

"No, first there's things I need to know"

"Where is this all going?"

"I'm outside, come let me in"

"What?" With that she hung up the phone. He stumbled out of bed, stopping to pull on jeans and grab a shirt. He walked to the glass door and sure enough there she was. He unlocked it and stood back to let her in.

"Do you want something to drink?" She nodded and was handed a beer.

"I want you to tell me again why what happened, happened"

"What are you talking about?"

"Tell me again that you wanted to fuck a smart girl who was stupid enough to go along with it"

"Jesus Theo"

"Say it" When he looked into her eyes they were cold, he'd seen them before somewhere.

"I don't want to get into-"

"I thought I knew you. I thought we knew each other. I don't kid myself that we were Romeo and fucking Juliet Tristan, but I thought you let me in and then you look at me with those eyes and tell me…" Suddenly he realised where he'd seen her eyes before, they were his "…that you were just using me"

"Well what the fuck was I supposed to say? You fucked me off because I once tried to date your friend!" Theo stood up abruptly, suddenly thinking perhaps this hadn't been a great idea.

"I think I'm just going to leave" She said sedately.

"No you're not!" With that he grabbed her arms and forced her down into the seat. Suddenly fearful she looked up at him. "You show up here at 3am and start this crap! You're going to have to see it through!"

"Why did you give me that ring? Why was it my fault that you had to go to military school?"

"I'm not answering stupid questions, how about you? How could you get under my skin and then just end it?" She was in tears now.

"I didn't want to!"
"Well you fucking did Theo. I trusted you! I trusted you! The only other person I ever trusted was Nate! How ironic huh? And even then I didn't tell him the things I told you. Do you think I would have spoken to you like that if I didn't…didn't.."

"Didn't what? Want to fuck me!" She screamed hysterically.

"If I didn't want you to know everything about me and still like me!" He finished, his voice tight. Theo visibly wilted.

"I have to go" Instead of saying anything he grabbed her wrist, tightly. "Let me go I have to leave" his grip just tightened and she started twisting her arm out of his grip. "I'll scream" She threatened but he silenced any scream with his lips, crushing them against hers. At first she struggled but then let herself be consumed by his mouth. His hands were roaming all over her back, pulling her tight into him. Turning them around he pushed her against the wall, pushing his knee between her legs. Her hands tangled in his hair and his lips moved to her neck. She forced him back and he started to talk, started to apologise, he didn't know what had come over him. She looked at him with frightened eyes.

"Oh God Tris, I'm sorry. Please don't tell Nate, this would kill him. I don't know what I was thinking"

"Shh, it's okay, I'm sorry too" He tried to hold h but she pulled away and let herself out, jogging back towards her house.

AN: Stay tuned for Ch. 8 where you see more of Theo and of Nate's personality and they way he is in the relationship.