AN: Here it is, as promised, the latest chapter. I'm so glad everybody is still liking the story and still reviewing! It's awesome.
Karah06: Of course you're not annoying you idiot! LOL, I love you so much! Yuo've been awesom ever since I started this story. Thank you so much for your support and help.
Mongoose 187: Thanks and yes, I think a long chat over a pot of coffee is in store for Rory and Tristan eventually.
flyleaf2114: Hope you like the Del Sol party!
Disclaimer: I own nothing, and especially not GG
Saturday morning
Rory groaned as she rolled over in the bed she was sharing with Madeline. Madeline was lying on her side; half off the bed, her mouth slightly open and snoring loudly. Rory giggled despite herself. Louise, despite her bedroom being next door, had fallen asleep on the couch, Paris was nowhere to be seen. What happened last night? Rory wondered as she lay back on the pillow, resting her palm on her forehead, she had a splitting headache. Oh God, she paled, remembering the party.
The Night Before
Rory had driven home alone with her CD player blaring Eve of Destruction as she pulled into her driveway. Christopher wasn't home, he rarely was these days, spending his time between the office and getting Jay out of jail with a few hours sleep in between. Rory let herself in and Lorelai came bounding down the stairs with imagined energy. Rory knew her heard wasn't in it, so did she.
"Baby! How was your week?"
Rory shrugged, she knew she should make an effort but she couldn't be bothered as she helped herself to a soda.
"Well…what are you doing tonight?"
"Going to a party with the girls"
"So you're all getting along better?" Lorelai asked, leaning against the bench.
Rory shrugged again, knowing she looked like an insolent teenager, but that's what she was.
"Yeah"
"Have you seen Tristan?" Lorelai asked, not missing the way Rory's eyes darkened.
"No," Rory lied and went upstairs to find some clothes.
She'd picked up Paris and Madeline and driven them to Louise's house where they'd get ready and stay that night. The Del Sol party was on the other side of town but they were getting a cab there.
"Have you got anything to drink before we go?" Rory asked Louise who was curling the ends of her hair in front of the mirror half-heartedly, she hadn't really wanted to go but they had convinced her.
"Of course," Louise said and Madeline bounded down the stairs to find the bottle of Cointreu and some pineapple juice.
"Oh for Christ's sake," Paris mumbled as Madeline clumsily mixed the drinks and handed one to Rory.
"Mmm, it tastes like citrus," Rory said, swirling the liquid around and taking another sip.
"Girls, the cab is here," Louise's maid Anya said from the doorway. The girls squealed and rushed around finding shoes and purses and downing the rest of their drinks.
The house was on a dark street that ran next to a creek. It was a big, old two-story thing that had never had much work done to it. Paris wrinkled her nose as she stepped out of the cab; it was far removed from the lush lawns and pretty sandstone of Madeline's house. Cars were parked haphazardly across the ridged and uneven lawn, which was bare in parts and marked with muddy tire-tracks. Rory drew her jacket tighter around herself as Louise led the way.
"It's a parent's-are-going-away party," She told them, "The guy is Ty Wilson"
"Ty Wilson?" Paris asked, paling. "Isn't that the guy that…"
"Yeah," Madeline replied.
"Which guy?" Rory asked, "What'd he do, oh God he's not a criminal or anything is he?"
"Not a criminal per se, he's just a bit of a…delinquent" Louise said and Paris snorted.
"Well he's no worse than the guys at Chilton, he just doesn't have mommy and daddy cover it up" Louise said, her voice growing quiet and it was obvious she was thinking about Jay.
They were let in by a guy with straggling black hair who was dressed in way-too-big black pants and a wife-beater, he looked stoned and Rory sighed inwardly.
"Whoa...whoa..." He started, waving his arms around. "Chilton girls...am I right? Am I right?" He started giggling and Paris sighed loudly, pushing him aside and stepping in with the girls to find the kitchen, the hub of any party. Sure enough, a keg had been hoisted up on the bench and there were bottles everywhere. Rory reached for a bottle of vodka and soda and uncapped it, taking a sip. Louise stood next to her as Madeline disappeared to "scout for hotties". Paris stood rigidly next to them, staring at the floor and trying to deflect any attention that may have been cast her way.
"I will not die here" She mumbled under her breath. She had told her parent's she was going to a quiet get-together at Louise's.
A guy materialised in front of them.
"Hey, you look new, I haven't seen you around these parties before," It wasn't until Rory nudged her that Paris realised the guy was talking to her. She looked up in horror.
"Well you wouldn't would you?" She snapped, staring back down at the ground.
Roy and Louise both shook their heads laughing the guy sort of nodded and smiled.
"Your friends not one for social niceties is she?" He stage-whispered to Rory and Paris snorted again.
"Uh yeah…no, no she's not"
"Right, I'm Tarique" He offered his hand and Rory shook it.
"I'm Rory, this is Louise and that," She said as Paris stalking off muttering something about the bathroom, "…was Paris"
"She's cute" Tarique mused and Roy rolled her eyes.
She patted the guy's shoulder,
"Unless you want to lose…an appendage…I wouldn't bother"
"Got ya," He said as he disappeared off in the direction Paris had gone.
"Oh God," Louise mutter a few minutes later as they stood in the front room surrounded by people dancing and a guy wearing the curtains around him like a robe and professing to the be the Lord of the Dance.
"Is that who I think it is?" Rory looked up and saw familiar, strategically spiked light brown hair.
"Matt!" She called and he turned to see who was calling his name. He waved brightly at Rory.
"Oh don't bring him over" Louise begged.
Rory looked at her strangely.
"Why not?"
"Don't worry," Louise mumbled as Matt joined them. He put his arm around Rory.
"How are you guys? What are you doing at a Del Sol party?"
"You know, drinking, drugs, underage sex up against the bathroom sink," Paris ranted as she joined them with Tarique in tow who looked love-struck.
"Oh that's just what you're doing here" Rory joked. Matt looked down at her and smiled.
"Want a drink Ror?" She swirled the remains of her vodka and downed it.
"Sure,"
She followed Matt to the kitchen.
"I wanted to see you before the weekend, but when I'd finished packing you were driving off" He said quietly and Rory cocked her head.
"Really? Why?"
He winced.
"I…I wanted to apologise for Tristan today, he was out of line"
Rory sighed.
"It's okay Matt…it's not your problem to apologise for"
"I know," He said as he handed her a bottle, "…it's just, you don't deserve that. You stood by him when even his best friends had their doubts, even when the evidence was stacked against him. And now…now he's the first one to jump to conclusions."
"Well he's just proved he's no better than Summer and that lot, hasn't he?" Rory said with confidence she didn't feel. Matt smiled gently. He's cute when he smiles, she thought.
"I went to see Jay this afternoon,"
Rory nearly spit out her drink.
"What!"
Matt blushed.
"You don't…you don't mind do you?"
Roy tried to recover herself.
"No, of course not…how was he?"
"He was…a bit
down"
"Why did you go?" She asked,
"Rory, Jay and I were…are friends"
"Do you believe it?" She asked quietly, half afraid of the answer.
"No,"
She looked up at him in surprise.
"There's something in me that tells me he didn't…couldn't"
Rory nodded, tears coming to her eyes. Without thinking she reached up and wrapped her arms around Matt'' neck, letting his fall around her waist.
Jay sat in his cell at the Juvenile Detention Centre, he was by himself. His first night he'd shared it with another kid but now it was just him. He laid back on his bed thinking about everything. He hadn't known what Tristan was even talking about that night, just looked up in time to see Tristan lunge towards him. Since then he'd spoken to so many people, nodded in time to too much advice. His father and grandfather had invested in the best lawyer. But, with the evidence, it didn't look good, he knew that. Not only was there Liz's necklace but he had no alibi. He could kill Finn Morgan right now, his "roommate" who had decided, that night, to sneak out to the local pub and sleep in the common room when he got back. Nobody else could verify his whereabouts. That fucking necklace, where had it come from? Somebody must have put it there, but who? Tristan? He had looked genuinely surprised when he'd found it but he was a good actor, Jay remembered that from Theatre Studies.
Rory suddenly realised that she was still leaning her head on Matt's strong chest. Wiping away a tear she pulled away.
"I'm sorry,"
"Why?" He asked,
"For that, for hugging you like that" She stuttered, looking at the ground.
"Hey," Matt said quietly, touching his fingers to her chin, slowly drawing her face up so she looked into his eyes.
They're green…I've never seen real green eyes, she thought.
"It's okay Rory, you've gone through a lot, and you need friends"
"Is that what you are?" She asked, wondering why her voice sounded hopeful.
He laughed huskily.
"Of course…" It sounded as though he wanted to say more as he trailed off.
"What?" She asked but he was staring past her. She turned and saw Tristan leaning against the doorway.
"Cars parked had to do the rounds of the fans" Tristan said, his cold eyes taking in Rory and Matt.
Rory felt Matt stiffen in front of her before he smiled at his friend.
"No worries man…the uh…the girls are here"
"So I see," Tristan replied coolly.
"Tris!"
Rory saw a raven-haired girl launch herself into Tristan's arms. He smiled.
"Hey Keisha. Long-time no see"
Rory stopped herself from rolling her eyes but when she looked up Matt was doing that for her. Manwhore he mouthed and Rory giggled.
Tristan ignored her, he had his hands full of Keisha anyway on the makeshift dance floor.
"Looks like he's doing alright" Louise said archly, she was livid with him as well.
"Oh my God, is that Gellar?" Matt asked, appearing behind them.
Louise and Rory looked out to the dance floor where Paris was dancing body-to-body with Tarique and necking a bottle of tequila sunrise. Louise burst out laughing.
"Oh my
God!"
"Persistence must really pay off," Rory muttered.
"Really?" Matt whispered in her ear.
Rory shivered at his warm breath and Louise shuddered.
"Good news for me," He whispered.
Rory's eyes widened and she half turned to him, he smiled down at her.
"Want to dance?"
She nodded, her mouth dry. His eyes, how had she not noticed his eyes before? Tristan, she realised, Tristan had blinded her.
The room was darker now, it was getting harder to make out the couples. Matt led Rory onto the floor as Avril Lavigne's He wasn't burst out of the loud speakers. He pulled her closer to him gently, his arms around her waist, resting on the waistband of her jeans. They danced together, swaying softly. Rory had another bottle in her hand and she sipped it.
He looked down at her, she was so tiny, he could probably put her in his pocket if there was any trouble and carry her away safely. He smiled, he liked girls who were tiny, they were so much more…feminine, nicer. He lifted his hand to run it through her coffee-coloured hair, still streaked with gold in places from the summer sun. She laid her head on his shoulder and he tried to ignore the daggers being thrown at him by Tristan.
Louise watched Rory and Matt from the other side of the room with a frown. At any other party she would have been in the thick of it all, dancing, drinking, flirting. Now she just wanted to be somewhere familiar. Her eyes washed over Rory again, she had laid her head against Matt's shoulder as they danced. Louise narrowed her own eyes.
"What did you mean before when you said it was good for you that persistence pays off?" Rory asked Matt as they stood off to the side of the dance floor. He froze for a moment before smiling easily and turning to face her.
"Rory…"
"Yes?" She asked, turning her big, innocent eyes on him.
"I…I like you. I thought that was obvious. I really like you Rory"
Her breath caught.
"You're not like the other girls at school…they're…they're mostly just like their mothers. They bat their eyelashes and tumble into bed with the first thin to flash their bankroll. You…you're not like that, you're a good girl,"
She laughed and he smiled at her, leaning forward to close the gap between them. Finally their lips met in a kiss and he pulled her closer to him, running his fingers through her loose hair.
Tristan clenched and unclenched his fist in the corner. Keisha had long since disappeared to "get a drink". He watched them talking and then Rory laughed. God don't let them kiss, he prayed, but as he did the space between them closed. Shit!
Saturday
Madeline let out a loud snore and promptly rolled off the bed.
"Ouch!" She cried, waking up Louise.
"What is it?" She yelled as she thrashed about under the blanket on the couch before grabbing her head. "Oh God, what did we do last night?' Madeline moaned.
"Speak for yourself Mads, I was very well behaved" Louise told her from the couch.
Rory snorted,
"Well if I recall correctly, Paris and I carried you up the stairs Louise,"
Louise blushed and Paris appeared at the door.
"God what did I do last night?" She asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
The girls all laughed.
That afternoon, still at Louise's, Rory checked her cell phone. She had three new messages, she brightened up, maybe one was from Tristan.
Hey Rory, it's Matt, just wanted to make sure you got home safe, Paris and Lou looked pretty gone.
Hey Rory, it's Matt again, just wanted to let you know this is my number
Hey Rory, Matt again, I'm sorry for texting so much but just wondered if you wanted to go out this weekend?
She groaned and Madeline peaked over her shoulder.
"Wooh! I'd forgotten about Matt! You kissed him didn't you?"
Paris' eyes widened and she turned to Rory.
"I forgot that too! Matt? What's going on there?"
Rory shrugged.
"I don't know"
"He's cute…and high up on the social ladder," Madeline said.
"And a wanker," Louise muttered.
"What?" Rory asked.
"Nothing,"
"I think you should go for it"
"I don't know…" Rory began, "He wants to go out this weekend"
Madeline squealed.
"Are you going?"
"I don't think so…it's not…it's not a good time for something like this"
Madeline shrugged and put on another pot of coffee for Rory.
"Whatever, pretty weak excuse if you ask me," She mumbled.
"Pardon?"
"Oh, nothing Rory" She replied sweetly.
Rory looked down at her phone again and slowly a smile spread across her face.
AN: Let me know what you think! R&R
