Chapter Six - Reunited

Rory woke up on the couch her grandmother had given her the first year she attended Yale. This couch now no longer belonged to her. It belonged to Paris. And it was at Paris's Yale dorm, and Rory had slept on it. These fuzzy thoughts continued circling around fuzzily in Rory's mind until she finally realized, three minutes later, what had happened last night. Rory had been overwhelmed with meeting Logan last night, and had needed a place to crash. Paris hdn't minded to let her stay, and Rory didn't think she was up to the drive back to Stars Hollow. Now it was 10:30 A.M., and Rory had to go home, if for no other reason than she had left her toothbrush at home.

"Paris?" Rory called.

"What?" Paris groaned from her room.

"Shouldn't you be up by now?" Rory asked, momentarily distracted.

"I don't have any classes until noon." Paris muttered blearily.

"Oh, okay. It's 10:34." Rory said.

"Oh, fine." Paris groaned. She went into the living room-y area and went to the mini-fridge (also once belonging to Rory) and pulled out a pint of milk and a box of cereal. She grabbed a bowl and started to assemble.

"Um, I'm gonna head home." Rory said.

"Then why'd you wake me up!" Paris groaned with her mouth full of milk and half-chewed cereal. Rory winced.

"I was just telling you bye," she said pathetically.

"Bye," Paris said, throwing her cereal away and going back to bed. Rory rolled her eyes and decided to head out to her car. She was still wearing her clothes from last night, she realized with a frown. On the way home, she accelerated slightly over the speed limit, thiking the whole way, "shower shower shower, toothbrush toothbrush tooothbrush."

When she back to Luke's diner, people were already inside. Rory groaned. She couldn't go inside looking the way she did. Too many town peoples to talk. She sighed, and knew immediatly that the realization of the utter loss of going back to Logan ever again that she had so been avoiding last night was coming. And suddenly she was sobbing with her forehead pressed to the steering wheel.

"Rory?" a soft voice asked softly from her window.

"Logan?" Rory asked increduously. Looking up, though, she realized that this was definately not Logan. Heartache momentarily forgotten, Rory managed to choke out "Not Lo. Gan. Tristan!"

"Who's Logan?" Tristan asked, a malicious gleam in his eye. Rory smiled, unable to ignore the fact that he was being protective-y over her.

"What're you doing here?" Rory asked, opening the car door and suddenly wishing she had combed her hair a little less hapharzardly this morning.

"What're you doing here?" Tristan replied, motioning to the car.

"Oh, I was, trying to go home, but there's too many people in the diner, and I just spent the night at Paris's 'cause Logan didn't miss me, and now all I want is a shower and I don't know what to do," Rory choked, sobbing once more. Tristan frowned, trying to follow her pattern of logic, but not quite able to connect the dots.

"Come on, Mary, let's go back to my place and I'll get you a cup of tea," Tristan suggested. Rory nodded and let him put an arm around her shoulders.

Chapter Six - Something's Different in My World Today, They Changed My Traffic Signs, To a Brighter Yellow

For some reason, Sarah cared when she woke up that morning. Not just about the World History quiz she had later, either. It was a new day, and who knew what joyous adventures it would bring? With a potential boyfriend, the world suddenly looked to be a brighter place. She woke up earlier than usual, and realized that her alarm wouldn't ring for another forty-five minutes. She grinned and decided to go take her shower early, and have time to attempt to put her hair up after she dried it.

"Are you wearing make-up?" Leslie exclaimed with an excited sort of grin. She had been insisting to Sarah for the last five years that a little eyeshadow could go a long way with her eye color or something like that.

"Just a little mascara and eyeshadow," she shrugged.

"Well, okay. It's a start. We need to get to our lockers. The bell's about to ring."

"Oh, okay." Sarah said in a dissapointed tone. She had been hoping to get a glimpse of Terrance before the day started. It would have to wait.

First and second period crawled by before Sarah even got a glimpse of Terrance. But suddenly, there he was, coming into their English class. She pretended to be absorbed in what Leslie was saying as she toyed with the danglie earing she was wearing. She could feel Terrances stare as he passed and sat behind her. She wondered to herself if today he'd kick her chair like usual. Somehow she doubted it. The bell rang. The teacher announced today they would start reading some play in some book by some one who was dead. Did it really matter?

Terrance pulled on the braid Sarah had fixed her hair into today. Sarah tried to look annoyed as she turned around.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"Yeah, who are you and what have you done with Sarah Javerson?" Terrance asked with mock concern. Sarah offered a small smile as she rolled her eyes.

"I woke up early," she explained. "You think it's too much?"

"No, you look nice," Terrance told her with a grin.

"You're teasing me," frowned Sarah.

"I just don't see why you went out of your way to look all pretty for me," Terrance told her. Sarah rolled her eyes again. She wondered if he was just teasing her about that last comment, even though it was true.

"I didn't do it for you. I did it for David." Sarah said sarcastically. David, a tall and rather stupid senior, looked over at her, hearing his name. She gave him a flirty wave, to which he rolled his eyes and turned away. Sarah laughed, but Terrance didn't find the humor.

"Hullo, I was kidding. I don't like him," Sarah added to his scowl.

"Oh," he said. He grinned at her perplexed face.

"You're wanted," he said. Sarah heart leapt.

"What?"she asked. He pointed in front.

"Stop flirting with Terrance, Sarah." The teacher advised. Sarah considered countering, she hadn't really been flirting after all, she didn't think anyway. But what fun would that be.

"Yes, ma'am." she said politely. As class resumed, Sarah felt Terrance's eyes boring into the back of her skull. She laughed to herself, as her teacher began passing out copies of some play in some book by some one who was dead.