The Best Of You – Chapter 6
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. So please don't sue. Thanks.
She watched from the corner of the vast room, occasionally taking tiny sips of her now lukewarm soda. She leaned against the pillar and sighed quietly. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she scanned the room casually, catching sight of familiar faces.
Louise and Madeline were at the centre of the dance floor, tightly holding their dancing partners. Rory recognized Louise's partner, Luis Santos… he was in her Calculus class. And Madeline was dancing with Marius Baker, also from the same class.
The brunette frowned considerably; her sapphire eyes continued their inconspicuous search for the only person who had asked her to dance that night.
Minutes had passed and still no luck. Rory turned and set her cup down, knowing how stupid she must have looked to the occasional onlooker as she stood, rooted to one spot, alone and frowning.
She walked through the massive DuGrey residence, stopping only to observe the occasional paintings along the hallway. Rory continued to make her way throughout the residence, having no real destination.
Rory could hear faint yelling from the room four doors down to where she stood. She turned her head and found that she was the only one in the hallway.
The yelling escalated and the brunette concluded with herself that there were two men in the room, heatedly battling with each other.
Rory bit her lip as she found her legs inching her way closer towards the closed door. She didn't want to pry… didn't want to intrude… but curiosity got the best of her.
She now stood, a meter and a half away from the door, the angry sentences she could now comprehend.
"Don't do this… not today!"
Rory's eyes widened. She could recognize that voice from anywhere. "Tristan."
"You haven't given me a choice in that matter! I caught you Tristan… red handed!" the other male voice was laced with both anger and spite.
"Dad…" Rory's eyebrows rose notably.
"Don't 'dad' me Tristan… you can't get yourself out of this, not this time!" the yelling had now increased a few octaves.
"Let me explain!" Tristan yelled.
"Explain?" his father emitted a cynical laugh, "How could you possibly explain this one?"
Rory found herself inching her way closer and closer to the room, her curiosity peaking.
"If you quit your barking and just hear me out…"
"What were you doing in my liquor cabinet?" his father's voice boomed and echoed, causing Rory to jump slightly.
"What do you think?" Tristan matched his father's volume.
"Don't you dare speak to me that way-"
"In what way dad? I happen to enjoy these arguments of ours, it's our version of father-son bonding."
Rory yelped as she then heard a loud crash from inside the room; she could hear pieces of whatever it was landing on the floor. Automatically, her hand found her mouth; her nerve's shaking at the idea of being heard. She held her breath as she waited for the argument to continue.
"Now is not the time to mouth off to me young man. Do you know how close you are to being sent to North Carolina?" his father exclaimed.
Tristan laughed unrepentantly. "Right, like grandpa will agree to that!"
"It is not your grandfather's choice."
"You wouldn't dare."
"Don't tempt me, boy," his father scathingly warned.
"Whatever pops..." the youngest DuGrey muttered darkly.
Rory's eyes widened at Tristan's obvious dislike for his father. Her mouth gaped open as she struggled to hear his father's response. She jumped for the second time in a matter of five minutes as a sickening slap was heard from within the room. Rory's eyes widened even more in astonishment as she subconsciously stepped back... she was suspecting the worse.
To her horror, the wooden door abruptly opened. Rory turned quickly, hoping to flee before she could be seen.
"Enjoy the show Mary?"
She stopped, frozen in mid-step. Closing her eyes and inhaling deeply, she turned around, preparing herself for the inevitable confrontation and tongue-lashing. Once she was facing him, she bit her tongue from gasping as she noticed a trickle of blood make it's way down his chin from the corner of his lip.
"Are... are you all right?" she whispered, taking a step forward.
Tristan noticed her genuine concern and felt even more embarrassed. He wiped the blood and nodded curtly. "Fine," he replied, his voice raw and full of emotion.
"I'm sorry," Rory met his eyes.
"You shouldn't have heard that," Tristan mumbled softly, but loud enough for her to hear. He briskly walked past her, meeting her eyes one last time before disappearing into one of the many rooms.
-
Rory ran from her bus stop to the school, all the while attempting to arrange the last few buttons of her blouse and tie her tie. She stopped halfway and gasped for breath before she made last attempts to make herself look presentable for Chilton Preparatory Academy. Buttoning the last button, she then tucked her blouse into her kilt before putting on her Chilton blazer. Finally ready, she walked steadily towards the school.
She entered the school and sighed in relief, finding the halls deserted. Skipping a trip to her locker, she headed for her second period class. Rory stood in front of room 120 for almost five minutes before gathering enough courage to knock softly.
She shifted from one foot to another as she waited for her Physics teacher, Mrs. Brown, an elderly woman who frequently forgot her student's names to open the door. Inwardly, she cursed the old lady for always locking the door after bells and embarrassing late students by making them knock profusely.
The door swung open and Rory met Mrs. Brown's annoyed face. She smiled hesitantly.
"Better late then never I suppose," Mrs. Brown commented airily.
"I apologize Mrs. Brown... my alarm clock didn't..."
"Excuses excuses child! I don't particularly care for them," she responded rudely. Mrs. Brown then stepped out of the way, allowing Rory to enter the classroom. "Have a seat Ms. Gilmore."
The students looked up from their textbooks at the latecomer. Hushed whispers soon were heard and mild giggling ensued. Rory blushed lightly before taking her usual seat. She reached into her bag for her binder, her favourite pen and her Physics textbook.
As the teacher resumed her lesson, Rory willed herself to pay attention. She jotted down the occasional note before the incessant tapping on her shoulder interrupted her. As soon Mrs. Brown turned to write on the chalkboard, she turned around and found herself face to face with a grinning Louise Grant.
"Where have you been?" the blonde whispered.
"Home," Rory whispered back, masking the look of confusion on her face.
"I'm sure you were," Louise slyly remarked, grinning from ear to ear.
"What's that supposed to mean?" the brunette questioned.
Louise shrugged, her grin widened significantly.
Rory turned around, but not before she had noticed that almost everyone in the classroom was eavesdropping on her and Louise's conversation. From the corner of her blue eyes, she noticed Paris Gellar glaring her way. Rory shuddered suddenly from the look Paris gave her.
-
"Hey Sookie," Lorelai greeted her best friend cheerfully.
Sookie looked up from the gravy she was stirring and grinned. She held a wooden spot coated with the sauce near Lorelai's lips, willing her to taste the new recipe she had dreamed of last night.
Lorelai tasted the gravy and nodded approvingly. "You never cease to amaze me Sooks... that is outstanding."
"It's the chicken stock," Sookie beamed.
Lorelai nodded and poured herself a cup of coffee. She leaned against the kitchen counter and for a few moments, she watched her friend continue to stir the gravy. Sipping on her coffee thoughtfully, she found herself thinking back to the argument between herself and Rory a few days back. She had no doubt in her mind that there was more to Rory's story... her daughter's story did not make sense. Rory and Paris were not friends that was for sure. But their not enemies either, a part of her mind argued. They were more like acquaintances, merely acknowledging each other's presence when they forced to.
This led to the one question currently invading her thoughts. Why would Paris ask Rory to spend the night?
Lorelai groaned... she couldn't find one logical explanation. Even with her doubts, she refused to question Rory... she didn't want to meddle. She figured that Rory would tell her eventually.
"Earth to Lorelai."
Lorelai rid her mind of her previous thoughts. "Hmm?"
"I asked if it was busy today," Sookie reminded.
"Nope, that's why I'm back here. I've left Michel to handle everything in the front desk."
"How are you and Rory?" Sookie suddenly inquired. Lorelai had told Sookie her suspicions.
Lorelai shrugged, "I honestly don't know."
"Have you tried bringing up the subject again?"
Lorelai shook her head, frowning into her mug.
"Maybe you should."
"I can't," Lorelai argued, her frustrations getting the best of her as she slammed the cup down onto the counter. "She obviously doesn't want me to know because if she did, she would have told me about whatever it was days ago."
"Do you honestly think Rory's hiding something from you? I mean, it's Rory! She tells you everything," Sookie now busied herself with peeling carrots.
"It's just this feeling that I have. And on top of that, we've grown distant these past few days," Lorelai sighed.
"How so?"
"I mean, it's so obvious that she's forcing herself to act all happy-go-lucky. There's something wrong with her and it's killing me that I don't know," Lorelai admitted, she then looked thoughtful as her blue eyes glazed over. "Oh my god," she whispered the words, "We're turning into my mother and I!"
Sookie snorted, "Don't be ridiculous."
"It's only just the beginning... first the lies, then the fighting, then... then... then..."
"Then?"
Lorelai gasped loudly, her hands grabbed the counter behind her. "Then the sex!" she exclaimed loudly "Rory's going to have sex… behind my back! Like I did with Chris"
Sookie dropped the carrot before chuckling loudly. Her face turned red and she struggled to breath as fits of laughter consumed her body. "Do... you... know... how... ridiculous... you're... be-being," she clutched her sides. After her laughter subsided, Sookie resumed peeling the carrots. "Listen, your relationship with Rory will not become like your relationship with your mother." Sookie explained, "Okay... to get rid of your ridiculous assumptions, why don't you go and pick up Rory from school today? Michel can handle everything here. And then you guys could go for coffee or something and just talk."
Lorelai contemplated her friend's suggestion before nodding.
-
Rory let out a relieved sigh as she exited her Physics classroom quickly. Lunchtime. She grinned inwardly at the thought of food. The hallways were more crowded then usual and Rory had to resort to pushing and shoving just to reach her locker. She ignored the unusual giggling and whispering as she brushed past a group of sophomore girls. She reached her locker and hurriedly spun the combination.
"Hey Rory..."
Rory jumped and whipped back, coming face to face with a teenage boy she was not at all familiar with. She opened her mouth to speak.
"Who are-"
"Nathaniel Davidson," the red haired teenager answered, grinning ruefully.
Rory slammed her locker shut, her stomach ached for food. "What can I do for you, Nathaniel?"
Nathaniel grinned even more at her question. "I know a few things."
Her perfectly trimmed eyebrow rose at his suggestive answer. "Sorry. I'm not interested," she remarked, walking past him toward the cafeteria.
"That's not what I've been hearing."
Rory came to a sudden halt, biting her tongue to keep from lashing out at the boy behind her. She played with the strap of her backpack, contemplating different ways to kill the red-haired Weasley wannabe. She imagined him falling from a steep cliff, landing in a patch of thorny bushes. Smiling, she turned her body, blatantly ignoring the students around her.
To Rory's surprise, Nathaniel Davidson had disappeared. He was, however, replaced by none other than Paris Gellar.
"Paris," Rory greeted steadily.
"Walk with me, will you Gilmore?" Paris requested coolly, her eyes transfixed on the brunette.
Rory turned around, her eyes meeting the inquiring faces of several students. She fought the urge to roll her eyes as she nodded to Paris, silently agreeing to her suggestion. She joined Paris' side quietly, while inwardly longing for any piece of food to feed her famished stomach.
The walk to the school courtyard was a silent one. It was filled with awkward, tense silence and Rory fervently wished that she had gone to the cafeteria instead of following Paris. And finally, they stopped. Rory sat on an empty school bench; she bit her lip as she watched Paris follow.
"What did you-"
"Are you aware of the rumours?"
"Rumours? What rumours?"
"The rumours about you and Tristan."
"Tristan and I? What could they possibly be saying about us?" Rory asked this question almost inaudibly as an awful realization settled in the pit of her stomach.
She was no longer hungry.
--
AN: Ick… sorry about the crappy-ness of this chapter. I just had to write it as a filler to the next chapter. Next chapter will be less crappy… maybe even border good. And again, I apologize for the lack of Tristan in this one… he'll be in the next one… I promise you that. Grin
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for your reviews. They mean the world to me and they keep me writing!
P.S. Rory will not get pregnant in this story. I think it will only complicate things even more… and I think there's enough angst in this story as it is.