Please put the doctor on the phone
Cause I'm not making any sense
Blame everyone but me for this mess
And my back has been breaking from this heavy heart
We never seemed so far
Lane sat on Rory's bed, staring at her in shock, "Wait, so you and Tristan..." she trailed off meaningfully.
Rory smiled at her weakly, "Yep."
"So he was your first?"
"Yes."
"And how many times did this happen?"
Rory thought for a moment, "Four."
Lane's eyes became even wider, if that was possible, "When?"
"The first time was after the birthday party you guys threw for me and Blake. The second was after the party in the town, the third was the night after that, and the fourth was new years."
She shook her head, "Wow. I mean, I knew that you'd spent the night at his house, but I didn't think you'd slept with him."
Rory nodded, looking out the window as she nodded slowly, "I did." Lane sat in silence staring out the window as well. "What about you and Henry?" she asked suddenly.
She turned sharply, "No." she looked back out the window, "Not yet, anyways."
"But you think you will?" Rory asked.
Lane nodded, "Yeah, I think we will."
Rory sighed quietly, "Wow."
"Yeah." they sat in silence again, the radio playing, "Hey, Rory?"
"Hmm?" she turned to look at Lane, who was still looking outside.
"Are you okay?"
Rory thought for a moment, one corner of her lips turning up slightly, "You know, I really am."
"You are?"
"Yeah. I am."
ONE WEEK LATER
Rory, Louise, Paris, and Lane were all on Madeline's oversized bed, staring at the ceiling as the clock on the wall ticked away seconds of the early morning. Rory turned her head and saw that it was 3 o'clock, and she turned back to look at the shadows cast across the ceiling by the glow of the moonlight.
When she'd come over earlier, Rory had told Madeline about her and Tristan, since she was the only one who didn't know.
They were all silent now, their breathing the only noise apart from the soft hum of the stereo. "So you're with Adam now?" Louise asked out of nowhere.
"Yeah." Rory answered quietly.
"Like, officially with him. He asked you to be his girlfriend and everything?" Madeline said.
"Yeah. After our date two weeks ago. We're officially a couple."
They fell into silence, the other four girls digesting this information. "You make a cute couple"
Lane said quietly, and Madeline made a small noise, seconding the opinion. Paris and Louise were silent, but the latter nodded slowly. Paris, however, didn't move. She simply sighed,
closing her eyes.
Rory stirred, her eyes opening reluctantly. She glanced over at the clock and saw that it was only 4 o'clock. She'd just dozed off for a little, but upon a quick look around the bed, she saw that the other four girls were still out cold. Her eyes were drawn to Maddy's window-seat, and she stood up, making her way slowly towards it. She was only sitting for a few minutes when she heard the covers rustle and saw Paris slide out of the bed. Her friend looked up and made her way slowly over to the brunette in the window. Rory shifted her feet so that Paris could sit, and they rested in a comfortable silence, both looking out at the dark sky.
"I'm sorry." she said quietly.
Rory looked up, watching her friend's outline against the night, "For what?"
The blonde looked up, biting her lip, "I really am happy that you like Adam and you two are together. I know that I never show it, but I really am."
"Thanks." she whispered, looking up at her, "I know it's hard...with Tristan gone now. You two were best friends your entire lives."
Paris smiled lightly, shaking her head, "Rory, honestly, you're the best friend I've ever had. Tristan is the best guy friend, but I mean, you being happy is important. I don't want you to feel like you can't talk to me about you and Adam, because you can. And I hope you know that."
Rory inhaled deeply, smiling. "Thanks Paris. I really do need that. And I know you don't like Adam. I'm sorry about that."
She shook her head, "It's not that I don't like him. I just can't figure him out, and I don't like it. He confuses me and it bothers me-" she laughed lightly, "-I guess it's just that I don't know him." Rory smiled, and Paris could tell that she was relieved. She looked down forcing a smile,
"Okay." and her face rose until she was looking at Rory, "So tell me about your last date with Adam."
TWO DAYS LATER
"They what?" Tristan asked, holding his phone to his ear.
"They're together. They have been for a couple weeks." Baker said quietly.
"So she's with Adam?"
"Yeah." when Tristan said nothing, he spoke again, "I'm sorry, man."
Tristan ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head, "Thanks for calling man, but I have to go"
he didn't wait for his friend to say anything before he closed the phone.
"Is there a problem?" Rick asked, looking up at Tristan. Kyle and Stewart, two of the guys in their grade, were lounging around the room. He shook his head, unable to form a sentence. Rick glanced at the other two boys, who shrugged and stood before walking out. Tristan just looked out the window, his eyes blank. "Okay, come tell doctor Rick what's ailing you." Tristan didn't move, so his friend stood, walking over to him, "Hey man, you alright?"
He looked over at him, shaking his head, "She moved on."
Rick's eyes widened, "Your girl? I'm surprised."
"Yeah. Me too. I didn't think she'd get over it that fast."
He shrugged, "How do you know she's moved on?"
"She has another guy."
His head cocked back, "Already?"
"Yeah."
Rick shook his head, "Women like that piss me off." Tristan just nodded, looking back out the window. "You know what you need?"
"What's that?" Tristan asked, looking over at him.
"A drink. It's the weekend, so the guys that have been here for a while have leave. I'll get you something. A present. It'll be a sign of my love, and I'll just leave and be back in an hour. Hell,
I'll even bring Kyle and Stewart along. They're not the heaviest drinkers, but they're funny as fuck once you get them a little intoxicated." Tristan looked over at him to see a small grin on his face, "Come on, what'll it be?"
He nodded slowly, "I guess I could use a drink."
"Ha ha. Yes. I'll be back in and hour." and he grabbed his wallet before making his way out of the room.
THREE WEEKS LATER
Rory sat on Lane's floor, her jaw dropped and her eyes wide as her best friend spoke in an exited,
hushed voice, "And then after dinner he took me to his house and no one was home." she smiled,
sighing, "we were making out and it just kind of...happened."
Rory shook her head, "I just...I'm in shock." she said quietly. "I mean, how was it? Did it hurt?"
Lane shook her head, "Not really. I mean, yeah, I'm sore. But it really wasn't that bad."
"And how do you feel? Regret it?"
"No. Which surprises me so much. I mean, I would've thought that I'd feel horrible, but I don't." she smiled, "I am really so in love with him, Rory."
Her friend grinned, "I know you are." Rory opened her mouth to say something else, but she was cut off by her phone ringing. She looked down at her bag and pulled it out, "Sorry." she said quietly, but Lane just shook her head, waving her hand. Rory smiled apologetically and flipped open the phone, "Hello?"
"Rory, you need to come home."
Her eyebrows drew together in confusion, "Mom?"
"Yes. And you need to leave Lane's now."
"I don't understand-"
Her mother cut her off, "I need to talk to you. I'm not kidding, Rory. Come home right now. You better be walking out of the door this instant."
"But-"
"Now, Rory!" she practically yelled.
Rory inhaled sharply, her mother had never yelled at her before, "Okay." her voice was small as she hung up the phone and looked at Lane, who was wide eyed. "I have to go." she said quietly.
Her friend nodded, "Who was that?'
"My mom."
Lane's eyes grew wider, but she leaned forward and gave Rory a hug, "Okay. Call me once whatever this is blows over."
She nodded, "I will." and she opened the bedroom door, making her way downstairs before exiting the old house. Ten minutes later she was entering her own home. "Mom!" she called,
and there was a reply from upstairs. Her eyes narrowed as she made her way slowly through the house, "Marco?" she called, but when her mother didn't reply to the game with 'Polo', she knew something was definitely wrong. "Mom?"
"In here." the reply had come from her own room, and when she pushed the door open, her mother was sitting on the bed, looking upset. As soon as she entered, she was questioned, "Are you having sex with Adam?"
Rory's eyes widened, "What?"
"Are you sleeping with him?"
"What? No I'm not sleeping with him."
"Don't lie to me, Rory." she warned.
"I'm not. And no, mom, I am not sleeping with him. What in the world gave you that idea?"
"Then why are you hiding this in your room?" she asked, holding up a package of birth control.
Rory felt her heart stop. She shook her head, "I just-"
"Why, Rory?"
"Just in case. But I'm not having sex with Adam."
"So then was it Tristan?"
"What?"
"Rory, come on, babe. Did you have sex with Tristan?"
She shook her head, "I-" but she couldn't lie to her mother. Never had been able to.
Lorelai closed her eyes, shaking her head, "Tell me he didn't force you."
Rory was silent for a moment, "What?"
Her mother's eyes opened, "Ror? He didn't force you, did he?" she stood up and touched her daughter's arm lightly, but Rory jerked away.
"Don't touch me."
Lorelai pulled her hand away, shocked, "What?"
"Tristan didn't-Tristan would never force me into anything." her mother's words were making her so mad that she was stuttering.
"I don't know that."
"Well you should!" she yelled, stepping away.
Lorelai shook her head, "How many times did you sleep with him?" Rory turned away,
shrugging. "Rory." she said sternly, catching her arm and bringing her around to face her.
"I don't know."
"Yes you do."
She jerked away, "Stop. I don't want to talk to you."
"Rory."
"No." she started to make her way to the door, but her mother grabbed her arm.
"So then all those times you said you were spending the night with Louise or Paris..." she trailed off, and Rory spun around.
"What? What about those times, mom?"
"You were with Tristan."
She shook her head, "No. I was with Louise and Paris when I said I was going to be with them."
Lorelai gave her a look that clearly said she didn't believe her. "So then when did this happen? The drive home from school? At a party? When did you have the time to have sex with him while you were at someone else's house?"
She shook her head, making her way back to the door, "I'm not talking to you about this."
"Why, Rory? Why, after everything we've talked about, what would posses you to throw it away for someone like him?"
Rory spun on her heel, "Stop it! I can't take this! I was fine with him being gone, and now suddenly you're bringing it up again. I do not want to hear it! You were having sex at my age,
hell, me and Blake are living proof of that-"
"You can't bring this into that, Rory."
She shook her head, "I don't want to talk to you, mom."
"So you're not having sex with Adam?"
"No, I am not having sex with Adam." she turned to leave, and her mother started to say something to her, but she ignored her and kept walking.
TWO HOURS LATER
Rory was at Baker's fuming as she kicked random trees in his back yard as he walked after her,
his eyebrows drawn together in confusion and worry. "You okay?" he asked, following her around the property.
She turned on him, shaking her head in anger, "I am...so pissed off right now. I can't even...talk." she turned back around. She couldn't go to and of the girls' houses, because she didn't want to talk to a girl. She couldn't talk to Jess because she'd known him forever...she couldn't talk to Blake because he was her brother...Henry was with Lane, and Adam was out of the question.
He grabbed her shoulders, stilling her, "Ror, breathe." she inhaled, "And out." she exhaled slowly. "Now what's going on?"
She shook her head, "I can't. I'm just so mad at my mom."
"Why?"
She sighed, dropping her head, "I don't know. I just..." she looked up at him, swallowing the lump in her throat, "I hate who I am lately."
"What the hell happened?"
She shook her head, "I don't know. I just got into a fight with my mom." she closed her eyes,
looking down, "I just-" but she was cut off as her cell phone rang. She picked it up and glanced at Baker apologetically, "Sorry." she flipped it open, "Hello?" she was silent, but her mouth opened slightly, "Blake, you're not making any sense. She what?" the girl fell silent again, her eyes widening in horror, "No. What? When?" her head was shaking back and forth lightly. "Yes, I'll be there." she snapped the phone shut, her eyes wide, and she swayed. She looked slowly over at Baker and he tilted his head.
"Ror, you okay? What happened?"
She shook her head, her eyelids fluttering, "It's my mom." she said quietly.
"What about her?"
"She-she was in an accident." she was talking quietly, as if speaking about something awful that had happened to someone she didn't know.
"Well is she okay?"
She looked up at him, not really seeing anything, "She's in a coma." Suddenly Rory's vision was in slow motion. She felt her world stand still, and then it started to tip. There was nothing she could do. Her world was crashing. It was over. There was nothing more to be said. She could no longer feel the early spring breeze...she couldn't feel the ground or hear the trees swaying. There was a loud buzzing in her head as if the sound had been turned off, but the television was left on.
Her head snapped up and she saw Baker jumping towards her. Her vision sped up and her hearing returned as she found herself in Baker's arms, her back a foot from the ground. She hadn't even felt herself falling.
And the record won't stop skipping
And the lies just won't stop slipping
And besides my reputation's on the line
We can fake it for the airwaves
Force our smiles, baby half dead