A/N: Okay, so my dad turned off the computer last night and the first 2 pages of this chapter weren't saved. I was SO mad. Alright, so here's the next chapter. Thank everyone so much for the reviews!
Disclaimer: Don't own…
On with the story…
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Chapter 2: Pick Up Your Jaw Dugrey
"So what do you see in that guy again?" Paris asked Rory.
"God, first Jess now you," Rory said exasperatedly as she got in the passenger seat.
"We're just looking out for you," Paris' voice softened considerably as she paused in her actions of turning on the car.
"Hey what are we talking about?" Tristan asked as he slid into the back seat of Paris' Mercedes.
Rory sighed, ignoring Tristan completely, "I know," she laid her head on the window signaling the end of the conversation.
Paris started the car and they took off for Hartford.
"Thanks for clueing me in guys," Tristan said sarcastically.
"Shut up Tristan," they said together and the rest of the ride was made in silence save for the faint sound of music from the radio.
Once they arrived at Chilton, they got out of the car and started for the doors.
"Will you need a ride home?" Rory asked Tristan.
"Yeah," Tristan answered.
"Okay, meet us at the car at the end of the day. Don't be late or we'll leave you," Paris stated.
"Uh, okay," Tristan said.
"She's not kidding," Rory turned around and told Tristan.
"Okay," Tristan stopped walking as he saw one of his friends Tyler coming over to him.
"Did I just see you get out of a car with Paris Gellar and Rory Gilmore?" he asked.
"Yeah," Tristan answered, distracted, still thinking about how different Paris and Rory acted around each other compared to when they were around everyone else.
"Uh, why?" Tyler asked.
"I thought it would be around by now, huh," Tristan started, figuring that the news of his parents' death would be around the social circle by now.
"What?" Tyler asked confusedly.
Tristan looked around making sure that only Tyler would here him. If it wasn't already around, then he wasn't going to help the rumor mills.
"My parents died in a plane crash on Wednesday. I have to live with my uncle in Stars Hollow now. Rory lives there and is best friends with my cousin that also lives with my uncle and Paris spends most of her time there. Rory came in and woke my cousin and me up this morning and since I don't have my car from my house yet, they gave me a ride," Tristan explained.
"I see," Tyler said as they continued their way into the school.
"Yeah."
"Did I just see Tristan Dugrey get out of your car?" Louise asked Paris when she met Rory and Paris at their lockers.
"Yes," Rory answered.
"Why?" Madeline asked.
Rory looked around, not wanting to help the Chilton rumors, before leaning in and telling Louise what happened. Both Madeline and Louise gasped and put a hand to their mouths.
"Poor Tristan," Louise said.
"I know, poor guy," Madeline agreed.
"Oh yeah, he's heartbroken," Paris deadpanned.
"You're so cold Paris," Louise remarked.
"Whatever." Paris slammed her locker close and took off for first period with Rory trailing behind her.
Rory walked up beside Paris and linked her arm with Paris' as they continued down the hall with Louise and Madeline looking disdainfully after them.
After School; At the Car
"Where is he!?" Paris exclaimed.
"I don't know Paris," Rory said exasperatedly since Paris had been asking that same question for the past 20 minutes. Just as Paris was about to ask again, Rory saw Tristan walking up, "There he is!" Rory said suddenly and pointed to where Tristan was walking leisurely to the car with three or four friends trailing behind him.
"Where the hell have you been Dugrey?" Paris yelled as soon as he had reached the car.
"Well hello to you too Paris," Tristan smirked as his friends laughed.
"You want to be an ass, we'll leave you here," Paris said and hopped into the car.
"We'll let Luke know you're walking," Rory glared at Tristan for upsetting Paris and got into the passenger seat next to her.
"Come on guys," Tristan pleaded. His friends were leaving him and if he had to walk home it would take him forever. He had already missed the bus back.
"Look Tristan, you may be king of Chilton, but you don't rule Stars Hollow, we do," Rory gestured between her and Paris, "So get over yourself and either be at the car on time or walk the fuck home, okay?"
Tristan nodded dumbly and got in the car.
"Didn't know you cussed Mary," Tristan came back to senses and remarked to Rory.
"Only when I feel it necessary," Rory replied. The rest of the ride was made in silence much like the ride to school.
Once they arrived at the diner, Paris popped the trunk and got out a big suit case. Rory got out of the car and walked into the diner holding the door for Paris and locking the car with the keys that Paris had given her before she got her suit case.
Tristan, very confused, proceeded to get out of the car and run up to Paris who was on her way up the stairs to the apartment, "You're not staying here are you Paris?" Tristan asked and cringed awaiting her answer.
"No you idiot, I'm going to change so that Rory and I can help Luke out until Aunt Lor gets done at work. Then Jess will carry this home for me," Paris explained as she pulled a more casual outfit out of her bag and walked to the closed bathroom door, "Rory, you done in there?"
"Where's Jess?" Tristan asked.
"Almost," Rory called through the door.
"Okay," Paris said to Rory, "Still at school, private schools get let out a little before public," Paris directed to Tristan.
"Oh," Tristan said and sat down on the couch. He was still getting used to the life style of Stars Hollow.
"Done," Rory said as she walked out of the bathroom with her uniform in her hand.
She was dressed in short, light blue jean shorts, a plain, fitted pink t-shirt, and white flip-flops with her hair up in a messy bun.
"Mary," Tristan said, having never seen her in regular clothes.
"Yes Tristan?" Rory asked as she bit her bottom lip.
"I-I…," Tristan trailed off.
"Pick your jaw up Bible boy," Paris remarked and entered the bathroom.
Tristan crinkled his brows, speechless, "What?" Rory asked subconsciously.
"N-nothing," Tristan stuttered just as Jess walked through the door.
"Hey," Rory said and went over to hug him.
"Hello, why aren't you guys in the diner? It's packed down there," Jess said as he pulled back from the hug.
"Blondie was 20 minutes late getting to the car," Rory jerked her thumb behind her towards Tristan.
Jess looked to his cousin and saw the way he was looking at Rory. He instinctively pulled Rory closer and tightened his arms around her waist. Rory gave him a look. Jess glanced at her and back at Tristan.
"You okay Tristan?" Jess asked.
"What? Yeah I'm fine," Tristan said and shook his head as to bring himself out of his reverie.
Just as Jess was letting go of Rory, Paris came out of the bathroom, "Hey Jess," she said with a knowing smile which Jess returned as he gave Paris a hug also. Paris was dressed similar to Rory with dark blue jean shorts, a black fitted t-shirt, white flip-flops and hair up in a pony tail.
"You guys never dress like this," Tristan finally said.
"Tristan," Paris said, pulling away from Jess, "you never see us out of school and when you do it's at some socialite party where we're forced to dress 'nice'," Paris said.
"True," Tristan conceded.
"Right, so you girls need to get downstairs. Tell Luke we'll be down soon," Jess said as he fully let go of Paris.
"Okay," Rory smiled, kissed Jess on the cheek and followed Paris out the door.
"What do you mean 'we'?" Tristan asked.
"Huh?" Jess asked as he watched the door closed then looked back to Tristan.
"Why are we going downstairs?" Tristan asked.
"Listen," Jess started, ignoring Tristan's question, "Rory and Paris are…they're very important to me and this whole town. I saw how you were looking at them, and man, I have to warn you, if you hurt them, this whole town will be in line to kick your ass. I'm not kidding around here. Don't mess up." With that, Jess left the apartment to go down and help out in the diner.
Tristan sat back in the couch for a few moments, then got up and went to his bedroom. He changed into jeans and a t-shirt, and then went downstairs.
"Where's Tristan?" Luke asked as Jess stepped into the diner.
"Right here," Tristan said before Jess could answer.
Luke handed him a pencil and pad, "Get to work."
"Alright," Tristan said and took the pad.
"Jess, you're in the kitchen. Lorelai and I have to go and it's Caesar's day off," Luke said as he made his way to the stairs.
"Okay," Jess put down the rag he had picked up and got right to work in the kitchen.
Tristan was overwhelmed with the fast pace the diner was going at. All you could see was Rory and Paris going around to tables, taking their orders and going back to the kitchen where Jess would cook and then yell out 'Order up!' and one of the girls would go grab the ready food and bring it to its destined table.
"Come on!" Paris yelled.
Tristan snapped out of whatever he was in and started to take orders. A few minutes later he was in the swing of things when Lorelai, followed by Dean stepped into the diner.
"Offspring!" Lorelai yelled when she saw Rory.
"Hey mom," Rory said as she whizzed past her mother to the kitchen where she got a couple's drinks.
"Pear!" Lorelai yelled.
"Hey Aunt Lor," Paris smiled at Lorelai and gave a table their order.
"Jess!" Lorelai yelled throughout the diner, knowing he was there, but not seeing him anywhere.
"Yes Lorelai?" Jess called from the kitchen.
"Luke is…?" she trailed off hoping Jess would complete the sentence.
"Upstairs," the four teens answered together.
"Thank you," Lorelai said deliberately and disappeared behind the curtain.
"Hey Rory," Deans said brightly.
"Hi Dean," Rory chirped with a fake smile on her face. She was really getting tired of his perkiness all the time. I mean, it was like the guy was either really happy or really mad.
Talk about extremes.
Dean leant down to give Rory a kiss and as soon as Rory tried to deepen the kiss a little, he pulled away.
"So, what are you doing tonight?" Dean asked.
Rory rolled her eyes and continued waiting tables, "My mom and Luke have to go to Hartford for the weekend so Paris and I have the house to ourselves."
"Oh, maybe I could come over," Dean suggested with a sly smile.
Rory looked bored, Paris looked appalled, and Jess and Tristan looked like they were ready to tear the guy's head off.
"Look Dean, Paris and I never get the house to ourselves so we were going to just veg out all night and do laundry," Rory explained.
"Do laundry?" Dean asked incredulously.
Rory stopped in her tracks and turned to Dean. He had been following her around the diner after they had said hello. The whole diner went silent and awaited the words that would come out of Rory's mouth. Anyone that knew Rory even a little bit could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't happy.
"Yes Dean," she spit his name, "my best friend and I are going to go home tonight, order the food our moms hate that we love, watch movies, and do laundry. Now, if you have a problem with that, well you can take that up with them," Rory snarled and gestured to Paris and Jess who were glaring daggers at Dean. They just didn't like the kid.
"Fine," Dean spit and walked out of the diner with a slam. Rory was unfazed by the loud sound, but the rest of the diner jumped.
Slowly the crowd started whispering about the scene that had just unfolded before them. Rory, Paris, and Jess ignored them, but Tristan was fascinated that these people were so fucking nosey.
Night; Crap Shack
"Okay, so what should we do first? Colors or whites?" Rory asked as she pointed to two laundry baskets filled with clothes.
"Well, what did we do first last time?" Paris asked.
"Whites," Rory answered after a few moments of thinking. She was in white sofe shorts and a mint green camisole.
"Then lets do colors first, they might get mad if we don't," Paris smiled up at Rory from her seat on the floor in front of the couch eating chocolate popcorn. She was dressed in black sofe shorts and a blue camisole.
"Alright, let's get started," Rory sighed and picked up the heavy basket only to fall back down because of the weight.
"You're pathetic Gilmore," Paris laughed at her best friend.
"You come pick it up!" Rory countered.
"I don't think so!" Paris said adamantly.
Before Rory could reply there was a knock at the door. Paris, still laughing, got up and went to the door.
"Food!" Jess exclaimed as Paris opened the door. She found Jess and Tristan standing in front of her with bags of Indian food in their hands.
"Hey Jess, Dugrey," Paris acknowledged them and opened the door wider to let them in.
"Hey Pear, I paid the delivery guy," Jess said as he stepped past her into the house and to the living room to see Rory sprawled out on the floor next to a laundry basket, "Haven't I told you not to try and lift laundry baskets?" Jess scolded as he set down the bags of food on the coffee table and went over to Rory.
"I'm sorry," Rory pouted and Jess smiled down at her. She looked like an angel with her hair sprawled out around her head. He wished he could have her, but he couldn't.
He reached down and pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled up at him and he smiled back, "It's okay, I'll take it in for you."
"My hero," Rory swooned then giggled like a little girl as she watched Jess easily carry the basket to the laundry room.
"So, how long have they been in love?" Tristan asked Paris as they took the food Tristan was holding into the kitchen.
"Since I've known them," Paris replied.
"That was…?"
"Since I was eleven," Paris smirked.
"Unbelievable," Tristan whispered in awe.
"Not when you know a Gilmore's stubbornness and a Mariano's denial," Paris replied as she watched Rory and Jess flirting in the living room.
"So, how long has Tristan liked Paris?" Jess wondered.
"Probably as long as she's liked him," Rory replied with a smile.
"So, forever?" Jess questioned.
"Pretty much," Rory replied.
Knock…Knock…
"I'll get it," Paris called from the kitchen, Tristan following behind her.
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A/N: Okay, so there it is. I was going to put the whole night in this chapter, but it's nine pages and frankly I just want to post it now because I feel bad about not getting it out sooner. So, here it is. Press the pretty little button!