CHAPTER 2

Rory wasn't one for loitering in front of establishments but when she realized she was a little over twenty minutes early for her group social, she wandered aimlessly up and down the streets until she found herself a coffee stand. Feeling lost and lonely, she decided to call someone who always made her smile.

"So how was the first day of school?" Lorelai asked through the phone.

"Overwhelming! Lots of school work for the first day," Rory commented as she handed over a crisp five dollar bill to the barista. "I wish you were here though on move in day. I miss you."

"Me, too!" Lorelai exclaimed. "If it weren't for this stupid fracture."

Lorelai Gilmore got carried away helping her daughter pack for her first year at her dream institution that she accidentally tumbled down the steps in the crap shack shattering her right shin.

"How's the cast?" Rory inquired. She was feeling a twinge of sympathy aches on her right leg.

"Itchy," she complained. "I ran out of the happy medicine and now I just have this throbbing pain."

"How have you been moving around the house?" Rory darted through the pedestrians on the sidewalk.

"Well, let's see," Lorelai hummed. "Sookie convinced me to move into your room by moving all my stuff in there. Babette comes over as soon as I get home and Luke brings me food from the diner as soon as I give him a ring. Isn't that cool?"

"As long as it's only food that he's bringing over," Rory said.

"Don't you want to know?" she leered.

"Ew, mom!" She shuddered. "Luke. He's our coffee man. You cannot covet him. It's…"

"Gross?" Lorelai finished the sentence laughing. "I just wanted to see how you'd react if I actually had relations with Luke."

"Don't scare me like that," Rory scolded her mother.

Hell's Kitchen wasn't hard to find as soon as Rory collected her thoughts and found solace in her cup of java and her mother's familiar voice. It had been advertised all weekend that the bars around the area were having "Back to School" concerts. Hell's Kitchen was one of them. Instead of busting out her street map, she just followed a few college students that looked relatively close to her age until they led her to the hole in the wall.

"So enough about me. Meet any cute guys?" Lorelai hinted.

"Mom, it's too early in the semester for that!" Rory was incensed, crossing the street across from the bar to keep a look out for Pacey.

"There's no such thing!" Lorelai countered. "If I were you, I'd start searching for someone who's like a Sophie or Junior and pretend to need their notes."

"I can't believe your actually suggesting that I cheat my way through college," Rory groaned. She leaned up against a light post for comfort.

"Oh innocent child of mine," Lorelai hummed. "The notes thing is just a ploy."

Rory's attention was sidetracked the moment she glanced back at the gates of Hell's Kitchen. Not far from her was the devil's spawn she hadn't seen since her junior year of high school. He hadn't looked her way yet and she was a little curious. Would he still call her Mary?

"Hello? Earth to child," Lorelai tried to get Rory's attention.

"I'm sorry, mom. I thought I saw a ghost," Rory immediately responded to her mother, still staring at the guy toting a hard case on his left hand. He walked in after he exchanged salutations with the crowd forming in front of the bar.

"A ghost? Where at?" Lorelai asked.

"Hell's Kitchen," Rory informed her.

"What's that? A tattoo parlor?" she inquired.

"A bar," Rory corrected her.

"Wow, you're away from mommy for four days and you've turned into a lush?" Lorelai half-joked.

"It isn't anything like that, mom," Rory tried to alleviate her mother's fears. "I'm meeting someone from school… He's introducing me to a couple of his friends from Worthington."

"He she says," Lorelai hinted.

"Yes, he," Rory said. "Anyway, mom, I have to go."

"So soon?" Lorelai groaned.

"Yes but I promise to call tonight," she said.

"You better," Lorelai said. "Do I need to send you a tazer?"

"Bye," Rory cut off her mother before she got paranoid on her.

Rory flipped her clam cell phone shut and jay walked her way up to the bar's entrance. There were several people she recognized from her classes earlier this day. They nodded toward her general direction. She returned their greeting almost reluctantly.

She saw him again. This time he was on stage, a bass guitar strapped around his shoulders. Slaps on the arms were exchanged in friendly banter. Like a moth to a flame, she inched her way towards the platform. Arms crossed in front of her, she waited to see if he recognized her.

"How about we start the set with Smoking in the Boys Room followed by 18 and Life?" the drummer, Reggie, suggested.

"Not bad," Charlie Todd commented, leafing through the song list in front of him. "I was hoping we'd get some Alice Cooper on though."

"We will," the guitarist, Austin, teased. His head swung back and noticed a mousy figure standing near the stage. "Guess you've got a new groupie waiting on you."

"What?" Charlie asked, still distracted. "Haven't gotten me a groupie since the Lindley days."

He was referring to an incident when Jen Lindley, a fellow Boston Bay schoolmate and eventual co-worker caught him two-timing her with his girlfriend, Nora.. He learned his lesson hard and fast when both girls decided to give him his due by locking him out of his room, naked. Besides, he was still smitten with a certain Worthington sophomore named Joey.

"Well, if you're not dating her, can I ask her out?" Austin grinned.

Charlie turned around and saw the brunette that looked lost in a room full of strangers drinking and dancing to the jukebox music. Intrigued, he walked off the stage to talk to Rory.

"Hi," Charlie said, a smile painted on his face. "What's a pretty face doing like you by yourself?"

Rory lowered her head, staring at the drink stained floors. "Meeting a few friends."

"New around here, huh?" he continued asking as he looked at his band mates.

"You can say that," Rory smiled. She's quite amused that he hadn't recognized her yet.

"Boston Bay?' he inquired.

"Harvard," she corrected him.

"Wow," he raised his eyebrows. "Aren't you on the wrong side of town?"

Rory chuckled. "Funny you'd say that. I thought you'd be running around wreaking havoc elsewhere but Boston."

It was his turn to be surprised. "Honey, I am trouble with a capital T and Boston is the place to be."

A flying drumstick from the stage interrupted their conversation. Charlie looked up to the stage. His friends were snickering at them.

"Well, Harvard girl," he said. "I hope you enjoy the show tonight. Let me know what you think of the band."

"I think I just think I might," she replied, a bit disappointed. As much as Tristin teased her, she wished that there'd be at least a glimmer of recognition in him. "Good luck!"

He just waved at her as he jogged back to his mates.

"So, was she an old flame?' they joshed him.

"Harvard girl? Too expensive for my tastes," he explained off-handedly.

"But you're a ramen boy on a caviar diet," Reggie poked him with a stick.

"That I am." He sighed, watching the girl's figure saunter back to the exit looking dejected.

Outside of the bar, Pacey marched the entrance back and forth, looking for Rory. Before he saw her, Joey and Audrey met him.

"Hello, stranger," Audrey greeted him with a kiss on the cheek and stealing his arm for her to cling to. "Miss us?"

"Hardly. It's been less than twenty-four hours since I've last seen you, " Pacey pointed out as he greeted the blonde. "So, were you nice to the fresh meat on campus?"

"She held back," Joey teased, also kissing Pacey on the cheek. "So where is your new friend?"

On cue, Rory called, "Pacey! Hi!"

"Oh, she's so cute!" Audrey cried out like Rory was a five year old rather than a girl of eighteen. Rory looked at her like she was demented.

"Ladies," Pacey got away from Audrey's clutches to close the gap between himself and his guest for the evening. "Meet Rory Gilmore."

"Hi," Joey held her hand out for a handshake. "I'm Joey Potter. This here is my roommate, Audrey Lidell."

"Hi," Rory replied softly, shaking the brunette's hand.

"So now that introductions have been made, shall we step inside?" Pacey ushered the women back into the smoky establishment.

It was easy for Rory to feel comfortable around Pacey and his friends. They were lively, especially the one introduced to her as Audrey. Joey was reserved the first couple of minutes until Pacey teased her about something that rattled her. Before she knew it, the two held a French-fry sword fighting contest with Audrey as referee.

As soon as the band played, her attention was diverted to the stage. Aggressive Mediocrity captivated her, if not for the bassist who was more comfortable in the shadows of his band mates.

"So what made you decide to attend Harvard?" Joey asked Rory in an attempt to include her in the discussion.

"Been a dream of mine since I was a kid," she responded, unaware that she wasn't participating in the group's conversations.

"Come on, Rory. We're not grading you here. What's your real reason?" Audrey asked.

"Audrey!" Joey hissed at her half drunk roommate.

"I wish it was something else," Rory blushed. "We came here when my mom was running away from her fiancée."

"Wow," Pacey chimed in. "Was he that bad?"

"Actually he was a great guy. He was my English Lit teacher."

Pacey had a sinister leer on his face.

"Don't you even dare, Pacey Witter. This is your student's mom!" Joey rolled her eyes at him.

Rory looked at them with amusement.

"See, there was a time in Pacey's life that he was… uhm, sleazy," Joey tried to choose her words carefully. "He 'dated' one of his teachers and got into a lot of trouble."

"Dustin Hoffman seemed to pull off the May-December affair pretty well," Pacey defended himself between sips of his cola referring to his favorite movie The Graduate.

"Hence the TA gig?" Rory asked.

"The TA thing is to help cover for college costs," Pacey pointed out.

"Strange huh," Joey replied. "You hated school! How you got into Harvard is still a mystery."

Truly, the Capeside migrants were surprised with the luck Pacey had when college fell on his lap. After sailing the Caribbean to get away from Joey and Capeside, the Dean from Worthington was rather impressed with Pacey's ability to argue, teach and earn a colleague's confidence by being honest, prompt and diligent. As soon as they docked, the Dean contacted a few of his colleagues in Harvard to help him get Pacey into a university. His less than stellar grades though made them reconsider. But with the help of Principal Green, the high school faculty director Mr. Broderick, and the dean, they convinced Pacey to take a few college courses and retake his SAT. A year and a half later, he was on his way to getting a degree, ironically, in education.

Your Momma Won't Dance was the last song played by the band before being replaced by the mainstay band Feel Love Fury. Rory was disappointed to see him leave the stage but became really anxious when she notice him trot towards their direction.

"Enjoy the show?" Charlie asked. He saw Rory take a deep breath and hide behind her hair.

"Chuck. Seems like you don't know when you're not invited," Pacey replied, stretching his arms out and resting it on the booth's backrest.

"Good show," Rory murmured almost apologetically. Charlie smiled back at her.

Joey and Audrey stared at Charlie for the longest time.

"What?" Charlie shuffled on his feet uncomfortably as he noticed their stares.

"He has better hair," Audrey replied offhandedly.

"Better manners, too," Joey added.

"What are you talking about?" Charlie was getting really nervous.

"Oh, nothing. We thought you had a twin," Joey replied.

"But he's definitely more refined than you to have any relations of sort," Audrey finished Joey's thought.

Charlie sighed. He knew he was going to be shut down by Joey and her Doberman friend. "So, Harvard Girl, I am enthused to hear that you enjoyed the performance."

"Harvard girl?" Pacey looked at Rory like she was a traitor. "You've associated yourself with the enemy?"

Rory blushed. "I… I…"

"Just teasing," Pacey chuckled, hugging Rory in comfort. "Just don't believe anything Chuckie says here."

"So, is she your new girlfriend?" Charlie asked. "By the way, we haven't been introduced formally. My name's Charlie Todd." He put out his hand in greeting.

"Rory. Rory Gilmore," she stammered, taking his calloused hands in hers.

They were warm and slightly damp from playing on stage. She was secretly relieved that he was not the man from her past.

"So, where's the party going to be tonight?" Charlie still harped the group. The three exchanged glances.

"Well, I have to get back to the dorms. I still have a lot of school work to tackle," Rory sighed, trying to excuse herself from the group outing if there was going to be one. "Plus, the last bus is going to be pulling up here in about fifteen minutes."

"You took the bus here? You should've told me so I could've picked you up!" Pacey scolded her mildly. "I should drop you back at the campus. It's my fault that you've been dragged all the way here."

"No, no, it's fine," Rory told Pacey. "I'm used to taking public transport."

"Why don't I take you home?" Charlie offered. "I have to run an errand around your neck of the woods anyway."

"You sure?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, you sure?" Pacey eyed Charlie, distrust clouding his eyes.

"I promise to make sure she gets through her doors before taking off," Charlie swore.

"Should I trust him?" Pacey asked the other two girls on the table.

"Rory, just don't let him in your room for a drink," Joey warned her.

"I think that can be arranged," Rory said, holding her breath.

"Great. Let me just have one of the guys take my bass home," he said before taking off.

Pacey let Rory out of the booth. She got out and started hugging the girls she just met.

"It was nice meeting you guys," Rory said, gushing. "I hope this isn't the last time I'd be seeing you."

"Try to get rid of us!" Audrey responded.

"Yeah, if you need any help, call," Joey added as she wrote down her cell number on a napkin. "Academically, Pacey isn't your best bet."

"Or maybe he is if you get to sleep with him," Audrey added audaciously.

"Come on, Lidell. I am not that skuzzy," Pacey replied dryly.

"Ready?" Charlie came back, toting a helmet under his arm.

Goodbyes were exchanged and Rory and Charlie were left to their own devices. They walked slowly to where Charlie parked his vehicle.

"You know I'm not as bad as those guys have painted me," Charlie tried to clean his name.

Rory chuckled. "Isn't that every guy's line?"

"So you paint me as one of the regular Joes? You wound me," he moaned.

It was Rory's turn to laugh. Where did she hear that line before? Of course, Tristin DuGrey. "I think you're trustworthy enough to take me home. Besides, Pacey will come looking for you if I'm missing from his class."

"So you guys aren't dating?" he fished for information.

"Not that I know of, no," Rory said.

"And the plot thickens," Charlie said mysteriously. "So why were you hanging around the stage?"

Should she tell the truth? "You looked like someone I knew. I just wanted to make sure."

"Old flame?" he inquired.

"No," she guffawed. "Far from it. But I was feeling a little homesick since I'm new in town and all. So when I saw you and thought you were him, I thought I could at least strike up a conversation with someone I was acquainted with."

"Yeah, I know how that feels," he sighed. "Well here we are."

They stood in front of a bike Rory was well acquainted with in her young life. "Is this your ride?"

"Yeah. I forgot to tell you that…" Charlie asked, forgetting to let her know that he didn't ride in a conventional vehicle.

Rory chuckled nervously. "It's a 2000 Indian, 80 horsepower, 5 speed close ratio Andrews transmission."

Charlie looked up at her in surprise. "Run around with Hell's Angels?"

"No. My dad had one and my mom wanted one," Rory muttered in hushed tones.

"Biker family, eh?" he teased. "Gotta meet this mom of yours."

"It's not what you think. Funny, I thought my days riding a bike are done," Rory said as she donned the motorcycle helmet he tossed her way.

"Well, hang on and I'll give you the poor man's tour of Bean Town," he said, revving up the engine.

Before they pulled out, Rory asked, "Hey, do you know a place where I can get a job around here?"

oooo0----0oooo----

After Charlie and Rory left the bar, Joey decided to call it a night, too.

"Come on, Bunny. It's not like we have any school work to do," Audrey whined.

"But I have an eight o'clock class and you don't," Joey defended herself, donning her coat on.

"Ladies, ladies, what if I take you guys back to the dorms and if Joey would like to have a night cap, I know a place where I can get us some beverages to imbibe," Pacey hinted wickedly.

"Shotgun!" Audrey yelled out as she raced them to the streets.

Fifteen minutes later, Pacey let the girls out of his car and greeted them good night when he dropped them off. As he attempted to rev up his engine, he noticed Tristin dressed in a set of gray running pants and a matching shirt.

"Oh, you better have a good excuse," Pacey said through gritted teeth, getting out of his car, slamming the red Mustang's car door shut.

"Hey, you!" he called out to Tristin.

Tristin looked around and slowed his run to a shuffle. "Can I help you?" He tried to catch his breath as he approached Pacey.

"I told you that make sure you dropped her off at her dorms, safe and sound. Not do a drive by and toss her at the curb!" Pacey yelled at him.

A frown formed on Tristin's forehead, wondering what the dark-haired man was accusing him of doing. "I have no clue of what you're talking about!"

Other than the fact that he saw his classmates, Audrey and Joey emerge from this stranger's car, he had no idea who this person is accusing him of doing.

Pacey looked away in disgust, trying to keep his anger at bay.

"Charlie, if you hurt the teeniest strand of hair on Rory's head, you're dead meat."

Just like that, Pacey stomped to his car and drove away, making his wheels squeal.

Rory? Charlie? He definitely needed to get to the bottom of this mess.

Tristin looked up the hall's directory until he found his classmates' room. He knocked loudly until someone opened the door.

"Tristin?" Joey asked, shocked to see him hover on their doorway covered in sweat and panting.

"I seriously need to meet this Charlie guy," he said urgently.