CHAPTER 6
Tuesday was a day she would never forget. As much as Rory was excited to see Tristin, she dreaded coming in contact with Charlie again. Every time she passed by Charlie, her heart palpitated faster than usual, leaving her feeling faint the moment he left her eyesight. It's not like it was his fault that she felt primal around him. She surely welcomed the attention but it made her feel uncomfortable nonetheless.
The rest of the week she buried herself in school work and when she got to the radio station, she made herself indispensable to the sound control team and the more permanent radio announcers of the money making branch of the corporation. With the exception of curt hi/bye greetings, she maintained a professionalism that would make anyone with type A personality proud.
But the façade ran her to the ground. By Friday, she was exhausted.
"Miss Gilmore, may I have a word with you?" Mr. Bellefonte, her creative writing professor asked her to stay when the class was over.
Rory waited until the room emptied out before she flashed the professor a bashful smile.
"Miss Gilmore," he stated, "I would like to say that you are a good writer. As far as grammar and spelling goes, you at least know how to use apostrophes in the proper context."
"Thank you," Rory smiled at the praise.
"However, I don't think you've submitted your best work yet," he pointed a knobby finger at her. "I know it is early in the semester and the core writing assignments haven't been given out yet but I would like you to start thinking hard about what you think you can wow me with."
"Of course," Rory said, the smile disappearing.
"I have been told that you are taking American Lit under Higgins?' he asked.
"Yes, sir," she muttered.
"Pick the brain of young man Witter," he suggested. "That boy can be the next Hemingway if he ever starts to apply himself."
"I will do that. Thank you," Rory replied before walking out.
Rory was spiraling into her inner panic mode. She still has to tell her mother that she got herself a job. She still has to make a decision as to accepting or declining to stay at her dad's for the weekend. She still had to make time to start her research paper for her American History course.
"You'll think yourself to the grave if you keep that up," Pacey woke her up from her trance. As their routine allowed them, they headed to the dining hall for lunch.
"Keep what up?" she asked.
"The stern face," he said candidly. "Joey used to do that a lot and it drove me bonkers!"
"How come I am not surprised by that?" Rory forced herself to smile. The fact that he seems to be able to mention the brunette's name almost in every conversation made her think that he has an obsession over her.
"Because if school's that bad, everyone should be dead by now," he pointed out. "Learning is there to better one's life, not end it tragically by memorization!"
"Ah, the teacher in you is coming out," Rory chuckled. "But I hate to break your bubble. I wasn't memorizing."
"Then what? Get a bad grade?" he snorted. "School had barely started for you to think about your GPA."
"No," Rory bugged her eyes out at him. "I was thinking about… stuff."
"Ooh, how mysterious," a twinkle of mischief flashed in his eye. "Maybe 'Stuff' would eventually introduce himself to me so I, too, can have that glazed look."
Rory smacked him on the shoulder playfully. "If you must know, I just had a talk with Professor Bellefonte and he asked me to think about my writing project for the semester."
"Ah, Barnacle Bellefonte. What has he been up to?" he said with great fondness.
"He actually suggested to pick your brain for a topic or at least suggestions for writing material," she confessed. "He thinks you'd be the next Hemingway if you applied yourself."
"Wow," Pacey was taken aback by the compliment. "I never knew he thought of me that way."
"Well, he's impressed with you," Rory told him. "So I guess you have to give me some of your best work to get me going in his class."
"But it's Friday!" he whined. "Can we talk about it later?"
"Okay, okay," Rory huffed and gave him a few seconds before asking again. "How much later?'
"Like Sunday later," he clarified as he placed his books on the tabletop. "I am going to party tonight like it's 1999."
"But it's 2003!" Rory smiled at him feigning ignorance.
"Don't tell me you've never heard of the purple mayhem formerly known as Prince?" Pacey alluded.
"Only that he wore a Raspberry Beret," she sang the chorus to the song in a playful, off-key manner.
Pacey laughed and tossed his napkin her way. "So, what are your plans for the weekend? Work?"
"Nope," she shook her head as she chewed on her sandwich. "I have a date with the library."
"Of course. The library doesn't like being stood up," Pacey agreed mockingly.
"And I still have to consider having dinner with my dad some time this weekend," she sighed.
"That couldn't be that bad," Pacey made light of the quandary. "Unless you and your dad aren't BFFs or something."
Rory chuckled. "No, we're actually pretty typical father-daughter in the loopy kind of way. I'm just not that fond of my step mom."
"There lies the problem," Pacey stated.
"She's not bad, don't get me wrong," Rory clarified after she cleared her throat with her drink. "It's just that she tries too hard to be my buddy and she's not. My mom's my buddy."
"I don't think your mom's going to beat you to a bloody pulp if you befriended your step mom," Pacey suggested. "If you're going to be here for four years, wouldn't your dad think it's kind of strange that you've been avoiding him just because he has a different girl beside him other than your mom?"
"I guess you're right," she averted her gaze from him.
"Anyway," he said. "I happen to be the steward of a pretty schooner that's docked on the bay and I was wondering if you'd be my guest to the little barbecue happening tonight."
"Hmm, I don't know," Rory was indecisive.
"Please," he begged, grabbing her hand from across the table. "I would be eternally grateful."
"Who's going to be there?" she asked.
"Just a handful of friends," he said. "Audrey, Jen, Jack…"
"Oh, will Joey be there?" she asked.
"I think so," he crumpled his forehead. "Apparently, she's a little upset with me from what Audrey told me."
"Why?" Rory was baffled.
"It's Joey," he guffawed. "I'd sneeze and she'd be upset with me. Who knows?"
"Well, I would be honored to join in the festivities," Rory accepted the invite. "Do I have to bring anything?"
"We can stop by the grocery store on the way to the pier. Pick you up by the dorms around five?"
"Sounds peachy," Rory agreed.
"Great," he said, getting up. "I have to go learn about Classroom Management here in twenty… Oh, and dress warm. It may be sunny but the breeze gets nippy once the sun sets."
"Duly noted," she replied as she watched him take off.
oooo0----0oooo-------------
Audrey was bored out of her mind as she, Joey and Tristin performed the experiments for their Physics Lab course.
"So what are you wearing tonight?" Audrey asked Joey as she watched her pour a blue liquid into a boiling solution.
"Audrey, concentrate," Joey tried to keep her roommate in focus.
"Going out tonight, huh?" Tristin made a side comment as he recorded the change of temperature and pressure marked on the gauges as Joey added the chemicals.
"Something like that," Audrey said. "Party pooper here still won't talk about said shindig because she's still pissed at Pacey."
"I didn't say that!" Joey remarked as she put the flask down.
"Are you still upset with Pace?" Audrey confronted her.
"Yes," Joey admitted.
"Are you thinking of not showing up just to tick off said Pacey?" Audrey continued her line of questioning.
"Maybe," she retorted.
"So what has he done now?" Tristin asked, taking off his protective eyewear. "For someone who's supposed to know you well, he's been the cause of your misery since I've met you."
"It's complex," was all Joey said.
Tristin laughed. "Are you still upset that I tattled on him?"
Audrey's curiosity was piqued. "You tattled on Pacey?"
"Well, I didn't know I tattled on him until I met Jen…"
"You met Jen?" Audrey finally found something to be interested in.
"Can you be more of a parrot?" Joey was getting irritated with her.
"Well you didn't tell me that she's finally met Jen," a glimmer of hurt surfaced on Audrey's face. However, she quickly recovered and continued on hounding Tristin. "Did Jen think you're Charlie?"
"No," Tristin chuckled. "Charlie was there."
"Bunny? Why didn't you tell me all this?" Audrey scolded Joey.
"Because it's not important!" Joey replied as she rolled her eyes in impatience.
"Not important? Not important?" Audrey huffed. "Think of the ramifications! Jen? Charlie? Tristin? Confusion galore, thank you."
"Well Rory seemed to diffuse the bomb a bit," Joey added. "She apparently is acquainted here with Tristin."
"Wow. I didn't know we lived in alterno-universe here," Audrey exclaimed. "So soap opera-ish without the commercials in between."
Joey and Tristin exchanged glances. Both had no clue what she was inferring to at this point.
"Tristin, you have to come to the barbecue tonight," Audrey suggested.
"What?" both Joey and Tristin asked, surprised.
"Well, Tristin can be your date tonight," Audrey proposed to Joey. "If Pacey really gets on your nerves tonight, you can leave with Tristin." Turning to Tristin, "You're acquainted with most of the people showing up tonight anyway."
"Thank you. I didn't know you were appointed my day planner," Tristin replied sarcastically.
"You don't have to go if you don't want to," Joey put her hand on Tristin's arm.
"Well, do you want to go?" he asked Joey sincerely.
"I do but…" she hesitated. "I am a bit upset with him for what he did to you."
"He was just being protective," Tristin calmed Joey down. "I probably would've done the same if I knew someone close to me was out and about with Charlie."
Joey squinted her eyes at him. "You would?"
"Yup," he admitted. He saw what charm he had over Rory.
Joey rocked back and forth on her heels after digesting the information Tristin fed her. "So, would you like to join us for a barbecue tonight?"
"It would be my pleasure," he said.
Audrey started clapping her hands. "About damned time! Now, what are you gonna wear?"
oooo0-----0oooo-------
Tristin was rather impressed when he, Audrey and Joey descended upon the floating beauty. The 105-foot windjammer was a sight to behold.
"Is this his?" Tristin asked.
"Actually, it belongs to the Dean Gates," Joey informed him.
"As in Dean of Humanities Gates?" Tristin verified.
"The one and only," she said.
"How did he score such a beauty?' Tristin inquired.
"The Dean or Pacey?' she asked.
"Pacey," he clarified.
"Well," Joey recalled fondly. "Pace is a man of the sea. He sailed with the Dean two summers ago and thought he was a great on deck so he kept him on board. Actually he helped him get into Harvard."
"Impressive," Tristin muttered.
"Permission to come on board?" Audrey called out from the pier.
Rory peered over the side of the schooner and smiled. "Hey!"
"Rory, you're here!" Audrey squealed.
Rory descended from the platform and met the trio.
"I didn't know you were going to be here," Audrey admitted, giving the slim girl a bear hug.
"I didn't know I was going to be here until noon today," she said hugging the blonde in return.
"Hi Rory," Joey greeted, hugging her, too. "I hope Pacey didn't muscle you to come to his barbecue."
"Actually he saved me from spending a boring weekend in the library," she admitted.
"What? There's an excuse for you to stay away from a room full of books?" Tristin teased her.
"What are the chances I could push you over the water?" Rory threatened him playfully.
"Will you be warming up after I get wet?' he asked maliciously.
"Wow," Audrey whistled. "Is it me or is it getting hot here?"
Not a moment later, Pacey glanced their way and waved them in.
"Rory, when someone asks permission to come on board, you don't jump out. You say 'permission granted'," he teased her.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, blushing. It was rather strange that she hid behind her former classmate.
"You should know better than let your right hand shipmate give the permission, captain," Joey replied dryly.
Pacey laughed out loud. "So right, Miss Potter."
"So, permission to come on board?" Joey requested.
"Permission granted," he smiled back, holding a hand out for her to take.
"Mister Todd, I am rather surprised to see you here," Pacey said when he came upon Tristin.
Rory chuckled. "Pacey, he's not Charlie."
"You're not Charlie?" he cocked his eyebrow at him.
"No. Tristin DuGrey," he said. "I don't think we've been properly introduced."
"Your name's Tristin?" Pacey was surprised.
"No relation to Charlie," Tristin answered the unsaid question.
"Could've fooled me," Pacey said, shaking his hand. "So, have you met Rory?"
"Yeah. We were acquainted a few years ago," he said.
"Want a drink, Tristin?" Rory asked.
"Sure," Tristin responded before watching her disappear inside the vessel.
"Well, even if you aren't related to Charlie, I will be giving you the same warning," he stated.
"And that is?" Tristin braced himself.
"Mess with Rory and you're toast," he warned. "Is that clear?"
"Crystal," he said smugly.