Chapter Four

Dean stared numbly at the door and Rory's retreating body for a long minute before whipping around and facing Lorelai. "What was that about?"

Lorelai sighed. "You have to back off of her right now. She's upset and I don't know why so I can't fix it. You hanging around accusing her of cheating on you with Tristan isn't helping." she practically barked

"But you're sure this mood, this funk she's in is because of this Tristan guy?" Luke said ignoring Dean entirely

Lorelai sighed. "Yes... no... I don't know really. I just see how she reacts when I mention him. He may not be the reason she's like this but something about him is bothering her."

"Tristan... he's the one that made her life hell last year isn't he?" Luke asked confused

"Yeah. He's the rich punk that she hated last year. Or at least she told me that she hated him, guess she was lying about that too." Dean snapped angrily

Lorelai groaned. "That's what you want to hear isn't it? That Rory lied to you? Give you a reason to accuse her of something."

"No I..."

"Shut up Dean. She's not cheating on you. If she was she would have told me. So now you can leave her alone about it until I figure out what the hell is going on. I don't want you within ten feet of my daughter tonight." Lorelai snapped forcefully

"But..."

"I suggest that you shut up and do what you were told Dean. Stay away from Rory." Luke interrupted

xxxxxx

The next day Lorelai wasn't surprised to see Rory walk out of her room with a scowl on her face. "What's on the agenda for the day?"

Rory sighed. "School."

"And..."

"Nothing..."

"You don't think you're forgetting something?" Lorelai asked alluding that she had

"I don't know... am I?" Rory asked with a blank face

Lorelai sighed. "We're supposed to build our snowman today after you get home."

Rory's face fell. "Oh... right... about that..."

"You're not getting out of this Ror. You entered us months ago." Lorelai said aggravated

Rory shook her head furiously. "No you entered us. I said I didn't have the desire to build a snowman and you said that's too damn bad because I already entered us."

"Rory..."

"Fine I'll help you build the snowman now can I please go to school?" Rory snapped before walking out the front door towards her bus stop.

xxxxxx

Rory made it all the way to her locker before she noticed she was being watched by the entire hallway. She turned around when she saw Paris walk up behind her. "Why is everyone staring at me?" she asked nervously. Paris just laughed and walked off leaving Rory even more apprehensive than before. Rory groaned and slammed her locker before walking straight into her Shakespeare class. She looked up at the teacher who was also looking at her funny before sitting at her desk and taking out her notebook. She had hoped that no one would bother her again but her hopes were crushed the second Summer sat down next to her.

"Hey Mary."

"What do you want Summer?"

"I wouldn't mind knowing if you know where Tristan is... he's not in school today either and I'm starting to become worried..."

"No you're not." Rory snapped

"Excuse me?"

"You aren't worried about him. You don't know where he is and it's driving you crazy because you think I do. You think I know where he is and you want the gossip so bad it hurts. Newsflash Summer... I don't know where Tristan is. Don't ask me again."

Summer smiled at the obvious pain in Rory's voice. "Even if you did you wouldn't tell me would you?"

Instead of saying anything back she got up and walked out the class hearing only a faint Ms. Gilmore being called behind her.

xxxxxx

Lorelai walked into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee and then walked over to Sookie. "Hey Sook! How's the menu coming along for tonight?"

"Great and the menu I'm using for the Bracebridge Dinner is almost finished too!"

"That's great! I'm looking forward to it!"

"Me too..." Sookie said distracted by music coming from the lobby... "What's that?"

"The auditions are starting. You wanna come watch?"

"Oo yes." Sookie said excitedly

Lorelai and Sookie walked into the lobby and smiled as the music started again. "So what's the menu for the dinner looking like?"

"We're talking seven courses here. Soup, fish, peacock pie, the Baron of beef, the salad, then the Plum Pudding and the Wassail."

"Sounds fantastic!" Lorelai said excitedly while listening to the two people playing the recorders.

"Hey, you cats really know how to blow those things!" Sookie said smiling

xxxxxx

Lorelai continued watched the musicians audition after Sookie went back into the kitchen. She was about to hire the harp player in front of her when Michel walked in. "Lorelai..."

"One second Michel she's almost done."

"Normally I would wait for the insipid harp lady to finish playing before coming in here, mainly because I hate the harp but there's a phone call for you."

"Who is it?" Lorelai asked distracted

"Your daughter's school. A Mr. Charleston I believe."

"You're hired." Lorelai yelled to the harpist before snatching the phone and walking out of the room. "Yes this is Lorelai Gilmore. Is Rory ok?"

"That seems to be the question on most of my school personnel's mind as well. We were wondering if you had perhaps seem your daughter since this morning." Charleston said with a gloat in his voice

"I sent her to school. Did she not show up?" Lorelai asked worried

"Oh yes she showed up but left shortly after the first class started. Apparently she had an altercation with another student..."

"Was it Paris?"

"No it wasn't Ms. Geller It was Ms. Roberts."

"Ms. Roberts? I'm not sure who that is." Lorelai said confused

"Her first name is Summer." Charleston explained

"Oh right Summer, I've heard about her. What kind of altercation?"

"A verbal altercation. The two were arguing about another one of Chilton's students. Well technically one of Chilton's former students."

"Who?" Lorelai interrupted

"Mr. Dugrey." Hanlin answered, "Anyway your daughter walked out of her Shakespeare class this morning and hasn't been seen since. I just thought that you should be aware of the fact that skipping classes at Chilton is strictly prohibited and that this would normally carry a punishment in the form of suspension but at the recommendation of more than one of her teachers I will let it slide just this once. See that it doesn't happen again Ms. Gilmore." Hanlin said before hanging up the phone

Lorelai stormed back up to the check in desk and handed the phone back to Michel. "I'm going out." she snapped before storming out of the inn.

xxxxxx

Rory sighed as she walked down the road passing Doose's. It had been hours since she had stormed out of Chilton. She had found herself lingering at his locker, the bench outside the Franklin where they had decided to be friends, the front entrance where he had told Dean she hated him. She knew that she had to stop thinking about Tristan. He was nothing to her really. He had never been her boyfriend, he had never really been her friend. She didn't understand why him leaving was bothering her so much. She continued to walk down the road and sighed when she ended up in front of Patty's again. She remembered replaying her and Tristan's argument in her head the day before and couldn't stop it from replaying now. Wiping a tear from her face she walked in only to find Ms. Patty sitting at the piano alone playing. "Hey Ms. Patty."

Patty looked at the clock and then back at Rory. "Shouldn't you be in school sugar?"

"Yes. Can I stay here for a little while?" Rory asked barely able not to cry as the memory of Tristan standing over her bending to kiss her flashed in front of her eyes.

Patty looked closely at Rory and saw tears brimming in her eyes. "Honey what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Rory said shaking her head furiously and wiping the tears from her eyes. "I just need to be somewhere where no one would look for me right now."

Patty nodded. "Here honey sit here." she said scooting over and patting a place next to her on the piano bench

Rory smiled. "Thank you." she said while sitting down only to have a flash of kissing Tristan while sitting at Madeline's piano. She immediately hopped up. "I'm sorry I have... I have to go." she added sobs beginning to take over her body

"Honey... what is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing I just.. I have to go... Thank you..." she said before running out

xxxxxx

Lorelai called Rory's cell phone and got no response for the hundredth time in the last hour. She decided to give up and walked back into the inn only to be hit with the news that the Bracebridge guests had been snowed in. After spending thirty minutes on the phone with the head of the Bracebridge group she walked into the kitchen and frowned at Sookie.

"Honey what's the matter?" Sookie asked concerned

"They're snowed in." Lorelai said frowning

"Who's snowed in?" Sookie asked confused

"The Bracebridge group. They're stuck in Chicago. The dinner's off."

"No."

"Yes."

"I'm gonna cry."

"I offered to fund the instant invention of a molecular transport device but they just didn't go for it."

"Oh that makes me so mad. And sad. I'm smad."

"Me too Sookie I'm smad. Oh and that's not all."

"There's more how can there possibly be more?"

"Rory's cutting school."

Sookie dropped the bowl she had just picked back up on the floor. "What do you mean Rory's cutting school?"

"She got into an argument with a girl today and just walked out."

"Rory got in an argument? Rory doesn't get into arguments."

"Yes she does. A lot lately actually, with everyone."

"Well what was it about?" Sookie asked concerned

"Surprisingly a guy." Lorelai said and then began telling her everything she knew.

xxxxxx

Lorelai looked up shocked to see Rory standing in front of her. "Fancy seeing you here." She said snottily

"You told me I had to help you build the snowman. Is there somewhere else I should be instead?"

"Yeah… how about at Chilton begging Charleston not to suspend you."

Rory's head dropped down shamefully. "Mom…"

"What in the hell were you thinking Rory! I'm not even going to ask because I know you won't tell me why you and Summer were arguing about Tristan…"

"How do you…"

"What you think Charleston is going to call me and not tell me the details…"

"I just.. I couldn't… I don't… I don't want to talk about it."

"Exactly what I expected. Just help me build the damn snowman."

xxxxxx

"How do you like that mouth?" Lorelai asked curiously

"Um… it's not very mouth-like." Rory said grumpily

"Oh, I think it works." Lorelai said defensively

"It's tilted to the side." Rory snapped acidly

"Yeah, no it was intentional. It gives her a unique expression."

"Like she had a stroke?"

"Fine, I'll just use the Mr. Potato Head lips." Lorelai snapped angrily

"No, forget it leave stroke-mouth. It's not like we're gonna win this anyway." Rory snapped before turning around and walking off.

AN: That's it… that's chapter 4… read and review… and if you think you recognize some of the dialogue it's cause you do… it was taken directly from the episode… next chapter the bracebridge dinner…