Chapter Fifteen

Three days passed before anyone noticed anything off about Rory again. She was sitting in the school cafeteria not eating the food in front of her and her book and walkman were suspiciously absent. Her eyes were fixed on the table that Tristan used to sit at. Her facial expressions were miserable and her body language could easily be read as sad and uncomfortable. Her attention was torn away from the empty table by a commotion on the other side of the cafeteria. She snapped out of her daze just in time to hear someone say her name. She looked over in the direction the voice came from and sighed softly. "Yeah?"

"Did you see that Duncan was back?"

Rory looked at Paris closely. "What?"

"He must have been a very good boy during Christmas break if they pulled him out of Brentwood and put him back into Chilton." she said condescendingly before walking off

Rory nodded. "I guess Bowman will be happy his lackey is back." she mumbled

"You're right. Now if only Tristan would come back..." came a voice from behind the pair

Rory closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning around. "Oh that would be fantastic wouldn't it Summer? They could point and laugh while you throw yourself all over Tristan and then giggle like idiots while he turns you down."

"You Know Rory you really are quite the little bitch." Summer snapped

Rory placed her hand over her heart. "Thank you. Really. It makes me feel all warm and tingly inside when you say things like that. But really, I'd rather be a bitch than a slut. Word of advice. If he does come back from Switzerland, he likes his girls brainy not slutty. If you want him back you're going to have to grow a brain first." she said snapping her bag up in her hand forgetting about her lunch tray and storming off.

No one bothered Rory for the rest of the day.

xxxxxx

Friday night dinner came too fast for both Gilmore's. Rory was certain that this week would be the week that her grandmother finally noticed something was off with her, and Lorelai was certain that since Rory had come home from school Thursday obviously upset about something , she was going to get an earful from Emily Gilmore assuming that Bitty Charleston had been running her mouth again. And for some insane reason they had agreed to bring Dean with them.

Rory fidgeted in her seat the way to Hartford. Lorelai was certain she would hop out the second the car stopped. So five minutes after she had parked the car she was surprised that Rory hadn't moved a muscle to unhook her seat belt let alone get out of the car. She looked back at Dean who had barely said a single word the entire way up there and smiled. "Hun, why don't you give us a minute. Go ahead up to the door and we'll be there in a just a second." she asked sweetly knowing that Dean would do just as she asked. The second he was away from the car she looked at Rory. "Something wrong?" Lorelai asked curiously. She wasn't actually expecting Rory to answer so she was shocked when she did

"I called Summer a brainless slut two days ago."

"And..."

"And I'm pretty sure she told Charleston, who probably told his wife, who probably told Grandma that they've been having problems with me at Chilton since before Christmas break."

Lorelai nodded. "Why'd you call her a brainless slut?"

"Because she is a brainless slut." she said before unbuckling her seat belt and moving to get out of the car.

Lorelai nodded. "Fair enough." she said to no one in particular before grabbing Rory's arm and stopping her from getting out of the car. "Ror."

"What?"

"I'm going to stop acting like you haven't been acting 'off' since Christmas soon you know." she sighed as she watched Rory look at the ground. "You've been getting better at hiding it, but that doesn't mean I don't know about it."

Rory sighed. "I'm..."

"You're not fine. So don't even say it. I listened to you cry yourself to sleep last night."

Rory shook her head fiercely. "I don't want to talk about this right now." she said effectively ending the conversation by getting out of the car.

Lorelai acknowledged that but slipped in, "Just tell me what it would take to make you happy again?" before they got to Dean

"A time machine." Rory answered almost inaudibly just before the Gilmore's maid of the week opened the door. She quickly entered leaving Lorelai frowning behind her.

xxxxxx

An hour into dinner, Emily decided to bring up Chilton.

"Chilton's fine Grandma." Rory said politely

"And your classes?" Richard asked

"They're great."

"That's great."

"You know I was talking to Bitty Charleston yesterday..." Emily said missing Rory's face pale and Lorelai's nervous eye dart, "And she said that the Raymonds had re-enrolled their son Duncan. Do you know him? He's in your grade I believe."

Rory nodded. A nervous feeling in her stomach over powering her ability to form long sentences. "Yes."

Emily may have missed Rory's posture tense even more at the mention of Duncan but Lorelai didn't. "So what's so special about Duncan?" she asked talking to Emily but looking at Rory

"Well it was quite the scandal. Duncan Raymonds, Bowman Edwards, and Tristan DuGrey decided it would be a great idea to break into Ryan Edwards, Bowman's dad's safe. Lord knows what they were looking for in there. But the alarm went off and it must have scared them because they tried to get away. It took six cops to finally arrest them. After the all got out on bail, Bowman was shipped off to Andover, Duncan went to Brentwood and from what I hear Tristan is an inch away from getting kicked out of that Suisse boarding school he supposedly loves so much. If you ask me the boy shouldn't be in a place he loves. He should be somewhere that makes him miserable." Emily said distastefully

"I agree." Dean said surprising everyone at the table, since it was the first time he had initiated any kind of conversation all night

"You do?" Emily asked

"Of course. The guy is a jerk. He shouldn't be partying in Switzerland he should be somewhere he hates. Plus he broke the law he shouldn't be rewarded." Dean said calmly

Lorelai looked over at Rory who looked like she was going to blow any second now. "You know what's fun? Playing with your food. Isn't that fun?" Lorelai said trying to change the subject. Although it appeared it was unsuccessful.

"I wasn't aware that you had met Tristan DuGrey Dean." Richard said conversationally

Dean nodded. "Several times. He spent some time trying to date Rory."

Rory dropped her fork on her plate and looked at Dean angrily. "You know what I agree with Mom playing with your food is fun. Can you make your broccoli dance Mom?"

"I didn't know that. Well I'm glad he didn't succeed then. That boy is nothing but trouble. He's the black sheep of the DuGrey family. He's probably the reason Janlen is in such poor health." Richard said

Rory rolled her eyes. "You liked Tristan Grandpa." she reminded

"I highly doubt that Rory." Emily said

Rory sighed. "At my sixteenth birthday party. I was standing with Tristan in the foyer. Grandpa talked to him for almost ten minutes about Janlen and about himself and before Grandpa went to make the rounds again he said he approved of Tristan."

"Oh. Well he was probably drunk." Emily said

"Yes. Yes I must have been. There is no way I would have approved of Tristan DuGrey courting my only granddaughter. The boy is a miscreant."

Lorelai watched Rory look down at her plate sadly. In an attempt the cheer her up she tapped Rory's foot under the table. When Rory looked up at her she saw Lorelai making her broccoli dance.

"He's rude and he's a jerk. I completely agree with you Mr. Gilmore." Dean said smiling

At this point Rory has clearly heard enough from Dean. "Oh please. Do you even know what the word miscreant means?" she snapped

"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore! That was out of line!" Emily snapped viciously

"I'm out of line?! You three are the ones sitting here talking about Tristan like he's the devil incarnate. None of you know him."

"Rory, why are you defending him?!" Dean snapped

"The whole safe thing was a joke. They didn't break in! Bowman had a key. The alarm that went off was a silent alarm so there's no way they heard it and tried to get away."

"Rory what are you..."

"There were not six cops chasing after them because not only did they not run but there were never any charges filed. The police that Bowman's dad called before he knew who got into the safe agreed to let their parents handle it themselves!" Rory yelled. "Bowman wasn't even in Andover. His parents decided to teach him a lesson by enrolling him in a public high school but no one in Hartford society is supposed to know that!"

Lorelai looked at Rory who was getting more and more worked up, then at the elder Gilmore who obviously couldn't believe they were being spoken to that way by Rory and then at Dean, who like Rory was getting worked up but he was just flat out hurt and angry.

"I mean if you want to gossip and bash people at least get your facts straight!"

"Rory you will stop speaking to your grandmother this way right this instant do you understand me?!" Richard demanded

"And oh my God! As far as Tristan goes, you'll all be happy to know that he's not even in a Suisse boarding school so there's no boarding school to be within an inch of getting kicked out of!"

"How would you know!" Dean yelled

"Dean, I seriously suggest lowering your voice." Lorelai threatened

"How do you know he's not in Switzerland?" Dean snapped this time his voice much lower

"Because I know where he is!" she yelled finally admitting it to someone. Tears started to well in her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" Dean asked angrily

"I don't know who you three think you are. He's the least thing from happy. He's the only one out of the three that actually got punished! And you three are sitting here condemning him. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe when this all happened almost five months ago that he might have been going through something?!" she said tears spilling down her cheeks

Richard and Emily finally realizing that Rory was upset stopped their Tristan bashing and looked closely at her. But Dean was still far to angry at her. "Who cares what he was going through? Who cares the least little bit about Tristan DuGrey and his problems."

"I do!" Rory yelled before clapping her hand over her mouth in shock

Dean's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

Rory looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She had finally admitted it and she had gone one step further and admitted it out loud. And now that she had there was no going back. "I said I do." she said softly and slowly still in shock, "I care what he's going through. I care about his problems."

"Rory..." Lorelai started

"I care that he spent Christmas alone while his parents went skiing in Aspen."

"Rory..." Lorelai said again still not getting her attention

"You can't care about him and be with me Rory." Dean snapped

"Dean.. You don't want to..." Lorelai tried. Richard and Emily just sat there watching like it was a spectator sport.

"Excuse me?" Rory snapped

"You heard me Rory. You have to choose between the two of us."

"I'm not seeing Tristan Dean! There's nothing to choose between." she said angrily

"I love you. I want to be with you. And you love me too. Pick me."

Rory looked at him her eyes wide. She kept hearing Lane tell her that she couldn't stay with Dean if she didn't feel the same way he did. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths but her thoughts were attacked by the memory of Tristan kissing her. "Dean you really want to do this?" she asked once she got the ability to talk back

"You can't be with me and him both."

"And the fact that I'm not with him is apparently completely irrelevant."

"Maybe you're not technically with him but..."

"There is no but! I'm not in any way shape or form with Tristan Dugrey."

"Then where have you been for the last four and half months Rory?! Because it hasn't been with me!"

Rory nodded. "You're right. I haven't been with you. And that's not fair to you. It's time to fix it."

"Rory..." Lorelai started not liking the look she saw on Rory's face or the tone of her voice. "What are you..."

"Grandma. Grandpa?"

"Yes Rory?" Emily asked

"Would it be ok if I stayed here tonight?" she asked politely

Emily and Richard nodded. "Of course but I'm afraid I don't understand..."

"I'd like to go up to my room can I be excused from the table?"

"Of course."

"Mom do you think you could drive my ex- boyfriend home?" she said before walking out of the room.

Dean immediately stood up and followed after her. "What are you talking about Rory?! We can't break up! I love you!"

Rory sighed. She had admitted way to much on the Tristan front and wasn't about to admit anymore but she realized that she was going to have to hurt Dean or he'd just keep coming back. "I don't love you."

Dean stopped moving behind her and felt like a weight had been dropped on his chest. "What?"

Rory however felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. "I don't love you. I don't know if I ever did."

"Because of Tristan?" he snapped angrily

Rory shook her head furiously. "No because of you!"

"Rory."

"This has nothing to do with Tristan! This is about you. You don't even know him and you have done nothing for the last year and a half but bad mouth him. So you two got into a fight at that dance. So what! He wasn't mad at you. He was mad at me! The one in the market, also mad at me! He made my life hell! Not yours! How dare you wish he was miserable! You have a family that loves you! A little sister who adores you, a mother and a father who would do anything for you. Do you know who Tristan has? No one! He spent Christmas alone! Thanksgiving alone! New Years alone! Guess you got your wish! He's miserable! Now get out!" she yelled before heading upstairs

AN: sorry this took forever I'm suffering from some writer's block... hope you enjoy it...