Chapter 1: Tied with a ribbon


The girl with the long brown hair and big blue eye's pushed her Gucci sun glasses up ontop of her head, pushing her long curls back in the process as she entered the halls of Chilton preatory highschool. Pausing momentarily she scaned the halls smiling and waving to various people who passed her by. As she started towards her locker her mid-thigh lengthed plad skirt swooshed back and forth. She smiled polietly at a freshman who was standing by her locker looking more then just a little nervous. Glancing over at the girl to her right she smirked and raised an eyebrow.

'Hi Rory. I'm Sara Sinclair I'm on the yearbook committee and I was wondering if I could take your picture?'

Rory looked at the girl and smiled as sweetly as she could.
''Of course."

The younger girl smiled widely as Rory handed her backpack over to Madaline, who moved off to the side laughing. She turned to Louise and rolled her eye's at the younger girl.
"Why do I do these things?"

Louise laughed and shook her head.
'Come on Ror, these people worship you. Your their queen.'
Laughing she moved off to where Madaline was standing smirking at Rory. They both knew how much she hated being told she was the Queen of the school.

Rory glared at her friends as she placed both of her hands on her hips and posed for the camera. Her smile was wide and fake. She changed position slightly, allowing Sara to get one more had a feeling she knew who it was that put the younger girl up to the task of taking her picture.
"They do not worship me."
As soon as the words had left her mouth, two strong arms moved around her waist, in one hand they held a cup of coffee, the person then leaned close to her ear and whispered softly.

'I wroship you.'
When he felt her untense he placed his chin on her shoulder and looked directly into the camera.
'Smile pretty for the camera Mare.'

Smiling she looked back at the camera and smiled brightly, this time though it wasen't fake.

The flash went off and Sara began shoving her camera into her bag excitedly.
'That was perfect! Thank you both so much! My editor is going to love me! A picture of both of you, not even Paris Geller can frown at that!'

Tristin pulled away and laughed as the girl took off down the hall.
'She apperantly dosen't know Paris.'

Laughing, Rory took her bag from Madaline and took the coffee cup from Tristin.
"Thanks your absolutly fab darling!"

Raising an eyebrow Trisin moved to get the cup back.
'Did somebody say that was yours?'

"Didn't have to. You love me. I'm the only person willing to put up with a best friend with an ego the size of Texas. Without me you'd be a lost puppy."

Tristan looked over at Madaline and rolled his eye's.
'And I have the ego.'

"I'm sorry did you say something Trissy?"

Madaline burst with laughter at the nickname, while Louise covered her mouth trying to hold hers back.

'I told you not to call me that.'

"Sorry Trissy didn't catch that .... your going to have to speak up."

Madaline stepped forward and placed a hand on Rory and Tristins shoulders.
'OK kids seperat corners.'
Standing beside Rory, she opened her locker and started to exchange the books in her bag for the ones inside of the locker. Louise walked to the otherside of the hall and did the same.
After sticking her tounge out at Tristin, Rory copied their actions.

'Real mature Mar!'

"Maturity is for old people who sit behind desks all day long."

Laughing, Tristin gave her a highfive.
'See that's why your my best friend.'

Just then Paris walked over to them.
'Why because she belongs on meds?'

Smirking he walked over to his other friend and patted her on the head.
'No Paris that's why she's your best friend.'

Before she could retort, a boy about the same height as Tristin, with black hair and green eye's walked over to them, her frown was instantly turned upside down.

The guy slapped Tristin on the back and laughed.
'You picking on my girl again man?'
Walking around him he moved to Paris` side wrapping his arms around her and kissing her on the lips.

'Speaking of people who need to be put on medication thanks to Paris...How are you doing this fine morning Sean?'

Pulling away from Sean, Paris glared at Tristin. She lunged at him and he jumped behind Rory.

'Wow real macho Tristin!'

Rory looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow. Tristin just smiled widly and put his hands on her hips effectivy stopping her from moving. Turning back to face Paris she shrugged her shoulders.
Not willing to give up Paris moved around Rory and swung at him. When she missed he started to laugh, knowing that she'd catch him off gaurd she swung again. This time she slapped him in the head. The whole group burst with laughter while Tristin rubbed his head. Paris smugly walked back over to her boyfriend who once again put his arms around her and pulled her closer to his side.

"OK come on you guy's stop it. We need to discuss this weekend."
The group let out a collective groan. Moving from behind her Tristin leaned against her locker and slid to the ground.
"I know, I know. I don't want to go anymore then you guy's do but we have to, so why not at least try and make a good time out of it?"

Louise rolled her eye's and laughed.
'A good time? There's something seriously wrong with you RG.'

"Why? Because I've come to terms with the fact that no matter how much I bitch and cry I'm not going to be able to get out of this?"

Paris who had leaned her head on Seans shoulder suddenly stood straight.
'She's right you guy's. I mean as long as we're there together, we're bound to have a good time.'

The group groaned again, Rory mouthed a thank you to Paris. The first bell rang signaling that they only had a few minutes to get to class.
"OK we'll talk about it at lunch."

After kissing Paris one last time, Sean and Louise went of in the direction of the class that they shared. Madaline and Paris went in the direction of their's.

Rory looked down at Tristin who had his arms straight out infront of him resting on his knees. His hands were in a praying form and his head was bowed.
She squated down in front of him and put a hand on his cheek. When he looked up his eye's were a midnight blue color. Even now after all these years, the fact that his eye color changed with his mood, amazed her.
"What's wrong?"

He shook his head and pulled Rory to sit beside him and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, she leaned her head against his chest and closed her eye's.
After sitting there for awhile, he watched as the last student in the hallway left.

"I'm so tired."

She haden't opened her eye's or moved her body. Tristin looked down at her and rubbed her hair with the hand that was around her shoulders.
'I don't blame you.... I don't know how you do it.'
He had herd her parents fighting the night before. He called her and told her to come over but she had refused to, for the first time, saying how it was pointless if he could here them just as well as she could.
'They were louder then usual. What was it this time?'

Groaning she moved trying to sit in a more comfortable position. When she didn't find one she returned to the one she had previously been in.
"Oh you know, what it's always about. He ruined her life, She ruined his ... then finally they agree that I ruined his and that her's is perfect. Then they make up in one of the guest bedrooms.'
She yawned and moved closer.

'He told you that you ruined his life?'

"You kidding me? If he told me that, that would make him a bad father."
She yawned again before getting up. She held her hand out to him, in an attempt to help him up. Shaking his head he stood up on his own.
"So who's the lucky girl this weekend? I know you must be getting offers wherever you go."

Tristin shook his head and Rory raised her eyebrows surprised.
'No date needed. I'm not going.'

"What do you mean your not going?!"

'I mean come Saturday night when you all walk into the ball room of the Hartford Country Club, I wont be there.'

"Tristin Anthony DuGrey! You WILL be there!"

Tristin winced and smirked at the same time.
'I hate when you call me by my full name.'

''Tris if your not there what the hell am I going to do?''

'I'm sorry weren't you the one who just ten minutes ago was saying how we should all make a good time out of it?'

"And we should! Together! Please don't make me go alone."

'You'll be fine. You'll shine and dine along with everyone else.'

 "Except my bestest friend in the world. Please Trissy! Come please!"

He hated it when she pouted. That pout got her whatever she wanted when it came to him.
'I'll think about it. Just stop calling me Trissy.'

"I love you Trissy-tin! I'm sorry!'
Her eye's widened and she grabbed his arm.
''Come on let's get to class."

Tristan groaned and threw his head back.
'How about we don't and just come back at lunch? Nobody will even know.'

She shook her head at him and pulled on his arm.
"Tris we ditched 3 times last week. Your mother will quite possibly kill me if I let you miss anymore."

'Now you know that's not true Mar. My mom loves you more then she loves me. And besides she won't risk her last hope of you rubbing off on me and suddenly turning me into a good boy.'

"Tris sweetie I say this because your my best friend. I'm pretty sure she gave up on that pipe dream a long time ago. But you are right about her loving me more then you."

He sighed dramatically and put a hand over his heart.
'Why do you say such hurtful things to me? You wound me really.'
Rory laughed and suddenly they herd quick footsteps down the hall. Both looked in the direction of the sound at the same time that the person turned the corner. Rory smiled brightly at the person who had momentarily paused to look at the people in front of him. Tristan rolled his eye's.
'Well Mar I guess that's my exit.'

"Tristan."
She began to whine.

'Rory, you can't make us get along. I promised I'd stay out of it but I never promised to be OK with him. I'll see you at lunch.'
Leaning over he kissed her one the cheek winked and then walked away.

Rory sighed and let her shoulders fall. She didn't understand why they just couldn't get along.
The footsteps were getting closer putting her smile back in place she turned around to see her not so happy boyfriend a few feet away from her.

'Well that was a nice little show.'

Her smile fell and her eye's narrowed.
"Hello to you to."

Cooper Dawson, 5 ft 9, Brown Hair, Hazel eye's, thin, not in an anorexic kind of way but a healthy thin. He moved with the grace of a cheetah on the prowl. And was an amazing photographer, not to mention the focus of all of her male friends, and Paris` anger. Madeline and Louise however found themselves stuck in the position of being on Rory's side when it came to the matter of her boyfriend. When she asked them why they defended her when it was obvious that they didn't like him either, they simply replied 'Somebody has to be on your side'. Whenever he came around everyone around her seemed to evaporate into thin air.
Out of the whole group, Tristan disliked him the most, and the feeling was more then mutual. The two boys' had even come toe to toe before, over the fact that Cooper didn't like the way Tristan had touched her. Tristan being, Tristan, of course decided to take the fight one step further and claimed that he wasn't mad because he was touching his girlfriend, he was simply jealous that he wasn't touching him.
It wasn't until recently that both boys agreed to back off. But apparently Cooper wasn't holding up his side of the deal.

"What is it this time Coop? Cause seriously I'm not in the mood to argue with you today."

He shrugged his shoulders, smirked and took a step closer. He held something behind his back.
'I'm sorry?'

"Is that a question or an apology?''
She couldn't help but smile at the boyish grin that he was wearing when he came closer.

'It's a - Let's start over.'
He brought his hand out from behind his back and presented her with a chocolate bar with a bow stuck on top.
Rory smiled as she took the bar from him and he wrapped his arms around her waist.
'Morning.'

Rory smiled and then kissed him. When she pulled away she was smiling from ear to ear.
'Morning.'

Cooper laughed before crashing his lips over hers again. They stumbled backward until Rory's back slammed into Madeline's locker. She gasped and her body arched towards his. He groaned against her lips and she giggled. The waist of her skirt was bunched up in his hands and he pulled her even closer. One of her hands was tangled in his hair and the other was digging its nails into his back, as he began to kiss her neck. She gasped when he bit her and her head fell back allowing him better access. He mumbled something against her neck that had her lifting her head. He began kissing her on the lips again, then pulled away leaving them both gasping for breath. He still held the waist of her skirt in his hands, it had risen enough to just barley be covering her.
He leaned his forehead against hers.
'You want to get out of here? Go back to my house?'

It took her a second before she realized what he was saying. Although they had come very close, they had never had sex. Not to confuse things, Rory wasn't a virgin, she hadn't been sense the end of her freshman year. She had slept with the captain of the football team after having dated him for pretty close to 3 months. Being that he was a senior and she was a freshman, that's what had landed her in the position of being one of the pretty and popular. And also with the title of Queen of Chilton, that's what her friends called her anyway. Tristan having been through something similar with the most popular girl in school, had him in the position of being her king. After that she didn't sleep with guys unless she was dating them, and for longer then 3 months. Given that she had been with Cooper for close to 6, she still didn't feel like she was ready. She sighed and pulled back so she could see him better.
'Coop we've talked about this already. I thought you understood that I'm -'

Cooper pulled away completely and shook his head.
'Not ready. Yea I know Rory.'
They both stayed silent and Rory began to fix her skirt nervously. Off in the distance they herd a girl laugh loudly.
'You know what fine. I gotta get to class anyway.'
He turned and started to walk away.

Suddenly feeling like she was going to cry, Rory pushed away from the locker.
'Cooper!'

He spun around catching her by surprise at how angry he looked.
'You know what Rory? You can't expect me to just wait forever!'

'What's that supposed to mean?'
That made her angry, she had forgotten about her unshed tears.

'It means that I'm a guy and I'm not going to sit here until your ready. There are plenty of willing girls out there.'
Now this time when he turned and walked away, she let him go.

Rory stared with wide eyes as he walked away. As he turned the corner his words suddenly hit her and she became even angrier. She let out a frustrated scream and kicked the locker below hers. She herd the girl off in the distance laugh again. Then realizing that it was comming from the direction Tristin went in she picked up her backpack and stormed off in that direction.

Tristin pov

5 minutes earlier

He was on his way to class when Samantha Levy, the new girl at school, came walking out of the girls bathroom twirling her long brown hair around her finger. She looked up at him and smiled flirtaciously.

'Hey Tristin.'

He smirked and walked over to her.
'Hey Samantha. What are you doing out of class?'

'My alarm clock went off at the wrong time. My Chem teacher locks us out when we're late. What are you doing wandering around here all alone?'

'Rory, says I have to go to class today.'
Everyone in school knew they were friends. So when he brought her up to girls they didn't get jealous they simply moved on from the topic.

Samantha let out a loud laugh. Then catching herself she covered her mouth and looked over at a class down the hall. Tristin laughed and shook his head.
She smiled and started to play with the collar of his shirt. She moved closer, leaving her only inches from his face.
'So do you always have to do what Rory says?'

He smirked and pulled her closer.
'There's always exceptions.'

She giggled then leaned up and kissed him.

Present

Now there he was leaning up against a set of lockers making out with this girl who he had met at most four times.
He didn't hear the footsteps that were approaching he was to into the girl in front of him. She was an exceptionaly good kisser. One of the better ones if he had to say so himself. It wasen't until he felt Samantha pulling away that he realized they werent alone.

'Go.'

Confused he looked over at Rory and saw how pissed she was, he looked back to Samantha and saw her confusion writtin all over her face.

Samantha looked between the two before her eye's stopped on Rory. She saw that Rory looked upset, angry, but like she was about to cry.
'Excuse me?'

'Rory!'

The girl looked over at Tristin and shook her head at him.
'No Tristin it's OK.'
She turned to Rory and saw that she looked like she felt bad.

Rory sighed and looked down. Then looking back up she saw the girl, who she remembered to be Samantha Levy, looking at her.
'Look I'm sorry OK? I'm just in a really bad mood, which I know isn't any reason for me to be mean to you, especially because I don't even know you, but you were there and Cooper's an ass and I did it and I'm sorry. But I told Tristin to go to class and he didn't so now his Moms going to be pissed, but I can't really say anything because I'm not in class either and now I've forgotten what the whole point of what I was trying to say was - oh right I'm sorry. I just really need to talk to Tristin.'
She sighed and looked away. When she looked back both sets of eyes were on her. Tristin looking concerned and Samantha looking amazed.

Samantha gave a small nod patted Tristin on the chest then walked away with wide eye's.
'Whoa.'

Rory sighedand ran a hand threw her hair.
'Great the new kid just saw me have a breakdown!'

Distracted Tristin pushed himself away from the lockers and stepped towards her.
'Don't worry about it - she porobably didn't understand half of what you said. But I did, what the hell happened?'

Rory stayed silent for a few seconds, she just stared at Tristin who looked like he was about to hunt Cooper down and kill him for whatever it was he had done. She looked away nervously and crosssed her arms just beneth her chest. She looked around the empty hallway, her eye's landing on the two large double doors that led to the student parking lot. She bit her lip and looked back at the boy in front of her. She tilted her head in the direction of the door.
'Let's go home. I'll text Maddy, Finn and Colin later and have them get our assignments.'

He watched her for a second trying to gauge weither or not she was serious. When he saw that she was, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her towards the doors where their cars were waiting. No questions asked.
'You know Finns going to be pissed that we left without him right?'

Thinking about her Austrialian friend, her eye's grew.
'I'll just ask Maddy to do it she has a free period after 5th it'll be easier for her. And besides Colin will tell. The little rat.'
She started mumbeling things about Colin being a rat-faced jerk.

Tristin threw his head back and laughed. He pulled her closer to his side and kissed the top of her head.
'God I Love ya Gilmore.'

Rory smiled before looking up at him with an irritated look.
'I'm a Hayden.'

He just gave a small nod and continued walking.
'You know eventually your going to have to tell me what the hell happened right?'
He felt Rory nod against his shoulder.

When they came to Rory's car she opened the door and moved out of his grasp. Leaning up she kissed him on the cheek.
'I love you to Tris.'
Smiling she got in her car, shut her door, put on her seatbelt, started the car and rolled down her window. She smirked up at Tristin and threw her head in the direction of his Black Porche.
'Now get your ass in the car and race me home.'

Tristin laughed as he turned around and jogged over to his car. As he put the key in the door lock he herd her rev her engin. He looked up just in time to see her speed out of the parking lot. Shaking his head he hurried his actions and jumped in the drivers seat of his car. He turned the radio on full blast and pushed play on the CD he kept playing in his 5-disk CD player. Putting it on the song he was looking for, he pulled out his cell phone and smiled wickedly as he dialed her cell number.
'hel-'
As soon as he herd her answer the phone he layed it down in the empty passenger seat next to the speaker blasting 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' By Britney Spears. He smiled brightly as he pictured Rory wince and begin to yell about how the music he listened to was a crime against nature, and how he was no longer her best friend, that Shawn was.
He continued laughing as he drove towards his house, where he was pretty sure Rory was already sitting and waiting.