Chapter 6: Lovefool

Hayden house 7:10pm

Just as suddenly as her eyelashes had touched her cheeks, they parted. Groaning she pulled herself up onto her elbows and looked out the window to her right; from her room she could see directly into Tristan's. She got up and closed the doors to her balcony, hoping to drown out the music coming from across the way. Heading back toward her bed she cringed as the volume was raised a little higher, just enough to be herd through the walls. She grabbed her phone from the bed and pressed send. She pulled the curtains aside and saw Colin emerge from the front door. He looked up at Tristan's room and shook his head while taking his phone from his pocket.

'I know, I'm going.'

'Thank you. I guess I really do need my big bad cousin huh? At least I won't be lying.'

'He's just trying to get to ya Ror.'

'I know, I just wish he'd use better music.'

Colin laughed.

'I'll call you tomorrow.'

'K. Bye.'

They both hung up and Rory watched as he made his way to The DuGrey's front door, knocked, and a minute later proceeded to go inside. With a satisfied smirk she sat down and waited for the awful sound to disappear, but even the noise he claimed to be music – couldn't keep her from letting the smirk turn into a small smile. He was such a girl sometimes.

'Love me love me
Say that you love me
Leave me leave me
Just say that you need me
I cant care bout anything but you...

Lately I have desperately pondered,
Spent my nights awake and I wonder
What I could have done in another way
To make you stay
Reson will not lead to solution
I will end up lost in confusion
I dont care if you really care
As long as you dont go'

Her smile grew a little bigger as the night became silent once again. She looked back over at Tristan's room and watched as Colin and he spoke intensely. Getting up she once again laid down in an attempt to sleep. After a few minutes she threw a pillow across the room out of frustration, then continued singing quietly to herself. Her last thought before drifting off to sleep was that maybe his taste in music wasn't all bad.

DuGrey house 7:15pm

The second the doorbell rang Tristan knew that either a neighbor had come to complain, or Rory had come to bitch him out. Seeing as how he could see her throwing a hissy fit through her window, he was going to go with the latter. Quick footsteps made their way up the stairs and toward his bedroom. He groaned and made his way over to the door, just as a knock came from the other end. Upon opening it, he was a bit surprised by who he found. Without a word, Colin moved passed him, walked directly to his stereo and turned it off.

'Hey!'

'Are you ten?'

'Oh wow so she called in the big guns on this one. I'm assuming you're here to tell me what an incredible asshole I am?'

'Calm down, I'm on you're side.'

'You are?'

'Yea. I mean, while I don't agree with the way you handled it, I see that you meant well.'

'Really?'

'Yes. Just don't tell Rory.'

'I guess you haven't heard, I'm no longer aloud to tell Rory anything. It seems I've made it to the top of her frenemy list.'

'Actually I had heard. You're pretty screwed man.'

'Thanks. Is that all, or were you planning on bestowing some more pearls of wisdom?'

'Wow you two are ungrateful. I'm here to help.'

'How is that?'

'Well you want an in with Rory, and I just so happen to be an expert on getting back in the ice queens good graces.'

Tristan thought for a moment then motioned for him to sit down.

'OK first things first, I have to tell you that I've calmed her down a bit. She was incredibly worried about me, which in turn just made her that much more pissed off at you.'

'Why would she worry about you?'

Colin summarized the story for him as quick as possible.

'Oh shit man. Why didn't you say anything? What are you going to do?'

'We've already got it all worked out, and there really wasn't any reason to involve anyone in any of it.'

'Even me?'

'It's no big deal now, you know, and all is well. Now moving on, do you know what the hell Paris said?'

'Yea, apparently she yelled at her in front of half the school, saying that Rory's just like Lorelai when it comes to letting men treat em like shit.'

'What?!'

Colin, looked as if he were going to burst. The first thing drilled into the head of every bundle of society joy, was to always uphold the family name. The second was to stand by you're family no matter what. Lorelai wasn't only his aunt; she was like a second mother. Paris had attacked both his family and his name in front of half of young Hartford. He pulled out his cell phone and found her number. Tristan's eye's widened as the realization of what was happening hit him.

'Paris?'

Sniffling came from the other end.

'Yea. Colin look I know you're probably calling to tell me off for what I said to Rory, but please not now.'

His anger visibly disappeared and was replaced with worry.

'Are you crying?'

'I don't want to talk about it. Is Rory ok?'

'No, not really. She kind of cut Tristan off.'

'What does that mean?'

'She told him she didn't want to be friends anymore. But don't worry about it; I'm taking care of everything.'

'How come I'm not as comforted by that as I'm meant to be?'

'Do you really have no faith in me?

'Of course I don't. No, really I know if anyone can fix what happened today, it's you.'

He remained silent, not knowing how to respond. He looked away from Tristan's intense gaze. She broke the uncomfortable silence first.

'Yea so uh, I'm really sorry about everything I said. You know I love Lorelai, and the Hayden's have never been anything but nice to me. I was just talking, I know there's no taking it back really but I couldn't stand the two of you being mad at me. You guy's are my second family. '

Colin sighed and shook his head.

'I get it. Don't worry about it ok? Friday morning everything will be back to normal.'

'Friday?'

'Again with people being ungrateful, what's a guy got to do to get some appreciation around here?'

Paris laughed.

'I'm sorry, Friday is great, god knows it's a hell of a lot sooner then deserved. Thank you Colin.'

'Anytime.'

'So I hear you got him good.'

'Oh dear Paris you have no idea.'

'Did you give him one for me?'

'There were a few with you're name on em.'

They both laughed and said their goodbyes. As soon as the phone clicked closed Tristan began shaking his head.

'What?'

'Sean.'

'What about him?'

'Colin – '

'Don't "Colin" me damn it. Do you want my help or not?'

He sat quietly for a second then sighed and gave an approving nod.

'Alright so I'll talk to Rory later about that. Now tomorrow you will be going to classes, I know you can't bare to be at school all day without her being attached at the hip, but you're just going to have to deal. You have to act like nothing has changed. You're not fazed in the least bit. If she walks by you, smile. If you're around somebody who isn't funny, laugh anyway. And stop blasting these gushy love songs out the window. You're going to make the girl think you're in love with her or something.'

A sad expression appeared and then quickly disappeared across Tristan's face. Not quick enough though, because Colin caught it. His body pulled back suddenly, as if trying to escape from the room.

'No way.'

Confused, Tristan began to shake his head.

Colin stayed silent, while a million different occasions replayed in his mind. He felt like he was acting out a bad teen drama all of a sudden. As if it were scripted, everything suddenly made perfect sense; and he just started laughing unbelievably.

'No-freakin-way man!'

Tristan had apparently reached the acceptance stage in this process. He inhaled a long deep breath and released it slowly, while rubbing his hands over his face, an attempt to wake himself up from the nightmare this day had been.

Colin sat up straight and laughed again.

'Well, I guess this means we need a new plan huh?'

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Song: Lovefool By The Cardigans