Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Gilmore Girls.

True friends stab you in the front - Oscar Wilde

'There is a time and a place for this Tristan.' I heard her say as if she was telling him off but when really she was giggling and winding hair around her finger like some chick from a bad 80s movie.

'I agree. Any time at my place.'

Suzy laughed in a way that I supposed was trying to be seductive but came off as plain annoying. Well to me anyway. It was gross. Where did he come up with this shit?

I was considering letting Tristan continue with his man-whorish ways but then I reconsidered as I had just eaten breakfast and didn't want to ruin my new shoes.

'Excuse me Tristan can I have a word?' I interrupted by stepping in front of Suzy who let out a exclamation of disbelief. Her long red painted nails ran through her sickeningly silky hair and I wondered why she was wasting her time with a guy that had probably slept his way through her entire posse. Was there something about Tristan that I wasn't aware of? I looked him over quickly and saw what I always saw. A good looking guy who had the morals of a tom cat. Yeah, I really just didn't get it.

'If you don't mind Mary, I'm kind of busy.' He said with an exasperated sigh and shook his head at Suzy as if trying to brush me off as a crazy person.

'Ahhh yeah. Rude much?' Suzy injected tossing her hair to the side and I hoped her brain didn't roll out of her ear in the process.

'Not much. Just a little.' I said indicating how much a little was with my fingers followed up with a humourless smile.

'Tristan I'll meet you in our usual spot.' Suzy ignored my comment but looked at me with disgust and stalked off in her ridiculously high shoes. Tristan and Suzy's usual spot was in the janitors closet doing something other then cleaning.

'God does she have any self respect?' I snarled.

'Suzy's cool.' Tristan said quickly defending his latest conquest as he turned back to his locker to retrieve some books.

I watched him for a moment before I slammed his locker shut right in front of his face.

Tristan looked a little startled before his eyebrows drew together to create a rare frown. 'What's your problem?'

I pushed him in the chest. 'What's my problem? What's my problem?' I repeated, not believing for a moment that he didn't know what I was talking about.

'PMS?' He said looking a little pissed.

'Ah...no. More along the lines of hearing from Gerard Flipping Sanders that we were hooking up?' I cringed at the thought of anyone thinking that me and Tristan were actually doing what Tristan and Suzy do on a regular basis.

Tristan's eyes bore into mine but I couldn't read anything from the unusually hard stare. 'Flipping? You're seventeen years old and you can't ever use a proper swear word. I don't think anyone is going to believe that we have been randomly hooking up Rory.' He said with disgust in his voice.

I scoffed at him. 'Well Gerard certainly did. He actually had the audacity to ask me how I felt after giving up the V card. Why would he say that Tristan? What have you said to people?'

'Nothing! They probably saw us outside of school one day. Big deal Rory, so it's a rumour and to be honest not a very convincing one.' He looked me over and I saw the beginning of a smirk. 'So what did you say back to him?' he asked a little amusement creeping into his voice and wanted to smack him in the face for it.

I stared up at the ceiling and clenched my jaw before turning back to him. I could not believe his flippant attitude to this mess. 'Well lets see, after denying vehemently that me and you never hooked up and him giving me a look that clearly meant he did not believe me, I said you had a wiener the size of a toothpick and I obviously didn't feel anything.'

I stalked off down the hall before I could see the shocked look that I know would be plastered on his face. His reputation of being a "great" lover was probably the only reason why half the female student body was attracted to him in the first place. I can imagine he wouldn't be very happy with my description of his sexual weapon.

Before I knew what was happening I was spun around by a hand gabbing my wrist and ended up looking directly into Tristan's clear blue eyes. His face only inches away from mine. I could actually feel his breath on my face. And smell it too...spearmint. Most of the girls in this school would love to be in this position. I didn't however when all I saw was him looking at me like I lost my mind.'You said what?'

'Listen Tristan. This little deal we have...when is it actually going to start to work in my favour? It has been almost two weeks, I haven't met your parents despite actually practically inviting myself over. I even organized it with your brother for crying out loud! If you don't remember why we are doing this I'm happy to jog your memory. Your dad and my test and Harvard? Remember now? God what has gotten into you lately?' I snatched my wrist out of his grasp and impossibly I glared even more then I already had been. ' Is there something your not telling me?'

In the span of thirty seconds Tristan had gone from annoyed to bored. He didn't even have the decency to look at me.

'Like what?'

I heaved my shoulders up and threw my hands in the air. 'Like...I don't know. What are you waiting for?' I said irritated at his weird behaviour ever since this stupid deal was struck. I once called Tristan a friend but at this precise moment I don't know what I could call him, besides A Hole that is.

'I'm sorting it out.' He snapped focusing on me. Again his face unreadable. I wondered if I should mention that this thing was his idea and not mine. I was starting to wonder if Harvard was really worth all this work.

'Really? That's nice to know Tristan. Well while you are busy sorting out god-knows-what please tell me how I'm supposed to explain this to Jess if he somehow hears that I am hooking up with the schools man-whore?' I almost shouted this at him. I saw a few students that were making their way to their respective classes glance at us in curiosity.

I tried to ignore them as I pulled Tristan to an empty doorway.

'Rory, I'm not going to give you relationship advice. I don't care about whats-his-face or what he does or does not believe.' He started walking away from me but then snapped back around and gave me a filthiest look I have ever seen on his face. 'Rory I'm a little insulted that that is all you think of me. I actually had the idea that you were my friend.'

He stormed off before I could respond.

I didn't go to the cafeteria for lunch today, instead I retreated to the safe comforting surrounds of the school library. I was still humiliated that people think I've actually had sexual intercourse without being in any sort of long term relationship. I was a child born to teenage parents...like that was ever going to happen! Though I knew the main reason was that I didn't want to see Tristan.

Not for the reasons that I wanted myself to believe. I knew I didn't want to see him because he was causing unnecessary drama in my life. I didn't want to see him because he was making me fail in Chemistry. I also didn't want to see him sucking face with Suzy or any of the schools preppy cheerleaders.

No, I mainly didn't want to see him because I didn't want to relive the look he gave me before storming away from me. Tristan never looked at me like that. He usually gave me flirty smiles, sarcastic grimaces, wry grins. Never disgust and hate.

I groaned and ran my hands over my face to try and remove the memory from my mind.

'What are you doing out here tramp?'

I snapped my head up ready to argue when I realized that it was only Paris who was walking towards me.

'Argh not you too!' I groaned loudly. Loudly enough to have the librarian shoot me a warning look.

'Please! Like I believe that drivel. I'll repeat myself as you refused to answer my question but what are you doing hiding out in the library?'

I picked up my little paperback and waved it in front of Paris's stony face. 'Reading, what does it look like?'

Her prickly stare was usually enough to frighten me into confessing but not today. 'It looks like your running away from confrontation that's what it looks like. Tell me I'm wrong?!'

I put the book down neatly on the table and smiled. 'Wrong.'

'Liar!'

'So what!' I hissed. 'I don't want to go in there, I can just hear what they are all whispering about me. How humiliating. I cannot and will not do it!'

I realized I sounded like a five year old but I would do anything to make this go away, if that meant hiding until graduation then so be it.

Paris crossed her arms over her chest in a display of dominance. 'Oh yes you will Rory. I don't have cowards for friends.' She narrowed her eyes at me. 'And so what if people think you banged Tristan, who cares if they think you banged the whole football team for that matter. What difference does it make to them? It's just something to keep there boring mindless existence somewhat entertaining.'

'At my expense!' I exclaimed.

'Pftt like you talk to any of those gossips anyway.' She said it as if that made it any better.

'If it were you in this position I know you would be here sitting in the library. Burying your head in the sand...or books in this instance.' I pointed out to her.

'No, because I would expect you to be the kind of friend I am and make me face up to them and show them that they are not only wrong but they can't break me.'

I sat for a moment and tried to suss her out. Paris had a hasty way of talking that made complete and utter sense and for a moment she had me convinced. For a moment. Then it passed.

'Yeah still not going in there.'

Paris sighed and started using a voice she only used on children. 'If you don't show up, people are going to think that you are avoiding the situation because it actually happened. By not showing up you are admitting your guilt. You are basically telling the school that yes you hooked up with Tristan and you are too embarrassed to show your face.'

'Oh no no no.'

'Oh yes yes yes. Look at Summer. Remember when she hooked up with Taylor from the baseball team and he told the whole school that he had hit a home run but she denied it?'

'Yeah.'

'Well when she started avoiding social settings what did you honestly think?'

I rolled my eyes I knew where she was headed with this. Summer had an unfortunate "supposed" affair with the Baseball stud and forever labelled, to put it mildly a strumpet, especially after she had once dated Tristan. Though she had apparently sworn an oath to Paris that it wasn't true. Before today I was still in two minds when people discussed it. Now not so much. 'Ahhh fine, but if anyone says anything...'

'Don't worry. I'll protect you.' She grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my comfortable chair, proving to be a lot stronger then her little frame depicted.

We walked together into the cafeteria though it felt more like the green mile as I could feel all eyes on me. Though in reflection that was what happened everyday I guess, people had to look somewhere. I held my head up high and collected my food and somehow managed to each my lunch in peace. No one said a word.

The funny thing is though that Tristan was no where in sight.

But then again neither was Suzy.

I declined watching Sixteen Candles with my mother that night. The thought of that movie made me a little ill. Especially when I had a guilt ball the size of a flipping dinosaur wedged in my stomach. I was obsessing over how horrible I was to Tristan. I was only in this state because I told Paris what happened and she called me a bitch. The statement wasn't unusual for her but it kind of hit me harder then normal because I realized that it was true. It wasn't like Tristan spread that rumour and I was so horrible to him...

Instead I lay in bed looking at the wall trying not to think.

I couldn't read because my mind couldn't concentrate. I couldn't watch TV for the same reason. I couldn't even bring myself to call Jess because he would sense that something was wrong with me and demand to know what the reason was.

While I lay feeling sorry for myself my phone sounded that I had a message. Reaching across to the bedside table I picked it up, expecting it to be from Jess wishing me a good night. It wasn't though. It was from Tristan.

I sat up quickly and opened the message. A little nervous about what he was going to say to me.

Okay Rory dinner on Saturday night at my folks. 6pm. Don't be late.

I breathed out a sigh of relief.

Fine. I typed back.

Though his message was short and not very friendly, he was still talking to me and that was a good sign. Though I had to ask myself why I was so worried. It wasn't like he was that close a friend. I have lost a few friends over my lifetime and I had never felt as awful as I had the thought of losing Tristan.

Tristan though he was a womanizer, he also made my life bearable at Chilton. He made me laugh, kept my sarcasm at it's peak and he kept me from over thinking everything. I guess I needed him in my life.

I would never tell him this of course, however I made myself promise that I would apologize the next time I see him for calling him a strumpet. I couldn't stand the thought of him not pestering me at my locker or in class or smiling at me the way he never did to Suzy the blond cheerleader.

That smile for me was mine alone.

I couldn't lose that.