Author: Nat

Rating: PG13

Spoilers: I’m Australian and because we’re so far behind I don’t think it applies… besides, it’s mostly AU anyways.

Pairing: Rory/Tristan

 

Standard disclaimer applies

 

A/N: Ahhh… I feel like I’m back in my groove here. I didn’t really like the two previous chapters… But I had to get them out of my head and onto paper so to speak, so I could move on past them. Hopefully you’ll all like this chapter more (though I promise nothing) It’s longer at least, that might make up for the storyline *smirk*.

 

Thanks to Sus for beta-ing once again. Surya for the encouraging reactions to the spoilers. Thanks to Nate for his encouragement. Thanks to all you lil loyal reviewers! Your reviews mean everything, please keep them coming! See what happens when you review Chocs? You get what you asked for!

 

Also, know that I’m not going to tell anyone what Tristan and Rory were doing in his room before Jordan interrupted in the last chapter. Feel free to make it up in your head though ;)

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- The Life and Times of an Unwelcome Third Wheel -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tristan and Rory broke up.

 

And it was so weird. Everything was weird.

 

The first month they were broken up Tristan avoided Rory. It was probably this behaviour that made everyone think he had done the dirty on her and cheated. The second month it was Rory avoiding Tristan. By then the gossips had given up and moved on to more interesting subjects.

 

The third month they were broken up I saw them in the hallways together more than when they were actually going steady. It was like they couldn’t stay away from each other. They would have these whispered arguments and then one of them would storm off. Then all of a sudden they started to avoid each other.

 

I knew why. It was because of what happened at Madeline’s party.

 

But of course Tristan is the luckiest son of a bitch on the earth. Everything he wants, he gets. It might not have seemed like that in the beginning, but everything always works out the way he wants it to.

 

Except when it comes to Rory.

 

I was told to get a tutor for trig. I was failing and Tristan had reverted to his asshole brother gig and refused to help. So I asked Rory.

 

She didn’t want to at first. But I begged and pleaded and bribed and finally she agreed to stay behind and catch a later bus like she did on the days she had student council meetings. I think it was because she and Tristan were getting along slightly better by then that she agreed.

 

Then the weekend before my make up trig test she came over on a Saturday afternoon to study with me. This probably would have been fine because Tristan was out doing whatever it was he did to escape listening to Dad talk about how he was screwing up his life with the way he was acting. But then my mother invited Rory to stay for dinner.

 

And Tristan showed up with a girl.

 

This girl, her name was Carli. And I knew it was Carli cause she spelt it out. C. A. R. L. I. Every single time Tristan introduced her.

 

‘It’s Carli, like, with an I, like c, a, r, l, i!’

 

She was perky and bubbly and vapid and she annoyed the shit out of Dad. That was amusing at least. Dad would start an argument with Rory on say something like Shakespeare and Carli would keep interrupting with these stupid comments like ‘Hamlet was, like, a good movie, but Lethal Weapon 3 was so much better.’

 

Dad would just flat out ignore her, but Rory would look from her to Tristan and back again and then she’d start to talk about movies. And she would zing all these little underhanded comments directed at Tristan. It was great because Tristan couldn’t really say anything back with his date at the table.

 

And Carli kept asking our Mother questions and I could see her getting tenser and tenser until in the middle of desert Mother stands up and announces she would like to show Rory the night-blooming orchids. They leave the room together and Dad shoots this look at Tristan that clearly states someone will be dying for tonight.

 

*

 

Rory felt as tense as Cecille Dugrey looked as they walked along the lighted footpath to the hothouses.

 

“Are you sorry you stayed for dinner, dear?”

 

Rory hesitated before answering. “No. And yes.”

 

“You’re welcome anytime dear, you know that.”

 

“Didn’t much feel like it tonight.”

 

“Ahh, it’s the Dugrey failing. When they do well, they do exceedingly well. When they fuck up, they fuck up completely.”

 

“Mrs Dugrey!” Rory sounded shocked, and then she giggled.

 

“Sorry dear, I’ve picked up this habit of blurting out things before I think about it. A side affect of the latest prescription.”

 

Rory nodded as they walked into the large hothouse. “How are you doing? I haven’t seen you to ask lately.”

 

Cecille shrugged as she handed Rory a flashlight. “I’m alright I guess. This prescription, aside from a few small side affects, seems to be working well for me.”

 

Rory nodded. She had had many conversations with Cecille Dugrey and she had never seemed as lucid as she did now.

 

“I want to get better.” Cecille blurted, “It’s just… It’s not, it’s-”

 

“Not that easy?”

 

“Yes.” Rory falls into step behind Cecille as she walks between two shelves of plants. “I have a thirteen year old son who sees me as a woman who lives in his house and a seventeen year old son who can’t talk to me. I would give anything to be well enough to be their mother. A proper mother. But it’s just not that simple.”

 

“They love you.”

 

“I wonder about that sometimes. It’s hard on them. I make it hard.”

 

“No, you don’t.”

 

“Don’t pretend to think that you know me.” Cecille snapped at Rory.

 

“I don’t know you. But I know Tristan and I know Jordan. And I know they love you.” Rory stood there, waiting for Cecille to say something. “It is hard, but it doesn’t make them not love you. It doesn’t even make them love you less.”

 

“You’re so sure of that.” She sounded like a little girl to Rory, a lost little girl.

 

“I am.” Rory took her hand. “Are you going to show me the orchids?”

 

“Of course, of course.”

 

For half an hour they wandered through the hothouse, Cecille sharing her love of flowers with Rory.

 

Rory glanced at her watch it was getting late. “I’m sorry Mrs Dugrey, but I’m going to have to call it a night.”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I can get a little caught up out here.”

 

She smiled, “That’s perfectly okay. I’d be more than happy to stay if I didn’t have to get up early in the morning. It’s beautiful in here.”

 

“During summer, you must come with Emily to the Cereus Party.” They had exited the hothouse and were slowly walking back up the path towards the house again.

 

“The Cereus Party?”

 

“It’s a succulent that blooms one night a year. Very beautiful, very hard to grow here, especially considering it’s a desert plant native to Nevada.”

 

“And you have one? I can’t say I’m surprised after seeing what’s in the hothouse.”

 

They entered the house arm in arm to find David and Jordan playing a game of chess. Tristan was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Carli-with-an-i. Rory tried not to let her disappointment show.

 

“Rory, dear!” David Dugrey demanded, “Did you enjoy the orchids?”

 

“I did. They’re all very beautiful.”

 

“Indeed, indeed. None of them, however, can hold a candle to my sweet wife and yourself.” Rory grinned as Jordan rolled his eyes at her behind his fathers back.

 

“Cute.” She replied. He laughed and stood from his game.

 

“Tomorrow, Son? It’s past us old folks bed time.”

 

“Sure, Dad.” Jordan replied sticking his finger in his mouth and poking out his tongue as David and Cecille left the room together. “That’s just gross.”

 

“What?” Rory asked as she gathered her book bag and coat.

 

“Ancient people holding hands.”

 

“They’re hardly ancient.” Rory laughed.

 

“Oh they so are. They’re like, forty.”

 

“Be careful there Jordan, you might catch it.”

 

“Catch what?”

 

“Old age.” Rory grinned to herself as Jordan rolled his eyes at her again.

 

“You can’t catch old age.”

 

“Don’t bet on it. First you start to forget things, then, you start to get wrinkles and grey hair. It all goes downhill from there.” She said confidently. Jordan walked with her to the front door.

 

“Thanks for the help today.”

 

“No problem. If you get stuck tomorrow give me a call. If not, I’ll meet you first thing Monday morning in the library, okay?”

 

“Sure.” Jordan replied as Rory stepped outside to find Tristan sitting in the driver’s seat of the jeep, his feet resting on the small running board. “Bye Rory.”

 

The door closed behind her and Rory made her way over to Tristan and the jeep.

 

“Tristan.”

 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d be staying for dinner.”

 

“It doesn’t matter Tristan. We’re not together anymore.” She pulled the door open further as Tristan slid out of the car.

 

“No, we’re not.” He stood in the door, blocking her way to the driver’s seat.

 

“What do you want Tristan?” Rory could feel the urge to fidget, but held herself still. She knew what he wanted.

 

“I want you.” He moved in towards her, invading her personal space, and she felt her back hit the inside of the jeeps door. “That still hasn’t changed.”

 

“Too many other things have though.”

 

“Yeah, I’ve heard that one already. Right before you had sex with me at Madeline’s party. Right after too.”

 

Rory shoved at Tristan, trying to get him to move so she could get in the jeep and get away from him. He didn’t move. “Don’t.”

 

“Don’t what? Don’t remind you of the things you’ve said and done?”

 

“Just don’t.” Rory’s hand was no longer pushing at him, instead it was holding onto his jacket.

 

“You know, every time I see you, I start to wonder why we broke up. Because, I still want you, and I miss you.”

 

“You broke up with me.” Rory could feel her eyes tearing up again and she didn’t want to cry. She’d cried more over Tristan than she had in her entire life.

 

“Yeah, but I don’t know why anymore.” Tristan dipped his head and kissed her temple. His lips moved over her jaw and to her neck as she replied in a soft voice.

 

“Because I kissed Jess.” Tristan pulled away.

 

“Yeah, but you’re not with him right?” She shook her head no. “Then why aren’t we together? You only kissed him that one time right?”

 

She ducked her head.

 

“You kissed him more than once? God Rory!”

 

“Tristan-”

 

“No. No! You said you weren’t with him, you said it happened that one time!”

 

“It was only that one time!” Rory swiped at her tears. “We only kissed once when we were together.”

 

Tristan pushed away from her but she grabbed his jacket and pulled him back.

 

“You always do this! You kiss me and you say things that make me think that maybe we could get back together again! And then it all comes back to the fact that nothing has changed!”

 

“You’re the one that keeps saying that everything is different now!”

 

“Nothing has changed in that everything is different from how it was when we were together.” Rory fingers were starting to cramp where they were holding on to his jacket tightly in the cold night air.

 

“Whatever Rory. I don’t care.”  Tristan was staring over her shoulder and Rory turned to see Jordan watching them out of the sitting room window. She turned back to his voice, “When was the last time you kissed him Rory?”

 

“A few weeks ago.” She whispered. She didn’t want to tell him this.

 

“A few weeks ago when? Before or after Madeline’s party?”

 

“Tristan-”

 

“Just answer the question Rory.”

 

“After.” Don’t push, don’t push, Rory begged in her mind.

 

“How soon after?”

 

“And it was only once after.” Rory avoided answering him. She didn’t want him to know, she didn’t want to tell him. He hated her enough as it was now. “I haven’t kissed him since. And god! Like it even matters! You’ve slept with more girls in the past few months than I even knew were at Chilton. You brought Carli home to meet your family!”

 

“You cheated on me Rory! Not the other way around! And as you insist on throwing it in my face every time I get within a touching distance of you, we’re broken up! We’re not together anymore!” Tristan yelled at her, slapping her hands away from his jacket before stepping away and taking a deep breath, then stepping back to her again. “How soon after we slept together Rory?”

 

She slumped, defeated. She whispered the words into her chest, refusing to meet his eyes. “Same night, right after I left Madeline’s.”

 

Tristan walked away without a word.

 

*

 

I was so angry with Rory after she kissed Jess. I mean he was this monosyllabic ass who had been kicked out of his Mother’s house and sent to live with his uncle. What could Rory possibly see in him when compared to Tristan?

 

But then Tristan went back to being a complete asshole and the meaner he was to me, the more I talked to Rory. Though the more I talked to Rory, the nastier he got, so maybe that wasn’t the greatest idea I’ve ever had. But whatever.

 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. He could be SO dumb when it came to her.

 

First there was the avoiding, then there was the fighting, then there was a brief period when they were slightly friendly, then they slept together at Madeline’s party. And then all of a sudden they were both avoiding each other.

 

It was during that friendly phase I got her to tutor me and we had this conversation about why she had stopped talking to me that time.

 

“If you could treat your girlfriend like that, talk about her like that, what was to stop you from talking about me like that?” She’d asked.

 

I’d replied with an, “I dunno.”

 

“It wasn’t very nice. It was disappointing.”

 

“Probably.” And to her it probably was. But for the first time, I had been getting more attention than Tristan, and I’d liked it. “But it doesn’t matter, she’s not my girlfriend anymore.”

 

“Not the point Jordan. You should treat people the way you would have them treat you. How would you have felt if Courtney had told all her friends that you weren’t, uh, let’s say, up to the job?”

 

“God Rory!” That embarrassed me, but at least she hadn’t said anything about the size of my dick.

 

“I get the point Rory. But it wouldn’t have mattered. It was hardly what I’d call a lasting relationship.”

 

“You’re 13 Jordan. It’s high school, nothing lasts.”

 

She said that in a way that I knew it meant it had a double meaning. I knew she was talking about her and Tristan as much as anything about me. I knew Tristan wanted her back and I knew that she missed him. I also knew she was seeing Jess.

 

But it was high school.

 

Nothing Lasts. Right?