Time's Ticking - Gilmore Girls

09.

[CHAPTER NINE : CAN I TAKE A RAIN CHECK?]

     After getting all of the school supplies that Rory and Bella needed for school, they ended up with multiple bags for each. They got to school the next day, both of the girls feeling like they were carrying 100 pounds on their backs.

     In Mr. Medina's class that day, Bella and Rory were getting back the first paper they'd done in their class. Bella was beyond nervous.

     "Decent effort by most. Good effort by some, exceptional effort by two," Mr. Medina said, handing two A papers to Paris and some other girl. "Ms. Gilmore," He stopped in front of Bella, "Nice job, but there's room for improvement," He said, placing her paper on her desk. Bella flipped it over and winced at the 'B-' written on it.

     She knew that this was a good mark considering she had just started at Chilton, but she couldn't help but be disappointed as she was used to getting top marks in her classes.

     Bella turned to her sister who was just staring at her paper and asked, "How'd you do?"

     "I got a 'D.'" Rory whispered.

     Bella's eyes widened. Rory had never gotten a 'D.' It was unheard of. "That's not... That's not that bad," Bella tried to justify it, but Rory's face just filled with disappointment in herself. As the bell rang, Rory was the first out of class, while Bella chased after her only to be stopped by a certain tall blond boy.

     "Hey, Belle," Tristan says to the girl who seemed to be rushing.

     "What do you want?" Bella asked him rudely, still trying to find her sister in the swarm of students in the hallways.

     Tristan stepped in front of Bella, cutting her off. "What's up with you today? You look sad."

     "I'm fine," Bella said to him, trying to walk around him but he just grabbed her arm gently and pulled her to the side of the hall so they wouldn't be in the middle of all the commotion.

     "Bad grade?" Tristan asked her.

     "It's none of your business," Bella glared at him, and once again, she tried to get away from the boy, but he wouldn't let her go.

     "You know what, Belle?"

     "No. What?" Bella asked him in rage.

     Tristan ignored her anger and continued his sentence, "See I can't figure out why we're not friends. I think it's because I make you nervous." He took a step closer to her, he still had a grip on her arm.

     "Oh, please," Bella said, sounding as though she was slightly nervous due to their proximity.

     "Do you have a boyfriend?" Tristan asked her, out of the blue.

     "Why do you think that any of this is your business?" Bella asked rhetorically, but once again, he ignored her question.

     "Is that a no?" He asked her, he took another step closer to her, and she grew more and more nervous by the second, but she refused to back down.

     "Is there no one else at this school you can bother?" Bella asked him.

     "See, I think you like me, you just don't know how to say it," Tristan said to her.

     "Oh my god," Bella scoffed.

     "What are you doing Friday night?" Tristan asked her.

     "I'm busy," Bella said, and technically, she wasn't lying.

     "What, you gotta be back at the convent by 5?" Tristan jokingly asked her, which caused Bella to laughed out and Tristan smiled.

     "No, I have dinner with my grandparents," Bella answered.

     "Can I take a rain check then?" Tristan asked, suddenly getting nervous.

     "We'll see," Bella teased, giving him a taste of his own medicine. "Can I please go now?"

     "Well...since you said please," Tristan said, regaining his confidence slightly. He released her arm and stepped aside, "Later, Belle."

--

     The rest of the day at school was decent. Tristan kept trying to eye-flirt with Bella from across the classroom, and when that didn't work, he wanted to make her laugh.

     The guys thought that Tristan was just trying to mess around with the Gilmore girl, but what they didn't know was that Tristan was starting to take a liking to her. He really liked that she didn't fall to his feet like any other girl that went to this school would. He really liked how she actually had a sense of humor.

     And he really loved her laugh.

     As he watched her take notes from across the classroom, he saw her face contort in confusion when the teacher said something that she didn't understand, which made him chuckle. His friends turned to look at him to see why he, but he just played it off by pretending to clear his throat.

     Bella turned to look at the Dugray boy, while he was already staring at her and she gave him a small smile, before turning back to the teacher and beginning to retake notes.

     Tristan couldn't focus on the class, he could only seem to focus on her. Initially, he had his eyes on Rory, but once he saw Bella, he couldn't help but fall for her instead. Of course, he didn't know what he felt considering he had only ever had mindless hookups with random girls, but this was different, she was different.

     Tristan Dugray was never the kind of guy that anyone ever thought would be serious about one girl only. So later that night, when his latest hookup showed up at his door that night, and he told her that he wasn't interested and broke things off with her, it sparked rumors around school about maybe, just maybe, he might finally be getting serious.