𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 **𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐮𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫**

what do you know about the new girl?

Eloise Irvine is not your average 16 year old. She grew up rich, yes, but she worked for everything she had ever gotten in life. Her academics, instruments lessons, coach, and peers could all verify that. Eloise hated a lot of things including ridiculous people, insects, loud chewers, but the thing she hated most of all was knowing that she couldn't control and maintain everything to ensure she would be happy in all outcomes. 

Control. Something we all value to obtain and maintain in life, yet too much happens that we can't even control, yet we still try. Eloise was never in control of her life, she wasn't in control of her parents divorcing after her brother left for college, nor was she in control of her parents never being home, doing God knows what. Although not completely in control, she felt like Chilton was a place she knew like the back of her hand, containing the same people and the same teachers. 

Rory Gilmore would change that all, Rory Gilmore would remove that secure feeling right from under Eloise, and Eloise being herself, was not going to allow that to happen.

That's exactly why she was sat on a bench giving a clear view to the main doors of Chilton, allowing her to see every person that entered and exited the school. She opened her book and began skimming the page.

"Ellie, where were you?" a familiar voice whined. She looked up to see Tristan who was already placing himself right next to her to look at what she was reading. 

"I decided to walk, I told you that yesterday." 

He looked from the book to her face and said, "I thought you were joking." She rolled her eyes and looked back at the book. "So what are you reading?" he questioned leaning in closer. 

"You have eyes, don't you?" Eloise replies annoyed, considering the book's name was on top of the page. With that, Tristan grabbed the book from her hands and folded the top of the page to keep her place just like how she liked it. "Why are you out here?" he asked, unzipping her back pack and sliding the book in. 

"I'm taking in nature, which has actually given me a bigger appreciation of the planet and its creatures." she said while picking her bag up from the floor. 

"You can't lie to me, Irvine, I know you're waiting on the new girl, Rory Gil-something." he dusted his pants off and took my bag from me, flinging it onto his shoulder. She stood up quickly to match his standing stance and spit out, "How'd you know I was lying?" 

"Every time I drop you off, you go straight to the library and check the dates of when you have to return the books or talk me up with a bunch of the books you want." he grinned at her and looked in Paris' direction, as she stomped to her friends. Eloise met his gaze and he looked back at her with a smile on his face, "Do you want to know about the new girl?"

Eloise's eyes' narrowed, "You know me too well, Dugray." He dragged her by her wrist to Paris, who seemed to be about to erupt once she saw Eloise. Paris is a very competitive and smart student, showing much through her academics, but in her year, she'd be second grade-wise, but not just to anybody, she was second to Eloise. "What do you want, Irvine?" Paris spat out. "Good morning to you too," Eloise grinned and then continued, "now, what do you know about the new kid?" Paris looks up from her nails to Eloise, looking quite offended, "What makes you think I know about the new girl?" 

"Well Paris, you're not very good at hiding what you're going to do, especially considering you are standing next to an office with the new girl's papers' in clear view. Once you're done, tell me about her. I'd like to know who she really is." Eloise turned on her heel and Tristan did the same.

"Your locker or mine?" Tristan asked, placing his muscular arm over her shoulder. 

"Ellie!! Tristan!!" two familiar voices shouted in sync, both sounding completely out of breath, causing both Tristan and Eloise to turn around, somewhat amused. 

Berlin and Imogen were in front of them, hands on their knees, and their upper half hanging over their legs. "We...made it!" Imogen cheered, jumping up weakly, then pulled Eloise into an embrace. Berlin stood up and said quickly, "We have to get to a track meet, because we got kicked out of soccer." Eloise laughed and then replied, "If you are signing up for track, you beter start training because the runs are a lot longer then a block." She looks over Berlin's shoulder to see the car they got out of parked in front of a pretty, light blue house. 

Berlin shrugged and grabbed Imogen's hand, leaving, "We'll see you in a bit." Eloise and Tristan nodded and they watched them run into the school. Tristan looked at Eloise and smiled, Eloise looked up at him and said, "Your locker first." Tristan cheered and held the door open for me as they went into the school, making a turn at his locker. 

"Isn't your dad in town today?" Tristan put the code in and opened it, grabbing a few books to put into his bag and putting some of the books in his bag into the locker. Eloise looked at him, as his stare went from the books to her, "Yeah, today he'll be home." 

"Wanna stay over?" Tristan asked before closing his locker and fixing his bag onto his shoulders. 

"I think I'll be fine." Eloise remarks, speed walking to her locker to punch in the combination. "Well, if you change your mind, you have the keys to my house.", he unzipped her bag and handed her books, before stopping at one and flipping through it. 

"Oh, I read the 'This is where it ends' book you were talking about, and I need to know how you read through it with a straight face. Half the time, I was afraid I was gonna cry." Tristan questioned while handing her the hardcover book back. Eloise laughed, "I find the normalization of feeling pain and grief refreshing, rather than pushing it away and letting everything seem fine even when the character should have the right to feel something and those feelings should be validated."

She turned towards Tristan and he looked at her amazed. "You know if you didn't go to Chilton, I would have probably died of boredom." Tristan remarked before zipping her bag and handing it to her. 

"The feeling's mutual, Dugray." Eloise said, holding back a smile to keep a straight face. 

Tristan looked at her as they continued to walk down the hallway, stepping in front of her, causing her to bump into his chest. She looked up and Tristan looked down at her. 

"Your hair. It's nice today, you cut it, didn't you?" he asked, she looked from the books she was holding to him and finally let that smile out. "I did cut it, I did it all by myself actually. You like it?" He wrapped his arm over her shoulder, stepping to her side, so they were walking side by side. "Like it? I love it, it suits you." Tristan says before stopping in front of the classroom. 

"Can we study for the Shakespeare test together?" Tristan asked before Eloise could go inside. Eloise turned her focus from the classroom to him and said, "No, last time we studied together, you didn't focus at all." 

Tristan rolled his eyes and then added, "So as far as I'm concerned, you're free tonight and Saturday. I'll be at your house at 6, and I'll bring you a coffee." 

"Tristan..."

"Great! Then I'll see you then." Tristan said, before almost running to his seat to get away from Eloise saying anything more. 

Eloise could have ran right after him, she could have turned down his request completely, but she knew even if she wouldn't admit it, she enjoyed Tristan's presence. She enjoyed the way he laughed and how his nose wrinkled, she loved the way he looked at her every time she talked about a new book she was reading, but most of all she loved the way, he would drop everything, and come to her if she needed him.