The bell rang to signal the end of another day at Chilton. The students rushed out of the school to try to get home as soon as possible. Paris, Rory, Madeline and Louise made their way out of the school together.

"Here are your notes back," Madeline said as she returned Rory's notebook. "So, are we still on for studying at the library later?"

"I'll be there," Louise said. "My mom is having company today, and you know how she is about that."

"What about you Rory?"

"Sure, I'll try not to be too late," Rory replied. "I have to help Dean with a project."

"Speaking of Mr. Wonderful," Louise said as she spotted Dean standing by his jeep. "I see him over there waiting for you Rory."

Rory immediately waved at him with a big grin on her face.

"So, what time are we going to meet?" Rory asked.

"How about 4:30?" Paris replied.

"That's good enough for me."

"Hey, you're ready to go?" Dean asked. "Hi ladies."

"Hi Dean," Madeline and Louise said simultaneously with wicked smiles on their faces.

"Hey," Paris said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Rory said. "I'll see you guys later."

"Bye Rory," Madeline said as Rory and Dean made their way to the jeep.

"God, he is so hot!" Louise said. "Rory is lucky to have a hottie like Dean for a boyfriend."

"Yeah," Madeline said.

"Enough about how cute Dean is," Paris snapped. "Lets just get out of here."

"Sound like someone's jealous," Louise said, giving Paris a wink.

As she walked with Madeline and Louise, Paris took a parting glance at Rory, who was kissing Dean as they drove off. Paris felt an empty, hollow feeling inside of her while seeing Rory with Dean. She missed the times she had with Rory before she got back with Dean. Paris was tempted to step in between them whenever they had any displays of affection, but she didn't want to interfere with their relationship, mainly because she willfully decided to step aside after Rory told her that she and Dean were back together. Paris was happy to see Rory being so happy with Dean, but at the same time she felt very melancholy about it. Paris knew that it wasn't easy to deal with, but she had to find some ways to keep her mind off of it.

* * * * *

Paris entered Gellar Manor, mentally drained after the study session with Rory, Madeline and Louise. She threw her backpack in the chair, and made her way to the refrigerator, where she took a can of Coke out. As Paris sat down at the table in the kitchen, Maria entered the house.

"Good afternoon Paris," Maria said as she came in the kitchen.

"Hi Maria," Paris replied. "Where's my mother?"

"She's at the parent/teacher conference."

"Oh yeah I forgot about that," Paris said as she took a gulp of Coke. "So, what's for dinner?"

"Pasta," Maria replied. "It's on the stove if you want it."

"Thanks, I'll eat it later."

"Oh, and here is today's mail," Maria said as she handed the mail to Paris. "You got another letter from your pen pal in Boston."

Paris immediately reacted to Maria's announcement by taking the enveloped letter from her. She looked at it to make sure it was from Boston.

"Do you need anything else before I go?" Maria asked.

"No, that will be all," Paris replied. "Thanks for everything and have yourself a good day."

"You too Paris," Maria said as she made her way out of the house.

After Maria left, Paris sat down at the kitchen and opened the envelope. She unfolded the letter and begin reading the contents.

Dear P.G.,

How are things at your school? I hope you're still doing well there. Sorry I haven't written to you lately, things have been pretty rough here with my ex-boyfriend's father getting killed in a car accident. Words just can't express the pain that he's feeling, because nothing can ever prepare you for something that's just so tragic like what happened. I've been doing my best to comfort him, and it's been pretty mixed. At first he wouldn't talk to me about it, but lately he's starting to open up more about it. Things have been so terrible that I need to get away for the weekend to visit some relatives. I need this time away to get some space away from everything. Anyway, I hope you write back soon, and I'll try to write back as soon as possible.

Joey

Paris' mood lightened after reading the letter. She liked having Joey as a pen pal, mainly because it allowed her to talk about things she wouldn't talk about with anyone else, including Rory. Paris put the letter in a box along with the other letters from Joey, and went back downstairs to resume her studying.

* * * * *

The train came to a stop at the Stars Hollow depot. Lorelai sat on a bench, patiently waiting for Joey. As she waited for Joey to appear, Lorelai pulled out a couple of pictures from her purse. The first one was of Joey and Rory at a family reunion back when they were 6 and 4 years old, respectively. Lorelai smiled looking at the picture, and remembered how cute Joey and Rory looked back then. Then she looked at another picture of them, which was taken when Lorelai and Rory last visited Capeside. Lorelai immediately thought about the close bond that Joey and Rory shared. She loved the fact that Rory had someone closer to her age like Joey to look up to.

As Lorelai looked at the picture, someone approached and asked. "Excuse me, are you the Stars Hollow tour guide?"

Lorelai immediately looked up, and saw that it was Joey.

"Joey, I'm so glad to see you," Lorelai said as she gave Joey a hug. "How's life been treating you college girl?"

"It's been alright, but things are still pretty gloomy with everything that has happened," Joey said as she picked up her luggage and walked with Lorelai to the Jeep.

"Yeah, I heard. I'm so sorry to hear about Mitch, he was such a great guy.

"Yeah, he was."

"I feel so bad for Dawson, Gail and the baby," Lorelai said as she started the Jeep. "How are they doing?"

"They're making it as best as they can," Joey replied somberly. "But its been so tough for them, especially Dawson."

"Well there's nothing you can do about it, except be there for them to comfort them."

"I know, but its just so difficult, mainly because it has brought back a lot of memories of my mom."

As she drove down the road, Lorelai looked on sadly as Joey was starting to tear up. She put her on Joey's shoulder to comfort her.

"I'm sorry that I made things so depressing," Joey said as she wiped the tears away.

"It's alright Joey," Lorelai said.

Joey immediately leaned over and put her head on Lorelai's shoulder. "Thanks so much for understanding and being there for me."

"Anything for you Joey," Lorelai said as she stroked Joey's long brown hair. "Now on a more positive note, are you up for a visit to Luke's?"

"Sure, I didn't know he's still there."

"Yes he is, and he's still the same old Luke."

* * * * *

"Rory, I'm home," Lorelai yelled as she and Joey entered the house.

"Okay mom," Rory replied from her room.

"I got some coffee from Luke's for you."

"Thanks, I'll get it."

"There's someone here who wants to see you."

"Who is it?"

"Just take a guess."

"Is it dad?"

"No."

"Okay, it has to be Dean."

"You're not even close."

"Alright, I'm coming down there."

Joey quickly ran into a closet to hide as Rory came downstairs.

"Mom I have to finish a story for the Franklin that's due tomorrow." Rory said.

"I just wanted you to see who's here to see you," Lorelai said as Joey sneaked out of the closet.

"I don't see anybody here."

"Right behind you silly," Joey said as she playfully smacked Rory in the back of her head.

Rory was overjoyed to see Joey and immediately gave her a big hug.

"I'm so glad to see you," Rory said. "How's college so far?"

"It's been a challenge, especially with the kind of professor I have," Joey said. "How's Chilton been treating you?"

"It's gotten better now. I'm on The Franklin staff."

"I knew you could do it," Joey said as she and sat down on the couch. "So, what do we have planned for tonight?"

"Well, Sookie and Jackson are coming over to fix dinner, and it's movie night."

"Sounds good to me," Joey said as picked up her luggage. "Listen, I have to go unpack in Rory's room."

"Go right ahead Joey," Lorelai said as Joey went upstairs.

Lorelai and Rory smiled at each other after Joey went upstairs. They were very happy that Joey was in town.

"So, do you have anything special planned with Joey?" Lorelai asked.

"Nothing really," Rory replied. "We might go to the mall."

"That sounds good. I have to call your grandmother and tell her that Joey's here."

"Mom."

"Yeah sweetie."

"I'm glad that Joey's here," Rory said.

"Yeah me too," Lorelai said with a sad look on her face as she and Rory looked at a picture of all three of them together at Capeside.

"We need to be there for her right now after everything that has been going on with her lately."

* * * * *

The mall was bustling with its usual evening activities as the customers made their way around the various stores there. Paris, Madeline and Louise were in the book store, looking around for a journalism book for a report. After a few minutes Louise got bored looking through the books, and begin striking up a conversation with the clerk.

"Louise will you help us out here?" Paris snapped.

"I'm coming," Louise said, rolling her eyes.

"Could you excuse me for a moment," the clerk said. "I have to take care of this lady."

"Sure. Just don't stay too long."

As Louise waited for the clerk, she quickly spotted Rory at the gift shop. She immediately ran over to Madeline and Paris.

"You won't believe who's here," Louise said as she dragged Madeline and Paris outside the store.

"Who is this person of importance that you're interrupting our search for our book for the project?" Paris asked bitterly.

"Oh my god, its Rory!" Madeline said, pointing toward Rory. "I didn't know she came here."

"Me either," Louise said. "Who's that girl she's with?"

"I don't know, but she looks a lot like her."

"Yeah she does."

"Do you think she's Rory's sister?"

"Of course not," Paris said. "That has to be her cousin."

"Well, let's go find out."

The trio quickly walked over to Rory, who was surprised to see them.

"Hi guys," Rory said. "This is a surprise to run into each other here."

"We didn't know you came here," Louise said.

"Oh, I come here sometimes whenever I have a chance."

"Hey Rory, do you think I should get this sh--?" Joey asked as she came from the back of the store and immediately stopped in midsentence when she saw Madeline, Louise and Paris. "So, who are your friends?"

"Joey, I'm glad that you're here. These are my classmates at Chilton, Madeline, Louise and Paris. They're on the staff of the Franklin with me. Guys, this is my cousin Joey. She's staying with us for the weekend."

"Hi," Madeline said.

"Nice to meet you Joey," Louise said as she stared at Joey. "I love your hair."

"Thank you," Joey said. "So you two must be the resident sexpots at Chilton."

Madeline and Louise immediately looked at each other in amazement when they heard what Joey said.

"Who told you about this?" Louise asked.

"Rory did," Joey replied. "But don't worry, its not like I told anybody else."

"Joey goes to Boston U.," Rory said.

"Really. What are the guys like there?" Madeline asked.

"Well they're more hotter, but most of them still act the way they did in high school, except that they like to use pseudo-intelligent talk to impress the ladies."

"That's nice to know," Madeline said.

Paris immediately became alarmed when Joey said that she went to Boston U. She remembered that the return address to most of her letters were from Boston U. Paris' heart begin beating at a faster pace. She couldn't believe the amazing coincidence that her pen pal was Rory's cousin.

"So you must be the infamous Paris Gellar," Joey said as she approached Paris, who felt a little nervous when Joey got close to her. "Rory has told me a lot about you."

"I'm sure she has," Paris said nervously.

"Paris, I've been doing a interview with Joey about college life and I wondered if we could include it in the next edition," Rory said.

"Sure Rory," Paris said, trying to regain her composure as Joey glared at her. "I'm sure we'll have room for it."

"Well, look at the time," Rory said as she looked at her watch. "We've got to go now, my grandparents are expecting us for dinner."

"Okay, we don't want to make you late for it," Madeline said. "I guess we'll see ya tomorrow.

"Yeah, Oh Paris, I'll try to have the story ready tomorrow."

"That will be fine."

"Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow," Rory said as she grabbed her bags.

"Bye Rory," Madeline said. "It was nice meeting you Joey."

"Same here," Joey said with a slight smile on her face before she turned it into a frown when she looked at Paris.

Joey and Rory begin making their way out to the parking lot.

"So what did you think Madeline, Louise and Paris?" Rory asked as she and Joey got in Lorelai's SUV.

"Madeline and Louise were everything I expected to be," Joey replied. "But I'm very surprised at how puny Paris is."

"Joey--"

"Come on Rory, you could kick her ass anytime you want. In fact, that's what you should've done after she did those things to you."

"Joey, I don't resort to violence like you so quickly," Rory said as she drove away from the mall. "Besides, I don't want ruin any chances of getting into Harvard by acting like some crazed brute."

"Look, I only merely suggested it," Joey said. "Besides, I would keep my eyes on her at all times if I were you."

Rory said nothing to respond to Joey's comment. She knew right away that Joey didn't like Paris. As she drove to her grandparents home, Rory wrestled with the question on whether or not to tell Joey about her and Paris. She trusted Joey with a lot of secrets, but didn't know whether she could with this one.

* * * * *

Madeline, Louise and Paris walked over to the food court after their encounter with Joey and Rory. Madeline and Louise each got a slice of pizza, while Paris got some Chinese food.

"I think Joey is very beautiful," Louise said. "I've should asked her what products she uses to make her hair looks so good."

"Yeah, me too." Madeline said.

As Madeline and Louise were having their conversation, Paris begin thinking about the encounter with Joey. Judging by the glares from her, Paris knew that Joey didn't like her. However, she was struck by Joey's beauty.

"So Paris, what do you think of Joey?" Madeline asked, interrupting Paris from her thoughts.

"Oh, I thought she seemed like a nice person," Paris replied.

"I don't know Paris," Louise said, taking a bite of her slice of pizza. "She was glaring at you much of the time."

"Rory must've told her about the things I did to her."

"Maybe you need to let her get to know you better," Madeline said.

"Yeah, right," Paris said, rolling her eyes. "The only things she would say to me would be about how much of a bitch I am. Listen, can we finish up right now? I want to get back soon so I can look over some stories."

After a couple of minutes Madeline, Louise and Paris finished their meals and cleared off their table. As they left the mall, Paris begin to give serious consideration to what Madeline said about letting Joey to get to know her better. She couldn't wait to get Rory's story so she could get a good idea about Joey's personality.

* * * * *

The Franklin staff members came in the classroom, going over each other's story. Paris was sitting at her seat, reading Rory's story about college life. As she read the story, Paris was struck at how intelligent Joey's answers were, especially the ones about college being an opportunity to interact with different kinds of people, using it as a vehicle for personal growth and learning about responsibility.

Paris immediately begin to think about Joey after she finished reading Rory's story. The one thing that stuck in Paris' mind was the similarity between Joey and Rory. She immediately saw how much they looked alike, and judging by what she read in the interview, how intelligent they both were.

"Alright, its time to start the meeting," The faculty advisor said as the staff members all convened at the table. "I see that all of our assignments are in. Madeline, your review of Lenny Kravitz's latest album is rather disappointing, and sounds too much like a typical teenybopper's review."

"But you told me to write what I felt about it," Madeline said.

"Yes, but the focus of the review should be on the music, not how hot Lenny looks."

Everyone laughed at the advisor's comment, which made Madeline sink in her chair.

"Work on it this weekend," The advisor said as she handed the review back to Madeline and picked up Rory's story. "Well, its time for another story from one of our star reporters, Rory Gilmore."

Rory smiled at the advisor's comment, flattered by it.

"Very well written, and the interview was very intelligently done."

"Thanks, but most of the praise should go to my cousin Joey," Rory said. "She was a big help with it."

"I think Rory's latest story is a great example of family members being a useful resource. I like to see you all take a page out of Rory's book. That being said, that's it for today, I'll see you all on Monday." As everyone began to leave, Rory quickly ran over to Paris.

"Great story Rory," Paris said as she gathered her stuff. "It's definitely one of your best."

"Thanks Paris," Rory said. "Listen, me, Dean, and Joey are going out tonight, and I was wondering if you were free to come along with us."

"Sure, but why do you want me to come with you guys?"

"Because I don't want Joey to feel like the third wheel if she's alone. Plus, it'll be an opportunity for you two to get to know each other."

"I don't know about that," Paris said cryptically.

"Why are you saying that?" Rory asked.

"It just seems like Joey doesn't like me."

"Why are you saying that?"

"Well, she spent most of the time when we met in the mall glaring at me."

"I'm sure she has this misconception of you after I told her about the things you did to me when I first got here," Rory said. "Look, just give Joey a chance. She's about one of the coolest people alive once you get to know her."

"Alright," Paris said reluctantly. "What time are you coming to pick me up?"

"Be ready at 8:00, and be sure to wear something stylish."

"I'll try," Paris said as Rory left the room.

As she packed up her stuff, Paris immediately began thinking about the prospects of spending a night on the town with Joey. She felt uncertain about doing it at first, but then she became increasingly curious about it, mainly because she wanted to get to know Joey. Paris had a feeling that something exciting could happen if she went out with Dean, Rory and Joey.

To be continued...