Run Away, Little Boy

Lorelai receives a late wedding present without a card attached, and insists that it be returned. Sookie sees to what great lengths Lorelai is going to find out who sent it, and tells Lorelai to move forward in life to get some closure on her relationship with Max. Lorelai takes her advice and accepts a dinner date with Paul, one of the other students in her business class. The date goes well, but they decide to remain friends because they don't have very much in common. When Paul appears at Luke's the following Saturday with his parents in tow, Lorelai gets ribbed by everyone in town because he's so young. Luke is uncharacteristically quiet, which Lorelai can't figure out until Sookie explains that he's had a crush on Lorelai forever. Lorelai goes to him to let him know that he'll always be a very important part of her life, and Luke brightens up again. Rory, Paris, Madeline and Louise are assigned to present the death scene from "Romeo and Juliet" as part of ther class participation in the Chilton Shakespearean Festival. Since this production will account for half of their grade, Paris takes over as director and assigns Rory the role of Juliet. Tristan returns to school with Duncan and Bowman after their suspension, and is cast as Romeo against Rory's wishes. When a scheduling mixup occurs with the rehearsal hall, Rory is horrified to learn that Paris has rented Miss Patty's studio and that the group will convene in Stars Hollow to practice. Tristan wastes no time in going to the market and taunting Dean, and they nearly come to blows before Rory pulls them apart. The next day at school, Rory pleads with Tristan not to mention anything to Dean about their kiss at the party, because it meant nothing to her. She also cautions him about hanging out with Duncan and Bowman. Stung by her words, but hiding it well, Tristan storms off. The next day Dean shows up to watch rehearsal and Tristan taunts both Dean and Rory before he finally bails to go off with Duncan and Bowman. On the evening of the performance, Paris freaks out because Tristan is nowhere to be found. He finally shows up to tell Rory that his father has pulled him out of Chilton to send him to boarding school, because he was caught with Duncan and Bowman breaking into Bowman's father's safe on a lark. Paris storms off, puts on his costume, and takes over as Romeo, thereby saving the day, the performance, and their grades.