She didn't know exactly when it had started. The change had been so gradual she supposed that it wasn't until she heard herself make another excuse for her background that she finally realized she was in the wrong place, with the wrong people, feeling herself become just as wrong as they were.
Sophomore year having been three days over Rory found herself carefree in New York City with Logan Huntzberger and posse. Five of the best suites at the Plaza Hotel, compliments of Mitchum Huntzberger, were now in the possession of the loud boisterous group, who had intentions to make the most of their well-deserved break from New Haven. Rory and Logan shared the best suite of course. It had furniture and wall coverings that would have made Marie Antoinette green with envy, and though the accommodations impressed Rory, she new they didn't hold a candle to her mom's inn.
That was part of the problem, she had suggested that they all come to Star's Hollow and stay at the Dragon Fly Inn. She would extend the proverbial olive branch and try to give these spoiled rich kids a chance, and cautiously hope that it wouldn't be thrown back in her face later.
"Rory darling" Finn started "you really must be joking, Huntzberger tell me that your adorable Cosette isn't suggesting that we forgo the Plaza arrangements for a weekend in the sticks, no offense of course darling."
"The Plaza, as in New York?" Rory asked, as Logan steered her away from the party, running over the best way to break it to her that their original plans had been slightly altered in the past 24 hours.
"Listen Ace, when I mentioned the plan to my dad he just offered and I couldn't pass it up, he is totally willing to foot the entire bill and" but the look on Rory's face told him that he wasn't doing a great job of getting out of the doghouse.
"Money is not the issue here Logan, don't act like it is, you just don't want your friends to see where your girlfriend is from." She couldn't believe she was having this conversation. It wasn't a new topic for them, but it had never been so blatantly pointed out like now just how much she failed to measure up.
"That's not it Ror, it's just I know how special Star's Hollow is to you and I just don't want to inflict my friends on everyone you love, trust me it is better this way, besides we can spend quality time there just you and me, no Life and Death Brigade, no Yale, just us." The words were flowing effortlessly and he hoped she would believe them.
"Fine, I'm not thrilled about this, but when you put it that way I guess it makes sense." When did I become so meek? Rory wondered.
The next day the group headed off to the city employing the company plane of someone's father, and within a few hour's they had gone from the Yale campus to now being settled in their palacial digs.
"So who wants champagne?" Finn bellowed to get the attention of the group who had all congregated in the room that had once occupied an enormous Christmas tree Rory had remembered seeing in a McKauley Culkin movie when she was little.
"Finn it's ten in the morning," Rory said trying to make it sound lighter than it sounded in her head. She had been feeling on edge since the plan change, but had convinced herself that she was going to stop taking things so personally and just have a good time.
"Bellini's it is, how good of you to suggest Miss Gilmore."
"Come on Rory," Logan whispered in her ear as he rubbed her back, "we're not on the clock anymore, it's ok to cut loose and have some fun."
"I know, I wasn't being serious, look I'll have two just to show how loose I can be." An eyebrow raise clued her in on the double meaning of her last words, and she reflexively grimaced as she turned to get her share of the peach schnapps and champagne that Finn was eagerly dolling out to everyone.
Unfortunately the rainy May weather did not permit much more than staying in and taking advantage of the state of the art entertainment system (along with the not-so mini bar). By five o'clock, engrossed in a never ending game of Grand Theft auto, the group who had just depleted the last of the bubbly reserve made attempts toward dinner plans.
"I so kicked your ass with that last move," Rory bragged as Logan led her toward their suite both hands on her shoulders as he steered from behind.
"I don't understand how, you are about two sheets to the wind here my friend, did you really have to polish off that last bottle yourself?" Logan kidded though feeling more than slightly responsible.
"Hey I told you I could cut loose man, well this is it: Rory Gilmore being as free as a bird," she added the last part with an illustrative twirl, that turned out to be a monumentally bad move for she found that when she stopped spinning the room had other plans and continued on it's path at a nauseating pace. "Oh dear" was all she could say before she was out on the king sized bed.