Chapter One: The Breakup.
Cold. Empty. Darkness. Why is it so cold? So… alone. It's over. Everything. Gone.
She lay on her side, the covers of her bed doing nothing to cure the coldness that enveloped her entire inside. She involuntary shivered, though this was not from the internal cold. This was from the sobs. That stupid Mark Twain magnet buying bitch! They had one fight! One fight! One fight and he leaves her for a Barbie doll. She had been happy. But they looked perfect. Cold. It's so cold. So empty. Alone.
BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP!
She slammed her hand on the offending alarm clock. It was 7:00. She hadn't slept all night. She hadn't eaten since she found out the morning before. Now she had to go to school, she had to listen to Madeline and Louise go on and on and on about her 'Farmer Boy'. Could she even say it? Could she say those three words? We broke up. It sounds so final, so depressing. So real. She missed him.
Rory climbed out of bed to face her first day of life without her first love. Without Dean. How was she supposed to start school like this? It was her first day back after the summer holidays. What would she say when she was asked about her holidays? Would she remember the fantastic days spent with Dean, having fun… being carefree? Or would her eyes cloud up again, like they had been doing for the past 19 hours and 32 minutes?
She started a pot of coffee and went to change into her uniform. It was days like this that made her glad Chilton had a uniform, the morning procedure would be forever burnt into her brain, and she could make it.
She sat down at the kitchen table and poured the soothing liquid into a mug before opening a packet of pop tarts. She let the lack of nutrition run down her throat numbly before beginning to pack her bag. This was a routine. Something to distract her. God, she needed a distraction.
"Honey, you'll be ok. He's a jerk." Lorelai spoke softly from around the corner, watching Rory with a worried expression.
Rory nodded half heartedly at her mother. Dean wasn't a jerk. She just wasn't good enough. Dean was perfect. She loved him. She still loves him. One day, one break up wasn't going to change that. Lindsay must be better, must be perfect. Was it wrong to hate someone like that?
"Why don't you just skip school today? Stay at home? No... you're right. My bad. Well I'll drive you. How about that hun?" Lorelai continued to look at Rory with a look of parental concern.
"No. I'll take the bus. Busses are great. I can't just slack off! I mean who am I? I'm going to Harvard! If I can't catch the buss because of… this, then what am I going to do with myself?" Rory said, slightly panicked but firm none the less. "I need to get over this, right? I need to move on and get a grip."
"Hun, this isn't your fault. You know that right? You're better than him."
"If I'm better than him, then how come I'm not with him?" Rory replied in a voice that broke her mothers heart.
"Because he's an idiot." But the reasoning came too late. Rory was out the door and on her way to the station for the 7:30 bus to Hartford.
The bus ride was a slow one, filled with insecurities, depression and silent tears. As she walked the halls to her locker, she was blind to the cheerful people who greeted her, the acquaintances who wished to know her better, and the friends that showed concern. To her, there was just the long walk to her locker, and the dread of being left alone with her thoughts, with her memories.
"Hey, Logan Huntzberger." The boy smiled at the Chilton receptionist who returned it with a blank gaze. "It's my first day." He added. This seemed to get some recognition. The lady flipped through some files before nodding and handing him some files.
"There is your timetable, student diary and some brief notices for your parents or guardians." The lady said in a monotone. "Paris Gellar should arrive soon to show you around for today. I'm sorry."
"For what?" Logan asked, confused.
"You'll see." She replied as a blonde girl stormed into the room. The receptionist seemed to get smaller as the girl approached. "Good morning Paris."
"Maybe for you. I have to show some half brained twit around this school, sure, it looks great on college applications, but really! Nice hair by the way, is it windy out?" Paris looked Logan up and down. "Who's he?"
"This is Logan Huntzberger. You'll be showing him around." The receptionist said timidly.
"Hm. Alright, follow me then." Paris turned and started to walk away. Logan gathered his things and followed, slightly confused again. "So, Huntzberger eh? I idolize your father." She said without making eye contact.
"Yeah, well you don't have to live with him." Logan smiled, but it was lost on Paris who was walking so fast you would think she was trying to lose him.
"So, why are you here?" Paris said, stopping suddenly and turning to face him for the first time since the reception office.
"Let a pig loose in Andover." He said simply.
Paris glared at him, "Well, here is your locker. It's next to mine. You want to pash some bimbo find a closet, not the lockers." She looked around for something else to point out. "Over there is Tristan. I can see you two getting along famously… and there's Brad, he squirms. Oh and that is Rory Gilmore." She finished with a snarl.
"You don't like her?" He asked hesitantly, silently fearing his wellbeing.
"What's not to like about her? She's a straight A student, she's as innocent as Bambi, can do no wrong in the world… not to mention everyone adores the ground she walks on –just because she's considerate and funny! Yet she's too damn naive to see that Tristan likes her and has to go around all bubbly like with that Farmer Boy of hers!" she ranted.
"Ah. Jealously issues." He muttered before Paris turned on him, an evil gleam in her eyes. "Um… if it's any consolation, she's not looking too bubbly right now."
Paris turned and noted that he was right, she felt a little satisfaction at this, however fleeting it was. Paris, for what could very well be the first time in her life, felt a little guilty. She knew that Rory didn't go to PJ Harvey with Tristan, but the thought was still there. She was still mad.
"Hey Paris." Rory said gloomily as she walked over to the couple.
"Trouble in paradise Gilmore?" Paris spat back, causing tears to rim in Rorys eyes.
"I never went to the concert Paris… I was with… I was with… D-dean." Rory mumbled, holding back the sobs.
"I'm sure." She said sarcastically, causing Rory to flinch, "Franklin meeting after school, though I'm not sure if there are many good articles to go around…" She mocked deep thought before turning to Logan. "You're going to be on the paper aren't you?"
"Daddy says." Logan smirked.
Rory merely turned around and walked away, waiting for the day to end before she would let the tears flow freely.
Morning break came quickly enough, and in three minutes it would be 10:47am. 24 hours since Dean broke up with her. 24 hours since she found out about Lindsay. She sat in the cafeteria for their 20 minute break, with her book and walkman as always. Then came that time, that dreaded time. The time that declared finality, declared defeat.
Where was he? They were supposed to meet at 10:40! He was 6 minutes late! She couldn't wait to see him again, true, she had seen him yesterday… but they are going through a good time right now, just like before the infamous 3 month anniversary.
"Dean!" She called out, spotting him crossing the road to the town center, she ran out of the gazebo to give him a hug. A hug which was not returned.
"Hey Rory… we need to talk." Dean said solemnly.
"Dean… what's wrong?" Rory asked hesitantly.
"It's… I kind of… we…I think, I think we should break up." He said quickly.
"WHAT?" Rory demanded.
"We need to break up." He said with more confidence this time.
"I don't understand. Things have been going great." Rory said, confusion taking over.
"No Rory, it hasn't. It's not the same. I can't do this Rory, you understand right?" He looked nervous, uncomfortable. He didn't look sad.
"No Dean, I don't understand! What did I do? Is it something I said?" The first tears of their separation glistened in her eyes before rolling smoothly down her cheek.
"It's just… it is what it is Rory. We… there is no we. Don't try and send me on some guilt trip." Dean said just a little too harshly.
"No Dean, I wasn't trying to… to do an-anything t-to make you… to make you…" She drowned out and covered her mouth, inhaling sharply. "I'm sorry Dean, can't we, can't we fix this?" She asked meekly, pleadingly.
"Just let it be Rory." He spoke softly before walking away.
Five minutes later she saw him and Lindsay, the girl she thought sweet, kind and caring, making out against a tree on her route home. She didn't know what was wrong with her.
Rory couldn't stand the memories, she ran out of the cafeteria to the curios glances of onlookers and locked herself in a cubicle to let the tears run freely.
"Rory?" Someone knocked meekly on the cubicle door. "Open up." They added when she didn't respond.
Rory opened the door hesitantly. "What do you want Paris?" She wiped the tears off her face with her shirt sleeve.
"Rory, I'm sorry I was harsh, you going to tell me what's up?" Paris asked in the most sympathetic voice she possessed.
"Dean broke up with me… he broke up with me for Lindsay… yesterday." She sobbed pathetically.
"Rory! If that loser dumped you for some other chick –who I'm sure is just a run of the mill bimbo, then he doesn't deserve you! God! I hate jackasses like that! You don't honestly want to be with an idiot like that do you Rory?" Paris exclaimed angrily from beside her.
Rory looked surprised. "I –I don't know! I loved him Paris. I was madly in love with him and we're apart for a full five minutes before he's eating her face in front of me. I miss him."
"Don't make me say this twice. You're better than him. You were always smarter than him, funnier than him –and he's like a friggin basketball player! You needed a ladder just to reach him! He made the biggest mistake of his life running of to some loser like Lindsay. You just got lucky you found out how much of an idiot he really is before you two got any sweeter." Paris spat.
Rory looked truly grateful, a small smile played on her lips and she wiped the tears away from her now dry eyes. "Thank you Paris, you're a really good friend." She said softly.
"Really? Want to make it up to me?" Paris said, a slight twinkling in her eyes.
"Loving the unconditional love here Paris," Rory said sarcastically, "but sure. What do you need?"
"I need you to take my Ken doll around to his classes today. Show him the ropes. His name's Logan. Logan Huntzberger." Paris said, feeling happy to be rid of her load.
"Sure Paris, that sounds doable. Oh, and thanks again. You're right! I should totally pull a Jennifer Aniston on him and bad mouth him in my biography!" Rory said with more cheer than she had been able to manage in the past 24 hours and 12 minutes.
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't get all high praise on me now, I need you to baby sit our new Tristan." Paris said smiling, she never knew how rewarding it could be to help people, and now she could check it off her to-do list.
"He's not that bad is he?" Rory asked concerned.
"He's hit on Madeline, Louise, Summer and Francine already… who knows how many more he's been working on while I've been in here. Oh, and he got kicked out of Andover for some escapade involving a Pig." The two girls walked out of the Bathroom and back to the cafeteria, both in lighter moods due to the reinstated friendship.
Ok, so I know that they are a little bit uncharacteristic in some parts, but that is all due to Rory feeling insecure, and Paris just a little bit upset at having lost her best friend. So, next chapter will have Rory and Logans official introduction, there is also more Dean to come. We all know Dean isn't really mean (rhyming!) but there is a reason… until next time!
P.S. Tell me if it sucked or didn't make any sense. It's late… well actually early… and I'm bored.