Life Expectations

'Life doesn't always go the way you expect it to.', Rory Gilmore wrote down in her diary after another day in her grandparents' pool house. Who would have thought she'd end up here eventually? A few years ago she was a straight A student at one of the best high schools in America, and it was almost certain she'd go to a good university, like Harvard, Stanford, or Yale, and graduate there to be an excellent journalist.

Almost certain.

She wasn't anywhere near that now. She'd given up on Yale, for now, but why? To go criminal and steal a boat with Logan? To 'find' herself, as authors often said when they took some time off? They never did, though, it was just an excuse to be lazy. Rory didn't want to 'find' herself, she knew perfectly well who she was. Rory Gilmore, granddaughter of Emily and Richard Gilmore who would do anything to make sure she got a perfect future. They would pay Yale for her, invite a house full of boys so she'd get a rich, well-off boyfriend, and they'd probably also pay for her wedding, should it come to that any time soon. And that was exactly the point, Rory finally came to realise that she didn't want to do all this because she was a Gilmore, or because it was expected from her. She wanted to become a journalist because she, 'Rory', wanted to. She wanted to show everyone that she could reach it on her own, without her grandparents' money, no matter how well they meant it. They just needed to know she could do it, get there on her own. She hoped they would get it eventually, she knew now they didn't. They were just confused over what the hell she did all alone in this pool house. They probably thought she'd gone nuts.

Rory put her pen down when she heard a knock on the door. Logan was early tonight, so it seemed. She put her pen down and locked her diary. She then walked over to the door and opened it. 'Hey Logan.', she greeted him with a smile and a kiss. 'You're early'.

'I am.', he nodded. ' I remembered you said your grandparents were out tonight, and I didn't want to risk them coming back and seeing me.', he explained.

'I see. Didn't want to drink another nightcap with my grandpa, did you?', Rory said with a slight grin.

'Not really, though I have nothing against nightcaps. '.

They sat down on the couch. Rory wanted to say something about things, about how she felt, but she wasn't sure how to start. She didn't even know for sure how she felt.

'You probably wonder why I'm here.', she then started.

Logan looked at her. 'Just a little.. Are you gonna tell me?', he inquired.

'I'm not sure why I'm here. I just wanna.. you know.. show that I don't need Yale to be happy. I don't need money.', Rory said, attempting to tell him about her feelings.

'I know that. So.. what do you need? '.

'You know.. I'm not sure... Yet. I think, I need, you.'.

Logan smiled the smile she fell in love with and pulled her in a kiss. 'You think I don't know that? I wouldn't be here if I knew you didn't need me. Shall we go now?', he asked her, remembering their diner reservation.

Rory kissed him back and nodded slowly. She was glad she'd said it now, at least he seemed to understand her, and understanding a Gilmore wasn't always easy. 'Yea, just give me one second to change.', she said, staring down at her old jeans that could hardly be called a jeans anymore. She went into her bedroom and opened the closet. Maybe she was a Gilmore, but she was also Rory. And Rory just needed some time off from being a Gilmore. She knew eventually she'd be all right. Who knows, maybe she would indeed become the journalist everybody always expected her to be, but maybe she wouldn't. Whether she did or not, she now knew she could be happy either way. She'd been right when she was writing in her diary, life didn't always go you expected it to. It was often worse, occasionally much worse, and sometimes, it was better.