It was the night before they left for the trip, and Ellie was determined to throw a party before they left the sleepy Yale quarters for her hometown. Rory and Logan were busy gathering up the other three that were to join them. Collin,Stephanie,and Finn had decided to bring their stuff to Rory's apartment so they could all leave together. They were all very excited,but nervous at the same time. They knew Ellie wasn't from a prestigious background like their's, and they didn't want to come off as snobbish and some dumb bunch of rich kids. They arrived back at the apartment shortly before 5 in the afternoon,and what they saw wasn't exactly what they were expecting.
Ellie had transformed the main room into a huge party room,decorated with different images and items of Texas. A huge poster of Texas Stadium. Foods like they have at the State Fair. Burnt orange and white streamers everywhere. And there she stood in the middle,bright eyed and super excited. Her hair pulled back, and dressed in a blue turtleneck dress, she was sitting at the bar eating chili.
"Hi!" They all smiled as she passed out bowls and cups and turned on the stereo. Country and rock and roll filled the air.
Rory was reminded of her London party. She looked at Logan,knowing he was thinking the same thing. He came up behind her, nuzzling in her neck. They were watching their friends milling around the room,talking,eating,dancing,and having a good time. Over in the corner,they found Ellie trying on her Texas Rangers hat as she was talking up a very tall man next to her. A man they all knew very well. The southerner was talking to the Aussie. Finn and Ellie seemed to be fitting very well with each other it seemed. Logan knew what Rory was thinking. She wanted to set the two of them up. It had been a thought for a while. If there was anyone who knew about being from somewhere else,it was Finn. And just looking at them, they were stunning together. As petite as she was,he was tall. His slender but muscular frame,his chestnut hair and hazel eyes stood distinguished against his tanned skin. Listening to them talk,each with very distinctive accents made them a very charming couple. Now only to get them together. Rory thought to herself a quick little plan,and decided to put it into motion.
Later in the evening,as the group dwindled down to the six, Rory decided to put some of Ellie's favorite movies. Movies that reminded her of home. They watched the Rookie,which she loved because of the scene in the Ballpark in Arlington. They were towards the end when Collin said the one phrase that she knew would help her plan.
"Hey! We should watch the Texas Chainsaw Massacre!" All the guys were game,and all the girls shuddered. Rory smiled to herself as she put the movie on. It was getting late. She and Logan were snuggled together on the futon. Steph and Collin were sharing the huge beanbag in the corner. Finn and Ellie were sitting on the couch, while she had a blanket in her lap to hide her eyes. Ellie was a horror chicken. Sure enough, by the first scream, the blonde was peeping over the hem of the blanket,almost too afraid to look up. Minutes later,without even thinking,she buried her face in Finn's chest. Logan noticed the smile on his friend's face as he pulled her closer to him and rubbed the top of her hair. The plan was working. She made herself comfortable against him as they finished the movie. It was midnight when the movie was finished,and the group sat around the TV drinking hot chocolate and watching old episodes of Dallas. It wasn't long after that that people started nodding off. Collin was first,since he had been at work all day prior. Rory,being the planner and instigator,went off to bed so she would wake up early. Logan,Steph,Finn,and Ellie were left in the front room talking. About an hour later, Finn looked down to see her curled next to him,sleeping peacefully. He didn't want to wake her up,and he had this strange feeling of not wanting to leave her just yet. Luckily, she was a deep sleeper,and it wasn't much to pick her up and lay her on the futon. Steph and Logan went to bed. Finn laid down next to Ellie, since he was too big for the smaller couch they had. He kissed the top of her forehead,thinking he was determined to get her attention on the trip.