Rory's POV

Rory took the phone her mom had thrust at her and moved into the bedroom, shutting the door. She put it up to her head, not having any idea who she was talking to.

"Hello?"

"Rory, I've got to tell you something," Jess said.

"Jess? Where are you? What's wrong?"

"I'm at boy's night. We-"

"Boy's night?"

"Yeah, we got together to drink and play poker."

"Who's we?"

"The guys," Jess said slowly, as if she was stupid. "I didn't call you to talk about guy's night."

"Then why did you call?"

"Geeze, if you'd just shut up, I could tell you already," Jess exploded.

Rory stayed silent and waited for him to calm down. Once he realized she was listening, he continued speaking.

"Both Tristan and Logan were over here talking and it became a competition."

"Oh no, what over?"

"You, of all things. Seems your kissing Tristan and trash talking Logan, not that I'd blame you there, and Logan says your reconciling and kissing him."

"Who said anything about reconciling? We've barely begun to talk," Rory exclaimed, immediately thinking of Tristan and wondering what he thought.

"Were you kissing them both?"

"Jess, at one point I'd kissed all three of you in the same night."

"That's not like you Rory."

"Don't you think I know that?" Rory sighed and wished she'd brought her drink with her. "I don't know what to do."

"Well, what do you want?"

"I don't know."

They sat silently, just listening to one another breathe. Rory thought about how Logan still had to be the best and one up everyone. She thought about how vulnerable Tristan seemed and worried that he would be hurt.

"Can I tell you what I know?" Jess asked after several silent moments.

"Please do," she said, eager to get other opinions on her situation.

"Logan's not good for you. He's a real jerk. Selfish. He doesn't deserve you," Jess said. "But Tristan, he's a good guy. He really likes you and has for a while now. I think he's lonely and I think he may have had something happen when he was in the service. I'm not sure. He's not what I expected but I really like the guy."

"I really like him too."

"Then don't be mad at him for stirring the pot."

"What?"

"He's the one that really egged Logan on. Logan was being his typical self and I think he got to Tristan. Anyway, he started talking about how great a kisser you are and how he should thank Logan for that. Or to some guy you kissed back in the day. Led to a Dean bashing which was fun."

"What kiss?"

"Some party where some kiss happened."

Rory knew instantly what kiss Jess was referring to. It was a kiss she still thought about from time to time. She hadn't felt the electricity that kiss gave her until last night when he kissed her again.

"How'd it end?" she asked, not commenting on the kiss.

"Logan was cut off and Colin and Finn took care of him. Tristan and Luke are in the other room. I have no idea what we're gonna do now."

"Jess, is he ok?"

"I honestly don't know, Ror, but I'll try and find out," Jess said. "Or you could just get a hold of him yourself."

"I don't have his number. We never exchanged numbers."

"Idiot."

"Can you give it to me?"

She heard some rustling on the other end and grabbed one of her mom's makeup pencils and the phone book.

"841-665-1428."

She copied the number down quickly and then recited it back to Jess, just to make sure she got it right.

"Jess, thank you, so much, for everything," Rory said sincerely.

"You're a great friend."

"Thanks Ror," Jess said softly. "I'd do anything for you, but I have to tell you, Tristan's quickly becoming a good friend of mine too. So that means it goes without saying."

"I get ya," she said with a smile. "I'm gonna go now. You going home tomorrow?"

"Yip, back to Philly, gotta get my nose to the grindstone."

"Don't be a stranger," she told him and hung up.

Logan's POV

Logan went to his room with Colin and Finn. He let them drop him on the bed. It was when they started talking about him like he wasn't in the room, that he sat up and looked at them.

"Since when do you guys not have your buddy's back?"

"Why would we have your back in an argument over a girl that means nothing to us?" Colin asked.

"Mate, Kitten means everything. You always said Reporter Girl is special," Finn said, slapping Colin on the arm.

"She is special," Logan agreed.

"That's why I couldn't let that idiot lie about her like that."

"It didn't sound like lies to me," Colin said.

"And how would you know," Logan snapped.

"I am a lawyer."

"He is a lawyer," Finn repeated.

"Well," Logan said, at a loss for what to say next. "Those were just words. Trust me."

"Well, tell me mate," Finn said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Did she really tell you what she did today?"

"She went ice skating, like I said."

"Who with?" Colin asked.

"Does it matter?"

"Apparently it does in this situation."

Logan slumped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He knew Colin was making a point. She'd purposely avoided telling him who she was with when he asked.

"Why'd you say you were reconciling if you hadn't even talked about it?" Colin asked, picking a different balloon to pop.

"I don't know," Logan sighed.

"Because it's what I want. It's what I always wanted."

"Is it what she wants?" Finn asked.

"At times it seems that way. I feel so connected to her and we have such a good time together. But then something will happen, a shadow will pass over her face, and I'm not so sure. She's not the same Ace."

"Of course not. Just like you're not the same Logan and I'm not the same Colin."

"And I'm not the same Finn."

"You're the same Finn, sorry to burst your bubble," Colin said with a shrug.

"I'm still in love with her guys, what do I do? She obviously doesn't feel the same if she's kissing some other random guy."

"I don't think he's random," Finn said and Colin slapped him upside the head.

Bridget's POV

They went back to the movie but Bridget was unable to concentrate. Hearing Rory talk didn't solve any of the questions in her mind. In fact, many more questions were raised instead. She wondered if it was serious on Logan's part. She wondered if Rory would pick him. She wandered if he knew he wasn't the only one after Rory. But most of all, she wondered if he even remotely thought about her like she was thinking of him.

"Everything ok?" Lorelei asked as Rory came out of the bedroom and gave her mom her phone.

"Everything's just swell," Rory said bitterly as she walked over to her purse.

Bridget watched her get her cell out before she took her seat again. As Rory started typing on her phone, Bridget wondered what was going on. She'd never seen her friend be so cold to her mom. They had a special bond that nothing could break. Now they were barely talking or making eye contact.

She was dying to pull out her phone and check it for messages. She stopped herself, knowing the ringer was on full blast and it never rang. She wanted to text Logan again but he still hadn't responded to her first text and she refused to be that kind of girl. Bored with the movie, she freshened up her drink.

She kept telling herself to forget Logan, that the sparks she felt weren't anything special. There was no connection. He was Rory's love of a lifetime, not Bridget's anything. However, as much as she told herself that, she also told herself to not let go. Something told her that he was something special, she just couldn't put her finger on it.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Lane asked in a whisper.

Bridget hadn't even noticed her move closer. Everyone else was lost in their cell phones and she didn't think they were listening.

"I have a problem," Bridget whispered back.

She'd met Lane through Rory but they'd become friends in their own right. They talked and hung out without Rory. There were many times she'd go to Lane for advice or she'd watched Steve and Kwan. She realized she'd love to pick Lane's head on this.

"What's the problem?" Lane asked, still whispering as she moved closer.

"It may cross that one line."

"What line?"

"The Rory line," Bridget said, glancing toward the girl in question.

"Oh," Lane said, sounding disappointed and they were quiet for a couple of minutes. "You said may cross, which means it may not."

"Yeah, but which one is it? If it crosses the line, it crosses way over it," Bridget told her.

"We always knew this day would come," Lane sighed.

"That we did," Bridget agreed.

Tristan's POV

Tristan and Luke sat at the table quietly. Luke stared at a spot on the wall while Tristan thought about everything Logan had said.

He knew better than to believe what he heard. He knew he should see what Rory had to say and that he had no right to be upset. No promises or commitments had been made. But the idea of her kissing Logan, right after kissing him, just got to him.

"What's Jess doing?" he asked, finally breaking the awkward silence that hung over the card table.

"I have no idea. Probably gelling his hair again for all I know," Luke answered, grabbing himself another beer.

Tristan nodded and got himself another beer. He had a decision he had to make. Was he going to meet her tomorrow and go back to her place. Or should he just check out and get back to reality. Feeling tense and anxious, he got up and started pacing the room. If he hadn't been drinking, he'd probably go for a run.

"You ok?" Luke asked gruffly.

"Just thinking," Tristan answered. "I've just got a lot to figure out."

They continued sitting in silence, waiting on the man they had in common. Tristan had just about talked himself into taking the fastest way out of the city when Luke started talking.

"You can't always believe what others say. You have to believe what you know. Until the other person gives you reason to sway your thinking, go with your instinct."

"And what if what they say is true?"

"Just because it's true for them doesn't mean it's true for you. Doesn't mean it's right either. Once again, you know what's right. You know what's true. You do what you have to do but be patient, open, and there."

"Look at you, sounding like you know what you're talking about," Jess said as he came out of the bathroom.

Tristan ignored him and thought about what Luke said. There were some valid points there if Tristan wanted to see it that way.

"Tell me one thing," Luke said, speaking up one more time. "Are you wearing your socks?"

"Yeah," Tristan said slowly, not understanding this last thing one bit.

"Then everything's going to be alright."

"Seriously, you read one self help book and you turn into Dr. Phil," Jess said sarcastically.

"Can it Jess," Luke growled.

"So," Tristan said, thinking about everything.

"Don't tell me you're gonna buy that crap that jerk was spewing?" Jess asked, looking at him.

"We don't know that he was lying," Tristan protested, not knowing why he was defending that arrogant jerk.

He felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket and pulled it out. He was taken back to see it was a text from Rory herself.

"Looking forward to tomorrow. We've got so much to talk about. The girls made me talk about you. Paris says disgusting but about time."

Tristan couldn't help but smile as he read her text a couple of times. He set the phone on the table and grabbed a new drink. After taking a drink, he grabbed the cards and began to shuffle.

"She texted you," Jess said with a smirk,

"She did?" Luke asked, sitting up and looking at Tristan's phone.

"You gave her my number."

Jess's POV

"Are you mad?" Jess asked, sure he already knew the answer.

Tristan dealt the cards and they played a couple hands. Jess watched as Tristan was distracted by his phone. He never touched it though.

"She text me," Tristan said suddenly. "It was all very random in a way."

"Well, are you going to text her back?" Jess asked.

"Should I?" he asked. "She was kissing Logan."

"Allegedly kissing," Luke put in.

Jess laughed. He could tell his uncle had drank one too many beers at some point, he was more chatty when he was drinking.

"I didn't think you would be scared about this," he said with a smirk.

"I never said I was scared. I don't get scared."

"Well, you sure have a funny way of showing it."

"I'm not scared." Tristan protested, making Jess laugh again. "I'm not about to be hurt by this girl again."

"Text her back. See what she says."