Classic
Chapter 2
"God, I love the snow!" Lorelai exclaimed suddenly as she packed more snow on the snowman she and Rory were building.
"I do too," Rory said wistfully. "I can't believe I missed our annual midnight walk on the first snow!"
"That would be because you were gallivanting around Boston with Christopher!" Lorelai replied in a joking manner. She was actually very happy Rory had decided to let her father into her life and vice-versa. It was apparent Christopher had no intention of running this time. He had finally grown up, at least the girls hoped he did.
Rory laughed. "Sorry?"
"Nah! Don't be," Lorelai said stepping back from the snowman and admiring their handiwork, "just as long as I can decorate your new house I'll be happy! I was thinking all of the furniture should be mismatched."
"Oh!" Rory exclaimed excitedly. "Coffee house theme! I love it!"
"Good! So, the snowman?" Lorelai asked glancing at Rory with a raised eyebrow.
Rory scrunched up her nose as she surveyed the snowman. "Coffee?"
"Yeah," Lorelai said wrapping her arm around Rory and beginning to walk towards Luke's Diner.
In their wake, Rory and Lorelai left a distorted snowman in the middle of the town square surrounded by a sea of townspeople building and dressing their own, slightly better looking, snowmen. The Snowman-Building Contest had always been the girls' favourite contest in the annual Stars Hollow Winter Festival, even though they always lost. For some reason their snowman who they always tried to make look like Cher never actually did, but they both loved it.
-
Rory began pulling on her long winter coat after drinking several cups of Luke's coffee with Lorelai. "Hey hun?" Lorelai said, pausing mid-reach for her own coat. "I'm going to stay here for a while longer."
Rory nodded before she noticed her mom's attention was solely on the man in flannel behind the counter taking a man's order – Rory's soon to be stepfather. Rory loved Luke; he was the next best thing to having her real father in her life. She finished buttoning her coat and left the diner deciding to take the long way home which was actually only and minute and a half longer than her usual route but she needed to think – something she had been avoiding since she woke up this morning, after spending all night wallowing with her mom and chasing away all thoughts of Logan while consuming illegal amounts of sugar.
I knew he wasn't ready for a real relationship, Rory told herself. What was I thinking, pushing him into that? What kind of boyfriend runs away telling everyone they broke up after one measly fight? A bad one. Why did I have to be so attracted to him? Why did I have to be the girl who thought she could change him? Oh God! I have never felt more humiliated in my life! I have always let men control my life – men and my grandmother. I let everyone at Chilton tell me what to do; the headmaster, the teachers, the students. I'm not going to do this anymore I don't need people controlling my life. It's over. I'm not going to let a guy tell me how to feel. No, I won't. I don't need Logan! She ignored the sharp pain that went through her heart at the thought of no Logan in her life. Men suck.
Rory was snapped out of her mental rambling when she heard the raised voices of two men.
"I tell you, we should have turned at the rooster!" an Australian accented voice yelled.
"No!" another voice screamed. "It was go straight at the rooster!"
Rory frowned. What are they doing here? Probably here to rub in face that I lost and that the line to Logan Huntzberger was once again open and twelve miles long. Rory wasn't stupid enough to believe that Finn and Colin actually liked her. She was too different from them. She was quiet and studious unlike them who were dramatica and outgoing. She turned the corner and saw Finn leaning against the front of a black SUV rubbing his eyes tiredly and Colin looking at what appeared to be a hand held GPS.
"Why don't these streets have any signs?" Colin asked exasperated. He threw the useless GPS into the car.
"Lets just ask someone," Finn said glancing around.
"Fine," Colin relented reluctantly. He happened to be one of those men who didn't like asking for directions. Go figure.
Finn, spotting Rory walking down the street, said, "Oh, Rory! Should we have turned at the rooster?"
Rory sighed and stopped walking. "Depends."
"Oh what?" Finn asked confused.
"On where you were going."
Out of the corner of her eye, Rory spotted Colin shaking his head and smiling.
"Well, love, since you asked, we are going to your house!" Finn announced enthusiastically as though he had never heard of anything so fun.
"Well then you should have gone straight at Monty," Rory said bitterly and resumed her walking.
"Monty?" Finn asked himself confused.
"Rory?" Colin called. "Where are you going?"
"Home."
"But if your house is that way why would we go straight at the rooster if it is in the opposite direction?" Finn asked with a confused expression on his face.
"So you wouldn't end up at my house."
"Aha!" Finn cried triumphantly. "I was right then!"
"Congratulations Finn," Rory said sarcastically turning around. "What are you two doing here anyway?"
"Logan just told us," Colin said as though that explained everything.
"Ah, so you've come to rub it in my face?" she accused jabbing a finger in Colin's chest. "Well, don't! Okay, I've learned my lesson; Logan Huntzberger is not a one-woman man! I get it!"
"Rory!" Colin exclaimed grabbing Rory's flailing arms and pinning them to her side. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm just saying that I get it. I get that I wasn't good enough for him, for his family or his friends. I'm just not good enough!"
Colin shook his head. "Rory, no…"
"Love," Finn said softly. "Do you know how many times Colin and I called you in the past few weeks wondering where you are and why you weren't returning our calls? Its because, I don't know, maybe we care."
"No," Rory declared solemnly. "You cared when I was Logan's girlfriend out of obligation. For Christ's sake Finn you couldn't remember my name even after you knew me for over a month!"
He at least had the decency to blush something Rory wasn't aware he was capable of. "Sorry love. In my defence though, I usually met you when I was drunk or hung over. I'm usually not at my best at those times."
"Oh well, if that was the case it changes everything." Her voice was dripping with disdain.
"Come on Rory, we're friends," Colin said. "Aren't we?"
Rory turned towards Colin. "What about Logan?"
"I'm not going to lie to you Rory, Logan is our best friend always will be but he is at the moment being a huge asshole and idiot." Colin said. "Just because he had a momentary lapse in sanity and broke up with you doesn't mean we can't still be friends. Does it?"
"He didn't."
"What?"
"He never actually broke up with me," Rory explained. "In fact, all I got was a phone cal from Honor."
"What?" This time it was Finn speaking.
"Okay I knew he didn't do girlfriends and I was his first one but I thought he would at least know how to break up with one, you know?" Rory babbled.
"What an ass!" Finn cried severely. Colin nodded his agreement.
"So, we are friends?" Rory asked quietly.
Colin laughed. "Of course Reporter Girl. We missed you these past few weeks, where have you been?"
"Well, I went to Boston to visit my dad."
"Sounds fun?" Colin asked more than said.
Rory smiled. "It was. I rarely ever get to see him or Gigi."
"What's a Gigi?" Finn stage whispered to Colin.
"My sister, Finn."
"Oh. Sorry, love."
"So do you two want to come over?"
"That's where we were headed."
"Okay. Go get you car and I'll meet you there," she turned and started to walk before she turned back. "You were supposed to turn left at Monty." Then continued her way home.
"Monty?" Colin called to her retreating back.
"The rooster, Colin!" She called not turning around.
"It has a name?"
"Yes!"
Two minutes later Rory walked up the steps to the house only to see Colin and Finn waiting against the front door for her.
"Why you didn't come in the car with us I'll never know," Colin said curiously.
Rory opened the front door and walked into the house kicking off her shoes and shedding her coat on her way to the couch which she flopped down on.
"Rory love, are you okay?" Finn asked flopping down on the opposite side of the couch.
"Yeah. Hey, I have great news! Well to me its great top you it may be not so great but you never know you may actually like the news I don't really know–"
"Rory!" Colin said loudly as he took a seat in the armchair across from them. "What is the news?"
"Oh, uh, I'm going back to Yale," Rory announced shyly.
"Are you really?" Finn asked excitedly; he jumped up pulling Rory up at the same time and beginning to jump up and down like a child on Christmas.
"Yes!" Rory said laughing. "Oh! Well my dad bought me a townhouse in New Haven that is like ten minutes away on foot from Yale and I need a new roommate, I don't need a roommate but I want one so if you know anyone who need one could you let me know?"
"Well, love, you know I actually need a new roommate. My old one moved off campus to be with his fiancée." Finn looked at her expectantly, his eyes were pleading with her.
"Really?" Rory asked eagerly. "Oh but I don't want to live with a boy!"
"Rory!" Finn said putting on the 'puppy dog face'. "Do you want me to have no where to live and end up on the streets?"
Colin and Rory glanced at each other with raised eyebrows then both looked back at Finn.
"Slight exaggeration," Finn explained impatiently with a wave of his hand.
"Rules."
"Of course, love," Finn said cringing slightly. "Lets have them."
"There will be no bringing in random girls home for one night stands. That will be done at the girls' dorm or a motel – it what they were invented for – and you will go to class when you have class."
"Wow, strict."
"There were two rules, Finn," Colin said shaking his head.
"Two too many!"
"Take it or leave it Finn," Rory said impatiently.
"I think this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship, Louis. Or at least roommateship." Finn said smiling a crooked smile.
"Should I be sacred?" Rory asked Colin with a worried expression on her face.
Colin nodded, "very."
"He's heard of Casablanca at least that has to be a good sign." Rory said smiling. "My mom said never live with a man who has never seen a classic."
"Wise words," Finn said solemnly.
-
Rory was laughing so hard. She hadn't laughed like this in a long time, probably since the day Mitchum Huntxberger, Logan's father, told her she wasn't good enough to become a journalist and then not even hours later got arrested for stealing a yacht before dropping out of Yale. It was a true laugh not one of the fake one most of the rich socialite wives mastered. It was real.
Later that night, after Finn and Colin left – not before promising to come back after Christmas to help Rory move – Rory found herself wondering what Logan was up to.
Probably shaking up with one of his whore, she thought to herself. I wouldn't expect anything less. It's not like I care anyway. If I don't care than why does it hurt so much?
With those thoughts Rory crawled into her bed. As she lay there, she thought of all the things Logan as doing to other girls, and a single tear ran down her cheek others quickly followed.
-
Rory's assumptions weren't that far from the truth. Logan was at the pub sitting at the bar alone since his two best friends seemed to be MIA. He was drinking scotch and thinking…about her. About her beautiful blue eyes that the last time her saw them were full of disappointment and anger at him; about her soft hair that he wont be able to fun his hands through again; about her smile that was always capable of bringing a similar one to his own face; about her in general.
Stop! He internally yelled at himself. She was just a girl! I can't let her get to me!
Angry with himself Logan quickly scanned the room until he found what he was looking for: an easy lay. She was a tall leggy blonde with green eyes and drunk. He plastered a confident smirk on his face and sauntered over to the girl.
He couldn't help but think the mighty hunter has cornered his prey.