Chapter 25
You'd think Rory would've taken the virginity of her platinum credit card, the one that Richard had given her, to splurge it on something elaborate while out with the guys. But - no - she'd gone and bought two tote bags full of Yale memorabilia for her guest from Chilton. It was just who she was. And besides, she liked to think of this as a worthy cause even by her grandfather's definition.
Rory wanted to think of Anna Fairchild as her mini-me of sorts, trying to think of things she would've liked to have seen or done if she was visiting the place for the first time. There were lectures on important benches, buildings and most importantly libraries to show her. She was taking her to all of her classes and the paper, but she had also planned on taking her to the pub the last evening and inviting Logan, Colin, Finn and Stephanie to hang out for an evening. They did sell great cappuccino there besides booze. She was taking her to an improv class, as per her mother's suggestion, even if it didn't feel that original after she'd suggested it. She'd considered parties, especially since Logan knew of a few cool ones coming up, one of them happening to be a themed one, but she was afraid somehow she'd get in trouble for taking her there. She felt Anna was her responsibility, and she kind of was.
The plan seemed solid.
What she hadn't accounted for however, was the completely different energy this girl had, and every time she opened her mouth a little of Rory's illusion slipped further away about Anna resembling a 'mini-me' as the girl spoke of there being no uniforms, how cute the college guys were and having the freedom over one's own schedule.
She'd just managed to text Logan how disappointed she felt, as she watched Anna sleep soundly on her couch after she had kept the tv on for almost through the night. On her defense Anna had been on a caffeine buzz last night.
"Anna, we need to get going soon. I got to get to class...," Rory tried to wake her.
"Um..," Anna mumbled, barely opening her eyes.
She tried some other tricks. Accidentally banging the door when she went to brush her teeth, playing some music, and just in general keeping up commentary rather loudly. And that certainly helped.
"We've missed breakfast. We'll just need to go get something from the cart..," Rory said, perhaps a little passive aggressively. Technically they could've made it... but she just wanted Anna to take things a little bit more seriously.
"I'm sorry," Anna replied, looking a little worried by now and swiftly made her way to the bathroom right outside the door, yawning heavily.
Thankfully the coffee cart by the library had just gotten fresh scones, which was already a huge improvement to the way Rory's day had begun.
They were about halfway through the class, and despite finding Dr. Bell's discussion on the collective unconscious Rory facination, mostly Rory just observed Anna who seemed to be dozing off, wondering when the right moment was to elbow her, feeling embarrassed for her.
"Hey, pay attention! Professor Bell is one the foremost philosophy professors in the country," Rory scolded her quietly, and woke her, unable to hold off any longer. It was a matter of respect to her. Little by little she was beginning to think someone like Anna didn't even judge to go to Yale if the academics were not what she was here for, but then again she had seen numerous students here who were more interested in the party over the work before, so she really shouldn't have been all that surprised that Yale admitted all kinds of students.
"Sorry," Anna apologized and continued to listen. Dr. Bell talked about the Hero Myth. He was a good speaker, even if not all of his thought processes were easy to follow.
All of a sudden the door flew open, and Rory's head mixed shock with a broad smile at his sight. It was Colin. For a brief second she even wondered whether something had happened and he was there to get her for some reason. But that really was not the case.
"Excuse me. I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Colin exclaimed loudly.
"I'm right in the middle of class, young man," Dr. Bell scolded him.
"I know, I'm sorry. I just…," Colin exclaimed, sounding a little unhinged even. But it was then Rory's mouth dropped open at what he was about to say next.
"Rory, you can't just walk out like that," Colin said, sounding accusatory. "Not after everything we've been through!" he added.
Everything we've been through? Rory found herself asking, feeling suddenly very confused. The only thing she and Colin had ever been through was consoling Finn after he'd been blown off by a really gorgeous redhead one night at the pub.
"You just left. I was still in bed!" Colin continued.
In bed? With Colin… No.. No-no-no-no.
"I mean, what is that all about?" Colin huffed.
"Okay, you need to do this later," Dr. Bell reprimanded him.
"I can't do this later!" Colin objected. "Rory, I love you! I love you, damn it!" Colin declared.
Okay, this was a prank, wasn't it? Rory realized. And while still stunned, she couldn't help but to let a smile sneak up on her lips.
"God, just talk to me," Colin begged, actually looking very believable.
"Okay, out! Right now, just get…" Dr. Bell ordered.
"Colin!" Rory heard Logan's unmistakable voice and saw him march through the door.
Oh, no… What more? What now!? - She worried.
"What are you doing, man?" Logan asked.
"Get the hell out of here!" Colin huffed.
"She's with me now. I told you that. Let it go," Logan said, glancing over to Rory.
And while that was technically true, and there was a slight mixed feeling about Logan professing their relationship in public like that and realizing this was just a sketch, Rory was really more confused about what on Earth had caused them to do this, here?
"I will not let it go!" Colin argued, theatrically.
"She doesn't love you!" Logan continued.
They hadn't gone to that territory with Logan yet, not at all. Hence it was weird he was throwing around statements like that. Joke or no joke.
"Rory, tell him you don't love him!" Logan demanded.
Rory was too confused, too embarrassed to really do or say anything.
"Everything was fine until you came along!" Colin accused Logan.
"Oh, don't blame me 'cause you couldn't keep her," Logan replied, condescending. Logan truly had some actor's skills hidde in himself, so did Colin, for a brief second making Rory consider how they belonged in the theater department they'd just been to with Anna last night.
"I swear to god, I'm going to kill you," Colin threatened Logan.
"Oh, I'd love to see you try," Logan challenged him, and that look on his face showed it. It was animalistic, a little primal… she'd seen it in another type of setting a few times if you know what I mean. But right now… she just put that down for just overacting a little.
Colin lunged at him, and the two struggled their way across the lecture hall, leaving Rory utterly speechless. It almost looked like they weren't acting but genuinely grabbing at each other.
"Anthony, get security," Dr. Bell called for his TA. "Break it up!" he ordered. "What are you…? Gentlemen, you are losing control! You are in a classroom!" he fretted, and Rory was now realizing how embarrassing this really was. The joke had been on her in front of her class and her professor. She couldn't say it wasn't funny… but just… oh man, the realization just made her want to burrow into the ground.
It was then the fight scene was getting out of hand. Logan actually tossed Colin onto the table and rolled over it with him. Rory's mouth was wide open from shock that they'd take things that far.
The next moment Finn appeared at the doorway dressed in a bobby uniform, blew his whistle. Of course they'd gotten an uniform somewhere - Rory really wasn't all that surprised, knowing them.
"All right, that's enough," Finn said, having somehow found a British accent in himself on top of his Aussie one. "Break it up, you two!" Finn continued, and went to get the two, grabbing them by their necks like ragdolls.
Dr. Bell did not look pleased.
"Rory GIlmore, you should be ashamed of yourself," Finn began, making Rory want to sink to the floor right then. They had to say her full name, didn't they!?
"Toying with these boys like this…," Finn lectured. "They used to have pride, they used to have dignity. They used to have balls," Finn continued, and despite all the embarrassed feelings that went through her brain right then she couldn't help but hold back her laughter with everything she got. Finn dragged the guys out of there - thank god.
The classroomful of people erupted into laughter.
"Damn it, Gilmore! Give them back their balls!" Finn added as a final remark, making it even worse. He just had to say that, didn't he? She was going to kill Finn! And the others!
Laughter grew over the crowd and many clapped, while Rory didn't dare to do anything being too worried about Dr. Bell's fury.
The guys returned for a final bow even, having the nerve to accept their applause with pride.
The day got only worse after she'd taken Anna back to her dorm room and caught Paris and Doyle in their bathrobes having just had their own between-the-sheets fun. It was not the Yale she'd wanted to demonstrate to Anna, even if she herself was also quite liberal in her sexual activity these days. She just kept comparing this to her own innocence at 16, but clearly Anna was not as innocent as she'd been back then.
Rory dragged Anna to dinner at 5 o'clock, just needing to get out of there.
Anna was just eating ice cream and cereal for dinner as Logan finally walked up, knowing his schedule having just gotten out of his Computer Systems Design class.
"Ladies," Logan greeted them.
"Hi, Logan," Rory said. "This is Anna, I told you about her coming to visit…" she added.
"How are we doing this fine evening?" Logan inquired.
Rory was glad to see him, but her affection was mixed with anger too. She just wanted to pout.
"We're doing great! Want to join us?" Anna asked.
"Sure," he gladly accepted, and sat down next to Rory.
"So… dull day, huh?" Logan said, clearly not meaning that.
"Not for me," Anna replied.
"Someone's quiet..," Logan said to Rory, for a moment getting in her personal space.
"Got nothing to say!" Rory replied, trying to think of what to say.
"Do you get the sense that she's mad at me?" Logan asked Anna.
"Yup…," Anna said.
"Hey, Anna… Why don't you head over to the Fro-Yo Social? You remember where it is, right?" Rory suggested, just wanting to have Logan all to herself for a moment.
"Yeah, but I just had three scoops of ice cream," Anna replied.
"Kid, you're in college now, okay? Now get yourself some yogurt," Rory suggested.
"Are you going to come, Logan?" Anna asked, clearly liking him a little.
"Um… I'm not sure how well I'll be walking here in a minute, Anna," Logan said, actually earning some brownie points from Rory just for saying that. Wordless punishment, the anticipation of it could sometimes be very efficient.
"Oh, okay. Bye," Anna said and left.
"That's not a good look…," Logan began, somewhat hesitantly.
Damn, why did he have to be so cute even now?
"I have no words, Logan!" Rory exclaimed.
"It was just a joke," Logan said on his defense.
"I know that… but that was just…, ahh….," Rory groaned. She could think of a number of things to call him too, but under the circumstances him coming to her with his tail between his legs like that… they didn't really apply. "Why would you do something like that?" she asked. She needed to understand.
"You told me you were struggling with her so I thought we'd help you out," Logan said.
"Yeah… but at class?" Rory argued. "Here I am, trying to show Anna what college life is really like…," she began to argue.
"That is what college life is really like," Logan replied, frowning a little.
"Maybe your college life. Not mine. Not most of the time…," Rory added, realizing that with him around it really was a little like that. "That was my class Logan. That's my professor who decides my grades. You made me look ridiculous to him," Rory continued, needing him to understand how serious she was.
"No, I made me look ridiculous to him," Logan shot back.
He had, hand't he?
"Oh, you don't think he thinks I was a part of it?" Rory asked, rolling her eyes.
"I'll talk to him. I'll tell him you were an innocent bystander," Logan suggested, causing Rory yet again to roll her eyes at him. This was so from his playbook.
"The whole class was in a frenzy the entire time. We never got back to what we were talking about," Rory continued.
"There's another class next week," Logan replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"I know that classes and the paper and Yale in general mean nothing to you, but it means something to me," Rory argued, crossing her arms. "Professor Bell's class is only six weeks long and you blew one of those weeks for me. I won't get that week back," Rory explained.
"Look, you want up close and personal time with Bell, my dad knows him. He'll areng….," Logan began.
"Please stop talking..," Rory huffed, still feeling like pouting.
"I'm sorry, you're so bent out of shape. I didn't mean to upset you," Logan replied, sounding actually genuine.
"Anna just thinks that Yale is just a big joke," Rory said.
"If Anna thinks that Yale is just a big joke after spending five minutes with you then she was always going to think Yale was a big joke. Relax..," Logan suggested.
Rory groaned. It was the first time they'd had something resembling a fight, yet she didn't feel like taking it further than that, even though she'd felt like punching him earlier.
"But you have to admit, it was a little funny… wasn't it?" Logan said, knowing just what button to push. Even his tone went from the cocky, argumentative tone to something several degrees more intimate.
"That's besides the point," Rory huffed, but Logan just inched closer to her.
"Come on… Ace..., I'm sorry..," Logan said, his mouth almost at her neck. She could already feel his hot air on her skin. It was so distracting.
"Fine… it was a little funny," Rory mouthed barely audibly.
Logan rewarded her with a brush of his lips against her neck, and then rested his forehead on hers for a second, still a little apologetically, and kissed her softly on the lips.
"Now when is she leaving again?" Logan focused on the important part, staying intimately close.
They'd been spending a lot of nights together these past weeks, and especially now Rory could understand why he might want to make sure they were fine. They were - it was just a spat.
"Tomorrow," Rory hummed, missing him too.
"Okay, let's go find her. Take her to the pub. Let's make her last night fun then. I swear I persuade Finn to speak Latin all the way through, if that's what would make this a more worldly experience for her," Logan suggested, teasingly, taking her hand.
Now Rory really did punch him, but just his shoulder, causing him to express a loud "Ouch," half-pretending.
Rory just shook her head, but smiled a little too. His presence was calming, his touch soothing… things were just better when he was around, and that despite being very different people when it came to many things. But it didn't seem to matter in the end.
They left the dining hall together, managing to find Anna just seconds before she was about to head off with Matthew, whom she'd met earlier and who had invited her to a party. While they didn't go on to display a lot of affection in front of Anna in the pub, there were these evident looks that the boys surely noticed. But overall, the guys gave Anna a night to remember for sure, knowing just how to balance their bubbly characters so she'd be entertained, even encouraging her to give a go at speaking without E-s and talking about which classes to avoid at all cost. This was what college life was really about.