AN: Heheh back from the dead I am! haha i'm not gonna ramble here anymore.. I have my blog for that. So on with the chapter! By the way, things get a little angsty.. hehe can't help myself!

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Tristan took a deep breath similar to Rory's and ran a hand through his raucous hair. "Rory… I love you…"

Rory gasped. No, this couldn't be happening. She didn't love Tristan the same way she loved Logan, but how was she to choose over her best friend of 7 years and her boyfriend that she loved with all that she was. Her mind was going into overload as she panicked, not knowing what to say to those words Tristan said.

Tristan was about to continue what he had to say when Rory gasped. He tilted his head confused as pure panic and fear flashed in her eyes. If there was one thing he was good at, it was reading Rory and he could tell at the moment something was making her tense, but he couldn't really understand what. Then he realized the words he uttered and how the situation they were in could cause her to twist up the interpretation.

"Tris," she said sympathetically. Tristan couldn't help but chuckle. "Rory no, let me finish." Rory sat in silence and Tristan took it as a sign to continue.

"I love you, but as a best friend," he said stressing the words best friend. Rory let out a breath and allowed herself to smile, feeling a little stupid at the way she became unnerved so quickly. Tristan nodded and smiled back. "And listen I know I was the one who turned…it into something more than what it was supposed to be and I honestly don't know where it all came from. Maybe it was from seeing you like that, but I just had to need to make you feel better because what had happened I felt was my fault."

Rory shook her head in negativity. "No, don't even blame yourself for anything that happened Tristan, you didn't do anything… except for well kiss me. But I kissed you right back, and I too don't know where it came from. But there's no way we can change what happened Tris, so we just have to figure out what to do about it," she said glad that the ice that was present before was slowly breaking.

"Does Logan know?" he asked. Rory shook her head. "I can't even look at him," she said sadly. "I mean I know what really happened now, but it just makes me feel worse about what we did."

Tristan sighed and nodded, "You have to talk to him Ror, and better sooner than later."

"I know, I think I'm going to wait when we get home, maybe the first day back at school since it's in two days anyways. I can tell him during the lunch period somewhere private," she plotted.

"Rory, you know the kiss isn't the only thing you two have to talk about," he said. Rory shot him a questioning glance. "You have to talk to him about what's going to happen in college," Tristan said.

"Oh," Rory said almost forgetting about that with all the drama that was unfolding. "I guess I'll have to bring that up," Rory added. Tristan nodded and took her hand. "I don't want things to be weird with us like they were the last night Rory. You're my best friend and right now is the time in our lives that we need each other the most."

Rory smiled and intertwined her fingers with his. It amazed her how one night the two could be totally avoiding each other and the next morning they were back to the way they were, as if nothing had even happened. "Just promise me no more spur-of-the-moment make out sessions when I'm in distress?"

Tristan smiled sheepishly, "I seriously don't know what came over me, I guess it was just my way of comforting you."

Rory nodded in comprehension. "It worked, but then everything came rushing back down," she replied.

"But we're good now right?" he asked.

"Right," Rory affirmed biting her lip obviously thinking about what she would say to Logan.

"You'll figure things out Rory… you will," Tristan replied.

"I have to go pack… I'm glad that we cleared things up though," she said getting up.

"Don't stress about this Pinky," he said with a knowing concerned stare. Rory just walked out of the room silently and into the hallway, walking straight into Finn with an 'oomph'.

"Sorry love," he apologized eyeing the room she walked out of. "Everything better?" he asked in a whisper.

"Sort of," she answered vaguely before walking into her room and closing the door behind her, securing the lock. She took a look around the room. Logan's shirts and toiletries that were sprawled on the dresser were now gone, apparently he packed while she was having her talk with Tristan. She grabbed a towel and entered the adjoining bathroom, feeling dirty considering she was still in her outfit from the previous night.

She stripped herself of her garments and turned on the shower, testing it to make sure it was the perfect temperature. She cautiously stepped under the giant shower head, letting the water cascade down her body, washing away the build up of last night's city grime.

She had to try her best to forget about the activities her and Logan had partaken in at her current location, knowing that those memories would soon be only bittersweet.

Rory wasn't so upset leaving Tristan's room because she was at a loss of words on what to say to Logan. She knew exactly what she wanted to say to him, and she had a feeling she would know his reaction. No matter how much she wished that her life would be a fairytale and he would prove her wrong, Rory knew it wasn't going to happen. Not this time. So instead, Rory walked out of Tristan's room upset because she knew what she was getting herself into, and even though it wasn't something she wanted to do, she only had the intentions of protecting herself, and protecting Logan.

She looked down at her body and noticed the two items that she didn't strip herself of: her necklace, and her ring. Normally these two items would be laid gently on the counter of the sink, but today she couldn't bring her self to take them off; not knowing if the two articles would ever mean the same thing to her anymore. Maybe she was just being melodramatic, or maybe she was being realistic.

After 10 minutes she stepped out of the shower wrapping a towel around her bare body and picked up her shed clothing so she could toss them into her luggage she had brought. As she picked up her clothes she noticed a shirt that hung loosely on the towel rack. She picked it up realizing it was Logan's. Instead of notifying him of his left item of clothing, she packed it away carefully with her things, hoping that its scent would last as long as she would need it to on the nights she would be thinking about him.

A lone tear made it way from her eye and down her cheek falling onto her now closed suit case. She didn't know what kind of drama would occur back in Connecticut but now it was time to go back and face it.

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Back to school, oh joy. Rory had been able to avoid Logan for the past few days. From pretending to be asleep on the limo going home, to avoiding the group as a whole, and locking herself in her room only coming out when her mother demanded to know how the trip was. Rory had supplied her with a short hand tear filled story with Liz and Lorelai's sympathetic words and expressions but Rory wasn't in the mood for that so she just left them more depressed than she came out.

Rory had to admit, although she had an out of the ordinary close bond with Lorelai and Liz, it had been breaking lately. With all of their business trips they were going on, both she and Tristan felt the drifting occurring, but it was just a sign they were really growing up. They weren't those little kids that loved hanging out with their parents every hour of the day. They had their own group of friends now, and soon they would be off to college lessening their ties with their parents even more. They just had to deal.

She pushed those facts to the back of her mind and pulled on her uniform while putting her hair in a loose bun; putting no effort into her appearance but looking beautiful nonetheless. Sighing, she trudged her way down the steps to find Tristan already waiting for her, looking concerned.

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Tristan was aware of Rory's distant attitude to everyone, even to himself. But for once, he couldn't put his finger on what was making her the way she was. He knew for a fact that it wasn't the kiss they shared, or else she would've mentioned something by now. He wanted his old, happy, best friend back that seemed to have been replaced but this distant, quiet, sad mess.

"Ready?" he asked her.

"For anything," she mumbled trying not to break down in tears right there and then. She didn't want the day to come, but freezing time or turning it back wasn't an option in her perfect life. She entered the limo with a sad smile to Geoffrey, running over the things she wanted to say to Logan today.

Today was the day she broke the heart of the man she loved, and the day she broke her own.

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Logan stood outside waiting for Rory and Tristan's limo with his friends. To say he was concerned about Rory would be a complete understatement. He gave her numerous phone calls the past few days and she never answered him. He was getting very agitated by the fact that his own girlfriend wasn't listening to what he had to say, and also about the fact that Finn and Steph seemed to know something that he didn't.

He saw the limo pull up and Tristan step out of the limo followed by Rory, and almost winced at the sight. It wasn't his Ace that stepped out of the limo. It was Rory's shell that held nothing inside it; she was missing her glow that she usually had and her smile that could light up a room. He looked over to his friends, all with their brows furrowed at the shared sight looking extremely worried.

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The two reached the group and Rory had yet to peel her eyes from the ground. "Hey," Tristan said uneasily shooting the group looks that said 'we have to do something' and 'I don't know what the hell's going on'.

"Hey," the group answered still eyeing Rory. Rory refused to look up to meet any of their eyes because she knew the result would only be her running away and losing her temporary courage that she had built up.

"Logan can we talk over there," she mumbled briefly looking up to only look back down again. She wasn't planning on doing this so early but she knew if she waited any longer she would lose her temporary confidence. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, especially Tristan's confused gaze.

"Sure," he said laying a tentative hand on the small of her back and leading her to under the tree, a little farther from the group and in a secluded location of the court yard. They sat on the bench that was situated there and Rory took a deep breath, but Logan immediately spoke first.

"Ace, it wasn't the way it looked," Logan started but Rory shook her head, trying to forget that nickname.

"You don't have to explain that anymore, I know what happened," she replied shortly. Logan frowned. "Then what is this all about?"

Rory took another deep breath before looking up at him and memorizing his features. Suddenly she grabbed each side of his face and pulled his lips of hers, just wanting to feel it one last time. At first Logan was obviously surprised, but then immediately responded pulling her closer by her neck and deepening the kiss.

Rory's mind was in over load she knew she shouldn't be doing this, it as only making what she wanted to do harder but she just wanted to have the good feeling in her body one more time before it wouldn't be there for her to feel anymore. But she had to stop, so she gently pulled away slightly out of breath, eyes dropping back down to her lap.

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"She's kissing him, that has to be good," Louise said to the group that was observing Rory and Logan's interaction.

"No, look at her face kitten. Love doesn't look so happy at what she's doing," Finn suggested. And he was right because just as he said that Rory pulled away looking down at her lap, not noticing the disgruntled face Logan had.

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"What's going on Ace?" Logan asked through his teeth trying not to sound annoyed that she pulled away so quickly.

"This isn't going to work," Rory whispered. The world fell from underneath Logan and his heart cracked.

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"That face doesn't look that good," Colin said concerned.

"No it doesn't," Madeline affirmed. At this point everything in Tristan's mind clicked. Her distant attitude since he reminded her she had to talk to Logan, the looks of hurt and self pity she kept having flashes of.

"She's breaking up with him," Tristan gasped in realization. The group's jaws dropped. "Shit," they all thought.

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"W-what?" Logan asked not believing this was happening. He knew he screwed up partially, but it was just a misunderstanding and he didn't do anything.

Rory looked up and into his eyes, trying not to shoot herself from the looks of pain she could see in his chocolate brown eyes she knew she still loved. "Once we go off to college, we'll be so many miles apart and if we can't even go one night without cheating on each other then how are going to go weeks or months at a time while staying faithful?" she asked, the words not coming out the exact way she wanted them to.

Logan scowled. "I didn't cheat you Ace, I mean not intentionally. I thought you said you understood that she pushed herself on me. You can trust me," he said in an almost pleading tone that started Rory's tears flowing.

"I know you didn't cheat Logan," she said hoping he would understand keeping her from trying to say the words.

"Then what is this Rory?" he asked using her real name in anger. "Rory what the hell is going on?"

"Tristan kissed me!" she exclaimed not caring anymore about being quiet. "I don't know why we did it but I was just so vulnerable and he was trying to comfort me and I felt like shit after but Logan can't you see. We can't even go one night without kissing someone else, whether intentional or not so how is this ever going to work in college!"

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The group stood watching to the side along with everyone else in the courtyard. Mouths dropped open at what she yelled and Tristan, Stephanie and Finn shared a look.

"Tell me you didn't," Colin said to Tristan holding onto his shoulder.

"Colin let him explain," Stephanie replied trying to calm her boyfriend down.

"You knew?" Louise asked offended that she didn't know.

"Love was going crazy, she had to tell someone but she didn't want everyone to know," Finn defended.

"You knew too!" Madeline exclaimed accusingly.

"I was just trying to make her feel better, I can honestly say that I didn't know what was happening. You guys please you have to believe me!" Tristan exclaimed. The group quickly shut up and seemed to understand him, but then a flash of blonde came and punched Tristan straight across the jaw.

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Rory looked at Logan after her rant only to find him not there. She looked around frantically and found him charging towards Tristan, she went to run and stop him but it was too late; his fist had already collided with Tristan's jaw. Rory winced; this definitely wasn't the way things were supposed to go.

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The group gasped as a crowd slowly formed around the once again feuding socialites. Tristan staggered back but was able to keep his balance and stop himself from falling to the ground. He rubbed his jaw, knowing that the pain would only get worse and stepped back up to Logan.

"Logan, listen it's not what you think," Tristan tried to explain with the group nodding their heads trying to support his defense.

"I don't want to hear it," Logan spat, "I just want to know how long."

Tristan looked confused. "How long?" he asked.

"How long have you been screwing my girlfriend behind my back!" he yelled causing much of the crowd to begin whispering gossip immediately.

"I wasn't screwing Rory! I kissed her once and it was a mistake, she was so upset I was just trying to calm her down!" Tristan replied.

"By fucking playing tonsil hockey with her!" Logan screamed.

"It wasn't like that man. It was innocent!" Tristan replied bending the truth.

Logan shook his head and let out a deep rueful laugh, "Un fucking believable. Best friends, my ass!"

"Logan please just… it's what we say it was," Rory said breaking through the group. Even though she was breaking up with him, she wished they could still stay close friends but that hope was slowly dissolving.

"Why should I believe you?" Logan said spinning on his heel. "I trusted you Rory. I trusted that you weren't some slut using me and you screw me over just like fucking Marissa. You're the same as ever other gold digging whore!" he yelled not being able to control his anger. Deep down, he knew that Rory was trying to protect herself and himself from future heart break, and he knew that she wasn't any of the things he accused her of, but he felt so angry and betrayed that none of that mattered to him.

Tears spilled freely from Rory's eyes like a cascading waterfall, broken by the harsh public words Logan had just yelled at her. "I-I … didn't want it to be this way. You have to believe me," she sobbed trying her best not to collapse with her knees going weak and shoulders shaking.

Logan didn't know what to say. A part of him wanted to go over there and hug her and tell her everything would be ok, that they would be ok while the other half wanted to throw it in her face that she fucked up and be angry at her forever. Instead, he sighed, ran a hand through his hair and with a final glance at Rory's heartbreaking sobbing figure, pushed his way through the crowd and to his car, before he himself lost his dignity and cried right along with her.

This left Rory sobbing, no longer being able to hold herself up and beginning to lean into the nearest person, which happened to be Colin. He wrapped his arms around her as she cried, not caring about the whispers, not caring about Summer and Josh in the far corner smiling happily, not caring about the bell ringing the beginning of class. All she cared about was that she had let go of the man she loved and at the moment she didn't know why but there was no way of mending thing anymore. This was what she had gotten herself into.

The group looked at Rory and tried their best not the cry themselves. All they could do was watch her, watch two of their closest friends break each others hearts and walk away from each other. This time, in this fight, the group couldn't choose a side because it would just be wrong. Both of their friends needed them equally and there was no way that they could split up the group now. After all, both Logan and Rory agreed that the group would just have to deal with each other being in the same clique earlier in the year, and neither of them were ones to break a promise.

"You, me, Maddy, and Colin will go to Logan's. Steph and Tristan should go to Rory's," Louise whispered to Finn who looked ready to blubber in sorrow for Rory. Finn nodded and passed on the message to Stephanie who didn't care another girl was in her boyfriend's arms because all she cared about was making her two friends feel better. Stephanie nodded and motioned for Tristan to take Rory.

Tristan pried Rory from Colin's arms and smiled gratefully; he knew Colin wasn't a comforting type but he had taken Rory in his arms like he was the most affectionate person in the world. Rory immediately put all her weight on Tristan, obviously not being able to walk. Glad that class was started and the crowd had run off to go, he lifted Rory up into his arms and followed Steph to her car after she gave a parting kiss and instructive words to Colin.

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Logan sped through the roads on the way home with so many thoughts running through his head. He tried organizing the facts in his mind in a list, hoping it would help in some way.

1. Tristan kissed your Ace and they claimed that it didn't mean anything and it was innocent. Bull shit what kiss is innocent…well ok the one with Marissa I was innocent even though she wasn't but still!

2. Ace broke up with you. Crap! I have to stop calling her that.

3. You punched Tristan. Hell yes I did and it was a good ass punch at that.

4. You lost the girl you loved.

At fact four Logan braked suddenly, causing the car behind him to slam on it's breaks and their tires to screech as he held down his horn. Logan just stuck his hand out the window and motioned him to go ahead of him, not noticing as the guy told him to do something to himself that wouldn't be very pleasant. Logan didn't even care… he lost his Ace, he lost Rory and the pangs of pain hit him even harder than it did in the courtyard. It was over and there was nothing he could do about it because it was her who asked for it.

He closed his eyes tight, trying to stop his signs of weakness from falling from his eyes. Letting out a deep ragged breath he reopened his eyes and turned on his radio, listening for anything that would drown out his unwanted depressing thoughts as he stepped on his gas, starting up the traffic he caused back into motion again.

Here's my resolution
I'm letting go
All I need to learn is along this road
And I just want to be the best man I can be
Breathe, it's my resolution

Letting go, it's all that Logan could think to do. He had to let go of the thought of Rory permanently in his life. He had to let go of the undeniable love he felt for Rory, he had to let go of the nick name, let go of the memories, let go of everything and just go back to his old ways; his old ways where no one could hurt him but himself. But how could he when he had gotten so accustomed to the feeling of love and comfort with Rory? How could he just pretend he was unaffected when in reality he just wanted to lock himself in his room and never come out?

Living life without her there
Finding soul is where I stand
And learning how to love again
And all I want is something real
That I can feel

Here's my resolution
I'm letting go
All I need to learn is along this road
And I just wanna be the best man I can be

He sighed shakily as he pulled into his driveway seeing Finn's and Louise's cars were already there. It was going to be a long night.

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At some point on the drive home Rory had fallen asleep, exhausted from all of the crying she had been doing lately. She had just woken up but was too tired to lift her eyes. She recognized the voices of Tristan and Stephanie talking in hushed worried tones.

"I still don't understand why she broke up with him if she loves him. The kiss between you two was a mistake and she knows that," Stephanie whispered.

"She's scared. I mean if all that could go against the relationship in one night, she's scared to see what could happen when they're both in college," Tristan replied running a hand through Rory's hair subconsciously.

Stephanie sighed. "I guess there's really no way of changing her mind right? I mean it was her choice and trying to fix it will most likely make her totally cut off ties from the group and they both agreed that if this day ever came that they would try and deal with it," Stephanie replied.

She was right, that was what Rory had agreed to. "Crap," Rory thought, "I can't even look at him anymore how am I ever supposed to talk to him and tell him the old lets still be friends shit."

"I guess not. I don't know how Rory's going to take all of this though. What about Logan?" Tristan asked.

Stephanie sighed once more. "He's not going to take it well. Knowing him, he'll go back to his old ways with a flavor of the week and act like he never cared about Rory," Stephanie replied. Rory almost cried right there and then, but she knew that by breaking up with Logan she could no longer be protective and possessive, she just had to deal with what she set herself up for.

"She's a fighter. She can get through this," Tristan said. At that, Rory unconsciously smiled which was noticed by Tristan and Steph.

"Ok Rory you can stop pretending you're asleep now," Stephanie said happy that Rory was at least smiling. Rory stretched her body out and wiped her eyes before sitting up and looking down at her appearance. Someone had changed her into Kermit the Frog pajamas. She then looked up at her two friends staring at her as if trying to study her gaze.

"I really don't know how I'm feeling so don't ask," she replied before anyone could ask the impending question. The two just nodded in understanding.

"Rory?" Stephanie asked nervously. Rory looked at her. "Do you still love him?"

Rory nodded. "But it hurts… I did it so that none of us would hurt but I think just made the pain worse," she mumbled tears brimming her eyes once more. "I didn't want to I just had to."

Stephanie immediately took her in her arms and whispered comforting words and Tristan engulfed them both in a big hug. Rory allowed herself to release a new fresh batch of tears, not worrying about figuring things out for the moment.

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"Logan, say something," Colin said worriedly. They had been in silence for the last 15 minutes as Logan took drink after drink of scotch into his unstable system. He stopped his arm in mid pour and looked scathingly at Colin. "It's over," he said in an almost mocking tone before going back to nursing his drink.

"Why?" Madeline asked. Logan froze once more, it was almost as if he couldn't drink and speak at the same time. "We can't go a night without cheating on each other, how are we supposed to last in college?" he asked mimicking her words that burned his tongue… or maybe it was just the alcohol.

The group didn't say anything, after all what could you say to that to make things better? Things will be alright? No, because they knew that in Logan's eyes they wouldn't. There's other fish in the sea? No, because Logan loved Rory more than life itself and she was the only one for him in his eyes.

The only thing they could do is remind him.

"Logan," Louise said, "You and Rory both agreed that if this ever happened you two would still remain civil with each other." The other three's heads quickly whipped around to look at her like she was crazy and Logan put his cup down.

"You're right," Logan replied surprising the group.

"She is?" Madeline asked.

Logan nodded wearily, replaying the song lyrics that served as his guide on what to do. "I'm letting go."

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AN: This is the part you all cry and gasp and then flame me for breaking them again. Haha so I'll update with anoter 28 reviews. Because 28 is the second number in my locker combination. For authors comments check out the blog!