Thanks for your reviews. I hope you all enjoy what you're reading because I have a bunch of ideas for this story. Anyways, please keep reviewing, it makes me smile 

Suggested Playlist: Keith Urban's "Tonight I Wanna Cry"

Chapter 2: Didn't You Know? Broken Hearts Are ALL the Rage

Rory stared speechless as her ex-boyfriend approached her, his adorable "concerned" face reading her sympathetically. He pouted at her carefully and took a step towards her, enveloping her in tight hug. For a moment she lost herself in his arms and took a deep breath of his deliciousness: a mix of peppermint and Abercrombie cologne. Her arms found their way around his back and she snuggled for a moment allowing a few tears to escape her eyes. It wasn't until she heard a blunt "Ahem", that she woke from her senses and pushed the traitorous man away.

"Damnit Steven!" she screamed and looked towards Landon for some kind of help. He gave her a kind smile and stepped forward.

"Look Steven, I think it's best if you just go right now. Rory is in no mood to deal with you and I really think that you leaving is the best idea." Landon spoke clearly and grabbed Rory's hand reassuringly.

Steven looked back and forth between them before smiling broadly, much like the Cheshire cat—only he didn't have purple stripes across his stomach. He pursed his lips carefully for a moment before adjusting his khaki jacket around him. "Ror, look, I really just want to talk…to explain what you saw…I've been trying to tell you for some time now… I just--"

"You just decided to be a shithead and cheat on me with another MAN! God, Steven I really think you should just get out of here. I really want nothing to do with you. You can come by tomorrow and get your stuff between the hours of one and four, no earlier no later. Understand?" Rory meant business, putting on a solid face, trying to appear emotionally untouched by the situation.

"Baby, look. I'm gay. It's not your fault. I know this hurts but I do love you. Just for the record I have always loved you. The only thing that Billy has that you don't is a penis."

This wasn't exactly the right thing to say to Rory at that moment, for she gathered up all her strength, stretched back and punched Steven as hard as she could right on the nose. Blood gushed suddenly and Rory's face reddened out of anger. She shook out her fist as pain began to rush to her knuckles. Landon looked at the woman in front of him shocked, yet proud. The last time he'd seen her hit someone was in fifth grade when Charlie Baxter had called her an idiot. She really did not like being called names.

Steven stumbled to stand against the wall as he clutched at his nose. Unsure of what to do Rory fiddled with her hand before pressing the down elevator button in front of her. The doors flew open and she turned to look behind her, "Landon are you coming or what?" She stepped into the open doors, Landon following close behind, too afraid to laugh at the situation.

They rode down the building in silence, both of them stunned from what had just happened. Finally Rory was the first to find her voice. "He just thinks he can waltz in and say its not my fault he's gay and that he knows I'm heart broken but he loves me anyways! Who the hell does he think he is? I mean, I find him in bed with that stupid Billy and all he says to me is 'This isn't what it looks like!'…What else would two, naked men in bed look like they were doing? Playing Parcheesi?!"

"Parcheesi?" he spoke with a laugh, causing her to growl at him. He stopped immediately but decided to put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Listen Rory--"

"No, no. I don't want to talk about it. It's not going to help. You should know that by now. Let's just go get drunk!" she announced, strutting out of the elevator into the street. He followed close behind, the doors closing swiftly behind him as they walked down the street to the closest pub. It wasn't far from her apartment and was usually filled with rowdy college students. Tonight was no exception as the bar was quite crowded with people drinking in the end of week classes on two-dollar Thursday's. Rory had moved much quicker in the place, stepping up to the bar and ordering a shot of tequila and two beers. She downed the shot quickly, savoring the burn that assaulted her throat before handing Landon one of the beers.

She downed the first beer quickly before Landon could have even two sips of his. She ordered another quickly and began to chug that one back as well before Landon put a comforting hand over her own, lowering the bottle from her soft, pink lips. "Slow down their champ. Drinking that fast will just make you sick, not make you forget." He drank a few more gulps of his beer to finish it before slamming it down on the bar. "Let's go get some food, you haven't eaten yet," he offered, eyeing her carefully as she finished the last of her beer.

She eyed him suspiciously before nodding and leading the way out of the pub and onto the street again. She wiped her lips with the back of her sleeve to rid herself of the remains of her beer before grabbing his hand and leading him to a pizza joint nearby. They ordered a medium cheese pizza and sat at a small, burgundy covered booth in the back corner of the restaurant. She let her head fall into her hands, feeling the weight of her emotions rising up. She was about to cry again and she wanted to kill herself right there and then. Shaking her head, she looked across at her favourite boy in the entire world: Landon, her best friend since the beginning of time… Or so it seemed.

"Senior Prom," she whispered dreamily, looking off towards the other side of the restaurant, lingering on a happy blonde woman with some spiky haired guy. They were laughing over something the man had just said and looked so happy. That used to be her and Steven. They always came here, shared a pizza and then scurried back to their apartment to kiss the night away and enjoy other's company. Not anymore.

"What?" he asked, confused at where she was going with this.

"Hmm?" she asked, looking back at him, the images of Steven's full lips escaping her vision.

"You were saying Senior Prom. What about it?"

"Oh. Senior Prom. That was the first and last time you and I went out on a 'date'." She laughed suddenly remembering it like it was yesterday. "You picked me up in your dad's corvette, looking dashingly handsome and walked me to the car. You even opened the door and shut it—on my dress!"

"You would remember the bad stuff," he laughed remembering back to that night. "That entire night was an absolute disaster. We got lost getting there and then you spilled that red punch all down the front of me. And if I'm not mistaken your ex-boyfriend Jerry Gordon came up and slugged me for dancing with you."

"And then we had this screaming match about how I didn't belong to him anymore and he tried to grab me and then you hit him!"

"I would defend your honor any day," he smiled at her.

"Oh Sir Landon, what would I ever do without you!"

"Probably die…" she laughed at this before putting on her pensive face again.

"I remember when you were thinking about going to UCLA. I was so upset," she was fading again, into the sadness that had once possessed her.

"But then I surprised you and showed up on your first day at Yale. You turned this really pale, pale white and then slapped me."

"I was LIVID. As if you made me think I would only see you on holidays… you mean, mean boy!"

"Hey, I changed my mind at the last minute. I didn't want to fight with you again, so I figured I'd just show up…And you gave me a big black eye. The girls I met that week all fawned over me like a wounded puppy…I'd told them I'd gotten in a fight with some guy defending your honor again and they all 'oood' and 'awwed' at how brave I was and how sweet. I got laid like three times that week!"

"You are so gross!" she laughed, scrunching up her nose.

"I'm just kidding. It was more like I just got a lot of numbers...and a lot of…ahem, offers shall we call them," he pulled at his collar jokingly before reaching across the table to hold her hand.

"You know I'm always going to be here, no matter whether some asshole dumps you or you just want to talk. I'm always here…" he looked into her eyes and she smiled brightly, but it faded quickly. Tears stormed to her eyes, threatening to spill out. She wiped at them savagely before turning away from him, hands covering her face.

"Rory…baby it's okay. Let's get this to go," he asked the waiter to box up their pizza, paid the bill and led her out of the restaurant and back to her apartment.

As soon as the door opened she ran in, embarrassed by her actions and turned quickly into her washroom, locking herself in. Landon put the pizza on the counter and went to the freezer, grabbing the bottle of vodka she kept there and knocked on the bathroom door. He could hear her whimpering, but couldn't seem to get to her. "Rory, open the door. I come bearing a gift," he sing-songed, and she unlocked the door, her face red from crying. She looked at the bottle in his hand and grabbed it, opening the top and taking a swig. He grabbed the bottle from her and took a swig himself before climbing into the bathtub and situating himself comfortably. She followed suit and sat down facing him, passing the bottle back and forth until it was nearly empty.

"Why does he have to b-be gay?" she hiccupped before handing her friend the bottle for his last gulp.

"Dunno…I donno howww anyone could go gaey with a ggirl like y-you," he slurred, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Am I not pretty enough?" She whined, trying to stand to look in the mirror, but lost her balance and crashed back to her previous position. She giggled a bit before sitting back roughly, hitting her head against the solid tub. "Ouch," she rubbed the back of her head and tried again, this time a lot slower.

"You are so pretty… Y-you are soooooo the prettiest girl I knoooow," he smiled at her drunkenly before reaching forwards, stretching across without being able to reach her face. He frowned before leaning forward, this time successfully caressing her cheek as she leant her head into his palm. Her cheeks were warm and wet as fresh tears began to fall from her eyes, memories flooding back, playing in front of her. He could see the pain that all of the happiness had caused her.

"I never want to love anyone ever again," she sobbed before bowing her head in shame and holding it in her arms and knees. She cried harder, willing the pain to go away but couldn't make it happen. She remembered her very first kiss with Steven. They had walking through campus on the first week of school, chatting happily and that's when she led him to the wall of some old, prestigious building and kissed him ever so softly. He smiled at her, ran his fingers through her silky hair and pulled her flush against him as he spun her so that her back hit the wall. She had melted in his arms that night, fallen for him right then and there. More tears hit her jeans and she just couldn't take it anymore.

And neither could Landon. Watching his closest companion cry was the hardest thing he had ever endured and he wanted it to end immediately. He grabbed her shoulder and lifted her chin carefully so she was looking at him full on. He wiped away her hair from her tear stained cheeks then dapped her tears with his sleeve. She smiled softly at him, leaning forward ever so slowly and pressed her lips to his with enough force to knock him backwards and have her fall right on top of him. It took him a moment to realize what was happening, so he just let her kiss him, knowing it was wrong but too inebriated to think against it. He slid his hands to her face, cupping it and pulling her closer as she parted her lips allowing him to swish a skillful tongue into her mouth. She tasted like the bitter vodka with a mix of strawberry lip-gloss. They dueled for a while before changing the game to teasing. She pulled back from him, placing soft kisses along his jaw and neck while his hands roamed down to her sides, squeezing her hips and the tracing the small slit of flesh that was exposed between her jeans and sweater.

He moaned as she nipped at a sensitive spot right below his ear, and he could feel her smirk radiate through his skin. His eyes flashed open to watch her as she slid a hand down his abdomen, raising his shirt carefully, tracing small circles all the way across his left side. He squirmed and she pulled back to look into his eyes. As he stared into her blue pools, he saw the haze of lust and couldn't stop himself from grabbing her forcefully and switching positions. They laughed drunkenly as he slipped a bit from the surface of the tub and the alcohol they had pulsing through their veins. This time he kissed her gently on the mouth and pulled back, she followed his lips, grabbing at his face to keep him close to her. He smiled against her lips and allowed her to wrap her legs around his waist. He was losing his mind and he really didn't care. He'd wanted to kiss her for far too long but had always waited for her to initiate it, knowing if he had it would completely ruin their friendship. He didn't care about tomorrow; he didn't care about any of the consequences. He just wanted to relish in the moment and enjoy the feeling of her wanting him in a way she never had shown before.

She licked at his bottom lip before sucking on it, pulling him back towards her. Her head was spinning but all she could do was kiss him because if she stopped she would remember all of the badness…all of the stupid memories and then this feeling erupting in the pits of her body would vanish. She couldn't let it go away that easily, so she kissed him again and again until her lips stung and her breathing was ragged. She pulled away, staring at him again, frowning as he looked just as intently into her eyes. Her arms were still wrapped around his neck, her legs still surrounding his hips. His hands were on either side of her head, pushing himself away just enough to catch his breath and try to clear the haze from his mind. Before he could even think straight she had pushed him backwards, releasing her legs from him and stood up. She frowned again, before turning to him, asking with her eyes for him to do the same. He stood up as well and she held onto him to steady herself as she left the tub. She looked over her shoulder before leaving the bathroom and wandered into the kitchen. He was dumbstruck and didn't know what to do. Was she scared? Was she angry at him? Did she want him to leave?

Shaking his head and leaving it bowed in shame, he grabbed the empty vodka bottle and vacated the bathroom to see where she had gone. He wasn't quite steady on his feet, so he leaned against the wall for support. He would definitely be regretting drinking that much in the morning, but right now he didn't care. Right now he had to find Rory. He looked across from the bathroom door and found her sitting on the kitchen counter, biting her lip. She stared at him intently, begging him to cross to her, but he was hesitant.

"Rory, I--" he tried but she cut him off with a silencing finger.

"No Landon. Just come here," she smiled at him seductively and he stumbled forward, as if being pulled to her by an invisible rope, unsteady on his feet and ready to fall. He caught himself as he reached the counter, placing a hand on either side of her open legs. He leaned forward and she dropped her hands to his hair, playfully digging into it, brushing it to the side. She kissed him softly before wrapping her legs around his middle again and pulled him closer. In turn her sucked on her bottom lip and picked her up off the counter as he stumbled towards the couch, dropping her roughly and falling on top of her. She giggled into his lips and he caressed her cheeks, before leaning back to take in her flushed face and swollen lips. She smiled before allowing a serious look to cross her face and sat up on her elbows. She bit her lip again, a nervous habit, and leaned back so that she could properly unbutton his shirt. She pushed him back, so that she could kneel up in front of him. She unhitched from the bottom up, bending to kiss his collar with each new button. She smoothed the fabric off his shoulders and ran her hands across his built shoulders, lingering and smiling at him. He could barely keep still, pulling her thick sweater over her head quickly, and running kisses down her neck, into her breasts and down her abdomen. She purred as he licked and nibbled on her skin before pulling his face back to hers and kissing him aggressively. She savored the taste of his lips against hers before allowing him to undress her and make her forget that Steven even existed.

---

A steady stream of sunlight struck her face causing her to grown and grab at her head. What had happened last night to make her head so heavy and achy? She tried to turn on her side but noticed a heavy weight pressing her down on the couch. A messy head of hair rested beneath her exposed chest, tickling her as she tried to wiggle away. So she was naked and there was a boy lying on top of her. Perching up on her elbows carefully, she peered over his head and noticed he was wearing a pair of green plaid boxers. Sighing in relief she lay back down, groaning again at the weight of her head. The boy on her stomach shifted again before turning his face to her skin.

He blinked a few times before looking up into her curious blue eyes and smiled sheepishly, turning his attention to her naked breasts. He looked back at her, her face amused at his exploration. Finally allowing his thoughts to collect, he sat up carefully, looking over his own half naked body, and removing himself from the entanglement of her legs. She was covered half-hazardly in a blanket that hung dangerously low across her hips. She pulled the blanket up under her arms, embarrassed at her nakedness, brushing a frustrated hand through her hair.

"Ummm," he began, not knowing what to say. She stared at him, still amused, grinning slyly. "So…vodka…bad idea." She giggled softly at this, still feeling drunk from the night before.

"I am still drunk…" she covered her eyes from the sunlight coming from the large uncovered window before remembering her nakedness. Suddenly feeling quite shy, she tightened the blanket around her body and watched as he moved further along to the other end of the couch, barely allowing her toes to graze his skin.

"Umm…" he tried again unsure of how to react to the events of the evening before.

"I'm naked…why am I naked?" she asked bluntly, followed by a swift blushing of her cheeks.

"Well, I…" he didn't understand how she couldn't piece together the previous evening's happenings.

She looked at his face carefully before widening her eyes in realization. "We had sex…why did we have sex?" she felt so out of her own skin at the moment she really didn't know what to do with herself. What was with the questions? Lovetsoned echoed from her purse across the room causing her to jump slightly before wrapping the blanket around her body. She jumped up quickly once she was fully covered and answered her phone.

"Hello?"

"Rory, it's your mother, remember me? I'm the one who gave birth to you 21 years ago. I fed you, bathed you, changed those stinky diapers of yours, and I even dealt with you through puberty. So spawn of mine, why have you been neglecting my calls? I thought you'd been eaten by the garbage disposal or something," Lorelai's voice rang out steadily. Rory grabbed the bridge of her nose, not wanting to think about her recent break up and the headache it would cause.

"I've just been busy mom, nothing big…I'm going to come visit later today, so I'll see you around two okay?" she put a protective arm around her body, holding up the think blanket.

"Okay sweets, I'll see you in a few hours then…Say hi to Steven for me, bye" she heard the sound of kiss through the receiver followed by a dial tone. She threw her phone back into her bag and went to sit down on the couch again. Why wasn't she freaking out about having sex with Landon? Was it because she couldn't remember it, or did she really not care?

She looked over at him thoughtfully, noticing he was now fully dressed in his clothes from the night before. He looked nervous, unsure of himself, which confused her. Who had initiated this last night? Which one of them? She remembered being in the tub and a kiss…but who had kissed whom?

"Rory, maybe I should go?" he offered, not wanting to venture into an awkward discussion.

"Oh, alright, then," she suddenly felt very awkward, unsure of herself. He picked up his jacket from the kitchen counter, turning to face her before leaving the apartment. He gave her a hint of a smile and then left without another word.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she went to shower and ready herself for the drive to her mother's place in Stars Hollow. Her hometown always made her feel ten times better. She walked to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee and realized it was already noon. That meant that Steven would be here in about an hour and she needed to get out quickly. She rushed to the shower, washing herself clean of whatever had happened the night before, and dressed. Grabbing a travel mug, she poured some coffee and left her apartment, noting the time as 12:52. Steven wasn't one to be late, so she knew she needed to get out of there and fast.

Just as she was locking up she heard the familiar ding of the elevator doors. Without even turning around she knew who it was. She straightened her posture, placed a fake smile on her lips and turned towards her new visitor.

"Rory, hi. I didn't think you would still be here," Steven said, eyeing her up and down, noticing her wet hair and tired eyes. A tall blonde man stood behind him, looking away in an "I'm not here" manner.

"Steven…Billy," she spat out the second name, and brushed past them into the waiting elevator. "Don't be here after 4!" she called as the doors shut and tried to keep herself from crying. Of course he'd bring that goon with him to help move. Hopefully they'd just be in and out and wouldn't linger. She stepped out of the elevator and into the crisp, fall afternoon and headed towards the parking lot a few blocks over from her apartment. Finally reaching her car, she turned on the stereo and popped in her favourite CD. If anyone, Alicia Keys could brighten her day. She hummed along and drove onto the freeway, distancing herself from not only her stupid ex-boyfriend, but also her best friend… who knew what kind of awkwardness would be left between them tomorrow.

---

Will update super soon. I kind of write ahead, so this chapter has been sitting on my computer for a while. Let me know what you think! –beautymarked.