AN: Sorry for the delay, again. I can't seem to write the chapters like I used to, and it takes me a really long time to figure out where I want to go and satisfy myself with the writing. But anyway, enough of my rambling. Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. You guys are awesome. Please enjoy this chapter and I'll try and get the next one up faster, I promise. Your reviews are motivation, remember that!

"Hi Logan."

Logan's head shot up at the sound of a female voice he didn't recognize, and he came face to face with a very beautiful girl. She stood before him, one hand placed on her slim hip, studying him with a pair of deep brown eyes. He knew he'd seen her around the school somewhere before, and at that very instant he was trying to figure out if they'd dated or not yet.

She held out a perfectly manicured hand, "I'm Daniella Vincent."

He graced her with a smile, now completely sure that they had yet to meet, and placed his hand in hers gently, "I'm surprised I've never met you before."

With a soft laugh, she stepped forward ever so slightly and leaned against the row of lockers next to his, "I've seen you around. I've just been waiting for the perfect time to introduce myself."

"I think you've found it," Logan responded as he closed his locker and focused his complete attention on Daniella.

She smiled and tucked a stray piece of pin straight black hair behind her ear.

"So," she mentioned casually, "There's a formal coming up."

"So I've heard."

Logan's smile widened and he leaned next to her, studying her perfect figure as he waited for her to continue.

"Do you have a date?"

Logan shook his head. He knew he was going to end up asking her, he was just taking his time. The truth was, he hadn't really thought much about the formal except for all the not so subtle date offers he'd received. But now the formal was only two days away and he was running out of time. Besides that, he was sure Daniella would like absolutely gorgeous in a dress. She wasn't hard on the eyes in a skirt afterall.

"Really?" she inquired, raising her eyebrows.

"Really," Logan paused for a few seconds, "I think I might have found a remedy to my predicament however."

She sent him a flirty grin and turned her upper body towards him, brushing her fingertips against his jacket sleeve, "And what would that be?"

"Well," he drew out the word, a smirk taking over his face, "I thought that perhaps you'd grace me with your presence."

She was silent for only a second, before nodding her head slowly, pretending to be surprised, "I would love to."

He watched as she jotted down her number quickly and slipped it into his palm, "You can call me later to work out the details."

"I will do that."

She took a few more steps forward, so that they were only a few inches away from touching, and raised her lips to his ear.

"I'm sure we are going to have a wonderful time," she whispered, her voice husky.

Logan placed a soft kiss on her cheek, "I'm sure."

A small blush crept up her face, "Talk to you later, Logan."

She let her hand linger on his arm for a few more seconds, and then disappeared down the hallway. She really was beautiful, and he was sure they would have a great time. But after that she would probably become just another one of his girls from the past. Girls like her weren't the type to stick around for a long time, which happened to be perfect, because Logan wasn't the kind of guy to stick around for a long time.

"Get yourself a date?" Colin's voice asked.

"As a matter of fact, I did."

"Well, it's about time," Finn shot back.

Logan turned around completely, ready to share some details with Colin and Finn, and that's when he saw the two girls standing beside them. As soon as he caught Rory's eyes, all thoughts of Daniella vanished from his mind for a few seconds. She looked somewhat uncomfortable, her fingers fiddling with a strap of her bookbag, but she looked gorgeous none the less. It had been almost three full days since her breakup with Jess, and although she was putting on a contented face for the sake of her friends, Logan could see right through her.

But God, she was so beautiful. Broken, but beautiful.

He hated that two bad breakups had done this to her, taken away love from her. Logan had met very few people in his lifetime who actually believed in and wanted to fall in love. He never thought about it, Colin and Finn weren't interested, and the only thing the girls he dated were worried about falling in was a bed. But Rory was different, she was special. And the more he got to know her the more he realized how special she really was. But now she was crumbling right before his eyes, and it was all to clear that she had given up on finding a relationship. He could kill Jess for doing that to her.

"Daniella Vincent," Finn rambled dreamily, "Nice choice, my friend."

Logan snapped out of his daze and tore his eyes away from Rory, "What? Oh, yeah, nice choice."

"What about you, Steph? Find a date?" Colin inquired.

The blonde nodded, "Tanner asked me."

"That brown haired kid?"

Stephanie rolls her eyes, "Oh Colin, that narrows it down so well. But yes, he does have brown hair."

Logan noticed Rory looked on the verge of tears, and his heart was breaking as he watched her.

"What about you, love? You coming?"

Logan sent Finn a death glare that went unnoticed by his friend as Rory shifted from foot to foot and then finally brought her eyes up to meet Finn's.

"No."

"Rory!" Stephanie complained, "I need you there! The rest of the girls in this school suck."

Rory faked a smile, "Thanks, Steph, but I'm not going."

"You could get a date, you know," Colin pointed out gently, "For one, Tristan is still holding out for you. And for two, there are about five others who would as well."

"I'm not going with Tristan," she said firmly, "I'm not going at all."

Logan winced slightly at his harsh tone, all thoughts about the dance forgotten as Rory stalked off towards their newspaper meeting, not even glancing over her shoulder at her friends.

"Shit," Colin muttered under his breath.

"I second that," Finn agreed.

"She really should come," Stephanie pointed out, "It would be good for her. And Tanner has this friend, a really nice guy. It would be fun."

Logan clenched his jaw. He knew at least two reasons why Rory didn't want to go to the dance: one was named Jess and the other was because all of her friends already had dates. But he wanted her there, they all did. And she needed it, with or without a date, she needed to spend a night forgetting about Jess and just having fun.

"I'll talk to her," Logan said, his voice low as he turned down the hallway.

He found her sitting in the newspaper room, early and alone. She didn't even notice him walk in, and that was how he caught her with tears streaming down her cheeks. Slowly, so as not to startle her, he sat down in the chair next to her and placed his hand over hers. She glanced up sharply and began wiping her eyes in a delayed attempt to hide her tears.

"Ace..."

"Don't," she ordered, "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," he argued softly.

"Well, I am," she snapped, moving away from him ever so slightly.

She began rustling through her bookbag as Logan studied her intently. She halted suddenly, and he heard the choking sound of a sob coming from her lips. Without a moment's pause, Logan tucked his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, smoothing tendrils of hair away from her face.

"He was supposed to take me," she babbled, "It was the first dance we were going to go to together and it took me forever to convince him. It was going to be wonderful. God, I was so excited I bought my dress almost instantly. We were going to go and he even agreed to hang out with my friends. It's my last year with you guys! I wanted to go...I want to go..."

"So come, Ace. It'll still be fun," he stopped and offered her a smirk, "How could it not be with me there?"

She choked on a laugh, "Oh, the modesty."

"But seriously, Steph says her date has a friend who would take you."

"No," she shook her head, "I don't want to be a charity case"

Logan rolled his eyes, "If the guy thinks going anywhere with you is an act of charity then I can see why he's still single."

"Still..."

"Don't you want a date? Is that it?"

"Kind of," she shrugged, "But if I go solo you guys will all have dates and I'll be alone. Either way, it sucks."

"Rory, you don't have to date the guy that's your date. Consider that lesson number one from Logan's Book of Life. It'll be fun, I promise. What do you say, Ace? Let Tanner's friend take you."

She stared at him, taking in his words slowly, and he knew there were a million different thoughts racing through her head right now. The wounds from Jess were still fresh, and he knew she was hesitant to go anywhere with a member of the male race that wasn't himself, Colin, or Finn, but on the other hand, she had to know a night with her friends and a date would be good for her.

"I promise I'll save a dance or two just for you," he assured her with a wink.

"Oh well, I think you've just made me an offer I can't refuse."

They both fell quiet, and Logan couldn't tear his eyes away from her gaze. His hand was still resting on her hair and he ran it down to her cheek, gently removing the last of her tears. She leaned forward slightly and he did the same, his lips so close to hers that he could almost feel them...

"What did I tell you about getting here before me!"

Logan pulled away from Rory so fast he was sure he gave himself whiplash. Paris slammed her bag down on the table and began ranting about one thing or another, but Logan was completely concentrated on the girl next to him. Rory was pretending to be busy scribbling away in her notebook, and her face had turned an almost ghostly shade of white.

"So, you'll come?" Logan asked casually, hoping to break down the wall of tension before it got too high.

Her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, "Yes. I'll come."

She turned to look at him, and smiled. Suddenly there was this energy between them that Logan had never felt before. And if this girl wasn't one of his best friends, completely off limits, and a commitment kind of girl, he would've kissed her long before Paris ever walked in the door.

But he couldn't have feelings like this for Rory.

Not now.

Not ever.

--------

"So, who are you taking to this dance?" Honor asked, taking a stab at her salad.

Logan leaned back against the restaurant chair, "Daniella."

"Daniella?"

"Daniella Vincent. I just met her today."

"I see."

Logan's thoughts drifted to Rory as Honor continued eating her salad. The moment between them in the newsroom had been enough to shake him up. And he wasn't one to get shaken up by girls very often, or at all. He was trying desperately to shake off any feelings he had towards her, summing them up to the fact that she had just been upset. The only thing he had been trying to do was offer comfort, right? Nothing more. Right?

But the sparks that he felt when his lips were inches away from hers were unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. Fireworks, almost magic. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, trying to rid himself of thoughts of Rory. She was one of his friends, somebody he cared about deeply, but nothing else. He didn't have girlfriends. He just didn't. And he wasn't falling. Logan Huntzberger didn't fall.

"What about that other girl? Rory?"

Logan eyes shot up, "Excuse me?"

"You couldn't take your eyes off of her at the party. Does she have a boyfriend."

Logan paused, "She did."

"Past tense?"

"Past tense," he confirmed, "The guy was a jackass."

"So, you didn't ask her to the dance because...?"

"Because she's my friend," Logan said firmly, "Nothing more. And even if I wanted more, I couldn't have it. She's a girlfriend girl, Honor. She doesn't do my kind of dating."

"So you admit it, you like her."

Logan rolled his eyes, "Sure I like her. She's one of my best friends."

"Do not make me go all fourth grade on you and ask if you like her, like her," Honor ordered, "Because then I might have to break out into the kissing in a tree song, and let's face it, nobody wants that."

"No. I do not like her like that," Logan said, but holding eye contact with his sister was impossible.

"Liar," she accused.

Honor knew him too well.

He couldn't help his thoughts as they drifted back to the almost kiss. And no amount of denial, or knowledge that he could never have her, would make his heart stop pounding at the memory. He knew he had to stop thinking about it, and he really knew he had to stop thinking about her in any way other than a friend. He concentrated on moving his thoughts to Daniella: the black haired beauty he would be escorting to the formal.

After one night with Daniella, he was sure all thoughts of Rory would leave his mind.

Or was he?

--------

Logan glanced down at the girl with her arms looped through his arm. Daniella was consumed in an animated conversation with a girl he had never met before, and after listening to her talk for less than five seconds, he had no desire to change that anytime soon. But Daniella looked stunning. She was wearing an emerald floor length dress, the top swirled with beading. Her slim mid section was shown through the sheer fabric just enough to drive Logan crazy, and he pulled her closer to his side as his eyes traveled their once again.

His friends had yet to make their appearance at the dance, but he was hoping they would get there soon. Five more minutes of Daniella and her friend's conversation was going to drive him through the roof.

And then he saw her. Rory. Rory looking so absolutely beautiful that he was sure his heart stopped for a few seconds before starting back up again at a rapid pace. She was walking in next to a man he didn't recognize, her date probably, Stephanie, and Tanner. But he only had eyes for her. Her dress was classy, nothing like Daniella's, and yet somehow he was attracted to that even more. It was satin, strapless, and deep red. It hugged her body tightly on top, and then swirled out slightly at the bottom. He was captivated by her: her every movement, her every smile as she greeted some people he assumed were casual friends. Then suddenly she was standing right in front of him, and he was speechless. He, Logan Huntzberger, was rendered speechless by this girl.

"Hi," Rory greeted, offering him a smile, "This is Caleb Marks. Caleb, this is Logan Huntzberger."

Logan mentally shook himself out of his trance and extended his hand, "Nice to meet you. This is Daniella Vincent."

Daniella tucked herself closer to Logan and offered the new group a small, yet society worthy smile.

"Wow, Ace," Logan smirked, "You sure do clean up nice."

She placed a hand over her heart, pretending to be overwelmed, "Oh Logan, the compliments. Please stop."

He laughed, "You really do look amazing."

Her fingers found their way to the necklace dangling from her neck, and he didn't release eye contact with her for several seconds. He wasn't sure if he could've even if he wanted to. He didn't notice the death glare getting sent at him by Daniella and Caleb, but evidently Stephanie did.

"So um," Stephanie stumbled, "You've met Tanner, right Logan?"

Logan kept his gaze on Rory's bright blue eyes for a moment longer, noting the blush that appeared on his cheeks and feeling slightly better knowing that the sparks he felt were mutual. Finally, he turned towards Stephanie and smiled.

"Of course," he paused, "You look beautiful too, by the way."

"Glad to know I'm an after thought."

"You're never an after thought, Steph," he assured her with a winning smile.

"Knock it off, Huntz. You can't have all the ladies," Colin's voice interrupted.

"Don't worry, Colin. I'll save a few for you."

"Good thing," Finn put in, "Because we all know Colin needs the help."

Colin glared at him, causing the rest of their group to laugh. Somehow Logan's eyes found their way back to Rory, who was standing a safe distance away from her date and looking somewhat uncomfortable. He felt Daniella nudge closer to him and he was forced to look her way. And when he did, he realized that she didn't look quite so radiant anymore.

"Let's dance," she all but ordered, taking his hand.

Logan forced back a roll of his eyes.

"I guess I'm dancing," he half apologized to his friends as he was pulled onto to the dance floor.

Daniella slipped her arms around his neck and moved close, "So, you're not dating that girl are you?"

"What girl?"

"Rory or whatever her name is."

"No. I'm not dating Rory."

"Good."

She leaned up and pressed her lips to his softly, teasing him with a gentle kiss. And yet, even when their lips were actually touching, the feeling he got was nothing compared to what he felt with Rory. And they hadn't even made contact. But he didn't pull away, didn't step back, he only kissed Daniella harder. Slowly, he was working on convincing himself that he was just confused. Rory was beautiful, smart, and funny and any guy would be lucky to have her. But he was just her friend, nothing more, and there would never be anything more. She was stunning, sure, but who said he couldn't have stunning friends?