“Is that her?”
“No.”
“What about that lovely bonnie?”
“Finn, it has only been a week, did you seriously forgot what she looks like?” Stephanie said as she finally looked up from the Vogue she had been skimming the last ten minutes.
“Perhaps, I don’t recall seeing her much before she left.” Finn said while using his height to look over the many female heads surrounding him.
“That would be because Hutz is a stupid boy.”
“Colin said the champ was handling the whole ordeal in stride.”
“Meaning he just assume ignore Rory, the love of his life, until this all blows over.”
“You suppose the estranged lover told her?” Finn said in a rare moment of honesty and fear.
“I suppose we are about to find out.” The blonde said to her Aussie accomplice, as she viewed her rival and friend finally heading through the gate.
“Gilmore, doll, over here,” Finn said while waving outrageously to the MIA brunette.
“Finn, Steph? What are you two doing here?” They all knew Rory really meant to ask why Logan did not welcome her back to the States.
“It would seem the world crumbled in your absence,” Finn said while taking her bag and following the girls out of the airport.
“What the giant means, is that your mother called Logan this morning claiming a fish…”
“It was a fence.”
“No it was a fish catastrophe. Something about being bigger than the bath tub?” Rory smiled and laughed softly at her mothers huge problems with any sort of death. “Well anyway, Logan was indisposed by Mr. Hutzbereger…”
“Daddy wanted him to attend a big wig meeting.”
“Will you keep quite long enough for me to finish a sentence,” Stephanie said while turning to glare at her friend. Seeing he was going to keep his mouth shut for at least the next minute she continued, “So Finn and myself were elected to be your pick-up drivers.”
“What no gorilla masks?”
“We didn’t want to raise suspensions with security. But no fear they are in the car,” Steph said with a wink.
The trio walked to the car, the girls laughing while Finn hit on every flight attendant they pasted. However once they reached the car Steph became serious. “Now let’s review your week’s agenda.”
Rory was a bit suspicious of Stephanie’s behavior, “Have you become my personal assistant now?”
Finn started driving but quickly glanced at the heiress sitting next to him hopping she wouldn’t upset Rory with Logan’s high-handiness.
“Since you were busy keeping up on your school work, becoming editor, and then rushing off to Europe, we thought having a quick review of the week ahead of you would be needed upon your return to normalcy. Now once we get back to campus…”
“Who thought it would be good idea?” Rory asked still shocked her friend was reviewing her calendar.
“It was Logan’s suggestion, but honestly Rory you have a busy week.” Stephanie looked at Finn for help.
“Rory, love, they are only looking out for you.” Finn said while looking at the unhappy brunette in the backseat of his SUV.
“Not you too Finn.”
“Just listen Rory, when we get back to campus you will have the rest of the night to unpack and finish all the work you have to do before classes resume on Monday. On Wednesday we have Honor’s bachelorette party, Thursday we will review you editors panel topics, Friday is the actual panel and the recital dinner, and then Saturday is the wedding.”
“I forgot all about Honor’s wedding,” Rory said in shock.
“See now you’re glad you have a personal assistant.” Stephanie said just barely holding in the sigh of relief she felt. Glancing over at Finn, she saw that he too was relieved Rory handled the weekly review so calmly.
“Now seeing has I am not invited to the biggest wedding of the century, I with my handy…”
“You mean smart and conning.”
“Side kick Colin, we fully intend to crash the reception. However you are our plan B, so keep your mobile handy.”
Rory looked up and smiled at the Aussie. “Anything to help you and Colin drink for free.”
“See Steph I told you Rory would understand how her role as plan B.”
Rory’s week back in the states and at Yale went by quickly. Stephanie was right about not having all of her work completed, and the paper was never a calm place. Rory and Logan were again living at the same apartment and their busy relationship was as normal as it ever was, meaning both living two different lives. Rory avoided long talks with her mother and all mention of her week in Russia with Bible Boy. By Wednesday night she was ready for a night out with the girls. Even though she didn’t know Honor’s friends, Stephanie was going with her and that meant a lot to Rory, however Rory didn’t realize Stephanie was only their to keep an eye on her and report everything to her true friend, Logan.
Rory was in the middle of doing her third-fifth shot of the night when her cell phone rang. Forgetting to look at her caller id, Rory answered in her drunken state, “Girl’s gone wild cell phone, Lola speaking.”
“Going by Lola now interesting, care to leave this conversation on the record?”
“Never, Lina! What are you up too?” Rory was surprised to be hearing from Tristan’s friend, and stumbled her way away from the noisy drunken girls that were currently singing along to the Bon Jovi song blasting from the juke-box.
“Unfortunately I am not having as much fun as you are on a Wednesday night,” Lina said laughing at all the commotion.
“Sorry it is Logan’s sister’s bachorlette party.”
“It’s okay. I was just calling to check in and make sure you arrived back in Hartford safely. Tris was pretty close lipped about your leaving, but you know how he can be.”
Rory sighed quietly to herself, “Yeah I know. The flight was fine, and I have been really busy getting back in the swing of school, the paper and life.”
“I know how it is, image flighting off to visit your husband every couple weeks only to return to the college scene three days later. It takes it toll on you. Anyway I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay, but seeing as you are busy I’ll let you go. Just remember to call okay.”
“Calina, you don’t have to pretend to like me just because I spent a week with Tristan,” Rory said honestly and sadly.
“Rory I’m not, I truly want to try and be your friend, but I’ll leave it up to you. Get back into the groove of life, and give me a call sometime soon and we can just chat like we did that morning we went shopping.”
“Thanks Lina, I’ll call. Bye.” Rory put her phone back into her purse, put a smile back on her face and turned back towards the party, only to run right into Stephanie.
“Who was that?”
“Danielle from the paper, seems like Paris is causing some trouble.”
“Do you need to head back to campus?”
“No I handled it. Now where is Honor I need to buy her another drink,” Rory walked back to the party and her Yale life.
“There you are.”
“Here I am.”
“I was looking all over for you. I didn’t see you when I was walking down the aisle, looking for you during the ceremony. Where were you?”
“Here.”
“Here, you missed the wedding?”
“I will apologies to Honor latter.”
“Forget Honor, what’s going on?”
“You didn’t say a word.” Rory paused finally thinking of all that she learned an hour ago. She had sat here for an hour, and not until Logan walked in did it all click. However her pause gave Logan the opportunity to draw his own conclusions.
“He told you.” Logan said simply, but before Rory realized they were discussing different topics, Logan continued. “Rory it’s the past, more importantly it is my past. I don’t ask about yours, so what right do you have to mine. God I can’t believe he told you.”
Rory just sat there and looked at her boyfriend of a little over a year and wondered what this suppose male told her.
“She wasn’t suppose to fall apart like that, she was an heiress, I thought she would know. The partying and friends were all the same no matter what family or school you were from, it all blended together. Everyone knew that no one really cares about anyone else but themselves.” Logan had started moving a bit like he always does when he is upset, but upon going into his closing sentence he turned back to Rory and stared her right in the eyes. “It wasn’t my fault she didn’t know what being a Mary was all about.”
Rory was shocked to the point she stood up and held Logan’s eyes in her own as if they were in a staring contest. “Who was your Mary Logan?”
“You already know Rory.” Refusing to give into his outlandishness, she waited for him to tell her. Seeing the stare he was receiving from her he sighed and gave the answer she dreaded to hear, “Elizabeth DuGrey.”
Rory reacted without even thinking and slapped him. He was a bit shocked but didn’t move away. “You tore that girl’s world apart.”
“DuGrey should have warned his sister. But seeing as he had his own Mary to worry about, I understand now why he didn’t bother punishing me for my crimes. It would have been a bit hypercritical of him wouldn’t it?”
“Unlike you Logan, Tristan never succeed in breaking me, it was never his intent. He never once tried to break my sprite or ruin the innocent picture of the world that I held. You on the other hand weren’t happy until you took all innocence out of a fourteen year olds life.” Logan’s shame finally showed on his face though Rory was still not sure if he truly understood how he hurt not only Liza but also Tristan.
“I didn’t think she would try to kill herself over me sleeping with her best friend.” Logan said as he took a seat in one of the chairs in the bridal room.
“You were suppose to be her boyfriend, and the girl was suppose to be her best friend, you not only betrayed her trust in you, but in the one true friend she had.” Rory turned to leave, but stopped herself remembering why she missed the wedding to begin with. “And just so you know Tristan told me about his sister, but never mentioned your name.”
“Then why weren’t you at the wedding ceremony?” He asked dejectedly.
“Because you let me walk into a room full of girls you have slept and/or made out with, and though you will probably have some clever excuse, know that it hurt and that I will be moving out between ten and one tomorrow.”