Chapter 13: Yanking Out My Heart

Feeling fine, Lets rip out yours instead of mine
And all you need
Are several ways to watch me bleed?

Well, thanks for stoppin' this beating in my chest
It's easier now, and I'm happy like this
Just like this

Even though I ain't coming back now
I didn't mean to seem as though
I was so ungrateful for all you've done here
For yanking out my...

Honestly
You'd fuck your friends for all your needs
And stay the course
No, the universe ain't yours

Well, thanks for stopping this beating in my chest
It's easier now, and I'm happy like this
Just like this

Logans POV

He had no idea what to do. Paris and Colin. Colin and Paris. Every time he said it the throbbing in his head felt more and more like he was being beat with a bat. He had been walking around the campus for awhile, not really paying attention to where he was going, and bumping into the people who didn't see him coming. Last night when he herd Colin call the girl on the phone Paris, the thought that it could be her did pop into his head, which is why he had reacted the way he did. But after leaving the apartment, and doing a lot of what he was doing now, he had convinced himself that it wasn't her, it couldn't be. Rory was with them last night, why hadn't she said anything? Maybe she just wanted to talk to Paris about it first, that is after all who her loyalty was to. And then this morning, there she was at his door. And the kissing! Why did she have to kiss him in front of him?! Was it completely nesscery? What did she think she was proving by it? That she's over him, and is with Colin now? Well if that was it, she sure did a damn good job of getting her point across.

Finally stopping at a bench he sat down and pulled his cell out of his pocket, hitting 3 on his speed dial. He listened to 'Gold Digger' play as the ringtone, until the voicemail clicked on. 'Ello mates well I'm obviously occupied at the moment, either by my one true love Ms.Vodka , or a fabulous red head. Either way I'll most likely be out for a few days, so I'll try to get back to you then - that is if I can remember who you are. Anywho this message seems to be getting a tad on the long side, so I will leave you now, so you may leave me a unbelievably loud message, that will cause me excruciating pain come morning time, when I have a hang over. Oh and Rory Love if this is you, would you please stop changing my voicemail, telling my lady friends that I am divorced with 3 kids, and deeply involved with a transvestite named Frank. Remind me to thank your lovely mother for teaching you how to work a voicemail. And to change my passcode.' Beeeep. Logan sat quietly for a second before regaining his composure. 'Finn and Frank ... it's cute. Anyway ... I figured in case Colin forgot to pass along the message I'd tell you myself...' He paused for a long second before shouting into the phone. 'YOUR AN ASS!' With that he snapped his phone shut. 'Idiot Finn.'

Opening his phone again he held down the 2 button until Tristins name popped up. He listened as 'Sexy Back' began to play. 'I really need to find friends with better taste in music...' The voicemail clicked on. 'Hey this is Tristin, sorry I wasn't able to take your call, I'm most likely in class right now but if you leave a message I'll be sure to get back to you as soon as I can. ... Paige if this is you, please call grandpa,I would have left you a message but your voicemail's full!! OK well leave it after the beep...' Beeeep. 'Hey man, it's Saturday so I know your not in class. Hearing your message, I'm guessing Grandpa's still on your case? Well hell better you then me I guess. I tried calling Paige the other day to, but she apperantly has become a friend of caller ID, because I'm pretty sure she answered and hung up on me. I swear that girl's going to send all of us to an early grave. I still don't understand how he never knows where she is. I guess we weren't any better at her age huh? The only time our parents knew where we were, was when there was some party we just had to attend. And I've apperantly forgotten that this is a message. Sorry. So, second day here and already everything's all screwed up. Just uh - give me a call whenever you can. Alright? Bye.' He snapped his phone closed again and slouched down into his seat, why did he feel like the world was working against him today?


There was only one other person that he could think of, that he could possibly talk to at the moment, and he really wasn't sure if calling her was ok. Flipping his phone open again he scrolled down the names in his phonebook before he came to her, he sat and played with her info for a few seconds, changing her name so that it popped up at the top of the list. Hesitating for a moment longer, he finally pressed send. Her ringtone began to play, 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies'. 'Panic! at the Disco, Alright Ace ... I can approve of that.' When her voicemail clicked on he found himself still humming the song. 'Hey it's Rory - well you know that - obviously, I mean you called me. I know I'm rambling mom ... I didn't even want to do this ... no! ... no!... MOM NO! ... Because. ... Because it's my phone - I should be the one on the voicemail. ... Yea well lifes not fair. ... You wouldn't dare! ... Oh yea?! Well I'll tell Grandma that when you call out of friday night dinners your not really sick or have to work, you just have a date with Luke. ... Well where do you think I got it from? Did you or did you not just threaten to have Luke and Mark withhold coffee from me? ... What? ... Oh crap! it's still going! ... Stop laughing! How do you stop it?! ... MOM help me! ... Mom come on I don't know how to-' Beeeep. He couldn't stop laughing and was aware that he was recording a message. 'Hey Ace ... it's Logan. I gotta say ... that message really helped put me in a better mood. So uh - I don't want you to think I'm all stalkerish or something, I tried calling Finn and Tristin before I called you - well not like your a last resort or something - I just didn't know if it was Ok for me to call you, or if you were busy or anything - which you obviously are, which is why I am now rambeling on to your voicemail like a freak ... OK lets start over. Hey Rory - it's Logan. Just thought I'd give you a call, see what you were up to. Kind of needed a friend to talk to ... so - yea give me a call back whenever you can. Uh anyway ... I guess I'll talk to you later ... Bye.' Closing his phone one more time he sighed. 'Nice job Huntzberger - you just made a complete idiot out of yourself.' He put his phone back in his pocket, stood up, and continued walking aimlessly around campus.

Dragonfly Inn

Having finished their tour about an hour ago Rory and Tristin were now sitting outside at a table drinking coffee and talking. Rory had just finished explaining her choice of attending Yale, instead of the originally planned Harvard, when her phone began to ring in her pocket. She took it out and glanced at the caller id screen, there was no name, she pushed end, sending the call to her voicemail. She placed her phone on the table in front of her and smiled at Tristin.

Smirking he leaned forward. "Ok so - you know I've got to ask."

Not knowing what he was talking about, she simply laughed. "Hey look at the time..." She glanced at her bare wrist.

Tristin laughed. "Don't worry, I've never been one to pry." Rory let out a loud laugh. "Real cute Mary." He ignored the roll of her eye's when he called her by her nickname and continued on. "What the hell happened after I left? I mean Chilton's still around right? It didn't fall to pieces without me?"

"You know strangely enough it survived." She herd his deep throaty laugh that caused her to suck in a breath. "No uh - really though - every-" She cleared her throat trying to cover up her nervous stuttering. "Everything was great."

" Wow thanks. You really know how to make a guy feel loved."

"Shut up, you know what I mean. It was ..." She paused trying to find the right words to use, without going into detail. "different, at first. A little hard to adjust to, but it got easier after awhile." She saw the slightly hurt look on his face. The one he was trying his hardest to cover up, a job he was doing well - just not well enough. "I don't think Maddy ever recovered though ... if that helps at all." They both ignored the beep her phone made signaling a voicemail message.

"Madaline huh?" He laughed, then leaned forward seriously. " You know I kind of feel bad knowing that after I left, your life got better."

"That's not true." He gave her a funny look as if trying to say 'Who do you think your fooling?' Rory sighed. "OK - yea it got easier ... but not better. I didn't want you to leave Tristin. You were just so ... agh! sometimes - and yea it made me want to slap that cocky smirk right off your face ... but I didn't want you to leave."

Tristin smiled at the small blush on her cheeks. "Ya know Mary if I didn't know any better I'd think you actually missed me."

Rory let out a small laugh. "Well it's a good thing you know better then."

Nodding and laughing he decided it was time to change the subject. "New subject. Your pick."

"Ok...Harvard?"

Tristin groaned. "I'm sorry did I say new subject? I meant lets keep talking about you missing me."

"Oh if you don't want to talk about it that's -"

Tristin cut her off with a shake of his head. "No it's ok. It's just slightly embarrassing." Rory perked up at the word embarrassing, which made him laugh softly. "I never wanted to go there. If I had listened to my Father - I'd be standing right next to you at Yale."

"Oh so it was just something you did, to get on your Fathers nerves? That's not embarrassing - my Mom does that to my Grandma on a daily bases." She shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

Tristin laughed then shook his head again. "Well it wasn't entirely about that. I mean when I came home from Military School things were different between my Dad and I. I had grown up - changed ... my only goal wasn't to piss him off anymore. Not that I don't enjoy every single time that I do."

Even though Rory laughed she was still slightly confused. "Well that's good - I'm happy for you Tristin... But ... if it wasn't because of your Dad then ...?"

"Yea - I was hoping if I distracted you, you'd forget what we were talking about..." He laughed a little nervously.

"A Gilmore never forgets."

"Like elephants?"

"HA! I am so telling my mother you called us elephants!" She poked him in his chest, then leaned back in her chair. "After you finish your story. Now on with it Bible boy!" Tristin laughed then put his face in his hands. He mumbled something that she couldn't make out. "I'm sorry - care to repeat that?"

He lifted his head but still didn't look at her. "I said I followed someone there."

"Someone?"

"A girl." He replied cautiously.

A small laugh escaped from her lips before she had the chance to hold it back. "Oh my god are you serious? Your choice in college was based on a girl? I really don't know why that surprises me, you never were one to give up on a conquest easily." She shook her head, not sure if she was amused or disappointed, but not seeing any reason for disappointment she went with the latter.

Tristin couldn't decide if the tone in her voice was disappointment, irritation or amusement, but either way he became defensive. " For your information she wasn't a conquest. She was my girlfriend - who at the time I thought I was in love with and vice versa. But it's nice to know your opinion of me Rory." He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, doing a perfect imitation of a 5yr old who was being denied a new toy.

Guilt immediately filled her and she felt her face began to heat up. 'Calling me Rory - I must have really struck a nerve. I'm such an idiot. He told me because he trusted me not to judge. Idiot Idiot Idiot ...' "Idiot" She muttered quietly.

Tristins head shot up, surprise taking over his face. "Excuse me?"

She was confused at first, then she realized what she had said and how he must have taken it. "Oh my god not you! I'm so sorry - I was calling myself an idiot - in my head - well obviously not only in my head but ... I'm sorry - for momentarily thinking you were the same guy you were in high school. And for calling your girlfriend a conquest." She looked down embarrassed.

"Ex-girlfriend." Was all he said.

Rory smiled. "Ex-girlfriend."

Sitting forward again his smile returned. "So what did you mean last night when you said you had 'already seen me today'?"

She sighed thankful for the topic change. Then again when she thought of everything that had happened the day before. "Do you believe in Karma?"

Although he was confused he answered her. "No I've always been a fate kind of guy myself."

Remembering her conversation with Logan she smiled. "Yea me to." And with that she began to explain every detail of the previous day, starting with her inability to multitask and finishing with her leaving the pub apparently smelling like the family drunk.

When she was finished Tristin sat quietly for a minute before he burst out laughing. "He got hit on by a dude?"

Rory let out a laugh while nodding. Her phone beeped again, this time she took notice to it and picked it up. "Sorry can I get this?"

He motioned with his hand to 'go ahead'. "I'm not going anywhere."

Smiling she got up and walked a few feet away from him, before dialing her voicemail. She punched in her code, 263333 which on a phone spells out coffee, and listened to the female recording tell her she had 1 new message. 'Hey Ace ... it's Logan. I gotta say ... that message really helped put me in a better mood. So uh - I don't want you to think I'm all stalkerish or something, I tried calling Finn and Tristin before I called you - well not like your a last resort or something - I just didn't know if it was Ok for me to call you, or if you were busy or anything - which you obviously are, which is why I am now rambling on to your voicemail like a freak ... OK lets start over. Hey Rory - it's Logan. Just thought I'd give you a call, see what you were up to. Kind of needed a friend to talk to ... so - yea give me a call back whenever you can. Uh anyway ... I guess I'll talk to you later ... Bye.'

Sighing she closed her phone and walked back over to Tristin. "I think you might have a missed call."

Tristin gave her a confused look before reaching into his pocket for his phone. "Paris? ..."

Rory shook her head. "Nope - Logan."

Stopping his search he looked even more confused then before. "Logan called you?"

"Yea and he didn't sound like he was doing to well. He said he tried calling you and Finn before he called me, and that he needed someone to talk to."

Shaking his head to clear the million thoughts that were running through his mind, he started looking for his phone again. "I must have left it at your house. He didn't say anything else?" Rory shook her head. "You think we could head back now?"

"Sure. Just let me go tell my mom bye, then we can go."

" I want to say bye to." Getting up he followed her back into the Inn.

They found Lorelai behind the front desk with the phone to her ear. She looked extremely irritated. 'I know that Mom - but I can't help it.' She rolled her eye's, which caused Rory and Tristin to laugh silently. 'I know it's extremely rude of me Mom. ... Because like I said before, I have to work.' She stayed silent looking down at her nails. Then suddenly her head snapped up and she glared at Rory. 'She was joking mom. ... She was just being mean.' Rory tried to hold back her laugh, while Tristin looked confused. 'She would to make it up! ... Because she's my daughter ... no I'm not admitting that I lie. ... You know what Mom fine, I'll be there Saturday night at 7, with a tiara and bells on. ... no mom I wont actually be wearing those things. ... Are you serious? ... Because I like Luke - I like dating Luke and you and your friends will tear him apart, resulting in him never wanting to see me again. ... ok m- ... i kno- ... MOM! We'll be there, Me, Luke - and Rory.' Rory's face quickly sobered up and Tristin began to laugh. Lorelai stuck her tongue out at her daughter, then smiled wickedly. 'Of course mom I'll tell her. ... OK Mom ... uh-huh yea ... OK Mom I'll talk to you soon, I have to get back to work now. ... OK Bye Mom.' She placed the phone on the receiver, then immediately pointed an accusing finger at Tristin. 'I blame you traitor boy!'

Shaking his head he looked at Rory. "They always do - something goes wrong - blame the boy who got sent to Military School." His voice had a lightness to it that told them he was joking. He looked at Lorelai and tilted his head slightly to the left. "What may I ask, did I do this time?"

'You rubbed off on her!' Her accusing finger turned in Rory's direction. 'Traitor girl! If you two ever get married you'll have little traitor children then grandchildren and it'll go on forever, each generation, a new set of traitors. You've ruined the world!'

'And to think, it all started with the original Traitor ... Traitor Mom!! How could you?! I bet grandma wasn't even thinking about making me attend whatever it is I now have to attend because of you. ... Traitor Mom!'

Tristin stood listening to them go back and forth, amazed at the amount of words they could say, and at the speed they say them, without taking a breath.

Lorelai deflated, and a sweet smile made it's way to her lips. She began to twist her hands in front of her nervously. 'Oh yea about that ... you have to bring a date.'

At a loss for words Rory just kept shaking her head and glaring at her mom. "I can't believe you. Now I'm going to have to beg -"

'Oh and she said a real date, no Finn. ... Her words - not mine.'

"Where am I supposed to find a date by next Saturday? Last minute dates are the reason why I have male friends. Agh! We're going home - before you get Tristin roped into this to."

Lorelais eye's began to sparkle and Tristin grabbed Rory's wrist. "Mare I don't like that look."

"Don't worry Bible Boy - you have leverage." She patted his shoulder comfortingly.

Lorelais mouth fell open. 'And what exactly is that?' She was looking at Tristin.

Not knowing what to say he looked between Rory and Lorelai, begging Rory for help. "Uh-"

Rory cut him off, sensing that he was about to blow it. "Like he would tell you!"

'Ha! It's because he doesn't have anything!'

"He has whatever I tell him!"

Surprised, Lorelai stayed quiet for a second. 'Trator girl.' She whispered while crossing her arms over her chest pouting.

Rory smiled triumphantly and began to pull Tristin towards the front door. "Well I am your daughter!"

Tristin was laughing as she opened the door, and pulled him through. "Bye Lorelai!"

Yale: Colin & Finns dorm room

Paris slowly opened her eye's, instantly regretting it when she felt the bright sun shining through the window, attempting to blind her. Groaning she rolled over, finding Colin laying next to her sound asleep. A loud, very long, screeching noise broke-out through the dorm. The same noise that had woken her up. When it finally stopped, she closed her eye's again, in an attempt to fall back into her dream land. But as soon as she began to drift off, the screeching broke out for a third round. Now irritated, she threw the blanket back, wrapped a sheet tightly around her body, and went in search of the, soon to be laying in the street - three floors down, cell phone.

Still half asleep, she found the offending object sitting on the bar in the living room. Without thinking she flipped it open. "How many times are you going to call, before you realize he's isn't going to answer?"

The line was quiet, she herd a sharp intake of air, then a male voice speaking softly, as if he couldn't breathe. 'Your not Finn.'

Her breath caught,she pulled the phone from her ear and looked at the name on the screen. Closing her eye's she sighed and brought the phone back to her ear. "Logan -"

A bitter laugh came through the line, cutting her off. 'God Tink you must really hate me.' She herd his voice crack slightly, but he quickly covered it up. 'Please make my day and tell me your not only being with Colin but Finn to. I knew we were close - but this is a bit much don't you think?'

She didn't know what to say, there really were no words. 'Finn!!!?'

Logan let out a low whistle. 'Unless Colin doesn't know.'

'Agh! The nerve!' "Listen Logan, Finn's not here, so unless you have more bitterness you need to blow off - I'm going back to bed, it's starting to get cold, these sheet's aren't all that thick you know." She knew it was low - but where did he get off talking to her like that.?

The line went dead, and she began to think he had hung up on her, then she herd him inhale a very long breath. When he spoke, it was low and husky, and made her take a deep breath. 'You know Tink 'Bitch' doesn't really work for you. No matter how natural it seems to have become.'

"Yea well, the jealous, bitter, ex-boyfriend doesn't really work well for you either. On the up-side? You have jackass down pat. " The line stayed quiet but she knew he was still there. "I'll be sure Finn know's you called." And with that she held down the end button - turning the phone off all together.

'Wow ... that was a little harsh ... Logan?'

Paris looked up at Colin, she hadn't herd him enter the room, then she looked back at the phone in her hand. "He was calling for Finn. See, it's Finn's phone." She held it up and showed it to him.

'I believe you Paris, you don't have anything to prove to me." He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

One hand holding the sheet up and the other holding the cell phone against her chest, she gave a small nod. "I know. I just don't want you to think I called him or that he called for me or -"

She was cut off by he's lips crashing down over her's. It took her a few seconds to get over the surprise, and respond. When they broke apart, they were both left struggling for air.

'I trust you. You trust me?'

Not having to think about it, she gave a small nod and leaned her forehead against his with her eye's closed. "Yes."

He smiled and dropped a feather light kiss on her jaw bone. 'I'm going to ask you something, and you have to promise not to freak out." When she didn't object he kissed her again just beneath the spot he kissed her before. 'This whole - no strings thing ...' She tensed slightly. He angled his head so that he could lay another soft kiss on her neck, she shivered. This time when he spoke he kept his lips lightly against her skin. 'I know it scares you, but ... there's nobody else. Not for me, not sense the day you came banging on my door.' He felt something vibrate against his lips, he couldn't make out what it was, it sounded like something between a laugh and a moan. He kissed the spot again, he could feel the goose bumps rise on her bare skin. He kept his voice soft against her skin. 'It's only you Paris. I'm...I'm addicted to you." His lips traveled to the spot where her neck and her chest met and exhaled softly before kissing her there.

Not trusting her leg's to keep her up, she wrapped her arms around Colin's neck, the sheet falling slightly open in the process.

When her arms moved around his neck and the sheet fell open to revel her bare chest, he pulled her closer against himself and tightened his hold. Now he placed his lips over her rapidly beating heart. 'I want you.' He kissed her fully on the lips, softly, slowly, then whispered against her lips.' All of you.' Pulling back, their eye's connected. 'Be my girlfriend.?'

Their eye's stayed locked in an intense stare until very slowly, a smile made it's way onto Paris face and she gave a small but giddy nod. "OK."

Surprised, Colin stared at her for a second, before breaking out in a huge grin. 'Yea?'

"Yes!"

Overwhelmed with happiness, he crashed his lips against her's, causing her to stumble backwards her back hitting the bar. In a swift movement he lifted her up and on top of it, instinctively her legs wrapped around his waist, the sheet landing in a pool on the floor.

Logan's POV

Loagn sat on the couch in his dorm, staring at his cell phone, which lay in pieces on the floor.After Paris had hung up on him, he stood shocked for about a minuet, before the phone came into contact with the wall. He wasn't a 100 percent sure but he had a feeling that it was the sheet comment that had pushed him over the cliff he was teetering on the edge of. His mind kept throwing these mentle pictures of her and Colin, wrapped in nothing but a sheet, into his head. He had stopped himself 3 times in the 20 minutes sense she hung up, from going over there and ripping them apart. He couldn't do that though, he couldn't be the ' Jealous Ex-boyfriend ' as she had so graciously put it. He hated that word and was happy that there was only one girl who could use it against him, even if it did sting like hell when she did. Although, every hate filled word she spoke to him stung like hell. He still remembered the first time she spoke to him as if he were nothing to her, like he never had been. It was the day she broke up with him, a day he remembered like it had just happened yesterday.

flashback

Monday morning Chilton 1999

Walking down the Chilton hallway, Logan pulled uncontiously on his blazer, then ran a hand through his already messy hair. He was nervous, scratch that, he was scared as hell. 'What the hell was I thinking? I wasn't thinking, obviously. What if Paris finds out? How's she going to find out, nobody else know's, except -' He was thrown from his thoughts when he felt somebody slap him on the shoulder. He looked over and saw that Tristin had fallen into step with him, and was talking animatedly about something. "Hey."

Tristin stopped talking and looked over at his cousin. He knew that tone. 'What did you do?' He smirked when Logan looked at him with surprise. 'I know you. I know that voice, what did you do? And how much is it going to cost Uncle Mitch?'

"Why do you automatically assume I did something? Maybe I'm just not all that intrested in knowing which sluty cheerleader you had in your bed this weekend." He said harshly.

Tristin stopped and caught Logan by the arm turning him so they were face to face. 'What's wrong?' His voice was filled with concern.

Sighing Logan looked down at the floor, when he looked back up his focus was beyond Tristin, it was locked on the girl who had just entered through the double doors at the end of the hallway. Tristin turned to see what had caught his cousins attention, then smiled when he saw it was Paris. When he looked back over to Logan his simle faded. Logan looked like he was about to be sick. Looking back over at Paris, who had puffy eye's filled with determanation, and who was also making a bee line for Logan - Louise and Madaline following suite, he knew to throw himself in the middle. He stepped in front of Logan then whispered with a tilt of his head in her direction. "Now do you want to tell me what the hell you did?" When he got no reply he turned back around only to come face to face with a thoroughly pissed off Paris.

'Move. Now.' Was all she said.

Her voice was frighteningly calm and for a second had Logan believeing that she didn't know, that is until hew saw, or more like felt, Tristin tumble backward. 'She knows.' He took a deep breath, before laying a hand on Tristin's shoulder. ''Move Tris.'' He heard Tristin sigh before he moved. Who he saw standing in front of him wasn't his girlfriend, well technically it was, but the girl standing before him was somebody he had never met before. Her hair was pulled back into a messy knot, instead of being down like she normally wore it. Her eye's were puffy and red, a sign that she had just recently been crying. 'Over me...' He felt his hands began to shake and quickly shoved them into his pockets. That's when he realized that her's were also shaking.
After what felt like an internity of silence, he saw just a flicker of the real Paris appear in her eye's. The wall she had put up, had fallen and he saw the pain in her eye's, she looked lost.

She searched his eye's looking for some type of denyal. Anything to tell her that it wasn't true, that it was all just some big mistake. She didn't find any of it.

When his eye's started to get heavy, and that stinging feeling hit him, he blinked. When his eye's refocused the wall was back up. She took a step toward him, and he braced himself, knowing she was going to hit him. When nothing came he looked her in the eye's and new it was because that would have been letting him off easy.

'Me and you are done.' Her voice was void any type of emotion.

He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. The thought that she would actually break-up with him, even if it were the most logical, never really entered his mind. When she walked around his frozen body, careful not to let even a piece of their clothing touch, he came back to reality. He caught her by the arm, and spun her back around to face him. Her eye's were downcast. He grabbed her hand and pulled her slightly closer. 'Paris.' She tried to pull away, but he wouldn't, couldn't, let her go. 'Paris please - just look at me.' His voice was pleading, as it beagn to brake. Her eye's stayed on the floor. He saw her shoulders began to shake. 'Paris -' Her head snapped up and their eye's connected. He stumbled backward, dropping her hand in the process. There were tears running down her cheeks, and she looked like she was struggeling to breath. His heart shattered, he moved to grab her hand again, but she swung back around and walked quickly into the nearest girls bathroom.

When he went to go after her somebody pulled him back. Turning slightly he saw that it had been Louise. She shoved him back toward a set of locker, harder then anyone would expect her to be able to, and steped in front of him. 'Get that look off your face, where do you get off being hurt? Can you even imagine what she's going through right now? What the hell were you thinking?'

He didn't care that at the moment she looked like she could rip his head off with her bare hands. He had to make sure Paris was OK. He needed to talk to her, to explain. 'Louise just let me-' He went to move past her but she only side stepped him again.

'No. All your going to do, is turn around and walk in the other direction. Your the last thing she needs right now, what she needs is a friend. She bit off the last word with pure venom, which caused him to visibly wince.

All of a suden Tristin and Madaline were by their side. Tristin looking completely confused, and Madaline, much like himself, looked as if she were on the verge of tears.
"Does somebody want to tell me what the hell just happened?!"

'Why don't you ask your cousin what he did. Or better yet WHO!' With one last mencing look at Logan, Louise spun on the heels of her leather pumps, and walked quickly into the bathroom, to tend to her broken friend.

The three teenagers stood in the empty hallway, the bell having rung sometime before, but class being the furthest thing from their minds.

Tristin stood staring at the spot where Louise had been standing.
Logan looked over at Madaline and was surprised that she was still there. She hugged her books to her chest.
"Maddy I -..." His voice broke as he gestured in the direction of the other two girls.

Staring sadly in the same direction, she gave a small nod. When she looked back over at him, he didn't see judgment in her eye's, just disappointment. 'We got her Logan, just ... leave her alone for now. OK' Her voice was strong,finalizing.It wasn't a question, it was an order. And he knew she was right.

Nodding sadly, he watched her walk away into the same bathroom as the other two.

Tristin was silent when he turned to face Logan, he jsut stood there, staring at his cousin waitng until he met his eye's. When he finally did, he pulled his arm back, his hand forming into a fist. Logan saw him stop himself by shoving his hands into his pocket's. His mouth opened and closed three times before the words were finally ready to come out. Before he got the chance to say them, Logan slid down to the floor and brought his knees up towards his chest and slammed his head back against the lockers.

Logan began to cry. He wrapped his arms around the back of his head, resting his face in the cradle his arms made. Inhaling deeply, he sucked back the tears, wiped his cheeks on his sleeve and jumped to his feet. "I have to get the hell out of this place. I - i need a drink. Or something - anything! I just- I have to get out of here."

Nodding Tristin walked with him from the school and to his car. When Logan moved to get into the drivers seat, he stopped him. "I'm driving." With no argument the keys were dropped into his hand, and Logan slid silently into the passenger seat.

End Flashback

They didn't talk about it. The car ride back to his house was completely silent. A few days later, with still no word from Paris, Tristin attempted to bring up the subject, but he only changed the subject. It wasn't until 2 weeks of her ignoring Tristin, that the subject was brought up again, this time the subject couldn't be changed. It ended up with the two boys getting into a huge fight, both sported a busted lip and black eye, for some time after. Though eventually they made up, neither brought the subject up again.

As for Paris, she didn't talk to him after that unless she was forced to and it always ended in her yelling. Luckly for him, depending on how you looked at it, he got sent to MIlitary School that summer.

Getting up fron the couch - he walked over and picked up his broken phone and examend it closely, he groand knowing he was going to need a new one.

Riiiing ...

Stars Hollow

Tristin held the phone impatiently to his ear. 'Why isn't he answering his cell?' Riiiiiiiing 'Pick up the damn phone Logan!' It was as the third ring began that the phone was answered.

'Yea?' Logan snapped into the phone.

"Such fabulous telephone manners, your mother would be so proud.!" He replied sarcasticly.

'Oh crap sorry Tris. What's up? Where are you? Why aren't you answering your phone?' He shot out, one question right after the other.

"Whoa slow down. First off you called me first. Second of all, I just got your message, I forgot my phone when I left. And I'm in Stars Hollow, with Mary."

Rory came into the living room and flopped next to him on the couch. 'Why do you insist on calling me that? I mean really ... I haven't been a Mary in awhile.'

Tristin's eyebrow's shot up, surprised by her sudden admission. "Wow Mare. Good to know." He smirked, and Rory blushed.

'Who the hell is Mary?'

Laughing he sighed dramaticaly. "I'm sorry - I mean I am in Stars Hollow with RORRRRY. Better?" He asked with a fake sweet smile, in her direction.

'Much. Thank you. Jerk-face...'

'Ace? Oh tell her Hi for me.'

Confused, his eyebrows pulled together and his forehead creased. "Ace?"

Rory smiled and started bouncing in her seat, 'Hi Logan!'

" You've let him give you a nickname?! How could you?! I feel so unloved, so un-needed!" He shouted dramaticly.

Rory rolled her eye's. "You should really be majoring in Drama Bible Boy. For your information, I didn't let him give me a nickname - he just stared calling me Ace, with absolutly no explaination as to what it meant. Sound like anyone you know? I guess irritating me is a family trate. And come on now ... were you every really needed?" She smiled sweetly and batted her eyelashes, when she said the last part so he would know she was joking.

Tristin heard Logan laugh over the phone, he smiled and put it on speaker. "Hey you have to admit Mary is way more creative then 'Ace'.

'What the hell's wrong with Ace? And Mary?! Come on anybody who knows what a bible is, could have gotten the meaning of that! Sh-'

'Excuse me that is not true! You walk into a new school and some Brad Pitt wannabe starts calling you Mary even though you repeatedly tell him your name, you don't automatically jump to the Virgin Mary. I just thought he was slow or something. My mom actually told me what it meant. Said they had been using that one for years. ... So now that you think about it - it really wasen't all that creative SOS." She gave Tristin a sympathatic pat on the shoulder.

"SOS?"

Rory flipped a hand at him, as if to say it didn't matter. 'Spawn of Satan. I'm trying something out, just go with it.'

"Going."

'OK so as entertainging as it is to listen to the two of you banter, I'm still on the phone and as my cousin knows first handedly - I don't really enjoy being ignored.' He sounded only half serious.

'BB did you hear something? It sounded something like a 'Bzzzz'...'

Tristin laughed. "Really? I thought it was more of a 'Meeeee Meeeeee' ... Oh and BB - Bible Boy - I get it. SOS was better, it's like your asking me to rescue you." He smirked and she rolled her eye's.

'Funny guy's. But I think it was more of a
'Beeeeeeeeeep'
He was holding down a button making the noise ring out through the speaker. Which caused them to laugh.

"OK OK, Logan ... man come on we're sorry. What's up?"

The line stayed quiet for awhile Tristin started to wonder what had happened. Even Rory was starting to look worried. She spoke up first.

'Logan ... what -'

He cut her off. 'I went by Colin and Finn's this morning.'

Simultaneously, they groaned and dropped their heads against the back of the couch.

''Damn it. Paris..''
'Damn it. Logan..'

"Logan man... you ... OK?"

Suddenly realizing that it must have killed him to see them together, Rory looked at the phone concerned.

'Yea. ... Can't say the same for my cell phone though...'

'Why? What happened?' 'Oh god he pitched his phone at Colins head or something... or Paris pitched it at his...'

'Nothing to worry about Ace. Let's just say - your roomate can be very - very - very ... mean at times.'

Now Tristin raised his head. Rory looked at him, raised an eyebrow, then looked back to the phone. 'Mean?' She pushed back the giggle that formed in her stomach, upon hearing him use the word, and could tell Tristin was to.

' I wasn't even calling for her, it was Finn's phone. What the hell is she doing answering Finns phone?! Obviously after seeing her with Colin, I assume something is going on with him to... bu-'

'You accused her of sleeping with Finn?! And your still breathing?!' She stared at the phone with a disbelieveing look on her face.

'Just barley Ace. It seems I had intruppted, her and my buddy Colin, and she made no effort in hiding the fact that - how did she put it? - she was cold because the sheet wasn't very thick.' His voice cracked and bitteness poured out.

Rory looked back at Tristin who was shaking his head against the couch, having fallen back during Logans explination. She looked sadly at the phone. 'Wow. That is mean. ... I'm sorry Logan.'

'Don't be. I deserve it. kind of a 'What goes around comes around' type of thing.'

'Nobody deserves to be hurt. No matter what mistakes they've made.'

The room was silent and Tristin watched her talk to his cousin, trying to make him feel better.

'Thank's Ace. Tris - you coming out this way? Or heading straight back for Boston?'

"I don't know yet. I was thinking about spending some time at the rival school, seeing what all the bulldog fuss was about. Only problem is I'm pretty sure my mom will skin me alive and serve me as a finger sandwich at one of her DAR meeting's."

Logan laughed and Rory groaned in disgust.

'Damn it Tristin - those sandwiches were one of the only things I looked forward to about those meeting's. Now I'm never going to be able to eat one again.'

He laughed, then realized what she had said. Apperantly Logan had to because he suddenly became quiet. " Mare ... why do you go to DAR meetings?"

She had been focusing on not picturing Tristin squashed between two slices of bread. She hadn't really been listening to what she was saying. She shook her head as if to clear it of all thought's, then smiled. 'Because I'm apart of the DAR Blondie!'

"First of all don't call me Blondie. Second, when and why - the hell did you become apart of the DAR?"

Not really ready to answer that question completely, she answered with as little information as posiable, before she changed the subject."My Grandma got me into it. It's really not all that bad. Hey Logan - so you know what I meant by the whole 'Your eye's. Your hair.' thing ... but you still havn't told me what the nickname's all about."

Getting that she didn't want to talk about it, Tristin went along with her changing the subject. "Now Mare, I'm more intrested in hearing about the young man who seemes to have taken a fancy to our dear Logan...what was his name again? Oh right ... Mark. Care to tell us about the new Boy Toy Logan?"

Logans POV

'Oh crap Ace...'

'Bite me Tristin. Not cool Ace, I can't believe you told him that insane story that you made up...'

They both laughed at Logans uncomfortable tone of voice and continued teasing him. Also effectivly making him forget about what exactaly was going on in a dorm room, just across campus between his Best friend and his ... ex-girlfriend. OK so maybe he let them believe he had forgotten.

'You know - I still haven't gotten over the fact that Rory is Mary. The way you used to -'

"So yea I'm gonna head out that way. I told my mom you needed help unpacking and stuff anyway. So I'll be there sometime tonight." His voice was tense, Logan smiled knowing he had embarrassed him.

' OK. Ace? What about you? You coming back tonight? Maybe we can go out or something. ' He knew how that sounded and knew it would get to Tristin, which is why he said it.

Stars Hollow

Tristin jerked forward, but before he could hang up the phone he stopped himself. He looked over at Rory and saw the nervous look on her face, like she didn't know what to do.

' Sorry Logan I didn't hear you, what did you say?' She stammered.

When Logan laughed, she looked away from Tristin's intense stare, embarrassed.

'I asked if you were coming back tonight. If you are, maybe the three of us can go get a drink or something.'

'The three of us.'
"The three of us.Jerk probably did that just to try to get to me."

A smile made it's way to both of their faces. ' Well uhm I hadn't really thought about it. Besides, you - me - Tristin and alchocal? You think that's smart? '

Tristin smirked and leaned close into her personal space. "What Mare - don't trust yourself around me when your drinking?"

Making herself ignore the feeling she got in her stomach, when she felt his warm breath on her cheek, she shrugged her shoulders. 'Can you blame me?' He pulled back slightly in surprise, which made Rory smirk. 'They havn't passed the 'I was drunk, I didn't mean to castrate him!' defence yet.'

Logan burst into a fit of laughter, and Rory smiled widly.

Shaking his head Tristin pointed an accusing finger at her. "That wasn't very nice."

"Hey I never claimed to be nice. The whole Mary thing was purly an assumption. And you know what they say about assuming..."

'Tristin makes an ass out of himself?'

Rory laughed.

'So how bout it Rory? Save me from having to spend a boring night at home with Tristin, complaining about how he hasn't gotten any in over a year. SOS!!'

Rory chocked from laughing so hard. Tristin's eye's grew and his face turned an angry shade of red. "What the hell? That's a lie!" He quickly turned to Rory. "That's a lie!"

Rory nodded while covering her mouth, trying to hide her smile. 'Uh-huh.'

"IT IS! Logan tell her that's a lie!"

'OK calm down man. Tristin has a new girl every weekend Rory.'

'Wow every weekend huh? Your losing it DuGrey, there used to be a time where you had a new girl everynight. What happened?'

'Well Ace come on now, give him a break. It takes a few days for the meds to kick in and clear everything up...'

Rory's hand flew to her mouth again, and she burst into another fit of laughter. Tristin lunged for his cell, which was sitting on the coffee table.

"BYE LOGAN!"

'See you tonight!'

She had just barly finished her sentence when the phone shut. She looked at Tristin and tried not to laugh.

He shook his head warningly. " Don't."

'What?'

"He was joking! It's not true!" He cried, desperate to make her believe him.

She giggled again. 'I know.' He nodded, they sat quietly for about a minute, until Rory burst with laughter again.

Tristin groaned loudly, shook his head, got up and walked into the kitchen. "I'm going to kill him!!"

Rory laughed some more as she got up to go after him. ' Awe Tris come on, I'm sorry!'

Logans POV

He threw the phone on the couch while laughing. Suddenly remembering the phone in his hand, he turned it over in his hand. With a sigh, he grabbed his key's and headed out. Buying something expensive always made him feel better, maybe he'd stop by the electronics store while he was at the mall getting a new phone. The room looked like it needed a new TV or stero or something.

Even though I ain't coming back now
I didn't mean to seem as though
I was so ungrateful for all you've done here
Even though I ain't coming back now
I didn't mean to seem as though
I was so ungrateful for all you've done here
For yanking out my...

And If I could only see this
If I could have one good reason
All my feelings out of season
Am I to thank for yanking out my...
For yanking out my…

Feeling fine, let's rip out yours instead of mine
And all you need
Are several ways to watch me bleed?
Well, thanks for stopping this beating in my chest
It's easier now, and I'm happy like this
Just like this

Even though I ain't coming back now
I didn't mean to seem as though
I was so ungrateful for all you've done here
Even though I ain't coming back now
I didn't mean to seem as though
I was so ungrateful for all you've done here
For yanking out my...
For yanking out my...