chapter two

She pulled a beer off the counter, having to stretch around a good three people to even reach. She didn't even know what she was doing here. This wasn't her, she didn't party. But now that she was here, she just wanted to party. That or go home and read a good book. She didn't know which sounded better at this point.

Casey was around here somewhere, but Rory just took her beer and stood in a back corner, watching the scene unfold around her. It was at some poor schmuck's apartment, the guy expecting his advanced chess club and receiving hundreds of college kids. And of course, Casey being the party person she was, not only knew about it, but dragged Rory along with her.

"Hey, Gilmore," Rory looked up at the sight of her best friend, Steph Vanderbilt. "What are you doing here?"

Rory raised her glass in a toast, "Partying."

Steph's eyebrow rose. "Do you even know the definition of that word?"

Rory rolled her eyes, "Ha ha."

"No, seriously, what are you doing here? I mean, this isn't usually your scene, more mine and Casey's."

"Did you want me to leave?"

Steph sighed, "Rory, we both know you aren't a partier."

Steph was right. She didn't know why she was here. Casey said party and Rory almost yelled I'll bring the beer. And there she was. Steph was used to this sort of place. Parties, beer, guys staring. She was raised in it, her parents always gone, raised by nannies.

Rory had no idea how she ended up with the friends she did. Her two best friends, Casey and Steph were both partiers, while she was more mellow, studying at Yale while they merely went there.

She glanced around the room, surveying the crowd. There were a lot of people there, surprising for the small capacity of the apartment. It was getting hot, her lavender silk camisole and jeans feeling like a second skin. People were pressed everywhere, and how this could be considered fun, she didn't know.

Her eyes locked on brown, a blonde guy standing by a far wall, a girl whispering in his ear, hanging off his shoulder. Rory raised her eyebrow while he shot her a smirk. He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place him. It was going to bother her for the rest of the night, she knew.

"Ugh," Steph sighed, "this party sucked. I mean if they wanted to cram one hundred and fifty people in a cardboard box, they should have given some sort of warning."

Rory turned to look at her, "I don't think this was supposed to be a party."

"Gee, you think?"

"Okay, Miss Sarcasm. I'm going home. Ben and Jerry's is waiting for me. Tell Casey to keep her date in her room tonight, yeah?"

"Hey, I'm not staying here. I'd find better guys on the street than in here."

"How nice. God forbid you don't have someone in your bed tonight."

"Now who has the sarcasm."

"Okay, I'm leaving. Bye." She dropped her beer on a nearby table, on a small corner that wasn't being occupied by someone's ass. It was sure to fall off in about thirty seconds buy quite frankly, she didn't care.

She weaved through the people quickly, expecting Steph to keep up or stay there. She turned around to see Steph talking to a brunette guy, the blonde guy who had stared at her standing next to him.

She pushed past a couple making out against a wall to get to them, hearing part of their conversation.

"Yes, Logan and I go to Yale," the brunette was saying. Logan. It was the guy from her apartment!

She smirked, moving next to Steph, looking at the blonde. "You just have a thing for my friends, don't you?"

He looked confused for a moment before realization dawned on him. "Ah, yes. Well, it seems you run with a pretty good crowd."

"It would appear that way," she said dryly.

"You know," he started, "I didn't get your name."

"You're supposed to figure it out yourself, or did you forget?"

He smirked, "You're very blunt; did you know that?"

She shrugged, "I've been told."

"Ever think about maybe working on that?"

She smiled, "It's crossed my mind. Very briefly, obviously." She turned to Steph. "Are you leaving or have you changed your mind in the last two minutes?"

"You go on. Tell Casey I said hi."

Her eyes shifted to Logan, "Should I say hi for you too?"

"That's not funny," he said, a smirk toying at the edges of his mouth.

"Suit yourself." She pulled her jacket on and shifted her purse over her arm, walking away from the trio.

Logan watched her walk away, his eyes shifting downward before he smirked and turned back to Steph and his friend.

"She's not like that," Steph told him.

"Like what?"

"I saw you checking out her ass, and that would not be something she'd appreciate."

"Feminist, is she?"

"Close, morals. That's one difference between you and her."

"Morals?" he asked confused.

"Yeah, she actually has them. Where as you…" she trailed off.

"That's a little judgmental for just meeting me."

"Are you honestly telling me that you didn't meet her in her apartment after sleeping with her roommate?"

"Okay, pretty accurate judgments."

She cocked her head to the door of the small apartment. "You should go set her straight. God knows she needs a little fun in her life."

He smiled and walked through the people, following her close behind.