New Beginnings

Homeward bound & Broken People

Five months later

Rory's POV

I get off my flight and head straight to baggage claim, my bags come out quickly and I make my way to the exit as I'm walking along I see a sign Gilmore-Hayden.

"That's me" I say not expecting the service

"This way miss" he says as he grabs my bags and takes me out to the white stretch hummer waiting out side. Oh I love my friends I think as he opens the door and I slide in all the lights come on "SURPRISE!!!" And I see my girls all here and I squeal and hug them all and we open the champagne and start drinking. It's been since my farewell bash that I last had an alcoholic drink as my boarding school is extremely strict.

"To summer with my girls" I cheer

"So to get rid of the elephant in the room where are the boys?" I ask

"All will be there with the notable exception as you should know then they are flying out for summer in Spain and Greece" Steph says

"So what's been happening tell me" I say as we make our way back to my place.

It takes 20 minutes to get home and I head straight upstairs have a shower and change into my blue Dolce bikini. I head back down stairs and out to the pool and everyone is there I first walk over to the boys who are playing table tennis.

"My gosh love look at you, your a sight for sore eyes" Finn says as he wraps me up in his arms and I'm so glad I'm home. I hug all the guys and then ask how the rest of senior year was. They say it was a blast and then they tell me that all five of them got into Yale.

"Congrats guys I'm so happy for you all." I say and they notice some sadness hit me.

"He is ok Rory, just can't handle seeing you since you will be gone again in two months" Colin tells me.

"How did it happen that he fell for me?" I ask them as his best friends they should have some idea.

"We don't know and he still won't tell us" Seth says.

"For the first week after you left he pretty much drank every night and was at school hungover everyday till Mitchum found out and whipped his ass" Robert tells me

I then drop my glass. "Excuse me guys I will be back" I say and I go back to my room and grab my phone turn my caller id on private and call him.

It rings 6 times till he answers.

"What do you want?" He says and I can tell he is drunk.

"I want to know why you feel the need to be endlessly drunk all the time to get over me when I thought we were only casual until I get a text from you filled with emotion saying goodbye forever unless our paths cross again after I finish boarding school and how and why did you fall for me" I blurt out

"Rory?" He ask

"Yes it's me who else would call you after 5 months away at boarding school and call you out on your crap" I say

"Fine here's the truth Rory. I love you I don't know how it happened but it did and this is the only way I can cope with you being 3800 miles away from me ok. In two months I will be at Yale and then I can throw myself into partying and girls like you wanted me to ok. Like I said in my text if we meet again under better circumstances we can see what happens until then leave me alone" he says and hangs up.

I walk over to my egg seat and sit down and start crying. I just cry and cry and cry until someone knocks on my door. I look up and see Steph and Finn.

"Why did you call him?" He asks me

"Because I needed closure" I say

"Was it worth it?" He asks

"Yes and no" I reply

"Steph I can't be here in Hartford for the summer I need to get away. I think I might go back to school and do some summer programs" I say and they look at me and realise that the Rory that they had worked so hard for was now broken and that back is old shy Rory that it's all about school.

"Everyone can finish the party I'm going to see what I can organise" I say

They leave my room and I open up my laptop and pull up the number for school. I call knowing they will be there.

I spend the next two hours working out how I can finish enough units to graduate a year early , which does include spending the next 12 months in Switzerland with no breaks but I need to do this it's the only way I know I can survive my broken heart and broken spirit. The party soon finishes and the girls are in my room.

"What's wrong Rory?" Paris asks

"I'm broken guys the only way I can get through is to throw myself in studies and to do that I'm spending the next 12 months in Switzerland and I'm going to graduate a year early" I tell them and Steph jumps up "you mean we will be at college together?" "Yes Steph so just make sure your grades stay high enough so we can go to Yale together and room together too" I say "well I have a flight out at 9 am tomorrow so I guess this is good bye again and see you all in 12 months" I add.

The girls leave and I head down stairs to find mom and dad I find them in the study.

"Hey kiddo what's going on?" Dad asks

"I'm going back to Switzerland tomorrow, I spoke with school I have worked out a way to do all required subjects and graduate a year early" I tell them and they look at me shocked.

"But what about your summer plans?" Mom asks

"The girls understand and this is more important for me right now" I tell them and I head back to my room.

I know within two minutes mom will be in here. Like clockwork she walks in.

"What's really going on sweets?" She ask me

I look at her and breakdown into tears, I tell her all about Logan and then about how I am now broken and I need to do this for me to heal. She understands and supports my decision.

The next morning I fly back to Switzerland and throw myself in my studies. After summer I felt like I was getting back to who I was before I met the boys and by the time my college acceptance letter came I was good old studious Rory with perfect grades again. I called Steph as soon as my letters came through.

"Please tell me you got into Yale?" I ask her

"I got in" she said and we cheered over the phone. I said I will see her in 2 months once graduation is done and we can start looking at two bedroom appartments off campus.

My parents and grandparents all flew over for graduation as I was valedictorian. We then flew back together via first class. I may never acknowledge it to my parents but boarding school may have been the best thing they did for me.

I hope you like the story, it's come along so well for me that I find I can't stop this one enough to work on my other one but it will get done soon