[Anima Sola]

(Fortsetzung von Kapitel 11)

It was late afternoon when Rory came from school, having finished her classes for the day. She unlocked the door to her apartment and stepped inside to find it empty.
“Finn?”, she asked, looking around. “Colin?”
No answers whatsoever. She dropped her bag and walked into her room to get changed for her birthday party her mother had been organising for tonight (of which Rory of course didn’t know anything). She put on a small black dress with red dots and green stripes on it, slipped into a pair of comfortable yet elegant shoes and then noticed the wings Finn had given her. She turned them in her hands and decided to wear them as well, putting them on with a grin. When she went back to the living room, she grabbed her purse and headed to the door. Just in time for the door bell to ring. She almost gave a start when she saw the person on the other side.
“Logan?”, she asked, staring at him. She hadn’t seen him for months. He once wrote her a postcard, telling her to greet Finn and that he understood her choice. So much to the proof of life. As he was now standing right in front of her, she couldn’t believe her eyes. She still felt a little indifferent when it came to Logan Huntzberger.
“Hello, Ace”, he said with a grin.
She stared at him.
“Can I come in?”, he asked.
She backed up a little for him to step in. She watched how he sat down on the couch and examined the decoration of the room.
“Nice. I also like those wings of yours”, he said, grinning.
Rory closed the door quietly, still watching him. “What do you want, Logan?”
“I wanted to talk to you.”
“Well, talk.”
“You see, I don’t like this situation.”
“What do you mean?”
“This, between us.”
“Us? Logan, there is no us anymore. There hasn’t been for a long time. I guess, there never has been at all!”
“Look, I just don’t like that we’re ignoring each other. I mean, you somehow took over my friends, you are living with them now, you are dating Finn, you’re living your life and I accept that. I just don’t want you to hate me.”
“Well, you should have thought about this a while ago. You should have thought about that before you beat the crap out of Finn!”
“I didn’t and I’m sorry. Ace, come on, Finn and me made up, why can’t we?”
Rory stared at Logan. “You mean we should be friends?”
“Friends and nothing more. You made your choice and your choice fell on Finn.”
“Exactly”, Rory replied.
“So?”
“So?”
“Do you want to be friends with me?”
“Maybe…”, Rory finally replied.
Logan smiled at her and got up again. He looked around once more.
“I like your apartment. Good to see that Finn can finally live out his feminine touch”, he grinned.
Rory watched him as he walked over to the door. He opened the door and turned around to her.
“Oh and happy birthday, Ace”, he said with a smirk.
She smiled at him and watched him leave. Rory stared at the closed door for a while, before following him outside, heading to her car to drive to Stars Hollow. She arrived at her mother’s house and parked behind Lorelai’s jeep. Getting out, she walked over to the front door, finding the house empty. She looked through every room but there was no one. The house remained empty.
Rory walked into the kitchen and headed to the refrigerator, getting out a soda when she noticed the note on the door. She ripped it off and read its lines.
“Read the signs.”
“Oh how very Final Destination of you”, she said and looked around.
There was a bunch of things lying around that could give her a clue. Coat-hangers pointing into various directions, a pile of books flipped open at certain pages with other things lying on top, marking certain lines. But the most noticeable clue was the little petticoat lying on top of a pair of tooth pickers with tiny socks on them on the oven next to a water bottle.
A petticoat that ballerinas wear. Ballerinas, however, can only be… at Miss Patty’s!
Rory left the house and quickly walked the distance to Miss Patty’s Dance Studio. She almost reached it when suddenly someone covered her eyes from behind. She gasped and grew rigid right away.
“Don’t worry, love”, she heard a very familiar, yet muffled voice and smiled at the sound of it.
“Finn?”
“Shh!”, he said and covered her head with what appeared to be a mask whose usual eye slits were blackened out, before he grabbed her hand and dragged her away with him, into the direction she had come from.
She followed him blindly – well, what else could she have done?
They walked for a while, before Finn suddenly stopped, with Rory running into him.
“Are we there yet?”, Rory asked, her voice as muffled as Finn’s by now.
“Patience, love”, was all he said, before dragging her further.
“Come on, I know there’s a surprise party for me, no more secrets!”
They stopped again and this time Rory almost tripped. If it wasn’t for Finn holding her by the upper arms. He then placed his hands on her neck, about to pull the mask over her head. She felt him leaning closer.
“Just try to pretend you wouldn’t know anything”, he whispered and pulled off the mask.
What Rory saw, made her blink several times. She was standing on a deserted piece of land, with a couple of trees surrounding it – and nothing else. She looked around, before she stared at Finn, who just pulled his own gorilla mask over his head.
“Where are we?”, she asked. “Is this some kind of joke?” She walked to the trees and back to Finn. “Where is everyone? Are they hiding somewhere?” She looked around once more, frowning.
“Don’t frown, love, your forehead might stay like that”, Finn grinned, as she walked back to him again, staring at him.
“Come on. Why did you take me here?”
He just shrugged, smirking.
“Finn! You might take out your wand now and let the party appear!”
He stared at her, before he broke into a laugh.
“Alright, I am aware of how dirty that just sounded!”, she muttered, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
“Aww, darling”, he said, still giggling, walking over to her to hug her from behind. “Patience is a virtue!”
“Ah screw that”, she whispered. “All my virtues or virgins were killed, remember?”
He giggled even more, snuggling his head against her shoulder.
“Finn, I really don’t want to stand on this field at the night of my twenty-first birthday!”
“I know, love”, he smiled against her neck, before letting go of her, taking her hand, walking with her around the square.
She watched him with her eyebrows raised.
“You know, I was told to keep you away for a while and I was also told to keep that secret to you, but you know how I’m with secrets. Well, long story, not that short, um, hmm. Where was I?”, he jabbered.
“Have you already drunk without me?”, she asked, watching him with a slight grin.
“Caught in the act, love”, he admitted. “But I just had a few drinks of that punch this Miss Patty had standing around.”
“Oh, no, the punch”, Rory giggled. “But I guess you can cope with that. Because you’re a pro!”
“I am, love”, he slurred, kissing her a little out of focus, his lips brushing over her nose.
She pulled an arm around his waist and cuddled against him, forgetting about her disappointment about her party.
“Finn?”
“Hmm?”
“Why are we walking in circles?”
“Ah, right, well, I have to keep you occupied – and warm.”
“And that’s why we’re walking in circles?”
“You are so sharp”, he grinned and kissed her, meeting her lips this time.
She looked up at him, smiling. “So?”
“So – what?”
“Tell me about this mysterious party”, Rory pleaded.
“I won’t, darling”, he smirked.
“Ah, damn, you haven’t had enough alcohol!”, she mocked, sighing slightly.
“Life’s unfair, darling”, he whispered and pulled her behind a tree.
“So, what now?”, she muttered, looking around. “Do we have to hide for the party to come out of their hide-outs?”
“No”, Finn just said, looking at her.
It took her a while to realize he was looking at her. She smiled at him uncertainly, tilting her head.
“Um, Finn?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re giving me the creeps right now”, she laughed.
“That’s part of my charm, love”, he grinned, grabbing her hand to look at the watch he had once given her. “Hmm, okay.”
“Okay what?”
“It’s time.”
“Time?”, she squealed.
“Don’t get too excited, love”, he said, pulling her after him. “Oh, wait,” he added and pulled one of the gorilla masks he was carrying over Rory’s head.
“I can still see”, she said, her eyes meeting his through the eye slits of the mask.
“Oh, wrong mask”, Finn said and changed their masks.
“You’re messing up my hair, Finn”, Rory complained, laughing as he had trouble pulling the mask over her head.
“Forgive me, love. But I can assure you, nobody will look at that.”
Rory just raised an eyebrow under her mask and let Finn drag her along.
They seemed to be walking quite a while before Finn finally stopped, positioning Rory with his hands on her arms, standing right behind her.
“Alright, again, love, I didn’t tell you anything”, he whispered and pulled off her mask.
Rory blinked at what she saw. She was standing in front of her mother’s house – which didn’t look like her mother’s house anymore. It looked like…
“Welcome to little Atlantic City”, Finn mouthed into her ear, watching her with a smile.
“Oh my god”, she whispered, her hands on her face in awe. “This is amazing!”
The house was decorated like a casino with light bulbs all around and neon signs and there were even two uniformed men standing at the front door.
Finn grabbed her hand and led her towards the door. The uniformed men straightened up at her appearance and bowed as she passed. She giggled at them and walked into the house – that wasn’t a house anymore. There were even more neon signs and there were slot machines and cards lying around on various tables, with people standing in the shadows, their backs turned to Rory. There was a black jack table and a roulette table. The living room was a casino, the stairs were filled with carton figures; there was Elvis and Marilyn and some show dancers standing on every step. The corridor to the kitchen was transformed into a hall of mirrors. There were her favourite bands playing in the background, the volume of the stereo at its top.
Rory stood in the middle of the house, staring at everything with her mouth open and her eyes sparkling. Finn was by her side, grinning, kissing her cheek, before placing a little crown on her head. It was then that everyone standing around the casino decorations turned around and faced Rory, singing in one voice the Happy Birthday song.
Rory grabbed Finn’s hand and listened with tears in her eyes.
After they were all done with the song, there was loud clapping and Lorelai came towards Rory, pulling her into a tight embrace. Rory hugged her mother.
“Everything as you imagined?”
“Everything as we imagined”, Rory replied and faced her mother with a big smile.
“It’s not Atlantic City but it’s close.”
“It’s perfect!”
Lorelai smiled and led her daughter towards one of the tables.
“Let’s play 21!”, she sang, dragging her to the blackjack table – and the party began.

(Fortsetzung im nächsten Post)