"You've been struck by a smooth criminal."

Sebastian Smythe liked to play people like fiddles.(Cellos?) It was different when he met Annie Duval; he could see something in her eyes. She was in pain, she was scared; it softened him. He watched as she walked through Dalton keeping her shoulders back and her head raised; he could read this girl like an open book. She was trying to look confident but, she wasn't. She was scared. He felt like a stalker when he followed her to her destination; Nick and Jeff's dorm. Girlfriend? No. Those two hooligans couldn't score a girl like her. Sibling? Possibly. She had long, straight brown hair that fell against her red and white sweatshirt. She would be Nick's sister. He looked at her from around the corner as Nick opened the door and hugged her. Sebastian wanted to know that girl; maybe she was attending the Warblers party at Trent's house that night. He would go ask but Nick was angry with him ever since the New Directions/Blaine incident. He decided to just wait.

He went back to his room on the other side of campus and proceeded to dress into regular clothes. He wore a pair of straight leg blue jeans, a pink dress shirt, and a blue and pink tie. He pulled on his white Converse Allstars, and tied them. He re-gelled his hair and exited his room. He went out to his car and climbed in. He drove to Trent's house and got out seeing all the Warblers. Sebastian was bitter about the Warblers turning on him but he wasn't going to turn down a party. Jeff was the only Warbler who tried to talk to him after the "Black or White" mess. Jeff had gotten him to open up, curse that blonde hair, and he understood where Sebastian was coming from and why he acted the way he did. Jeff greeted Sebastian warmly, "Hey, Seb!"

"Hi, Jeff," Sebastian replied smiling.

Sebastian craned his neck looking for the girl he had saw earlier and found her sitting alone watching Nick, who Sebastian presumed to be her brother, dance and act like a fool. Sebastian took the seat next to her and smiled, "Hi, I'm Sebastian Smythe. I couldn't help but notice you earlier." Her pin straight hair was now laying in waves against a tight fitting black long sleeve top and skinny jeans.

"I'm Annie Duval..." Annie scooted away from him looking nervous.

"What are you so scared of?" Sebastian asked silently congratulating himself on figuring out she was Nick's sister.

"I'm not scared of anything." Sebastian could tell she was lying; she wasn't making eye contact.

"Why don't you look me in the eye then?" Annie bit her lip nervously.

"Why don't you stop asking questions I'm not going to answer?" Annie shot back.

Nick came over and stood protectively by Annie, "Sebastian, why are you talking to my sister?"

"Aw, Nick. Why so hostile?" Sebastian asked smugly.

"Nick, he was just trying to make conversation," Annie defended; though she didn't know why.

"He's a jerk, Annie," Nick replied harshly.

"Why so quick to judge? I didn't judge you when I found you crying that one day, I tried to help. Weren't you the one preaching on "Don't judge until you've walked a mile in someone's shoes"?" Sebastian asked.

Nick scowled, "Stop, Sebastian."

"Why don't you stop, Nick?"

"Why don't you leave my sister alone?"

"Why don't you let her make that decision with out big brother?"

"You don't even know, Sebastian."

Nick walked away leaving his sister to make the decision by herself, without his input.

"Why is Nick like that around you?" Annie asked Sebastian still not making eye contact with her.

"I may have tampered with a slushie and threw it in his friend's face," Sebastian replied sheepishly.

"Blaine?"

"Yeah..."

"THAT WAS YOU?"

"Well... It was meant for Kurt."

"Blaine is a close friend of mine."

"I regret that."

"It won't fix his eye."

"I know."

Annie bit her lip and looked at her legs. Sebastian wanted to get to know her but now there. Not in front of all these people; there was no way she was going to open up in front of all those people. He tried to get her to talk, "So... Tell me about yourself."

"Um. Nick is my brother... And... I go to Crawford..." Annie replied still avoiding eye contact.

"Expand?" Annie didn't reply making Sebastian even more curious. He sighed and asked, "Would you like to hang out sometime? Like, go get some coffee?"

"Um... I guess," Annie told him.

"Type your number in my phone." Sebastian handed Annie his phone, and she started typing when she handed it back and looked away he took a picture. Her hair was falling in her face and it looked beautiful.

Hey, Annie! It's Sebastian! -Seb

Oh. Hi. -Annie

Would you like to get some coffee? -Seb

Um. Sure. -Annie

Where do you room? -Seb

Well... I can drive myself. -Annie

Are you sure? -Seb

Yeah. Now? At the Lima Bean? -Annie

Yupp. -Seb

See ya... -Annie

Sebastian waited at a table for Annie and when she arrived he smiled. She was wearing skinny jeans, a baggy pink baby doll top, and a coat that she had taken off. She smiled back, which he could tell was forced, and he offered to buy her coffee.

"No... I can pay," Annie replied.

"I can't drive you or pay for you? But... The man is supposed to do that!" Sebastian whined.

"On a date," Annie retorted standing behind him in line.

"Touche," Sebastian narrowed his eyes.

They got their coffee and Sebastian kept trying to ask Annie questions. She was resistant and he sighed heavily. He told her his story and was hoping for the same from her. She told him that her uncle looked after her and Nick, and he was rich. That's basically all she would tell him. She didn't mention her parents at all so he assumed they were dead. Sebastian was going to get her to trust him. She looked like she needed someone other than Nick. A rock. Someone to lean on. He got her to laugh after an hour of him talking to her and she began to open up a little and talk more freely. She smiled at him and he returned the smile.

"Would you like to go grab some dinner with me?" Sebastian asked softly.

"Sure, I guess. I promised Nick I would call at five thirty," Annie told him dialing Nick's number.

"Hello?" Nick asked.

"Hey, Nick. Just calling you like I promised," Annie told him.

"Oh. Still with him?"

"He's not that bad. He's really sweet."

"Whatever."

"Nick!"

"I'll let you get back to Sebastian."

"I love you, Nick."

"I love you too, Annie."

Annie hung up and shoved her phone in her purse before following Sebastian outside.

The waitress brought their food as Annie told Sebastian about her auditions for the Westerville Theatre's production of "West Side Story".

"Maria, eh? I love the play, I bet you'd be a fantastic Maria," Sebastian smiled.

"Thanks. You should audition. You could be Johnny Boy or Tony..." Annie returned the smile.

"I'll think about that." Sebastian swallowed his pasta as Annie drank her tea.

"Nick says you're a good singer."

"I don't think Nick likes me very much."

"He doesn't."

"What don you think of me?"

"I think I could be friends with you."

"I'm glad."

They finished eating and Sebastian set his credit card down before she could put money down, "I'm paying."

"No!" Annie tried to put money down.

"I'm paying, Annie!" Sebastian gently shoved her hand away as the waitress took his card.

Annie scowled, "Well, thank you."

"You're welcome!"

"Well... I liked this. Can we do it again?"

"Sure. When would you like?"

"Coffee after class Monday?"

"Sure! Can I pick you up?"

"We'll see."