"Let me in." the voice ordered.

Joy didn't listen, burying her head into her knees and crying. It wasn't just the house she hated now, it was life. She hated living. It hurt, it physically hurt for her to wake up every morning, and force herself to school. More so than the average teenager. She got that she was a bad person, she got that she didn't deserve the love of her life, she got that she had been replaced. She got that she had lost her best friend, lost her place. She got that, but waking up every morning, and seeing it all laid out in front of her, everything she had lost. Joy Mercer was shocked. And every morning, it was that constant reminder that hurt her the most. The reminder that everything was once hers. And a mistake, a mistake that hadn't even been her fault, was the reason why.

"For gods sake, Joy. I said let me in."

Joy frowned, trying to place the voice, but her ears were muffled and she was confused from all the crying. She got up slowly, maybe, with the small hope that it might be Fabian outside the door. Fabian who was back and was here to tell her he loved her, that he always had, and Nina had been a terrible mistake. She opened the door, and was disappointed.

Jerome Clarke stood in the doorway, looking down at her. "Joy," he whispered. Joy turned around and walked back to her bed, Jerome closed the door behind him, flicking on the light, and watching her wince. "Haven't spoken to you in a while." He stated. Leaning against the door.

Joy glared at him "What do you want Jerome?" she asked, wiping her tear stained cheeks, "To laugh at me? Mock me? Pull a prank on me? I honestly don't care! Do your worst, anything is an improvement."

Jerome let out a dry laugh "Hurt you, Joy? You think I want to hurt you? I don't. I've never wanted that. Ever since you came back this term, I've only ever wanted the best for you."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, looking right into his glittering blue eyes.

"Jesus Christ Joy, you know as well as I do, that you don't deserve the rubbish that's been happening to you, lately. You don't deserve any of it." He licked his lips, sighing "You deserve everything you had before you were taken away. You deserve friends, and love."

Joy scoffed at him "Don't lie to me Jerome, I've had enough lies for one life time. I don't need all your fake sympathy-"

"It's not sympathy I'm giving you, Mercer." Jerome spat harshly "It's empathy." He shook his head, moving to sit beside her on her bed. "It's bloody empathy. I'm in the exact same boat you are."

"No you're not." Joy shook her head violently "You aren't and you never will be! You don't know what's it's like!"

"I do!" Jerome cried out. "I know exactly what it's like. You had Patricia, your best friend in the world taken away by Nina. The same thing's happened to me. Alfie's completely gone from me, he hides things and spends all his time with them! The person you love doesn't love you? Is instead spending all their time with someone else? I know exactly how that feels," he shook his head bitterly "Rutter ignores the very fact you exist for Nina….and Mara won't even take a second go look my way."

Joy let out a little gasp at this new piece of information, Jerome loved Mara? She did not see that coming.

"You're upset because everyone in the house thinks you're this horrible person who only wants to see Nina suffer? I got ridiculed here for years, years! For breaking up Mara and Mick the first time! I've got the reputation as the horrible, lying cheat, Joy. Not you. You're getting ignored by fellow students because they think you blackmailed Mara into keep quiet? I've done the exact same thing," his mind wondered briefly back to their second year, blackmailing Mara about Mick's French test. "We're in the same boat, Joy. The only difference? I'm not hiding away in my room letting it get to me."

"What are you doing?" Joy whispered in awe, watching him.

"I haven't given up, on Mara." He shook his head "I should. But I won't. I'm gonna continue to be there for her, and hope, maybe even pray, that the meathead makes a mistake, so I can swoop in. I haven't given up on Alfie. If he won't be my friend by choice, I'm gonna have to use force. I'll blackmail him if I have to. I'll find out what their Scooby gang is up to if I have to! I'll join them if I bloody well have to! But I am not gonna lose everything for good!"

"Your message is: don't give up?" Joy summarised. Jerome turned to her, a small smile on his face. And he reached his hand out, to stroke her cheeks softly, his cold hands soothing to her face.

"You are beautiful," he whispered, and Joy was unsure to react at his words "Joy…you deserve so much more…"

He stood up, and walked towards the door "I hate Amber, because she hates you. I'll hate 'Fabina', because you hate it. I'll hate Rutter, for not loving you. I'll hate Trixie, for not being your friend. I'll do whatever it takes to ruin their lives, just to make yours, that little bit easier."

Joy said nothing, watching him in absolute shock.

"I am not gonna stand around and watch Nina replace you. I'm gonna make sure that 'Fabina' fall apart, and that you get the love of your life back."

"…why? Jerome, why on earth are you doing this for me? We've never been that close," Joy whispered, not that she was complaining of course.

"Because you're me." He whispered simply "You're the female version of me, Joy. And if you're not able to handle it on your own, I'm going to help you."

"You're a good friend, Jerome." She whispered "Mara's very lucky to have someone like you pining over her,"

Jerome smiled sadly "Let's hope she thinks that way one day." He opened the door, about to walk out, when he turned to her once more "You know what, Joy? Fabian's incredibly stupid for not realising that a beautiful, smart, and kind girl is waiting around for him. Because no matter what you think, you're out of his league. I promise you that."

Joy couldn't help but smile. The self esteem he was giving her was so much more than she'd received in a long time. "Thank you,"

Jerome nodded, stepping out into the corridor and closing the door behind him. He walked down the stairs, bumping into Fabian.

"Hey, Jerome!" Fabian grinned "I was wondering if you would help us out, you know the Sennet board we found? Well we can't play it, and we were wondering if you wouldn't mind helping us out?"

Jerome wanted to help. He did. But he shook his head and forced a smile on his face "Help you, Rutter? What's for? I don't think so, I've got bigger things to worry about than saving a granny's life." He skidded past Fabian and purposely rammed Patricia's shoulder on the way down.

"Watch it, Slimeball!" she called after him angrily.

Jerome looked up at her "My apologies, Trix." He muttered under his breath.

And his heart reached out to Joy, because they were in the same boat, and they were both about to fight the same battle. A battle due to an emotion that had been set upon both of them. Two good people, being forced to do such bad things. Because if there was something both of these good people had seen, it was;

Betrayal.