"How's Shepard doing?"

"How should I know?" Cool panic shot through Jeff's gut the instant the words slipped out of his mouth. He stared intently at his hands rather than meet his mother's gaze, the quick flicks of his eyes memorizing every line and swirl of his fingerprints as he waited for the condemnation he was sure was on the way. His mother never let attitude like that slip by. He hadn't meant to be lippy, but the question caught him off-guard so his natural instincts kicked in before he could stop himself.

Mrs. Moreau watched him squirm for several beats without reaction which was enough to finally garner the teen boy's attention, but her expression was one of concern rather than displeasure. "You haven't talked to her since she got back?"

Jeff couldn't bring himself to meet those soft, gentle eyes. The truth hurt more than he wanted to admit and she'd recognize the pain in his gaze. It was easier to hide it all away than face the truth. "No. I sent her a few messages but she never responded." He shrugged to make it appear as if that was no big deal and hoped she'd buy it and let the subject drop.

"And you didn't talk to her at school?"

"She got sent home before the first bell today. Punched some kid in the face – I think she broke his nose, even. There was blood everywhere and next thing I knew she was dragged down to the office, still spitting and swinging like an angry cat. I have no idea what the guy said but I bet he never does it again." The mental image alone was enough to make him chuckle since Shepard all worked up was a sight not easily forgotten, but Jeff's smile faltered when he saw the look on his mother's face. Only then did he finally start to put things together. Granted, she'd only been back a few days, but Shepard had been off the entire time. "She's been really quiet. Didn't talk to anyone and just kinda disappeared between classes and at lunch. I figured she wanted to be left alone."

"Sometimes it's when people are the quietest that they most need to be heard."

It wasn't that he wanted to be punished for mouthing off, but that would've been preferable to the guilty feeling that nestled deep within his gut when he realized just how little they'd spoken in the past few months. He figured she had better things to do since she was out exploring the universe with her mother aboard an Alliance ship, but that wasn't a real excuse. It wasn't until he read about the accident that he tried to reach her. Even though she spent the better part of two weeks under observation in a hospital in the middle of nowhere with nothing but time and opportunity, she simply didn't respond and he chose not to push it. Truth was he knew something was wrong and expected this reaction the second he saw the news report because that was how Shepard handled stuff. She just closed in on herself until she could figure it out on her own. The difference was this time he was kept away as well, and that was something he had so change.

A single sliver of Shepard's pale face peeked from the crack in the door. "What do you want?" she asked quietly. There was no hostility. In fact, her voice was completely devoid of emotion.

"I have a welcome home gift from my mom but you have to let me in to get it." Yeah, it was a cheap way in, but Jeff wanted to make damn sure she wouldn't turn him away so he was prepared with the one thing he knew his friend couldn't resist. Rich chocolate beckoned from the warm plate in his hands, pleading for entrance with promises of comfort and gooey perfection. The door opened without preamble. That was all the invitation he got, but it was also all he needed. He stepped into the cool darkness before she could steal the gift or change her mind – both very real possibilities.

"I don't want to talk about it," Shepard mumbled to the floor from her position in the shadows. The words were low enough they were practically lost to the soft hiss of the door.

"You don't talk about brownies, you eat them." Jeff held the plate aloft, conscious of the faint twitch of the girl's lip but smart enough not to comment on it. She was coming around slowly, no need to frighten her away.

Shepard rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically as only a teenage girl can, the guttural sound her signal of defeat. He actually won. She stepped out of the shadows and her dim eyes flittered over to the empty seat and full plate before looking away self-consciously. She pulled one bandaged hand over the fiery red crew cut and turned away abruptly as if she intended to flee, but the siren call of the brownies was too powerful to resist and they both knew it. It was only when she turned back that he noticed the dark splotches of burnt skin peeling away along her left jaw line and the pale blank spot where her eyebrow should be. She felt his gaze and reacted instinctively, her shoulders slouched until she practically folded in on herself as if to protect her vulnerable parts, but there was no way to hide.

She looked like hell, but it could've been so much worse. Honestly, it was pure luck she'd escaped the accident with so few injuries.

Jeff shook his head slowly, unsure what to say. That girl had the worst luck because, seriously, who else would have a transport shuttle explode overhead and practically land on them? Of all the opportunities for injury aboard an Alliance ship on a mission, she was almost taken down by an insane freak accident. It was so crazy it hadn't even occurred to him, and he found a way to worry about almost everything when it came to Shepard. Now things were falling out of the sky on her. He opened his mouth to say as much when a shrill sound interrupted him. "You gonna answer that?" he asked when the annoying sound continued.

Shepard shook her head and hit the ignore button. At least he wasn't the only one she was avoiding. She didn't say a word as she limped over to the open spot next to him, plopped down, and dug in to the food like she hadn't eaten in a week. He found his way in and all it took was a plate of brownies, but he wasn't about to share his secret with the mystery caller. This was a victory hard won, so he might as well push his luck.

"So, what made you go all feral on Boland?"

"Bad timing on his part…" The shrill beeps interrupted them once again. Shepard made a disgusted sound deep in her throat as she moved to ignore the call, but Jeff was faster. She must've been hurt more than she led on for that to be the case. He didn't answer it because he didn't have a death wish, but he did get a good look at the caller ID.

"Syrah Benton?" Jeff asked in disbelief. Syrah was the type of girl they made movies about that starred girls that looked like a more relatable version of her. She was a bright sun with everyone else simply in her orbit. Almost everyone in the school would give up lunch for a week for the opportunity to wipe her seat before she sat down. That was because most of them never actually spoke with her (which was how she liked it). They never saw past the flawless façade, but Jeff had. Sarah's outer beauty was only surpassed by her inner ugliness. The fact that she called Shepard was beyond suspicious. "Why's Syrah calling you?"

"I'd rather talk about something fun – like how a ship fell on me, or how the suits have me under observation because of the eezo exposure."

"You're not changing the… you're still under observation? You know what, don't answer that yet. I want to know what's going on here first." Jeff watched Shepard shift uncomfortably in her seat, her eyes locked on the red and purple splotches across her knuckles rather than risk eye contact. "This has something to do with this morning, doesn't it?"

Shepard shrugged, but it was eating at her too much to simply let it go that easily. "Yes it does. I tried to keep it together but they just kept pushing and I was afraid I'd really give them something to talk about if it kept up much longer. I could feel the static building up inside me and I panicked. Then he just couldn't let it drop and I lost it. It was him or me. Either I release all that stress there or I'd lose control and get myself hauled away for being a freak. They're already watching me, making me go it for tests every few weeks…"

"What wouldn't he let drop?" Jeff asked quietly so as to not rile her up more.

"Boland asked me out last night. I knew it was too good to be true. He's popular and athletic and always has his pick of any girl in the class. There's no way he'd find me attractive. Especially now." Shepard's last two words were little more than a whisper, but Jeff heard them and they broke his heart. "Anyway," she sighed as she wiped the moisture from her eyes, "I was right. It was just a joke. Syrah and her friends were waiting at the ice cream shop to laugh at me when I showed up for my 'date'. Apparently I ruined their plans and hurt his ego in the process. They were ever so kind to point that out to me this morning. I'm sure they tried last night but I blocked all texts and turned off my communicator."

"How long have they been doing this?"

"Look, it's nothing you haven't dealt with your whole life. I can handle it too."

"You're the only reason I can handle it. You stood up for me when nobody else would and made me feel like I was normal."

"Normal? I don't think I'd go that far…" Shepard teased lightly. She was trying to deflect everything again. She always did, but it wasn't going to work this time. "Look, it really isn't anything I can't handle. I just didn't realize how far they were willing to go to hurt me. Now I know."

"So why didn't you hit them instead?"

"You really don't know how girls work, do you?" Shepard shook her head slowly as she studied Jeff's face in disbelief. "With guys, all it takes is one show of force and they back off. They respect strength. Girls are completely different. I know how girls like Syrah are. When they want to take someone down they'll manipulate and twist reality until they get their way. I'd be the monster that attacked the gem of the school out of nowhere. Everyone would hate me and love her that much more. And worst of all, she'd know she got to me. She'd know what works and she'd keep pushing until I cracked completely because girls like her might accept causing an eating disorder or permanent anxiety, but they won't be truly happy until they destroy your soul."

Joker paled considerably, his eyes wide with the horror caused by a glimpse into the world of girls. "Holy…"

Dark specks of brownie marred Shepard's bitter grin. "Yeah, it's brutal. Anyone who figures out how to maneuver through everything that goes with high school girls would make a perfect diplomat. It's not for me, though. I'd rather use brute force, thank you very much. In fact, do me a favor – if I ever take on diplomacy, just smack me upside the head, will you?"

"You've got a deal."