A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I had a lot of trouble with this chapter, and I don't like it at all. Hopefully I'll do better on the next one! :)

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Will flopped lower in Robert's armchair, propped his chin on his hand and tried not to roll his eyes. His friend was pacing the room and delivering an extremely impassioned speech about betrayal and disloyalty. Where the hell Jack had got to, Will wasn't sure, but he was beginning to feel just a tad annoyed. He had no idea what had gone wrong downstairs, and every time he tried to get a logical answer out of Robert, he got the same reply: "Jack's a bastard."

Which was all well and good, but it didn't clear things up much. He was officially confused. Will didn't like feeling confused.

"Robert!" Jack's voice sounded firmly through the door. He sounded a tad annoyed too.

"Piss off, Jack!" Robert screeched into full volume outrage.

Will smothered a groan and tried to surreptitiously cover his ears with his hands.

"Let me in, Robert! Right now!" Jack wasn't exactly whispering himself.

"Like hell I will! Shouldn't you be off with your new girlfriend? I'm never going to let you in, so you might as well just..."

Robert's voice trailed off as Jack calmly pushed the door open. He blinked, before turning around to glare at Will.

"Will! I told you to lock the door, you prick!"

Will thought for a second, and then really had to speak up in his own defense.

"Actually, no," he said slowly, "You didn't. I think you started to, but then you made that kind of sobbing noise and it was really hard to tell what you were saying. I THOUGHT you said lock the DORK, but that didn't make sense and then..."

"I wasn't SOBBING!" Robert snapped indignantly. "I was choking! That's right! Choking on BETRAYAL!" he shouted dramatically at Jack.

Will faked a cough himself, to cover his groan. He knew that Robert was genuinely hurt and upset, but he couldn't believe he hadn't noticed this...drama queen streak in him before. He'd be a brilliant soap opera actor.

Jack looked less than impressed with Robert's hysterics.

"Shut up, Robert."

"Well, I like that! I..."

"SHUT UP, Robert."

In an evening of astonishing, befuddling and bewildering events, the most amazing of all was that Robert actually did shut up.

He crossed his arms, flung back his head and proceeded to make a few gargling noises, presumably of contempt and derision, but at least he finally – finally – stopped talking.

Jack waited a few moments. "Right," he said, "Right."

Pause.

"What the hell was that?"

"What?" Robert snapped back.

Now that the constant barrage of wounded complaints had ceased, he seemed perfectly happy to wallow in monosyllabic displeasure. Jack raised his eyebrow in what Will had often thought was a very Head Boy-ish way.

"Uh, ok. Downstairs. Ball. You. Asshole. Hannah. Confused. Hurt. Explain."

Robert sneered.

Jack waited.

Will laughed.

Two heads swiveled to look at him.

"Sorry," he apologized sheepishly, "Nervous reaction. I do that. Sorry. Continue."

"What is there to explain?" Robert asked coldly, "You knew I was in love with Hannah. You failed to mention, however, that you also are in love with Hannah. You were supposed to ask her out for me. And you asked her out for yourself. I think I have it pretty clear, thank you. You're a backstabbing, selfish, CRAP friend."

"What?!" Jack blurted, "Robert, what the hell? I'm not in love with Hannah! I like her, sure, but as a friend. A friend. And I DID ask her out for you. I babbled on and ON about how terrific you are, how nice, what a great friend, and how bloody in love with her you are! And then you acted like a complete twat!"

"Jack, I HEARD two guys talking about it. They said you were in love with her, and that all's fair in love and war - "

"What? Look, mate, I don't know what you heard, ok, but either it was about someone else, or they were taking the piss. I don't know, Robert, but BELIEVE me, I don't love Hannah, I have never loved Hannah and I never will love Hannah - "

"Why?" Robert interrupted defensively, "What's wrong with her?"

Another pause.

"Argh!"

Jack gripped his hair in frustration.

Robert sniffed disbelievingly. Then he thought for a second. He bit his lip. He rubbed his nose. Finally, he gave in and believed.

"You really did ask her out for me?"

"I really did."

"What...what did she say?"

"I'm pretty sure she would have said yes."

"And you really don't love her? She doesn't love you?"

"No, I got the feeling from her nauseatingly enthusiastic response that she was rather hung up on YOU."

Robert tried not to beam. He failed. All of his previous antagonism had vanished.

"Well. Well, then I'm sorry...Really? She likes me back?" he asked, with childish eagerness.

"I said WAS," Jack informed him archly, "After the way you treated her downstairs, I wouldn't be surprised if she's off sticking pins in a little Robert doll."

Robert's face fell.

"Oh, shit."

...................................

"I'm going to kill him."

A night in which Ophelia and Jessica had shared Hannah's sleeplessness – mostly because she'd uttered those same five words every few minutes with increasing volume – and numerous cups of coffee had done nothing to lessen the homicidal vibes in the room.

"Yeah, well you're going to have to get in line behind me," Ophelia agreed around a yawn, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"It's kind of weird though, don't you think?" Jessica's voice came from inside a pile of duvets on the floor.

"What, that I ever even considered liking Robert?" Hannah snapped, "Yes, it is. It's more than weird. It's completely bizarre. I must have been having a brain malfunction."

Ophelia reached for Hannah's hair brush, and grimaced as she tried to tug it through her tangled curls.

"What's weird, Jess?" she asked, stretching her legs out with a satisfied sigh.

Jessica sat up and began to unbraid her own hair. "You said that Robert seemed to think you and Jack were a couple. What's with that?"

Hannah snorted.

"I don't know. Some figment of his twisted little imagination. Tiny brained prat. What are you looking for?" she asked her cousin in irritation.

Ophelia pulled her head out from under the bed.

"I'm sure I left some crackers in here somewhere."

"How can you be hungry at a time like this?" Hannah wailed.

It seemed that Ophelia wasn't the only melodramatic member of the Jones family.

"I'm always hungry," she answered pragmatically, "Especially in times of crisis."

Jessica nodded sagely. "That's true. Remember when Davey dumped her last year? The school had to double its food order."

Ophelia shrugged. "Look who's talking. I SAW the size of that ice cream sundae you were eating the other day. At least I assume it was you. All I saw was whipped cream and a blonde ponytail."

"Hey! That was for medical reasons," Jessica informed her smugly. "Apparently my metabolism is actually too efficient or something, so the nurse told me that I should be eating more high calorie foods. And who am I to turn down professional advice, right? If I have to eat truckloads of ice cream to keep Nurse Cox happy, then I'll just have to make that sacrifice."

Ophelia paused in her search of Hannah's desk, and stared at Jessica.

"Your life annoys me."

Jessica grinned, undaunted.

"What am I going to do?" Hannah asked, dropping her head into her hands. "Everyone's going to know that I like him and he totally rejected me."

Ophelia opened her mouth to further express her opinion of Robert Brent and the vileness of evil men, when she was cut off by a knock on the door.

All three girls looked at each other, and waited for someone else to open it.

"It's your room," Jessica pointed out to Hannah.

"I'm upset!" Hannah protested. "I've been through an ordeal!"

"Well, I can't get up. Sorry."

"Why not?"

"My foot is stuck in the duvet."

Ophelia sighed and flounced over to the door.

"I'll get it. Yeesh."

She pulled it open, and blinked.

Robert Brent, Jack Harrington and – horrors – William Carlyle stood there, looking, respectively, sheepish, awkward and cross.

Ophelia folded her arms and glared at the person she was most irritated to see. For the first time ever, it wasn't Will.

"Yes, jerk?"

Robert winced.

"Ophelia. Hey. Uh. You look very pretty today."

There was a brief silence, during which Jack screwed up his eyes and shook his head, Will's head snapped around to glare at Robert and Ophelia stared.

"What?"

Her voice almost dripped ice.

Robert was just about cowering by now.

"Um, no. I didn't mean that. I don't think you're pretty...uh! Uh. Can I talk to Hannah? Please?"

Ophelia put her head on one side and considered, eyeing Robert as if he were a particularly disgusting laboratory specimen.

"No."

Robert opened and closed his mouth uselessly.

"Is she there? I really need to talk to her. I'm sorry! Hannah, are you in there? I'm really sorry!"

He tried to step into the room, but Jessica blocked his way.

"Sorry? Sorry for what, exactly?"

The three hapless males looked apprehensively from one staunch girl to the other.

"Yes," Ophelia agreed, "Sorry for what, Robert? For embarrassing and hurting our best friend? For the fact that none of us have had any sleep because of you? Or maybe for that unusually horrible shade of orange you're wearing?"

"It's puce!"

"I don't care! Will you please go away! Hannah doesn't want to talk to you. And I need to look for my crackers."

"Well, you are what you eat," said Will facetiously.

"And don't even get me started on the company you keep!"

"No! Look," Robert said, gathering his thoughts, "I really need to talk to Hannah, and I'm not leaving until I do."

"What do you want, Robert?" Hannah asked quietly, appearing behind the other two girls.

"Hannah," Robert audibly exhaled and involuntarily reached for her, before fisting his hands at his sides.

"Yes?" she gazed at him coolly.

Ophelia and Jessica formed rank on either side of her defensively.

"Hannah. I'm so sorry. I really am. I acted like a complete prick..."

"No arguments here."

"Yes, well, I know. But I was jealous, and stupid, and dumb, and a prat. I overheard people talking...lying...and I'm sorry I believed them. I never wanted to hurt you or embarrass you."

He looked at her beseechingly.

"Just tell me what I have to do to get you to forgive me. I'll do anything."

"Oh, please," Ophelia said scornfully, "She's not going to forgive you. Why should she?"

"Because I love her!"

It was hard to tell who was more shocked by this loud avowal of devotion.

Judging by the fact that his face was alarmingly more colourful than his - truly ghastly - shirt by this stage, Ophelia thought maybe Robert.

Will rolled his eyes and tried not to look nauseous. He had a horrible feeling that things were about to get sentimental.

"What?" Hannah asked faintly.

"Er."

"You...love me?"

Robert bit his thumb nail and blinked at her anxiously.

"Um, yes?"

It was more questioning than affirming, but his uncertain tone didn't seem to bother Hannah.

She launched herself into Robert's arms, almost knocking him over.

"I love you too."

"You do?"

"Totally."

"What?" Ophelia squawked. "Hannah! You can't just forgive him! He didn't trust you at all! He turned on you at the first..."

She gave up when she realized that Hannah hadn't heard a word. She was otherwise occupied.

The four people not snogging as if their lives depended on it tried not to stare, and instead settled for just feeling awkward.

"So," said Jessica brightly.

It sounded promising, and the others waited to hear what she had to say.

That appeared to be it.

"Uh, so did everyone have fun last night?" Jack asked brightly, and then cringed.

Ophelia and Will immediately turned on each other.

"So, I heard you had fun! Bitching about me behind my back to some guy!"

"Oh, he told you? Yeah, that figures. He looked like the slimy gossiping type."

Before the conversation could denigrate to four-letter insults, Jessica grabbed Ophelia's arm.

"Uh, Fee, maybe we should give Hannah and Robert some privacy, huh?"

Ophelia shot one last glare at Will, and then visibly tried to compose herself.

"I suppose."

She looked wryly at her cousin, and then nodded.

"I told Jock that I'd help with cleaning the ballroom this morning anyway."

Even Hannah and Robert broke briefly apart to look around quizzically at the strange sound that ensued from that comment.

It sounded a lot like the grinding of furious teeth.

Muttering something about 'kilt clad wimps' and 'cracker chomping wenches', Will stormed off, sparing a disparaging glance for the happy couple.

Making very belittling comments about someone or something called 'Handsome', Ophelia stomped away in the opposite direction.

Jessica and Jack exchanged a look of mutual exhaustion and exasperation.

"Honestly," Jessica said. "Those two."

"I know," Jack agreed, "How long do you reckon it'll be before they finally realise it?"

"Well," she mused, "I've been telling myself they'll get together by the end of the day for the last three years."

"Yeah. Don't you just wish there was some way to force them to admit it and get it over with?"

Jessica nodded and rolled her eyes good-naturedly, studiously ignoring the extremely sappy and lovesick whispers coming from behind her.

Then she paused.

She looked at Jack.

And she smiled, a slow, sly, scheming smile.

"Actually..."