AN: Since I play Linny at BSC High at Greatest Journal it makes me sad to screw up his character. But I really wanted to write this counterpart to Smiling, with Linny's whole little story. So go read Smiling first! The reason I didn't post this as another chapter to Smiling is because it just..no. That's right.

Disclaimer: Must you make me admit it everytime? I AM NOT ANN!

Linny Papadakis can deal, right?

Of course he can. It doesn't matter that he's thousands of miles away from his home and whenever he works up the nerve to call he can hear his parents screaming in the background and can envision Hannie sitting on her bed, trying to shut it all out like she did when she was so young.

Well, maybe it does matter. But Linny knows how to deal.

He can deal with the fact that the last time he called Hannie came to the phone, in that trembly voice that Linny knew all too well and choked out that everything was fine. He can deal with the fact that he said okay and hung up the phone even though it was completely obvious that everything wasn't fine.

Linny is used to being the strong, silent hero who doesn't use his fists but his words and could cradle his baby sister in his arms and hold her while she cried her eyes out. What was always wrong, he didn't know, but Linny isn't stupid so he knows that something was wrong.

This whole world is real to him at only two given moments: one is when he is on the phone with his family. The second is when he is trying to go to sleep. He can see his sister's face, all scrunched up and squinty eyed and it doesn't let him fall asleep. He checks the alarm clock. One AM. He could call them, he supposes. It wouldn't be too late there. But Linny decides to be a coward.

Linny isn't a hero anymore.

He still has to deal with the fact that in the process of trying to forget about his Stoneybrook life he goes on binge dating sprees, with the girls so eagerly willing to take him. Linny is a cute boy. I mean, man. Linny is a man, or an adult at least. Linny Papadakis is nineteen years old and he sure as hell isn't a boy, whatever else he may be.

But he deals. Because that's what Linny does. Hannie sobs; he deals. His latest girlfriend sleeps with one of his friends; he deals. He still goes to university parties even though he wakes up completely hung-over in the morning, usually with a girl in his room. What does he do? Damnit, he deals.

He's so used to dealing with things quietly that now Linny can't quite remember anymore how it felt to solve problems and not just accept them. He knew the basic things. He would stratagize People looked up to him, even if they were taller.

Linny is the taller one now, and people don't look up to a college fuck-up. He's not a fuck-up because he's basically failing his classes, nor is it because he secretly dated one of his professors. It isn't even because he neglects his family back home that is falling apart and hasn't bothered to call Bill Korman in years, because he's scared to admit he also slept with Melody. (He didn't mean to sleep with Melody. They were both just drunk out of their minds.)

No, it's not any of that. It's because instead of saving people, he stands there on the sidelines, not making a noise, not bothering to help and just remaining in his spot calmly, dealing.