Sasha sat at the lunch table, just staring over at the mane of beautiful, poofy brown hair.

She didn't hear what the guy Anne was talking to said, but she heard Anne's laugh clear as day as if it was a well-honed sword cutting through the monotonous talk of the rest of the cafeteria's teenagers.

Just go ask her.

It was such a simple thing. Just get up from her chair, walk over, and ask Anne to go to prom with her.

Simple. Easy.

She'd done so, so many things way, WAY harder than that. She'd fought giant killer birds, giant robots, and an eldritch robot moon.

And yet… Somehow, none of that had been half as hard as just standing up and going to walk over to Anne and ask her out.

It was stupid. Idiotic. Completely against how she wanted to live her life. She'd faced so many worse situations than this.

She put her fingers on the table, prepared to push herself up...

What if she says no?

She froze.

What if she says she doesn't swing that way?

Then slowly, she sank back down in her seat.

Coward. A deeper part of her said. The part that spoke with Grime's old voice. God, she missed that old softie.

You're about to lose the battle, without even lifting your sword! Fight! Go over there, and ask Anne out for Prom, before someone ELSE does.

It would probably have worked if Grime was actually there to say it. He wasn't though.

She remained in her seat, just watching Anne talk to someone else.

I


Sasha leaned against the wall, putting on a show of someone who was lowkey enjoying herself but didn't want to get engaged with the big festivities.

It was such an out-of-character move for the party girl extraordinaire that if her entire current friend group wasn't currently busy out on the dance floor themselves, they probably would have been worried about her.

As it was, Sasha was alone, and all she was currently doing, was staring at one couple.

She didn't know the guy. She'd never talked to him in her two years of high school, nor even known he existed.

Yet it was startling just how much she found herself Hating him. Hating him in a way she hadn't hated anyone since… Well, Andrias and the Core really.

It was stupid. She knew it was stupid. This guy hadn't stabbed Anne, or hurt anyone she loved. As far as she was aware, he hadn't done anything that warranted hate.

She hated him anyway. She hated him with a passion that Burned!

That was him though. A random nobody she had never met, did not know and could impose upon whatever feelings she pleased.

What really shook her to her core, was Anne.

She was… Happy. Truly, genuinely happy, laughing, dancing, and having the time of her life.

Without her. With someone else.

It hurt… It hurt so bad… It was like someone had jammed a knife through her heart, twisted it, and then left it there.

There was a part of her, the old part of her, that was deep deep down under lock and key, that felt an incredible urge to go over there, and punch Anne's partner in the face. Or humiliate him in a dozen other ways.

She forced down that urge. Old memories stirred, memories of a throne room, and a beautiful face, twisted in rage and anger.

She'd hurt Anne before.

Never again.

And so she just stood there, a cup in hand, watching as the most wonderful girl in the world danced with someone else.

I


Anne's first relationship lasted 7 months.

Sasha felt a sharp pang of relief and joy when hearing the news… That immediately evaporated into guilt when she saw Anne crying.

Selfish. God that was a selfish emotion.

The stab of guilt over being happy at the news stabbed her harder when Anne hugged her and just began crying her eyes out on her shoulder.

Her, not any of her other, newer friends.

That thought just made her feel even more guilty.

Anne still held her so high, and here she was feeling happy that Anne's relationship had gone bust-up?

She then did what any good friend would do. She consoled. She let Anne cry on her shoulder. She let her pour her heart out and Sasha listened to her.

She did all she could to comfort her.

Like a good friend should.

I


Sasha had hoped their relationship would regrow back to the old strength after that, but it didn't.

And to her frustration, she felt like it was her fault.

She tried to fit in with Anne's new friends, she really did, but… There was always a hesitance on her part.

A reluctance to truly invest herself. She wasn't able to do it. Not without telling Anne how she felt.

And so she just… Tagged along. She and Anne still got along, but… Not her or any of the rest. They tolerated her. No more, no less.

It lasted right up until Anne got a second boyfriend. At that point, things just… Fell apart.

It didn't end in a big explosion or climax just… A whimper.

I


The day they all went their separate ways for college was… Hard for her.

As she stood there, looking as Anne and her boyfriend were about to head on a train, Sasha for the first time, felt like she truly understood what Marcy had felt the day her parents told her they were moving.

An incredible sense of fear and uncertainty.

Unlike Marcy though, she had no way out. Not that she would have taken it if she had. This… This was what Anne wanted. What made her happy.

She just… Plastered on a smile, and gave Anne a big, strong hug. At least she didn't have to pretend she wasn't crying.

Then, it was goodbye. One moment, Anne, the girl who had been her light in the days when her parents had broken up, was still there waving.

Then the doors closed, and… She was gone.

A sense of cold, cold uncertainty slowly crept in then, despite the Californian weather.

I


College worked out rather great for Sasha.

She got good grades, she was popular(Just like always), and she made a strong circle of friends.

Hell, she even felt real, genuine passion about where she planned to go in life, which was better than most of the people around her.

Yes, it was a great time.

What was not a great time… Was her dating life.

She'd once thought Anne's first relationship had been a quick, and short thing.

In her years of college, Sasha had exactly one relationship that did not go bust after just a couple of months.

The guys and girls all had various problems with her. Some more than one, though generally, the reasons were vague and non-committal. Two were honestly surprised that she thought of it as a relationship and not just a random fling.

She really hoped that it was a case of them being assholes, and not her giving off that vibe.

But it was only the final one, the one that had lasted the longest, that actually gave her a straight answer.

You're so passionate Sasha, about everything really. It's what I love about you… But… You're not passionate about us. And that's what matters.

And that had been that. In one sentence, the girl had shattered her entire sense of confidence regarding her romantic relationships.

She sure as hell had felt passionate about them. The tears of rage, sadness, and frustration she shed when they broke had seemed proof enough of that.

But after that last conversation… She couldn't be sure. And that… Stung hard. So hard.

I


The years after school was over, was in many ways a similar story.

She enjoyed her work, she liked helping kids overcome their trauma, she quickly became popular amongst her coworkers and kept in touch with old and new friends. Materially speaking, her life was great.

She was happy, she was able to support herself through her own work, and she had friends around her.

Romantically speaking though, her life had never been worse.

Not even back in high school where she'd been pinning for Anne.

Hooking someone was easy. She was beautiful, rich, and charismatic.

Keeping them was hard, though for a different reason than in College.

It took her 4 months too long the first time she realized she was in a toxic relationship.

Her girlfriend had been BAD for her. In many ways, she had reminded her so much of herself. She'd thought that had been wonderful.

After the mess she'd become in College when it came to her romantic relationships at the end, it had felt SOO good to just… Be with someone who made her happy, who shared her interests, temperament, and passions.

She'd been so happy to feel truly loved again, that she'd overlooked every warning bell, every red flag, and she'd put up with things that the Sasha of old would have shut down immediately.

That had incidentally been the spark she needed. Because her then-girlfriend had indeed been like her… The old her. A her that she could have become if things had gone differently. If she had remained that old person.

She had tried to talk things out, but… It didn't last.

It had taken her months to feel ready to try again.

The next few relationships hadn't gone as bad, but they always ended the same. Sometimes quickly, sometimes longer.

It came to a point where she got used to flings and the momentary, safe joy they brought.

Those weren't bad… But they weren't for her.

She wanted… Love. Real, genuine love. The kind where her partner would be there for her, and actually listen to her, instead of acting like… Well like she had once upon a time.

It was ironic really. She had tried so, so hard to become someone better, someone, different. And yet here she was, still dealing with all the same issues, all these years later.

Just from the other side.

I


It started as a whim really.

It wasn't like Sasha didn't have ANY contact with Anne, no more than she hadn't had any contact with Marcy, but… Well, she hadn't actually seen her in person in years.

But she knew from a message from her that she now had gotten a job at an aquarium in the city.

It started when she looked up at her social media accounts out of curiosity, wanting to see what she was up to, which were all locked for replies from anyone she didn't know, but… It did show her relationship status.

Single.

It was such a simple word.

She hadn't expected it to be honest.

She had known that Anne had broken up with her second boyfriend, but she had thought surely she would have gotten another one by now.

As she pulled out her phone, Sasha felt… Strange. A bit fearful, a bit silly, a bit… Well, a large part of her felt like an idiot.

She saw her high school crush was currently available and THIS was her reaction?

She'd considered reaching out to Anne before, but for various reasons had not, and THIS was what ultimately made her do it?

She was a 24-year-old woman, not a teenager anymore.

Then she tried to figure out what to say.

In the end, she settled on just saying hello, and asking if she was free sometime this week.

She almost dropped the phone on her face when almost instantly, the reply "All Friday, yeah, where do you wanna meet up?"

Her brain, not having expected an answer on the spot, panicked and just typed in her favorite cafe.

Then, realizing she'd sent it already, she hastily added "14.00, that fine by you?"

The reply came immediately.

"Sure! Se you then Sash!"

Sasha just stared at the reply in silence, her mind in shock.

That had been… So easy.

So incredibly easy.

Laughably easy.

I


There was rarely a time in her life when Sasha had been as nervous as she was waiting by the Caffe.

She'd been worried about a lot of things, how to dress, what to say, what she would talk about, would this be awkward? God, what would she do if this turned awkward?

"SASHA!"

She snapped around.

And there she was. Anne Boonchuy.

Sasha had expected to be happy to see her again. And she was. What she wasn't expecting was how amazing Anne looked.

She was wearing a beige set of pants, and a hideous green shirt, both obviously being her work uniform given that the shirt had an Aquarium logo on the front.

She was the most beautiful thing Sasha had ever seen.

Her big, brown poofy hair was now in a high ponytail, but other than that… She still looked the exact same as Sasha remembered her.

The same face, the same brown eyes, and the same adorable, cute grin.

Anne caught her in a bearhug, which Sasha returned wholeheartedly. It felt… Incredibly good to just be hugged. She'd missed this. No strings attached, no worries about ulterior motives, just… Pure, honest affection.

"I've missed you!"

She grinned.

"I've missed you too."

And she had. God almighty she had.

I


Sasha had been worried about them becoming awkward, but they didn't. At all.

During those next 3 hours, Sasha learned a lot about Anne's past since they had parted ways.

And yet it didn't feel dull, or boring. On the contrary, it felt like a breath of fresh air. Not just to hear, but also to tell.

Both of them had plenty of stories to share since they last saw each other.

It continued for 4 hours, them just talking, laughing, and all-around having a good time.

As they parted ways, sasha felt… Well, she felt giddy, but also kinda like an idiot.

Why hadn't she done this before? It had been… Such an easy step. She'd promised she'd meet up again at Anne's birthday, which was a week and a half from then.

As she walked the way back to her apartment she pulled out her phone and tasted a number she hadn't in quite a while.

Like before, she got an answer almost immediately.

And just like that time, it was immediately positive. Why hadn't she done this ages ago?

Because you were scared. A part of her said scornfully.

Because you were afraid of things going wrong.

Of Anne telling you she didn't want you.

That's why you let that relationship fade away.

It was true though. She had been afraid. Afraid of Anne's reaction. So afraid of rejection, that she had let it come to this.

As expected Marcy was all for it, and apparently she was able to come with no problem. Apparently, she'd built up 6 months of pages ready to be released weekly. That sounded like… A lot. Maybe she should actually read it before she met up with Mar Mar again.

As the call ended, Sasha considered how to proceed.

She didn't want this relationship to die again. She hadn't realized just how much she had missed it, missed Anne, and yes, missed Marcy too, before she'd talked to Anne again.

She didn't want this relationship to fade again.

And that meant… She could not halfass it again. She had to invest herself into it. Truly and completely.

It was a scary thought… But somehow, it didn't seem as scary to her as it had back in her youth.

The truth was, that her going all the way, no matter how it ended... one way or another was just like asking Anne if she had free time to spend together with her.

It was an easy step.