Author's Note: This chapter isn't really M, but it contains a very difficult situation that I don't want anyone to be unprepared for, or to take too lightly.

Jerry and Amy, Pt 3

There was no point in denying it; Izzy was feeling very unsteady as he made his way to Amy's room. She had summoned him with a text, and he had no idea what was going to happen, wasn't sure if he was overstepping his bounds here, wasn't even entirely sure where their relationship stood, despite the fact that she had called him her boyfriend last night. All he really knew was that he felt oddly sick again.

Izzy knocked and slowly opened her door, and his eyes immediately fell on Amy playing her guitar on her bed. She looked over at him and smiled weakly. She looks so vulnerable, Izzy thought, feeling a twang in his chest. Is it a lingering sign of her hangover, or she anxious about this conversation? He forced a smile in return, closed the door, and sat down on her desk chair. Izzy leaned towards her, balancing his forearms on his legs, and wheeled the seat slightly closer.

"So… You're feeling better, then?" he said at length, watching her strum her instrument. It was quite the hangover; it was nearly three in the afternoon, now. They were fortunate that it was the weekend. Amy nodded, but Izzy noticed that she was still a bit too pale, and that she was breathing a touch more heavily than usual.

"I guess I shouldn't drink that much again. It was a little reckless of me, huh." Izzy wanted to point out that he had tried to curb her drinking, but he knew that now was not the time to scold her. At any rate, she was talking again, and listening was more important than ever at the moment. "I… I really want to apologize for how I behaved last night, Izzy. Saying all that stuff and pushing myself on you… Scaring you like I did… I, I know I was drunk, but still, I should have been more-"

"Amy, stop." Izzy held a hand up to emphasize his words, but lowered it when he noticed its shaking. "I think… I think we both wish that we could have broached the subject of our feelings for each other under different circumstances, but… We're both rather private individuals, and, while it pains me to say so, it might have taken us a long time to come to this point without the influence of alcohol. That's why…" Izzy cleared his throat and laced his fingers together, flexing them uncomfortably. He really was not happy to speak so frankly about this topic, but this was too important to risk with indirectness and subtlety. "That's why I would like to propose that we try to move beyond the, ah, unideal circumstances of our time together last night, but retain the knowledge we gained."

"Um?" Amy stopped playing her guitar long enough to fix him with a puzzled expression. "What knowledge was that, exactly?" Her voice trailed off in high-pitched uncertainty.

Good God. Is she honestly confused, or is she purposefully making me spell this out for her? Izzy squirmed in his chair for a moment, then stared resolutely at the floor. "Amy," he sighed, depositing his forehead into his palm. "I was referring to the discovery of our romantic inclinations towards one another, and… And the rather alarming strength of our chemistry." Or did you forget the part where we swabbed each other's throats like high schoolers in the backseat of a car? His face began to burn as he recalled the way he had kissed her, how he had lost himself completely to a passion he had never felt before, that alarmed him even now, hours after the fact.

"Oh," she said quietly. Izzy risked a glance towards her, and found her biting her lower lip viciously. "So, uh, so… You're really alright with dating me, then?"

Something in him was suggesting that he behave romantically, that he say something warm and inviting, but he mostly felt alarmed and reluctant. Why is this sort of thing so difficult for me? "Yes," he said baldly, and even that much was forced. Even so, he expected Amy to blush and grin, but her face remained startlingly blank.

"Maybe… Maybe we should talk about the other thing before you decide that." Her eyes went downcast and dull, and concern spiked up in Izzy. Did she truly think that whatever she had to say about Jerry would cause him to reject her? He had no idea what that could imply, but he knew he didn't like it.

"I'm afraid I don't follow," Izzy admitted. There was no answer, so he was forced to keep talking. "I really am reluctant to pry about your ex." Although he knew that he may be pushing too hard, that this may be none of his business, he still couldn't convince himself to absolve her of her promise to tell her story. His need to know was as instinctive and necessary to him as his need to breathe. Amy nodded, but her expression remained unchanged: distant, slightly anxious. There was a long pause, filled with pensive, melancholy guitar music.

Just when Izzy began to consider prodding the conversation back into existence, she lifted her head and caught his eye. "You need to know. It's too dangerous, otherwise. I don't want to scare you again by freaking out like that." Her shoulders dropped, and she looked away, focusing on the strumming motion of her hand.

"And I certainly don't want to cause you further distress. I'm so very, very sorry about that." Izzy rubbed his sweaty palms on his knees, trying to be discrete about it. He felt very peculiar, being so torn between needing to know and not wanting to know. And there was an odd trace of fear hiding within him, although he wasn't sure he understood why. Perhaps it was remnants of the feelings he had experienced when Amy began to freeze and cry underneath him. Truthfully, he had never been so terrified in his life, and he didn't know how to interpret the strength of that fear, didn't know how to rid himself of it.

This is all so vulnerable and foreign to me, he thought, staring pensively at his knees. There was a dull ache in his chest as he acknowledged that, despite the difficulties of starting a relationship and trying to connect with Amy, he had no intention or desire to stray from this course.

Amy closed her eyes and leaned her head back, as if she were addressing the ceiling. "It's not your fault. You didn't know," she said dismissively.

Izzy was protesting before he even knew why. "Amy, you were absolutely beside yourself, and I was the one who shoved you over the edge. You told me not to push you into romantic interactions while you were under the influence, and I ignored you. I still can't believe I caused you such pain." His heartbeat stuttered as the memory of her face, tear-streaked, white, and strained, floated through his mind. He rubbed his forehead roughly, but the image wouldn't depart.

He looked up when a hand landed on his shoulder. "Izzy!" Her eyes met his, and tenderness and concern immediately softened her expression. "Izzy…" She withdrew long enough to remove the guitar and sit it beside her on the bed, then leaned towards him. Her face was about seven inches away when she began to color and hesitate.

Izzy tilted his head and produced a puzzled frown. "Are you… Are you attempting to kiss me?" he asked. The words could have been teasing, but he was entirely serious in his question. She looked hilarious, hovering over the edge of her bed, looking increasingly flustered, and he wasn't entirely sure how to interpret her intent.

Amy cringed and backed away. "Well- I- Look." She plopped herself back onto the bed, huffed, crossed her legs, and sighed. "I just, I just wanted to let you know that… Even though last night wasn't perfect, I… I really want to thank you. Yes, we both maybe made mistakes. But I had a lot of fun being out with you, and, and…" She grasped her feet and rocked slightly, worrying her lower lip. "When you were kissing me, Izzy… I can't even describe it to you, you have no idea, but I will never, ever forget how it felt." Her eyes fluttered shut, and, somehow, Izzy knew that she was imagining it. "So…" Her voice was soft, airy, wistful. "Thank you. I know I'm going to try to forget the bad stuff, and just remember how happy I was to spend that time with you, to be that close to you."

Somehow, listening to her talk was like being kicked in the stomach, and Izzy suddenly felt winded. He didn't know how to process such affection, and he felt uncomfortable and touched in equal measures. His brain stumbled about for a few seconds, then distracted itself by observing her. She kept shooting shy glances at him, and her fingres were intertwining nervously.

Idiot, what are you still doing, sitting here? She wants you to kiss her! Izzy gripped the armrests and grimaced. He wanted to kiss her, yes, but he was afraid, afraid that he would somehow scare her again, afraid that this kiss wouldn't hold up to their first. But her lips were separating slightly, and Izzy did everything he could to shove his worries aside. He rose, sat beside her, and tilted her face towards his.

Her breath caught against his mouth as their lips touched, and that excited, blissful sound stroked his heart, easing some of his distress. She immediately reoriented towards him, and her hands went to his shoulders, pulling him in. At first, it was warm and sweet, and Izzy felt capable, desired, and regarded. Then, a deep, aroused sound slipped out of one of them- he honestly couldn't say who- and something changed. His tongue was in her mouth, her body was crowding his, his arms fastened around her, gentle, hot hands slipped under his shirt. They were generating electricity between them, and Izzy could almost hear it snapping and sizzling.

Somehow, a faint streak of reason made its way through the haze in his brain, and Izzy grabbed onto it eagerly, as was his way. His eyes snapped open, and he pulled back, slipping away from Amy. She blinked at him, breathing heavily, and slowly pulled her hands out from under his shirt.

"W-well," she said at last, slipping off of his lap, "at least we know last night wasn't entirely alcohol." The words seemed a bit spunky, but they were said matter-of-factly, and delivered with a neutral expression, as if she were commenting on the weather.

Izzy cleared his throat and readjusted his shirt, which had gotten somewhat rumpled. Sweet Lord. What am I going to do with her? "No, indeed," he muttered, not really knowing what to add.

Amy smiled softly for a moment, then sighed and shifted. Sensing her sudden turn in mood, Izzy touched her hand and shot her a questioning look. "Oh, I was just thinking. We had really better get down to business, I guess? Maybe you'd… Maybe you'd like to lay down with me, and we'll talk?"

Somehow, Izzy kept his expression neutral, despite the wave of apprehension that swept over him. "Ah. Of course." He stood, put her guitar away, and watched as she made herself comfortable on her bed, then awkwardly stretched out beside her, facing her. Being so close was still a little awkward, despite their recent kiss, despite having slept beside her all night, and he fought down a sigh. Their bodies were faintly touching, just enough for him to discern her tenseness. "Are you alright like this?" he asked.

A breathy sigh was the answer. Fingers closed shyly around his, and he squeezed them softly. "I'll be fine," Amy said at last. "Just don't be offended if it takes me some time to relax." Izzy nodded, accepting her words without hurt; after all, he was uncomfortable, too.

For a moment, everything was quiet, and Izzy closed his eyes and focused on the warmth of her body and the sunlight pouring through the window. When she finally began to speak, he had fallen into a half-daze, and he almost jumped at the sound of her voice. "I should probably warn you... I've never told the whole story before. Tai and Matt know the most. TK and Kari... They know just enough to be able to understand why... Why I was... Why my behavior changed for a while."

"Are you implying that you intend to tell me the story in its entirety?" Izzy asked, trying to keep the surprise off of his face. Why would she give him more details than the people most important to her? Or did their relative lack of familiarity actually make it easier to impart sensitive information?

Amy sighed heavily and drummed her fingers against her stomach. "Well… I probably really won't tell you everything I should, even if I think I am. And maybe the boys know more than I give them credit for." She gave him a small, wry smile, then meticulously brushed strands of hair away from her face. "Sometimes I think I'm doing a better job of holding back than I really am. But... There are reasons why I tried to keep certain things from them, especially Tai. I guess I've never talked about what it was like, or how I feel about it before."

Izzy knew that he should let this go and accept her generosity, but, of course, he had to ask. He always had to ask, didn't he? "May I ask why you're deciding to be so forthcoming with me?" Amy gave him a business-like nod, and Izzy smiled faintly. She always seemed to understand and accept his need for information, to take no offense at his inquisitiveness, and to not read into his words. Those qualities endeared her to him in ways that she would likely never realize.

"Well, first, you don't know Jerry. You had nothing to do with any of this. I can't hurt your feelings or make you feel guilty, which was a problem with my boys." She held her hands out towards him and apart, as if to measure an imaginary object. "There's been a space between when it happened and now, which makes it easier for me to talk about it, and also, it's less likely that you'll react as strongly, because there's distance, you know? Nothing can possibly be done about it anymore." Her words came to an abrupt stop, and Izzy watched her quietly for a moment. Was it his imagination, or was she shrinking back and looking shy all of a sudden?

"And..?" he prompted at last. Color began to creep into Amy's cheeks, and Izzy leaned in closer. He couldn't seem to look away from the wistful, soft, uncertain expression in her eyes.

"I... It's more your business than anyone else's. As we saw last night, there are lingering effects from prom, and... Well, I don't want to bother you with my... I mean, I know it's troublesome, but I'm hoping that..." She broke off with an exasperated sound, then tilted her head away from him.

Izzy began to understand her jumbled words by degrees, until his brain finally offered up a cohesive translation. "You're hoping that your problems continue to be my problems, as well." He cursed mentally, realizing that he should have said that softly, kindly, and perhaps with some heat to his voice and expression. Instead, he had thrown it out there in a nasal monotone, giving Amy no indication that he was completely willing to work with whatever needs she had. Patience, care, and concern were trifling prices to pay in return for being able to be intimately connected with her, both physically and emotionally.

As such, she was pulling back, and the lost look that she gave him had his chest tightening up. He held his hands out and spoke hastily, so anxious to clarify that he didn't consider the emotional content of his words. "There is nothing you could say that would deter my desire to be with you, Amy."

There was a beat of silence, and then Izzy repeated the words in his head, actually hearing them for the first time. Heat flooded to his face, and his hand tightened around hers, but he forced himself not to look away from Amy, not to backtrack. She smiled slowly, but their were traces of nerves about her, particularly in the way her eyes darted around. Izzy cast about for some way to make her relax, to convince her to believe his words. In the end, he lifted her hand, took it in both of his, and faintly pressed his lips to her knuckles. Her smile grew more natural, and her eyes settled on his. He couldn't help returning that grin; he was touched that she was touched, he was pleased that she was pleased.

Amy nuzzled his shoulder with her head, then exhaled slowly. "Okay. So… Uh, I guess I'll… start."

"You're sure you feel up to this?" he asked. He wanted to know, needed to know, but he couldn't help but feel like he was pressuring her into this. And that was something he did not want to do.

"No," Amy said bluntly, "but I never will be, and I feel like you should know. I have to just get this over with. And so…

"I met Jerry in my freshman year of high school. He and Tai were on the soccer team from the beginning, so they were pretty good friends, but never as close as, say, Matt and Tai. I went to a lot of the games, because they were so important to Tai, so I guess the soccer guys got to know me a little over the years.

"It was some time towards the end of junior year, I guess, that I started to notice Jerry sort of... hanging around wherever I went and talking to me. I didn't think much of it, other than to be kind of confused, because we didn't have much in common."

She sighed and began to play with the buttons on his shirt, and he forced himself not to pull her hands away. Although it's likely that I'll never fully adjust to public affection, I really must learn to be more accommodating in private. I'm sure it will come with time, but when it's so new… Well, for now, let her do as she will. "Listen. Jerry isn't the devil, you know? He made a mistake. I'm not going to argue that. But I do want you to know, I don't think he's an inherently bad person. I don't think he realized he was doing anything wrong at the time. He's not... he's not a bad guy."

Izzy could sense her hesitation, could see her lips beginning to form words, but giving up midway. "But he isn't good," he offered. How like Amy to be unable to give any kind of damnation, even one so mild.

Amy laughed weakly. "No. No. He isn't. But... I do think he loved me. It was just… His way of loving wasn't the kind of love I wanted." She broke off, nibbled her lower lip, and frowned. "Uh, okay, that sounds kind of confusing. Maybe it will make more sense if I tell you what he was like?" Izzy enjoyed having every detail he could gather, and he was a bit flummoxed, so he nodded immediately.

"Right. Jerry was the class clown, an affable sort of goofball. He called attention to himself, he was loud and energetic, and he always had something funny to say. But I was never sure if he was doing it to entertain people and make them smile, or doing it to be noticed and admired. He was really popular, really social, and very skilled at his sport."

Izzy grit his teeth against the question he wanted to ask. He knew it was a bad idea to pick at her right now, but there was a silence, and it seemed to be inviting him to speak. Before he knew it, the words slipped right out. "Pardon my presumption, but... From your description, he doesn't sound particularly compatible with you." Smooth, fool. Call her out on her unfortunate choices, even when you're aware they hurt her. What a wonderful way to begin a relationship.

Amy ran a hand down his side, clutching his hip and running her fingers along the bone incessantly. I've noticed it in the past, Izzy thought wanly, but she's incredibly clingy when she's upset. "I, uh, I turned him down when he asked me to date him in senior year. I thought he was alright, but I had never thought of him romantically, so it seemed strange to accept. I felt bad, though, since he seemed pretty torn up about it."

There was another pause, and Izzy fought to keep his voice even when he spoke. "But, in the end, you must have accepted." Of course, he already had this detail from Mimi; Amy had capitulated because Tai, Matt, and Mimi encouraged her to accept Jerry. Amy was likely unwilling to implicate her friends, especially now that he knew them, so he wasn't surprised to find her dancing around that fact.

She squirmed against him, and Izzy ran a hand down his face. What was he doing, making her uncomfortable with his interruptions? "Well... I know it's a bad excuse, but people kept telling me that he was a good fit for me, because we were so different, I guess. And, when I started to date him, all of these people were telling me how lucky I was, how he was so handsome and funny and talented... I let them convince me that I was doing the right thing, even though I never felt much of a connection with him."

Izzy tried his best to stop himself from frowning. By people, did she mean classmates, or was she trying not to name Tai, Matt, and Mimi? He had no idea, but he didn't want to interrupt, so he let that question slide.

Amy rubbed her temples. "It was wrong of me, of course," she said, keeping her eyes hidden behind her hand. "I don't assert myself enough. I know that. But, even worse, Jerry... He was kind of... I don't want to sound full of myself, and I still don't understand it, but he was kind of... obsessed with me. He always seemed so pleased whenever I was near him, and he was so proud of me, leading me around and introducing me as his girlfriend to anyone who would listen. When it came to me, there was something very focused and passionate about him, and he... He..."

Izzy watched her blankly, patting her back, trying to work out her behavior. She was tearing up and holding her hands out in front of her, as if she were trying to physically show him something that she couldn't describe in words. "I, I never had that kind of attention before. Unless I'm performing, I always keep to the background, and people don't notice me. I like it that way. Whenever I need them- and, frankly, sometimes when I don't, at least ever since prom- Tai and Matt are always there for me. But Jerry acted like I was his number one priority, like he got out of bed and went to school just because I was there. He thought of surprises just for me. He took me out and made it his personal mission to see that I had a good time. He said things to me that no one else ever did, like that I was beautiful and smart and... You know..." Amy paused and smiled, a smile that was clearly nothing more than a token effort. Her voice was wavering and high, and she kept looking anywhere but at him. "Special. It felt good. It felt really, really good, and… Even though I didn't feel much for him beyond a light tie of friendship, I responded to how he treated me."

I need to talk to Matt, Izzy realized, furrowing his brow. The fact that Amy was so starved for praise and affection disturbed him. Just what was her family life like, if someone as sweet and talented as her had these kinds of doubts about her self-worth? Perhaps the bassist could provide some insight.

And he was already having serious doubts about Jerry. Did Jerry truly hold Amy in regard, or did he merely feed off of her insecurities in order to gain access to her body? But those were worries would have to wait; Amy had wiped her eyes and started to move on, and he didn't want to miss a word.

"Anyway... The longer I was with him, the more I realized that Jerry was kind of... too into me. He became possessive, and he always wanted to be around me, to be touching me. The other girls seemed to think it was sweet, but I need my space, and I was starting to get stressed out. I began to hope that we would just drift our separate ways when we graduated, but with the play and prom coming up, I didn't want to dump breakup drama on everything. Besides, everyone said I was lucky..." Amy broke off and began to toy with her hair. "I... I don't know why I believed them. You must… You must think I'm really weak. And, really, I was probably stringing Jerry along, letting him pay so much attention to me when I didn't have any romantic inclination towards him. So… So, maybe… Maybe I'm a bad person. But…" She paused to rub at her eyes, and Izzy realized that they were growing wet and red. "Everyone…everyone always seemed to be hinting that I couldn't possibly hope to do better. My father said so directly."

"Amy..." Izzy had kept quiet for a while, but Amy's genuine confusion and hurt were too much to take. She glanced over at him, smiled awkwardly, and made a flapping hand motion.

"No, no, gosh, I'm sorry. Listen to me, feeling all sorry for myself! I'm not trying to look like a pity case. Moving on!" She laughed, a hollow, tense sound.

"Amy!" Izzy took hold of her shoulders and made sure she was looking at him. He didn't understand the kind of pain he was in. It was like being battered from inside. "Please, listen to me. Whatever you desire in this world… You're the type of person who can gain it by virtue of hard work, talent, and dedication. I have no doubt of that. And anyone who would shun your regard is a rank fool. I count myself very fortunate to have it, myself." Her eyes went wide, and she leaned away from him, and Izzy panicked as he realized that it might sound like he was sweet-talking her. "That's not an affectation, Amy. I truly mean it."

She just looked at him, dumbfounded, like a child faced with some overwhelming revelation. Then, slowly, her eyes began to water, and she moved in very close to him. The last bits of tension dripped out of her body as she gave him a wet, smacking kiss on the cheek. She didn't comment, but Izzy could sense how deeply she appreciated his words. Her arms made their way around him, and he returned her embrace. It was so moving to know that she valued his opinion so highly, and that she was willing to trust him. His hold on her grew tighter without his noticing.

Amy backed up enough to kiss his forehead, then cleared her throat and worked a hand under his shirt, resting her fingers along his spine. "Uh, I should have been more concerned, because Jerry was really physical, and I... Well, I wasn't. We didn't date that long before prom, I guess like two or three months, but he always wanted to kiss me and touch me, even if we were in public." Amy's upper lip pulled back, indicating her opinion of such behavior. Izzy felt a tiny sense of relief; he also didn't like to be demonstrative in the view of others, to the point where even holding hands was pushing it. Apparently, his preference wouldn't hurt Amy's feelings, so long as he allowed her to hold onto his arm.

"He, uh... He would try to get us alone a lot. I tried to explain to him that it was too soon for me, but he always looked hurt and a little annoyed when I said it outright, so I started deflecting and dodging his questions, instead. I didn't like it when he got upset," she said quietly. "He frightened me. I know how to navigate around Tai when he gets worked up, and I trust him, but I never had time to trust Jerry, to learn his body language. With Tai, when he starts to lose it, I can draw a line in the sand and step right up to it, egging him on if I need to. It's a dangerous game, but I know how far I can go. With Jerry... I just had no idea. And he's awfully strong."

Izzy closed his eyes and willed himself to keep quiet. He wanted to demand to know how she could have stayed with someone who didn't respect her wishes, who made her feel vulnerable and afraid. But that would only upset her further, and she already seemed to be struggling with her story. I still can't believe she's telling me all this. Why me, after keeping quiet all this time?

Amy sighed and slipped her fingers through his belt loops, absently twisting her digits around them. "I went through the motions, like an idiot. We stayed together, and, as prom got closer, I picked out a dress, but I didn't have the money to put up for doing my hair and makeup and renting a limo, even though Tai and Matt were sharing one with their dates." Her fingers closed around his hip, clutching him with enough force to hurt. "Jerry said that was okay, I looked perfect as I was, and he wanted me all to himself, anyway. He drove me there."

Is it my imagination, or did I just hear the first traces of bitterness? Izzy glanced up at her and tried to work out her expression, and something about the harsh angle of her eyebrows seemed to indicate that she was finally showing some anger. But it was mixed in with confusion, regret, and something like wistfulness. Could it be that she still wants to believe that he was being honest with her? And how interesting that she seemed to expect to pay for her portion of the limo. Doesn't the boyfriend typically cover transportation for the couple? Izzy didn't know Jerry, but, despite Amy's careful handling of her story, Izzy already suspected him, disliked him, maybe even hated him.

"Prom itself was alright," Amy said offhandedly. "I would have liked it better without a date, because I wanted to hang out with Tai and Matt, and maybe get a dance with them. But Jerry was kind of jealous. He tolerated Tai, I guess because they were friends and we're related, but he gave Matt a hard time every once in a while. I should have gone with TK," she breathed. "Kari wouldn't have minded, if it was me..." Amy broke off and brooded for a few seconds, then snapped back into her story, as if she hadn't meant to drift off like that. "Uh, but, you know, Matt and Tai had their own dates to entertain, so... Anyway, it was kind of boring. You know how those things are."

Izzy hadn't attended his prom, but he saw no reason to interrupt with that detail. But it made sense to him that Amy hadn't placed much importance on her prom, hadn't insisted that her parents pay to have her made up like a princess, hadn't particularly enjoyed what he saw as a shallow social ritual meant to suck money out of families and create one last burst of drama before graduation. She's a clear-sighted young woman. A girl who knows what matters, he thought, and not without a sense of pride.

"Then there was the, uh, after party," she muttered. "The school rented an activity center. It had all kinds of stuff, like rock climbing and a pool, if you wanted to change, and they set up a place to gamble with tickets. I thought that part would be a lot more fun, since there wasn't dancing, so I thought I could be with Tai and Matt." She paused and pulled on a lock of her hair, wrapping the ends around her fingers so viscously that a few split ends formed before Izzy's eyes. "But Jerry wanted to hang out with his friends, and he just smiled and dragged me along when I tried to tell him what I wanted." Her shoulders rose and fell against him, and Izzy interpreted it as a humorless laugh. "And when I say dragged, I really mean that he sort of laughed and threw me over his shoulder, like I was joking around with him."

Deuce, this fellow must be powerful. Amy's not exactly an inconsequential load. And to use that force against her, even without physically hurting her... Izzy's lips formed a hard, thin line. I always wondered if she minded my being so small and scrawny. I suppose I know why she's accepted my appearance so readily, now. There's no chance of my overpowering her. He wasn't sure how he felt about his train of thought, and he dismissed it. His mind was starting to piece together details that he had gathered since the beginning of the semester, and his heart seemed to be trembling in his chest. They all pointed to a conclusion so horrible that he didn't want to acknowledge the possibility.

Amy's hand moved from his hip to his waist, trailing along his ribs through his shirt. She put faint pressure against him, and he leaned into her in response, sensing her need of support. "I... As the evening wore on, I started feeling strange. I was tired, sluggish, and it took so much effort to move, to keep my thoughts together. I kept forgetting where I was, and I remember being convinced that there was something wrong with my legs, because every step was like prying my feet off a sticky mouse trap. At first, I thought it was because I was up so late; it was about two in the morning at this point, and I usually go to sleep around eleven. I tried to tell Jerry, but he was busy with his friends, including these two guys I had always disliked, and I didn't want to draw their attention. I found Tai and Matt, although I'm not sure how I managed it. The floor seemed to move, and the people were just blurs of colors, and the voices hurt my head."

She squeaked and jumped, and Izzy realized that he had clenched his hands against her too hard. "I'm so sorry," he said, patting her waist and shoulder in a daze. "But, Amy- No- No- he drugged you- he drugged you!" A cold, biting fury tore through him, freezing his innards, making his body shake. He pulled her in, as if to protect her from something that had already happened. Amy froze, then sniffed and buried her face in his shoulder. Her body went limp, and Izzy helped her readjust against him, taking on her weight as best he could.

"I didn't know it at the time, but yeah. I never did find out exactly what it was, but I'm guessing ketamine. Jerry didn't know either. One of those two guys slipped it into my drink without telling him. When he confronted them about it later, they said they did it to help me… relax. Because I get anxious, I guess, so they put it in soda, and I didn't even taste it-"

"Relax?" Izzy repeated, his voice going high and sharp. "Amy, you know that's not why they drugged you." Izzy wasn't sure he believed that someone other than Jerry had drugged her, but that wasn't his main concern at the moment. His guts were churning, and he wished he had some kind of target, someone or something to work these horrible emotions out on, but there was nothing but an innocent woman in sight. What are people supposed to do when they feel this way? I didn't even know people could feel this way.

"I'm just telling you what he told me," she said, and her defensive tone had Izzy fiercely trying to get his emotions back in check. She didn't need him snapping right now, even if he was on her side.

"Yes, I know," he said gently, rubbing her back. "I apologize." Her neck and shoulders had tensed up, so he rubbed them for her, until they relaxed by degrees. Eventually, she pressed her lips lightly to his shoulder, and he recognized the gesture as forgiveness. He released a breath and forced himself to calm down, but it was so difficult. He was hoping beyond hope that someone was going to intercede in this story and help Amy- surely someone would have noticed her walking about in a daze- because, otherwise, he didn't like where this was going.

"In the end, I... I asked Jerry to take me home."

"Wait a moment," Izzy said, raising a brow at her. "What happened with Tai and Matt?" Surely, one of them helped you. Please say that they helped you.

Amy worried her lower lip for a moment before hiding her face against his shoulder. "It's not really important," she said quickly. Her shoulders sagged, and Izzy felt heat and wetness forming against his neck.

The hell it's not, Izzy thought darkly. Yes, I believe I shall have that appointment with Matt, after all. He didn't understand how they could have failed to assist her. They always seemed to have an eye out for her at college, and they sometimes practically smothered her with their attention and worry. Unless… Izzy caught his breath and held Amy closer against him. Unless they're like that now because they failed to help her that night.

"Jerry was half carrying me by the time we got to his car. I have no idea how the chaperons didn't realize that something was wrong with me. Jerry kept asking if I was okay, and I kept saying I was, and I don't even remember why I lied, but… but it didn't seem like lying at the time? But then we were driving home, and all the street lights hurt my eyes and made me feel sick, swirling around above me. It was like being in the Starry Night painting, except nauseating. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, and I must have nodded off, because I don't remember getting out of the car. When I woke up, I was being laid out on... on a bed."

Izzy could no longer hold back the suspicions that had been forming in his mind as Amy spoke, and everything went cold and numb. Although the two of them were safe and huddled up together in a patch of sunlight by the window, he had never felt more desperately frightened in all his life. Part of him wanted to beg her to stop talking, but he was having trouble getting the words out.

"Most of my senses weren't working properly, but… I knew something was wrong. It didn't smell like my house, and Jerry had no business tucking me into bed. I started to panic, but it was weird… It felt like my brain was watching things happen from behind blurry glass, reacting to it, but it had no access to my body. It was difficult to move and speak. Everything alternated between fuzziness and clarity. Before long, I forgot why I was even troubled."

She had begun to tremble against him, and Izzy held on to her fiercely, stroking her hair with one hand and holding her close with the other. "You don't have to say anything else," he choked. His voice broke embarrassingly over the words, but he didn't register it. There was a painful burning in his eyes, and his chest was quivering. There was a consuming, paralyzing sense of panic and horror working up inside of him, and it reminded him of the day Shauna broke up with him, only much, much worse.

"No," Amy said, and there was an odd, otherwordly feel to her voice. Despite her shaking, she sounded oddly calm and detached. Is this some sort of defense mechanism, or is she growing hysterical? Izzy readjusted, trying to get a view of her face, but she refused to move away from him. "No. I've never said all of this before. No one knows what it was like. I've kept it inside of me all this time. It's my way, you know, not to talk about that sort of thing, but… It's been festering in me like an infection for months now. I know it's a burden, but… If you would listen, I'd be grateful."

I don't understand anything anymore, Izzy thought, and a cold, desolate feeling swept over him. "I am, as always, at your disposal," he said, but there was a blank, forlorn sound to his voice.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you. Really." She began to breathe heavily and loudly, and Izzy was sure that she was finally going to break down, but, somehow, she paused and collected herself. Izzy's vision was blurred with hot, stinging tears, but he was too shocked to show a stronger reaction. All of his attention hung on her words, even though they were so difficult to hear.

"He asked me if I was okay… I said I was tired. And that really was my strongest feeling at the time. Even though I sort of suspected that something was wrong, I couldn't bring myself to make a fuss over it. All that mattered was sleeping. Actually, I kind of felt like I already was."

The drugs, Izzy thought, closing his eyes. Fatigue, disconnect from the world, a sense of feeling like you're already dreaming.

"Jerry kept saying all of these sweet things, and… Some of them made me feel good. Some of them made me uncomfortable. He kissed me… I kissed him back. He undressed me… and… I didn't protest. It's all really fuzzy, but I do remember thinking that he wanted sex, and that I should tell him no, but… But I remembered all the things he had done for me. I remembered how special he made me feel." There was a choking sound near his ear, and Izzy pulled Amy far enough away to see her face. Tears were slowly rolling down her cheeks, but she seemed to be retaining some level of control, which was more than he could say for himself. His hands were like dead things, heavy and cold from the core. "I remembered people hinting, and sometimes telling me outright, that I didn't deserve him, that I should feel lucky."

Her body went limp, as if she were suddenly exhausted. "He asked me if I was alright with sex." She swallowed loudly, then released a breath in a wet, shivering gasp. "I said okay."

Oh, God. Oh, God. Izzy didn't even know what was happening with his body anymore. His vision seemed to be swirling slightly and going dim, as if he was suffering from a sudden bout of low blood pressure, or some sort of dizzy spell.

"I was a virgin. I remember him saying he'd be gentle, but gentleness was never really in his skill set, and… It hurt. I felt sick and tired, and my body wasn't aroused at all. He had a condom, so I guess there was some lubrication, but there were none of the physical changes in my body that are supposed to happen before… Before sex. Every time he moved, it, it…" Her arms tightened around him, and Izzy clung back with equal fervor, vainly wishing that he knew what to do, what to say to her. "I tried so hard to tell him that he was hurting me, but I could barely make a sound. Even breathing seemed hard." She closed her eyes and paused as a few tears leaked out. "And I think the noises I did manage sounded like pleasure to him."

"And then… Then it was over, and I… I'll always remember the way he looked at me. He looked at me like a sated lover, like I was the most beautiful thing in the world, like I wasn't sick and hurting, and… I felt like I was on another planet, like reality had snapped apart on me. Then he fell asleep, but, even though I was so tired, I couldn't sleep, myself. Finally, the drugs wore off enough that I could move confidently, and I found Jerry's phone. I called Matt, and I'll never know how he pieced together enough of what I was telling him to get there, but he did."

Traces of bile were rising up Izzy's throat, but he swallowed convulsively, forcing them down. Don't vomit. Don't vomit. You can't. She needs you to stay collected. He forced himself to think of a question, not knowing how else to contribute, not realizing that appearing so calm could be interpreted as disinterest. "You… You didn't call your parents? Or Tai?"

"My parents?" Amy echoed, looking faintly surprised. "I didn't think of my parents. They wouldn't have been a comfort to me. And Tai… Izzy, you know why I didn't call Tai."

Izzy stared at her for a moment, his emotions blocking him from comprehension. Then the answer hit him, and he fought down a groan. Tai would have killed Jerry. If he saw Amy like that, Tai honestly would have killed him.

And I wouldn't have blamed him one jot.

Something about his expression must have communicated his understanding, because Amy continued without comment. "Honestly, I didn't want to tell anyone, but I knew… I knew that I couldn't get home in my state, and I couldn't stay there in Jerry's house, I had to get out. I managed to get one of Jerry's shirts on, and then I waited. Matt let himself in- thankfully, Jerry had forgotten to lock the front door- and he found some pants for me. Did I mention that we were at Jerry's house?" Izzy nodded jerkily, realizing that Amy was too overloaded to remember the finer points of what she was saying. "Yeah, I did, sorry. Uh, his parents are divorced, and his mom was away on business a lot. But anyway, I'll never know how Matt got me to the car, but he did. He took me to his place, helped me into some of his clothes, and tucked me into his bed."

"I… I'm really sorry I had to involve Matt like that. I put such a burden on him… He had fun all night, and then I threw that on him. It hurt him so much to see me like that, I could tell, and then I went and asked him not to tell certain people certain details… To keep secrets from his best friend and his brother."

Izzy had no idea how to behave in this situation, and he decided to go ahead and say so. It was better than saying nothing, after all. "I'm so, so sorry, Amy. I… I've no idea how to react, what to say, except that… I'm honestly horrified, and I wish, so very dearly, that I could have done something for you, somehow, but…" But I didn't even know you. He felt so sick, so helpless, so useless to her.

Amy's tiny hands closed around the collar of his shirt, clinging to the fabric. "There… There actually is something you could do for me," she whispered, angling her forehead against his.

"Anything," Izzy said at once, feeling oddly grateful for some kind of task. "I'm at your command."

"Don't treat me differently, now that you know."

"Um?" Izzy pulled back from her enough to look at her face, and he saw enormous, moist eyes looking into his.

Amy sighed and draw back from him slightly. "I didn't want anyone to know about what happened. Prom was Friday night. My parents didn't wait up for me, so I was able to sneak back in with no one noticing. I had the weekend to mentally get myself together, but… Those two days were hard. Really hard. I felt all of the fear and panic and violation that I was unable to feel that night, and all I could do was hide in my room and play guitar. I begged Matt not to say anything when he came to see me. I told him it wasn't… It wasn't what he thought."

"You told him you weren't raped?" Izzy asked. He kept the sharpness out of his tone by pure power of will, knowing that Amy would misinterpret it, but there was nothing he could do about the shock.

Amy's lips drew back in a grimace. "I wasn't raped. I made a series of poor choices, particularly telling him that I was alright with sleeping with him. I didn't fight back or make any indication that I didn't want it… Although at some point, I did cut his shoulder pretty bad with my corsage clip, and it bled, but he didn't seem to really notice it."

Izzy could feel himself fighting to maintain his calm, but his emotions were slipping out of his hands like a rope in a losing game of tug-of-war. He felt the precise moment when they slipped, when his frustration and horror overwhelmed him, when his sense of justice reared up. "You are not to blame," he cried, taking hold of her shoulders and looking her in the eyes. "You were drugged. You were psychologically manipulated. At the worst, you were raped. At the very best, Jerry took gross advantage of you."

"You sound just like Tai and Matt," and said petulantly. She wiped her face dry with her hands, then drew them down her neck, pushing in hard enough to leave temporary red marks on her skin. "Jerry didn't drug me. He didn't know I was drugged at all. And he never meant to manipulate me." Izzy opened his mouth to begin a counter argument, but Amy raised a hand. "Please, Izzy. Please, listen to me. Please, don't tell me what I should think about everything that happened. Please." Her hands closed around his, sticky and wet with clear snot and tears, and her lower lip trembled as she stared beseechingly at him.

She needs this, he realized. Tai is too hardheaded to let her have her say, and Matt saw her that night. He formed his own opinions about everything right then and there, was probably was unable to shift them later. He gently freed himself from her grasp, then ran his fingers through her hair, nodding his permission. As much as I want to condemn Jerry and be done with it, she needs someone to hear her views on it, and to at least allow their possibility. And she's trusting me with the job.

But… I never knew supporting someone could be so very painful.

Amy kissed him, swift and hard, an expression of surprised gratitude, as far as Izzy could tell. She settled her head on her pillow, then began to speak again. "The soccer championships were so close, and so I didn't hear from Jerry over the weekend, because he was practicing with the team and training on his own. Sometimes I wonder if Matt had something to do with it, though, since I would have thought that Jerry would wonder why I wasn't there when he woke up. Thankfully, I didn't see him much on Monday. I was in the AP and honors classes, and we had different lunch periods. But I knew I had to talk to him that day, and, when he approached me in the locker room, I asked him to come to an empty classroom with me. I don't know if Matt guessed what I would do, or if he was just following me, but he slipped into the room with us.

"I… I'm glad Matt was there. I didn't expect it, since I hadn't particularly felt afraid that night, but… Suddenly, I was terrified of Jerry. I told him I didn't want to be his girlfriend anymore, and… He was shocked, Izzy. Truly shocked. I told him that I was sure someone drugged me, that I wasn't really ready to… To do what we did. I don't think he believed me at first, because, you know, who wants to think that something like that happened? But Matt vouched for me, and Jerry started to really think about how I acted that night.

"His face turned this horrible red/purple color, and he practically knocked the door off the hinges storming out. He found those two guys hanging around, and he pinned them against the wall. He was so scary, he didn't yell, but…" Amy broke off and shuddered. "He didn't need to. He asked them if they drugged me, and they said no, but he put pressure on their necks… I tried to get him to stop, but I really think he didn't hear me, he was so angry. Finally, one of them owned up to it, and… He asked them why they would do it, and they said they wanted to help him out, since I wasn't…" Amy shut her eyes and made the ugliest, most disgusted expression Izzy had ever seen from her. "Since I wasn't putting out. Zeus above, if Matt hadn't gone for a teacher when Jerry started getting violent, I don't know what he would have done to those two. I really don't. When they said that, I thought he would snap and just go ballistic. Thankfully, Jerry reigned it in when the teacher showed up, and since neither of them were actually hurt yet, the situation just kind of diffused, and Matt grabbed Jerry's arm and sort of steered him away while the teacher looked on."

Izzy listened quietly, unsure of how much to believe. He didn't know Jerry personally, so he had no idea if the boy was capable of putting on this kind of show in an effort to save face. But then, he couldn't imagine why these mysterious friends would be willing to play along; admitting to administering a date rape drug had to be some kind of legal offense. And so, he tried to keep an open mind, and he took hold of Amy's hand, trying to communicate that he was doing as she wished.

"The three of us went back to the classroom, and I told him that I was afraid of him now, that I couldn't possibly stay close to him. It was… It was really hard, because… Even though our personalities and interests didn't mesh that well, he really tried to be a good boyfriend, you know? He went to my plays, he went out of his way everyday to do something nice for me, he was proud of me… I didn't like everything about him, but I knew that he was trying his best, that he had real feelings for me. And, when it really hit him that I regretted what happened on prom night, that it had damaged me, he…" She began to run her hands anxiously over his back. "He slid down the wall and just… Fell apart. I've never seen someone cry like that before, like a soul in torment. Matt half-dragged me out of the room, and I thought… I felt bad, but I also felt like, you know, at least it's over, at least I made myself understood in the end."

Izzy sighed and curled a silken lock of her hair around his pointer finger. He couldn't imagine how difficult it must have been for Amy to break up with someone, and he couldn't help but wonder how much assistance Matt had provided. And, of course, he was sure that this story was far from over. Amy was still tense, was still staring off into nothing, and she hadn't even touched on Tai yet. "Surely, Matt must have said something to Tai at some point," he prodded, placing his hand on her hip as he spoke.

"Yeah," Amy sighed, moving her eyes to the ceiling. "Yeah. That's why it wasn't over, after all. It wasn't Matt's fault, you know? Obviously, Tai noticed that I wasn't hanging out with Jerry anymore, and he noticed that I was suddenly… Kind of vacant. I tried to tell myself that what happened was terrible and unfortunate, but that I had agreed to it, so I should be okay. I know that sounds bad," Amy said, no doubt reading Izzy's expression as aghast disagreement, "but what I meant was, I was trying to tell myself that things weren't as bad as they seemed. But, even though my memory of that night is kind of sketchy, I… Sometimes, my mind gets caught up in it, and I feel so sick and scared. I tried to act like nothing happened, like I was perfectly fine, but I had so much trouble focusing on the here and now at first. I startled severely at loud sounds and physical contact. I was afraid of any man who wasn't Tai, Matt, or TK. I talked a lot less than usual, and I sort of stuck to my boys like a shadow. I was afraid of being alone. I didn't sleep well."

Izzy's eyes began to burn as she calmly ticked off her symptoms, like someone naming the presidents. He held her closer, and he was grateful that she didn't shy away from him, that, for some reason, she didn't seem to fear him. "Don't worry," Amy said, smiling slightly. "It's gotten so much better. There are so many interesting things to learn here at college, so I don't have time to dwell on it. I sleep a lot better, knowing that Tai's in the same building. I'm not ever around Jerry anymore. And…" Her smile faltered, and her eyes looked away from him. "I trust you, Izzy. I feel safe with you. I know I got confused last night, but when I'm in control of myself, I know that you would never hurt me. You have no idea how much that means to me."

And you have no idea how brave you are. She always tried so hard at everything, and it was clear to him that her desire to act normally was for the benefit of the people she cared about. And here she was, opening up to him, lying so close to him, trusting him. He began to feel a little small as he compared his troubles to her, his reaction to those lesser issues to her reaction to this. But now was not the time for self-deprecation; she was expecting an answer.

"And I can't express how grateful and amazed I am that you're offering me your trust." Amy blinked, then colored slightly and glanced away. Somehow, Izzy managed a tiny smile, and he pressed a feather-light kiss to her lips, then cocked an eyebrow at her, inviting her to continue. She grinned and flicked his brow in response, but her cheerfulness faded as the next few seconds dripped by.

"I tried to explain things to Tai, but all he really heard was that I had slept with Jerry, and that I wasn't happy about it. There are other factors- certainly, Jerry should have noticed that I wasn't behaving properly, and it seems like he was complaining about my not wanting to be physical with him to some dangerous people. Those are both bad things. But I should have broken up with Jerry a long time ago- actually, I should not have dated him at all, really- and I did specifically give him permission. He didn't know I wasn't all the way there at the time. Sometimes, sometimes I do get caught up in things, and… And I kind of do hate Jerry, until I calm down again. I certainly can't say that I like him anymore. But… But I'm not sure that he deserved what Tai did to him."

"Tai reduced him to a bloody pulp, didn't he," Izzy breathed, rubbing his forehead. Izzy was generally a nonviolent person, but even he wouldn't have reacted calmly in that situation. He couldn't say that he blamed Tai for trying to retaliate against Jerry, and that admission filled him with discomfort.

Amy closed her eyes. "Tai is strong, but Jerry… He's stronger. His build is more solid and muscular. He could have fought back, he could have messed Tai up pretty bad. And this fight? It was right before their championship tournament…! Stars, what was he thinking? Jerry could have easily injured him enough to take him out of the games, even if Tai technically 'won' the fight, as if anyone ever really wins in a fight. But… But Jerry didn't hurt him. I wasn't there, but Matt was, and he told me that Jerry fought just hard enough to egg Tai on. Like… Like he was trying to provoke damage." Amy paused, pinched the bridge of her nose, and groaned. "There was hardly any school year left, especially for us seniors, but I didn't see Jerry for the rest of it."

Good God. Tai did that much damage? Izzy swallowed hard and spared a moment to hope that he would never, ever nudge Tai too far. And to think, I baited him like a little fool last night…! What might have happened if Amy didn't intercede on my behalf? Izzy shuddered, and Amy caressed his back, as if he was the one who needed comforting right now.

"So," Amy said at last, sounding worn and a little lost. "So, Tai not only risked his body right before the biggest sports event of his life, but he struck one of his best, most experienced players from the roster. Tai was the team captain and the star striker, he was captain for a long time. Winning that tournament was his dream, Izzy, all four years, and he endangered it so much, for what? Revenge? It's not like beating Jerry helped anything." Her hands roamed restlessly over his back, worrying the fabric of his shirt.

"Boys can be so stupid…!" she said at last. "I love Tai, but… I am so glad you're not all 'rawr let's go punch stuff!' like he is sometimes. You think, you know? And try to work it out some other way. You listen." Her hands moved to his shoulders, and she fixed him with an affectionate sort of look that had Izzy squirming slightly inside. He wasn't entirely sure that he deserved this praise.

"Do you mind if I ask what happened with the tournament?" Izzy asked. It seemed like such a little thing, in the face of everything else that happened, but Izzy was aware that Amy might feel guilty if the team's performance suffered.

"Hmm? Well, Tai injured his hands in the fight, but, of course, you don't really use them so much for soccer. People were suspicious, since it was clear that Jerry and I had some sort of falling out, and that Tai was the protective type. There were rumors that Tai would be barred from the tournament, but Jerry never reported the… Well, the assault, basically. I was told that he sort of… made the fist shaped wounds sound like accidents. There were still whispers, but there was no basis for disciplinary action."

"Just as you never reported the assault on you," Izzy added. He had a feeling that it would be best to let that detail slip by, but Amy was far too willing to let Jerry off for his tastes. She looked at him for a moment, then sighed and continued, as if he hadn't interrupted.

"Tai chose the best of the younger players, Davis, to fill Jerry's spot, and… They won. They tore everyone apart, it was amazing. I've never seen Tai so focused and determined before, and Davis kind of has this adorable man-crush on Tai, you know, always trying to impress him, and he totally channeled off of Tai's energy. They were like human blurs on the field." Despite everything, there was a fierce pride in Amy's voice and face as she spoke.

I wonder if she realizes that Tai probably sank his faculties into soccer so he wouldn't be able to think about what happened to her. Izzy saw no reason to vocalize that thought; if Tai's success in the tournament made her happy, then he wouldn't tarnish it in any way.

There was a long pause, and Izzy gently pulled Amy towards him. He felt used up and wrung out, and oddly shy around her, now. Is that what she meant about not treating her differently? Did Tai and Matt start treating her like she was made of glass, with pity dripping from every interaction? He had no idea how he was supposed to behave around her now. Actually, he wasn't sure what he thought of the world as a whole, right now. He knew, of course, that people were used and abused every day, but knowing that Amy had suffered- was still suffering- in the way she had… He couldn't help it. He hissed, smushed her against him, and buried his face in her neck, needing the contact in a way he didn't really understand.

And, suddenly, Amy's breathing hitched, and she clung to him. Her skin felt hot and feverish against his, and she started to sniff and shake. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she choked, releasing him enough to rub at her eyes. "I can't fall apart on you, especially not after you listened to all of that awful stuff-"

"I'm here for you," Izzy said, and the certainty and authority in his voice surprised even him. "Whatever you need- anything- I'm here."

And that offering of compassion seemed to push her over the edge- something that even the retelling of her story couldn't do. Suddenly, Izzy was holding onto a sobbing young woman, and he had no idea what to do to help her. He rubbed her back, offered her his shoulder, and moved her hair away from her face, hoping it was helpful.

It took a long time, but eventually she ran dry, and she went silent against him. Her breathing gradually grew deep and even, but Izzy didn't try to slip away. He held her as she slept, trying to reconcile himself to what he had learned.

But digesting and making some form of peace with Amy's story simply was not possible at the moment. Instead, he kissed her head, frowned, and began to make a mental list of questions for Matt.

Author's Note: Uggghh. I'll be honest, this chapter needs more work, but I can't look at it anymore. It's just such a difficult situation. I hope I at least handled it with the appropriate respect and gravity. You can be sure that the consequences of this are far-reaching, and as realistic as I can make them.

I didn't want Jerry to be a straight-up villain. Surely, he pressured Amy and was definitely too hormonal for his own good… but he was also 17 or 18. Kids do that stuff, purely because they have not yet learned control and balance (of course, I don't mean to excuse letting it go too far). But there were signs that he did want an actual relationship with her, and that he was upset about how things happened. And Amy wasn't blameless, either; she shouldn't have been dating him at all, and she knew it.

Have you ever dealt with a tough situation with strength and dignity, only to fall apart when someone you respect offers you their concern? It's an odd feeling.

It may seem like there isn't anything else to say about this, but there is. And Izzy's going to do everything he can to get that information out of Matt next time.

But first, updates to my other two stories. I need a break from this topic.