A/N: Slight revisions and significant changes at end of chapter made in January 2012.

I'm completely, utterly miserable.

The past weeks have been the worst.

Anna has finally made it clear what she wants – and, like the fool I am, I can't give it to her. Even if my supposed girlfriend is, once again, barely speaking to me.

"I don't know how you do it, man," Josh says to me after lunch one March afternoon. "Can't you and Anna just kiss and make up?"

"I don't think Dave would like that," I say bitterly.

Yes, that's right – Anna and my idiot neighbor have started going out. As if things couldn't get worse.

"That guy's a jerk," Josh says. "You can't let Anna continue to see him."

"How I can tell her to break up with her boyfriend when I can't even break up with my own bloody girlfriend?" I ask.

"Well, one of us better think of something soon," he says. "Before he sleeps with her."

Ugh. I feel like I've punched. Of all the guys she could possibly sleep with! This is not going to happen.

"Can you talk to Rash about it?" I ask. "Maybe she can talk some sense into her."

"She's closer to Mer," he says. "I don't know if she'd listen to Rash."

"You can't use Meredith," I say. "You know how she feels about me."

"Fine," Josh says, pulling out his mobile to send a text to Rash. "I'm on it."

He might not be doing much schoolwork anymore, but he still does what he needs to do to help his friends out.

"I owe you, mate."

I hear her crying before I can even see her. She's in the hallway, walking back to her room.

"Good night, Mer," I say, practically jumping out her bedroom door. No study session is more important than Anna's well-being.

"You and Higgenbaum have a nice time?" I ask. Of course they didn't have a nice time, you bastard.

"Yes," she says. "Great. Thank you."

And then I see the tears fall down her face and my bitterness melts away. God, what did he do to her? I will kill that bloody –

"No!" she screams, holding me back from moving any further. "I'm locked out. I'm upset because I lost my stupid key."

Phew. I help her search for it, but we have no luck. I get her spare key from Nate, our resident advisor, and she tells me her and Dave and no more. She doesn't tell me exactly why, but I'm too happy about it to ask why.

I try to look neutral, though, because I know she's still upset about something. She was crying earlier today, too.

"Prom," she says. "Bridgette and Toph are going to prom. And I'll never go to one!"

"But…proms are lame," I say. "I thought you were glad we didn't have one."

"I was," she says, sniffling. "Until now."

I feel terrible again. She's had such a rough time lately, and I've contributed to it almost as much as her former best friend and would-be boyfriend. I can only offer words at this point.

"Think about it, Anna," I say. "She'll get dolled up in one of those satin monstrosities no rational girl would ever wear, and they'll take one of those awful photos –

"The photo," she moans.

"No, Anna, they're awful," I say. The uncomfortable poses and the awkward slogans – "

We walk slowly up the stairwell, en route to our respective rooms, and create the most ridiculous imaginary prom ever for Bridgette and Toph. She finally cracks a smile, and I grin. "That's more like it," I say.

Our eyes meet in the darkness. Neither of us can look away. She rests her head on my shoulder.

"Thank you, Étienne," she says.

She puts her hands around mine and holds it tightly. The feelings come rushing back, all the thoughts and things left unsaid. I want her to say my name again, to whisper it in my ear.

I love you, Étienne.

I love you, Anna.

I know it can't be far away.