"Are you okay, Cole?" Langston asked softly a couple of hours later, as the two of them were killing time (considering that Schuyler had still been at school when they left) by getting dinner. Once they'd formed a loose gameplan about what they were going to do, Cole had fallen silent and spent the rest of the time just glowering.

"The girl with the black eye is asking me if I'm okay?" he cracked. Langston smiled, shrugging.

"I'm just so selfless like that. But seriously, you're being quiet to the point of creepiness, what's up?"

"Is it that hard to believe that maybe someone just doesn't feel like talking to you?"

"Yes," she answered immediately. Cole grinned in spite of himself. "You just upset about Starr or what?" Cole didn't respond. "For the record, Cole, I think it's really cool of you to do this. Not that you and Starr were comparable to me and Markko, because no offense, but you so weren't, but…if this were us, I don't know if I could try to save Markko's relationship with someone else, even if I knew it would make him happy."

"Well, thank God we're not all as selfish as you," he replied playfully. Langston gaped, throwing a wrapper at him.

"Oh, shut up, assface- why do you always have to piss me off these days?" she demanded, her laugh keeping her from sounding truly upset.

"Why do you always make it easy?" he chuckled. She rolled her eyes, then softened as she went quiet, hesitating before deciding to say what she was thinking.

"You're worried about your mom, huh?" she asked gently.

Cole gave a short, uncomfortable nod in response, surprised with himself for offering even that much. Then again, it kind of made sense; Langston was the only person he could ever really get into his mom issues with. Starr tried to understand, but they just didn't…relate on that level, they never really had, much as it pained him to admit she was right about that.

"She'll be fine, Cole," Langston reassured him softly. "I promise, John will keep her safe."

"John being with her is part of the problem," Cole snorted. "He'll keep her safe physically, sure, but, I just…I don't want him to screw with her head anymore than he already has. I know she has feelings for him, but he's got Blair, and I just…" Cole trailed off, shrugging helplessly.

Langston nodded sympathetically, smiling slightly; Marty was the one person Cole loved purely, unconditionally, and when they were talking about her was the only time Langston felt like she was really seeing Cole at his best, his kindest.

"Well, if he does something to hurt her, I'll help you break his kneecaps, okay?" Langston offered, smiling brightly. "Clearly, I have become a very violent person, I might as well embrace my nature, and it's not like I can possibly get into any more trouble, so I have nothing to lose."

"Careful, I might actually take you up on that."

"I'll have the crowbar ready and waiting," she promised. "First we go knock some sense into Schuyler for Starr, then John- albeit, a bit more violently in that case- for your mom. We can make a career of this, become, like, a vengeance seeking duo or something."

"Hey, uh, that reminds me- should we be just a duo here?"

"Uh, not following."

"I mean, should we get Markko involved? I'm kind of surprised you haven't called him yet."

"No! We can't call Markko, he can't see me yet!" Langston suddenly cried in a panic. Cole slowly furrowed his brow.

"What? Why?"

"Because I know he's gonna be pissed at me," she sighed in frustration.

"For…what, exactly?"

Langston motioned to her various bruises and scratches, particularly the black eye which had swollen to the point of making it difficult for her to see, and sighed.

"The fight. It's not exactly the kind of thing he'd approve of, and I just need some time to figure out how to keep him from freaking."

"Just make sure he sees what you did to Lola too- then he'll be too scared of you to risk pissing you off."

"You are the least helpful person ever."

"Sorry, sorry. Look, that's just… ridiculous, okay? Lola kissed your boyfriend and tried to steal him from you, what the hell else were you supposed to do? Just let her get away with it?"

"Oh no, see, that's just how you and I view things- it's why I already knew you'd approve- but that's not how Markko sees it, he's more like Starr. He doesn't see it as 'letting her get away with it'; to him, it's 'taking the high road.'"

"You already knew I'd approve?" Cole repeated, cocking an eyebrow. "How's that?"

"In our little group, Markko has always been Starr's counterpart, and you've always been mine," Langston explained, shrugging. "They're the calm, mature, sensitive ones, and we're the emotional, hot-headed, rash and impulsive ones. Someone pisses you and me off, and we just attack, while Starr and Markko, who would let that kind of thing go, stand back and watch in disapproval. Though, of course, they step in against their better judgment before we can get hurt, because they love us anyway." She added cheekily, grinning. "But, now do you see what I mean? You and I are a totally wired the same way, Cole."

"There's a terrifying thought. Do I need to streak my hair purple now?"

"Please, you only wish you could pull that look off," she sniffed, dramatically flipping her hair.

Cole laughed quietly, offering her a slight smile.

"True, true. You know, uh…I guess there are worse people I could be compared to."

"Wow, thanks for the overwhelming compliment, my ego just expanded ten sizes," she deadpanned. Cole grinned again.

"Look, Langston, if Markko does get upset with you for what you did, then he's an idiot, because in my opinion, you were pretty awesome today," Cole told her sincerely. Langston smiled, pleased. "There, was that one good enough?" he added playfully.

"Eh, close enough," she giggled.

"You know, you could always be really over the top and cry when you tell him, pretend like you're in a lot pain and just keep saying how sorry you are- no way he would be mad at you then."

"That's…actually a good idea," Langston remarked, though she knew herself well enough to know it wouldn't work; the second Markko called what she had done stupid or something, she'd snap and defend her decision, she didn't have enough restraint to pretend to be sorry when she wasn't for very long. "Thank you, Cole. So you can be useful when you want to be," she said brightly, surprised she was enjoying herself so much right now. "God, it's been like, forever since we hung out, just us, hasn't it?"

"Yeah. I guess we haven't exactly been on the greatest terms lately." Langston flinched- true.

"I guess not. Hey, um, Cole? I'm sorry about how I went off on you that day at the café."

"It was the least of what I deserved," he muttered weakly.

"I'm not gonna disagree, but, I don't know…I could have done something to help keep you from getting to that state instead of just expecting Starr to save you." Cole said nothing, appearing uncomfortable. Langston smiled as she quickly changed the subject. "Hey, y'know, I still have that snap bracelet- that one you gave me after I told you about how my mom used to give them to me?"

"I remember," he said quietly, smiling back at her finally.

"I've just been waiting to find the perfect outfit to wear it with. I have to say, I still think that's probably the nicest present anyone's ever given me. When you were being this big loser jerk, I should have tried a little harder to remember that moment instead of just getting pissed at you and giving up," she remarked sadly.

"Oh, God, are you going to get all emotional or something now?" Cole groaned dismissively. "Come on, Langston."

"And I immediately take that last remark back!" Langston shouted , shaking her head as she rose to her feet, laughing slightly. "Getting pissed at you is obviously the right course of action after-all."

"I don't-"

"Shut up before you dig yourself in deeper, okay? Now, you ready to go do this, partner? Schuyler should be home by now."

"You have no idea how ready I am."

"Hey, stick to the gameplan- please don't do something stupid."

"I make no promises. If he keeps refusing to see reason and insists upon acting like a moron, I'm either going to kill him or myself. Or maybe I'll just kill two birds with one stone, make it a murder suicide," he muttered.

"Look, he'll see reason. If we don't talk him into it, this will," Langston stated confidently, pulling some papers from her purse. Cole frowned questioningly. "Remember that letter of Starr's I told you about? This is it. After the incident this morning that I also told you about, she just kind of dropped it on the stairs, so I grabbed it, just because I knew the last thing she needed was her family or the staff finding it."

"What the hell could she have said for that many pages? Even when I was at my most upset with Starr, I don't think I ever had that much to say. Let me see," he requested, pulling the letter towards him.

"You can't read that, you ass!" Langston squealed, yanking it back.

"Have you?"

"…Maybe."

"Hypocrite!"

"Hey, I'm allowed, best friends are an extension of each other."

"You are making crap up as you go along." Langston just shrugged, still hugging it to her chest defensively, and Cole gave up. "Whatever. Hey, speaking of making it up as we go along, what if Stacy's there? I didn't even think of that."

"Oh, trust me, I did."

"And…?"

"And if Psycho Bitch Barbie is there, I will drag her into the street by her pretty blonde hair and hold her down until a car runs her over," Langston hissed, recalling her white hot fury when Starr had told her everything Stacy said to her. Cole slowly blinked, startled, and then smirked in admiration.

"Awesome."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In his room at the ASM, Schuyler was just in the middle of the usual nightly routine he had when Stacy wasn't there to distract him- a whole lot of brooding and pining and very little else.

He was abruptly drawn from his dark thoughts sooner than expected, though, as there was suddenly a loud, insistent pounding on his front door. Schuyler started, furrowing his brow. Who the hell would be coming to see him that would announce their presence like that?

Todd Manning was the only person who came to mind, and Schuyler looked to the door in disbelief; he had already given Todd exactly what he wanted- what the hell could he possibly still want? If Todd was here even after what Schuyler had given up to make more threats and demands, Schuyler was going to lose it.

"Geez, Cole, way to be overdramatic. A simple knock wouldn't have worked?"

"We're trying to make a statement here, Langston."

Schuyler's disbelief only grew, though his worry disappeared, and he just groaned as he made his way to the door, startling the teens as he flung it open.

"What?" he snapped in greeting. Langston arched an eyebrow.

"Um, hi, rude much?" she asked breezily, calming walking past him into his room, causing Cole to follow. Schuyler just shook his head; thank God Roxy was the only person ever downstairs- the last thing he needed was for the school to know that students apparently just came and went from his room as they pleased. "Should I just have a key made for everyone in the class?" he demanded upon shutting the door and turning to discover Langston making herself at home on the couch.

"Well, it would certainly be convenient, but that's up to you. So, hi, Schuyler! I forgot to say that." Schuyler glanced at Cole, who was uncomfortably leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, glowering at him, before responding.

"It's Mr. Joplin," he informed her, his voice cold as ice. Langston rolled her eyes, unaffected.

"I'm not Starr, you're not going to get rid of me by hurting my feelings," she informed him bluntly, pleased when he flinched and looked pained by her words. "And no, it's Schuyler right now, because this is a personal visit."

"Okay, you need to get out. You are students, I can't have personal visits with you- why is that so hard for everyone to comprehend?!" Schuyler demanded, before sighing and realizing how incredibly stupid that was. "Because I'm the one who acted like that was acceptable, I know. But I'm trying to fix that, and I need you to accept it and let me draw those boundaries that should have been put up a long time ago."

"No," she said simply, shrugging. "I'm not going anywhere, because I'm here on Starr's behalf. I thought it would be best in the long run to let you deal with your issues in your own time and sort it out yourself, but it's become obvious that's not the case, so I'm here for her." Schuyler swallowed roughly, quickly putting on the mask- the cold, unfeeling eyes.

"I have nothing to say about Ms. Manning, she's in the past as far as I'm concerned- that book is closed."

Before Langston and Schuyler could continue their little argument, Cole, out of nowhere, suddenly pushed himself off the wall and slammed his fist hard into Schuyler's jaw.

"Cole!" Langston shrieked, jumping to her feet as Schuyler's head snapped around and he went unnervingly still, just cradling his jaw as he took a deep, calming breath, his shoulders shaking for a moment. "What happened to the gameplan?! Because I don't recall punching him in the face being part of it!"

"I didn't anticipate how much hearing him be an asshole to Starr was going to piss me off, sorry!" Cole retorted sarcastically.

"Me?!" Schuyler shouted back in anger as he lost it, straightening up and looking at him with eyes that could kill. He clenched his fists, begging himself to keep it under control, and above all else, to definitely not retaliate like that tiny little dark part of him left over from his old life was screaming for him to. There was no such thing as a fair fight between him and Cole- if he ever truly lost that control, he'd kill the kid without even trying. "I'm being an asshole to Starr? I'm trying to protect her even when it means ripping my own heart out, Cole; if you wanna be mad about someone hurting her, then maybe you should be pissed at yourself."

"Why's that?!" he yelled back just as loudly. Langston nervously looked back and forth between them, quickly darting between the two boys to make sure they stay separated; Schuyler and Cole getting into a knock down drag out fight had so not been part of the plan.

"You're with Starr already? What, were you lying in wait, just dying for the chance to- oh, what was it, the thing you constantly accuse me of doing- take advantage of her? What the hell is wrong with you? If you actually want her like that, then you're sick."

"Hey, despite what you both seem so fond of accusing the other of, Starr's not the kind to let herself be taken advantage of!" Langston jumped in, irritated. That accusation (which seemed to be constantly flung around these days) was so friggin' insulting.

"And I'm not even with her, dumbass!" Cole snapped. "Funny thing is, she did try to push for that, after you broke her heart, and I told her no, because taking advantage isn't really my thing, and being with a girl who only wants someone else definitely isn't. If Starr told you she's with me, then she was just trying to make you jealous- and it obviously worked, so hey, two points her."

Schuyler was silent, his anger dissipating, confusion appearing in it's place.

"Wait, so you and Starr aren't…?"

"No,, not ever again."

Langston smiled smugly as Schuyler, just standing there, obviously stunned and relieved by this.

"Wow. So, you seem like you're about to rip Cole's head off because you think he moved in on her too soon, but no, you totally don't care about her," Langston chirped with a sarcastic smile, before growing serious. "I don't buy this crap you've been selling about not loving or wanting Starr, not for a second."

"That's your prerogative, but it doesn't change the reality of the situation," he hissed.

"What reality? The one where my best friend is absolutely devastated, crushed, and can't turn to the only person who would usually make her better in this situation because he's the one responsible?"

"She seems fine to me- I'm sure she'll get over it," Schuyler replied darkly.

"No, she won't!" Cole shouted, kicking the desk in frustration. "I wish she would more than anyone, but it's not going to happen. It's easy for you to say when you've been avoiding her, but we see Starr everyday, we can see that she's never going to get over this. God, you are so oblivious; you think because she looks fine in your class or something it means she's over it? You probably seem fine in your class too, but you're obviously not. She's faking it, just like you, because it's the only thing keeping her alive."

"That's part of the problem, isn't it?" Langston asked slowly, cocking her head as she studied Schuyler's face carefully. "You don't even seem to realize you said it, but you just admitted that pushing her away was like ripping out your own heart, so your feelings aren't the problem here- hers are. You're scared to let yourself trust that she's not really fine, that she's not really going to get over you. A part of you is terrified that Todd's right, that this is a phase or something that Starr will move on from. You really think you're that unimportant to Starr, that you're something she can just get over? That's so unfair, Schuyler. You can love her, but you won't trust that she can love you?"

"She's seventeen," was his simple, quiet response. Langston rolled her eyes.

"And she's had a baby, lost a baby, got baby back only to give her up again, been kidnapped or held hostage like, half a dozen times, gone through thinking her parents were missing, dying, or dead too many times to count, grew up with Todd Manning as her father period, dealt with a friend struggling with drug addiction, and been the peacekeeper and caretaker for her family and all of her friends for as long as anyone can remember, and that's like, just scratching the surface. We all know Starr is not seventeen at heart or mind, and I don't believe you think that's a real reason so much as a convenient excuse you can use to push her away."

"I'm with Stacy," he reminded her, relieved he had thought ahead, prepared Stacy as a cover. "And I love her very much."

"Bullshit," Cole snapped, gritting his teeth. "I'm not exactly your biggest fan, but even I don't think you're a big enough jackass to love her- only a real tool could possibly love that psycho. Speaking of, were you aware that Starr overheard you telling your little girlfriend about how Starr couldn't compare to her?" Schuyler inhaled sharply.

"What?" he choked out.

"Yeah- at the hospital. She overheard you telling Stacy about how you never really loved Starr, how you just turned to her out of convenience, how Stacy was who you really wanted all along. So, thank God you 'protected' Starr by doing that, right?" Cole sneered.

"Oh, God, Starr was never supposed to hear that," Schuyler said in despair, digging his fingers into his hair. The thought of Starr overhearing that absolutely crushed him.

"You shouldn't have said it at all, asshole," Cole thundered.

"I was trying to keep Starr safe!" he shouted back in frustration.

"From what?!"

"From me!" Schuyler exploded.

Langston all at once looked satisfied by the admission and sympathetic towards Schuyler's obviously torn, distressed state, while Cole rolled his eyes. Why was Schuyler so determined to be difficult? If he was the one Starr wanted, nobody would be able to keep Cole from Starr, but especially not himself.

"Schuyler, come on. Why do you think that?" Langston pushed.

"Because you know what, I was wrong earlier, about what the reality of this situation is. The true reality is, I'm Starr's teacher, I'm a drug addict, she's been assaulted because of me, she's lost her father because of me, she's lost her reputation at school because of me. How much more do you want her to lose, Langston?"

"Schuyler, things between Todd and Starr have been seriously messed up for a long time, and she's basically hated him ever since this one came along," Langston informed him, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder at Cole, who shrugged and nodded in confirmation. "So that's so not on you. Besides, you staying away wouldn't fix their relationship; just the opposite- when you broke up with her, Starr stormed over to Todd's and told him it was all his fault, then said she never wanted to see him again and told him to go to hell. She's always gonna choose you over him, even if you never have anything to do with her again.

"And the reputation thing? Are you kidding? That was destroyed before you even came to town- she was a pregnant teenager, hello? Hell, the things the kids were saying about her after she kissed you were actually incredibly nice when compared to what people said when she was pregnant." Langston noticed Schuyler clenching his fists in anger as she told him how Starr had been treated during her pregnancy, and even now, she couldn't help but smile, finding his protectiveness cute. "You're not a drug addict, not anymore, I think you guys are well beyond the teacher issue, and blaming Zach Rosen's actions on yourself is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. And what else do I want her to lose? Well, I don't know- she's already lost her heart thanks to you, so there's nothing else she has left that even matters."

"I didn't want to hurt her with the Stacy thing," Schuyler said weakly, his eyes greatly pained. "At least, not as badly as I apparently did."

"Schuyler, why did you involve Stacy at all? I don't get that part."

"I didn't think I had the strength to stay away from Starr again if I didn't have something holding me back, and Starr knows I love her, I didn't see how just breaking up with her was going to convince her that had changed- I needed her to see proof, to make sure she and I kept away from each other, so I couldn't hurt her."

"So, you hurt her to avoid…hurting her? That doesn't make sense, Schuyler!" Langston shouted hysterically. "And that's just it! She doesn't know that you love her, not at all," Langston told him, desperate for him to understand this. Schuyler looked at her with surprised eyes, obviously hurt by the idea of Starr not understanding how he felt for her. "Starr has always felt like she wasn't good enough for you, that it was just her huge lucky break that you wanted to be with her- you not wanting her just makes sense to Starr."

"That's ridiculous, I'm the one who's not good enough for her. I'm the one who got lucky, she's the one who deserves better."

"Wow, you two really are perfect for each other," Langston muttered in frustration. "And you are both going to drive me insane with your insistence that the other is better off without you. Where is this coming from, Schuyler? You guys were so happy together before the…Zach incident," she finished slowly in realization, sighing. "And right before that was the Todd thing, which-"

"I don't care about Todd Manning's threats," Schuyler snorted dismissively- fear of Starr's father had not been a factor in his decision. Langston smiled in surprise.

"Oh. Well, good. But there was something else, what was it?" Langston struggled to remember, Zach and the break-up having dwarfed the issues Starr had mentioned to her beforehand. She gasped as she suddenly remembered, whipping around to shoot her friend a death glare. "Oh, damn it, Cole, the other incident was you!"

"Hey, I was high when I came over here to confront him!"

"That's your defense?! That makes you sound even worse!"

"Cole didn't point out anything that wasn't true, that I shouldn't have already thought about," Schuyler snapped.

"Man, what the hell are you talking about?" Cole snorted. "I hate to admit this, but the truth is that not a word of what I said was true. Like I said, I was high, I was pissed, and I was out of my mind with jealousy, I was just throwing out the worst accusations that came to mind. I can barely even remember what I said that day. Something about you using her? That's obviously not true, or you'd still be with her right now. I was wrong about her only turning to you because she couldn't have me; Starr just doesn't want me and hasn't for a long time, she chose you because she…loves you," he grumbled reluctantly. "It had nothing to do with me. And Langston's right, Starr's too strong to be taken advantage of, that didn't happen. And she knows what she wants, so I sincerely doubt she would have developed some stupid little crush based solely on the fact that you were someone to talk to. So don't try to use me as one of your excuses to continue being a coward, okay?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Cole snapped. "I don't buy this whole noble, just trying to protect Starr even at your own expense crap. It doesn't look like this is about you being strong enough to push her away for her own good. I think it's about you being a coward, and you being weak, and you being afraid to trust that Starr is always going to love you and that the two of you will beat the odds and work out."

"I wouldn't use the word coward, and I do think you're genuinely trying to keep Starr safe, but…I do think- the fear and insecurity and everything- is part of it," Langston agreed softly, as Schuyler bowed his head, his shoulders stiff- she had a feeling they'd hit a nerve. "Schuyler, I just…I don't know how else to put this to make you understand. You're good enough for Starr, and you're just plain good for her. The bad things that happen to her are not your fault, and she's not missing out on anything because of you. It's just the opposite, actually. When you and Starr were together, it was the happiest I had ever seen her- I'm not saying she was miserable before you came along or anything, but with you, it's just…another level completely, I've never seen her that way before. And you being with her keeps her safe, you protect her. Just look at what happened with Zach!"

"Starr was only in that house with him in the first place because of me!"

"No," Cole interjected, intense guilt in his voice. "Starr was there because yet again I ran to her dad and tattled on her about something that was none of my business, she was there because I pissed her off so much that it made her snap at Jack, she was there because Jack acts like a mini Todd sometimes and made a mistake, she was there because Todd's a psychopath and she knows she has to prevent him from literally committing murder. We were why she was there, you were the one that saved her, which is why I thought you might actually be an okay guy and backed off in the first place."

"I didn't save her- she never would have been alone with him for so much as a minute if I had. He hurt her," Schuyler spat, his voice hot with anger. Langston felt pretty certain that Zach Rosen was a dead man if Schuyler ever saw him again. "And when I finally got there, I snapped and almost beat someone to death with my bare hands right in front of her, when she was already terrified- how am I any better than Todd Manning?"

"Uh, 'cause Todd beats up people he finds mildly irritating or that have the nerve to love his daughter, while you beat up a guy that held Starr hostage with a gun, and threatened to rape her-it's not exactly the same thing," Langston replied dismissively, rolling her eyes. "And Starr didn't care about what you did- if anything, she was grateful. Guilty as you feel about that night, do you realize that you were the only person that made Starr feel safe after what Zach did to her? She was fine immediately afterwards because you were there, but now that you're gone, on the nights when she actually manages to get some sleep around her crying, she sometimes has nightmares about him. So I don't see how you staying away makes her any safer."

"Yeah. Dude, can you just quit making excuses? It's really annoying. This is so damn simple, it really is- you love Starr. She loves you. Regardless of whether or not you think you're good enough for Starr, she does," Cole snapped, crossing his arms. "So, do you just have zero respect for her or what?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"If she's decided she wants you, it's pretty damn disrespectful and patronizing for you to decide you know better than her and take yourself out of the picture anyway."

"Cole's got a point, Schuyler. Look, um, Starr…she told me what you said when you were drunk- that you always make her cry. But thing is, that's not true, Schuyler, you don't make her cry, you staying away from her does."

"You know about that and you're still here?" Schuyler asked quietly, shaking his hand. "I still can't believe I did that. Why would Starr want anything to do with me after that?"

"Because you made one mistake?" Cole snorted. "Do you remember all the horrible things I did when I was constantly getting high? Starr wasn't even my friend at the time, she didn't even particularly like me, and she still forgave those constant screw-ups, even when I physically hurt her. I think she might- just might- forgive the guy she's in love with for one night of weakness."

"Hey, speaking of last night," Langston said slowly, furrowing her brow deeply.

She suddenly gave Schuyler a violent smack upside the back of his head, and followed it up with a punch to the arm.

"Ow," he muttered, looking at her in surprise and rubbing the back of his head.

"That's what you get, stupid!" she snapped. "Why would you risk your recovery like that, what's wrong with you?"

Schuyler almost laughed grimly to himself over the fact that Langston, whom he barely knew, cared more about what he'd done than Stacy had.

"I don't know," he mumbled, shamefaced.

"Liar," she accused. "You were there because living without Starr made you so miserable that you lost yourself, which is exactly what's happening to her. Look, I get that you think Starr is better off without you, but she doesn't agree- we don't agree- and you two love each other and you're falling apart on your own. So here's what it comes to down to, Schuyler; do you hate yourself more than you love Starr?"

"Of course not," Schuyler replied instantly, knowing that there was nothing he felt more strongly than his love for Starr. He sighed, his head feeling like it was spinning; Langston made sense, but it wasn't easy to convince yourself you'd been wrong about something you were so strongly convinced of. "I'm just…still not convinced being with her is the right choice. Even if being with me isn't…dangerous for her, it's still unfair. She deserves someone who can love her publicly, who doesn't have to keep her a secret, someone who can take her to her own prom or actually go with her to the hospital when she's hurt," Schuyler told them brokenly, his eyes heavy. Langston sighed.

"So, she 'deserves' to be with a guy she could never truly love or give her heart to since you already have it? She 'deserves' to have to just settle for mediocrity, second best? She 'deserves' a guy who couldn't possibly love her as much as you do? Let me tell you something, Schuyler- prom? Not that much fun when you don't love the person you're going with. Being able to go to the movies with a guy you just kind of like doesn't compare to sneaking around with one you love. Being comforted by someone in public won't help if it's not someone you love so much that they always make you feel safe when nobody else does. It's the person you're with that matters, not what you do when you're together."

Schuyler looked hopeful but still not entirely convinced, and Langston sighed, deciding it was time for the final push.

"Okay, tell you what, Schuyler; read even just the first page of this and tell me how what you're doing now could possibly be good for her," Langston ordered, fishing the papers out of her purse. "It's this letter Starr adds to whenever she's upset about you, to try to make herself feel better- for the record, she never does."

Schuyler appeared startled, and accepted the letter, beginning to read. Langston watched his reaction carefully, seeing his face quickly fall as he read in Starr's own words how utterly crushed she was, how devastated he'd left her, how much she loved him. His eyes looked completely anguished, filled with intense guilt and regret; he looked as though he were in physical pain, like he'd just been punched in the gut, and Langston could see that Schuyler finally understood that he'd made a mistake, that he hadn't protected her, he'd nearly destroyed her.

Langston was caught off guard by how sad she was for Schuyler now, knowing that at least a part of him had honestly thought Starr would react any differently than this. If she were to ever do something stupid like break-up with Markko for his own good, even though she'd want him to be happy, thinking he was okay without her while she'd been left a mess would still hurt like hell.

She glanced back at Cole, and saw that even he looked sympathetic with Schuyler now- Cole knew from experience that realizing you'd hurt Starr was just about the worst feeling in the world.

"Do you get it now?" Langston asked gently as Schuyler finished reading.

Schuyler opened his mouth to reply, but his throat felt tight and he pressed his fist to his mouth, giving a short nod instead. His heart felt like it was in pieces on the floor, knowing he had done and said such horrible things to the girl he loved more than anything in the world for nothing- he hadn't 'protected' her at all, he had just severely broken her. He was an idiot, and an asshole, and about a thousand other awful things. He recalled Starr's teary eyes when she'd taken him home from the bar- he'd thought she was just disappointed in him, but now, knowing he'd put that expression on her face by breaking her heart, absolutely killed him- for a moment, Schuyler truly felt like he couldn't breathe.

"So, I don't have to kill either one of us after-all," Cole muttered to Langston, seeing that Schuyler was so out of his mind with guilt and pain right now that he wasn't even aware of them. Langston managed to tear her sympathetic eyes away from Schuyler long enough to shoot Cole a quick, smug smile.

"You can thank me for my awesome powers of persuasion later." She returned her attention to Schuyler and placed a supportive hand on his arm; his shoulders sagged weakly in response. "Hey, Schuyler, please don't go feeling even worse about yourself because of this, please; you honestly thought you were making the best choice for Starr, you didn't mean to hurt her, and getting all angsty over this isn't going to fix anything. Only finally talking to Starr and being honest with her is."

"Are you sure she's even going to want anything to do with me after what I've put her through?" he asked, his tone so miserable that even Cole had to find it sad.

"Schuyler, remember, what was the entire point of this little lesson? Starr loves you, unconditionally, for better or worse, for good, blah blah blah, please get the point already, I don't know how else to get it across," she requested, giggling so he'd know she wasn't upset. Schuyler remained stone-faced, too overwhelmed by the darkness of what he was currently feeling to be amused."It's probably going to be tough to get her over here, but that's okay, I'll handle that part…you do want to see Starr tonight, right?" Langston asked cautiously.

"Yes!" Schuyler quickly replied, his tone so eager and nervous that it made Langston smiled. "Yes, if she wants to see me. I've lied and hurt us both for long enough, I just want to fix this."

"Good," Langston said happily. "Then I'll get her here, and you're just going to have to convince her that you're not suddenly saying you want her again out of pity or something, because I bet you that's what she's going to think, especially after the whole drunk incident and what Stacy said- oh my God!" Langston abruptly shouted, startling both of the boys. "I didn't tell you what the evil whore said yet!"

"What?" Schuyler suddenly demanded harshly; he had made it clear to Stacy when he'd started this little charade that she was never to go near Starr. "Stacy said something to Starr? When?"

"This morning," Langston informed him grimly. "Starr actually left her letter here last night before she left, on an impulse, but I guess Stacy found it instead of you."

"Shit," Schuyler muttered darkly, already clenching his fists, knowing what was next to come wouldn't be good. Stacy was an extremely possessive person- it was the reason why he'd had to listen to her rant about how Rex was hers so many times back in Vegas, despite the fact that they'd spoken about one time and she hadn't seen him in years. And though she cared about Rex a thousand times more than she did Schuyler, because of their history, Schuyler knew she felt like he belonged to her even more strongly than she did Rex- and Stacy didn't tolerate people trying to take things that were hers.

"Yeah, shit. Stacy came over to the house this morning and was so cruel to Starr that it was just…sick. She claimed that you found the letter first and showed it to her, laughing. She told Starr that you were tired of her being so obsessive and pathetic, that you think she's a joke. She rubbed it in that you're her second choice and yet you love her so much that you begged her to take you back, while Starr loves you more than anything and you still don't want anything to do with her. And I came in at the end, so that's even just what I could get Starr to tell me; she ruined her self esteem, Schuyler, and I expect you to do something about it, with both Stacy and Starr."

"And you damn well better break things off with her before Langston gets Starr over here," Cole interjected. Schuyler narrowed his darkened eyes.

"Trust me, that won't be a problem," he hissed, infuriation twisting his stomach as he thought about what Stacy had done.

"Good. Well," Cole noted, glancing at his watch. "If Langston's going to get Starr over here and we're going to leave you enough time to dump Stacy on her ass first, Langston and I should probably go."

"Thank you for listening to reason, Schuyler," Langston said to him with immense relief as she grabbed her bag, smiling. "I'm really happy you and Starr are going to work this out."

"No, God, Langston, thank you," Schuyler said emphatically. "I have been crushing the person I least want to hurt in the entire world for reasons that you just made me realize were completely pointless, and you saved me from doing that any longer and making us both miserable. Thank you."

"I was very happy to do it. Good luck with Starr, okay?" she said warmly, smiling as she walked to the door to wait for Cole.

"Sorry about punching you," Cole muttered as he passed Schuyler. Schuyler, whose mood had been significantly lifted by the thought of fixing this mess and finally being with Starr again, gave a quiet chuckle.

"I deserved it."

"Glad you can admit that. Don't make us have to do this again, okay?" Cole told him, pausing after he opened the door to give this one last message. "Because if there's a next time, I will kick your ass. Actually, no, scratch that," Cole said quickly, looking to the girl at his side with a grin. "I'll get Langston here to beat the crap of you, that's a much scarier threat. She'll do it, don't think she won't- just look at her face, she's a scrapper."

"Oh my God," Langston groaned, gripping Cole's shirt and yanking him out the doorway. "Bye, Schuyler! I'll have Starr here in two hours, be ready for some serious wooing!" she called over her shoulder before shutting the door. Cole snickered, and she glared at him as they walked down the hall. "Okay, how long are these jokes going to last?" she demanded irritably.

"I'm not going to put a time limit on something that brings me so much joy."

"You know, Starr was there too, why doesn't she get this treatment? She beat someone up too!"

"Uh, no, Starr literally got dragged into the fight and somehow proceeded to get her ass kicked even though you guys were double teaming Lola- I can make fun of her too if you want, but it's going to be for a very different reason," Cole laughed. Langston rolled her eyes, huffing. "Okay, okay, I'll stop. So, I have to ask, how are you getting Starr here?"

"I have to figure that out in the next ten minutes- don't give me that look, I'll come up with something. I am going to make that girl happy again, even if I have to drag her down here kicking and screaming."