Annie sighed deeply as the person slowly turned around, revealing herself to be Heather. While she wasn't surprised that the assailant was her, it still stung to be proven right. "What the hell was that? You tried to dump paint on Troy and Raquel. Are you insane?"

"I was trying to get Troy. Raquel was just an added bonus."

"Why the hell would you even do that?"

Heather looked at Annie as if she were a simpleton. "Do you even have to ask Annie? He deserves to be punished after all the crap he put me through. Him and Tiffany and all the others who humiliated me and everyone."

Annie's eyes widened as the full realization of what had happened tonight hit her. "It was you, wasn't it? You did something to make Tiffany sick."

Heather shrugged nonchalantly as Annie glared at her. "Yeah, I slipped a little something in her drink. It was just suppose to make her a little loopy. I didn't know it'd make her sick."

"Do you know how dangerous that was? She could have gotten really sick or hurt. Why would you do that?"

Heather scoffed in disbelief at Annie's question. "I did it because she's a self centered bitch who had it coming. She once put laxatives in my soda just before gym class. Do you remember how humiliating that was? And she hasn't changed at all! I watched you two just before she got sick. Even after all this time she still has to humiliate you. She deserved to have some humiliation thrown back at her for once."

Annie took a deep breath to give herself a moment before continuing. "Heather, yes, Tiffany is a self centered bitch and will probably always be one. But what you did still wasn't right. She could have died."

"Oh please," Heather said as she rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious Heather. You don't know how someone's body will react to something. You thought she would just act silly and instead she got sick. Something worse could have happened."

"Oh god Annie, it was just a prank that didn't go exactly as planned. She wasn't in any real danger."

"Well what about Russ? He could have broken his neck falling down those stairs."

Annie nervously held her ground as Heather glared nastily at her. "I told you, I didn't push…" She groaned in frustration, tightly gritting her teeth. "Fine, okay? I pushed him. I didn't plan on doing it. But when I saw him walking past those stairs I couldn't help myself. The guy picked on half the student body. He deserved it."

Annie's eyes widened as she stared at Heather. She felt her face grow hot from the rage that was coursing through her. "You looked me in the eye and said you didn't do it. You made me feel terrible for accusing you, and you were lying the whole time!"

"Annie…" Heather's mouth opened as she struggled to say something redeeming. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied to you. But things were going so well between us, and I was afraid if you knew you'd get mad at me and never want to see me again."

"And you think lying to me was better? That just makes this worse!" She shook her head disbelievingly as her former friend. "You're as bad as they were."

"Oh no I'm not!" Heather cried hysterically.

"Yes you are. You're obsessed with being a bully and humiliating others."

"They were bullies fir-."

"And what you don't realize," Annie yelled as she cut Heather off. "Is that the people you're targeting aren't even the same people they once were! Russ apologized to me and said he feels terrible about how he treated everyone in high school. And Troy is an amazing person and a great friend."

Heather smiled grimly at Annie, feeling it was time to play the trump card she hoped she wouldn't have to use. "Well let me tell you this. If Troy Barnes is really so amazing, then how could he have come up with the nickname 'Little Annie Adderall'."

Annie deeply frowned in disbelief over that one. "You're really so desperate to convince me you're right that you'll try and rewrite history? Tiffany Peterson came up with that horrible nickname. She constantly bragged at how 'clever' it was."

"No Annster," Heather said softly. "Heather didn't come up with that nickname. Troy Barnes did. They were standing right behind me when you were being treated by paramedics after crashing through that window. After they saw the pills Tiffany said 'So little goody two shoes Annie is a pill head'. And then Troy said 'Yea, she's Little Annie Adderall'. And after she heard it Tiffany spread it all around the school and took full credit for it. But that nickname would never have been invented if not for Troy Barnes. So think about how perfect he really is if he came up with such a humiliating nickname for you."

Annie stood there in shock as Heather's words washed over her. She desperately wanted her to be lying. But after witnessing all the lying she had done earlier, Annie was now able to tell when she wasn't being truthful, and it pained her to realize that Heather was being truthful here.

Rage filled Annie at the realization that Troy had been the one to come up with that terrible nickname. She wanted revenge. She wanted to pour paint on him, and pants him, and draw penises on his face, and have everyone point and laugh while he cried in humiliation.

But as that image passed through her mind, other actual Troy memories came to her. Like how he had been willing to give up his bedroom so she could have one when she first moved in. That he gave up partying on his 21st birthday to make sure everyone got home safely, and then how he made her feel better about herself when she was having an identity crisis. How he was willing to make Britta forget about Blade even if it was at his own expense. That he was willing to become an air conditioning repair student if it meant saving Greendale and having them all become students again.

As much that it sucked to find out that Troy was the one who came up with that nickname, the truth was she couldn't really seek revenge on him for it, because that person no longer existed. He was no longer the jerk who went around making fun of others. He had grown up and became a better person, and tonight proved that he regretted how he used to act in high school. It wouldn't be fair to try and humiliate a person who no longer existed.

"Come on, Annie," Heather said hopefully. "We can still get him back for everything he did to us."

Annie swallowed down her emotions as she looked at Heather's smiling face. "Heather, I don't know if I can ever get you to believe this, but Troy is not the same person who humiliated us in high school. He's a good person now, and it wouldn't be right to get back at him now. Please, you have to let it go."

The smile left Heather's face as she yelled in frustration. "I don't get you!" she cried in disbelief. "We were both picked on mercilessly. You had it even worse than I did, and you still can act chipper and positive after everything. How the hell is it so easy for you to just let it go?"

"You think it's easy Heather?" Annie said in a low, serious voice. "You think it's simple being cheerful and positive after everything I've been through? It's not. God, there have been so many times I've wanted to just give up and be like you. It's easy to be jaded and cynical and vindictive against the world because of the shit hand you've been dealt with. But I believe that you can't find real happiness if you're miserable, so I forced myself to be positive and to see the bright side of things, even if I didn't truly believe it.

"And you know what, Heather? Eventually it came true." She nodded her head as a true smile came over her. "I was able to actually be happy instead of just pretending to be. And from there I was able to gain so much. I was able to find self worth and confidence. I gained friends who are family, and an amazing boyfriend who truly loves and appreciates me. And even when things don't go my way, I'm able to handle it and make the best out of a bad situation."

"Well that's great," Heather said sarcastically. "You've risen up from all the crap you dealt with in high school. Good for you." Her voice dripped with contempt as she blinked her eyes in frustration. "You think I haven't tried to do that? I've tried to get over it, but I can't. No matter what I do I'm haunted by everything that happened back then."

As Annie looked at Heather's crumpling face she was filled with sadness. She had looked up to Heather in high school and admired her for being confrontational instead of meek like she was. But now she looked at her and saw a scarred and scared woman who was unwilling or unable to allow herself to heal.

"Heather, I'm sorry. I wish you were able to let go of all this pain you have inside of you. And, I don't know. Maybe if we hadn't lost touch you wouldn't have ended up like this."

Heather gave Annie a small crooked smile as she sadly chuckled. "I probably wouldn't have listened to you anyway. I always make fun of the bubbly happy ones."

Annie smiled before her face again grew serious. "Heather, I truly am sorry that you're in this much pain. But I will not just stand by and allow you to hurt people here, no matter how much you think they deserve it."

Heather stood still as she looked into Annie's eyes, seeing a fire that hadn't been there during their high school days. "So what are you going to do? Call the police and turn me in? Rat me out to everyone in there?"

Annie was silent for a few moments before she responded. "Heather, you stood by me in high school when no one else did, and that includes my parents. You used to be my best friend, and I would have done anything for you back then. So no, I'm not going to turn you in or reveal what you've done. However," she emphasized dramatically, "you're going to leave here right now. And if I ever find out you've gone after Troy or anyone we went to high school with, I will do something about it, regardless of how close we once were."

Heather nodded her head grimly, not wanting to test the get out of jail free card Annie had thrown at her. "All right." She walked down the hallway before stopping in front of the door. "Just so you know, I wasn't lying before. I did miss you," she said without turning around. Without another word Heather pushed the door open and walked outside.

Annie shivered as she heard the loud shutter of the closed door vibrate through her. She knew that she and Heather would never be friends again. Even if they did physically meet again, it wouldn't be the same as it once was. The girl she was once so close to was now gone. And she herself was no longer the same person Heather had once known. The two girls who had once been so close had been replaced by different versions of themselves, and those different versions no longer fit in each other's lives.

Annie waited a few more moments before walking back inside the gym. She made her way through the crowds until she saw Jeff and Troy, who came right over to her. "Are you ok?" What happened?" Jeff asked.

"I'm fine." She shared a brief look with Jeff before turning her attention to Troy. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" Before he could respond Annie took Troy by the hand and led him out onto the dance floor. "Troy, I have to ask you something." She waited a moment as she worked out how to best go about this. "Someone tonight told me you were the one who came up with the nickname 'Little Annie Adderall' in high school. Is that true?"

Troy's eyes widened as he took that in. "What? No, I-." He paused as he looked into her eyes, seeing that no matter what he said she already knew the truth about his insensitive stupidity. He swallowed down the lump in his throat as he forced himself to admit his shameful secret out loud. "I didn't mean…it was something stupid I said to get a laugh," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "I wasn't thinking and it just came out of me. Then Tiffany took credit for it and spread it around and it was just easier to let everyone think she came up with it. Then we got to know each other in Greendale and I just kind of blocked out that I was the one that caused people to make fun of you for your pill problem." He lowered his head, finding it hard to look at her at the moment. "I'm really sorry Annie. I shouldn't have made fun of you for what you were going through."

"Thank you for telling me the truth and not lying about it." Annie blinked back the tears that were forming as she took hold of Troy's hands. "I forgive you and accept your apology." She waited until he looked back up at her before continuing. "Yes, what you did was incredibly hurtful and mean. But you're not the same guy you were back then. You're sensitive and kind and you feel terrible when you hurt someone's feelings. It wouldn't make sense to be mad at you for what you did back then, because that guy no longer exists. And the Troy who is here, he's someone I like a lot."

"Thanks Annie. You're a really good person," Troy said with a smile. She returned his smile as she hugged him, feeling like she had just released a giant weight. It felt good to let go of her anger, rather than keep it in and let it grow and fester.

Troy glanced up at the wall clock as he let go of Annie, seeing that the reunion would be ending soon. "I think I'm going to go and see if Britta wants to watch a movie or something. I'll see you guys tomorrow." He took the crown off his head and put it on top of Annie's head. "I still think you should have won. It's not a tiara, but it still makes you royalty." Before she could say anything he walked over to Jeff and whispered something in his ear before quickly and quietly slipping out of the gym, noticed only by the ones who truly cared about him.

Jeff walked over to Annie and held his hand out to her. "Mind if I cut in?" He groaned as Annie looked at him in bewilderment. "Troy told me to say that to you, even though you're not dancing with anyone."

"That was sweet. Just let him have this one Jeff."

He shrugged as he put his arms around Annie and fingered the crown. "Nice look."

"Shut up. It was a sweet gesture." She took the crown off and looked at it before pulling Jeff down slightly so she could put it on his head. "There, my prince."

"You're lucky I love you Annie. This thing is now hiding my hair on a particularly good day." He grinned back at her before his face grew more serious. "So you want to tell me what happened with Heather and the Carrie like stunt?"

Annie's eyes widened slightly as she looked at Jeff. She started to ask him how he knew it was her before she realized it wouldn't have been that hard for him to figure it out. Instead she explained to him everything that had happened. Jeff was silent as he listened to her, not saying anything until after she was finished.

"Wow," he eventually said, for lack of a better phrase.

"I know." She hung her head a little as a stab of fear penetrated her. "And the thing is, I realized I could have become just like her."

Jeff placed his fingers under her chin and gently raised her head until she was looked up at him. "No Annie, you could never become like that."

"Jeff, you didn't know me before I came to Greendale. I was picked on just as much as Heather was. I had it even worse than she did. She didn't have divorced parents, or a mother who only liked her if she was the best, or an out of control pill addiction from trying to be the best. If I didn't make a conscious effort after rehab to be happy and see the best in things, even when I didn't truly believe it, I could have very well become like Heather: a bitter unhappy person who only cares about getting back at the world."

Jeff nodded his head as he looked at her with a bit of sadness in his eyes. "I just didn't realize that your…" He paused as he tried to properly phrase what he wanted to say. "That your being you was just an act."

To his surprise Annie actually smiled instead of getting angry. "It wasn't an act for very long. It really only lasted the summer before I started at Greendale and a month or so once I started. After that it became real instead of a script I was following. And I remember exactly when that started."

"Oh yeah? What changed you?"

Her smile grew even wider as she looked at her boyfriend. "You."

"Wait, what? How did I do that?"

"It was actually two things that did it. The first was when we went to see Troy's first pep rally after being terrified by the human being. You held your arm out for me to take and you weren't ashamed to be seen with me."

"Annie, it was a community college pep rally. It wasn't that big a deal."

Annie scoffed as she rolled her eyes. "I know that now, Jeff. But at the time it was huge to me. At pep rallies in high school I was either ignored or made fun of. So it meant a lot to me what you did, even if you didn't see it that way."

At that Jeff simply smiled and nodded his head, unwilling to take something away from her that meant so much. "Okay. What was the second thing I did?"

"The second time was at the Dia de los Muertos party, when you danced with me after Abed saved you and Pierce from that chair fort. You spun me in your arms and I started laughing and I realized it wasn't fake laughter. I was truly happy at that moment. And after that, I was able to stop acting and actually start being happy." She reached up to cup his cheek with her hand. "You've done a lot for me Jeff. You helped me become a whole person, even when you weren't trying. I can't thank you enough for that."

"Well, I could always use something from The Gap if you're looking for ideas. That should probably make us even," Jeff joked. Annie giggled, finding it comforting that Jeff would joke during a moment like this rather then annoying. He kissed her before pulling back to look into her eyes, his own full of deep affection for the woman in front of him. "You know you're not the only one who wasn't a whole person when they started at Greendale. I came in there just wanting to remain the same selfish guy I had always been. And because of you and the study group, I was able to grow and change into someone the old me would have laughed at. So, thank you for all of that."

Annie smiled softly and leaned into Jeff as she felt him wrap his arms around her, making her feel safe and comforted. As she rested her head against his chest she looked around at everyone in the gym. While she didn't get exactly what she had set out to gain when she walked into the reunion, she had ended the night with a simple realization: some people, like Heather, would spend their lives being defined by the ghosts of their past, while others, like herself, Troy and Jeff, would rise up from the pain they had once endured to become well rounded and better versions of who they once were. It felt good to know that she was in the latter of that spectrum.