Disclaimer: I don't own Community, but if I did Britta Perry would have her own chat show dispensing advice to the nation's more emotionally troubled elements for ratings.

Author's note: perhaps 80% of this chapter is basically an AU version of the Jeff/Annie elements of "Football, Feminism, and You" - it's such a perfect J/A episode (especially as it included their first major fight) that I had to do a version of it.

Chapter 4 - Anatomy of Friendship

Week 6

Annie refused to call Joelle and Marcia her study group, it seemed too grand a name for three friends who met four times a week to share notes and help each other with their homework and talk about their lives. Well, three people who met four times a week to share Annie's notes and listen to Marcia talk about her life, anyway. Annie fought down the somewhat sad feeling that it seemed the only people at Greendale who were willing to spare the time of the day for her were those who had worked out she could be exploited for assistance with class work and focused instead on listening with increasing horror as Marcia wound up her latest anecdote.

"...and then I said okay then, but you have to wash it first!" Marcia collapsed into hoots of laughter.

"So Annie, how are things going with Troy?" Annie knew that if Joelle had been provoked into producing a full sentence she must have been as shocked by Marcia's tale as she was, but she was grateful for the chance to share her news nonetheless.

"He's agreed to let me do a study session with him!" Only Annie could make a study session sound more exciting than a date. "I'm going to be helping him revise for tomorrow's astronomy test at lunchtime!"

"Yougogirl." That was more Joelle's style.

XXXXXX

(Lunchtime in the cafeteria, Annie is trying to teach Troy some basic astronomy and flirt at the same time, it's not proving easy.)

"What's the closest planet to Earth?"

"Erm, Planet Hollywood?" Annie puts on her best fake smile and giggle.

"That's not the right answer - it's Venus - but it shows how much fun astronomy can be!"

"Now, what does a star turn into after it collapses?"

"A movie of the week." Jeff had walked up to the table.

"Hi Edison. Hey Troy, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"We're studying Jeff, so Troy's busy."

"Well, the galaxy's not going anywhere. Look, I'll bring him back."

Troy didn't even turn back to acknowledge Annie before getting up and going off with Jeff, and Annie's last remark died unsaid on her lips.

"Do you ever miss being a quarterback, Troy?" She heard Jeff say as he led Troy away. Neither of them noticed the quietly desolate expression that fell over Annie's face.

XXXXXX

(Annie's been waiting at her table in the cafeteria for an hour when Troy comes back, pumped up and chanting their old high school fight song. Annie is dismayed by the change in him.)

"Troy! Stop! Don't become this person again!" Annie pleaded. "This isn't the real is the arrogant jock that totally ignored the only people that truly liked him for non-superficial reasons but weren't allowed to say anything because their parents are bigots!" Annie stopped for a moment as she suddenly realised she was saying too much. Troy didn't notice.

"Football is bad for you, Troy!"

"Yeah, Jeff said you'd say that." Troy turned away and strutted out of the cafeteria.

"Jeff - what now?"

" Troy! Troy, Troy, Troy. That's my name…"

Annie was livid. Winger? What the hell?

XXXXXX

Jeff was walking down a pathway when five feet three inches of pure rage in a mustard yellow cardigan leapt out of a bush at him.

"How much did the Dean pay you to make Troy play football?"

Jeff was somewhat stunned by Annie's ambush. "I'm not having a conversation with someone who emerges from a bush!"

"Because I'm right?"

"No, because I'm not in a commercial for breakfast cereal. Look, I'm sorry Annie but the dean has pictures of me, okay? Horrible pictures of me attending his school."

"And for that you'd convince Troy to flush his life down football's toilet again? You really are the most selfish person alive! And all that is going to end right now, because I'm telling him what kind of friend you really are!"

Jeff had had enough. "Maybe you should tell him you're hopelessly in love with him." He snapped back. Annie gasped in shock.

"High School must have been tough, huh? Waiting for a superstar to notice you. But here, here he's all alone, and he needs so much help! Just how many of his classes have you managed to enrol in Annie, are you freaking him out yet? Or is it just that the important thing is that you are there for him, that you are the only one there for him? And you don't really care what he wants just as long as you don't have to share him with the rest of the world. Because, really, you are just as selfish as I am. You're just not as good at it yet."

While Jeff talked, Annie's expression went from outrage to shock and she was now on the brink of tears.

"You're right. I could never be as good as you. Probably because I actually care."

Profound, but technically meaningless - "

"I thought we were friends, Jeff!" Annie said in a heartbroken tone of voice as she turned around and stomped away.

"Annie, we - don't do that thing that women do where they walk away and make the guy feel like crap, because it won't happen! Yeah!"Jeff's voice and face fell."Damn it."

XXXXXX

Marcia had been enjoying watching the hackeysack guys playing when she saw Annie storm across the Quad. She briefly considered pretending not to notice, but then she saw that Annie was crying her eyes out. oh, crap. She thought, as she got up and followed Annie into the Learning Resource Center and down to Study Room B. Annie looked up as Marcia opened the door, she was still crying her eyes out.

"Why do we inflict so much pain on ourselves for men?"

Marcia was flummoxed for an answer - she certainly never did - "...erm?"

Annie didn't wait for an answer "I've been infatuated with Troy, now he's joining football. Now he'll have his pick of the litter and I'll never get to be with him!"

"Oh screw him Annie! Or not, as the case may be." Annie gasped with shock at Marcia's comment, but at least it distracted her from her tears. "Look - there are guys out there that would kill to be with you, and if Troy isn't one of them, that's his loss, not yours! What about that other guy you hang around with, the one with the forehead and abs?"

Annie's expression crumbled again. "Jeff? He's the one who talked Troy into it!"

"Well, they're both douches then! Look Annie - take this from someone who has been round the block a few times, but there are guys who will like you, guys who will ignore you, and guys who will pretend to like you just so they can use you - but there are no guys who are worth crying your eyes out in a windowless study room over!"

Annie sat up straight, and wiped her eyes one last time. "Your right Marcia - I'm a strong, independent woman and I don't need a man to validate myself. I can do this, I can let him go!"

"You go girl," Marcia smiled.

XXXXXX

(That evening)

Jeff Winger was standing outside the pep rally, feeling uncharacteristically humble and reflective. The fight with Annie had disturbed him more than he would have let on, and he had tracked Troy down to try and talk him out of playing only for Troy to turn the tables on him with a Winger speech of his own. Troy had talked about how Greendale had given him the freedom to play football for the pure love of the game, without pressure and expectations, and that perhaps Jeff too could learn to accept where he was and draw satisfaction from the space to breathe Greendale could give him.

Thus Jeff was staring out into the darkness, not thinking any particularly profound thoughts but drawing some comfort from the silence when he saw a familiar figure in mustard yellow emerge out of the darkness carrying a large poster.

Annie smiled a somewhat cautious smile. "I've decided to support Troy." She showed Jeff her poster, lots of pink and glitter with DEPLOY TROY prominently written across the middle.

"They deploy things in football, right? I went for rhyme over clarity."

Jeff felt absurdly relieved to see her. "Look, I'm, uh, I'm really sorry about before. I just think we were both wrong."

Annie wasn't going to let him off that easily.

"Really? Because I'm an 18-year-old girl, and you made me cry in public."

Sometimes it was easier just to surrender, Jeff thought. "Okay, maybe I was a little more wrong. I should grow up and make peace with being here. I mean, it's not like Greendale's going to kill me or anything. Look, can we make a promise to never fight again over something so stupid?"

"No." Said Annie, somewhat to Jeff's surprise. "I'm sure we'll fight again, but I am prepared to promise to still be friends afterwards if you are." She gave a proper smile this time.

"Deal." Jeff smiled back. "Holy crap!"

Annie turned around to see what had shocked Jeff, saw a strange, ghostly figure emerge out of the shadows, screamed in fear and instinctively jumped to Jeff's side. With the same instinct, Jeff put a protective arm around her shoulders.

Pierce and the dean emerged from the shadows alongside the eerie figure.

"Hey," said Pierce. "Say hello to our ethnically neutral mascot- the Greendale human being. The costume makes it difficult for him to see."

The strange figure mumbled incoherently.

"He can't move his mouth either," said the dean. "But take it from me, that's human for 'hello.'"

"Let's get you into the pep rally!" The dean shouted into the "human being's" ear, who flinched visibly.

"Great idea!" Said Pierce, as he and the dean grabbed hold of the mascot's arms and led him up the steps. "Let's do it! we've solved racism. What's next?"

They kept talking as they disappeared into the building.

Jeff and Annie had separated as the trio passed them and they turned to watch them go inside, now they were looking at each other with 'did you just see that too, or am I going mad?' expressions on their faces.

Jeff spoke first."This has the potential to be a uniquely Greendale experience."

He offered his arm to Annie."Milady?"

Annie smiled at him and took his arm. "Milord." Together they walked into the building arm in arm. When they reached the door, Jeff solemnly bowed and held it open for Annie, who did a little curtsey in return and walked through it.