A heavy silence filled the room, Candy had given up her attempts to bring her friend to his senses, and he wouldn't let her clean up the mess to make the flat look decent.

Archie was not ashamed of what he had done and said at all. He was standing at the front door with grim determination on his face and his arms folded on his chest.

There was a quiet knock at the door, and young Cornwell snarled:

"The guy's playing nice! Okay, welcome!"

He pushed the door open and suddenly started back. It was… Annie.

It was hard to say which one of them was more surprised. Miss Brighton's blue eyes got large and glanced perplexedly at Archie's reddened face, the mess in the corridor and Candy, hiding behind Cornwell's back with downcast eyes.

"Oh, um… Archie…" Annie was the first one to find words. "I didn't expect to see you… Here."

She turned around and wanted to leave, but Archibald woke out of stupefaction.

"Annie! Annie, wait! Can you imagine? Candy is waiting… for Neil!"

The girl turned around, and her dark hair softly fell onto her back.

"Waiting for… Neil?" she repeated. "Did she ask you to protect her from his offence?"

"God, no!" the young man angrily tossed his head. "She is waiting for him, she is glad when he comes, she loves him! Can you imagine that?!"

Annie said nothing for a while, and Candy was silent too, as though they were speaking of someone else.

Then miss Brighton replied dryly:

"Well, that's her own private life, isn't it? Or do you care much?" she threw at him angrily and ran downstairs.

The hell with it! She hates him! Hates! She almost agreed to the second engagement… Fool! Idiot!

Annie was nearly running along the streets and alleys, letting forth a stream of oaths that the young lady shouldn't even have known about.

And what about Candy, her friend? Was she a friend?

Screw it!

God damn it all!

All the close ones had betrayed her and felt quite okay about it. Quiet, meek, handy Annie! Handy!

She won't say anything, won't get angry, won't hurt anyone… She won't cause inconvenience to anyone…

They can do whatever they want to her.

The girl recovered breath and was now walking, kicking a small stone with a toecap of an elegant shoe.

Whatever happens, she won't marry Archie. It's over now!

A car horned, and miss Brighton almost jumped out of surprise.

"Need a ride?" she heard an unpleasant voice, slowly dragging the words.

"Yes, thanks," she got into Neil Legan's car and looked at his profile.

What has Candy found in him? He's surely attractive, as everyone in his family, but this chicken heart, this impudence, this arrogant behavior…

"You love Candy, don't you?" the girl asked all of a sudden.

Legan steadily nodded.

"Yes, with all my heart. Why?"

"I wish Archie could say the same about me," miss Brighton blurted out unintentionally.

He snickered and turned to her. His arrogant face showed empathy.

"So make him jealous! Tickle his nerves! Try hanging out with some loser, maybe not even an attractive one, but ugly as hell! My cousin's gonna be so mad!"

"But that's wrong," Annie blinked in surprise. "To make someone jealous is mean, and to use another person…"

"Oh, please!" Neil rolled up his eyes, as though she was saying banal and dull things. "He's being a jerk, and you've got to teach him a lesson. As for using people… Well, you're not gonna promise that loser to marry him, are you? Just take his flowers and have a walk with him for a while, that's it."

Miss Brighton kept silent. It seemed to her as if the devil-tempter was whispering a decision to her. A wrong, bad decision… But the one that would work.

"Did you make Candy jealous?" she asked him finally.

"Well, yeah, a couple of times. It just proved her feelings for me," Neil smiled jauntily, and there was something in his smile that troubled Annie.

"But you're just playing with her! How can you say that you love her?" miss White resented, and Legan yanked on the brake.

He turned to her abruptly, his dark eyes seemed to be bright with anger.

"I love her, you got it?Don't try to estimate my love, that's none of your business, okay?"

"Okay," Annie mumbled quietly and went out of the car.

What a malicious scoundrel! But his advice… should she try it?