Dodging Becky's interrogation was the worst but aside from that she had a nice afternoon outing with her. Of course, once Anya was dropped off she realized she hadn't even asked her parents for permission.

Well, it doesn't matter anymore.

She knew she missed the new Spy Wars episode but it was fine, she could just ask Damian if he recorded it for her.

He always does for some reason.

Well, she knew why but-

Nevermind.

She opened the door still holding an almost eaten cone. She was greeted by Bond who she bought a treat for. He ate it happily and walked back inside her room. That bad huh? She walked in and sure enough, her parents were in the dining room looking worried. When their eyes set on Anya they looked so relieved that Anya almost felt bad for not saying anything.

"Anya! Where were you, young lady?! Do you have any idea how late it is??" Loid began clearly angry.

"You could have gotten hurt, or worse, kidnapped!" Yor matched his energy.

Anya merely sighed. "I went out with Becky." She showed off her cone. "She got me ice cream." For good measure, she ate the last of it since it wasn't much anyway. They both looked relieved and angry at the same time, their thoughts jumbled as a silent conversation ensued between the two as they stared into the other's eyes. Anya merely sighed and sat down as her parents continued their silent conversation.

"Anya, you can't just do that okay? We were worried and-"

"I know but I'd rather stay out for as long as I can than come back here!" She yelled out feeling frustrated. Her life was more or less falling apart right now and it didn't help that she was also dealing with an impossible crush. It was all too much! Plus she was about to spill the beans to said crush. She felt mortified!

Loid and Yor shared a look of devastation.

"Anya…" Loid began but trailed off, unable to find the proper words. Why do you even bother Twilight? Once the mission is over you'll be forced to leave… maybe it's for the best, they want Anya to get her last Stella star so she can become an Imperial Scholar or else… but… it's better this way.

Anya looked at Loid alarmed. They're finally giving him a proper due date? What!? She felt her breath hitch, frozen in fear. Her family was doomed no matter what…

Yor averted her gaze. "Anya we love you very much." She began but saying anything more was proving painful. I'll have to leave soon or else, if Garden gets word of who Loid is then they'll task me to kill him and… as much as I hate him right now I… I still love him…

Anya wanted to cry. Cry so hard her eyes would get swollen and red. The Forger family… really was no more… "I'm going to my room." She quickly got up not wanting her parents to see her cry. They didn't protest. She locked herself in her room. Bond watched as she jumped on her bed and began crying her eyes out on her pillow. He placed himself near her with a whine not wanting to see his beloved owner so sad. Anya smiled and hugged him tightly as his attempts to comfort her were more or less working. Her breathing was still uneven but she felt better at least. Soon Bond found himself lying on Anya's bed while she closed her eyes trying to drift to sleep. Trying to forget and not think about the awaiting pitiful future.

I'll be alone again.

At that moment Bond's ears perked up and a vision played in his mind. Anya's eyes shot open as she read his mind.

It was her at Eden Academy, by the entrance talking to someone. Who is that? Her eyes squinted trying to get a good look. It clicked in her mind as the vision of the person she was talking to became clearer. She gasped, is that Demetrius Desmond?! Why am I talking to him?? Her brain couldn't wrap around why she'd be talking to Damian's brother. Or why he would even be at the school. He graduated a long time ago after all.

Or maybe…

She perked up.

He was coming to see Damian!

She must be by the entrance because she's getting ready to leave. Yeah, that's it! Anya has cracked the case pack it up everyone. She patted herself on the back. Was this going to happen tomorrow? She had no idea but she more or less now has something to expect. She shouldn't spoil the surprise plus she planned on more or less avoiding Damian anyway because he always managed to make her feel vulnerable when she didn't want to be. What was I thinking wanting to reveal that my parents are divorcing? That was the one thing he actually wouldn't get. Despite everything, his parents were still together and she was sure he might comment or say something judgy and she didn't want that. Not from him…

He wouldn't do that.

But what if he does?!

Anya groaned and went back to trying to sleep and not think about anything. But her mind was being a huge asshole by making her think of all kinds of scenarios, bad ones to boot. There was no point in thinking about that knowing she might have to leave Eden. She was hoping things would get better but if W.I.S.E was pressuring her Papa and her Mama was worried about Garden finding out then…

Another groan and down she went to sleep.

-

The next few days were brutal for Anya to say the least.

She thought it was going to be a good day, a fun day, her mornings were rough like always. Her Mama was still distrusting and only reluctantly ate when Anya made her presence known. Anya managed to eat her breakfast but the weight of the world was on her shoulders now. Her Papa stressed about Anya needing her final Stella. And Anya knew she needed it so the mission can stay afloat. So she spent the next few days studying, studying until she couldn't anymore until she dropped dead and her eyes were practically bleeding. It was an exaggeration but she felt like she could drop dead at any moment. her midterms were coming up so Anya didn't stop studying which caused her to pull all-nighters at one point. She had to hand it to Damian, she had no clue how he was always managing to cram so much information in his brain. She could barely handle a single subject. So when the fateful day came Anya hoped she'd at least get one Stella from the eight tests she had to take. She knew bolts weren't going to happen as Anya outgrew her inability to retrain certain information… to an extent anyway.

"I'm sure I didn't do that well on my tests." Becky sighed, crossing her arms.

Anya shrugged. "I mean I think I passed." She was playing it off cool but the anxiety was eating her alive. Even with the results being posted right in front of her she couldn't quite tell if she got a Stella or not. She waited until she got her actual exam scores.

They made it back to class. Anya knew at the very least she didn't fail any of her exams. She sighed at that but she needed a Stella. Surely she got a- "Ah."

Becky looked over her shoulder. "Hey, at least you improved your overall score!" Becky beamed trying to find the bright side.

It was better than usual but Anya was hoping she had… she trembled a bit. "I studied so hard too." She sighed as Becky patted her back.

"I see some things never change, still can't manage to get anything above a sixty that isn't classical language," Damian said snickering. He was saying it in a joking manner like he always did. It was kind of a staple to make fun of Anya's rather terrible scores. Ewen and Emile joined in with their laughter. Beck merely rolled her eyes used to the teasing. If they continued naturally she'd step in.

And normally Anya wouldn't care, she'd usually bite back but…

I failed…

I failed Papa.

She blinked back her tears but she realized she couldn't do anything to stop her overflowing emotions. Her sobs were quiet and gradually got louder the more tears poured down her cheeks. If she had been thinking she would have been embarrassed beyond belief but just like the hallway incident she couldn't stop. She bolted out the door completely unaware of the absolute chaos she left behind.

Nobody expected such a reaction from Anya Forger, especially over her test scores, which were better than her last test scores too. Secondly, they wondered if it was due to Damian's joke which wouldn't have been that odd or out of character. Everyone knew how they would joke, bicker and tease each other by now. Emile and Ewen looked completely confused.

Becky got up to follow her but not before sending a nasty glare toward Damian while growling. "Fuck you!" She bolted out the door after her best friend.

"I… I didn't mean it…" Damian's voice was weak and small. His expression was of pure devastation as he felt his heart break as the scene rammed into his head like a truck going full speed. It was like the wind had been knocked out of him.

Damian hated two things in life.

One was getting bad grades, that one was obvious.

The second one was seeing Anya Forger cry, not many knew this one of course. It was kept in a tight lock in the deepest crevices of his mind and heart. Only his friends knew or had a suspicion of it anyway.

He didn't mean to sound harsh. Did he sound harsh? Did he sound too mean? He was just trying to joke around with her, he was even going to offer to tutor her on the subjects she was struggling with the most. And yet he couldn't even say anything because the moment he saw Anya's tears he knew he had fucked up.

Utterly fucked up.

Majorly fucked up.

It was like kicking a puppy.

But way worse.

She looked so hurt and broken that it felt like he had been stabbed through the heart multiple times. He was struggling as it is to not break down in front of the class with all eyes on him. He was glad Ewen and Emile were trying to redirect the attention elsewhere. It wasn't working though as Cecile Hall couldn't help but be invested in this development between them. He caused Anya to cry and now she most likely hates him. Hates him forever. She'll probably ask him to never speak or look at her ever again! How could he possibly do that? He can't honor that wish at all because not being able to be near Anya was like a death sentence for him. She made his mood brighter, better, he felt lighter and freer with her around. She was his sunshine and the reason he always strived to be the best version of himself. She was everything to him.

She was the love of his life.

He felt his head hit his desk.

"Damian-sama? Hey, are you okay?!"

"Damian-sama please breathe."

"Don't die on us!!"

Too late, he already felt like dying.

-

Anya was in the bathroom trying to calm herself and failing like always. Why was she always doing things before her brain could even process them? She didn't even mean to cry and run out like that. What was she thinking?

He wasn't intentionally being mean to her. It was his usual meanness.

And to boot, she purposefully hid from Becky who was looking for her everywhere.

She groaned and almost pulled out her hair. It was obvious the stress of losing her family was becoming too much for her to handle. She needed to talk to someone or do something about it. And yet she knew deep down she was going to keep quiet, keep it to herself and not utter a word. It was all going to be swept under the rug and she wasn't going to say anything or even give any sort of explanation on why she cried like that when Damian's words never bothered her. Even back in first grade, her go-to response was getting mad. She punched him when they first met! She did cry during the cafeteria apology… but she was five and his friends were being super mean!

She groaned for the millionth time this week and hugged her knees tightly trying to ignore her overwhelming feelings. Becky was probably worried sick about her. Class started about an hour ago too, she was likely risking a bolt just to find her. Anya knew she was being dumb and selfish yet she had no intentions of leaving her hiding spot.

Staying in the bathroom felt like an eternity for her. At one point she had no idea how she managed to fall asleep in her current position but she did and didn't fall over. She would have been proud of that had she not realized that not only did she skip class, but she also skipped lunch, heck she skipped the entire school day. Her soul left her body and quickly started facepalming so hard she hoped it left a mark. To make matters worse she left her stuff at her desk! Even if she leaves she needs to go back to retrieve them. Facing the music, the inevitable wasn't on the table. It was now mission impossible mode as she stealthy made her way back to her class. Unlike in her younger years, she was more adept in the art of stealth. She peeked inside the classroom and let out a sigh of relief noticing it was empty. Her stuff was there intact. Likely courtesy of Becky, she could just be out right now looking for her. It was Anya's chance so she took it and bolted out the door again. She was glad she wasn't running into anyone as she walked to the school entrance. Her stealth mission took a bit which meant she missed her bus. She would have to wait it seems. She had a combination of good luck and bad luck today. If she didn't get home at the hour like she was supposed to her parents' will- ah well it doesn't matter anymore huh?

As she leaned against the wall she felt like she was forgetting something so she began looking in her bag. She had everything so why was her mind in a frenzy-

Is that a limo?

It wasn't that odd but almost everyone has left by now. Only students remaining were students in a club, taking remedial classes, or dorm students. The buses for those remaining weren't going to leave until another hour, was someone- wait a minute-!

Bond's vision oh shit!

How could she have forgotten such an important thing? Now things will be awkward because she ran out of the classroom and Damian probably thinks it's his fault but it's not actually and his brother is- WHY HER?!

Demetrius stepped out of the car, he seemed poised, confident with an air of elegance in his suit. He looked fancy, too fancy for someone who was just coming for a visit. If Anya ignores him it'll all be okay but then again Damian will likely make an appearance- there's no way out of this is there? Why did Bond have to show her that damn vision?

"Excuse me."

Oh no.

"Yes?"

"Are you Anya Forger?"

Oh.

"Um… yes? How do you-" She paused and felt dumb for even attempting to ask that. Of course, he'd know, Damian likely told him.

"You're friends with my little brother, correct?" Wow, he described her perfectly.

Anya looked to the ground, Well we weren't and probably won't ever be seeing as I fucked it up. "Sorta, yeah." She felt awkward, extremely awkward.

He nodded and stepped closer. "Do you think you can let him know I'm here to see him? It's supposed to be a surprise visit but I didn't think it through." He averted his gaze feeling a bit embarrassed.

Huh never thought I'd see Demetrius looking embarrassed. It was a rare sight indeed and Anya was suddenly glad she was here to witness it. She felt rather joyful seeing the effort Demetrius was putting in to be closer to Damian. She knew they had a strained relationship and Damian would often vent to her about it but things took a turn and they were getting better. She was willing to face the music if it meant the Desmond brothers could bond. Still… seeing Damian right now wasn't a good thing for her poor health. "Sure, he should be in the dorms or something… not sure if they'll let me through though." She sweatdropped. She's never been to the dorms now that she thought about it. Maybe if she requested to see him- no is that even how it works? Anya wished Becky was here. "I'll try anyway." She rubbed the back of her head and laughed nervously. This will be either a good thing or a bad thing. She didn't get very far as Demetrius ended up stopping her.

"No, don't bother, you're probably late as it is I'll go inside." He offered her a small smile.

Well, that's great. Anya nodded and smiled back, it was only fair. "Of course, hope you two have fun!" An image of Damian smiling brightly seeing his brother popped into her mind. His genuine smile was always so cute and lord did she not want to see it. She resisted the temptation mainly because it would be awkward. Still, she blushed a bit thinking about it. Fidgeting around with her bag she leaned back against the wall.

"Oh, Damian."

Oh shit.

Anya stiffened; she hadn't even heard his thoughts coming this way. She looked up and her gaze locked onto his. He looked- why does he look like that?

Why is she talking to him?

Why?!

Huh?

Anya stepped away from the two. "Uh, I gotta go now." She sped walked away but not before hearing Damian's final thoughts.

Why him?

--

Welp it's not just anya dealing with L's this chapter xD

Misunderstandings at its purest forms wonder what will happen next

Honestly this time around don't have much to say, been dealing with some authors block so I upload what I have ready