As much as I didn't want to keep my word, I headed down to the Sigma Kappa house in the dark cold, and I was not particularly happy about it.

I didn't even make it to the front porch before Caroline opened up the door and waved me inside. Drew stood behind her, tall enough to peer over Caroline's shoulder, then smiled at me.

I still couldn't believe just how beautiful Drew was.

How?

"Watch out, the steps are slippery," Drew said just before I walked up them. Her voice was loud, making sure I could hear over the bullshit Minnesota winter wind.

"Didn't think you'd actually come. Thanks," Caroline said.

I shrugged. "If I was smart, I certainly wouldn't be here, but fortunately for you, I'm as stupid as they come."

"I'm sure that's not true," Drew said.

"You ready, babe?" Caroline said, taking a hold of Drew's hand.

Drew sighed. "No, but you need me, and I guess it's time to take a step forward."

"I hate to sound nosy, but what's up?" I gestured at the two of them as I took off my coat.

Caroline brushed her straight, shiny hair with the fingers of the hand that wasn't holding Drew's, then took a deep breath. "People do shitty things in shitty situations."

"The shitty people do, at least," I said.

"Yeah, if only it were that simple," Caroline mumbled, then spoke up. "You ever piss someone off for the sake of someone you love?"

"Uh, sure," I replied.

I almost got myself killed for it once upon a time, but she didn't need to know that story.

"For who?" Caroline asked. "A guy? A best friend?"

"A little bit of both," I said, not sure where she was going with this.

"I don't want to do this where it's loud. Can we go somewhere quieter?" Drew asked.

And that's when I noticed the hearing aid in her ear.

Note to self: Make more gestures to make it a little easier on Drew.

Note to self, part 2: Would you start paying attention to details?

Caroline, still holding Drew's hand, lead us to that theater room where she first showed me that video of Dr. Mann.

I wished I never trusted her.

The three of us sat down in a row of seats, and Caroline brought her knees up to her chest.

"I know you said you met each other briefly, but Amanda, this is Drew, my best friend, and Drew, this is Amanda, the girl who's getting you the justice you deserve," Caroline said.

I had convinced myself that Caroline was bullshitting me when she said that Dr. Mann fucked over people she cared about, and the thought that she was talking about Drew made my stomach hurt.

"You probably hate me now, but I just want to thank you anyway," Drew said to me.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Caroline turned to Drew. "You want me to handle it? I'll tell the story if you don't want to."

This caring side of Caroline was unnerving to say the least. She had been a coldblooded bitch in my head, and any data that didn't support that made me uncomfortable.

Drew shook her head. "Let me. I shouldn't be such a baby about it." She turned to me. "I had sociology with Dr. Mann not last semester, but the one before that. I had already joined Sig Kap at that point, and although I knew Caroline, I didn't really know her, if that makes sense."

I nodded, encouraging her to keep going.

"So I went around asking all of my professors if they'd be willing to wear a microphone in class so I'd be able to hear better, because I'm pretty much deaf, just in case you couldn't tell by my eye contact habit and hearing aid."

I had noticed that eye contact was important for her the day I first met her, but I just didn't put two and two together.

"I asked Dr. Mann, and he told me, 'You're not going to get special treatment without giving me something in return.'"

I felt my face fall.

Shit.

"I wasn't asking for special treatment. I was just asking for the same opportunity as everyone else. But—" She shook her head. "What else could I—I don't—Caroline?"

"You don't have to keep going. I can fill in the blanks," I said.

Dr. Mann forced Drew into sex, so Drew would be able to hear in class.

Or, at least, that was what I put together.

"Anyway, to make a long story short, I noticed something was up with her, and it's amazing how fast you bond after something so traumatic," Caroline said. "I saw that video as our opportunity to get back at him, and I took it, consequences be damned."

"You knew what you were doing the entire time?" I asked Caroline.

She nodded.

"And why didn't you switch classes? I don't understand," I said to Drew.

"Don't blame her!" Caroline cried. "It's not her fucking fault."

I held my hands up. "I wasn't. I was just asking—"

"Don't ask. She doesn't need your fucking judgement."

"I wasn't judging anyone," I said. "I just don't understand."

Drew's eyes filled with tears. "What's done is done. I couldn't go back and change it, and I didn't know what else to do."

I shook my head. How the hell did I get away from Dr. Mann's wrath relatively unscathed?

"Think about it, Amanda. An accusation of sexual harassment. Where does that ever get anyone in this world?" Caroline asked.

"Nowhere, usually," I said.

Caroline nodded. "Exactly. But combine it with the video of him bullying you? Things aren't looking so good for him anymore. I had to do it, Amanda. For Drew."

"If you would have told me that, I would have gone about this differently. I wouldn't have stopped you from posting the video," I said.

"I'm sure things could've been different, but it's not my place to go blabbing about Drew's business to strangers."

I nodded. "I—I understand."

Caroline held out her hand. "So all is forgiven?"

"Um, no. It's not. This may have been for a noble cause, and I guess the ends justify the means, but that sure as hell doesn't excuse the other things you've done, like killing Viktor's self-esteem and dragging my name through the mud," I said.

"Caroline, you don't have to go to extremes for me. Thank you, but you still have to be nice to people," Drew said.

Caroline shrugged. "Sorry."

"Now apologize to her. And apologize to your boyfriend, too."

"Sorry. And tell Viktor that I'm sorry too," Caroline said to me.

Drew smiled, then wiped a tear from her eye.

Caroline and Drew had a very Amanda and Viktor friendship, although it didn't seem that Drew knew that Caroline and Viktor were no more.

"Well, if that's all you wanted, I really should get going," I said, standing up.

Drew held out her hand. "No, stay with us for dinner. As a thank you."

"I didn't do anything, though. I just ran my mouth until Dr. Mann finally snapped. Caroline's the one that did all the dirty work."

"I did the clean-up. You handled the dirty work, Amanda," Caroline said.

Drew smiled. "Whether you two knew it or not, you're actually a good team."

I frowned. "No, we're not. I just got stuck working with her without actually knowing we were working together."

I didn't want anything else from Caroline. She had put Viktor through hell, enough to kill the sweet life and joy that I loved about him, and I wasn't the type to forgive and forget over one event.

My kindness was reserved for those who proved they weren't a piece of shit. And Caroline certainly did not fall into that category.

"I really should be going. I didn't even tell Viktor that I'd be here, and he's probably worried. You know how he is when he cares about someone," I said.

"I wish I did," Caroline muttered, then spoke up. "Then I hope that maybe we'll be able to work through this in the future, yes?"

"Don't get your hopes up," I replied, then left.

As I wandered down the icy sidewalks, I checked my phone.

46 new messages, every single one of them from Blaine.

The most recent text was, "Don't ignoreeee meeeeeee. I'm cuteeeeeeeeee."

I rolled my eyes.

Of course, he just couldn't understand that I had another fucking life that I had to deal with, and that was because he wasn't by my side.

I always knew he was the type who couldn't understand anything until he got his hands dirty and experienced it, but that didn't stop me from loathing his inability to focus on something besides me for one freaking second.

I pressed the call button by his contact, then pressed my phone to my ear.

"Hey beautiful," he answered.

"Stop texting me every damn second."

"What? Don't you like my undying attention?"

"I'm going to be honest, you're really beginning to piss me off."

He hesitated before replying. "Well, excuse me for trying, unlike you."

"That's our thing, though. We don't try, like, ever. It's the most casual relationship in the world, and I'd prefer it if we kept it that way," I said.

"But I miss you."

"I miss you too, but I also have a long list of pressing problems right now."

He thought for a moment. "Then would it be better for you if we just called it off again?"

There wasn't any malevolence in his tone, but rather pure concern.

"What?" I asked.

"Just figured I'd throw it out there. It might make your life a little easier if you don't have to deal with me all the time."

"Blaine, don't be ridiculous. I love you."

"And I love you. So I was just thinking that maybe it'd be better if I—"

Logical Amanda knew he was right, but in-love Amanda refused to acknowledge that shit.

"Blaine, I told you I can handle it. Really."

"Just because you can doesn't mean you should. I mean, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. You really don't need me right now."

"I still want you, though."

"Do you? Every time I call or text, you freak the fuck out on me. I'm not trying to be mean, but damn, everyone's got a limit, and I think you're pretty damn close to yours," he said.

"I don't have a fucking limit. Just—"

"Amanda, this is it. I'm breaking up with you."

My heart sunk into my boots, and a bitter wind ran across my skin and through my veins.

"You can't do that. You can't just dump me on a fucking whim," I said quietly.

"I can, and I just did. Amanda, baby, I love you, but there's only so much you can handle. You're carrying a bag full of bricks wherever you go, and I don't want to be the feather that falls on your shoulder and finally breaks you."

I let out an exasperated laugh. "You can't break me. That's not at all—"

"When spring break finally rolls around, I'll be glad to figure this out with you, but for now, just focus on yourself, okay? I'm tired of feeling like I'm ruining your day just by trying to talk to you," he said.

I hated the way he tried to make himself sound noble, like he cared about me or something. He saw his escape, and he took it. I saw right through him.

"If you found someone else, that's fine, I guess. I just expected you to be honest with me," I said.

"Wait, what? Why the fuck would you think that?"

"I'm not stupid—"

"Seriously, when have I ever given any indication that I love someone else? Never, so don't start with that."

He wasn't a liar.

What the fuck, Amanda?

What the actual fuck?

I took a deep breath. "Fine."

"Is that an 'okay' fine, or an 'I'm about to murder someone' fine?" he asked.

"A little bit of both."

"So it's an 'Amanda' fine?"

I nodded, even though he couldn't see it. "Yeah, I guess it is."

Neither one of us said anything for a moment.

"Okay, well, I'm going to go. Call me if you need any help with your long list of pressing problems," Blaine finally said.

"I will," I said, but I knew damn well that I wouldn't.

I opened the door to the dorm building and brushed a few snowflakes off my coat.

"I'll see you, Amanda," he said.

"Okay," I replied, then hung up.

I sighed as I walked up the lonesome stairs to Viktor's floor.

He always knew what to do when my feelings got all fucked up.

Blaine wasn't trying to hurt me. He would never. But he was never the cautious type; he liked to live in the moment and decide what was best on his current thoughts.

And in the current moment, I wasn't the best decision.

Could I blame him? Probably not, since whether I liked it or not, he was right. He almost always was. There was something about being apart that just didn't suit us, and both of us were in a better spot when we just carried on like we never felt anything for each other.

It was fucked up, yes, but that was who we were.

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Blaine made a business decision, but was it the right one?

And how do you all feel about Caroline? Is she a do-gooder in disguise, or is Amanda right for not wanting anything to do with her anymore?

Thankyou for reading! Part two of this chapter is coming soon!