"I rather like Keating," Ana said with a smile as the class were free of lessons. She reached up and placed her arms around the boy either side of her, Neil on her right and Meeks on her left.

"Yeah, but only because he complimented you." Knox teased and she poked her tongue out at him.

"No, I thought it was very interesting actually. The compliment was just a bonus." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, because English is your thing, just like Latin is Meeks' and Chemistry is Neil's," Charlie said.

"I thought it was weird," Pitts said and Ana scowled at him playfully.

"It was different. Better than any other teacher we've got," Neil said.

"Spooky, if you ask me," Knox said.

"Yeah, well we weren't asking you, Knoxy." Ana teased and the others chuckled, except Cameron who was chewing on his nail.

"Do you think he'll test us on that stuff?" He asked, causing Ana to scoff.

"Oh, come on, Cameron. Don't you get anything?" Charlie said. After a short walk out into the courtyard, they slowed their walk and Ana let her hands drop from Neil and Meeks' shoulders.

"How about a trig study group? Right after dinner." Meeks suggested and they all agreed.

"Sure. I'm pretty sure Hager hates me." Ana said and most of them shook their heads, protesting but Cameron just chuckled.

"He definitely hates you." He snorted and the others all glared at him. "What? Didn't you all see the way he treated her? And rightly so, I mean, it's not like she's better than the rest of us. Worse, even."

"Ex- Excuse me?" Ana spluttered, laughing humourlessly. Neil took her hand in his and Charlie clenched his fists.

"You're excused." He replied and walked away.

"If he's not careful, I'm going to punch him. I don't care if I get myself expelled, the look on his face would be enough to satisfy me for life." Charlie said as the group all glared after him.

"No," Ana said.

"What do you mean No?" Charlie asked and she shrugged, smirking.

"No." She said, and the ginger boy finally disappeared through the doors. "I want to be the one who punches him, duh." Several shocked laughs spread through the group, but Neil frowned.

"But then you'll get expelled." He said.

"Oh well. It's like Charlie said. The look on his face would be enough." She shrugged again, before realising her hand was still in Neil's and she a blush danced across her cheeks. "Anyway, study group. Everyone in?" She asked and Knox shook his head.

"I can't make it. I gotta sign out to have dinner at the Danburrys' house." He said glumly and Ana's face lit up.

"As in Ginny and Chet Danburry?" She asked and Knox shrugged.

"I don't know. They're friends of my dad. They're big alums, apparently. Probably in their nineties or something."

"That's them." She nodded and Neil chuckled.

"Anything's better than mystery meat." He shrugged and Ana grimaced. She was yet to experience meals at Hell-ton, but she had to admit, the boys didn't really sell the idea.

"I'll second that," Charlie said with a smirk.

"You're really not making me feel great about dinner. I want to go to the library, will someone show me where it is, please?" She chuckled and both Knox and Charlie offered out their arms.

"Let us escort you, ma'am," Charlie said and Ana looped her arms through theirs.

"Yes, and tell me more about the Danburrys." Knox grinned as they began to walk away.

"Bye Neil, Meeks, Pitts, Todd," Ana called over her shoulder and they all waved. "Okay, so, they were the first people Father made us visit when we arrived here in the New World, and they're all lovely. 'Cept Chet, he's a bit of a tosser. He's one of those guys, you just go 'how can anyone be that thick and be popular. He's a...jock? I think that's the word. Anyway, yeah. He's the quarterback at Ridgeway High. Like I said, a right tosser."

"I love English swearing." Charlie laughed. "Tosser..." He muttered to himself. The trio walked into the library, closing the door gently behind them and Ana looked around gleefully. Mr McAllister bundled over to the three of them.

"Miss Fitzgerald, what a pleasure. Mr Dalton, Mr Overstreet." He nodded. "Now, let me show you around the library. What genre do you enjoy most?" He asked and Ana bit her lip, thinking.

"Well, poetry and historical fiction, I think. Preferably Romance." She said and McAllister chuckled.

"Of course, of course. That far corner. Come to the desk if you have any questions." He nodded and walked away, leaving the three of them to themselves again.

"I've got to go get ready for that dinner party. Would you mind maybe coming with, Dalton? To help me get ready." Knox asked and Charlie nodded.

"Okay, well I doubt I'll see you till you get back. Tell Ginny I said hi, and if you've got enough nerve, call Chet a tosser from me. Just, try not to get punched by him." Ana chuckled, standing on tiptoes and squeezing his cheek. With a wave, the two boys strode from the library, leaving Ana amongst the dusty shelves lined with well-read books, the covers tattered and torn with age. There were three books that Ana was searching for in particular. The first was Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It reminded her of her great-grandmother, who would read it to her all the time. The second was The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, which she had been meaning to read for a while but hadn't. The third was Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. When she was younger, this was the story that she and her brother would read together, and they would gallop around the house pretending to be pirates. But those days were gone, Thomas had moved away to Greece as soon as he turned twenty, and now they were practically halfway across the world from each other. He didn't even know that Ana had come to Welton.

After setting the books aside at the desk, promising to return later that day, Ana rushed to the phone. She dialled the number that she never thought she would be dialling and let it ring.

"Hello, this is Sienna Fitzgerald, how can I help?" The woman on the receiving end of the call said politely.

"Hi, can I speak to Thomas Fitzgerald, please?" She asked shyly.

"Of course. Can I get your name?"

"Just tell him it's Annie. He'll know." Ana replied. The woman, Sienna, went to find Thomas and Ana was left, the silence ringing in her ear as she pressed the phone to it.

"Annie?" The greeting was weak, Thomas' voice breaking.

"Hey, Thumb." She said, tears filling her eyes.

"H-- How've you been?" He asked and she laughed.

"Not the greatest. I-- I've got news." She said and he urged her to tell him. "I go to Welton Prep, now. There was a transfer programme from Reynolds to Henley Hall, but it was full. Father insisted that I move from Reynolds so...I go to Welton now..." She mumbled.

"But Annie, that's in America! And Welton is a boys school!"

"I know, Thumb, I know. Look, I haven't got long left on the call so I'll have to go soon--"

"I've got news too. Me and Sienna, my wife, we're having a baby girl." Thomas said and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"Congrats, Thumb. What will you name her?"

"Ophelia. After Sienna's mother." The tears that had once threatened to spill from her eyes suddenly came rushing down her cheeks.

"I have to go now, Tom. I'll call you when I can, but it's pretty busy here and--"

"I understand. I love you, Annie, I'll speak to you soon." He said and with that, he ended the call. With the phone still pressed to her cheek, Ana lent against the wall, sobs racking her ribs. Thomas had a new life in Greece, with Sienna, and Ophelia. Every day that passed was another day that Ana was losing her big brother, and she couldn't stop him from slipping slowly out of reach. Sniffing and wiping her eyes, she stood up straight, hung the phone back on the wall and flattened down her skirt. She would be alright, it was going to be okay.

Instead of going to dinner, she locked herself in her dorm with the record player quietly playing Chopin as she lay on her bed, silently weeping. After about an hour, there was a gentle knock on the door. Wiping her eyes, she stared at the door, with a frown plastered on her face.

"Who is it?" She called out weakly.

"It's Meeks. And Pitts." Meeks said and she shuffled over to the door turning the lock. "We missed you at dinner, so we brought you some." He smiled and held out a plate.

"Oh, you guys." Ana smiled gratefully, standing by so the could come in.

"What's up, An?" Pitts asked gently as Meeks set the plate down on the desk. Poking his head out of the door, he shut it again.

"Nothing's up, Pitts. Why would something be up?" She asked with an anxious chuckle.

"Don't lie, Ana. You can talk to us, you know. We get that maybe you'd be more inclined to tell Knox, or Charlie, or Neil. But we're here." Meeks said, sitting himself down on the edge of her bed. Sighing, she sat down beside him.

"It's just my family. My mother and father are counting on me to get this right since I'm the oldest. Well, I'm not the oldest, but when it comes to our family, Thomas is barely in the picture anymore. He moved to Greece when I was thirteen, and I spoke to him again today for the first time in three years." She looked down at her hands as she spoke.

"Oh, An, that must have been tough." Pitts smiled sympathetically.

"Oh, it wasn't that bad." Ana lied.

"Sure." Meeks chuckled and she smiled at him. "Now come on, eat. We've got study group, and Pittsy and I want to show you something really cool." Ana found herself grinning with the other two and she quickly ate the mashed potatoes and stew that she had been brought. Standing up and brushing down her jeans, the three of them left the room and went to the common room.

"There you are! We thought you'd never come." Charlie grinned and Ana shrugged.

"I wasn't planning on it, but then Meeks said he had to show me something and I can't stand the suspense." She said with a small smile. Pitts and Meeks rushed over to a table and pulled out a radio, or at least something that looked like one.

"Hey An, can I talk to you a minute?" Neil asked, standing up and Ana nodded, stepping outside of the room. As soon as they were away from the group, Neil pulled her to his chest in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry. I was coming out of the library and I saw you by the phone...I couldn't bear to see you cry like that, and instead of comforting you, I walked the other way. I'm so sorry." He said and she looked up at him.

"Y-- you saw that?" She asked and he nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry that you did. I was such a mess." She laughed quietly and he pulled her into his chest again.

"It's okay to cry. I don't know what you're going through but just know that me, all of us, we're here for you. No matter what. Even if you don't want us to be, we will be." He said and she laughed, tears flowing from her eyes and onto Neil's flannel.

"Oh, I got your shirt wet. I'm sorry." She said and he laughed, shaking his head.

"It's fine, I stole it from Knox a while back so it doesn't matter too much." He replied and she sighed. Taking his hand, they walked into the common room again.

"Come take a look at this question, Neil, we can't get it," Cameron said and Neil hugged Ana once more before wandering over to their table. Meeks and Pitts beckoned her over to their table and she took a seat next to Meeks.

"Well, do tell what this is then." She smiled and they both began to speak very quickly, at the same time. "So, it's a radio..." Ana asked and they both nodded animatedly. "You aren't allowed them here?" She asked with an eyebrow raised and they both shook their heads glumly. "Let's see if we can get it working then." Meeks began to wave the antenna around in the air, but it proved to no avail. "You haven't got it plugged in, you plonker!" Ana laughed and the bespectacled boy blushed sheepishly, plugging it in.

After a while of trying to get the radio to work, and the occasional outburst of frustration from Neil or Charlie, Knox entered the room, looking weary.

"How was dinner?" Charlie asked, looking up from his trig book.

"Huh?" Knox replied. When Charlie repeated his question, he shook his head. "Terrible. Awful. I met the most beautiful girl I have ever seen in my life!" Ana perked up at that.

"Aw. Knoxy's in lurv with Ginny." She teased.

"Not Ginny."

"Oh. Wait, plot twist, Chet's actually a girl!" She jumps from her seat, her arms in the air. "I knew it!" She exclaims.

"Can you shut up?" Cameron scoffed and she rolled her eyes at him.

"No, it was not Chet. Her name is Chris Noel. But she's practically engaged to Chet." Knox sighed, slumping into a chair.

"That guy could eat a football." Charlie snickered.

"What does that even mean?" Ana asked, frowning.

"Exactly," Meeks whispered mysteriously, smirking slightly.

"That's too bad, Knox," Pitts said with a sympathetic smile.

"It's worse than too bad, Pitts! Why does she have to be in love with a jerk?" Knox folded his arms, sighing.

"All the good ones go for jerks, you know that," Pitts replied.

"Excuse you," Ana said with her eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, Neil isn't a jerk," Charlie said and Ana whipped her head round to glare at him. Neil's cheeks flushed and snickers erupted from the group. "You know, Anastasia Perry has a nice ring to it."

"Charlie!" Neil and Ana both exclaimed, dark blushes on both of their cheeks.

"Oh, forget her. Open up your trig book and try and work out question five." Cameron said to Knox, who threw his hands up in the air.

"I can't just forget her, Cameron." Knox protested.

"And I doubt he can think about trig, either," Ana added.

"No one asked your opinion, Fitz," Cameron retorted and she smiled sarcastically at him.

"Whatever. I'm tired. Make sure you tell me if you get the radio to work." Ana said to Pitts and Meeks before standing and walking to the door.

"Ana, I'll walk you. You could get lost and we don't want that..." Neil said sheepishly, walking toward her.

"Thanks, Neil." She smiled, blushing once again. Ana said her goodnights and the two of them began to walk down the hall, Neil's arm around Ana's shoulders.

"So earlier, when you were upset and you told us that we wouldn't understand, was that...to do with your brother? Sorry, that question was really personal, you don't have to answer if you don't want--"

"No, it's okay. But yeah, you're right. Just...when we were in Hager's class, I was so bored, and stupidly I let my mind wander...I started thinking about my sisters, and how much they hate me for being here. Well, they hated me before and this just gave them another reason to." Ana chuckled humourlessly. "Anyway, I was just remembering their reaction when- when I got my acceptance letter, and I got a bit overwhelmed. I'm sorry if I snapped at you." She mumbled as they came to a stop outside her dormitory.

"It's alright, I understand." He said quietly, tucking some loose hair behind her ear. Their faces were so close that Ana could smell a slight hint of lemons, presumably from the shower that he had had earlier that day. With Neil's hand on her cheek and his other intertwined with her own, she felt like kissing him but she knew that she couldn't.

Neil wanted to kiss her too. His eyes bored into her's and he could tell that she felt the same way. What was that saying that Mr Keating had told them, just hours before? Carpe Diem. So slowly, steadily, Neil bent down towards her and pressed his lips to hers. For a moment, Ana was frozen - she couldn't believe what was happening. But of course, nothing lasts forever. Behind them stood Charlie, wearing a wide smirk. He cleared his throat dramatically and the two sprung apart.

"Wait till I tell the boys about this!" He exclaimed and began to run down the corridor. Neil immediately sprinted after him, calling 'night Fitz!' over his shoulder. Shell-shocked, Ana walked into her room, locking the door behind her. She laid down on her bed, her mind foggy. She didn't even bother changing into her pyjamas, she just let her thoughts run wild, the moonlight shining down on her bed.