It was a little while before Ana and I were completely calmed down. By that point, the sun had long set, and it was nearing midnight. I was tired from the long day, and, despite the hope and comfort I'd received from my sister, my stomach got heavy every time I thought about going to school the next day. Even worse was that Nat had gotten food poisoning that evening, and wouldn't be able to come with me. I'd have to defend myself, and withstand the attacks all alone.

On my behalf, my sister had gone down to talk to Uncle Leon about possibly staying home, and to explain the situation. It was a few moments, then, before he came upstairs, and knocked softly on my door. "Emmeline? May I come in?"

"Yes, please." I was worried about what he'd say, but I longed for his comforting embrace. When he joined me on the bed, however, he seemed nervous, which was strange, considering the situation.

"Emmeline… First and foremost...I'm sorry." His expression turned compassionate for a moment, and my worry disappeared. I lunged into his arms, trying to control my once again watering eyes. He hugged me back, and said, "I know how much he meant to you, and how awful you must feel. There are few things worse than losing someone you love, no matter the circumstance." His next words were muttered, and it was hard to make them out. It sounded as if he'd said, "...I know from experience," and it made me wonder about all the things Uncle Leon had never told us. "However…" He paused, sighing.

"What is it?"

"You see...Something has been brought to my attention, recently. I'm not sure if you know this, but Commander Alba has taken an interest in me. He thinks that I maybe fit to take his place someday, if Targent does not find the Azran's legacy before he feels ready to retire."

"You'd be a wonderful leader, Uncle Leon." I smiled up at him. "But what does that have to do with me?"

"Well...I'm sure you do know that Commander Alba is also a parent, and a more experienced one than I. Dudley is set to be one of Targent's top agents in a few years, because of the skills and values Commander Alba has instilled in him." He hesitated again, while I nodded for him to continue. "He's been...offering advice to me recently, about raising you and Nat...and, to put it bluntly, he believes I'm being too soft." He started to gain confidence, and his words began to flow more steadily. "I've babied you, Emmeline. I've always allowed you to depend on me for everything. But, someday, I won't be there. You're a very emotional girl, and while that makes your joy and love sweeter, it also makes you vulnerable. In the world of Targent, where one slip of the tongue could endanger the entire organization, feelings are a weakness, and those who are susceptible to them cannot be trusted. I want you to be an exceptional agent, the best you can be, and my parenting has gotten in the way of that. But, I promise, things will be different from now on. I will give you the chance to face difficulties on your own now, before it puts everything Targent has worked for in danger. It will be hard, for the both of us, but it is for the best."

I blinked, completely taken aback and not entirely sure what to make of that speech. Was this a compliment, an apology, a promise, or a scolding? Did he truly think I was weak, or was this simply something he felt obligated to do as Commander Alba's possible successor? And, most of all, was this going to change anything in my day to day life? It was the last question that I asked out loud, and Uncle Leon's response was certainly helpful in clarifying it.

"My dear... right now, it means that you must go to school tomorrow, and face Leonard. And it means that this is the extent of my comfort about the matter, that this situation is something you must work through in your own."

I wilted, my eyes wide and glistening. "Please, Uncle Leon...I can't do it. I can't go in there and have them humiliate me like they always do. I can't see him joining them, with no remorse whatsoever. Please." I felt my voice crack, but was too panicked to care.

"Emmeline...This is exactly my point. What if you were on a mission and this had happened? You wouldn't be able to break your persona, and you would have to hide your true emotions from those around you. You need to practice that, and that practice is going to start now."

"But Uncle Leon! I can't do this!" My voice was higher pitched than normal; I could feel myself teetering on the edge of hysteria.

He scowled slightly. "But you can. You will. This conversation is over." He got up and walked towards the door. Before he exited, though, he stopped and took a deep breath, before turning around almost exactly as Leonard had earlier. His expression had softened. "Emmeline, I know this hurts. But you're a strong girl. It's hard for me to leave you to your pain, but it's what's best. Trust me." He walked out, closing the door gently behind him.

The next day, Ana offered to drive me to school, so I didn't have to face the snickers and giggles on the bus from Hazel's gang. When I got there, I avoided my locker, where they were most likely waiting for me, and went straight to my first hour. I was anxious, though, to the point of feeling sick, so I spent a good portion of that period in the bathroom, trying to calm down.

At lunchtime, still nervous, I sat down in my usual spot feeling empty and lonely. To my complete surprise, though, I was only by myself for a few seconds before Leonard himself sat across from me.

"Hello, Em." There was no trace of malice or that cold condescension of yesterday in his voice. "How has your day been?" I sat there in shock, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Uh...It's been alright…" I stared at my sandwich. It wasn't possible that I'd just imagined what happened yesterday, was it?

He leaned across the table, and ran his fingers down my cheek. It made me dizzy, as usual, and sent a shiver down my spine. I could feel the heat coming to my face, but I just had to ask. "Leonard… what about everything that happened yesterday?"

"Are you referring to our date last night?"

"No...The argument. Where… you… broke up with me."

He opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Hazel sat down next to him. Her arm snaked around his shoulders, as a smirk appeared on her face. "Hi, there, loveless. How does it feel to be single? I wouldn't know, since I've been involved with my Leonard for so long. It's been just under a year now, hasn't it?" When I did the math in my head, and the result hit me just as hard as a punch to the gut.

"I believe that's about right." His voice was still the same, warm and alluring, but a quick glance told me his eyes were turning cold and hard. I concentrated even harder on my lunch, but when they were silent for a few moments I looked up. They were kissing, and even though my stomach was churning and I just wanted to scream, I couldn't look away. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes and tried to push them away, but I just couldn't control it. At last, I broke through the trance, grabbing my lunch and running.

My face was wet and I choked out a sob as I fled towards nowhere. I hated that I was crying; Hazel would use it as something else to bully me about, and it only proved that Uncle Leon was right and I was weak. I didn't know what was going on with me anymore, or what I was doing, until I turned a corner and ran headlong into someone, falling on the floor. It took me a moment to recognise them through my blurred vision, but when I did, I was horrified.

"Mr. Whitman! I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" He had fallen as well, and was trying to find his glasses on the ground. I handed them to him, and he put them on and blinked.

"I'm fine. I think the more important question here, though, is if you are alright."

I panicked, unsure how to handle the situation. "I...I'm fine, too." He was just as scatterbrained as ever during class, even though he taught me advanced photography now, so I'd hoped he would buy my lie and let me continue fleeing. But, of course, he didn't.

He raised his eyebrow. "Emmy...You were acting strange in class today. You're running down the hallway during your lunch period, crying. I'm pretty sure that 'fine' is not the case."

I sighed, wiping my face with my sleeve. "Yeah, I guess you're right," I said, before giving a small, sardonic laugh. "I'm just being pathetic, though. I'll be alright soon."

His eyes softened; they were filled with concern, for once looking entirely focused. "...Would you like to talk about it?"

"I don't really want to talk...But a place to eat lunch away from them might be nice." I bit my lip, and quickly added, "If that's alright with you."

He smiled. "I was just heading back to my room. You can join me if you wish."

"Thank you." I smiled back.

For the next few days, I spent my lunch period there. Mr. Whitman was extremely kind; he stayed and ate with me every day, but didn't pry into my reasonings. Nat, sadly, had a different lunch than me that year, so it was just me and the teacher. But my brother did walk me to each class, and Ana drove us to school every day.

I was able to avoid Hazel's group for the next few weeks, but I still felt awful. I'd been a toy, a puppet, and the new "happy couple" had played me for a fool. I felt tired, heavy with the pain, the memory of his voice, and the knowledge that I hadn't been good enough and that I never would be.

Every time I said anything out loud, though, I got little in the way of comfort. Uncle Leon was true to his promise, and would give me a sympathetic look before saying, "I'm sorry, but I can't help you." Nat was angry, since Leonard had been his best friend for years, and didn't understand how I could still believe anything "that lying, cheating, scum" was saying. Ana was torn between our brother's opinion and wanting to be there for me, but it didn't work out very well. She would hold me and we'd talk, but then she'd say something about how I needed to stand up to him, and face my fears, even though she knew that was impossible. The only place I could find even a little true relief was at Targent Tutoring.

Of course, Sarah had been one of the first people I told about the whole thing. We sat down on the mat again, and she hugged me as I cried. Then she told me to stay there while she ran and grabbed the worst picture of him she could find in Targent's database, and when she came back she taped it to my favorite punching bag. We both grinned and I spent every lesson for the next week doing almost nothing but hitting it as hard as I could.

Still, I couldn't shake the awful heaviness I felt, and it just kept getting worse and worse.

Author's Note: Hey, guys! I'm so sorry this has taken me so long! On the bright side, though, I've figured out the timeline between here and (hopefully) the end of the story. There were a few things I adjusted, a few things I fixed up, and, actually, a whole new section/character that I've added. If everything goes as planned, you'll get to meet them next chapter! :D (For right now, I'm just gonna say that those of you who play Ace Attorney will already know this person...But I'll give a whole spiel about that next time. ;D)

I've updated my profile, with some important information: as of now, I can't say that updates or even any writing will be anywhere near regular. This I my hardest year in school yet, and I've got so much homework that I've barely had any free time. There may be one exception...but we'll have to wait another month or so and see how that turns out.

I'd also like to say thank you to everyone who's stuck with me thus far. I really appreciate each and every one of you, and reviews or favorites or follows always make me smile! :D

(And, Eli, I hope this chapter answers the question you posed in your last review. :)

Actually, the original plan for this chapter was to incorporate what happens next as well. However, when I wasn't even halfway through and it was already the longest chapter by at least 100 words...I figured it'd be alright if I split it up. ;D

I'll see you guys soon! (Hopefully.)