If anyone were to ask Jeff (nobody would, thankfully), he would tell them that he knew he was a goner the night he gave up no-strings pity sex with Slater. In a quiet, deep, tiny place somewhere inside his subconscious mind, Jeff could admit to himself that the very first study group meeting was the beginning of the end. There were chances to save himself, of course, after that but really, there's no denying it; that first fake study session is when it began.

As he sits, arms around a sobbing Annie, his impulse control is taking a dive because all Jeff can think about is taking off his Gucci sweater (because there are some sacrifices even he won't make) and beating the crap out of the smug jerk who made Annie cry. Still, Jeff perseveres because yeah, hitting that guy until his own knuckles are raw and the other guy's face is bloody might be the answer to his rage in the moment but there are some things (Annie) that are more important. Right now, Annie needs him more because if he leaves her to make that idiot bro-dude hurt as much as Annie is, that leaves her all by herself. And yeah, okay, Britta, Annie is strong and can take care of herself but sometimes, maybe, you know, on occasion, a hug helps. And if Jeff is there and he's not wearing Armani, he's cool with providing the hugs.

But let's rewind.

Jeff can see Annie standing at her locker, halfway down the hall and since Duncan hasn't replied in Words With Friends, he's got nothing better to do but bother his study buddy. He's heading her way and he can't help but witness the inevitable car crash – this dude that looks like a walking Ken Doll and, yeah, that's as creepy as it sounds – is approaching Annie and Jeff picks up his pace while actively trying to look like he's not picking up his pace. It's harder than it sounds, okay? He's about three feet away and he knows Annie has seen him and, more importantly, he can tell Annie isn't interested. Still, Jeff is sort of content to let the guy get shot down on his own because it's not like Annie is his (desperately wanting her to beisn't the same thing after all) even if it occasionally feels that way.

"Would you be interested in grabbing lunch sometime? I've been watching you in class for a while and you're so smart. I had to ask you out before the semester ended. It's not often you see a girl who's so pretty and so intelligent, you know?" Jeff can see the blush on Annie's cheeks and the pleased laugh that escapes her makes his gut clench painfully for just a second.

"Oh, well, thank you, I… That's really sweet. But," She meets Jeff's eyes over Loser McLoserson's shoulder briefly, "I'm pretty busy. A bunch of us are making the semester up and… I just don't really have the time. But I really appreciate the offer, its-" Loser McLoserson cuts her off then.

"God, you girls are all the same, aren't you? Just jerking nice guys around. What? You thought I didn't see you making eyes at that other guy outside of class last week?" He gestures, without looking, back toward their shared class. "Seriously, I thought I'd give you the benefit of the doubt, but you're just as much a whore as the rest of them!" Jeff is about to haul off and kill the guy but Annie's face is hard and calm and, honestly, a little scary.

"Excuse me? I don't know you and I don't owe you anything. I'm going to ask you, politely, to leave me alone now. I don't want to talk to you ever again."

"Why do you uppity bitches think you get to make the rules? You think 'cause you're halfway decent-looking now, you get to tell me what to do? I know all about how you're damaged goods! Used to be a fat chick, addict… Yeah, you're a real catch. I was doing you a favour, sweetheart. And you're too good for me? What a fucking joke. Forget it, okay? I was trying to do my good deed for the day… It didn't work out, that's cool. But you should've taken me up on the offer while you had the chance. Nobody else is going to want to go there, just so you know." His voice is getting louder and more aggressive but Annie is standing there, looking unimpressed and still scary, and Jeff is blown away by how strong she is right then.

"The only favour I ever want you to do for me is to leave me alone. I'm not interested in anything else you have to," Here she lets out a disdainful sniff, "Offer." She crosses her arms against her chest, puts her formidable face on, and stares the guy down. It's pretty clear at this point that people are watching and nobody is cheering for Loser McLoserson. He huffs and glances around before storming off and Annie spins around on her heel to face her locker. Jeff slowly approaches and leans against the lockers beside and waits for a moment, trying to think of how to start.

"Wanna go to lunch?" He's not entirely sure if he's asking if she still feels like eating or if she wants to go somewhere private or what. He decides that the choice is hers and he'll just follow along with whatever she does. She looks up at him and she seems pretty steady when she nods but as soon as she's done closing her locker, he offers her his arm anyway.

"Milady?" She merely smiles as she takes it. Minutes later, they've grabbed coffee instead of food and rather than finding a table, they're heading to a more secluded area of the library. Jeff is both astonished and not at all surprised, strangely enough, to find his arms full of a sobbing Annie shortly thereafter. He mostly just pats her back and hugs her as tight as he can but he finds himself wishing that he could do more, wishing he had intervened instead of just standing there and watching.

It feels like hours but really, it's over within moments.

"Thank you." Annie is fishing through her bag, looking for tissues, and alternately wiping tears off her cheeks. She looks up at him and smiles shyly. "I mean, thank you for letting me cry but… Thank you for letting me handle it. That guy was being stupid, I know, but I'm glad I stuck up for myself." Jeff processes that for a moment, still trying to calm his murderous rage.

"You're welcome. But you don't have to thank me for… Not helping you. I wanted to. But, I thought you could handle it yourself. And you did. That guy was a jerk. You deserve to be treated better." It's only in his head that he tells her 'you deserve better' and thinks for the first time, honestly, that he's referring to himself.

"I know. But I wasn't sure you realized how important that was to me. Anyway, thank you for being a good friend, Jeff." She smiles a real, full smile and he's dazzled for a second. "I'm sorry I kidnapped you during lunch. At least it's not chicken fingers today?" He smiles back at her and shakes his head.

"You're going to owe me lunch next time, Annie." She laughs, as intended, and agrees solemnly. He glances at his watch and curses. "Shit, we've both got class in fifteen minutes. And you have to go to the building over." She grimaces. "Want me to walk you over?"

"No, it's okay." She leans in and hugs him again. "Thank you, Jeff." She places a quick kiss on his cheek and then she's gone. He sits there, contemplatively, finally feeling the anger recede, before pulling out his phone. He fires off a quick text as he stands up.

From Jeff Winger: Quick question, when did I develop feelings and how can I make them go away?

He receives a response four minutes later just as arrives, fashionably late, at the door of his next class and he can't help the chuckle that escapes.

From Abed Nadir: That's two questions.