Chapter 2

~ Annie ~

Annie wiped away the steam from the mirror in the bathroom in a circle, before smiling at her wavy reflection and began to hum to herself, combing her fingers through her wet hair.

The guys had gone out together for the morning.

Which meant she was at liberty to do as she pleased.

She could watch a chick flick and eat her bowl of cheerios in the process without interruption, which she had done. She could run quick to the grocery store for milk and come back without fearing coming home and finding the guys stabbing each other with cutlery, which she had done. She could take a long shower and use up all the hot water, and sing at the top of her lungs, which she had done, without having Troy complain that the bathroom now smelled like a girl. And now, she was going to get dressed, and let her hair air dry while she curled up in a recliner and read her book without having to worry about the guys busting out of their bedroom after battling Blorgons.

Satisfied, she wrapped her towel around herself, and still humming, she walked out of the bathroom, pushing her way past the sheet they were using as a temporary door since the last escapade had resulted in a busted door and frame. She was half holding her towel, and half running her hands in her hair some more, making sure there weren't going to be knots and feeling all too at ease.

"You were singing."

Annie leapt around, gasping.

Abed stood near the kitchen, pointing at the bathroom sheet, "You don't normally sing in the shower."

Annie frantically covered herself better, "Abed!"

He didn't seem at all concerned though, that she was standing there, in nothing but a towel, and dripping wet. "Do you normally refrain from singing or was this just a one-time thing?" he stared at her intensely then, as though something had just occurred to him, "Did the Glee club get to you?"

But she was concerned, "What happened to your- video game- thing?" she hissed, flustered. And yet she was still standing there, water soaking the floor beneath her feet.

"Troy and I are at a stalemate," Abed said candidly, easily sidetracked, "We can't decide whether or not we need a Wii console or an X-Box 360. I came back to ask your opinion."

Annie pushed back the wet hair from her face, "I don't care-," she told him, and at that moment she really didn't. Honestly she thought the money should go to buying a new bathroom door, but it wasn't her call, since it wasn't her money.

And since they had had to pawn the last one off to cover rent before she had moved in, they had been working on saving money day and night to get a new one. She'd remembered Troy that first week on withdrawals. It hadn't been fun.

"It's a serious decision in our lives Annie," Abed continued quickly, "Buying a gaming console will forever change the dynamic of this apartment, and since you live here, your opinion on the subject is necessary."

"Wait, how will it change the dynamic of the apartment?" Annie asked, surprised and suddenly a little wary as she pushed her hair back.

When Troy and Abed had first discussed buying a video game player, thing, it had been hours and hours of research, and long conversations that Annie often tuned out. She hadn't thought much of it, or she had had studying to get to. Obviously it was a serious decision to them, but, it would change the apartment? She didn't know how she felt about that.

"Well, I could start with the possibility of video game addiction," Abed tilted his head as he spoke, "I have less than a fourteen percent chance of becoming addicted, since I know when to stop, and because I'm more interested in finding loop holes and completing miscellaneous quests over long periods of time. You and Troy on the other hand-."

Annie had to stop him, frowning, "Wait, what'd you mean me and Troy? Troy and I. Troy and me." Grammar was harder right now, for some reason.

"Troy has a forty three percent chance. Don't tell him I told you that, but he is more competitive than I am. It's the jock side of him and since he hasn't been playing for a while, he has the possibility of diving right back in and never coming out." It sounded more like Abed was saying "the dark side" instead of "the jock side" when he said it, as though being a jock held a negative connotation, "And you," he looked her up and down, "You would be the worst. You have a seventy nine percent chance, but Troy and I are willing to intervene if it becomes too much of a problem."

Annie didn't understand, "Why do I have the highest percentile? I don't even play video games."

"Because you like to be the best at everything," Abed said matter-of-factly, tilting his head the other way, "You really like having more gold stars than anyone else, and, that happens a lot in video games."

"What does?" she interjected.

"Getting gold stars," he answered, without missing a beat, "It could consume you, and make you an entirely different person. But, we're willing to risk it. Once classes start in the Fall, you would be centered on school again, and we wouldn't have to worry about it as much anymore."

Annie was perturbed. She had no idea video games could be addicting. She looked to the floor, thinking of her high school days, and wondering if they had rehabs for video game addictions.

"So, the Wii, or the X-Box?" Abed asked her, catching her off guard, "The X-Box has more competitive games, but the Wii is more your style-."

"Neither," she said without thinking, and then looked up, horrified, "No, sorry, um-."

She hadn't meant to sound so- so, selfish. This was something Troy and Abed had thought about for a long time- well, a long time for Troy, at least, and they had put more effort into it than they did into most of their homework assignments-.

"Interesting," Abed cut her off mid stutter with a nod. He turned, making for the door.

"Wait!" she cried, and he stopped, rotating around and cocking his head at her. Bashful, she said, "Get whatever gaming-thingy you want. I don't mind," she smiled half heartedly.

His dark eyes were calculating, but he didn't say anything. He just turned on the spot and headed for the door. As he opened it, he paused, "You should sing in the shower more often," he noted.

Annie blinked, taken aback as a blush crept up her cheeks.

"Also you should get dressed. You could get sick, and Troy and I will be back soon," Abed looked at the ceiling, before adding, "No Terminator pun intended."

Annie looked down at herself. She was still in her fuzzy towel, now almost dry, talking to Abed about video games.

The door closed abruptly.

And he was gone, leaving a rather speechless Annie wondering why she was still standing there, blushing at a compliment-, no, a statement? from Abed.

But now instead of being relaxed, she was worried.

Video games seemed much more distressing with Abed's warning than she had originally considered.

She looked online, researching, and discovered that Abed wasn't lying, that getting addicted to video games was a very serious problem. If it meant winning titles and, and gold stars, like Abed had said, it sounded appealing.

More appealing than she could afford.

What if because of these video games she didn't go back to school, that she stayed home and did nothing but play? There were serious problems with aggression, and, eating disorders, and developmental issues- and she didn't know if she could handle it.

She wanted to text Troy and Abed, and beg them to not bring back a video game player, thing, but, she didn't. That wouldn't be fair. They had been so nice to let her live in their apartment, and she didn't think that she could ruin their summer like that for them.

So she sat, anxious, worried about the magical draw of video games, until she decided firmly that whenever Troy and Abed played a video game, that she would go hide in her room. Even if that meant not coming out for days.

Pictures of gaming controllers and boxes started to freak her out, so she firmly got off the internet and promptly picked up her book, where she allowed herself to get lost in characters and try and forget about the evil device coming home with the guys.

Later that day, much later than she would have thought, Troy and Abed came back.

Empty handed.

Annie looked up from the last pages of her book as the guys entered, looking deflated.

"What happened?" she wanted to know, putting the book down on the couch and standing up.

"We decided against a gaming console," Abed stated plainly.

"Yeah," Troy sighed, and then, stated aggravated, "They're really expensive!"

Annie frowned- that sounded, a lot like Troy acting. Why would Troy be acting?

"Not to mention games can cost sixty dollars apiece," added Abed, looking to Troy.

Troy nodded, "And buying other controls costs a lot, so we all wouldn't even get to play together."

"And buying online services for a year can get pretty spendy," Abed looked at Annie now, and she understood.

They weren't not buying the video games because they were expensive, because she knew that they had saved up for this and had probably talked over all of the costs, but because of her.

And she felt happiness bubble up inside of her. Abed held up a rented movie DVD case, "So we decided we'd just watch a movie tonight instead."

Annie looked from one, to the other, and grinned at them, before jumping up grabbing them both, hugging them tight. "Thank you!"

Abed patted her back awkwardly as Troy embraced her.

"You're welcome, Annie."

"Besides, if you turned into a gamer who would clean the bathroom?" Troy wanted to know.

"I thought you said I make it smell girly," Annie said, pulling away with her hands on her hips.

"You do," Abed said blankly.

Troy nudged him, then grinned broadly at Annie, "But in a good way."

"Aww, you guys!" she pulled them in for another hug.

"Should we watch the movie?" Troy asked, sounding like all the breathe had been squeezed from his lungs.

"Sure! I'll make us some popcorn," Annie declared, twirling her way into the kitchen.

She couldn't have been happier.

She had the best friends in the world, she decided as she put the popcorn in the microwave.

Later, as they started up the movie, and Annie sat back and watched, she realized that though she had the best friends in the world, she, was the worst friend in the world.

She felt guilt gnawing at her.

The guys were really put out, even though the movie was pretty good, and they talked about what it would be like if they were stuck in the Hunger Games, and who would be the most likely person to win, and what if the study group all played. Even with all the 'what ifs' she could tell they were unhappy. They weren't even motivated about her idea of Pierce as President Snow when they couldn't place who he would be in the show. In fact it made her feel mean when she said it out loud without them laughing with her.

Oh no, what had she done?!

They weren't as enthusiastic as they should have been throughout the entire thing, Abed not even mentioning the way they interpreted thematics into the scenes, and at the end, instead of immediately insisting that they play some form of something or other to do with the Hunger Games, they went directly to bed, without passing go, or collecting $200.

And it was her fault, she realized, biting her lip and shutting off the lights after telling the boys a half hearted, "Good night!"

Crawling into her own bed, she looked up at her ceiling, and wondered if the apartment's dynamic had already been ruined, and it hadn't been the video games; it had been her.

~Annie – Two Days Later ~

"So, are you guys going out?" Annie asked, breaking the awkward silence as the trio ate their breakfast together in their pajamas.

It had been awkward all morning- no, not awkward.

Depressed.

And it was thick in the air.

Annie didn't know how to handle it. The last time this had happened was when she had stopped them from their Kickpuncher marathon by asking them to go get frozen yogurt with her.

Troy had complained the whole time about not being able to call frozen yogurt ice cream, because it tasted just like ice cream, and Abed had been so out of it he had barely spoken other than to bring up Kickpuncher references over, and over again. But that had only lasted thirty two minutes, after she had decided that it wasn't worth finishing her yogurt if it was going to cause them that much heart ache.

This depressed silence had lasted for nearly two days now.

And she didn't know how to handle it anymore.

"Yeah," Troy said indifferently, "We're going down to an arcade."

"Yep," Abed nodded, and even his normal monotone was off.

This was all her fault, Annie knew. If she hadn't said no to the gaming console idea out loud to Abed, then they wouldn't have to go to an arcade. They could have stayed right there and played video games, with her. They'd be happy right now, instead of barely eating breakfast.

They left her there, and she decided that this couldn't go on any longer.

Because even if she got addicted, it wasn't fair to them. They deserved to play video games without having to pay 50 cents a pop, at midnight if they wanted to- in their pajamas, or in Inspector Spacetime gear!

So, since she couldn't stand it one moment longer, she hopped on the internet as soon as the door snapped shut, even leaving the dishes in the sink.

This had priority.

~ Abed ~

"Tell me why again we didn't buy the X-Box?" Troy wanted to know after another round of Mortal Kombat on the old, dusty machine, whose red buttons stuck at in-opportune moments during a battle.

"Because I didn't want to descend into a darker timeline, and Annie getting addicted to video games would definitely not turn out well for the group," Abed said, sliding another two quarters into the slot.

Troy wasn't convinced, "Yeah but, we've been looking to buy an X-Box for months now."

"You were looking to buy an X-Box. I still hadn't made up my mind on whether or not I liked the Wii or the x-box more. You gonna play as Kano again?" Abed asked as he flicked through characters, trying to decide whether or not to be Goro or Liu Kang.

"No," Troy said sulkily, changing over to play as Johnny Cage. "Man I wish you hadn't sold yours to help pay for rent."

Yes. It had been hard. More hard for Troy than for Abed. He remembered that look on Troy's face. It had been so sad. But they had needed the rent, and it had been before Annie had started to chip in so it had had to be done. "Yeah, but if I hadn't, we wouldn't be living together. Goro or Kang?"

"Goro. He has four arms. And yeah, I know, but I miss playing video games at home instead of with elementary school kids," Troy glanced sideways at a few kids putzing around on another game.

"Yeah, I see your point."

"Then why don't we get an X-Box?" Troy complained, sounding like one of the kids next to them.

"We already talked about this," Abed said, trying not to sound annoyed, because this was Troy, and he never got annoyed with Troy, "Thirteen times."

"Yeah, I know, dark side stuff, whatever," Troy sulked, and started up the game.

Abed didn't understand why they were still talking about this after two days. It was obvious that having a video game console wasn't worth risking Annie and this optimum timeline. He had run the simulations over and over in his head, and he didn't think he would like gamer Annie. She would get mean, and vicious, and probably call everyone a n00b all the time, even outside of gamer world. He didn't understand why Troy couldn't see that.

He liked this Annie a lot. He liked that she wore her pajamas around the apartment with them now. He liked that she watched movie marathons with them, often getting more entangled in the romances than was necessary, and commenting on how the plotlines differed in books, but he didn't mind. He liked that she was a morning person. He liked that she made the bathroom smell like strawberries and on occasion jasmine flowers, and that she sung in the shower when nobody was around. He liked that she used bubblegum lip gloss, and that she made perfect blueberry muffins on Sunday mornings. He liked that even though she wasn't very good, she still played Inspector Spacetime with them. He liked that she studied even during the summer break. He liked that she pushed her hair out of her face when it wasn't twisted off her forehead, the way she twirled strands of it absentmindedly when she was thinking, and that in the mornings it was messy when she got out of bed. He liked-

"Dude, I'm totally kicking your trash!" Troy shouted joyfully, shaking Abed back to reality where his character was getting punched in the face repeatedly, the poor graphics and sound effects making it more poignant. Sometimes Abed wondered if he liked the old style of gaming better, due to its classic look and it's creativity even without modern technology and graphics.

But the game was almost over, so he didn't have much time to really consider it in his mind, and Troy took him down with an easy combination, sending Abed sprawling, six limbs and all, before Troy shrilled his triumph until the twelve year olds next to them were staring.

"What?" Troy demanded, getting up in their stunned faces until they ran off. "That's right! Suck it."

Abed hadn't lost so badly in a long time, not since he first played the game. But he was glad Troy was happy. He'd been sad for days. It threw off the apartment's complex. If Troy's happiness depended on them making weekly trips to the arcade because they couldn't have a gaming console, than Abed was happy to participate. They could spend here what they'd been saving for the game system.

And then Annie wouldn't be at stake. Because more than a lot of things, Abed liked to think about what he liked about Annie, and he didn't think there would be as many of those things he liked if they descended into a darker timeline.

That was an odd thought to cross his mind.

Abed blinked at it for a moment while Troy continued his victory dance.

Abed liked to think about what he liked about Annie. What did that mean?

"So, want to play again?" Troy asked him, grin still on his face.

"No," Abed said matter-of-factly, "I think we should go home."

That sobered Troy up some, but not much, "Alright. I like to leave on a high note."

They walked out of the arcade, Troy still swaggering at his win, and Abed still thinking about liking to think about Annie. She had been more on his mind lately, but he had chalked it up to the fact that she had moved into the apartment with them. But maybe that wasn't the case.

Troy shook him out of it by proposing that they rent another movie, since the Hunger Games had proved less than what Abed had expected, but he shouldn't have let himself get so enthralled with the hype. It often led to disappointment.

They went with a favorite of his – Jurassic Park. Which led to deciding what kind of dinosaur they would be. Which led to an idea about half dinosaur- half human races, and deciding whether a reptilian race would have been the more superior race if they had been allowed to develop, and what kind of weapons technology would they have developed. Which lead to walking and talking like dinosaurs. Which lead them to their front door.

Abed opened it with two fore-claws, croaking to Troy to enter. Troy croaked back, walking like a very convincing raptor into the room.

And there was Annie.

Standing, waiting for them, with a big grin on her face.

It stopped his and Troy's human dinosaur charade short, both standing up taller, blinking.

"Well," Annie smiled, looking at the floor, before glancing quickly to the TV. Abed's eyes followed her gaze, where he saw, to his surprise,-.

"Is that a Nintendo 64?" Abed asked, cocking his head at the gaming console that sat on the floor in front of the TV.

"What?" Troy looked over to the television, where sat the old, gray gaming console, surrounded by a rather large group of games.

Troy looked to Annie, and then back to the 64, then back to Annie, and then back to the 64, like he was watching an odd game of ping pong ball that was filling him with joy and making him giggle more and more loudly with every passing second to the point Abed was starting to wonder if he would explode on the spot. Which, for Troy, was not unusual.

"You- I-, how- when?"

"I, already set it up," Annie said bashfully, "I hope you like it."

She wasn't looking at Troy though.

She was looking at Abed.

He wasn't sure how to process, like he was stuck at 55%.

With a hoot of joy, Troy ran for the 64, "What game to play, what game to play- all so beautiful I could cry-," he declared as he buried his hands in games.

Troy rambled on in ecstasy in the background, but Abed remained rooted to the spot. He was looking at Annie, eyebrows furrowed.

"I know it's not an X-Box, or a Wii, but, I thought it would work, for now," she said to him, looking to the ground and scuffing her foot. "Until you, save up, like you said."

He pointed from the game console to her, "You bought that." Still processing. Only 67%.

"Yes," Annie twisted her mouth, "I'm sorry I couldn't afford another kind, but the reviews online were good, so, I thought it could work."

Abed noticed she was crossing her fingers where she thought he couldn't see.

He liked that she believed in crossing her fingers even though it was a superstition. Again with the likes… odd. And not helpful since he was still processing.

"It does more than work, Annie! It's beautiful!" Troy exclaimed, "Abed!" he came running up to them, holding a game in his face, "Abed- she got Star Fox!"

"Star Fox 64?" Abed cocked his head. "As in-."

"Do a barrel roll!" Which Troy promptly did, which made him hit a recliner. "I'm ok!" he declared, popping right up. "I'm ok!" he said to reassure Annie, who had started forward anxiously, "Ah, I've always wanted to play this!"

His voice was reaching soprano octaves in a sing song voice.

Abed looked to Annie again. This had been a good move on her part- it made Troy happier than he would have predicted.

"-and Star Wars Episode 1 Racer, and the Legend of Zelda! and Gauntlet, and Rush 2, and Indiana Jones! and Madden, and Super Smash Brothers! and Mickey's Speedway-."

"How many games did you get?" Abed inquired as Troy listed off, "Mortal Kombat 4! and – wait, why did you get Wheel of Fortune? And, Kirby?"

"I like Kirby," Abed said quickly to him. Troy shrugged at him, before going back to crow at the lot.

"Well, I didn't know what you guys liked," she shrugged, biting her lip, "So, I got a wide variety," she stepped a little closer to him, her eyes wide and very blue, "And, um, you guys don't need to be worried about me, um, becoming a video game addict. I think I can manage. Besides, I only got two controllers. So, I'll just watch." She sounded cheery, almost, like she wasn't afraid at all.

Abed squinted at her, unsure. He knew she was likely to go to a lot of trouble for a friend in need, but, he had said that she was likely to get addicted, which was a subject she was touchy on, since she had had to go to rehab back in high school. He hadn't expected her to retaliate like this. Sure, he'd expected extra good home cooked meals, which they had gotten two nights in a row now, and her letting them pick the movies without any of her input, which had happened, but to go all out and buy something that had a seventy nine percent chance of destroying her?

She was pretty awesome. And brave.

Processing complete.

"I have to say I underestimated you," he said aloud.

"Why thank you," she smiled with a half curtsey. And then she paused, "I think."

"Whenever Abed says he underestimated you it's a good thing," Troy said. He'd appeared next to them without making a noise. It startled Annie. Abed was unfazed. Troy was looking at him, grinning from ear to ear, "So, Star Fox 64, or Star Wars Episode 1 Racer?"

Abed was still looking at Annie.

"Star Wars."

"Wohoo!" Troy skipped over to the Nintendo 64. And then he skipped back, and kissed Annie on the cheek, who giggled and blushed before returning the way he'd come.

Abed furrowed his brow.

He thought that Annie had gotten over her obsession/crush with Troy two years ago when she had moved on to Jeff. Maybe not though, because that was how people responded to people they liked in television shows and movies. Or was he simply overanalyzing? And if so, why was he overanalyzing?

"What?" she wanted to know.

"Nothing," he said, automatically filtering what he was thinking about for the sake of the storyline, and going to join Troy by the TV.

He felt Annie staring after him, but he didn't respond to that either, thinking about how the camera was panning out, leaving Annie alone and confused just to the side of the stage.

And then she sneezed.

"Bless you," Troy and Abed said in unison, "Jinx, double jinx, triple jinx!"

Annie laughed, and then came to sit on Abed's armrest as Abed picked up a controller, and Troy started the game.

The graphics were old school, and Abed thought he liked them better that way.

Also, he liked this brave Annie, who was willing to risk addiction for her friends, and curl up on his armrest for hours watching them play and routing them both on, unbiased, which made for a bad cheerleader, but a good friend.

"Wait, where did you get the money for this?" Abed asked after they'd finished their first round.

"That money I was saving up to buy a new door?" she said hesitantly, hunching her shoulders up to near her ears.

"I thought we agreed we liked the sheet," Troy said over the repeative music.

"No, that was you," Abed said.

"Oh yeah," Troy nodded, before asking, "Another round?"

"I think Annie should play," Abed said, handing her his controller.

"What?" she held it awkwardly.

"We have to teach her sometime," Abed shrugged at Troy.

Troy agreed with a shrug.

Annie was looking at Abed in horror, "But, you said-."

"I didn't predict this would happen," Abed cut her off matter of factly, "Maybe you'll prove me wrong."

Annie sat straighter at that.

"And if not," Troy grinned wickedly, "We have a straight jacket."

"Wait," Annie was shaking her head in confusion, "What?"

"Nothing."

Troy and Abed did their handshake.

"Ready Annie?"

"No- how do you-?"

Abed grinned, imagining the camera panning away from their backs, Nooow,… cut.