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Annabeth found herself in a state of deja vu as she raced through the corridor. Her boots squeaked on the floor with every step she took. It wasn't hard to find where Romy had gone. Just follow the trail of water on the floor, right? And yet she was running in rubber boots while she followed it.... Not the best decision, seeing as she slid for quite a ways, somehow keeping her balance as she did so. Regaining her original pace, the girl hurried through the hall, only to find exactly who she was looking for doing exactly what she was afraid of. "Romy!" she exclaimed as she stopped dead in her tracks to take in the entire scene. Her dear, dear Romulus was hunched over a pile of broken, bloody glass, his hands bruised and bloody as well, and he was crying so hard she couldn't tell what was rain and what was tears. Annabeth hurried to his side, collapsing to her knees to kneel beside him on the chilling tile floor. Her arms slipped around his core, hugging the boy tightly. "Stop this! Stop it right now! Don't you hurt yourself anymore! You hear me?!" she shouted out of fear. It was her motherly instinct, though she wasn't sure where she had gotten it from. Anna sniffled, a few tears already starting to spring to the corners of her crystal blue eyes. She shut them tightly and shook her head. "Don't do this, Romy. When you do, you're not just hurting yourself..." she said, returning to a normal tone of voice. The Gryffindor sniffled again, but didn't dare to wipe her nose on her sleeve. That would require her to remove her arms from Romy, which she wouldn't do at a time like this. He needed someone right now, and she was going to be that someone. "...You're hurting the people that care about you..." she finally finished, barely above a whisper. She just wanted him to stop. It hurt her to watch him do that to himself. Why couldn't he just see that?

Anna watched him warily as he stared at her, blindly, wondering who she was by the look of it. The look in his eyes... so lost and alone... It was enough to cause a few more silvery teardrops to slide down her cheeks. Her grasp on him loosened, just enough for him to find his spare glasses. As he regained his sight, he quickly realized who she was, and in response pulled her into him, encircling her in a tight embrace. A slight look of surprise lit up her face, but it soon faded away as she returned his hug, wrapping her arms tightly around him. Gramma had always said that a quick way to help someone with their problems was to show them that you cared, and Anna? Oh, she cared. She cared a lot. He began to speak, apologizing for what he had done to himself. He seemed to be losing his words, but then he started going on about the game. He had wanted to win, like any good player would, but not for the glory. He wanted to win for someone, someone he cared deeply for. He was in love? He admitted to being in love, so he must be. How? How could he open himself up like that, when he was only fourteen? Could love even exist at that stage in someone's life?... She pulled away from him, just a little, to be able to look up at his face. His lonely eyes were filled with what she saw to be... love? Wait... Did he just... say that... he loved... her? Annabeth's eyes widened, but she didn't say a word. 'How could he love me? He hasn't even known me for too long... Okay, so we've been friends for like a year, but still! Love? Me?... Do I love him? Can I even love him? I'm thirteen! This isn't something I should be thinking about right now!... But... I do care about him. He's important to me, despite only having knowing him for a year. I guess the question is... am I capable of love? Would he accept it, despite it's flaws and troubles?...' Anna was quiet for a long time, a few minutes at least, before she pulled herself to Romy again, hugging him even tighter. She didn't want to let him go, didn't want to leave him here alone again, but all of this? She just didn't know. "Romy, I..." she began before she silenced herself. The girl sniffled, her eyes cautiously finding his. What was she supposed to say? When someone told you they loved you, you're supposed to say that you loved them back, right? But... That just didn't seem right. At least, not right now. "I... I'm not sure what to... How do I say... Romy, I'm truly touched that you like me that much, really I am. It's just that... I don't know... Do you know what I'm trying to say?" The young Lion tilted her head in a puzzling manner, for she wasn't even sure what she was trying to tell him. That she didn't love him? No. There was... something... there, but was it love? She wasn't sure. All she needed was time. Time to think this over, think it through, just time in general. But what if they didn't have that kind of time? What if he went off to find some other girl... What would she do then?

Anna didn't know what to say. He was just.. crying. Her arms still around him, and his still around her, she felt the need to just hug him. Just hug him and squeeze the bad thoughts out of him. Those thoughts that made him hurt himself, that made him so angry sometimes, that made him sad, all of them. She wanted them gone. Instead, he opened his mouth to speak, and his words shocked her. Other people? Better people? What? The girl squeaked as Romy shoved her aside and stood. She fell backwards, landing on her rear, her face showing confusion and hurt. He walked away from her, separating them even further, and not just in physical space. Then, the boy punched the wall again. Anna could hear the bones snapping from where she was sitting, the sounds echoing in her ears as her eyes widened with fear and worry. "Romy, no!" she called out, pushing herself off the ground and rushing to her friend. She grabbed hold of his right wrist, pulling at it with all of her strength, which wasn't very much at all. "Stop it, Romy! Don't you ever say things like that, do you understand me? And stop hurting yourself!" she shouted at him, her voice breaking on occasion. She just wanted him to stop. Was that too much to ask? "You're really starting to scare me, Romy... Come on. You need to go to the Hospital..." she managed to get out, tugging lightly on his wrist. Just by the look of his hand, she could tell it was broken. It was already purple and swollen, and all bloody and stuff, after all. At times like these, Anna was glad that she wasn't afraid of blood.

She was glad that he wasn't angry at her for stopping him. In most cases, if someone was attempting to be violent, and someone interfered, they would take their anger out on that someone. But not Romy. He would never hurt her. Right? Right. She was sure of it. He wouldn't hurt her. As he pulled her into a hug, Annabeth hugged him back, hiding her small frame in his embrace. He spoke of skipping out on the Hospital visit, saying that he had to "face the consequences" of his actions. She shook her head, taking a step away from him. She looked up at him, a slight pouting scowl on her face. "Romy, I'm taking you to the Hospital Wing, and that's that. I won't take no for an answer." And she wouldn't. He could kick and scream, but she would take him to the Hospital. She didn't want him to stay hurt, for seeing him hurt... hurt her too. She wasn't sure why, but it did, and it was painful. Anna stepped back into his arms, hugging him tightly. He couldn't possibly deny her requests now... could he?