This chapter has been by far the HARDEST one I've had to write for this story so far. So much is going on, and so many emotions are present here. I know it's a bit... sappy if you will, but believe me when I say this plays a vital role later on in the story. ;)

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Diana sat outside in her backyard, staring intensely into the bonfire. The girl was admittedly not in one of her best moods. She was preparing herself, waiting for the moment to strike. Diana was finally going to tell Brent that she was sick of being treated like a second class citizen. She was tired of his friends and partying coming before her. Admittedly, she was rather sick of everything about him. They hadn't been very close in recent times, and Diana felt herself detaching herself more and more from him. She couldn't help it. That's what happens when you don't see your significant other in over a month, and hardly speak to them about anything that mattered. Diana wasn't even sure how she managed to convince him to come over in the first place. She couldn't have picked a better time either; she was the only one home, as her parents were out of town on a camping trip, and Marisa was out at the movies with her friends.

The girl didn't even stir as she caught a glimpse of headlights in her driveway. Let the games begin, she thought as the back gate opened and shut. Diana didn't look away from the fire as she heard a male's voice call out to her, "Diana, is that you?"

"Yup," she muttered, not able to hide the venom in her voice.

The boy walked over and took a seat next to her, leaning forward to get a better look at her face. Diana stared back at him, a serious look plastered to her face. "Are you okay?" he asked.

He just opened a can of worms he didn't want opened. "No, Brent. As a matter of fact, I'm not," Diana snapped. "You say we're in a relationship, yet there is no relationship. We don't hang out, we hardly talk, and you find that partying comes before me and your class work. And when we do see each other you feel the need to argue with me over something that isn't even that important." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I've been doing a lot of thinking recently, and after a friend brought it up to me, I've come to an ultimatum. Either things start changing today, or I'm done."

"So your friend told you to break up with me?" Brent asked, the anger all too apparent in his voice.

"No, what he said is that I needed to voice my concerns with you, and that if things didn't improve that I needed to move on," Diana said quietly.

"He? Who is he?"

"You don't know him," Diana immediately defended Artemis, although he was nowhere in sight.

"So you've been seeing another guy behind my back? And he tells you to dump me?" Brent went on, completely missing Diana's point, as always.

"You daft bimbo! You honestly think I'm that stupid?! I've been faithful to you for over two years Brent, and when I bring up my concerns, you accuse me of being a harlot?" Diana shook her head in disbelief. "You know what, I don't need this. I'm done with you Brent. Get the hell out of here."

"Gladly. I was going to break up with you anyways," Brent answered, as he stood. "Goodbye Diana."

And with that, Diana watched her now ex-boyfriend leave, an odd feeling building in her chest. Once he was out of sight, Diana's head fell to her hands as she let the tears flow from her eyes unchecked. She knew this day was coming; why did it hurt so much still? As it turned out, she found herself suddenly wishing someone had been home to talk to...

Without thinking, the girl pulled her cell phone from her pocket, and through tear-drenched eyes, managed to call someone, though she had no idea who at first. That question was answered when she heard a voice answer her. "Hello?"

Although she was in tears and undergoing what she was sure was her heart being ripped to shreds, she felt a tingle run down her spine at the sound of Artemis' voice. "Hey Arty," she managed to squeak out between sobs.

"Are you okay? It sounds like you're crying," the boy asked, concern layering his voice.

"No," Diana answered. "I thought I would be, but I'm not."

"What happened?"

"I broke up with Brent," Diana explained, wiping her face. "And then he said he was going to do it anyways." Artemis didn't respond for several moments, causing Diana to continue, "I just don't know what to do, and I'm all alone and-"

"What do you mean you're alone?" Artemis questioned. "Your family just abandoned you when you were this upset?"

Diana shook her head, although he couldn't see it. "None of them knew what was going on and left beforehand. My parents won't be back until Sunday, and Marisa won't be home for a few more hours."

Once again, Artemis was silent. Diana took this opportunity to wipe her eyes again, though she knew her efforts were futile. In the fire's gentle glow, she could tell her makeup had started to run, leaving black lines on her hands. All her hard work on her face that morning was pointless now. Not that it mattered.

"Do you err... want someone there with you?" she heard Artemis stumble over his words. "At least until someone gets home?"

Diana pushed an errant strand of hair out of her face. "You don't have to come over Artemis... it's not your job to make sure I'm sane."

"That's where you are wrong," Artemis corrected her. "I believe the phrase I'm looking for is 'what are friends for?' So I'll be over in ten minutes. We'll talk more then, alright?"

"Alright," Diana said quietly, almost forgetting Artemis had dropped her off at home earlier that day. "Guess I'll see you then."

With that, the call ended, leaving Diana admittedly not feeling much better. She picked up the garden hose by her side and sprayed aimlessly at the fire, eventually putting it out. Once she was sure that was done, the girl went back into her house, sitting down on her bed. The girl stared into her fish tank, letting her mind wander, only it wandered in the wrong direction, and she found herself in tears once again. No matter how hard Diana tried, she just couldn't stop. She was fairly sure that the whole relationship was the biggest waste of time in her life. If Diana knew one thing, she was nearly positive that they were never getting back together, not that she was entirely bugged by that. She was still young, so much could change for her, so many new opportunities that he held her back from. Nothing was going to stop her now.

However, her confidence ended when she glanced over to her window, noticing a picture hanging on her wall of her and Brent from the past year's Homecoming Dance. It had been her favorite picture of the two of them, and now all it brought her was misery. In one fluid motion, she leapt from her bed and snatched the picture off her wall. The girl ripped the back of it open, yanking the picture out of it, immediately stowing it in a box of photos under her bed. Taking a deep breath, the girl sat the empty picture frame on her dresser, just in time to see a pair of headlights once again pull into her driveway.

The girl attempted to compose herself as she made her way to the front door. The last thing she wanted Artemis to see was her crying her eyes out and looking like a hot mess. At least not at first. She knew crying was going to be inevitable; she wanted to prolong it as long as possible. Remain calm, she thought to herself as she opened the door, immediately seeing the raven-haired boy in question standing there, soaking wet.

"It started to rain on my way over here," he offered an explanation. "Can I come in?"

Diana nodded, quickly ushering the boy inside, shutting the door behind him. "Hold on just a moment. I'm going to get you a towel so you can dry off." The girl disappeared into a nearby room, only to emerge a few moments later with a large blue towel. Diana draped it over Artemis' shoulders, hoping it would help dry the poor soul off after the rain. "There; that should help a little bit." She paused for a moment, noticing how her friend was just standing there awkwardly. "You don't have to stand, you know. You can come sit with me. In fact I would prefer if you did."

Diana didn't wait for Artemis to respond before she began her trip back through the house to her room. The girl took a seat on the edge of her bed, taking a deep breath. When the girl glanced up, she saw Artemis standing in the doorway. He stood there for a second before hesitantly taking a seat next to Diana. The two sat there in an awkward silence for what seemed like an eternity before Diana decided she should fill Artemis in on exactly what transpired with Brent. "Well... I took your advice and tried to talk to him. I told him I was sick of him being a jerk to me, and this is the end result."

Artemis fiddled his thumbs together. "How did he feel about the break-up?"

"Apparently just fine, since his last words to me were 'gladly, I was going to do it anyways,'" Diana answered him quietly. "And I think it's that fact that hurts the most."

"What a pompous jerk!" Artemis exclaimed, completely going against his normal persona. Upon realizing that, he quickly regained his composure. "Well... with that being the case, I believe some sort of action is in order."

"What do you mean 'some sort of action?'" Diana asked, blinking back a few tears. "There's not really a whole lot we can do about it. I just have to get over it."

"Or blow his house up," Artemis mumbled mostly to himself as he checked his fingernails nonchalantly. "Why don't we just pay him a little visit?"

"Artemis that won't be necessary," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. "We don't blow people's houses up. We just... let karma take over."

"But I could easily be the karma, or just as easily be the one, how do you say, driving the karma bus?" he sighed, sort of impatiently. "I could have him regretting the day he ever laid eyes on you, Diana."

"Why are you so determined to destroy him?" Diana questioned, though she honestly wasn't completely concerned by Artemis' sudden turn to the dark side. "Really Artemis. He'll get what's coming to him without your interference."

Shaking his head, Artemis replied, "Well, if that's what you want. I mean, I could always have Butler teach this foul being some respect. I just don't want you hurting anymore..."

"Well, maybe one day Butler will be able to, but for now, I just want to relax and forget about it," Diana answered him quietly. "And what do you mean you don't want me hurting anymore?"

"He hurt you, and no respectable gentleman would approve of such monstrous behavior," Artemis explained. He pat her knee gently. "We'll play by your rules for now and see where it goes. But I still say he needs to pay."

"Thanks Arty," Diana replied, no longer able to hold back the tears she had been holding in, letting them flow freely onto Artemis' shoulder. The girl put her arms around him, hugging him close to her, truly grateful for his support and company.

Admittedly, Artemis was not sure how he was supposed to act with a crying girl on his shoulder. He was not used to all the affection, or being the supportive friend for that matter. Artemis took a deep breath, placing his hand on Diana's back, strangely patting her back in an attempt to comfort her. "There, there," he said in a whisper, "it's going to be okay."

Diana didn't say anything to him for a few minutes, making the situation all the more awkward for Artemis. The boy just continued to let her cry on his already soaked shoulder, hoping she would stop sooner rather than later. It was hard for Artemis to imagine what she was going through; having never had a relationship, he didn't know how emotionally attached one could be to another human being, how hard it could be to say goodbye to someone you deeply cared about. Sure enough, Artemis promised himself then and there not to be like this Brent character if he ever had the chance.

"I'm really sorry for crying on you, but I just can't help it," Diana apologized through her sobs.

"Oh it's fine Diana. It's no worse than being rained on," Artemis attempted to cheer her up with some of his odd humor.

The girl pulled away from him, before replying, "Ironic considering." She wiped away a few of her tears, rather embarrassed at the emotional train wreck she was at the moment. She never wanted Artemis to see her like this, yet it happened anyways. Maybe it was supposed to be this way, she thought.

Artemis laughed slightly, something Diana wasn't expecting to hear from him. "That it is," he answered, standing up. "Would you care for a cup of hot tea?"

The girl immediately grabbed her friend by his bony hand, pulling him back down. "You're not getting me tea in my own house. Especially when I'm so capable of doing it myself." She stood. "You don't have to cater to me, Artemis."

The Irish boy stood, blocking the girl from leaving her room. "Well sure I do. I am your friend, am I not?" he smiled empathetically.

Diana smiled slightly, attempting to wipe away the remaining tears. "Still Arty. You really don't have to do that for me. Just being here is enough for me."

That's when Artemis truly surprised the girl. He took his left hand, and brushed a stray tear from Diana's cheek. "I know, but... I can't just sit here knowing that you're hurting inside and not do anything about it. Maybe when I was younger this kind of behavior I would've ignored. But with the things I've been through in the past few years, I've learned that it's always easier when you have a friend, someone you can confide in and trust." He took a deep breath. "Maybe I can't speak for all your friends, but I know I can speak for me. I'm glad you got rid of that cancerous soul. And I don't want you to take what he said personally. It was a cowardly move made by someone who was honestly in shock himself. I don't think he thought you were capable of ditching him like you did. He didn't deserve you, and he never will." Artemis paused for another second, carefully planning his next few words. "You deserve so much better than Brent, Diana. And I know there's nothing I can say to you right now to prove that to you. But please... just believe me. You'll get someone far better than him one day."

Diana almost lost it again right then and there, only this time because she was overwhelmed with an odd feeling of joy. Artemis was right, not that he had been wrong so far. The girl smiled probably the single largest smile Artemis had ever seen on her before. "Thanks Artemis," she said.

Before Artemis could answer her, Diana had him pulled into another tight embrace. The boy wasn't sure what the proper protocol for a hug was, so he guessed his way through it once again. He placed his arms around her, holding his no-longer sobbing friend. He went to go reply, but was cut off by Diana pulling herself free of his grasp and saying seemingly to no one, "Oh hey, Marisa. When did you get home?"

Artemis turned and immediately saw another girl standing in the kitchen, a devious smile on her face. "Oh, I've been home for about five minutes," she stated. "I'll ask you what happened later. I can see you're a bit predisposed at the moment." On that note, the girl walked away, leaving Diana and Artemis standing there once again in an awkward silence.

"That was my sister," Diana explained, breaking the silence.

"Oh," was all Artemis had to mutter.

"Anyways, how about that tea?" Diana asked, immediately changing the topic. "I'm sure we both would enjoy a cup right about now."

"Sounds lovely," Artemis agreed, moving slightly so Diana could squeeze past him.

Diana went to move past him, but stopped in front of him. She stood on her tiptoes and whispered into his ear, "Thanks again for everything, Artemis. It means a lot to me. You really are a sweetheart, I hope you know that." She slowly started to move away from him, but not before she planted a quick kiss on his cheek. The two shared a quick glance before Diana led the now blushing Artemis into the kitchen for tea.