Josh had been absolutely pissed when Mason finished explaining the situation.

Mason had to physically stop him from leaving the dorm (he was that upset) and Carly had been extremely confused when he literally sat on the poor guy.

It worked at least.

"You're going to press charges right?" Josh huffed - clearly out of breath - as Mason adjusted slightly.

"Fuck if I know," he relaxed a bit more, settling more of his weight on his roommate's back.

Josh suddenly pushed himself up and off the ground with his hands and Mason tumbled onto the floor with a yelp. He sputtered as he turned to glare at the smug man. "You little bitch," he exclaimed lightheartedly.

"I'm the little bitch?" Josh gave him an incredulous expression. "You're the one who refuses to do something about it."

Ouch.

"I don't even know if I even still can press charges, man," Mason sighed heavily as he sat up. "That was months ago, and I mean- it's been a while since she's even tried anything."

"She locked Anastasia in the closet!" He wasn't sure why, but Josh calling his girlfriend Anastasia instead of Ana - even though Mason did all the time - made him smile. It felt like him being able to refer to her with a nickname was a privilege in and of itself.

He supposed it sort of was; she was royalty.

Mason rolled his eyes, "To me." While he would gladly try to have Charleigh arrested for shoving Ana in there, "There's no proof that it wasn't just supposed to be a stupid ass college prank."

"There's no proof that it was either," he gave him a pointed look.

"Is it just me or am I somehow always out of the loop around here?" Mason glanced in the direction of the new voice, eyes widening when he remembered that Carly had been sitting on the couch the entire time.

"It's a-," he began, only to be interrupted by Carly herself.

"Long story?" She tilted her head with a smirk. "Don't worry, I get it," she shrugged as she leaned back against the couch. "Telling your best friend of years about something makes sense; telling a roommate you've known for only one doesn't make as much sense."

Mason felt guilty at that, knowing that he had told Ana (a girl he had met last term) before he even thought about saying anything to Josh.

He couldn't even begin to imagine how crushed Josh would be if he knew that.

Mason glanced away from her for only a brief second before releasing a heavy breath. "You know that person who locked Ana in the closet?" Carly nodded in confirmation. "Well she's done a lot more than empty threats before."

His roommate's eyebrows furrowed at the newfound information, "Was this person there when you found her or something?"

"What-," Mason shook his head, "No, of course not."

"Then how do you know it was her?"

"Because she left a note-," he abruptly stopped because Charleigh left a note.

A note that she had written with the same handwriting she had used on every assignment, every form, every signature.

Proof.

~~~

Mason had contacted the police that very night, but the spring term was ending by the time anything had actually happened.

It was may now, four months since Ana had left.

The only thing keeping Mason sane was the photos he had on his phone and the videos he was able to find of her online. It had become an obsession of sorts if he was being honest with himself; if he wasn't busy then he was looking at her, in any way he could.

Apparently she had taken up baking (according to one interview he found of her) and he was relieved to see that she was looking much better than before.

She definitely didn't seem as happy as she used to be - Mason didn't need anything but his own eyes to know this - but she looked okay, like she had finally accepted what was happening.

Mason wasn't sure how to feel about that.

He was determined to see Ana in person again, determined to hold her and kiss her and love her and so much more.

And the idea that she had given up on that being a possibility was practically killing him.

In hindsight, Mason realized it might be better that she was getting used to the separation; it felt as though the entire world was against them at times. And if it meant that she was happy even when they weren't together, then that should have been a good thing.

Especially now, when it had already been so long since they had seen or even spoken to each other and he still had no fucking clue when they would be able to.

Hell, it might have been best to just leave her be and let her find someone else; someone that her parents wouldn't be upset about; someone that she could depend on and not be ashamed of.

But - if Mason could be selfish for only one goddamn moment of his life - then this was that moment.

~~~

"Charleigh." It had taken almost no time to find her in the crowded halls and it made him even more uneasy than he was before.

The girl before him smiled, a saccharine sweet grin that overshadowed any malice she might have felt. "Mason!" She moved to jump towards him but Mason sidestepped purposefully at the very last second.

She stumbled forward at having nothing there to catch her and he noticed her smile drop.

But then she turned to look at him again and it was perfectly set in place, as though it had always been there. "You finally came looking for me!"

God, her voice was grating.

"You look awfully excited for someone who's about to get some terrible fucking news," he told her dryly. And he got a sick sense of satisfaction when her lips twitched.

"Well that can't be true because you're single, and that's always good news to me," and she giggled.

Mason grit his teeth because resorting to violence sounded so tempting right now. "Now where the hell did you hear that? As far as I know, I'm still completely fucking taken." And he wanted to make sure it stayed that way. For a very long time.

Her laughter stopped. "What?" She glanced around at the people surrounding them before glaring at Mason. "Do you even know who she is? What she is," Charleigh whispered harshly.

"Of course I do, you fucking dumbass," she reeled back from the insult. "You think I'd be dating her and not know who she is? That's so fucking stupid," he sneered in return.

She lifted her hand then as if she was really going to try to slap him, and Mason grabbed her forearm before she actually could. He then leaned down with a scowl, resisting a smirk as Charleigh instinctively stepped back and walked directly into the wall behind her.

"What do you think you're doing? Let go of me," she tried pulling her arm free but Mason only tightened his grip.

"You should be fucking terrified," he began. "Messing with me is one thing, Charleigh; I could not care less about what you do to me now. But fucking with Ana? That's a line you never should have crossed. I will ruin you."

Her eyes were wide as Mason released his hold on her and she literally fell to the floor just as her phone began ringing.

"Oh?" He hummed, taunting her as he bent down to glance at the screen. "Parents? That's got to be fucking rough," he shook his head with mock sympathy. "Especially after they hear about how you put camera's in a person's room, huh?"

The police had gotten a hold of a detective after Mason had told them the entirety of what happened with Charleigh, explaining that they needed to know if she had tried breaking in again. Of course this meant that they searched his dorm as well; just in case, they had said.

So imagine Mason's fucking shock when they told him that they found cameras.

It was so damn terrifying to think that she had literally been watching him, and Mason hadn't gone to class for three whole days in fear of what else she might have done. But then he remembered Ana.

There was no time to be scared, not if he wanted to see her. And he so desperately fucking did.

"What?" Her face went completely ashen, her mouth dropping as she looked down at the phone. "You told my parents?"

She wasn't even trying to deny it.

Mason had to clear his throat in order to say anything. "No," he shook his head with a slow smile, "That would be such a petty ass thing to do." He paused just to watch her face regain color. "I told the police."

He was trying to get a restraining order against her, which would force her to leave UPenn. But - beside that - she was going to be charged with criminal stalking and privacy infringement.

The penalty for both weren't very severe, the most she could get was seven years in prison (and that was worst case scenario) and with a good enough lawyer, she could get off with a fine for both.

"I'm going to be arrested?!" She was crying now and Mason couldn't help but wonder how she had the audacity to be so fucking emotional over something that she had caused.

Especially because she could very well come out of the courthouse with nothing but a couple thousand dollars of debt.

But her reputation?

Like Mason said; ruined.

~~~