Vengeance University

"Hey baby," I said with a smile as Brian walked to his car, which I was leaning against. My smile soon faded when I saw the dark look flash across his face as he neared. "Is everything alright?" I asked, but he didn't answer - just got to the other side of the car and got in. Confused, I got in the passenger side and buckled up while he started the car. His jaw was clenched, and I could easily tell that something had pissed him off.

"Where do you want to eat?" he asked tensely, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Well I can see you're obviously not in a good mood, so how about we just go back to yours and you can tell me what's got your panties in a bunch, 'kay?" I asked, being a little smartass. At first I thought he was only going to get even angrier when he didn't say anything, but he managed to crack a smile as he drove us back to his place.

"What do you want to have?" he asked as we entered his house and he tossed his keys onto the table. I headed further into the kitchen and got out a pot, filling it with water before setting it on the stove and turning the heat on high. Turning around, I saw Brian root through the fridge for a beer, and pouted when he pulled one out.

"What, you want one?" he chuckled, the stony expression finally lifting fro his face, ad I nodded eagerly. He pulled out a second one and popped the top, handing it to me.

"Anyway, I want pasta, so that is what I'm gonna make," I said, sipping the bitter alcohol and leaning back against the counter. "Now, are you gonna tell me what's got you so pissed off?" Grumbling, Brian turned and went into the living room, causing me to follow after I poured some spaghetti noodles into the boiling water. He was flopped back on the couch, his head back and his eyes trained on the ceiling. I curled up next to him, my legs pulled up onto my cushion as I turned toward him, my hand on his thigh.

"It's just... so Goddamned infuriating that Zack is still with Sarah," he sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I told him he had better stop and what does he go and do? He takes her to meet his freaking parents... It's only gonna get him in trouble, and yet he doesn't seem to realize that, at all."

Smiling slyly as I listened to what he was saying, I watched him. He was obviously in need of a good reality check.

"Brian, am I like... invisible to you or something?" He picked his head up and looked at me, his eyebrow cocked as if he thought I was crazy.

"Um... No? You're sitting right here with me. Why would you be invisible?" he asked.

"Well, your biggest problem with Zack and Sarah is that she is a student, and he's the headmaster, right?" I asked, and Brian slowly nodded. "What am I?

Pausing a moment, Brian thought. "...My girlfriend. What are you getting at, baby?" he asked. I sighed, looking at him like he was completely hopeless.

"I am a student. That's why I'm here in California. That's how we met. You were my professor..." I pointed out.

Rolling his eyes, Brian sighed. "Yeah, but we're different," he said, taking another gulp of beer.

"How are we different? It's like... the same situation," I said, getting up and walking back to the kitchen to stir the noodles and check on them.

"It's not the same situation because we're not screwing!" I heard Brian call from the other room, and I rolled my eyes before standing in the doorway to the living room.

"So? Just because we're not having sex doesn't mean we haven't had sexual relations of any kind, babe. And besides, what if I want us to be screwing?" I asked airily, crossing my arms, and I could see his devilish little smirk.

"Well then we can."

"Aha! See, then we'd be just like Zach and Sarah, and I would be right, and you'd have to leave them alone," I said, pointing at him, and he just sighed deeply again before running his hands down his face.

"It's still different, Amanda, because their relationship is deeper than ours."

Realizing what he had said before he even did, I felt my heart sink.

"So what you're really trying to say, Brian, is that what we have means nothing to you," I said, my words harsh as he realized his mistake. He quickly stood.

"Baby, no. I-" he said, taking a step toward me.

"No, I totally get it now, Brian..." I huffed, turning away and brooding over the stove as I turned off the heat. I angrily placed the strainer in the sin and poured the water and cooked pasta into it.

"Amanda, that's not what I meant to say," Brian said quietly from behind me.

"Then why'd you say it at all?" I threw back over my shoulder, bracing myself over the sink.

"I don't know," he sighed, on the verge of a whine, and I could hear him coming up behind me. In a quick moment, he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling my body into his.

"Baby, you know that what we have is important to me. If it wasn't, we wouldn't be together. It took a lot for me to finally get over my wife as much as I have so far, and you've been the only girl... woman... who's been able to help me do that," he whispered into my neck, and I turned my head away from him. "Don't be like this baby, you know I didn't mean it. When I said that, what I meant was that their relationship is older than ours - they've had more time to be together than we have. But that doesn't change the way I feel about you, at all." I felt him place a few soft kisses along my neck, his arms holding me tighter, and it took all I could to try and ignore him. Feeling my heart soften, I sighed, leaning back into him.

"So you really didn't mean it?" I asked quietly, and he nodded against my neck, his lips pressing harder against my skin, causing me to giggle.

"So can we be okay, and just... have dinner?" he asked, his voice muffled.

"Okay," I whispered, turning to him and kissing him as he was still pressed right up behind me. "Let's eat."