This is set while Team Starkid are at uni, during the year or so between AVPM and AVPS. Reviews appreciated!

-linebreak—

She didn't know when it had started, or for how long it had been going on. But this much was obvious – she did love him. She loved him with all her heart.

But she knew he didn't feel the same.

Sitting in the cafeteria, she watched him staring longingly after the short brunette, she sighed and held in the tears she felt prickling in the back of her eyes. The same tears she felt every time he stared after any girl.

Any girl but her.

It wasn't like she was invisible to him – no, not in the slightest. They were best friends. They spoke every day. He looked at her every day. Just never how she wanted him too.

The way he made her laugh, smile – not to mention the butterflies that she felt in her stomach whenever their eyes met. No one knew how much it hurt her. Not even Julia who had been unconsciously voted the 'motherly figure' of the group.

Chancing another look up at him, she saw the hurt look in his eyes, a look that she was all too familiar with. A look that was mirrored in her eyes almost every day.

Following his gaze, she saw a sight that seemed to be surprising everyone in the cafeteria, not just their group. Lauren had sat down in Walkers lap and had intertwined her tiny hands with one of his large ones in her lap. The pair seemed oblivious to the stunned looks they were getting from their friends, and as Lo leaned back further into his chest, Brian stood up, muttering something about needing to study for a test the next day.

Standing up, she followed him out the door, to find Brian sitting on the floor outside the big concrete building, head in his hands. Kneeling down, she placed a hand lightly on his shoulder,

"She chose him Mer." Brian said weakly, "She chose him over me. Like everyone else does. I've always been second best, second choice, second to people like Joe. And," Brian was crying now, "I hate the fact that I'll always be second best. Always the person they go to if they can't get their first choice. I mean – is it so bad to want to be chosen first for once in my life and -"

She was angry now. She hated it when people put themselves down when they didn't get what they wanted, and especially when it was the guy she loved putting himself down over another girl. Moving sideways, she knelt down in front of him and put both hands on either side of his face,

"Bri – you know that no one actually thinks that right? Cause you know it's not true."

"Yes it is!" Brian half yelled, jumping up, surprising her and knocking her to the floor, "You – you just don't get it do you Mer? No one cares! No one! They don't give a damn about me! I'm sick and tired of being second best to someone like Walker, or Darren, or even Dylan! And I – I hate it!"

And with that he stormed off.

Meredith could feel the tears prickling in her eyes again as he walked away, but she blinked them away and stood, brushing herself off. Taking a deep breath, she walked back into the building.

Sitting down she picked up her spoon and continued eating. Jaime was the only one who noticed how much her mood had depleted.

"What's up Mer? Why so glum?" She asked with a weird pouty look. Meredith just shook her head, keeping her eyes fixed on her food. Jaime shrugged and turned back to the conversation on her other side.

Meredith didn't want to talk about it to anyone. Because she knew that they wouldn't understand it this time.

Because they didn't know what it felt like to love someone, and for them to not love you back.