Jonathan Crane hates high school. What's the point? Sitting in class, watching a bunch of Neanderthals throw paper airplanes at each other? Spare him the agony.
Well, it could be worse. He could be stuck with dear old Granny. He shivers inwardly at the idea.
Somebody hits him with an airplane and he sighs. When can he go to the library, where it's safe?
"Hey. Scarecrow." He grimaces and tries to concentrate on his homework. "Hey."
Another airplane hits him-this time in the head-and he sets his pencil down.
"What do you want?"
"What's the assignment?"
"It's on the board." He'll regret that, but it just slips out. Is this idiot completely illiterate? Wait, he knows this one-yes.
This time it's a rubber band that smacks him in the head. Ow.
"Pages thirteen and fourteen." he says at last. Nothing hits him this time and he returns to his math homework.
When X is Y+3…
Why should he care? Math is important, yes, but not this kind. Besides, he's bored stiff. And whoever had used this book last had doodled all over the problems. Idiot.
He turns the page and finds that the doodler had taken a sharpie to the problems. Dammit. Now what?
Asking somebody to borrow a book is suicide. Hopefully the library will have a copy…
"J-Jonathan?" For a minute he ignores the voice. Nobody calls him by his name except the teachers, and they don't have an English accent. "That's your name, isn't it?"
New student. He'd forgotten about her. What fun, another tormentor. God, he can't wait to get out of here.
"Yes."
"S-sorry to bother you." Well, she sounds sorry. "I can't get the teacher to listen to me…what's question nineteen? Some git spilled soda on my book and the ink ran."
He reads the problem to her without looking up. Will she leave now? His head hurts and he doesn't feel like talking.
"Thank you."
Well. That's a nice surprise. What is he supposed to say?
"You're welcome."
There. That sounded right. Now, if she'll just leave him alone, he can go back to worrying about an illegible math book.
New Student leaves and he rubs his head. He almost wants to go home. If he's lucky, he can just go straight to his room and hide all weekend. He's just so tired.
He gives up and lays his head down. Nobody will notice him if he stays very still and quiet. He knows this from experience. The only person it doesn't work on is Granny…no. Not right now.
The desk is cool against his skin and he closes his eyes. He just wants to sleep.
He does not sleep and ten minutes later he's at his locker. Someone bumps into him-it may have been an accident-and his books drop. For once, he is left to pick them up in peace.
"Want help?" New Student again. He isn't sure if he should say yes or no. For all he knows, she'll say no to get into someone's good graces. "Hello?"
"I-I'm fine."
She ignores him and drops to help him gather a pile of papers. What does she want? Homework help? He's not tutoring her, and that's final.
"Kitty Richardson."
For a minute he doesn't register that she's spoken to him. Then he realizes that she's given him her name and that he should return the favour.
"Jonathan Crane."
He's not shaking hands, though.
"Here's your…um…homework." Good guess. It's mostly just scratch paper.
"Thank you."
It hits him that this is his new neighbor. Oh, great. Oh, well. There's a lot of land between the houses. She'll never find out. He hopes she doesn't find out, anyway, because she looks like a nosey individual.
Ohh, his head is killing him. It's study hall next. Maybe he'll go to the library, where it's quiet. And safe from the football team.
"Are you okay?"
Who, him?
Yes, him. There's no one else in the hall.
"Fine." He stands up and nearly trips over a crack in the floor. "Thank you."
Why would she ask that sort of question?
Odd or not, she goes to her next class and he drops his things in the library before going to sign in.