It was the following dinnertime when Jonathan saw Victoria again. She was sat by herself in one of the many student cafeterias on campus. It was the one closest to Psychology, and the one which Jonathan always used in between lectures. He had been in one of his lectures that morning, but had failed to see Victoria turn up.
He took hold of his usual lunchtime snacks before queuing up to pay for them. No one spoke to him, or acknowledged his presence. Jonathan had gotten used to that. He had not made friends during his time in college, choosing to distance himself and study instead. He knew that people whispered behind his back about his odd behaviour, but he failed to care. He would do something with his life, in comparison to half of the college.
"Hey."
Jonathan had to do a double take to make sure that the greeting had been aimed at him. Looking to his left he noted her stood there, a bottle of water held in her hands and a satchel sat on her shoulder. He arched a brow, not bothering to return her greeting. He didn't think he would be seeing her again.
"Look...about last night..." she trailed off, twirling the bottle of water in her hands as she bit down on her bottom lip and stared at Jonathan. "I sort of...well...I'm not apologising."
"Then why are you here?" Jonathan wondered from her. "I am not the one who owes you an apology. I did nothing. You were the one who acted irrationally."
She frowned. "That's harsh."
"Yet true," Jonathan spoke, moving further down the line of people as they paid for their food. "I simply asked you a question."
"After becoming quite aware that I didn't want to talk about it," Victoria replied. "But, you asked me anyway, didn't you?"
Jonathan couldn't deny that. He had known that she didn't want to talk about it with him. He could easily have seen that. What did confuse him was why she was standing, talking to him about it.
"Anyway," she shook her head, "I just want to forget about it, okay?"
"Why?" Jonathan asked her the simple question.
Rolling her eyes, she looked up to the ceiling in utter disbelief. He really just could not let her be.
"Because I don't like to think about what has happened. Besides, it really isn't any of your business. I don't want to make any enemies here. I'm new...and just want to get my degree."
"You think I could be your enemy?" Jonathan wondered; amusement back in his tone as he reached into his trouser pocket. He pulled out his wallet as Victoria dug around in her satchel for her purse. She pulled it out and looked for the necessary amount of change.
"Enemy is a bit strong," Victoria said. "Perhaps we could easily fall out."
"Why do you care?" Jonathan wondered from her. "You know I am not the class socialite. You know that, yet you insist on trying to appease me. Are you really that much of a people pleaser?"
"I thought it was considered polite to try and clear the air between people," Victoria drawled back. "Of course, you can correct me if I am wrong. Besides, you know more about me than most people. I just want for that information to be kept between us."
Jonathan grinned and handed the woman behind the till his cash. Victoria followed suit, walking back to the table she had previously been sat on. She resumed her seat, looking at the textbooks which had been splayed all over. Jonathan took a moment to hesitate before finally deciding to sit opposite her.
"You're trying to keep me on side because I know about your little therapy issue," Jonathan declared to her.
She rolled her eyes, trying not to become infuriated with the boy sat opposite her.
"Obviously," she spoke. "Can you blame me? It is a big thing. Most of the class think I'm odd enough already. I don't need more fuel being added to their cause."
"How do you know what they think?"
"I openly rejected Robert Preston's advances," she reminded him. "Most of the girls think I'm foolish and stuck up for doing that, and most of the boys are his friends. It isn't like I live on campus so I have no other friends."
Jonathan took in her words for a few moments, nodding as he thought about what she had said. He supposed she had a point.
"You don't really try to make friends though," he pointed out to her as she shook her head.
"Apparently not," she replied. "Anyway, don't you have work to be doing? Professor Bramowitz set us that essay."
"Trying to get rid of me?" Jonathan asked to receive no reply. "I finished the essay last night. It wasn't as difficult as you seem to believe it is."
"I might not think it is difficult," she muttered to him and he snorted in response. She looked up from the book she had been studying as he stood up and looked back down at her.
"Of course not," Jonathan agreed in a sarcastic manner. "Besides, you're on the wrong chapter. Chapter twenty three is much more in depth."
Victoria flicked through to the chapter he had said and sighed, noticing he was right. She looked up to throw back some scathing comment to him, but had no chance for he was walking out the cafeteria and back to his own dorm.
...
Jonathan spent the next few weeks sat in lectures by himself; watching Professor Bramowtiz with intrigue as he learnt about things he already knew. Jonathan was well aware that he was far too advanced to be in such a class. He kept quiet, often finding his gaze focused on the girl who sat in the row in front of him. She had been quiet for the past few weeks after she had declared she didn't want to argue with Jonathan. He had said nothing in response to her, choosing to keep his distance.
He did know that she was still attending therapy though. He often saw her there, sat in the waiting area for Doctor Barnard to go to her. Jonathan had not been able to get his hands on her file for the good Doctor often took it away before he had the chance to place it where it belonged.
It wasn't until she received her third paper did she speak to him again.
"I need help."
Jonathan looked up from the book he had been reading. His dorm had decided it would be necessary to invite the drinking society around that evening, which meant too much noise for Jonathan to cope with. That was how he found himself sat in the quiet library, the books his only company as she stood in front of him. He wondered what she was doing there so late at night.
"You've come crawling back," Jonathan declared, a small grin pulling up his plump lips. "Why are you here so late?"
"My mom leant me the car so that I could study late. She's having some friends around tonight. I didn't want to be in the way," Victoria informed him in a moment.
He nodded in agreement. "What appears to be your problem?"
"I managed to scrape forty per cent in the last essay," she complained, sitting down beside Jonathan at the desk. She handed him the paper and watched him with interest for a moment. It still shocked him how terrible she was at a subject she had loved once before.
"How have you passed the previous two years?" he asked out of interest.
"Good question," she muttered. "I don't know. Is there anything more that I can do? I try, but nothing goes in. As soon as he sets the essay and times us, I know that I am doomed."
"Have you thought about dropping out?" Jonathan wondered. "Honestly, I have no idea how you can be failing. There is only so much that I can do, besides, I do have my own work to worry about."
"Please," she spoke softly. "I asked Professor Bramowitz and he recommended you. You know that I would never have asked unless I was desperate."
"What a charming way with words you have," Jonathan drawled back to her and she rolled her eyes, tiring of his attitude.
"Do you want me to tell Bramowitz how unwilling his favourite pupil was to help another pupil in need?"
Jonathan frowned before an amused look came onto his face. "Is that an attempt at blackmail?"
"Did it work?"
"Not in the slightest," he said back to her.
She could say nothing more before they heard the whirling of an alarm enter their ears. Victoria winced at the harsh noise, covering her ears with her hands as Jonathan rolled his eyes and stood up, gathering his belongings.
"Fire alarm on a Friday night," he complained above the noise he could hear. "Apparently there are plenty of drunken students out there to set it off."
"Does this happen often?" Victoria called out to him as they entered the stairwell. Some other students joined them, walking at a leisurely pace until they came to the ground floor.
"A few times," Jonathan admitted to her. "You will find that Gotham University is not renowned for its prestigious students."
"It will be first years," Victoria said, stepping out into the cold air. She looked around and crossed her arms over her chest as they watched the library building for any sign of activity. A few members of staff rushed in, followed by campus security who then dragged out a boy who was stumbling in front of him.
A few cheers erupted from the side of the building as other drunken students congratulated their friend on his achievement. Jonathan resisted the need to snarl at what he had just witnessed. How could people be so pathetic? He had no idea. Victoria stood beside him, a small smirk on her face as she remembered her fresher's week.
"I should go home," she declared. "Look, can we make an appointment or something?"
"You're not in therapy now," Jonathan replied to her as students were told that the library was to be shut for checks to make sure everything was in order. "It depends when."
"Why?" she wondered. "Do you have a hectic schedule?"
"No," Jonathan replied, watching as she turned on her heel and began to move. He followed suit, moving to the car park beside her, before he returned to his own dorm. "Anyway, are you sure you want my help?"
"If enduring you means having a chance of graduating then I am willing to go through it."
"Really, I didn't know you were full of snide comments." He informed her and she shook her head, dragging her car keys out from her bag.
"I'm normally not. You must have caught me on a bad day." She spoke before she noticed it.
She looked across the nearly deserted car park to the back. She always parked at the back. It was out of the way. But, that was not what had bothered her. What bothered her was the state her car was in. She shook her head and rushed over to it, her feet hitting the floor quickly and her dress riding up her legs as she moved.
Jonathan remained stood where he was for a few moments, watching her as he pushed his glasses further onto the bridge of his nose. She finally stopped at her car and unlocked it, opening the driver's door to find the rock which sat on the seat.
Slowly, Jonathan moved closer to her once again, wondering what had happened.
"No." He heard her whisper. "Not again...not again..."
He kept quiet, standing a few feet away as she threw the rock from her car and looked at the smashed window screen.
"Perhaps it was those students," Jonathan said. "You know how brain cells die due to alcohol."
"No," Victoria spoke; her voice convinced that she knew what had happened. "I know who it is...I know what has happened..."
"Then what?" Jonathan asked her. "Because an explanation is needed for this."
Victoria looked across to him, her hands still shaking as she brushed the glass from the seat, pushing it to the floor.
"It doesn't matter. I have to go...I need to go..."
Jonathan saw her climb into the car and slam the door shut, nervously looking around as she started the engine and the car stalled. She slammed her hands against the wheel, tears falling down her eyes as he realised that she was in no fit state to drive. He reacted quickly this time, opening the driver's door and stopping her from going anywhere.
"You're going to kill someone driving in the state you are in," he scolded her. "Get out of the car now."
"I have to go." She snapped back. "I need to get out of here."
"Then I will drive." Jonathan said. "Because I have better things to do than be a witness at your trial for murder."
He wrapped his long fingers around her arm and pulled her from the car. He climbed into her seat, looking at the shards of glass which covered the floor as he tried to recall the driving lessons he had taken. He had learnt during the second year of University, only just managing to pass on the first go. She sat down in the passenger seat, still shaking as blood covered her fingers from the glass she had so willingly pushed away from her.
"Wrap the blanket in the backseat around that," Jonathan ordered her. "I don't need you passing out whilst giving me directions."
She did as she had been commanded, wrapping the blanket around her hand as she choked back the tears and sobs in her throat.
Jonathan set off, driving at a leisurely speed and remaining observant as Victoria said nothing until he was out of campus.
"It's the next left...just follow the road until seventh avenue," she informed him in a whisper.
Jonathan nodded and remembered the instructions. "Do you intend to tell me what has happened?"
She said nothing to him then, choosing to look out the window and at the bright lights of Gotham which surrounded her. Jonathan kept quiet, deciding not to wind her up or provoke her further. The only time she spoke was to give him instructions of where to go. He finally pulled up to a small suburban house as Victoria looked to her home.
"I'll call you a cab to get you back to campus," she whispered to him, opening the door to her car.
Jonathan followed, taking the keys from the ignition and passing them back to her as he grabbed his bag from the backseat.
He followed her up to the door of her home, watching as she remained in a zombie like trance. She pushed the door open to see her mother sat on the step of the staircase. Jonathan lurked in the doorway, not too sure what he should do with himself.
"Vicky," Julie sobbed, standing up and taking her daughter into her arms. "You're safe...I've been calling you...your cell has been switched off..."
"I know," Vicky said. "They're back, mom. They...they destroyed the car's window screen."
"But they didn't hurt you," Julie said, her hand running down her daughter's cheek. "That's the main thing. I'm going to call the police again."
"What's the point?"
"Don't argue, Vic," her mother urged her. "We need them to do something."
Julie finally looked up and spotted the young man in the doorway. She furrowed her brow before looking to Victoria for an explanation. Julie pulled her cardigan tighter around her body as Victoria motioned to Jonathan with her arm.
"This is Jonathan Crane. He was studying with me when...well...the library was evacuated and we found the car. He drove me home."
"Oh," Julie said, moving closer to Jonathan. "It is good to meet you, Jonathan. I am sorry about all of this."
"I told him that we would call him a cab to take him back home."
"Of course," Julie said, obviously flustered wit everything that has happened. She reached for the landline phone which sat in the hallway, beginning to dial for a cab.
"Jonathan, come in and close that door," Julie urged him. "You can take a seat whilst you wait. I'll get you some money for the cab."
"There's no need," Jonathan said to her.
"You brought my daughter home. There is every need," Julie assured him before beginning to speak down the phone.
Victoria led Jonathan down the small hall and into the small kitchen. He remained lurking by the door, not feeling comfortable with his current surroundings. He watched as Victoria bent down to grab some kitchen roll. She placed it under water and wiped off the dried blood which sat there.
"You'll need to properly clean it," Jonathan warned her. "The cut is deep."
"I'll be fine," Victoria assured him.
"Do as you please," Jonathan grumbled. She always did as she pleased, regardless of what he said.
"The cab should be here in five minutes, Jonathan," Julie said when she entered the kitchen, handing him a twenty dollar bill. "Don't argue with me. Just take the money and get back safely."
"Thanks," Jonathan said after an awkward pause.
None of them said anything to each other, clearly too in shock with the recent events to have any words of wisdom. Jonathan observed Victoria as her mother bandaged her hand tenderly. The young girl was clearly shaken up. It only made Jonathan observe her more. It made him wonder what had happened. Apparently someone was out to get them. But why?
Jonathan was snapped from his thoughts as a honk of the horn was heard.
"That must be your cab," Julie informed him. "I'll show you out."
"No need," Jonathan held his hand up. "I can manage that."
"Okay," Julie said, not putting up too much of a fight. "Thank you so much, Jonathan."
"Yes...thank you," Victoria added on, her gaze meeting his as he inclined his head and turned on his heel. He moved back down the hall, dropping the twenty dollar bill on the side board. He noted the picture which sat beside it. A picture of a family of three. He looked at it for another moment before allowing himself out the house, wondering what kind of mess the Martinez family were in.