"Miss Kiley, perhaps you should pay attention during the lecture instead of dozing off?"

Brynn lifted her head up and scowled. The older man simply smirked at her and went back to what he was saying.

Pushing herself away from the table, Brynn sat up straight. She raised her arms above her head, stretching her body out and grimaced. The past two nights had been sleepless and her stiff mattress did nothing to help with the matter. Ever since Saturday night, Brynn had felt paranoid; she was convinced someone was hiding in the shadows, waiting to cut her to pieces and dispose of her in the harbor. She had confessed to Sydney about what happened, though she was not much help. Sydney had spent the majority of Sunday on the bathroom floor, fighting off severe nausea from her hangover.

To make matters worse, today was the second time Brynn was late to Psychology. Mapps, of course, had given her crap about it and spent five minutes lecturing about tardiness. Out of the corner of her eye, she had seen a feint smirk on Jonathan Crane's face.

Brynn rubbed her eyes tiredly and stared down at her notebook. The page was blank except for a few doodles in the margins. Random circles and triangles took up the left side of the page, while the right side was dominated by different versions of her signature.

Resting her chin in her hand, Brynn continued with the doodles, finding a blank space towards the bottom. Her pen remained frozen mere centimeters above the paper as she thought of what to draw. An idea came to her and she allowed her hand to take over. A minute later, a little black bird occupied the page.

Once it was completed, she looked up and noticed Jonathan staring at her notebook. His eyes looked over the page disapprovingly. Brynn noticed that he had actually taken notes, his page covered with his handwriting.

Know-it-all, she thought to herself. She moved her arm so it hid the page from his view.

Professor Mapps walked up to the chalk board and wrote something in bold print. Pages 204-260, due Friday, it read. The class groaned in unison at the reading assignment. Underneath it, Mapps wrote something else: CRIME.

He underlined the word three times before setting down his piece of chalk. The room grew silent as Mapps began to slowly pace, his hands clasped together behind his back. His expression was serious, his eyes lost in deep thought. Finally, he turned to face his students.

"Crime," he said, his voice ringing out loud and clear. "Who can give me the official definition?"

A few hands tentatively raised, some going back down. Mapps sighed.

"Crime: an action or an instance of negligence that is deemed injurious to the public welfare or morals or to the interests of the state and that is legally prohibited," Mapps said, answering his own question. He turned on his heel and pointed to a student. "Give me an example of a crime."

The student caught off guard, opened their mouth and let out an unsure, "Um."

"Never mind," Mapps said. He pointed to another student. "You. Give me an example."

"Murder?" the girl in the top row squeaked.

"Not 'murder?'" Mapps mimicked the girl. He repeated the word, but this time firmly. "Murder. Learn to be sure of yourselves, people. Ah, Mr. Bowler, what would you say motivates a murderer?"

Brynn, as well as the rest of the class, turned in their seats to face Sean Bowler. His face reddened at the sudden attention. He scratched the back of his neck and looked at Professor Mapps unsure.

"You're taking too long to answer," Mapps snapped. He turned his attention elsewhere. "Mr. Crane, motivation, go."

Crane, of course, was prepared to answer the professor's question. "Revenge," he said, his voice echoing in the silent room.

Mapps nodded. "Good. Now, why might one want revenge on another individual?"

"There are various reasons for revenge," Crane explained. "Pain inflicted by another is a big cause. A person who feels they were wronged by another may want that other to feel what they are going through. They commit these actions because nothing will satisfy them until that wrongdoer understands their pain. Revenge is an outlet, a way to express one's anger."

Jonathan sat back in his seat and folded his hands in his lap. Brynn had to give it to him: he had made a good point. Mapps seemed to think so because he nodded in approval.

"At least one of my students still gives me hope," Mapps said. "Thank you, Mr. Crane; you had a very good point."

The students seemed to disagree. Whispers and snickers arose from the back of the room, along with piercing glares. Jonathan stared forward, pretending not to notice his fellow classmates. Instead, he picked up his pen and jotted down a few more sentences.

"We will be discussing this topic for the next few weeks. I suggest you read over the material and take as many notes as possible." Brynn hid her blank notebook from her professor's beady eyes as he said this. Mapps turned his back on the class and walked to his desk, picking up a thick stack of papers. "Here are the quizzes from last week."

Mapps began to walk the aisles of the classroom, handing back quizzes face-down. Brynn stared at the floor as she waited for her paper to be handed back. She was hoping for a decent grade, something to help her get by this semester. Anxiously, she drummed her fingertips on the table, the rhythm becoming louder and faster. Jonathan looked over at her in annoyance.

Finally, the professor made his way to Brynn's table. He handed back Jonathan's quiz first, then Brynn's. She stared at it for a moment, too nervous to see what she had gotten. Thinking back to the day of the quiz, Brynn thought she hadn't done too horrible. Or was that for her English quiz? Slowly, Brynn picked it up and turned the page over.

Immediately, she slammed it back down. A small squeak escaped her throat, the image of a fat red F engraved in her mind. She flipped it over again, her eyes taking in the damned quiz.

Mapps had murdered her quiz; red ink filled every inch of the page, comments written and answers circled. Next to her name, he had written SEE ME. The two words were underlined multiple times.

"Ugh," Brynn moaned, the sound pained. She slammed the paper down again and sat back in her seat. Suddenly, the room was too noisy and her head throbbed.

How was she going to explain to her parents she was failing Psychology? There would be absolutely no way to convince her parents to let her drop the course. Her father would push and lecture her to the point of insanity. Brynn could hear his voice in her head.

"You're a Kiley," he would say. The look he saved for his rivals in the business world would be on her at that moment; steel gray eyes would dive into her soul and discover all her secrets. Brynn would shrink away from that powerful gaze as best as she could. "Kiley's do not give up. I suggest you push yourself harder, my dear…"

Those words had been uttered to her countless times. If she tried to argue that she technically was not a Kiley would just irritate him further. He would then go on a rant about how they had raised and molded her to be one. She was expected to be a Kiley.

Her face rested in her palms. She was running out of options; either she started to take this course a whole lot more seriously or she begged and pleaded with her parents. She highly doubted that the latter would work…

Next to her, Jonathan cleared his throat. Brynn turned to look at him, his eyes devouring a page of his Psychology text book. He seemed so relaxed as he read the theories and ideas of Freud and various others. His chin rested on the back of his hand, while the other hand gently tugged on a long piece of hair. Why couldn't Psychology come to her as easily as it came to him?

An idea hit her. A risky one, but an idea none the less.

Brynn sat up straight and eyed the younger boy. She would need to be careful with this; one wrong word and her hopes of passing this course were gone. If she could convince Jonathan to tutor her once again maybe she would have a chance…

"Jonathan," Brynn said slowly. His eyes remained glued to the page but he cocked his eyebrow, a sign of acknowledgement.

Brynn swallowed. "I desperately need help with this. I know I said on Saturday I didn't want you to help, but I was obviously lying to myself. I don't know squat when it comes to this stuff…"

Jonathan snorted at the last statement in agreement. "Perhaps if you paid attention during class and took proper notes, this wouldn't be so challenging. I don't think squiggles and hearts will help you pass."

Self-consciously, Brynn shut her notebook and pushed it aside. "Right. My fault entirely. But, seriously, I need a better explanation on all this. Mapps doesn't have the time of day for me, so he's out of the question for tutoring. I can work around your schedule if that helps."

"I don't remember agreeing to help you," he replied. Jonathan looked up from his book, his blue eyes menacing. "After the way you behaved on Saturday, what makes you think I would even want to?"

Her fists clenched and she had to remind herself to keep her cool. "I'll pay double what I was originally going to," she growled through clenched teeth.

"I don't want your money."

Losing her cool, Brynn threw her arms in the air, prepared to rip her hair out. "Jonathan, I'm begging you!" She instantly lowered her voice after catching the attention of students around them. "Just one tutoring session to explain the basics. That's all I need. Please."

After a long pause, Jonathan smirked. "Fine. Tonight at five in the library. Do not be late or I'll just leave. Understood?"

Brynn stared at him blankly. "So you'll help?"

The boy sighed exasperatedly. "Was that not what I just said?"

Brynn fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Tonight then. Table at the back?"

He nodded and turned back to his book. Brynn sat there awkwardly, unsure of whether or not to say more.

"Thanks," she blurted out. Jonathan looked up and stared at her. His eyes studied her face and he slowly nodded.

Mapps dismissed the class at that moment and Brynn rushed out immediately.

. . .

"But why? That doesn't make any sense!"

Brynn and Jonathan were seated at the back table, their textbooks opened to the reading assignment Mapps had assigned. Currently, they were arguing about the motives behind a crime. By the looks of it, Jonathan was winning this argument.

"It makes complete sense," Jonathan replied. He was leaning back in his chair, hands folded in his lap, glasses perched on his nose. "Think about it: if someone were to intentionally hurt you or a family member, wouldn't you want them to pay the consequences?"

"No," Brynn argued. "Revenge is wrong and I would just ignore the situation and move on with my life."

"Would you now?"

"Yes."

"I hardly doubt you would forget."

Brynn squirmed in her seat. "Revenge is wrong."

"Is that your only argument?" Jonathan asked.

Self-consciously, Brynn draped her hair over one shoulder, her fingers pulling on the ends. "No. But it's a good reason."

Jonathan leaned forward, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. Creepy blue eyes studied her face. "Why is it a good reason?"

"I don't know. I mean, I do. I just don't know how to explain my thoughts."

Jonathan nodded. "Which is why Mapps does not take you seriously. You don't know how to explain yourself or make yourself worth listening to."

"Well, thanks," Brynn scoffed.

The boy shrugged. "Just an observation."

"You're not any better," Brynn muttered.

"Mature," Jonathan replied sarcastically. "And in case you have forgotten or just weren't paying attention during class—most likely—Mapps seemed to agree with what I had to say."

Brynn gave up on the argument, slumping in her seat. This tutoring session was getting nowhere. The entire time they had argued and each time Jonathan won the argument.

"Well what are your views on revenge? Why do you think it's right?"

"Revenge is a natural human quality. We cannot put it off nor can we get rid of it. Might as well just let it take its course and deal with those who have wronged us," Jonathan explained.

Had he just implied murder?

Brynn shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Okay then, she thought to herself. His level of creepiness had just reached an all-time high.

Jonathan smirked. "You look horrified."

"What?" Brynn asked, caught off guard.

He rolled his eyes. "You really don't pay attention, do you? I said something that shocked you?"

"Uh, no. I just…I…never mind," she muttered. Brynn looked down at her book and pretended to read a section. She didn't want Jonathan to see how red she was.

From the corner of her eye, she watched Jonathan pull his Psychology textbook towards him. He flipped a few pages and found another section to look over. Then, he pushed the book towards Brynn.

As he opened his mouth, he was interrupted by a chiming noise. A ringtone, Brynn realized. Jonathan looked up at Brynn, annoyed.

"It's not me," Brynn said defensively. Her small phone was tucked away in her pocket, set on vibrate.

Jonathan paused. Slowly, he reached into his khaki pants and pulled out a small flip-phone. Jonathan glanced at the screen and immediately scowled. The device rang a few more times before it finally silenced.

Tucking the phone back in his pocket, Jonathan stood. "I have to go," he muttered. He pointed at the dog-eared textbook in front of Brynn. "Read the assignment."

He spun on his heel and was out the door in a matter of seconds. Brynn remained seated, confused by his sudden absence.

"Alrighty then," Brynn muttered. She collected her things and backed away from the table. On the floor, she saw a ratty messenger bag. Jonathan's bag.

Brynn debated whether or not to bend down and pick it up. To be honest, she was afraid to touch the dirty-looking bag. Who knew what he had hidden in there? But then again, someone could steal the bag and Jonathan would blame her for it.

Finally, Brynn bent down and grabbed the strap of the bag between two fingers. It was heavy and felt like it would snap her fingers off at any moment. Brynn put her book down and grabbed the strap again, this time placing the strap on her shoulder. She wobbled back a bit, unprepared for the weight. How did he manage to carry this thing? It probably weighed more than he did!

Ungracefully, Brynn walked through the library, balancing her bag on one shoulder and Jonathan's on the other. She successfully managed to knock one girl's book off the table as she made her way towards the door. Brynn was pretty sure she heard the girl mutter, "Klutz," under her breath…

Brynn kicked the door open and walked outside. She looked around, hoping Jonathan would still be close by. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Ugh," Brynn groaned. Maybe he would be walking back for the bag right now?

After waiting a few moments, Brynn gave up. She wobbled back to Brighton Hall with the two bags.

"Wonderful," Brynn muttered bitterly. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck with creepy Jonathan Crane's back pack….

. . .

Ten minutes later, Brynn was flipping on the light switch to her room. She used her foot to shut the door behind her. Brynn dropped the two bags on the floor, relieved to have shed the weight. Twice she had stopped on her way home to adjust the two bags, convinced Jonathan's contained stones.

Brynn walked over to her desk and switched the lamp on. Her eyes glanced over the clutter, looking for the sticky-note that had Jonathan's number scribbled down. It must have been buried under the magazines and empty containers of Chinese food. Brynn sighed and began to push everything aside. The small note was buried at the bottom of the pile. A coffee stain had smudged the numbers and Brynn had to squint to read them.

Taking her phone out of her pocket, Brynn dialed Jonathan's area code, paused to look over the number again, and punched in the other seven digits. After hitting the green call button, Brynn brought the phone to her ear and waited. It rang several times before sending her to voicemail.

Brynn sighed and tried a second time, hoping he had just been busy and would answer this time. Once again, she went to voicemail. Brynn slammed her phone down and eyed the bag cautiously. What would a boy like Jonathan Crane carry in that bag? Binoculars to spy on oblivious girls? Snakes to stick in the locker room showers? A severed head?

Brynn shivered at the possibilities. She knew she was overreacting and there were probably just school books shoved in there. He had a new one to read every day. But still…

Slowly, Brynn took a step forward. A peak wouldn't hurt, would it? She'd look in quickly then shut it. There was no harm in that.

Reaching a hand out, Brynn gripped the front of the bag and slowly lifted the flap. She inhaled slowly as she lifted…

Bzzzzz.

Brynn jumped back from the bag and stumbled onto her bed. She looked around crazily for what had startled her. On her desk, her cell phone's screen lit up.

She reached for her phone and slowly brought it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Brynn, it's your mother," came the voice from the other end of the line.

Instantly, Brynn relaxed. She walked back to her bed and plopped down. "'Ello mum," she said, mimicking a British accent.

Brynn could imagine her mother rolling her eyes at her childish behavior. "Brynn, I need you to come home tomorrow night."

"How come?" she asked.

"Your father's hosting a dinner party with some coworkers and we would enjoy your company," her mother explained.

Brynn stuck her tongue out. A dinner party? She thought that once she moved out, she wouldn't have to attend those stupid things anymore. "I'm busy," Brynn lied.

"Cancel your plans. You shouldn't even have plans in the first place, it's a school night," her mother scolded, treating her as though she was five. "This event is very important to your father and we expect you to be there to support us."

If Brynn was anything like her sister, she would have disobeyed her mother's request and hung up. But Brynn had always been a kiss-up to her parents. Secretly, she had always feared that if she angered them, they would send her back to those wretched foster homes she had lived in as a child. Therefore, she was (somewhat) obedient and remained in her parents' good graces.

"Fiiine. How am I even supposed to get home? You guys didn't let me bring my car, remember?"

"Conrad will pick up you and Cadence and bring you to the house." Although her mother's cool tone remained, Brynn knew her mother was pleased. "Be prepared to leave at three. I need some last minute help around the house."

"Aye aye, Captain," Brynn joked, receiving a sigh from her mother.

"Goodbye Brynn,"she replied. There was a click on the other end.

Brynn rolled her eyes and snapped her phone shut. Her mother could be such a sourpuss sometimes. Madelynn Kiley was not as lighthearted as her husband.

Brynn couldn't hold it against her, though. Her mother had been the one to 'save' her from her previous life. There would always be a soft spot in her heart for her mother.

Once again, Brynn glanced at Jonathan's back pack. She got up and shoved it behind her desk and out of sight. The less she looked at it the less tempted she would be to go through it.

Pushing it from her mind, Brynn grabbed her own bag and pulled out the thick Psychology book. She opened it to the page where she and Jonathan left off, hoping to finally grasp the concept of the subject.

It was going to be a long night.

. . .

A/N: Chapter 4 everyone! A special shoutout to foreverellen and ElektraMackenzie for reviewing, as well as those who favorited/followed the story! Your feedback means the world to me and keeps me motivated to write the story. Any advice is welcomed, even if it is just to criticize all my errors. I want to know what you guys think so I can fix anything that is wrong with the story. Ideas are also welcomed; I'd like to know what you guys would like to see. So keep those reviews coming!

As you can see, I've decided to keep the story from a third person point of view. I think what I'm going to do is divide the story into parts (not separate stories. For example, chapters 1 through so and so will be part 1 and chapters so and so through so and so will be other parts). Right now (part 1), the story is based off of Brynn's thoughts and experiences. I'm planning on basing part 2 off of Jonathan's experience. I'll go back and edit so it makes more sense. After part 2, the story will probably just go back and forth between Brynn and Jonathan.

Anyway, keep the feedback coming! I'm hoping to have Chapter 5 up sometime next week. Probably not early in the week, but definitely around Saturday. My workload for school is crazy Monday and Tuesday, so thankfully Thanksgiving break starts Wednesday. Okay, this is a really long A/N so I'll stop rambling. Thanks for reading!