Late Wednesday night, Jonathan pushed open the door of the sushi restaurant he and Annabel had just dined at and held it for her. Warm, humid air settled around him as he stepped out onto the sidewalk. A truck vroomed by, coughing out black clouds and groaning as it drove up the hill. Annabel's vanilla scented perfume wafted into Jonathan's nose as they walked down the sidewalk
"That was the best sushi I've ever eaten," Annabel admitted as they walked back to campus.
"I thought you might like it," Jonathan said. "I remember you saying you liked Asian food the other night."
"I'm surprised you remembered."
"It's hard for me to forget things. You're the only person who interests me."
A light blush painted her cheeks pink. Jonathan looked around the neighborhood. A few students leaned in front of a closed bookstore with cigarettes dangling out of their mouths. Besides them, it was just him and Annabel.
Jonathan paused at the corner and stared at Annabel. The moon turned her light hair silver and it seemed to glow. She stopped and looked up at him questioningly.
Some instinct advised Jonathan to take a step forward. He obeyed and they were less than an inch apart. He observed the way her pupils dilated and how her chest rose and fell. Jonathan felt calm as he slowly leaned down.
At the last second, a voice in his head screamed at him to stop. What about Br—
Jonathan's lips caught Annabel's and pressed against them. She swayed and Jonathan gripped her upper arms to steady her. Hesitantly, Annabel took part in the kiss and pressed her hands to his chest. Jonathan's hand wrapped around the back of her neck. His fingers slid over and found her pulse. It beat rapidly and he pressed harder.
A feint smirk formed on his face. He loved having that effect on the girl and knowing that he was responsible for it. Jonathan felt like he had been granted a power that allowed him to control the girl like a puppet. She was so vulnerable and if he played his cards right, he could have her eating out of the palm of his hand.
. . .
Brynn adjusted the headphones perched on her head as she walked down the street and headed for the library. Her Walkman was tucked under her arm and she absentmindedly nodded to the Nirvana song blasting into her ears. The smell of dead fish invaded her nose as she walked by a seafood restaurant.
She turned the corner and saw the library in the distance. Students walked in that direction in groups, talking about their classes and repeating stories told over and over again. Brynn scowled; of course she picked the busiest time of day to go to the library. These days, she avoided as much interaction as possible. Brynn could count on one hand the number of times she had struck up a conversation with somebody during the new school year.
She didn't mind her new life as a recluse. It gave her more time to think and she needed it desperately. Ever since her argument with Cadence, questions had been buzzing through her head. Was she really like her mother? What if she turned into a nut job too? The questions gnawed at her day and night.
Brynn approached the library, ignoring a few classmates that gave her funny looks. She caught a glimpse of herself in a parked car: messy bun, tattered jean shorts, a t-shirt that read 'Whiskey Makes Me Friskey,' a long knit-cardigan, and biker boots. Brynn smirked; if Madelynn saw her then, she'd have a fit.
The library was comfortably cool, relieving Brynn from the heat .She frowned when she saw how crowded it was. Brynn paused, debating whether or not to stay or leave. She decided to grab what she needed and be on her way.
Brynn walked back to the Science section and skimmed the covers. When she reached the Criminology section, she started grabbing books at random. Her arms ached as the pile grew taller and taller. Balancing the books on her hip, Brynn stood on her tiptoes and reached for a thick textbook on the top shelf. She clawed at it and the book inched out little by little. Brynn grabbed it, unprepared for the heaviness of the book and it came crashing down. She dropped the other books and her Walkman and groaned as her forehead started to throb.
Cursing, Brynn dropped to her knees and started to retrieve the fallen objects. She froze when a pair of black loafers stopped in front of her and thin arms started to pick up the books.
Brynn took off her headphones and said, "I can get them myself."
"Am I not allowed to be polite?" Jonathan stopped piling the books and looked her in the eye.
"No," she growled. Brynn snatched her books from Jonathan and stomped away.
The checkout line was nearly out the door. Brynn went to the end and plastered her glare to the back of a red haired guy. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jonathan stand in line behind her. Anger bubbled inside of her and she had the urge to throw the thick textbook at his head.
She should have known better than to come to the library; Jonathan lived there. It made sense that their second run-in would be at the library.
She thought back to the previous week when she and Jonathan had run into each other for the first time. It was obvious that neither of them had been prepared for it; Jonathan looked like he had seen a dead relative back from the grave; Brynn had felt like throwing up all over his sweater. She wished she had. At least he would know then how angry she was at him.
"Are you researching something?" she heard him ask. Brynn turned around and glared at the younger boy. His face remained blank.
"Oh, so now you want to talk to me?" she snapped.
Jonathan's mouth made a squiggly shape on his face. He sighed and mumbled, "Brynn…"
"Nope, I get it," she growled. Brynn turned around and moved up in line. "Our friendship wasn't that important to you."
"You're being ridiculous."
"I'm the one being ridiculous? You ignored me all summer because I put you in the friend zone."
"Shh!" the librarian hissed.
"What was I supposed to say?" Jonathan whispered behind her. "I thought you'd never want to see my face again after I admitted…you know."
"Yeah, you're so right," Brynn sarcastically replied. "I definitely didn't want to talk to you. I must have accidentally butt-dialed you all those times that I called."
Jonathan sighed and shut his mouth for several seconds. Brynn impatiently tapped her foot, willing the line to go faster. She wanted to be as far from him as possible.
"I was embarrassed," Jonathan tried again. "I didn't know what you would say and thought it'd be best if we went our separate ways."
Brynn turned around to face him. Her voice dropped and she growled, "Separate ways? After all that, you thought we should go our separate ways?"
Jonathan remained silent.
"You're full of shit," Brynn snapped. "You turned out to be just like the rest of them. The second I hurt your ego, you saw me as a threat. You can't let some stupid girl like me put you down, can you? It's better to make me feel like shit rather than you."
Jonathan's lip twitched angrily and Brynn knew she had struck a chord. A small smile formed on her face and she said, "Maybe if you had answered your phone we wouldn't be in this position."
"I'm glad I didn't," he whispered. "You probably would have given me some poor excuse like what would people think?"
Jonathan's glare intensified, putting hers to shame. A low sound came out of Brynn's throat and she slammed her books on the counter and stomped out of the library.
Screw him. Jonathan wasn't worth it. For the millionth time, Brynn wished she had never befriended him.
. . .
Brynn remained irritated and in a dark mood for the remainder of the day. Everything annoyed her; the birds chirping in the trees, the couple that walked by her, holding hands and eating ice cream, and the rays of sun that kissed her cheeks. Brynn was in one of those moods where she wanted to pop a little kid's balloon.
She found a cheap, second-hand bookstore and bought a few books on Criminology as well as a dictionary. She leafed through the pages, briefly glancing over all the topics. The thickest book was over eight hundred pages and covered a variety of topics. Brynn decided she would skip class the following day to read it.
Her stomach started to grumble and Brynn dug around in her pocket for loose change. She groaned when she came up with four dollars and thirty-six cents. She really needed to find a job. It wasn't like George was going to continue paying for her every need. He hardly ever spoke to her and when he did, only a few words came out of his mouth.
Brynn walked into a little gas station on the corner and ignored the creepy man at the cashier who said hello to her. Scanning over the aisles of food, Brynn found a tiny refrigerator in the back with sandwiches. She grabbed one and yelped when a giant cockroach crawled onto her hand. Brynn flung it on the ground and repeatedly stomped the creature.
So much for a meal, she bitterly thought as she left the gas station. Cafeteria food it is…
As she crossed the street, a blonde woman caught her eye. Brynn slowed down and squinted in her direction. Was that…?
Hooooonk!
A car screeched to a stop in front of her, inches away from running her over. The driver honked his horn and cursed at her as Brynn scurried across the street. The commotion had caught the woman's attention. She looked concerned and walked over.
"Brynn," Adele Worley gasped as Brynn stepped onto the sidewalk. "Are you okay?"
Brynn nodded as she tried to catch her breath. "Fantastic."
"That driver came out of nowhere. You should have gotten his plate numbers," Adele scolded.
"It's fine, really," Brynn assured her. "I wasn't paying attention."
Adele tsked and looked in the direction the driver had gone. Brynn stood up straight and stared at the older woman. "What are you doing in this part of town?"
"I had to pick something up," she casually answered. "It's been so long since I've last seen you. How have you been?"
Brynn opened her mouth and paused. How was she supposed to answer that? Oh, you know, I sat in a basement all alone this summer and my family and best friend refused to talk to me. I'm just swell. Like that wouldn't scare off Adele…
Brynn shrugged finally and muttered, "Fine."
"That's good to hear," Adele said. "I tried calling you over the summer to see if you wanted to meet up for lunch but it sent me to voicemail."
Brynn gulped. She'd sent everyone to voicemail if they weren't Jonathan. He had been the only person she had wanted to walk to…
"Sorry about that," she apologized. "I had a, uh, busy summer."
"Understandable. I'd be concerned if a girl your age wasn't going out every night. It's important to have fun while you can."
Brynn nodded and gave a half-hearted laugh. Her summer had been anything but fun. Catastrophic was the word to describe it.
Sometimes she wished she hadn't let everything get to her like it had. She wished Jonathan's absence and Cadence's words and her family's behavior hadn't bothered her like they did. Why couldn't she have gotten off the couch and pried her eyes away from her phone and have a normal summer like all the other twenty year olds? She could have tried reconnecting with Dominic or hell, even Sydney or Meredith. Anything would have been better than sitting around all day and doing nothing.
"Brynn?"
Brynn's head shot up. "Hmm?"
Adele had a small, concerned smile on her face. "Are you sure you're alright? You seem distracted…"
"Yeah, yeah," she said quickly. "I'm totally fine. Better than ever."
Adele didn't look convinced.
"Look, I have to get going," Brynn lied. "I have tons of homework to catch up on. Let's try having lunch soon, okay?"
"I'd like that a lot," Adele agreed.
"Cool," Brynn chirped, forcing a smile on her face. "I'll see you soon."
She turned and hurried down the sidewalk. As she walked, she could feel Adele's curious eyes on her back.
. . .
Hours later, Brynn peeled her eyes off the page of the Criminology book she was reading and blinked rapidly. Stars danced across her vision. Brynn yawned loudly and stretched out on the floor.
Her room already looked as though a tornado had rampaged through. Empty cartons and cans littered the floor as well as clothes, books, and CDs. On the spare bed laid all the homework Brynn had yet to complete. The pile steadily grew day by day.
She shut the thick tome and stared at the notes she had scribbled down. Her handwriting morphed together and was nearly indecipherable. There was so much information to cover and she was just getting started. It wouldn't surprise her if she filled up a couple dozen notebooks with her theories.
She had started researching all of this about a month ago when one night she had been lying in bed when a question popped into her mind. Could I end up like Olivia? The question gnawed on her for days until she couldn't take it any longer. Brynn got online and started researching all kinds of topics ranging from criminal behavior to the belief that the children of criminals can inherit some sort of 'crime gene.' That topic freaked her out the most.
As she continued her research, Brynn started to worry. Was it possible that she had inherited Olivia's insanity? Her mother had been declared bipolar—wasn't that something that could be passed down the lines? Was she at risk for mental problems? Could she snap out of the blue? Brynn rubbed her temples; this was exhausting.
Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything all day. Pushing herself off the floor, Brynn clipped her hair up in a messy bun and left her room.
Outside, the sun had begun to set and the temperature dropped a little. Brynn rubbed her hands against her upper arms as she walked across the campus green. Boys passing a Frisbee hollered at one another. Two girls sitting on a beach blanket watched them appreciatively. A jogger's feet clap-clap-clapped against the sidewalk.
Brynn walked to the main road and surveyed her options. There was a tiny Thai place and a Mexican grill and a—
Brynn's eyes landed on a couple across the street.
She squinted hard. Was that…?
No. No way. What the hell?
Jonathan Crane was across the street standing with some mousy, blonde girl with glasses the size of her face. They were studying the menu of some pizza parlor. Brynn's jaw dropped in shock as she saw the girl's hand slip into Jonathan's.
What the hell was she seeing? Jonathan was holding a girl's hand.
Brynn jumped into a record store and pressed her face against the glass, carefully observing the pair. Who was she? Brynn had never seen her before. Maybe they're studying together? Brynn thought. Studying each other's hands…
"Can I help you with something?" a hairy guy in a plaid shirt asked her.
"No, no, no," Brynn quickly muttered. She watched as they walked inside the restaurant and the door blocked her view.
Before she knew what she was doing, Brynn ran out of the store and across the street.
She ducked her head when she entered and looked around the dimly lit restaurant. A waitress was leading Jonathan and Mystery Girl down a hallway and around a corner.
"Hi, welcome to—"
"I'll seat myself," Brynn rudely interrupted as she scrambled down the aisle. She looked around the corner and saw Jonathan, with his back to her, scooting into a booth. Brynn quickly jumped into the closest booth and hid her face behind a menu.
Slowly, she peaked around her menu and watched the two. Jonathan was scratching the back of his neck; M.G. smiled bashfully. She looked young and behind her ridiculously large glasses, her eyes were a deep blue. Blonde hair with a light curl cascaded over her shoulders and framed her heart shaped face.
Brynn scowled. Who are you? She wanted to scream at this little brat.
A ferocious anger coursed through Brynn's body. So this was the true Jonathan. After being rejected by Brynn, he went on the rebound, finding some stupid freshman to screw.
Had their friendship meant nothing to him? Brynn scoffed; she had been a better friend to Jonathan than she had to any other person. He knew her darkest secrets and she knew his. Brynn had stood up for him when people walked all over his ass. She had driven all the way out to the middle of nowhere to make sure he was okay and this was how he repaid her?
She should have known. Jonathan loved to mess with people's minds and was about as predictable as a teenage girl's mood. Did it really surprise her that he had used her in that way?
After his confession, Brynn had started to wonder if he had ever considered them to be friends. Had he just hung around in hopes of getting in her pants? Did Jonathan think that playing the nice guy who comes to the rescue would actually work?
"Can I get you something to drink?" a waiter interrupted her thought process.
"Beer would be great," she distractedly muttered.
"Can I see some ID?"
Brynn looked up and gave him an are-you-fucking-kidding-me look. "Does it matter?"
"It kinda does," he answered apologetically.
"And you're kinda pissing me off," Brynn replied sweetly, earning a nasty glare from him. "I'll have water since it's such a big deal."
He walked away angrily muttering to himself. Brynn turned back to Jonathan's booth and nearly choked on her tongue. Was M.G. giving Jonathan bedroom eyes? What the fuck?
They were both leaning forward and for a brief second, Brynn thought they would kiss. They stopped a few inches apart before that could become a possibility. A rosy blush filled the girl's face and she looked down. A small smile had grown on her face and she tilted her head to the side. What was he even saying to her?
An icy feeling washed over Brynn. Her fingernails dug into her thighs as she watched the disgusting scene unravel in front of her. Two weeks into school and Jonathan had already found a replacement for her. Unbelievable.
She wanted to rip that wretched smile off M.G.'s face. It was making her sick.
Vomit nearly sprayed out of her mouth when Jonathan's hand slid over to M.G.'s side of the table and covered hers. His thin, delicate fingers rubbed back and forth over the back of her hand slowly.
A long-lost memory smacked Brynn in the face. She remembered being on a deserted road in the middle of the night. On either side of the road were thick pine trees. A summer breeze brushed against her skin and water dripped down her back. Standing in front of her was a wide eyed Jonathan Crane. His expression was careful and guarded. Slowly, his soft fingers intertwined with hers…
Brynn realized she was holding her breath and shakily exhaled. Her fingers rubbed together, trying to remember what Jonathan's had felt like.
When she looked up, the first thing she noticed was that M.G. was gone. The second thing she noticed, and what made her breath hitch in her throat, was Jonathan staring at her. His face was blank, his lips pressed together tightly. From where she was sitting, Brynn could feel the intensity of his blue-eyed stare.
Brynn slid out of her booth, as did Jonathan. They paused, sizing each other up. When Jonathan took his first step forward, Brynn pivoted and stomped away.
A lump had formed in her throat and the roar of the restaurant was too much to handle. She shoved past a couple on her way out and gasped for air once she was outside. Brynn's legs were wobbly and felt like they would give out at a second's notice.
She forced herself to move forward when she heard the door open, fearful that it was Jonathan. She didn't look behind until she was walking into her dorm room.
When she was finally alone, Brynn opened the door of the mini-fridge, pushed a few bottles around, and retrieved a half empty bottle of vodka.
She finished the rest of it in under an hour.
. . .
A/N: I'm terribly sorry that this was delayed for so long. I couldn't think of what to write and I was unbelievably lazy and had a shit-ton of summer homework to finish up. But here it is! Short but something's better than nothing, right?
Thank you margaret7122, Kagome Narome, dEnIsE tHe StRaNgE, areosmithlover, The Mourning Dragon, AlainHotCoco1, tribute14, eva, Shannon, FoxAlder, cbaudelaire, Dizzyy, Smiele, ShaydesofDarkness, Roxie13, and nicsnort for your wonderful reviews! Thank you everyone who added the story to their alerts. How are we almost at 400?! Didn't we just hit 300? Gosh, I'm going to have to think of some new sneak peek ideas…
Speaking of sneak peeks, the second one is up. Go review and tell me what you think please!
Popular opinion states that Annabel is not well-liked amongst my reviewers. Hehe bring on the flames.
I've decided to keep the story T instead of M. But I will warn you that it gets very intense and dark and will have some scenes that would most likely not be featured in a PG-13 movie. Just a heads up…
Unfortunately for me, school resumes tomorrow (someone shoot me). With that and cross country practice, my schedule is looking pretty busy. Hopefully I can continue updating once a week but there might be chapters that are a few weeks apart. I wouldn't count on a chapter being up this weekend because I'm helping my cousin move into his college dorm and I have a cross country race. I'm so sorry :(
That covers it. Read and review please! Let me know what you think!