Van had no idea what he was going to do. Irvine and Moonbay had a lot of expectations for him and Fiona but he didn't think that he could continue doing this when Fiona wanted nothing in the form of a relationship. It plagued his mind ever since their meeting earlier in that day.
'What is it that she is so afraid of that causes her not to want a relationship though. It isn't what she talked about. I am sure of that. Something must have happened before. I wonder what it is though,' he thought as he stared up at his ceiling while lying on his bed.
The door to Van's room burst open the next second causing Van to end up falling off of his bed. He rubbed his head and got up to see Irvine standing there with a smirk on his face. "Will you please knock next time? What if I was naked?" Van asked and laughed at the horrified look on Irvine's face.
"You're right, I had better knock next time," he thought shaking unpleasant images out of his head. "Congratulations Van. I think you might of actually of gotten to Fiona today," he said patting Van on the back.
Van rolled his eyes and laid back down onto his bed. "I can't do this anymore Irvine," he said surprising Irvine. "I know you are trying to help but Fiona is obviously afraid of relationships. Why should I put her through that then?" Van asked with a look of deep concentration.
"That is why we are trying to do this Van. It is because she is afraid of relationships. We aren't trying to hurt her though. We are doing this to help her. We just knew you were the perfect person to do that," he said with a smile.
Van stared at Irvine. He felt that he would never be able to figure out Irvine's logic. He says he doesn't want to hurt Fiona but he is putting her through something she doesn't want to go through. "Why is she afraid of relationships?" Van asked knowing that Irvine knew the truth.
"So what's for dinner Van?" Irvine asked pretending that he didn't hear what Van had just asked him. He heard what he said but he would not talk about it. It was something he would have to get from Fiona if Fiona actually fully accepted Van as someone close enough to her.
Van gave Irvine a deadpan look. "And who told you that you were eating with us?" he asked in a monotonous voice. "You can't just invite yourself you know," he said a little annoyed that he just invited himself.
Irvine just smirked wider. "Your mom said I could when I got into the house. So what's for dinner?" he asked as Van glared at him but it lost its affect when he heard Van's stomach growl and her laughed out loud. "I'm hungry and it looks like you are to," he said before leaving the room.
"Alright class. I want you all to get into your groups and discuss your project a little," Dr. D announced the next day in class. He then turned around and sat back behind his desk where he was trying to finish some work that needed to be done.
Van got up from his seat and walked towards Fiona's desk when he saw that she wasn't planning on moving. He was about to sit down when Thomas shoved him out of the way and took the seat instead. "Go to your own partner Thomas. We have work to do," Van growled out highly annoyed.
Thomas either didn't hear or just ignored Van. Most thought it was the ladder of the two. "So what should we do for the project Fiona?" Thomas asked trying to become her partner instead of Van.
Fiona looked at Thomas like he was crazy. "Um… I'm not your partner, Julie is," Fiona said pointing towards a short red headed woman sitting on the opposite side of the room. She saw that Thomas wasn't going to leave.
"Thomas, quit fooling around and move. Some of us are actually trying to do some work and you are just getting in the way," Van said but it proved useless since Thomas didn't seem to have any intentions of moving from the seat.
Thomas looked at Van with a deadpanned look. "Who asked you Flyheight? Fiona is my partner, Dr. D made a mistake yesterday. I am sure of that. Now just run along and leave us alone," Thomas said turning back towards Fiona who was staring out the window.
"Mr. Shubaltz, I assigned you to Miss Kale not Miss Lynette. Now take your actual partners or I will be forced to give you detention for disrupting the class," Dr. D said getting up from his desk and walked over to the group of three. Everyone's attention was on them now but Dr. D didn't seem bothered by it.
Thomas grumbled as he got up from the seat and stormed to the other end of the room where he stared in the direction of Van and Fiona. 'Why didn't I get paired with her?' he thought angrily ignoring his partner as she tried talking about the project.
The level of tension that was between the two the day before didn't seem to be there anymore. It was like they had become friends with each other in a really short time and that there wasn't any need to be uneasy with each other.
Fiona actually found it refreshing that Van didn't try to force her with any ideas. She had this feeling that he was like the others in wanting her but she was glad that he didn't try anything. He was almost a perfect gentleman around her unlike others who didn't know the meaning of the word.
She took a good look at Van. He was completely different from what he was like the year before. Compared to then when he was shy, quiet, and a bit weak, now he was strong, confident, and easier to talk to. She wondered if she would ever be able to make a change like that or if she would always be the same person she is now.
Van noticed Fiona staring at him and felt his face heat up a bit. He didn't think that what he did the day before was anything big but she seemed to be a lot livelier to him. She actually gave him a look like she was listening. "I-is something wrong Fiona?" he asked her nervously.
Fiona looked away quickly when she noticed that he caught her staring. "N-no, everything is fine," she said nervously. 'What is wrong with me, one talk with him and I am already feeling strange feelings around him,' she thought shaking her head to get rid of any thoughts she was having.
"So, uh… what do you think we should do this project about?" Van asked scratching his head as he tried to think of something. He may be the top of their class but even he needed help with things right then and being near Fiona was really making it hard for him to think.
Fiona snapped out of a small stupor that she didn't even realize she was in until she heard Van talk. "Oh um… I don't know," she said with a laugh. "We should just talk about it and see what we come up with," she said shrugging her shoulders.
"This could take a while," Van muttered to himself. He then had an idea. "Why don't we go with what I thought of yesterday? We can meet in the library or somewhere else if you want and do research. We need more facts before we make a decision," Van said as he leaned back in his seat.
Fiona thought it over. "I guess that could work," she said quietly as if still in thought. 'Maybe you can also do a little research on him. Try and find out a little bit about him,' her brain taunted her and she had to admit that maybe it would be a good idea. She wasn't sure what was wrong with her then but she figured that it couldn't hurt to get to know him. Irvine and Moonbay probably wouldn't leave her alone if she didn't.
"Cool!" Van said glad that she agreed with him. He was starting to see what Irvine meant the night before. She was like him. She tended to retreat into herself a lot of the time. If she was around people nice, then she started to open up more to people. He was kind of hoping that she would really start to open up to him someday.
Fiona sat at a table with a book before her as she skimmed through it. She was taken from her thoughts as a small pile of books was dropped onto the table courtesy of Van. She was shocked for a second before she just went back to the books. "I don't think we will need that many books," she said looking up again at the stack.
"I know, but it never hurts to have more than needed. Better to have more than less. Besides, no books have the exact same contents in them. We may have chosen the topic but now we have to research," he said grabbing the top book and looking through the table of contents.
The stack of books seemed to be getting smaller as the time passed. Neither seemed to complain about the time it was taking to do this. They were there for about an hour finishing a lot of books before they were interrupted.
"Fiona, why are you in here doing this boring stuff with him when you can be with me someplace fun? Why don't you just go out with me and ditch this loser?" Thomas asked with a face that said he was trying to be seductive and yet failing miserably.
"Thomas, go away. You are being annoying again. Unlike you, we are actually working to get a good grade. Just because you have no problems with failing doesn't mean that we want to fail," Van said snapping a book shut in annoyance.
"Shut up Flyheight!" Thomas yelled making the rest of the library angry. He shut up then. "You are just saying that because you want to be alone with Fiona!" he said in a hushed yell. "You are just like everyone else Van!" Thomas said before he was hit smack dab in the middle of the face with a book.
Van got up from the table and stormed to the aisles of books since he finished his research with the other books. "Stupid asshole," he grumbled before dodging the same book he threw at Thomas. He didn't even look to see it coming. Thomas was too easy to predict so he knew it was coming.
"Thomas, for the last time I am not going to go out with you! I have told you that a hundred times so will you please get it through your mind and just drop the subject!" Fiona said in a frustrated tone of voice.
"Why won't you Fiona? You don't seem to have any problems going out with Van!" Thomas yelled pointing in the direction that Van had stormed off to. "Come on, I will prove to you that we are meant to be together," Thomas practically begged.
"For one thing, Van and I are not on a date. We are doing research for our project, which is what you should be doing. For another, No means no. Get it through your head," Fiona said just wanting to drop the subject. These were the type of people she wanted to avoid, the type who were persistent and didn't give up.
Thomas was about to speak again before Van came back with another small stack of books. He handed a few to Fiona and she took them. Thomas knew that they were ignoring him after that so he was forced to give up in his attempt. He walked away grumbling to himself.
The two of them worked for about another hour before they decided to call it quits for the night. It was nearly five o'clock by then and they figured that they had enough info to last them for a while. Now it was just all a matter of putting it all together to finish the project.
The two of them stood up and put back the books they were using before they left the library. "Are you walking home by yourself Fiona?" he asked her when he saw her walk off by herself once they left the library.
Fiona turned around and looked at Van when he asked that question. "I really have no other way to get home. I will be fine though," she said with a smile before she turned around and started to walk home again.
Van watched her walking away for a few moments before he ran up and started to walk next to her. "I'll walk you home if it isn't too much trouble," he said a little embarrassed. He hoped that she wouldn't mind.
Fiona looked at Van and smiled. There was something comforting about having him by her side now. Yesterday she was able to tell him things that she didn't normally tell anyone. She wasn't sure why she had done that anyways. "I guess that would be alright," she said with a smile.
They walked in silence. Fiona stole a quick look at Van. She had to admit that if he was trying to get a date out of her, he was on the right track unlike those who just come right out and say that they wanted to go on a date with her. She was kind of glad that he would rather take it at her own pace.
The two of them walked in silence the entire way there. Fiona smiled at Van when they got there. "Thanks for walking me home. I'll see you tomorrow," she said before walking into her house. She may distance herself from people but that didn't stop her from being polite to them.
Van watched her walk into her house. To him, she was a complete mystery, one that he could never seem to solve. He had seen so many sides to her yet he could not figure out what it was that she was actually like.
'I just don't get it,' he said to himself shoving his hands into his pockets before walking towards his house. He wanted to get to know Fiona but no matter the comfort zone they almost got into, she kept to herself.
No sooner had he walked into his home than he was assaulted by an oddly happy mother. "Oh Van, I am so proud of you," she said happily as she hugged her extremely confused son.
Van looked at his mother as if she was crazy. He had no idea what she was talking about and a part of him didn't want to know. The thoughts of what she was talking about seemed to get worse and worse in his head. "Mom… what are you talking about?" Van asked staring at his happy mother.
"Oh why didn't you tell me that you are going out with such a beautiful young woman?" she asked and saw the startled face of Van. "I saw you walking her home on my way back from the store. How could you keep this from me? That was Fiona wasn't it. Such a sweet girl," she said letting go of her son and smiling softly but couldn't hold back the excitement.
"Um… mom, we aren't going out. I am lucky if I can get her to speak a few words," Van said sadly scratching the back of his head. "She just doesn't seem interested in any sort of relationship," he said trying to get away.
"Oh that is such a shame. I guess it doesn't surprise me though," she said before she suddenly covered her mouth realizing what she said. She quickly rushed out of the room before she ended up saying any more. She knew it wasn't anything that was to e said to anyone.
"What is it that everyone seems to know but refuses to tell me?" he asked himself thinking of how Irvine and Moonbay were trying to get him with Fiona yet wouldn't tell him what was going on. Even his own mother knew and refused to say anything about it. It was obvious that something bad must have happened to her.
"You know Van, Fiona is a great girl and all. Seems to have a great capacity for love or at least at one time she did. It might not be too good of an idea to get involved with her," his father said walking down the stairs.
"Damn it! What the hell is it that everyone seems to know about her that they are refusing to tell me about?" Van yelled finally growing frustrated with everything. His own parents and friends knew about it and yet no one seemed to find any need to tell him what the hell was going on.
"Watch your mouth Van!" his father reprimanded him. "Your mother knows because she was acquainted with Fiona's mother at one point. If she wasn't than she wouldn't know. Try not to get into something that doesn't need to be brought up, especially with Fiona?" Dan said walking into the kitchen.
Van finally grew frustrated enough and left the house in a hurry. Irvine wanted him to be with Fiona but refused to mention anything to him. He wanted some answers though and he knew that somehow Irvine was involved with it.
He ran all the way to Irvine place and pounded his fist against the door. It was opened by their butler a few moments later and instead of waiting for the greeting, Van ran straight through and up to Irvine's room while the butler just nodded and closed the door.
Van swung the door to Irvine's room open fast and Irvine sat straight up in his bed where he had been reading a car magazine. "Don't you know how to knock Van?" Irvine said a bit rattled by the sudden intrusion. "What's with you Van?" Irvine asked seeing that Van was mad about something.
"What is it that you are hiding from me Irvine? What is it that my parents know about Fiona but I don't? What the hell happened to her?" he yelled leaning against a wall waiting for any sort of explanation from Irvine.
Irvine took on a very serious face at that moment. "Don't know what you're talking about?" he said lying down on his bed before he was forcefully pulled off of it by Van. "Watch it! I am going to fall off," Irvine said trying to regain his balance since he nearly fell of his bed.
"You wanted me with Fiona to help her not me, is that it?" Van asked and Irvine didn't even bother to look at him. "If you expect me to do anything, how can I if I have no idea what is going on?" Van asked knowing it was a good question.
Irvine shrugged out of Van's grasp. "I told you before that I can't tell you. Fiona trusts me not to," Irvine said lying down on his bed again and staring at the ceiling. "Don't ask her about it either," he said as an afterthought.
"What happened? It must have been something bad with all of the secrecy. Was she raped or something like that?" Van asked suddenly feeling pissed at the mere thought of it. He was relieved when he saw Irvine shake his head no in response. He just wondered what it had to be.
"Van, I am giving you a warning. Don't get into it. Fiona will tell you if she wishes, although I doubt she will. This is not something you should get involve din," he said before standing up and walking out of the room leaving a still very confused and angry Van in his wake.