Fiona sat up in her bed quickly. Her breathing was heavily labored and she had a panicked look on her face. She let out a small cry as she immediately curled herself into a ball and shook with suppressed tears. 'Why can't I just forget about it?' she asked herself.
She stood up from her bed and looked at the clock. Even though she had tried to get to bed early it was still only about eleven at night. She knew she would be getting no sleep at all after her dream.
She walked out into the quiet halls. She hated living alone because her parents were never around for her. They were always away on business. She was lucky if she even got a conversation with them once a month. Even back then they were never around when she needed them the most.
She walked back into her room and got changed before she ran out of the house with only enough time to grab her coat for the cold night air. She just needed to take a little walk and think things through. She wished for someone to talk to but Irvine and Moonbay were probably asleep by then.
She walked all the way to the park and climbed up a tree that she always used to climb when she was just a carefree child. Back when everything in her life was great. Long before she met him.
She sat on the first steady branch and looked up at the stars through a small opening in the leaves. They were beautiful out that night. It was so calm and peaceful out that she wished that it could always be like that. To live in peace the rest of her life without anyone disturbing her.
She sat up slowly when she heard something approaching her area. She remained quiet as she listened in to make sure that it wasn't anyone with the intention of hurting her in any way. She could hear grumbling but it was too quiet to hear at that moment.
As it came closer the mumbling became clearer and she also started to see the figure in the darkness. "Stupid Irvine. He has a stubborn streak a mile long. It was a simple question. He could have at least given me some clues," Van grunted as he kicked a rock as he passed the place that Fiona was hiding at. He didn't even seem to notice that she was there at all.
'I wonder what he is doing out here so late at night. Not that I am one to talk,' she thought as she watched him leave. She wondered where he lived. He knew where she lived but no one seemed to know where he lived. It was like he was trying to keep it a secret from everyone. 'Why am I thinking about this? I barely know him,' she thought with a groan that made the man stop and look around. "Van," she said quietly. She figured that maybe she could talk to him. He seemed very good at listening.
Van looked around trying to find who said his name but didn't see anyone. He looked up and nearly jumped when he saw Fiona sitting up in a tree. "Fiona? What are you doing up there this late at night?" Van asked in confusion. She truly was a real mystery to him.
"I could also ask you why you are out here as well. Stalking innocent girls?" she asked in a halfhearted teasing tone. He just laugh and shook his head no. "Then why else would you be out here?" she asked as she climbed down the tree and Van gave her a slight hand the rest of the way.
"I was just talking with Irvine. He was being stubborn and wouldn't answer a question I had," he said preferring not to mention what it is that he asked Irvine. "What about you? Why were you climbing a tree at eleven thirty at night?" he asked staring up at the branch she was sitting on moments before.
"I couldn't sleep. Bad dreams were keeping me up," she said in a sad tone as she looked towards the ground. "In fact, I probably haven't had a good nights sleep in a while even since my dreams started coming back," she said as she leaned against a tree.
Van looked at her and had a feeling that it had to do with what Irvine wouldn't tell him about. He looked around them. "Care to go for a walk. We can talk about it if you would like," he said in a quiet unsure tone.
Fiona looked at Van. His statement almost made it look like he was asking her out. There didn't seem to be any ulterior motives to his question though. "Sure, maybe talking will do me some good," she said putting on a smile as she walked next to Van through the park walkways.
Van walked silently by Fiona. Not daring to say a word in case he might scare her away. Finally he just couldn't take the silence any longer. "So, what sort of dream is it that makes you walk around here this late at night?" he asked putting his hands behind his head and staring ahead of him although he was looking at Fiona out of the corner of his eye.
Fiona looked at Van for a moment. "Not really a dream but more of a memory," she said trying her hardest to try and not remember all of it. "Can we just talk about something else though? I really don't feel like talking about that at the moment," she said rubbing her head.
"Ok," Van said with a shrug of his shoulder. "What is it that you want to talk about then? Because I am coming up with a blank here," he said laughing slightly and smiled when he heard Fiona giggle as well.
Fiona thought of it for a second before she thought of something she remembered Van saying. "Hey Van, were you telling the truth when we talked in the park yesterday?" she asked and noticed that he was trying to remember what he said. She thought it was funny how he looked when he did that.
Van thought it over for a while. For the life of him he was trying to remember what it was that he had said to her. Then it hit him. 'Well, from what I can see, you are just like any other young woman. You have your obvious secrets. You are very beautiful, which is probably what most people look at when they see you. I see that you have this great personality if you were to open up to people,' he remembered saying a blushed.
He didn't really know what caused him to say all of that to her. It all just flowed out of his mouth naturally. He was always one for the truth though and he knew that it was the truth. He didn't want to push her away when they were finally getting towards a friendship.
"Well… um... what I meant was," he stuttered trying to think of some way to explain himself without frightening away Fiona. "I guess but… I'm sorry," he said hanging his head in defeat since he knew that there was no way for him to get out of what he said.
Fiona couldn't help but giggle. Seeing him squirm like he was made her laugh because it was really funny and she completely forgot about the reason that she was out here in the first place. "It's ok, I am kind of glad that you were honest with me. If I was to ask someone, they would only say it was because of my looks. You actually gave a good reason," she said with a slight smile.
Van breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn't angry at him for saying it. "You wanted the truth and I guess that I have never been a person who gives only parts of it and not the entire truth. I sometimes feel as if I am no better than them," he muttered the last part silently and wasn't sure if Fiona had heard or not.
"What?" she asked hearing him mutter something but not quite understanding what it was that he said. He was about to open his mouth but she just put her hand up. "Never mind, maybe things are best left unsaid," she said putting her hand back down to her side.
"Don't you think that I am just like everyone else in thinking that? I mean everyone else seems to think like that. What makes you think that I am any different from them?" an asked wanting to know what Fiona's opinion on him actually was like. He did give her his opinion.
"I am not so sure. You seem to speak more from your heart. I know several people who would only speak with his lower head," she said in disgust. Those that ask her only seem to have the idea of sex in mind and she just wouldn't go through with sex with any of them.
"Those guys are idiots. They think of what is best for them and no one else," Van said before frowning. 'Am I any better. I am trying to be with Fiona because I want it but she doesn't. Does that make me any different from them?' he asked himself sadly.
"Yeah, they expect things from people that they aren't able to give. Like Irvine and Moonbay trying to make me start dating again and I have a feeling that you know of that," she said looking at him accusingly.
Van cursed himself for being honest. "If you want to know the truth, which is that that was their intentions this summer. My main intention for changing was to final be accepted although I do admit it did seem like a nice idea what they were doing. I see so much to you that I don't know. My opinion is constantly changing on what I want," he said honestly and waited for Fiona to push him away from her.
"At least you're honest," Fiona said giving him a small smile. It was strange. Knowing that he had wanted her didn't seem to bother her quite like what it always was with other people. "Thank you for being honest. It is not that people like me that bothers me, it is that they are so persistent to show it," she said with a halfhearted smile.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you if I did. I guess this makes me selfish just like them. I sometimes wonder if maybe it was worth it if you would just ignore me if you knew the truth," he said with a sad sigh while running his hand through his hair.
"Why would I do that? We're friends aren't we? Irvine thinks the same as you and I am still friends with him. I just don't want you to expect much," she said smiling at him although it still held her normal sadness.
Van was surprised to hear her say that. He thought that if she knew that, that she would just push him away. Yet she thought of him as a friend now. "Yeah, being friends sounds good," he said with a smile as he stared up towards the midnight sky.
Thomas seemed to be in a rather foul mood the next morning but it wasn't exactly abnormal for him to act like that. He was still in a foul mood because Fiona had decided to ignore him and instead decided to work with Van than go on a date with him. He just couldn't get what it was that he needed to do to get her to fall for him.
He scowled at everyone that walked by him but his mood suddenly brightened when he saw Fiona walking towards him. 'She is finally going to admit how much she loves me!' he thought happily but that fell once he saw her walk into their homeroom. He hadn't realized how close they were to it.
He quickly ran into the room and another scowl crossed his face when he saw Van and Fiona were sitting right next to each other talk. What made it worse for him was that she appeared to be laughing at a joke he was telling her.
"Just what the hell do you think you are doing Van?" Thomas yelled storming up to the two of them and pulling Van around by his shoulders forcing him to stand on his feet. "You just don't get it do you? Stay away from my girlfriend!" he yelled at Van who had a face that clearly told that he didn't care.
"Since when have I ever been your girlfriend Thomas?" Fiona yelled standing up and slamming her hands against the table. She had absolutely no trouble with yelling at people when they annoyed her enough and Thomas was definitely pushing his luck with her.
Thomas pushed Van off to the side and took a step towards Fiona. "But Fiona, what about all that we have been through together. I am sure that you love me," he said in a pitiful tone but he saw that Fiona wasn't affect in the least.
"Thomas, leave me alone! I don't like you; get it through your head because I am getting tired of constantly repeating it over and over again!" Fiona yelled before walking to a desk on the other side of the room as far away from Thomas as she could get.
Thomas ran after Fiona but Van got into his way. "Get out of my way Van. You may have changed but you will always be the weak child of a whore that you always were!" Thomas yelled but before he knew it, he was hit hard by two different people. A slap in the face by a pissed off Fiona and a punch in the stomach by a furious Van. He crumpled to the ground in pain and stared at the two of them.
"Don't you ever talk about my mother like that again or I will make sure that you never walk again," Van said in a furious voice as he kicked Thomas before storming away but that still left Fiona there as well.
"She is a great person and I won't let you talk about her like that either. She has helped me so much," she said kicking him in the stomach again and without seeing if he was ok, she walked towards where Van had sat down. "Sorry he had to say that Van. Your mother helped me once and I also couldn't allow him to say such a thing," she said patting him on the shoulder.
It was almost as if they had always been friends before then. One could easily talk to the other so easily and to think that it all happened because of one night of talking. Van was so glad for that, to be able to have a friend like her.
"Thank you Fiona. That means a lot to hear that. My mother deserves to be called something a lot better than a whore. She has done nothing but help me and others as a doctor. What did she do for you?" he asked not innocently.
"She helped me when I was in a lot of trouble once. It wasn't with rules or stuff like that but it still meant so much to me," she said with a smile. She was then forced to turn forward as the teacher entered the room. He just completely ignored the moaning Thomas and Fiona just laughed.
"You didn't tell him did you?" Moonbay asked Irvine when he mentioned about what Van had come to him about the previous night. She saw him nod and gave a sigh of relief. Maybe it is best to just forget about it all either way," Moonbay said with a sigh of relief.
They both walked through the lunch line and picked up the normal horrible food that they served. "Tuna surprise huh? I wonder what the surprise is this time," Moonbay said poking at her food.
"I think it is that it is still alive," Irvine said poking the thing cautiously. He was too afraid to take a bite out of the food for fear that what he said was actually true. He looked up as the exited the lunch line and couldn't help but laugh. "He's better than I thought," he said staring the direction of their normal table.
"What do you mean by that Irvine?" Moonbay asked and looked in the direction that he pointed in. "Wow! I expected it to take a lot longer than that for him to get on Fiona's good side. She is usually a lot more cautious about anyone," Moonbay said in admiration as she watched Van and Fiona having a nice conversation.
"I don't see it as too much of a surprise. The two of them have a lot in common. Van has been there when she needed someone to talk to and she must have seen that," Irvine said as they walked towards the table. "Hey you two. You sure seem to be talking a lot," he said with a smirk.
"Yeah, we have just found a friendship with each other. He so easy to talk to as well. And so honest about things as well," Fiona said shooting a glare at the two of them and they knew they were busted. They shot glares at Van in response.
"It was his idea, we swear!" the two of them yelled at the same time as they backed away slightly. "We had absolutely nothing to do with it!" they yelled in unison again moving farther and farther away.
"I didn't even think about it until you offered me the help. Although I am grateful, I don't think that she is very happy about it," he said pointing towards Fiona. The two of them shot off like a bullet and Van and Fiona burst out into laughter. "I can't believe they actually thought we would do something," he said with a laugh.
"That will teach them to stop butting into my life," Fiona said although in a way she was grateful. One day as Van's friend and she felt like she could trust him unlike the others that have tried and failed horribly.
"Hey, are we going to meet in the library again after school? We still have some things we need to get done for the project. I can put the presentation together but we still need a few more bits of information left to find," Van said and Fiona nodded in agreement.
"That would probably be the best way to do this. We still need to organize all of the information. I will do that since you are putting the presentation together," she said and he nodded in agreement. Fiona just couldn't understand her logic. She wanted to keep her distance from him at any cost yet he was becoming a really good friend very quickly. Much more quickly than she was comfortable with.
The bell then rang and Van and Fiona stood up. "Ok then, I will meet you there when school ends. Hopefully everything will be together by the end of the day so we can finish this," he said with a smile before he walked in the direction of his next class which was pretty much the only one he didn't have with Fiona.
Fiona walked in the direction of her class but groaned when Thomas jumped out of no where. 'Oh god no,' she groaned and ran her hand through her hair. She did not feel up to dealing with that creep right then. "What do you want Thomas?" she asked since he wouldn't let her walk by him.
Thomas just smiled at her and took her hand but she pulled it back from him just as quickly. He decided to get to the point. "I just wanted to say sorry to you if I was out of line earlier today. Do you forgive me?" Thomas asked in what had to be the most pathetic fake sympathetic voice.
"You should be telling that to Van, not me. You were the one that insulted his mother. You don't even know her either so I wouldn't be saying anything about her," Fiona said trying to walk by but he continued to block her path. "Move Thomas, I have to get to class," Fiona groaned.
"I just wanted to see if you wanted to go to the movies with me after school today," Thomas said in a voice that he thought was so charming when in fact it wasn't. He didn't see how she could refuse.
"I have work to do, so no," she said and quickly squeezed by him before she could stop her. Unfortunately he grabbed her arm and stopped her from moving. "let go Thomas!" Fiona yelled at him. He was really starting to scare her.
"Why do you never accept any of my invitations? I can give you far more than Van ever can! Skip whatever you have with him and just come with me. I can show you that I can give you more than him," he said but she pulled her arm away and walked away quickly. "This isn't over Fiona. I am sure you will accept eventually,' she said before heading towards his class.