Moonbay sat lazily in her seat with her feet propped up on her desk as the rest of the class did just about anything they could think of before the teacher came in to ruin their fun. 'I hope he's breaks his leg before he gets here,' she thought putting her hands behind her head.
A few moments after that, she noticed Van come walking into the room and what surprised her was the broad smile that was plastered upon his face. 'I wonder what's got him so happy. I've seen him smile like that before,' she thought as she saw him take the seat directly in front of her. "What's with you?" she asked him as she pulled her feet off her desk and listened having a feeling that she'd like what she'd hear.
Irvine, who happened to be half asleep already, shot his head up and looked at his two friends. He too noticed the broad smile on Van's face and his curiosity also got to him. "Will you stop smiling like that? It's giving me the creeps," he said knowing that Van got the idea that he was curious.
"Sorry, It's just that I can't help it," Van said chuckling a little nervously. He didn't know how Fiona would take it if he told Irvine and Moonbay about the date they had for that weekend. Or at least when Fiona was better.
"Alright fess up. I know something's up now so you better spill the beans!" Moonbay said as her interest was peaked at the way Van was reacting. She saw that he didn't want to answer so she looked over to Irvine and he nodded in acknowledgement. She was glad he knew what she wanted without having to say a word.
Irvine stood up and he saw Van look towards him. "Hey Van, can I have a word with you for a moment?" Irvine asked in a tone that didn't leave much room for arguments. He walked towards the door and then turned and saw Moonbay and a reluctant looking Van following behind him.
There was a still a few minutes before the bell rang but the halls appeared to be close to empty at that moment. As soon as Van stepped out of the classroom, Irvine caught him in a head lock and led him away from the classrooms.
Van struggled to the best of his ability but it was no use in getting out of it. Irvine was so good at it that Van was sure that even the strongest of people wouldn't be able top get out of it once they were stuck inside of it. "Hey! Let me go!" he yelled struggling even harder.
They came to a completely empty area and then they came to a stop but Irvine didn't relinquish his hold upon the shorter man. "Now will you please tell us what has you so happy? Answer or you're never getting free. I don't care about class right now so I could go all day," Irvine said with a grin as Van struggled harder.
"I don't know why I should tell you!" Van yelled struggling harder but Irvine just tightened his hold around Van's neck and he calmed down. "Forget it!" he yelled but Irvine did it even harder so that it hurt but wouldn't chock Van. "Fine! I asked Fiona out and she accepted. There! Are you happy?" he yelled as Irvine finally released his hold on Van.
Irvine and Moonbay were plain shocked at his announcement. Sure this it what they'd been training Van for all summer but they didn't think that he'd be able to get her to agree to a date with him so quickly. They tried to say something but no words came out of either of their mouths.
Van rubbed his now sore neck and glared at his two supposed friends. "Man, you didn't have to be so forceful about it you know," he said staring at his gaping friends. "I thought you two would be happy to hear it," he said being stunned at their stunned expressions.
They both suddenly grin and Moonbay threw her arm around Van's shoulders. "Way to go Van! I never thought you'd be able to do it so quickly!" she said shaking him around a bit. "Wow! You asked and she actually agreed?" she asked laughing in happiness.
Van groaned at their reactions. This is one of the reasons that he didn't want to tell them about this. He knew that they were going to react in this way and that was something her wanted to avoid with them. "What of it?" he asked giving them angry glares.
"Nothing, nothing at all," Moonbay said happily as she let go of Van. "This ought to be good. I'm going over to Fiona's after school today. Maybe I can even help her get things ready for it. By the way, where is Fiona? I want to talk to her now but I haven't seen her around all day," Moonbay said looking around them.
"At home," Van said as if it was the easiest thing to say. "He saw them looking at him and he just sighed in annoyance. "She came down with something and was sick last night. My mom made her stay over to keep an eye on her and I walked her home this morning when she was feeling a little better. I asked her then," he said knowing they would eventually ask for an explanation.
"You asked her when she was sick?" Irvine asked in disbelief. "You don't ask them when they are sick! They might give an answer that they wouldn't want to give!" he said not believing what Van did.
Van glared at him. "Her fever was almost completely gone by then. She wasn't delusional or anything like that when I asked her. She just gave her honest answer. I wouldn't ask her if she was extremely sick," Van said not liking the way that Irvine said that. He wouldn't be cruel enough to do something like that. "She wasn't even delusional when her fever was high. So don't accuse me of doing something like that!" he said glaring at Irvine.
Irvine held up his hands in surrender. He didn't feel like getting into a fight with Van/ He felt that he trained him well. Too well when he thought of it. Him and Van could go against each other and each was able to easily hold their own against one another.
"She'll be out for a day or two but only because my mother thought it would be best if she rests a little. Apparently she hadn't been sleeping too well lately from what I heard. Apparently nightmares have been a constant source of problems for her," Van said as he leaned against a wall.
Van didn't seem to notice the looks that Irvine and Moonbay exchanged at his words. 'Those nightmares still aren't gone? I thought they would have gotten better over the years,' they both thought almost the same thought without expressing them to Van. It seemed to be just between the two of them.
"I'll go over after school and see how she's doing," Moonbay said and she saw Van give her a look that said that he planned to come along with her. 'Of course he would. Even if she was feeling better. He'd be worried with his crush on her,' she thought with a smirk. She was kind of curious as to where that crush would take the both of them.
Fiona groaned when she woke up from a slight nap that she was taking when there was a ringing by her doorbell. She trudged towards it and opened it to see Moonbay standing there. She was surprised and looked towards the clock and was surprised to see that the school day was over. 'I sure slept today,' she thought as she turned towards Moonbay with a smile on her face.
"Hey there Fiona!" Moonbay said happily as she trudged into the house without being invited. "I heard that you fell sick last night. How are you feeling now?" she asked as she took a seat on Fiona's couch.
Fiona yawned as she walked over towards the couch. "I'm feeling better now thank you. Did Van tell you I was sick?" Fiona asked and she saw Moonbay nod her head. "What else did he say?" Fiona asked as she took a seat across from Moonbay.
"That the two of you had a date," Moonbay said with a grin but saw that Fiona frowned at this. Moonbay figured that the way that she said it made it sound as if Van was bragging about it. "Wasn't easy to get that one out of him. Irvine basically had to strangle it out of him to get any information," she said and she saw Fiona chuckle slightly. "Excited about it? Your first real date in two years," Moonbay said with a big smile at the thought of it.
"I don't know, I guess. Van was just so kind to me for the past few weeks and when he asked me. I just couldn't help but say yes. He seems really nice. Then again, he did as well," Fiona said fidgeting at the memory of the man that she once actually thought she could like.
"Van's nothing like that guy. He's knows his fair share of pains, just like you. Van would never dream of hitting a woman By the way. He was planning to come over to check up on you but he got held back at the last moment," Moonbay said remembering the events just after school ended.
Fiona managed a small smile. He had been so caring with her the last twenty four hours. When she was scared, he stayed by her side which somehow ended up helping her get her back to sleep. "That was nice of him," she muttered but Moonbay heard and just nodded her head.
"Heard you haven't been sleeping well. Have your nightmares been bothering you again?" Moonbay asked and Fiona just nodded her head. "I feel so responsible for it. It was all because of what happened that one night a few weeks before. I shouldn't have dragged you there," she said and she saw Fiona's eyes widen in shock and fear. "Don't worry Fiona. We may know the truth but we don't blame you. It wasn't your fault. I'm angry that you never mentioned it to us before we learned of it on our own," Moonbay said glaring slightly at the blonde haired woman. "So what happened to make it happen?" Moonbay asked hoping to fill in the blanks about what happened that night.
Fiona fidgeted even worse than normal. "More happened than just that I'd really like to not have to go through it all. Please don't make me!" Fiona pleaded as she started to shake awfully badly.
Moonbay immediately rushed to her friend's side and held her as she started to cry. 'Even if it was the event led to the attack. How can she be that sensitive to talking about it? Does she think we won't speak to her because of it? What actually happened? Irvine and I only know small details,' Moonbay said to herself as she tried to sooth the upset woman.
"Don't make me have to remember it, please!" Fiona continued to beg. To others, it may not be as bad as Fiona made it seem but after she was attack. It made it too hard to even think back to that day. It made her remember far too many things. She lost so much in the attack.
"It's ok Fiona. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Moonbay said as she lifted Fiona and sat her down upon the couch. To see her friend so helpless made her feel helpless knowing that she couldn't do anything. 'Something's definitely wrong,' Moonbay thought as she took a seat again.
Fiona calmed down little by little and the just sat there with her knees pulled to her chest. She wouldn't look at Moonbay even though the taller woman was trying to get her attention. 'No one understands what happened,' she thought clenching her hands into fists.
Moonbay sighed knowing it would be useless to try and get more out of Fiona. 'So she kissed someone else and her boyfriend got upset. It doesn't seem that big to make her act like this,' Moonbay thought staring at Fiona quizzically.
Moonbay just sighed in defeat before she put a bright smile on her face. "Now about this date with you and Van!" she said managing to draw Fiona's attention from the previous topic. "Where are the two of you going?" Moonbay asked with a grin spreading across her face.
Fiona looked at Moonbay for a second before letting out a breath knowing that she wouldn't have to get into the subject that she wanted nothing more than to forget. "I-I don't know. He'd said we'd talk about it later. He did mention going to the movies though," Fiona said as she thought over the conversation.
Moonbay just grinned even more. "So tell me Fiona. Do you like him?" Moonbay felt she just had to ask that. She saw the flustered look that crossed Fiona's face and grinned just like the Cheshire Cat.
Fiona couldn't help but blush at the thought of it. She honestly didn't know how she felt about Van. He was a kind person and a friend of hers but she couldn't tell if she liked him the way Moonbay meant or not. "I-I don't know. He's kind and all but I think it's too early to think like that or not," Fiona managed to stutter out and then was more than glad at the sound of the doorbell to disrupt the conversation. "Excuse me," Fiona said standing up and walking to the door.
She reached the door and opened it and her eyes widened at the sight of Van. She didn't know why she was surprised to see him when he did say that he would be by later in the day so they could finish the project and also plan their date. "Hey Van," She squeaked out. 'Why am I getting so flustered?' she asked herself as she led him into the house.
"Hey Fiona. Sorry I'm late. I would've come with Moonbay but those stupid teachers made me stay behind," Van said with a smile as he followed behind her. He couldn't help but admire her while he walked behind her. He shook his head to stop himself from staring and just followed her.
"Moonbay told me about that so don't worry. We need to finish up that project tonight so we should get to work," Fiona said as she walked into the room that Moonbay was waiting in. she immediately took notice of another grin spreading across the taller woman's face and just groaned in annoyance.
"Oh hey Moonbay. Didn't know you were still here," Van said upon taking notice of Moonbay. He didn't put too much of his attention into it as he dug through his backpack for the supplied he brought along with him.
Moonbay suddenly stood up and started to walk to the door. "Yeah, I was just leaving though. I'm sure that the two of you have a lot of work to do," she said before bursting out in laughter before walking out of the house.
Fiona fidgeted a bit nervously. She knew that Moonbay was making a suggestion instead of meaning the actual school work that they intended to work on. "W-we better get to work Van," she said a little nervously.
For Fiona, it was a little nerve-wracking to have Van in her home. No one besides Irvine and Moonbay had been there since that day two years before. She just couldn't seem to trust anyone enough to invite them over. She just hoped that Van was as good of a person as Irvine and Moonbay claimed.
After what seemed like hours, Van shut his book when they finally completed their project. He was surprised they were able to get anything done with how closed off Fiona had suddenly become. They were supposed to be working together but that's hard when one wouldn't talk.
He looked at her as she massaged her hand and frowned. "Are you ok Fiona? You're awfully quiet," he said and he saw her just frown in response. "I hope it isn't about what I asked you earlier today," he said hoping that it wasn't that that made her so closed off.
Fiona looked up at Van and forced a smile on her face. "No, it isn't just that Van," she said before looking in a different direction. "I've just had a lot on my mind all day," she said as she stood up to stretch her legs.
Van leaned back in his seat a she watched her pace. He could tell that's he had a look of deep concentration on her face. It was as if she was thinking about something important but just didn't want to talk about it. "I hope it wasn't anything I did," Van said with a sigh.
Fiona looked at Van and couldn't help but giggle a little. She just shook her head no but it seemed to have hesitation in it. She then stopped and a look of concentration came over her face again. "Van, please don't think badly of me for how unpleasant I've been for the past few weeks," she said with a frown.
Van sat up straight and looked at Fiona quizzically. "I don't think that at all. I'm sure you have your reasons," he said as he watched her pace even more. He had to admit that he was curious as to why she was the way that she was.
"I-in a way. It's just hard for me. Everyone sees me as this perfect person at school but I'm anything but that. I've never had much luck with relationships so please don't expect anything from me. Moonbay and Irvine just expect way too much," she said as she looked into his confused eyes.
Van looked at her confused before he stood up and started to walk towards Fiona. "I expected someone like you to be good with stuff like that. Almost everyone in the school would want to go out with you," he said as he looked down at her as if looking for some answers.
Fiona looked down instead of at him. "People would expect that wouldn't they/" she asked and he just nodded his head. "Despite that, I haven't been on a date in over two years. Ever since my horrible breakup with my old boyfriend," Fiona said looking at Van and saw that his curiosity was peaked.
Fiona walked towards her couch and took a seat up it without looking back at Van. 'Maybe it would be easier for him to understand everything if I tell him the truth. I guess he deserves an explanation,' she thought as she watched him walk over and take a seat across from her.
'She had another relationship that ended badly? How bad could it have been to make her the way she is now?' Van asked himself as he watched her. He hoped for an explanation but he wouldn't push it if he didn't get it.
"Two years ago I was in a relationship with a guy named Todd. He was a little older but that didn't seem to matter to me. I couldn't say I was in love but I did like him, at least in the beginning," she said as she took a deep breath to calm her nerves a little.
Fiona didn't understand it. She still barely knew Van and she was telling him these sort of things. 'Maybe he deserves to know. He's been nothing but kind to me. If anything big was to start between us, he has the right to know before either of us deserves to decide,' she reasoned with herself.
Van just sat there listening intently. If she was willing to talk about it, the least that he could do is listen to it. "I'm guessing that it didn't quite go the way you thought," he said and he saw her nod but then she hesitated. "It's ok, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," he said with a frown.
Fiona shook her head. "No, everyone thinks I need to talk about it more so that's what I'm going to do. Maybe you deserve to know," she said before she shook her head to rid herself of the horrid images that were in her mind.
Van was shocked by her words. He didn't see how he deserved to know. 'Did I do something to deserve it? What was it then?' he asked himself as he watched her waiting for more. She wanted to talk about it, so he would listen.
"Everything was good for a little while but then he started to become abusive. He'd hit me when he saw me talking to other friends. Men or women, it didn't matter to him. He said he did it because he cared but I knew differently. Maybe I was just scared so I never tried to get out of it," Fiona said getting more images in her head of that time back then.
Fiona took another deep breath before she continued. "It became worse and worse until I couldn't take it anymore. I called Irvine to ask him for help. He was willing to help but when we were talking about it Todd showed up. He was not happy about many things but mostly that I intended to leave him. He ended up beating me up so bad that I ended up in the hospital. Irvine too ended up there but only with a broken arm. Your mother was my doctor then. That's how I first met her," she said glad to be finished with it,
Everything suddenly became very clear to Van right then. So many questions that he used to have were answered. He always wondered how Irvine got that broken arm that one time. He wondered how his mother knew Fiona. He wondered why she disappeared for a few months before suddenly returning. It all made sense to him then.
"I still have nightmares from that day. Like what you saw last night," she said before she suddenly made a short laugh. It had little meaning to it but it took more of Van's attention again. "After hearing all that; do you still want to go on that date with me?" she asked staring at him.
Van stared at her for a few seconds before a smile crossed his face. "It's in the past. I don't see why it should affect anything now. At least that's my opinion. The question I have is do you still want to go on it? I won't blame you if you changed your mind," he said as he watched her and waited for her answer.
Fiona was surprised with his answer and then thought over his question. 'He's still willing to go out with me even after hearing about my past?' she asked herself before she smiled. "I… I still want to if it's ok with you," she said feeling better than she had in a long time.
Van didn't even have to think about his answer. He knew that he still wanted it. He just wanted to make sure that Fiona still wanted it before he said anything. "Fine by me. How about I pick you up Saturday at seven?"