Jonathan delved into his books more and more as his isolation grew. Many of his friends abandoned him when they discovered he was being beaten every afternoon by Stan and his thugs and feared they might become the bullies' next targets. Jonathan poured over his studies voraciously and almost managed to fill the empty void that seemed to grow despite how much he tried to ignore it.

He brushed away the bits of food and paper wads that every now and then would be tossed at him as he sat hunched over his book in the lunch room. A wide empty space on the bench remained between him and the many other students who were busy smiling and

chatting, who either were oblivious of his presence or every now would point at him and snicker.

He wished he was a strong enough person to say it didn't hurt – that the taunts and loneliness could hurt him no more than it would hurt a solitary stone. Sometimes he wished he had the heart of stone; he would suffer much less. The bell rang and startled

Jonathan awake from his sad daydreaming. He was angry at himself for indulging in feeling sorry for himself – it would only make himself more miserable and he

knew that was what Stan wanted – to humiliate him and ultimately make him feel as badly about himself as he physically felt. He couldn't let that happen or the moronic ape would win.

Jonathan snapped his book closed and shoved his scarcely touched lunch back into his bag. His next class would be chemistry – a class he became more fascinated in the more he learned of the intricate molecular structures of the compounds and how those compounds can be formed and combined into chemicals. As Jonathan cut across the campus lawn, he saw many of the teenagers still idling, even though the class bell had

rung. Many of them were dating couples, flirting with one another, but mostly kissing and holding each other close.

Stupid. All they can think with is their hormones, Jonathan thought.

As he swept past, he bumped into someone.

"Hey, watch it!"

Jonathan was not in a good mood and after being regularly beaten after school. He rarely apologized for anything, but he did pause and look at who he bumped into briefly.

It was a girl with long, wavy brunette hair and chocolate brown eyes. She was wearing a fitted white blouse that showed a hint of her cleavage, which was tantalizing, but wasn't slutty, and a fitted blue skirt that hugged the soft swell of her hips. At that moment her full lips were pursed in anger. Jonathan suddenly felt very flustered.

"You bumped into me. Watch where you're going you clutz!"

"I – I'm a sorry. Didn't mean to."

Much of her anger drained out of her as she saw Jonathan's apology was sincere.

"I guess it's alright. Accidents happen. Better get to your class, you'll be late."

Before Jonathan could stammer out anything more to say, the girl had run at top speed to the other side of the campus. A few seconds later the late bell rang.

Damn it!

This would be the first time he'd been late since grammar school.

Jonathan found his mind wandering every now and then back to that girl during class and throughout the day. At first he enjoyed the thought, because she was beautiful, but the more he thought about it, the more aggravated he became. It distracted him from more

important matters like his studies. He also kept telling himself, deep down, a girl that beautiful must already have a boyfriend and certainly would not be interested in anyone like him. Best to forget about her and the sooner the better.

Jonathan figured that wouldn't be too difficult a task, given the mid-term exams and the

mounting pile of homework that was coming due in his advanced classes. Now more than ever he needed to concentrate and focus on the task at hand. He had no room for idle daydreaming about girls; his future rested solely on his mind and what possible scholarship he might gain to afford college.

He packed up his books later than usual from the library and headed home about an hour later than he normally would. He worried for the first time in a long time that Stan and his thugs already would be waiting for him. And today he was strangely feeling too good to have his day ruined by what that bully had planned. Let that ape and his goons wait and he'd never show up – that would teach him and his dim-witted toadies. A dark delight filled Jonathan as he shouldered his backpack and walked an extra three miles he normally didn't have to travel when he took the shortcut through Shackborough Street. It was near dusk when he arrived home, but his mother still wasn't there yet.

He had plenty of time to get much of his homework done before dinner and this would be an opportune time to do some research on his history project on military strategists. But as he opened his textbooks and notebook, his pen and paper ready, the same idle thoughts returned and it was maddening how he was having so much difficulty concentrating.

Jonathan Crane, if you can do your homework after a solid beating, you can certainly push all thoughts of a silly girl out of your head and do your work!

He squinted and bent closer to his books, as though the closer proximity would help his concentration.

Those dark brown eyes, those full lips . . . that blouse.

Jonathan grasped his hair. He felt like he was ready to scream. He didn't understand how he could feel so wonderful and so miserable all at once. He yanked out the packet of ice from the freezer and crushed it hard against his forehead. The cold felt good and helped him try to forget about her.

Love your studies. A girl like that won't love you. Girls like that never do.

Droplets dripped upon the sheet of paper he had begun writing his homework on and the ink began to run. Jonathan didn't care.