After another week of class, Ava could confirm that something was up with Gavin. She had visited his office hours numerous times to develop her paper on authoritarian parenting, and she had noticed how off he seemed. It was like he was on edge for some reason, telling by how his eyes constantly shifted to the door and how his leg bounced beneath his desk rapidly. It differed from his usual calm demeanor, and Ava had no idea what was going on with him. Ever since he got spooked off when they had gotten coffee, he had acted odd.
However, despite his weird behavior, she had grown even more comfortable being around him. She didn't tiptoe around him as much, focusing more on their casual conversations about life and in depth conversations about psychology. She still hadn't been able to learn much about his life outside of school or his past, but she had learned more and more about his love for education and research, especially psychology. He told her that knowledge was the greatest weapon and asset to have in this world, and Ava found herself agreeing with him.
To her surprise, Gavin had become her favorite professor due to all of the outside help he gave her and how open of a listener he was with her. She had opened up a little about her parents and their behavior toward her because her paper touched on it, and he had listened to her words carefully and even offered suggestions on how to avoid or solve conflict with them. It was like seeing a counselor, giving her more clarity and confidence than she had possessed in awhile. She felt like pieces were starting to fall into place with her life with her great grades, clearer outlook on life, and friends. Then, she was woken up by sharp knocking on her dorm door.
Ava jolted awake, her eyes blinking rapidly to try to coax away her blurry vision. Her phone read midnight, prompting a confused look on her face as she wondered if she had imagined the knock or not. No one would be knocking on her door at that time of night because Jackie was in bed also looking startled. After another round of knocks, she jumped out of bed and hurried to the door, figuring it was a resident assistant, but Stephanie came into view with a beaten up Darren leaning on her shoulder.
"I had to sneak him through the back. He had called me ... and I didn't know what to do. Ava, help," Stephanie immediately started sobbing as she nearly dragged Darren inside, the blood running from his nose and a cut on his lip staining her white blouse. She gently set him on the floor of the dorm, tears coursing down her cheeks as she leaned over him. "It's okay, baby."
"What happened?" Jackie asked as she sprung out of bed, kneeling next to Darren to check him over.
"Someone ... jumped me ... after rounds," Darren gritted out through his teeth, pain coursing through him as he held his bruised side.
"He doesn't really have enemies. I don't know who would have done this," Stephanie whimpered, her fingers gently stroking Darren's cheek.
Ava stared down at Darren, noting how beaten down he looked. Someone had laid into him, and he was probably lucky to be far away from them because the damage could have been way worse. She placed a comforting hand on Stephanie's shoulder, unsure of what to do, but she still wanted to be there for her friend. Her phone chimed on her nightstand, prompting her other hand to reach out and grab it to check the message she had received. It was from an unknown number.
Come outside without a word to avoid more trouble.
Ava felt a shiver shudder down her spine, anxiety building up inside of her as she read the text a few times to be sure that she had actually read that. She wondered who the text was from, but she almost didn't want to know. She especially didn't want to go outside and meet them, but anymore trouble would mean Darren or someone else getting more hurt. Her first instinct was to protect her friends, so she quietly snuck around Jackie and Stephanie as they talked to one another. When she made it to the door, she glanced back to make sure no one was looking only to see Darren staring at her. When he shook his head subtly at her, she frowned, feeling conflicted, but she left. She had to keep them all safe no matter the risks.
Her steps were rushed, her anxiety willing them to slow as the soft fabric of her black sleep shorts swept along her thighs. She headed out of the hallway and through the side door into the stairwell. Panic grew more and more intense inside of her as she neared the back door to the building, her breathing turning shakier as she placed her hand on the doorknob. Thinking of her friends, one of which with a boyfriend bleeding on her dorm floor, she gathered up the minimum amount of courage she needed to open the door and step out into the vacant lot behind the dorm building. She could just make out a black car and a figure in a black hoodie standing in front of it, the car's LED lights blaring past the person to nearly blind her.
"I knew you were a good listener." The voice that came from the figure was eerily familiar.
Ava narrowed her eyes as she stepped closer, trying to make out the figure's face beneath the hood and through the bright car lights. She watched his hand lift to pull the hood off, familiar dark hair coming into view. "Professor Rivers," Ava breathed out in disbelief, her eyes dropping to her phone to look at the text message and then back at him. She wasn't even sure how he got her number or why he was calling her outside. He must've had something to do with Darren getting hurt, but what was his role in the whole thing?
"Gavin is fine, Ava. Let's skip the formalities, okay? It'll probably make this situation a little easier to deal with," Gavin replied, waving his hand dismissively at her as he stepped toward her.
"Situation? Did you hurt Darren?" Ava asked, her voice etching up in volume. She was almost surprised at her sudden boldness, but she had to know if he had anything to do with it.
Gavin narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head profusely. "What? No! That's going to happen to us if we don't get in my car and leave right now, though," he told her, his eyes shifting around quickly to scan the area.
"Wait, what? Us? Go where?" Ava asked, countless questions filling her head as he spoke cryptic words. She had no idea what he was talking about, the confusion overtaking her relief of him not being involved with Darren. She still didn't know what was going on from who hurt Darren to why would they be next to be hurt. She nearly felt dizzy because her head was spinning so much.
Gavin sighed sharply before grabbing his phone from his back pocket, tapping a few times, and then presenting the screen to her.
Ava looked closer to see a picture of him and her walking along the sidewalk with coffee in their hands. When he swiped over, it was a picture of her walking through the psychology building with him. Another picture showed them sitting on a bench together outside of the psychology building. They were all pictures of them together, but who had taken them? "What are these?" She nearly whispered the words, disbelief nearly shaking her to her core. The pictures and how close some of them were terrified her.
"I have people after me. They've noticed that I've been spending a lot of time with you, so they're probably going to come after you too. They already got Darren," Gavin explained quickly, running a hand through the back of his short hair.
Ava just stared at him blankly, unable to process any of her thoughts. He had told her so much confusing information that went right over her head. All she knew was that she was in trouble. "Please tell me you're lying," she breathed out, her words coming out shaky as she lifted a hand to her mouth, trying to cover the trembling of her bottom lip. She didn't like appearing so vulnerable in front of people, but the fear and confusion were breaking her down rapidly. She felt lost, and Gavin was her only source of information and still wasn't giving her full answers.
"I haven't lied to you," Gavin replied, giving his head a small shake. "If you don't want to die, I suggest you get in the car."
Ava didn't want to die. She didn't want to put an end to a life that she had just started, but she also didn't know where the road was headed toward if she went with Gavin. She didn't know what trouble followed him, but she knew that she was now involved against her will. She knew that there were risks involved with anything that she did. If she stayed, whoever attacked Darren could come for her and do more damage. If she went with Gavin, she could get hurt in some way too. Trouble seemed to follow him, but she still somehow felt safer with him. All of their time together had turned him into a person of familiarity and comfort for her, and she couldn't bring herself to separate from him when he knew more about the situation than her.
"But my friends ...," Ava started to say, wanting to let her friends know that she was going off for some unknown amount of time. She didn't even know how long she had to go on the run for, why she had to, or where she was going. She just wanted someone to have an idea of what she was being dragged into and have someone understand. If she never came back, they would know why.
"They'll be safer if you come with me," Gavin broke through her words as he walked over to the passenger side door of his black sedan. He opened it for her and stood aside, gesturing for her to get inside.
"You promise?" Ava asked, automatically putting the ones she cared about before herself. It was second nature to her, and she wasn't about to lose herself in the madness of this situation. She would have to stay strong or threaten to fall apart.
"Promise," Gavin told her, nodding his confirmation as his eyes stayed heavy on her.
Ava sighed deeply, knowing she had to act now. She hoped this situation was something that could somehow be resolved quickly and safely, but she had high doubts about that. Things would be rough, but it was worth it for the safety of her friends, who had protected her and guided her when she needed it the most. She could disappear for a minute for them. At least, she hoped it wasn't for too long. She walked forward, her arm brushing the thick material of his black hoodie as she stepped near him to get into his car.
Gavin shut her door behind her and tossed his phone somewhere in the parking lot before getting in the driver's seat, immediately gunning the car away from the college. "I have to get these guys off our back," he murmured, his words being meant for himself as much as they were for her.
"Who is following us?" Ava asked, gripping her seatbelt tightly as he sped through the streets in the pitch black night, the street lights blurring.
"The less you know the better. Just enjoy the ride," Gavin murmured without looking her way, both of his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as he drove toward the outskirts of town.
Ava lowered her gaze to her lap, a hint of sadness plaguing her. She had just gotten to a place that she felt comfortable enough to call her home, and now she was being whisked away from it. She just wished he would explain to her what was happening so that she could be prepared because she had no concept of what was going on and what to do. She was sent on a spiraling path once again, but this time she wasn't sure if she would be able to find her own way back.