Disclaimer: The characters mentioned in this fic belong to DC comics and Warner Bros.—credit goes to them for the popularity of this show, Teen Titans. Heck, I don't even own the title. I don't own anything except for my life.
A/N: -.-; Okay, the summary is very typical. I've done this before, so I'd be fooling myself if I'd say this fanfiction is my first—hopefully one that I can successfully finish. Grant that this fiction won't guarantee such quality—I'm not that good of a writer yet so you have been forewarned if you tend to spot some errors or typos. It's AU-the typical high-school setting in Gotham, the plot is for you and your curiosity to indulge in. grins If the pairing doesn't suit you—then I suggest you don't read unless, simple as that. I won't tolerate pairing flames—All I ask for is respect.
()Some notes and last words will be placed at the end of the chapter. Thanks.
And I think the characters don't need any descriptive introduction since you guys are obviously familiar to them.
Just
the Girl
by
Amaryllis
A prologue
In times such as this, specifically when she had overslept, the young teenager was thankful enough that school was a block's walking distance from their apartment. Hastily, she grabbed her messenger bag and slipped her feet into her worn-out Converse sneakers and fled downstairs.
She ran her hand through her dark locks hoping that it would look as if it had been combed and tugged on her shirt, as she keenly examined herself in front of their shop's window. She stopped her in need to spruce up when she found her own mother peering queerly at her right through on the opposite side.
The girl flushed as her mom gave her a smile purely out of love, another surge of guilt past through her. She couldn't lash out on her mom just because she had forgotten to wake her up; she thought rationally thinking how much her mother had done so much for her—for them. The apartment, their own progressing business—it was perfect. Now that he wasn't there to ruin their lives.
She sighed, giving her mother a friendly wave of departure and a warm smile.
How could she been so stupid, she chided herself as she briskly walked across the street her face scrunched up in mild irritation. She contained herself and her dignity the embarrassment, when she had paused in mid-stride with the sudden urge to cringe violently in anger. She glanced at her watch, and then glanced at the nearing distance to her school. If I submit to emotional tantrums here, I'd kill myself for wasting additional time to get to school, she thought cynically.
The hue of his cobalt blue eyes, its depth and expression lost in a deep reverie reflecting upon its tinted glass panels and he just stared dazedly right through the car window of the sleek black Mercedes van.
He's on his own world again. Alfred noted, stealing a glance of his young master from the rear mirror. He's been that way since last Friday, he added to himself benevolently his expression filling with worry and curiosity seeped into his thoughts of what or whom preoccupied his young master's mind that seemed to overtake his thoughts for the current week. He gave a glance at Ramsey, their chauffeur/driver concentrating on the road instead of Dick's odd behavior.
The car slowly came to a halt.
Alfred adjusted his neck tie, squared his shoulders as he prepared himself for his butler spiel.
"Master Dick," Pause for effect. "We've arrived." Alfred informed him, promptly—his voice crisp and detached as ever. Ramsey choked himself from letting out a snigger at Alfred's decorous announcement and most particularly at his British accent, receiving a glare from the butler. Richard gave no answer.
Alfred and Ramsey looked at each other, briefly. He frowned to his announcement gave no whatsoever effect on him. Not even a twitch, he mused wryly as he glanced again at the young teenager still perched on the back seat—as if he'd never heard a thing—then sharing confused glanced with Ramsey. Alfred sighed, his hand now slowly massaging his forehead.
"Richard!"
"Huh? What?" The young man jumped as if he'd been electrocuted.
Alfred lips turned into a cynical twist, "Like I said precisely a minute ago" He drawled. "We've arrived."
"Oh." Richard gave him an apologetic grin, abruptly glanced towards the edifice that was his school. "It seems as though we have." He replied, cheekily scooping up his backpack and propping it upon his shoulders thus making his descent off the van.
The entrance one of Gotham's public educational institute was laden with grassy terrain, and a flagstone pathway that paved into the grand entrance hall of the school. The sight of some students lazing around the place during morning was a common sight and setting for everyone who attended Gotham High.
Most of the group who stood out stereotypically from the school's teenage society was situated in their own little spot, each with aura of selective exclusiveness in each peer. It almost didn't bother anyone, at least to anyone who belonged and those who didn't were sometimes referred to as an outcast or had their own group that didn't need such social recognition.
Speaking of peers, Richard belonged to such company that earned their place outside the school yard. Though his friends held no appropriate stereotype whatsoever, but still they had outshone themselves in their versatility in their own comfortable company.
"I'm telling you, dude! It was amazing to have all eyes in the room!—I mean do you know how that feels?" Garfield, the resident jokester in the group, enthused among them. He ran his hand smoothly through his jet black hair now highlighted with green streaks.His excitement was countered with a reluctant silence, when all of them exchanged uneasy glances.
"Amazing?" Kori answered quite lamely, sharing a confused with Victor.
Garfield winked at her, "You bet it was, babe." Roy, Garth and Victor rolled their eyes at him and Kori giggled in amusement. "You should've seen their faces, they were like throwing me these approving glances—you know, the one they always give Dick?—but the best thing was Tara…" But Garfield prattled on, his attention practically focused on Kori who was listening to him with naïve and apt attentiveness.
"Can you can it, BB?—Please?" Garth pleaded exasperatedly, looking up irately from his Geometry assignment. "We know, everyone's been giving you 'the stare' since you dyed your hair with green streaks."
"You know, I could always bribe with him Tofu. That always shuts him up." Victor suggested jokingly, tossing his football up in the air and back into his hands enjoying the sight Garfield's expression turn from his raged excitement to irritation while
"Oooh, Victor watch out I think he's gonna tackle you." Roy joined in, giving BB one of his teasing glances.
Kori gazed at them warmly, enjoying their morning get-together as usual but then she glanced around the vicinity for one Dick Grayson, who seemed to missing out on a lot from this.
"Pssh." Victor waved his hand dismissively at Roy, "That little grass stain can't even beat me at video games." He said, a little too confidently. Garfield's face was already red and with his green streaks, he had almost resembled an apple.
"Grass Stain!" Roy repeated, emitting a strangled laughing sound that made Garfield twitch with anger. "Nice one, Vic." Patting Victor appreciatively on his shoulder.
"Hey! It is a universal fact that I can sooo perfectly beat you in Tekken 4!" Garfield protested, indignantly.
Victor was about to open his mouth to release his heated retort, until Dick had approached them with his non-but casual smile. "Hey, Guys? Nice Morning." As usual, he was looking terribly handsome earning looks from the other girls who were around the park.
"Richard!" Kori gasped with joy, finding delight for him to finally grace them with his presence. She threw her arms around him, a greeting she'd ritually come to affectionately give to each of the boys.
Dick chuckled, squeezing Kori with the same good-natured hug. "Nice to see you too, Kori."
"It's good to know you're hugs are a little less deadly." He noted teasingly, which made Kori turn a little red when she let him go, her smile as wide and as radiant as ever.
His gaze landed on Garfield's newly done hairdo, only a flicker of mild surprise ran through his laid-back features. "BB? You look good."
"Thanks, dude." Garfield's expression finally lightened, beaming at Richard's compliment giving him a high-five. "See? I knew he'd like it." He announced victoriously among the boys, who all gave him long-suffering looks.
The school bell echoed throughout the campus signaling all of the students to their respective classes just as Richard giving Roy, Garth and Vic high-fives as well.
Roy sighed, "Ah, Education beckons." Picking up his books, and slung his bag on his shoulder. The rest followed, heading to the queuing line of students heading towards the school's entrance halls.
Victor headed off attempting to fend Garfield off—who was chasing after him like a proverbial mosquito set on his prey.
Roy and Garth both placed their arms around Kori, their handsome faces exchanged in knowing glances and mischievous grins. "Now, Kori...About you're older sister…" Roy started within an earshot enough for Richard to hear—and enough to put a lazy smile work up his face—all the rest of their conversation faded into the buzzing noise of the entering crowd.
Richard shrugged upon seeing his friends preoccupied with their own business after all they could regroup when the bell rings again for homeroom.
"One is the loneliest number…." Someone sing-songed dryly, making a few hairs on his neck rise involuntarily. But nevertheless his eyes lit up with renewed, just the girl he was hoping to nonchalantly bump into.
"Not when you're nearing close to me it's not." He countered smoothly, offering the pretty girl a charming smile.
"—and it just makes me feel so special." She deadpanned; Rachel didn't bother to look up at his face. He always had this amazing affect on her, Wonder Boy could be pretty ugly right now if not without her disciplined self-control upon resisting shoving her Geometry book down his throat. She was too busy reorganizing her things in her bag let alone checking if she had left anything due to her hasty leave from home.
They had squeezed their way into the school's entrance hall as the crowd suddenly dissipated into scattered students, briskly heading to their lockers. Richard looked around momentarily, then grasped her wrist and dragged her into not-so discreet corner of the entrance hall.
Rachel had let herself be dragged, her sole attention focused on fussing over the contents of her bag. Richard frowned at her when he had released his touch from her smooth, silkly skin, she was ignoring him again. Other girls, he thought sourly, would swoon at sight of him at a normal accord although he regarded it with tolerating contempt, it was likely to be wishful thinking to expect this girl would swoon let alone sigh dreamily at him. H-how could she ignore him? In every conversation they had ever shared, be it placid or casually hostile, she had never failed to wound his ego. "C'mon, Would you deprive a man one look from an angel?" He crooned, playfully.
Her amethyst eyes finally met his, sending an electrocuting shock throughout his body telling him he was not ready for that kind of optical intensity. "Don't you have anyone else to practice you're cheesy lines on?" She snapped, she looked down momentarily trying to hide a small tint of a blush from her face.
But in reading between the lines, Richard was too much of an expert to register that a casual turn away. Despite that, it had really made his day and it took all of his power to let a goofy grin run through his rather defined features.
"So…Rachel…" He started, bouncing his fist on the denim fabric of pants. "Why don't you join me for a walk, what do you say?" He winked at her, holding out his hand for her to take.
Rachel stared at his clean, smooth hands blankly and then at him.
No more, please. Can't you take a hint? She thought in exasperated silence, biting her lip holding in the rankled bitterness she felt whenever he would start again. She felt the needing urge to find Tara and Karen right away, she had left her essay assignment--unprinted and unedited on her computer.
"Look, Richard. It's nice of you to offer, but this 'angel' has to put away her wings." She said, in a withdrawn manner and left off, leaving him to sigh in another defeat.
"I'm sorry; I-I just can't seem to understand this." Tara shook her in distraught, as she closed the novel sharply throwing it carelessly in her locker and took out the books she needed for the first three periods.
"Well, you have to read a Classic novel for our book report, nevertheless." Karen reasoned out, leaning against the locker next to Tara's.
Tara gave her a confused look, "I only chose the book since the movie was great and I figured if I understood the storyline of the movie it would make no difference in the novel. But then, I get to read a book with boring speeches that seems to linger on nothing in particular."
"And Leonardo DiCaprio had nothing to do with this?" Karen asked her, her hand placed on her hip as she raised a brow and gave Tara one of her knowing smiles. Tara's eyes twinkled at that, "Well…" She trailed off, sheepishly shrugging the subject dismissively. But then, Tara sighed in disappointment.
"What?" Karen looked at her with perplexity, smart enough not to overlook her gesture.
"Well, you seem to have chosen the perfect novel." She whined, "As usual." Tara added, thickly. "Why can't you mess up with your decisions for once in your High-School life?"
Karen grinned and averred in a dignified manner, "Because I think before I act."
Tara groaned impatiently, "C'mon, Haven't you screwed up at least once?"
Karen pursed her lips in thought, "Well, there was pottery class…and…my attempt on archery...I guess that's practically it." Tara shook her head knowing that it would only end up making her look bad, "Never mind. So what novel did you decide to read?"
"Little Women." Karen answered, promptly.
"And Winona Ryder or Kirsten Dunst or Christian Bale had nothing to do with that?" Terra countered, wagging her eyebrows playfully.
Karen laughed, "Touché."
"Thank you-Thank you." Tara grinned slamming her locker shut, giving Karen a mock-curtsy. Both of them shared a laughed.
Rachel rushed to their direction slowly coming to a halt to the locker next to Tara's. A Karen and Tara's jovial expressions turned into shared worried glances on the sour mood of their friend was feeling. When Rachel slammed her locker door open sharply it made Tara and Karen jumped.
"Um, Rach?" Karen said, cautiously keeping a careful distance to her.
"Yes?" She answered acidly, her face and expression concealed by her locker door as she preoccupied herself in placing her books inside her locker not even bothering to look at her friends. Karen gave Tara a look, raising her brows fretfully asking for back-up.
"What's wrong?" Tara asked, stepping nearer to Raven placing hand on her arm.
Rachel looked tiredly at them, "I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed."
"Hmm…explains why you're later than usual and your vague reply." Tara noted, promptly placing her hands behind her back but then Karen nudged on her side. "What?" She asked her, innocently.
Rachel smiled inwardly as finally closing her locker in a much gentler manner, grateful enough to have friends such as them around to keep her sane and perfectly happy.
"This is isn't the right time for that line, Tara" Karen chided, "Try it this lunch time." Karen looked at both of them, "C'mon." She threw herself in between them, placing each of around Tara and Rachel who was now evenly smiling with them. "We'll be late for Homeroom."
I know, it doesn't say much. I was hoping to give you guys a glimpse of how the characters play each other out in the story. Just a normal day in a life sequence I happen to come up with before the real plot starts. I sincerely need your opinion and suggestions.
Rachel - Raven
Karen - Bumblebee (Her spunky attitude does compliments to Raven's)
Garfield - BB/Beast Boy(Why he got the nickname BB in this fic, will be further explained in later chapters)
Dick/Richard - Robin
Garth - Aqualad
Roy - Speedy
Victor/Vic - Cyborg
Just The Girl – It's one of the many lists of inspirations of making this fic possible. Cookie to those who can guess the band. wink
Now that he wasn't there to ruin their lives. – Obviously 'He' is the Rachel's infamous father, more about him in later chapters
"About your older sister…" – Kori's (Starfire) sister, Mandy(Blackfire)—derived from her Tamaranean name 'Komand'r'. She'll be making appearances. I couldn't think of any decent name for her, my creativity needs help.sobs
"And Leonardo DiCaprio had nothing to do with this?" – Hmmm, which film is based on a classic novel which Leo DiCaprio starred on? Blinks innocently First two who gives the correct answer receives a cookie.
"And Winona Ryder or Kirsten Dunst or Christian Bale had nothing to do with that?" – The author-ess is a fan of the Batman Series so forgive her if she tends to do that.
I'm not really familiar with the system they use in High School in the US. Seeing is that is the real setting of our heroes, I have no choice but to simply try anyway. Feel free to tell me there's some changes to be made on that.
So, that was it for the notes—and if you want to give compliments, criticisms and whatnots I'm sure pressing the pretty purple button on your left would be of great help and Happy Holidays everyone!
Til' next time,
Amaryllis.