Chapter 1

Summer was the most anticipated time of the year for teenagers. It was the cue for all things vacation. It was a time for endless nights of fun, and sleeping in till noon. It was a time of teenage rebellion and memories.

So one could only imagine how sad it was to say goodbye to yet another summer, and hello to a brand new school year.

New Vista Beach was covered in teenagers from New Vista High School. There was an enormous bonfire blazing up, some teens were hovered around it, some were skinny-dipping in the ocean. It was the last Saturday night of summer before a new school year began on Monday.

Not too far from the party spot on the beach was a walkway leading up to a Malibu-style mini mansion. The gigantic house was filled with even more teens. The back had people swimming, hot-tubbing, or simply just enjoying the music. There were colorful lights everywhere, a DJ, and red solo cups in every nook and cranny.

Inside, a group of boys were in the large living room playing a round of beer pong. Surrounding them were people betting on who was going to win the ongoing game.

"You losers are going down!" Shouted Roy Harper. "We are the reigning champs!" He high-fived his partner, Gar Logan.

Roy was a well-known playboy in New Vista. He was also high school royalty, being one of the most popular guys to walk the halls. He was handsome, with carrot-colored hair, shiny green eyes, and a gorgeous smile. He stood at six foot two and one could tell he worked out regularly.

His partner, Garfield "Gar" Logan was one of his friends. Gar was the jokester, who was never serious at the right times, and too serious in moments of bliss. He was on the shorter size, and had just enough muscle to not be the weakest guy in his weights class. His hair was streaked green from the beginning of summer, and his eyes matched the streaks. Many people thought the look fit his personality.

"Not if I can help it," Vic Stone said as he gave Roy a knowing look.

Next to Vic was his partner, Wally West, bouncing up and down impatiently waiting for the game to start. "Are you girls ready to start or do you just want to keep chatting all night?"

Victor "Vic" Stone was an African American, six foot three, man who was made of pure muscle. He was the star football player for the New Vista High Knights. He was intimidating as hell on the outside, which was understandable, but completely a marshmallow on the inside. Vic was also a golden boy in his school, thanks to his stellar athletic abilities.

Wally West was much like Roy-notorious for having a new girlfriend ever week. He used way too many pickup lines (the cheesy ones) and had a dazzling smile that could make just about any girl melt. He has spiked red hair, dark blue eyes, and a pretty fit body.

The four boys stood on either side of the long table and were getting extremely riled up over this game. Beer, shots, and a crowd of people cheering them on could do that to a person.

Roy threw the first ping pong ball. It bounced off one of the cups and rolled onto the ground.

"Horseshit!" Roy yelled.

"Don't worry, dude. I got this." Gar kissed his ball for good luck and expertly shot it into the middle cup.

"Ha!" Wally yelled. "Bitch cup! Drop your pants!"

Gar shrugged and smiled, clearly pleased. "As long as I made that shot, underwear it is." Gar pulled down his khaki shorts, revealing a pair of boxers with kittens on them.

"Really Gar? Could you lose anymore of your manliness?" Vic said from across the table.

"He'd have to have some manliness to lose some in the first place." A voice said from the crowd.

All eyes turned to Richard Grayson. The Richard Grayson. Adopted son of multi-millionaire business man, Bruce Wayne. He was the It Boy of New Vista High and completed his circle of guy friends. He was the leader and the most popular guy in New Vista. Not to mention how gorgeous he was.

The scale went from, hot, hotter, hottest-and then there was Richard. He was tall, with biceps that could barely breathe through his shirts. He didn't need to lift up his shirt for one to know there was a six pack hiding underneath it. His jet-black hair was always messily sexy, and his eyes were as blue as the ocean. He was practically a living breathing God.

"Richard! It's about time you showed up!" Gar said, completely ignoring the insult he'd just received from his friend.

"Man, did Paris make you tanner? How is that even possible?" Roy asked clearly taking notice of Richard's golden skin.

"Good to see you too, Roy." Richard rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. He ignored the girls that were practically drooling over him and said, "You guys gonna finish this game or what?"

The four boys at the table began throwing their ping pong balls like crazy, hardly taking a break. This game was definitely a teaser, because every time Roy's team made a cup, so did Vic's. They were tied, each team only having four cups left.

The game was intense, and oddly enough no one was making the last four cups. Whether that had to do with the crazy coincidental circumstances, or the uncanny amount of alcohol intake.

"Boo-yah!" Vic boasted as he finally made a cup. The crowd cheered loudly and Richard gave his friend a fist pump.

"Dammit!" Roy smacked the table and looked at Gar. "If we lose this game, I'm throwing you off the balcony!"

Gar smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Can it at least be the back balcony? So I have better chances of landing in the pool?"

Before Roy could say anything, one of their girl friends walked up. It was Rachel Roth. Rachel was a pale, monotone girl who's specialty was sarcasm. She hardly ever smiled and made people fear her. She was a great addition to the group.

She was short and petite, with shoulder-length black hair. She'd recently added purple tips, and had gotten her nose pierced. The ruby red diamond glistened under the ceiling lights.

"No one is throwing anyone off of anything. Don't be idiots," Rachel deadpanned and crossed her arms.

Immediately Roy and Gar tensed up, nodding profusely. They knew that Rachel was more than just talk, so they didn't dare disobey her.

Behind Rachel, a slender African American girl peeked her head around and eyed Richard. She squealed and said, "Richard Grayson! How the hell are ya?" She ran to him and gave him a huge hug.

Richard laughed and hugged her back. "Hi Karen. It's good to see that someone missed me." He narrowed his eyes at his other five friends.

Karen Beecher was the trendsetting cheerleader at New Vista High. Her and Victor Stone were known as the golden couple. They have been dating since the eighth grade, and now, they were about to be juniors in high school together.

Karen was beautiful with hazel eyes, full lips, and dark, shoulder-length hair. She had one of those naturally curly hair styles that people paid money for. She always looked good, even in a pair of sweats-which was highly uncommon for Karen Beecher.

"Baby, stop distractin' us. We got a game to win!" Vic said motioning to the beer pong game.

Karen raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on her hip. "I'm sorry, what did you just say to me Victor Silas Stone?"

A chorus of "Ooo's" went around and Vic smiled innocently. His face flushed red and he quickly said, "I love you my pretty princess."

"Mhmmmm." Karen rolled her eyes.

As they continued their game, Richard snuck away and pulled Rachel aside. He shoved his hands in his pockets and before he could say anything, she beat him to the punch.

"She's outside by the pool. Someone was trying to squeeze ketchup and mustard into it." Rachel's blank face didn't falter once.

Richard furrowed his eyebrows. "Uh, gross." He patted Rachel's shoulder and said, "Thanks, Rachel."

She didn't say anything and let her eyes trail back to the game, which was coming closer to the end. Vic's team was winning, with only two more cups to hit. Roy's team had three more cups.

Richard walked away but quickly turned back around and called to Rachel, "Oh, and it's good to see you Rae-Rae." He smirked and quickly left before she could claw his face off. She hated that nickname.

Richard walked through the enormous kitchen and took notice of the many bottles of alcohol covering the counter. He also noticed the bologna sandwich that was stuck to the fridge.

Gross.

He walked out the back doors and immediately spotted her. She was clad in a pink tank top, white shorts, and brown strappy wedges. She practically glowed under the star-lit sky. He smiled, feeling a certain familiar warmth wash over him.

"And do not try that again or I will have Vic throw you out!" She yelled at the guy who had apparently tried squeezing condiments into the pool.

"Ouch. Threatening to sick Vic on him instead of me? Talk about betrayal," Richard said from behind her.

She turned around and her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. She threw her arms around his neck and yelled, "Richard!"

He smiled. "Hi, Kori."

Kori Anders, also known as Vista High's It Girl. One would think her and Richard were the perfect match, right? Well, unfortunately they were only best friends. Like, since third grade best friends.

Kori Anders was the one person Richard Grayson could never ever be mean to, or harbor any hatred towards. She was the one thing that made him soften up, and everyone knew it. Which is why everyone suspected the two had romantic feelings for each other. But neither one of them ever confirmed anything. They were always quick to imply they were too good of friends to ever be anything more.

Kori was gorgeous. She was probably the prettiest girl in the city of New Vista. She had a Victoria's Secret model's Body-only better, if that was even possible. Her long, cherry-red hair cascaded all the way down to her waist. She kept her naturally sun-kissed tan year round and it brought out the emerald green it her long lashed eyes. Her smile was perfect, she had high cheekbones, and her personality made her even more likable.

Kori was kind, respectful, and very giving. She couldn't hurt a fly if she wanted to. If someone pissed her off enough, she could get pretty heated, but other than that, she was an angel sent from heaven above.

"I missed you! Two weeks was too long! How was Paris? Did you see the Eiffel Tower? Did you go to that pastry shop I told you about?"

Richard laughed and said, "Slow down, Kor. It was good. Yes I saw the Eiffel Tower, and yes I went to the pastry shop you told me about." Kori opened her mouth to say something but Richard beat her to it. "And yes I tried a macaroon."

"And?"

"It was delicious."

Kori jumped up and down. "Yes! I told you they were!" Her family had taken a trip to Paris last summer, which is how she knew about the pastry shop.

Richard laughed. "I got you something."

Kori's eyes grew wide. "Richard, you shouldn't have. Seriously!" She put her hands on her hips.

"You're my best friend. Of course I had to." He motioned for her to turn around. "Close your eyes."

She narrowed her eyes. "You're not going to push me in the pool are you?" He squinted, debating it in his head. She hit him on the shoulder. "Hey!"

He laughed. "No, I'm not going to. As tempting as that is." She hit him again. "Turn around."

Kori slowly did as she was told. Richard then pulled out his back pocket a silver-chained necklace with a small Eiffel Tower charm on it. It had a pink little diamond on the top and sparkled under the night sky. He slid it onto Kori's neck and she gasped.

"Oh my gosh!" She turned around after he clasped it. "Richard, it's beautiful!"

"I thought you'd like it. It costed an arm and a leg." He frowned jokingly.

She scrunched up her nose and smiled. "You're such a goof. Seriously, thank you for this." Kori wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a tight squeeze.

"It's almost midnight," Richard said. "You know what that means."

"Thirty more minutes till we're practically juniors!"

He nodded. "Your party looks great, by the way. Sorry I couldn't make it back earlier."

"Hey, not a problem. You can always stay the night if you want. I've got plenty of room. Plus, you know how I hate being in a big empty house alone." Kori gave him a sad smile.

Richard gave her a solemn look. "Business trip?" She nodded.

Kori's parents were very successful, generous people who ran an amazing organization to help all kinds of people around the world. Their big hearts and kind souls made them extremely wealthy and likable. Unfortunately, that also meant they were gone for months on end, missing out on a bunch of Kori's life.

"You can always come stay with me too, Kor. Alfred misses you."

Kori smiled. "Awe! I miss him too! I might take you up on that offer."

They both laughed and began conversing about their summers. All around them people were partying like there was no tomorrow, and in a way, there wasn't. Their time as adolescent teenagers was coming to an end-for now.

The bonfire was still lit down the walkway and half of Vista High was at Kori's party. Inside, the guys had finally finished their game of beer pong, with the new champions, Vic and Wally. Roy was sulking while Gar was hovering by Rachel, knowing if she was by him, Roy wouldn't be throwing him off of anything.

Soon, it was 11:58 and everyone gathered outside, awaiting the countdown to their final moments of summer. Most of them were going to be juniors and seniors. All of Richard's friends were entering their junior year. No future underclassmen were invited, due to past parties. But other than that, it was a great time to be at a party.

Richard's group stood together, watching a few of the football players getting ready to light fireworks.

"Alright guys, here's to a good school year!" Richard held up his beer and cheered to his friends.

"Cheers!"

"May all the hot girls be with my single guy friends!"

"And may Roy survive another STD-free year!"

They all laughed and drank to the toast. Soon, the countdown began.

"Five! Four! Three! Two! One!" Everyone shouted in unison. Fireworks went off and cheers went around. It was the end of summer, and the start of a brand new school year.

Hopefully this one would be filled with nothing but happiness and new beginnings.

Hopefully.