Hissing with pain, I struggled to drag myself over my father's dead body. Poison was circulating through my veins, sending waves upon waves of pain through me. There was no way I could've foreseen her…her going bat-shit crazy. I collapsed against the broken blue tile floor, grunting as the cracked tiles went into my chest and legs.

I was going to die. And I knew I deserved it. I was ready for it.

I closed my eyes, tasting a bit of blood in my mouth. It'd probably by on the floor by the time anyone finds us. It would probably be Jocelyn and Stacey who found us – they would freak out and faint on the floor. It was kinda expected.

I treated her so badly…when all she ever wanted was my love. I wish I returned it…she'd been through too much.

I felt my mind being pulled back…back to the beginning…

"Collin, I'm sorry," my father replied, patting my shoulder with a sad look on his face, "I just don't have the money this year."

I sighed, shrugging his boney hand off of my muscled shoulder, "It's okay. I'll make do with my old gear until you publish your next find."

"I just need a volunteer so I can prove it," my dad sighed. I stared absentmindedly around his lab, anger growing in my chest. I lightly grit my teeth as I saw that there were papers everywhere, scattered like leaves in fall.

I thought angrily, "Mom would have never let the lab become this clutter-fucked…maybe she had good sense to die when she did." The papers were littered with impossible math, equations so long and complicated that it made my algebra class look easy. I know now that my dad was very tired after working all night because he really wanted to support me in what I loved to do. But I didn't know that then. I asked, "You want me to get you more coffee disks for your machine?" I knew that I needed to get out before I did something I'd regret. The fact that my father was a measly little scientist that never had any money pissed me off. I bullied guys like him for lunch money.

"Thank you, Collin, that would be lovely," my dad replied, smiling. I faked a smile back and went out. The street was busy, full of people. Some were walking their dogs, others were flying their hover-cars. Neo-Gotham was busy and it was refreshing. My dad and his lab was so not schway in my eyes.

I smirked as a flock of cheerleaders waved to me with suggestive winks. I was schway, being on the school's best sports team (A/N: Watch the Batman Beyond episode The Winning Edge. It's some mix between being an astronaut and a football player. They never name it and I can't think of one). I was living the life. And then I ruined it by spotting a familiar red head at the coffee shop I was walking towards.

Her name was Corona Helix, but she was better known as Ivy. She was a biology star who had tutored me for a bit on evolution. It was thanks to her that I was getting a C- in the class, keeping me on the team. I should have never done such a cruel thing to her…especially with what I know now. I should have been nicer…instead of faking to be.

"Hey Ivy," I greeted, another fake smile on my face. I faked everything to the people who had done their best to help me…I was such an ungrateful little shit.

Ivy smiled, greeting me shyly, "H-hey Collin. What's up?" She was so shy, like a small defenseless deer in a meadow…too bad she didn't know I was the wolf in sheep's clothing.