So this was supposed to be a song drabble for tumblr, but I really love this pairing and the song gave me feelings, so it's a bit longer than a drabble |D

So yeah, high school AU, no powers, Tara is Terra and Garth is Aqualad. Uhm other names mentioned... Gar is Beast Boy, Dick is Robin, and Roy is Speedy.

It was based off the song "Everything You Want" by Vertical Horizon.

[1 new text message from Tara]

I smiled as my phone lit up displaying the message. Tara Markov had been my best friend practically since we were born. Our mothers were friends in high school, so growing up we were almost always together. Somewhere over the years, I'd managed to develop a little crush on her.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't exactly little, but it wasn't like it mattered anyway, I wasn't going to tell her. She's dating Gar right now, and even if she wasn't, I value our friendship too much to screw it up.

[Text from:][Tara:] He dumped me. I'm coming over.

Scratch that. What was that, the third guy this year? Tara just didn't have the best luck when it came to boys, and after each break up I was there as her shoulder to cry on.

[Text to:][Tara:] Okay.

I went down to the kitchen and grabbed the quart of Rocky Road from the freezer, Tara's favorite ice cream, and two spoons. I barely had time to set it on the table before the front door opened and she walked in (Tara lived right down the street; she could walk to my house in a matter of two minutes).

"Hey," I greeted her softly when I saw her tear streaked face. Instead of replying, she just ran over to me and buried her face in my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and just let her cry there until finally, no more tears would come.

"Okay," she sniffled, "I'm okay." With that, Tara pulled away from me, grabbed the ice cream off my table and brought it into the living room.

I sat next to her on the couch as she opened the carton, took a bite, and handed me my spoon. "So what happened?" I asked her gently.

"He told me he just wasn't feeling it anymore. That it 'wasn't me, it's him'. Bullshit. That's what they all say," she replied, jabbing her spoon violently at the rocky road. "I really thought he was gonna be the one, you know?" She'd said the exact same thing with her last two boyfriends, Roy and Dick. "I just- I want somebody to love me as much as I love them. Is that too much to ask?" No Tara. That's not too much to ask, I could do that for you.

"You'll find him eventually," is what I said instead. "He's out there somewhere, Tara, you just have to be patient."

"I'm not good at 'patient'," she pouted. And she never had been, even when we were kids.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked me suddenly in between scoops of ice cream. "There's gotta be something wrong with me. Am I really that ugly that none of them can be around me for more than a few months? Am I boring? What's wrong with me, Garth? Be honest. Please." The tone of despair in her voice made it seem like she was begging.

"Nothing's wrong with you," I told her, "You're not not boring. You're one of the most outgoing people I know. Remember all those adventures we went on when we were younger? I never would have done any of those things without you there forcing me. There was never a dull moment. No, you're definitely not boring."

That got a snort out of her. "Yeah, you were always such a scared little guppy."

"And you're not ugly either. You're beautiful, Tara," inside and out, really, "And don't let any of them ever make you doubt it."

"Thank you," Tara whispered as she scooted over to give me a hug. "You're the best, you know that?"

And so it continued like that for about an hour, the two of us sitting on the couch eating ice cream and talking, until her mom called her home. It was a school night after all.

A month past since that night. Tara is seeing Mr. Wilson now. Our English teacher. So much for being patient.

I don't even know how it happened. I just know that one day she stayed after class for "extra help", and it's been a regular thing ever since. When she told me what was going on, she swore me to secrecy, knowing that if her mother found out she'd probably ship her off to boarding school.

So while I hated the fact that it was happening, I kept my mouth shut. I didn't want to lose Tara. I just kept myself contented by glaring at him all period while he taught, and knowing that if he ever did anything to hurt her he'd have to deal with me.

I mean, not that I could really beat up a ripped teacher, but hey, I could try.

[Text from:][Tara:] Raven found out. She walked in on us after class.
[Text from:][Tara:] She's fucking threatening to tell the principle.

Oh gods, this couldn't be good.

[Text to:][Tara:] What are you going to do?

[Text from:][Tara:] I can't see him anymore.

That night she came over again and the ritual (it was really starting to become a regular thing) repeated itself.

By the time the night was over, Tara was snuggled into my side, all cried out as we sat there watching Mean Girls, she turned to look up at me. "You really are the best friend I could have asked for, I don't know how you put up with me through all this. I probably don't tell you how much I love you for it enough."

"I love you too," I laughed before turning back to the movie. More than you will ever really know.