A few weeks have passed since Kory's arrival at Jump City High School, and the entire time he'd constantly been avoiding her. He didn't want to risk falling in like with her because he knew that Xavier already had a thing for her, and he didn't want any beef between them, so he'd decided it was better to ignore his feelings towards the girl. Completely.

It was a bright, sunny day and Richard was hyped. He had another test coming, and he felt like he'd been preparing for decades.

I got this.

Just then, his phone began to ring. The song signifying the caller was Xavier resounded throughout the walls of his room.

Dammit.

Richard threw aside his covers, sat up on his bed and reached for his cellphone, which was waiting for him on the nightstand.

"Hey."

"You won't believe this, bro. I swear, it's the best shit ever!"

Sighing as he prepared himself for the inevitable truth, he continued on. "What is it?"

"It took a bunch of sweet-talking, a lot of wooing and all of that bull crap, but I asked her to be my girlfriend during yesterday's assembly, and she said yes!"

Deep down, Richard died a little bit. He didn't want his bestfriend to be dating the only girl he'd ever taken a single ounce of interest in, but he wasn't going to voice it either.

"Congratulations. Is that it?"

"Well, yeah."

"Okay, well I'm gonna get ready for school. I'll see you later."

He'd never admit to anyone about how he felt just then. Jealousy, anger, frustration, and the list goes on. Knowing Xavier, he'd probably lose interest after a few weeks and just leave her with a broken heart. And he didn't like the fact that his bestfriend had 'sweet-talked' her into being with him. That was the same method he'd used on girls he'd dated before Kory, and most likely he'd use it again long after their relationship.

Well, that just about ruined my day.

Jumping off of his large, king-sized bed, Richard pulled his gray v-neck over his head, leaving him only in his black sweats. He looked into the mirror and tried to mentally prepare himself for the upcoming test.

"Psh, I don't need girls," he said to himself with a scowl. "I'm Richard fucking Grayson, for Christ's sake." As his expression softened, he realized that maybe he was wrong. Maybe Xavier was right and he needed to allow a special someone into his life. Only one girl, however, was the focal of his musings, and that bothered him.

He made his way towards the bathroom for a quick shower. When he was dried off and dressed up, he ambled to the kitchen to find Alfred preparing his breakfast.

"Good morning, Master Dick."

"Morning, Al."

The butler turned around to scrutinize the young teenager. "You look unwell. Are you certain you are alright, sir?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Dick was versed in the art of lying, which only proved useful because he felt nothing close to fine, and he didn't want Alfred getting any suspicions. In all honesty, he was stressed and a little bit depressed. "Just tired."

TTTTT

Jump City High School's parking lot was somewhat crowded, but not so much that Dick couldn't find a parking space near the entrance. As he arrived, he noticed that Xavier was waiting for him, or maybe a certain someone, by his black and red Honda Civic. Approaching him, he decided to say 'hey' before school began.

Seeing that his bestfriend was coming, Xavier grinned. "Sup?"

"Nothing. How about you?"

"Oh, just waiting for my girlfriend." Hearing this forced the ends of Dick's lips to drop.

I knew it.

"I'm happy for you," he was clearly lying through his teeth, but Xavier didn't seem to notice.

"Thanks, bro. Glad to hear that."

Just then, a group of girls passed by, each of them looking very much like a hooker. Xavier smirked as he winked in their direction, and the pack neared the two boys. Richard scowled at them. Helena Bertinelli, Kitten Walker, and Catalina Flores were members of that band of school girls, and that made Richard feel absolutely uneasy.

Oh, great. This is officially the shittiest day of my life.

"Yoohoo, Richie Poo!" Kitten was the worst of them all, but that didn't excuse the fact that they all had a terrible fetish for him. Groaning in displeasure, Richard's grip on the straps of his backpack tightened.

Helena and Catalina both tried to smile at him seductively. Both noticed each other do the same thing, then glared at one another.

"Back off, Cat. This one's mine," Helena claimed.

Catalina scoffed at her friend. "As if."

"Shut the fuck up, you two." When it came to Dick, Kitten was very overprotective, despite the fact that they weren't dating. She continued to dismiss the clear truth that he didn't want anything to do with her. "He doesn't belong to any of you, because he's mine. I called him first, so you back off!"

They all stopped dead in their tracks and continued to bicker. Xavier chuckled as he crossed his arms in pure amusement.

"Ladies, ladies." The womanizer soothed. "Calm down. My buddy here is definitely single, and down right ready to mingle." He patted Richard on the back, causing him to flinch.

"Sorry, but I'm not available." With one last passing glare at his bestfriend, Dick was gone.

TTTTT

Scurrying his way through the slightly empty hallways, he was unaware of his surroundings until he caught sight of slick, crimson hair and a pair of shiny, emerald eyes. Their gazes met, and he soon found himself lost in a trance.

She grinned at him as he walked and ogled at her at the same time. However, her expression changed when she saw exactly where he was headed.

"Dick! Watch out for-"

SLAM!

The dumbfounded boy walked straight into the wall of lockers, face-first, and very much embarrassed. He clutched at his forehead as he winced in pain. "Ow."

Kory darted towards him and cupped his cheeks as she arrived at his side, worried about his well being. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Richard blushed at her kind, soft touch.

Her hands are so warm...

"You must be careful next time!" She lightly smacked him on the shoulder as she smiled. He grasped the area where she had attacked him and playfully pretended that it'd badly hurt him.

"Mhm, right."

Kory lifted her hand to her lips as she giggled, then Xavier appeared at her side. "I should get to class," she said.

In all honesty, she was a little disappointed to see her new boyfriend, and she couldn't understand why she'd felt that way. He'd sweet-talked himself into her life, and she had to admit that he was really smooth with his words.

"Hey, Cutie." Xavier kissed her on the cheek. "Oh, 'sup Dick. I see you've met my girlfriend." He grinned at his friend.

In that moment, Richard knew that he couldn't do it. He could never be able to bring himself to g-lash his bestfriend. That's possibly one of the worst things he could ever do. Or was it? Xavier could get any girl he wanted, and it's not like Kory, in the eyes of his friend, was any different, was she? Oh God, he'd hoped not.

Feeling defeat overrule his other emotions, Richard decided that it was best not to meddle in their relationship. After all, he'd only just met this girl. And the rule was: bros before hoes. It always was. But, the thing is, she wasn't a hoe. And he knew that. So, he concluded, the guy code didn't apply to his situation. But that didn't change the fact that he'd be stealing his bestfriend's girlfriend if he went after Kory, and that's not what bestfriends do to each other.

"Right, I've gotta go. Later X, Kory..." Avoiding any eye contact with the beautiful redhead, he made his escape.

I can't do it. I can't like her. I just can't...

Xavier raised a suspicious eyebrow as his friend disappeared, but then dismissed it. "I wonder what's up his ass." He shrugged. "Oh well, whatever."

Tilting her head to the side, Kory furrowed her brows. She could tell that something was bothering Richard, but she just didn't know what. It was then that she decided to befriend him. He showed her kindness on her first day and, to her, that was enough reason to be his friend. "I hope he is okay."

"Don't worry about him, Babe." Xavier slung an arm around her shoulder. "He'll be fine. It's probably 'cause he's got the ladies wantin' a ride on his dick."

This made Kory scrunch up her face in disgust. "There are females that want to ride him?"

"Well, they wanna take away his v-card. The loser just doesn't wanna give it up," he shook his head in disappointment. "If I were him, I'd have lost it a long time ago. I mean, c'mon. Who wouldn't want free sex?"

Kory's insides were churning, and she felt very uncomfortable about the subject. She too was a virgin, and she wasn't just going to give it away that easily as well. "I support his decision. Abstinence is a very respectable choice, is it not?"

He looked at her incredulously. "You're a virgin, too?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

"N-no. Of course not," Xavier tried to hide his letdown, but she noticed it anyway. She decided that it was wise to ignore it, for she didn't want to give anything up to him yet.

He may not be the one, she thought to herself. Just wait, and the right boy will surely come my way. It may not be soon, but I hope to find him someday.

TTTTT

Richard was absently banging his head against his locker. Everyone who passed by laughed at his course of action, but he deliberately chose to ignore them. Just then, he felt a hand on his shoulder, causing him to refrain from his act of self abuse.

"Stop it. You're scaring the hell out of us," Wally smiled sheepishly at his friend. Behind him stood Garfield and Victor, both staring at him as if he were just sentenced to a psychiatric hospital.

Garfield took one hesitant step closer to a distressed Dick. "Dude... are you alright?" To his left, Victor vacated the available space.

"Yeah, man. You seem kinda down," his muscular, African American friend added. "What's up with that?"

Groaning inwardly, Richard stepped away from his beat-up locker. "Xavier's got a new girlfriend."

Wally, one of Dick's closest friends and star athlete of the track team, raised an eyebrow. "So what? He gets a new one of those like every week or some shit."

Looking away, melancholy evident in his body language, Richard deepened his already-present frown.

Victor's eyes widened, shocked at what he'd just thought. "Wait a second! You like this chick, don't you, Dick?"

This certainly got the young billionaire's attention. "N-no! I don't. I can't, okay."

"Face it, dude. You like her." Garfield smirked.

"Uhh..."

Wally smiled mischievously as he turned to Victor and Garfield. "Listen up, men. Initiate Delta Protocol. Code red. This is not a drill," he whispered to the others in a low voice so Richard would remain in the dark of their scheming.

"Message received," Garfield replied as he headed off in an unknown direction.

Victor nodded. "Confirmed." He hastily walked away, going his own route.

The track athlete folded his arms in triumph and thought to himself as his scouts disappeared to accomplish their appointed businesses.

And so it begins.

Unaware of his friends' organized task, Richard waved good-bye to Wally and headed off to class, only just remembering that he had an exam later on in the day.

Feeling the rippling sensation of a phone call alert, Wally withdrew his cell phone from his pocket. "What is it, Gar?"

"Search and destroy?"

"Negative," his tone was attentive. If Garfield intervened, things would definitely go awry. "This is strictly a recon mission. Dick would fuckin' kill us if he found out that we were playin' with this kind of fire, so remain undetected. I repeat, fly under the radar. Wall-man out."

"Roger that."

A/N: Sorry, couldn't help myself. I had to drag Kid Flash, Beast Boy, and Cyborg into this mess. Hopefully, more friendly faces will be introduced. Who knows? Tell me what you guys think!