I decided to make this 3, possibly 4, chapters long. Let me know your thoughts so far!
Gotham Public Library reminded Artemis of a prison. It was cold, dark, and filled with quiet people. The only difference was the elaborate wooden trim, the mass amount of books, and the fact that nobody there was wearing an orange jumpsuit. Yup. This was way worse than a prison.
Artemis had been waiting awkwardly in the back corner by a table at the place she was hopefully supposed to meet this "Dick Grayson." She hated the fact that she was still in her school uniform, which was incredibly uncomfortable. Hopefully it would make her more recognizable to her mystery tutor.
It bothered her that she didn't know what the guy looked like. It made it so much harder to track him down. Her eyes scanned over everyone in the library, but she still has no clue who she was really looking for.
Just as she was about to give up and leave, she heard a voice behind her.
"So you're Artemis, right?"
She jumped in surprise.
"Wha-" she yelled, earning a stern look from everyone else in the vicinity.
She turned to see a young, dark haired, blue eyed boy, probably 3 years younger than her, wearing a Gotham Academy blazer smirking maniacally.
"Uh, yeah, that's me," she said, still confused. "Um, sorry, I'm just waiting for my tutor..."
His grin grew.
Artemis' heart dropped. "Don't tell me you're..."
"Dick Grayson." He extended his hand.
She didn't shake it. Getting tutored by someone her own age would have been bad enough, but this, this was just mockery. It had to be a joke.
"Right," she said sarcastically. "Exactly how old are you, again?"
"Thirteen," he said proudly.
Her look of disbelief continued.
"What?" He said. "I'm a freshman."
Then it clicked. "You-you're that creepy kid that took a picture of me!" Artemis spluttered.
"Maybe," he said with a grin. "But we really should start studying. I promised Bruce I'd be finished by 5:30, and if I'm late, he'll kill me."
Artemis ignored him. "You said 'we'll laugh about this someday.' What is that supposed to mean!?"
"Wow. Are you always this easily distracted? No wonder you're failing math." That got her attention.
"Fine," she said, pulling out her textbook. She began flipping through pages. "My class is on chapter 5, unit 2-"
Dick slammed her book shut. She looked up in surprise.
"What are you-"
"Oh come on! You actually learn out of a textbook? These things are like 50 years old!"
Her eyes narrowed. "Well do you have a better suggestion?"
Artemis was really starting to hate that grin.
"How about a bribe, huh? If you can get these first ten problems right, I'll give you 20 bucks."
He gets up a fresh $20 bill, and pushed her math homework over towards her. Artemis squinted, wondering if it was real. Who had twenty dollars to be wasting on some hopeless high schooler?
"Deal."
Artemis had barely finished two problems before Dick let out a groan.
"Come on! It's been, like, 5 minutes already! I could've been finished by now!"
"Hey, this is hard!" She snapped.
He looked over her paper.
"You're doing it right," he said approvingly. "You've got the concept. You're just going the long way." He grabbed the pencil from her hand. "Here, let me show you a shortcut..."
Artemis was blown away. With Dick's help, she'd finished her homework in half the time.
"Wow," she said, staring at her completed paper in shock. "When did you get so good at this?"
"Hey, I'm a mathlete. I'm supposed to be good. Besides, I've got a pretty busy schedule. Knowing how to get this all done quickly really helps me, you know, stay on top of things."
Artemis was beginning to realize why GA has chosen this guy to be her tutor. She stood up, ready to leave. "I guarantee my schedule's busier."
Dick grinned. "I seriously doubt that."
It was like he knew something she didn't.
She just shook his hand. "Anyway... thanks."
"Hey, don't mention it. Same time Tuesday? My place."
"I'll be there."
"Don't be late."
Next chapter is going to be Artemis at Wayne Manor. And the story is REALLY going to start picking up, so I say it's worth reading. Please R&R!