Hope you liked the last chapter, because here I am with the next one.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

Summary: AU Love, like war, is easy to begin, but hard to stop. Raven's life had never been easy, but things take an unexpected twist when she meets the arrogant new kid, Richard Grayson.

Let your love be like the misty rains, coming softly, but flooding the river.

~ Malagasy Proverb

Chapter four: The Companionship

Normal POV

Raven had managed to avoid Rich for the time she had already been at school. He kept his distance from her in the hallways when they passed by each other. Raven was pleased and wished for it to continue to be this way, but Rich was not happy with their constant encounters without association. So, he devised a plan to where Raven would have to talk to him.

He was aware of the project that their chemistry teacher was planning to give them, and he was aware that they would be assigned partners. So, he typed up his own list of partners, changing Raven to being his partner, and planned on switching the lists during their chemistry class on Wednesday. He was positive that his plan would work; considering that he most likely wouldn't be caught because of his lightning quick skills.

Raven knew she was in for it in her next class, chemistry, which she now shared with Rich. Ever since Rich moved here, she dreaded going to it. It used to be a class that she shared with both Vic and Gar and also Tara. But now, it is the point in the day where everything goes down hill.

Raven reluctantly sauntered into her class, took her seat next to Tara at the lab table for two, and sat her backpack down next to her stool.

Tara smiled and greeted Raven warmly like she always did. Raven greeted her back, but a lot less enthusiastic.

Vic and Gar took their seats in at the lab table for two that was to the right of Raven's and Tara's lab table and they greeted her for the second time that day.

Raven looked around and saw Rich -still with his almost worse bruised eye- standing at the back of the room in front of Mrs. Hemingway's bulletin board. And for a second, a split second, she thought she saw Rich switch the paper that was posted there with another one. Raven concluded that her eyes were just playing tricks on her, nothing more. So she turned her head back to the front of the classroom and blinked her eyes a couple of times as the bell sounded.

"Alright everyone," Mrs. Hemingway entered the room, "The bell has rang, please take your seats."

With the sound of shuffling feet and bags being shifted, everyone took a seat.

"So today," Mrs. Hemingway continued, "We will be starting a major project that will be counting for forty-five percent of your grade, and we will be working on it for the next three weeks."

Gar groaned loudly and obnoxiously, as he was expected to.

"You will be assigned a partner," Mrs. Hemingway continued, ignoring Gar's unnecessary outburst, "And both of you will contribute to creating a science project of your choice. Chose the gist of your project, and confirm it with me. The partners' list is posted on the bulletin board, get started."

With the sound of feet shuffling, groans, and a few swear words, the class began getting with their partners and starting their projects.

Raven reluctantly sauntered over to the bulletin board to see who would be her partner.

As long as, Raven thought, scanning through the list to find her name, I'm not with...damn.

Raven discovered that her partner was none other than, Richard Grayson. The number one person she did not want to be with. What did she do to deserve this cruel punishment?

Raven winced and turned on her heels to see Rich, sitting were Tara previously was, and waving innocently to her.

We're going to fight fire with fire Grayson, Raven thought, sending him death glares as she took her seat next to her mortal enemy and his bruised eye. She was more than satisfied with the damage she did to him. It gave him a taste of the hate she had towards him.

"Hey Raven," he greeted her smugly, "What a coincidence, you know, me and you, project partners."

"And that's all we are, Grayson, so let's just get this over with before I give you another black eye," Raven commented bluntly.

"Whatever you say, boss," Rich replied. From this point on, Rich didn't want to argue and fuss with Raven. He knew she didn't like him as a friend -or at all, for that matter. But he still didn't want them to be enemies. Anything but enemies.

Surprised by Rich's response, Raven focused all of her attention back onto their project.

"Raven-"

"No, Grayson, I don't want to hear it," Raven denied and continued walking down the hallway away from him. She knew he was bound to come after her eventually, but she didn't know that they would be the only two in the hallway when it did. Raven had been excused from her class to go to the restroom, while Richard had been trying out for soccer during that period, and had finished early so he was going to leave for the day -which explained why he was carrying his things.

"Please, I'm begging you, just listen," he pleaded, running after her. Never had Richard Grayson found himself in this kind of situation before. He'd never wanted a girl so bad that he would actually beg for her to talk to him. But he'd also never known a person as beautiful as Raven, or someone who actually saw him as Richard Grayson, and not his money. Then again, he's never known a person that hated him because of his money.

Raven stopped sharply and turned and faced the teen who was but a foot from her, "What?" she hissed, glaring daggers.

"Why won't you just talk to me?" he inquired, his sparkling blue eyes glazed over with hurt, one of which had a dark red mark underneath it from the incident a few days prior.

"I...do...not...like...you," Raven drawled, a vein pulsating in her forehead, "And I never will. You are the biggest douche bag I've ever met in my life, and I wouldn't care if you dropped off the face of this planet. You lowlife jerk, get out of my face and stay out of my life!" She grabbed all the papers, folders, and books that he was holding in his hands, and threw them on the floor by is feet. She turned, rolling her eyes, and stormed off.

But then, she began to think about that look he had in his eyes a few moments prior, and the big bruise underneath the right one that she had caused, and her footsteps gradually began to get lighter.

She couldn't help but feel bad for the guy; he obviously just wanted a chance to be friends with her, and she had continually denied him rudely. Her footsteps began to get slower as she felt bad about her actions towards him.

And that look that he'd just given her, that look, it just made her soul feel regretful because she obviously caused it. And that look, that very look, is what made Raven's footsteps stop altogether. Maybe she could take a chance at a new friendship?

Damn you Phoenix Raven mentally cursed her brother as she approached the boy on his knees, retrieving his things that she had thrown. Rich didn't look up at her as she neared closer to him; he was expecting for her to punch him in the eye again, not to do what she did. Raven got down on her knees in front of him, and began to help him pick up his things.

Rich gazed at her in disbelief. This girl, the one that despised Richard so, was she actually being nice to him? Or was it an act? Rich wasn't very sure at the moment; he was still in shock and wasn't able to think straight. But, he knew his eyes weren't deceiving him; this was really happening.

"Sorry," Raven apologized, still not looking up at him, not ready to give up her pride just yet.

Rich snapped out of his daze, not at the sound of her voice, but the word she spoke. Not only was Raven being nice, but she was apologizing. Okay, he was finding this a little hard to believe.

Raven picked up one of his things that wasn't completely strewn out all over the floor, "I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," Rich interrupted her, afraid that he would loose his sanity if she continued, "You're not the first per...well, yeah you are the first person. But it's cool, no need to apologize."

Raven looked up at him, mentally thanking him for letting her savor her pride while she still had it, and her stomach jumped when she noticed how dark the red mark was underneath his eye. She hit him a lot harder than she thought she did, and a lot harder than she intended to. "Your eye."

"No, it makes me look tough cause I tell everyone it was a soccer accident." Rich only told that to Riley, but he was hoping to stifle a laugh from her. But he only received a slight curve of her lip, which was disappointing.

Raven broke the eye contact that she had with Richard, and looked down at what she was picking up. She laid eyes on an amazing flawless sketch of a woman with flowing loose curls cascading like a waterfall down her back. She had almond shaped eyes that gleamed with happiness and shine, and perfectly arched eyebrows. The woman was clad in a dress that was snug on her curvaceous body and bore diamonds around neckline. She was beautiful, and the sketch was the most wonderful one Raven had ever seen.

Rich stared at Raven, noticing every one of her naturally flawless features. Raven was truly beautiful. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and her body had just enough curves in all the right places, and something about her aroused him. Something about Raven lured him in. Something about her made him want to delve deeper into her, and get to know her. Something, that he just couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Did you draw this?" Raven inquired, her voice brought Rich out of his daze and he stopped admiring her beauty for the time being.

Rich looked down at the drawing in her hand, "Yea."

"Who is this lady?" Raven asked, admiring the sketch once more. She had no idea that Rich had this kind of talent. Why didn't he mention this the first day they met? Then they might have been friends from the start.

"That's my mother," Rich replied, also admiring the sketch, "Beautiful isn't she?"

"She's gorgeous," Raven agreed, uncomfortable that Rich was getting closer to her. She shifted her eyes from the drawing of Richard's mother, to a lot more drawings that were within the pile of papers.

She flipped through them. She saw sketches of many more gorgeous woman, of cars, of graffiti, of roses and skulls, and all sorts of things. "You're really good," Raven complimented, "...Although, you probably don't need me telling you that. Your dad probably bought you a museum to put all your drawings in." Raven tucked her hair behind her ear as she continued examining the sketches.

"No," Rich informed her, smiling, "He and his fiancee don't really pay that much attention to them. They're too busy being proud of my twin brother, Riley. But it's no big deal."

Raven looked up at him to see that he had situated himself beside her instead of in front of her like before. She slowly nodded at the information he'd just given her as she secretly eased herself away from him, only a small inch or two.

Raven went back to flipping through the drawings, and she came across one of a young woman, around her age. She was standing alone in a meadow, only accompanied by a dove that rested on her extended slender wrist. Her arm that held the bird was slightly bent and was holding the hand with the bird beside her heart shaped face. The girl had a widows peak, with short tresses of shaded black hair, and she was a little short for her age. She was clad in a long sleeve shirt, a vest, and shorts. But Raven realized who the girl was when she laid eyes on a pair of combat boots that she knew all too well.

"Is...is this me?" Raven inquired, and she noticed Rich jump a little when she spoke.

He looked in her hands at the sketch she held, "Uh...yea, it is you." Rich was afraid of how Raven would react if he told her that he actually sits around thinking about her and drawing pictures of her. But he was surprised when she didn't blow her top, instead, she just continued looking at the picture, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"No...I don't do her justice," Raven slightly shook her head no, "She's way too beautiful." Raven had never admitted to anybody that she was insecure about the way she looked. She hated her widows peak; it was so, noticeable, that it was almost unnatural looking. And her eyes were way too big, and her skin was way too pale. She hated how her body was way too exaggerated, and that she was way shorter than any other sixteen year old.

"No, the picture doesn't do you justice," Rich disagreed, "You're beautiful Raven. If you weren't, I wouldn't have had the muse to draw you."

Raven was uncomfortable when she felt his intense gaze on her. She hated being stared at. It just made her feel even more insecure.

"Well, I have to get back to class," Raven quickly handed Rich his things before getting back up on her feet and walking off.

"Wait," Rich called after her, "So...are we friends?"

Raven turned and faced him, sporting a smirk, "Don't push your luck, Grayson."

"So, you're saying, that if I joined the baseball team, you'd go out with me?" Gar attempted to change Kori's words around to where it sounded as if she were agreeing to go out with him.

"No Gar," Kori giggled, "That's not what I meant when I said I liked baseball."

Vic and Tara began laughing at Gar's embarrassment, while Raven just rolled her eyes at his all of a sudden desperation.

"I'm going to miss you guys," Tara sighed.

"What do you mean, Tar?" Gar asked.

"I'm going on vacation to Spain for the next few weeks, and we won't be back until like Halloween," Tara explained.

"Trust me, Tara, you're going to be in the country with beautiful sights and attractive Spanish men, and we'll be here, listening to Gar's lame jokes and Vic's sports talk; you're not the one missing out," Raven explained without looking up.

Kori and Tara fell into fits of laughter while Vic and Gar pouted.

"Check that out," Vic pointed over to the cafeteria door. His friends wondered what was in his line of vision so they followed his finger and laid eyes on Rich, entering the cafeteria with Jinx, and they were laughing...

Gross Raven thought, I could have gone my whole life without having to see that. She'd never really gotten along that pale, bright pink haired teen. The moment that Raven laid eyes on Jinx, she had an instant hate for her. Something about Jinx set Raven off. Was it they way that she walked; stealthily, like a black panther. Was it the way she always wore some form of a black jumpsuit everyday? Was it the way that she always had to leave so suddenly? There was just something about Jinx, and Raven couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Well, she's not my type, but whatever floats his boat," Gar commented, going back to his lunch. Gar hadn't really he had a feeling that Jinx was too weird for even him to be friends with. She always ran off at the most random moments, with no real excuse. And, quite frankly, he didn't need another strange friend.

"She's nobody's type," Tara added, "Nobody even get's along with her."

"Whatever, here they come," Raven informed them quietly, not even looking up from her lunch tray. They all copied her notions, and looked down at their food, stopping all conversation.

"Hey guys," Rich greeted them when he and Jinx reached the table that Raven and her friends were at. They stood behind the side of the rectangular lunch table where Vic, Gar, and Kori sat.

"Sup bro," Gar turned and he and Rich did their handshake that they thought was cool. And only those two knew how to do it; it was so long and complicated that nobody even took the time to attempt it.

"Dude," Vic greeted him with a knuckle touch, typical.

"Hey Raven," Rich greeted her. Raven looked up from her lunch, and his stormy blue gaze was upon her. She gave him a nod of the head to acknowledge his presence before going back to her lunch. Which was enough to make his stomach jump; Raven didn't actually say anything to acknowledge him, but a nod meant that she was actually paying attention to him -and not because she was running away from him or insulting him. Which was a major step from the day they first meet.

Kori nudged Gar in the ribs, making him aware of the fact that she wasn't acquainted with Richard.

"Oh yea," Gar put his arm around Kori's shoulder, ignoring the shooting pain in his stomach, "This beautiful senior is my girlfriend, Kori." Gar lifted his eyebrows up and down in a perverted way at Kori, receiving a kick in the shin from an unknown person underneath the table. Was that a vein pulsating in Tara's forehead that Gar saw?

"Not," Kori picked up his arm and unwrapped it from around her, "Your girlfriend."

Gar sighed, rubbing his throbbing shin, and humiliated as he received smirks from everyone.

"I'm Kori," she turned and shook Rich's outstretched hand, "Kori Anders. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Richard Grayson," he introduced himself, letting his hand fall, "But you can call me Rich. And it's nice to meet you too. And guys this is Jinx, my friend."

There was a series of mumbled "hey's" and "hi's" from everybody, but Raven, who suddenly found a button on her shirt very interesting. Rich and Jinx joined them at the table; Jinx beside Kori, and two seats diagonal from Raven, and Rich next to Vic, diagonal from Tara.

Rich looked Tara's way and she smiled at him, "Tara," she introduced herself.

"Rich," he replied.

Raven's friends began to converse immediately, with everyone joining in in some way, while she just observed the pink haired girl. Jinx sat there, sitting straight up, her eyes darting back and forth to whoever was talking, and Raven subtlety watched her every move, unnoticed by the others.

The words that were spoken around Raven became muffled noises that echoed throughout her ears and mind as she observed every feature of the mysterious teen. Her bright, bright, unnatural looking blue eyes, that odd light pink hair color, those eccentric pigtails, that deathly pale skin, and yet, rosy pink cheeks. Jinx truly had a peculiar look to her; and every detail she had set Raven off.

Jinx began to seem uncomfortable, and Raven knew that Jinx was aware that she was watching her, so she looked back at her lunch tray. But, out of the corner of her eye, Raven noticed Jinx slightly wincing as if she was in pain.

"I have to go," Jinx said, and everyone, minus Raven, watched her as she stood to leave.

"Chick's loony," Gar muttered as everybody went back to what they were doing before.

Raven looked up and spared Jinx one last look before she left the cafeteria all together. And for a second, a split second, Raven saw Jinx's eyes flash a bright pink color. And this time, Raven didn't doubt what she had seen; this time, she was sure it really happened. She didn't know what she saw, but she knew she saw it.

"Yep," Raven said under her breath, "There's definitely something about Jinx..."

End Chapter

So how was it? Okay, so two major events happened in this chapter: Raven gives Rich a chance, and Jinx is introduced. So, the next chapter, and another major event happens and I can't wait to write it.

So, my OCs weren't really mentioned in this chapter, but no worries, they'll have a big huge part in the next chapter. So please don't kill about that. And I know this chapter was really short, so don't kill me about that either.

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-GothicPrincess

Love is like dew that falls on both nettles and lilies.

~Swedish Proverb