Yeah you can say it - about effin time! I know I'm sorry. A bit shorter than the last few (sorry sorry sorry)

Disclaimer: I DON'T own Teen Titans, but the little Larry dude was named after my gold(actually black)fish, Larry - (okay so it's really the other way round, but suspend belief for a little bit)

oOo

Big Steps (Well Aren't We Getting Bold?)

Gar

Friendship is a funny thing. You can hang around a group of people during school and stuff, and tell people that they're your friends without a second thought. But when you take the time to think, think hard about it, are they really your friends? Or are they just convenient people that you hang around with? What do ya call 'em? Acquaintances, that's it. Are they your friends or acquaintances?

It's so easy when you're a little kid. You always know who's your friend, who's your best friend and who's just a random that you can play with. But once you get older, it's so hard to figure out who really is your friend. And who's just pretending to be so they can get the perks that come with your friendship.

The prom was all the buzz.

As it was with every other year, there were flyers tacked all over the school. Juniors and seniors were talking about their dresses or their dates, freshmen were watching them, dreaming about their prom, and the sophomores just acted like they didn't care, when really, they couldn't wait for their turn.

Gar happened to be in a group of sophomores that really didn't care, and went on about how lame prom was anyway and they wouldn't go even if it was their turn, so he decided to keep the plan that he had thought up in class to himself.

He also kept to himself, the feeling of disappointment he was getting when he looked at his 'friends'. Ever since the events of the year before, they had all become distant from each other, especially from him. They were more concerned about where to get pot or whether they should smoke at the skate park, rather than creating a big plan to crash the prom. When it came to the attitudes of the different years in the school, Gar felt that he had definitely been born two years too late.

It was because of this disappointment towards the people in his friend group, that he decided to focus all of his attention upon Rachel. It was a few times now that they had met in the barn, and even though she spent all of her time reading and ignoring him, they had been the best times that Gar had had in the whole year so far.

He didn't know why she interested him so much. She was just so…weird. So different from everyone else he knew. She didn't care what anyone thought of her, nor did she ever feel the need to have a conversation, unlike him.

And she was always reading. She didn't ever stop. She was reading as she walked into the barn, reading while sitting down in the barn with Coal curling up at her feet and Gar himself swinging on the rafters, and reading when she walked out and back to her house. Gar had commented on it one day.

"Do you ever stop reading?" He had said, while lying on a pile of hay.

"Yes," She had replied, not looking up from her book, "Sometimes I stop and I write, draw or listen to music instead."

"Don't you ever get bored?"

"I'm not you." She gave him a sidewards glance. "So no."

"But all you're doing all the time is looking at some words on paper and-" She quickly cut him off.

"Did you know that in the Grimm version of Cinderella there is no fairy godmother? It's actually the spirit of her mother and a tree that make her wishes come true with the help of two doves." She spilled out, eyes still focussed on her book.

That was another thing Gar had found out about Rachel. She had perfected the talent of conversation-killing, and had almost perfected the talent of scaring-someone-so-much-that-they-crap-their-pants-and-never-talk-to-you-again. The latter talent was an almost, because she had failed to get rid of Gar. He wasn't planning on giving her a break, not until he got her a) to smile, or b) to laugh as she had the first time in the barn.

He passed her at her locker on his way to ancient history and flashed her his infamous grin. Any other girl would have smiled back, or giggled nervously, or just simply melted at Garfield Dayton grinning at them (that's what he liked to think anyway), but not Rachel. She instead rolled her eyes at him and continued going through her locker. Gar chuckled at her annoyance and kept walking.

When he got to his class, he stopped at the door and waited as everyone else filed in. As soon as he saw Rachel walk through the door, he followed her and sat down in the empty seat next to where she was. She slid her eyes towards him calmly and sighed.

"What do want Gar?"

"Just a place to sit," he said simply, and she shook her head.

"Don't you have friends in our year to sit with instead?" Gar nodded.

"Well actually, I've been thinking about that, and I've come to the conclusion that yes, I do have one friend in my year to sit with, and you're it." He opened his book and Rachel frowned, trying to understand what he'd just said. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again once the teacher started talking.

Gar faced the front and tried to listen to the lesson, feeling Rachel's eyes on him the whole time.

oOo

Dick was quickly beginning to hate prom.

And it was still over two weeks away.

It was now lunchtime on Thursday, with still fifteen-and-a-half days left before the night of prom, and already he had been asked by nine different people, one of them Kitty (luckily Fang hadn't heard about that though), and he had rejected each and every one of them.

"You've got to say yes to someone man," Vic had found him hiding near classroom block C; "You'll have to end up taking someone."

"That's easy for you to say, you have a girlfriend. Everyone knows you're taken." Dick grumbled.

"Just come out on the oval with us Dick. Don't worry. You're not the only one who's having problems with crazy fangirls. Last time I checked, Garth was too." Vic chuckled. "Wally's actually jealous of you. They've been coming to you first then going to him."

"He can have them," Dick said, "He can have them all. I don't even want to go to prom."

Vic raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that there isn't one girl in the whole school that you don't want to take to prom?" Dick thought about Mandy, the way she smiled when she was amused, and the way she had stroked his arm that morning before school. Vic saw his expression and nodded. "I didn't think so. Come on, everyone would have calmed down by now anyway." He pulled Dick up and dragged him away from the classrooms and up to the oval.

Unfortunately, Vic had underestimated the power of the 'needing-a-hot-date-for-prom' syndrome, and how many girls in the junior and senior classes thought Dick fitted their ideals. Half a dozen prom-obsessed teenagers were waiting for them on the oval, and as soon as they saw Dick, they rushed over.

"Great," Dick muttered and glared up at Vic, who was looking at him sheepishly.

"Well man, hope y'all have fun," he grinned, before backing away through the crowd and walking up to the others.

Dick fumed where he was standing as the surrounding girls fawned over him. "Okay, okay," he raised his hands to defend himself, "you girls are all great, really, and I'm sure you'll all be great partners for the prom, but I am…" he quickly thought up of something, "kinda already going with someone else."

He never thought that six girls could gasp simultaneously, but apparently they could. As five of the girls were pushed into stunned silence, Kitty (yes – she was one of those girls – still trying to get Dick) narrowed her eyes and sneered.

"Who is she?" She edged closer to Richard. "What does she have that we don't?" She was now right in front of his face, and had stared poking his chest. "Come on, Dickie-poo. Tell us who she is."

"It's me." They all whirled around at Mandy walking towards them. She sidled up to Dick and slid her hand in his. "He asked me and I said yes," her eyes narrowed, "anyone have a problem with that?" The other girls quickly walked away, Kitty pouting at Mandy before she did so. Mandy pulled Dick away, "Let's get out of here fast," she breathed in his ear and he followed her around the back of the industrial block.

"Thanks for the save," Dick said to her as she pulled her hand away and walked towards one of the doors.

"Vic said you were having a little trouble with adoring fangirls, but no-one was polite enough to try and step in," she shook her head. "Pussies."

She turned the knob on the door and pushed it open to reveal a wood storeroom. She gestured for him to come in and closed the door behind them. Inside the room it was dark, and naturally, it smelt like wood.

"So," she said in the dark, "you don't have a date for the prom yet?"

Dick smiled. "There's one girl I want to ask but I just haven't got around to it yet."

"You really shouldn't keep a girl waiting Dick. She could be hiding somewhere, waiting for you to go over and ask her and dreaming about the day you finally will."

"Actually I'm pretty sure she just flirting with me in a very small room right now."

"Feeling a bit uncomfortable are we?" She was now standing right in front of him.

"Actually, no." They leant in closer to each other. "Come to prom with me," he whispered.

"What if I'm already going with someone?"

Good point. "And who would that be?"

In the dim light, he could see her smirk. "What did I just tell Kitty and the girls?"

Dick closed his eyes and leant in towards her, but was stopped by the tips of her fingers on his lips. She ran her index finger across his bottom lip. "Save it for the night," she breathed.

oOo

The news that Mandy Tam'ran and Dick Grayson were going to prom together spread like wildfire. All the girls backed off completely as soon as they heard the news. Vic had slapped Dick on the back when he'd heard, and grinned.

"Didn't I tell you so?"

He walked into math after lunch, smiling. Mr Pots frowned at the obvious lack of disappointment from one of his students, before shaking his head and turning towards the board.

Mr Pots wasn't the only one who noticed Dick's happier attitude, and he received a note shortly into the period.

Might I ask what has made you so happy?

Dick smiled and wrote back to her.

I have a date for the prom.

Kori felt a flicker or sadness, but quickly masked it. She smiled at him and replied.

That's great! Congratulations! Who are you going with?

Mandy Tam'ran.

As soon as she saw her sister's name on the scrap of paper, Kori felt as if a thousand bricks had dropped on her heart.

Well I hope you have a great time.

Thanks. Are you going as well?

oOo

"No."

Rachel spoke from her book. "So you're just going to give up and let your sister and the biggest bitch in the school take out the guy you like?"

"…"

"Well, have fun with that."

Kori looked up at her. "Why don't you say something to Richard?"

"Why would I want to?"

"Because he could get heartbroken. You could warn him about-"

"About what?" Rachel closed her book and stared up at Kori. "What I say won't make a difference to what his opinion of Mandy is." Kori looked down at her hands as Rachel continued. "I don't like the fact that he's going out with Mandy either, but he is, and I highly doubt that he'll change his mind just because I don't like her."

"But," Kori whispered, "She could hurt him. What happens if she does something to him and breaks his heart?"

"Rich is a big boy Kori, he can look after himself and doesn't need me to watch out for him. Besides," she shrugged and opened up her book, "if he does get a 'broken heart' or whatever, it's his own fault and he'll learn from it next time."

"Don't you even care?"

"This coming from the person who won't go to prom just because he's taken." Rachel glanced up calmly. "You don't get to tell me off for standing by and letting this happen. You're doing the exact same thing."

Kori looked down. "You're right. I'm sorry." Rachel shrugged. "I just hope he figures it out before Mandy hurts him."

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Kori," she said, "He's a guy. He won't figure it out."

"But Richard is different, he's smarter than that."

"No," Rachel shook her head, "He really isn't. He's just like all the other teenage boys in the world. Really, really dumb."

OoO

Mandy came up to Dick after last period and grabbed him from behind. "We're having drinks at Vic's house," she breathed in his ear. "Come on, it'll be fun."

Dick looked at the dark-haired girl clutching his waist, and everything else melted away. "Sure. Why not?"

Mandy smiled flirtingly. "Excellent. Some of the guys need a ride."

"Does that include you?"

"Of course it does."

Dick grinned. "I'll bring the car around then." Mandy let go of him and he made his way to the carpark, almost running.

He arrived in front of his car grinning, but his grin faded when he noticed Rachel sitting on the bonnet. "Oh shit." He mumbled.

"What?" His sister looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Just forgot a little something."

"And that would be?"

"Umm…you."

Rachel now had both eyebrows raised. "Huh. Well that makes me feel loved," she said sarcastically. Richard looked around trying to figure out what to do. "What's the big deal anyway?"

Dick sighed. "I was going to go to Vic's house.''

"Fine. Give me the keys and get a lift." Dick looked at her exasperatedly.

"I'm supposed to be giving lifts. Besides, you don't have your licence anyway."

She thought for a moment. "Well. You're pretty screwed."

"No shit, Sherlock." He leant against the bonnet and kicked at the ground. "Do ya think you could call Alfred?"

"Do you think he'd answer?"

Richard frowned at the ground. Probably not. And Bruce wasn't in town that week. He ran over his mind for a solution when it slapped him in the face.

"Wait here a sec." He dashed over to the other side of the carpark.

As he came back, Rachel groaned. "You've got to be kidding me," she murmured, as she watched Dick walk over to her with a certain blonde-haired, green-eyed guy.

"Hi Rae!" Gar grinned as he came over. His overbearing cheeriness made her want to throw up. "Dick said you needed a lift."

"Yeah…" Rachel looked over at her brother with murder in her eyes. "Something like that."

"Sweet! Well, not so much for you but…heh…"

Rachel rolled her eyes and slid off the car bonnet. "We going then?"

"Uh, yeah! My car's just this way." He walked off and Rachel, before following him, leant over to Dick.

"You," she hissed, "Owe me."

Dick grinned sheepishly at her. "Have fun," he murmured to her as she walked away, flipping him the bird over her shoulder. Dick, trying to contain himself, got into the car, backed out from the park and sped off to pick up Mandy (and of course, the other people).

oOo

The ride home, to say simply, was long. It didn't help that Gar insisted on going the speed limit, and Rachel had a feeling that by the time she got home, she would be pounding her head on the dashboard.

Surprisingly, Gar didn't talk much, so that at least saved Rachel from having to refrain from killing him. Although, the silence that was left behind was starting to make them both uncomfortable.

Just when it was at the point of being unbearable, Gar spoke up. "So is your brother going to prom?"

Rachel shrugged. "Don't know," she mumbled, "Don't really care." The silence continued until Rachel sighed. "Apparently the news around school is that he's going with Mandy Tam'ran."

Gar winced. "What?" she asked.

"Don't get me wrong," he looked over at Rachel, "Mandy is hot," She rolled her eyes, "But seriously, she's kind of a mega-bitch."

Rachel frowned at him disbelievingly. "Wow." She said simply. "There is actually a type of guy with a brain that doesn't completely rely on his dick." Gar laughed.

"That's a good one," he chuckled, "I know quite a few guys who would hate to hear that."

He stopped laughing and grinned at her. "So are you going to prom?"

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Um, in case you didn't get the memo," she said, "It's a junior and senior prom."

"So?"

"Did you hear the word sophomore in there?"

"Nope."

"Then what makes you think I would be going?"

"Well Rae," he said simply, "There's this thing called prom-crashing. Kinda like party-crashing, but a whole lot cooler and with a whole lot more risks."

"Right…and I'm guessing this is something you and your friends are up to, correct?"

"Well, yeah," He glanced over at her, "That's if my friend will come with me." Rachel rolled her eyes. "C'mon Rae. The theme is masquerade. They're just asking for a couple of crazy sophomores to come and crash it."

"C'mon. It'll be fun."

Rachel looked down at her hands. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to say no. I'm not interested," her eyes flicked up to him, "Sorry Gar." He pulled up in front of her house and she got out of the car.

She began to walk to the door when his voice stopped her. "Hey Rae! If you ever change your mind, just call me." He grinned and drove off.

"Not likely," she murmured.

Yep. Easily one of the most complicated things in life. Not the most complicated though, that would probably be love.

oOo

Lol. While writing the Dick/Mandy interaction I actually started to like them as a couple (Ahh!)

Okay...so this is going to be the last chapter for a few weels (*ducks under table*) UNLESS! I steal some internet from overseas (do Maccas in Europe have free Wi-Fi?)

Lastly - a question for my American readers (although I thinks thats pretty much all of you). Why is prom such a big deal? I mean, I would think that the afterparties (if you have them) would be a lot more cooler